One Year Of Wedding Stories

A year ago I hit record with one simple goal: save the wedding stories I’d been telling in kitchens, cars, and green rooms for years. Twelve months later, we’re celebrating a wild first season filled with real ceremony chaos, heartfelt wins, and the kind of lessons only learned when microphones, timelines, and emotions meet. This anniversary special blends gratitude with good data, spotlighting the moments you loved most and the surprises I never saw coming.

We walk through the numbers that actually matter: 1,313 plays, a catalog that stretched from regular episodes to a vow mini‑series, and streams from 19 countries with unexpected momentum in Japan and the Netherlands. I revisit the gateway episodes—yes, the infamous prison bra story—and unpack why listeners keep returning to candid takes on timelines, vendor boundaries, and designing ceremonies that feel like you rather than a Pinterest board. Along the way, I recap standout interviews: a first bride’s behind‑the‑scenes honesty, an officiant’s hard‑won pet peeves, a photographer’s art-versus-wrangling balancing act, and a counselor’s pre‑“I do” checklist that saves couples stress.

Then we look ahead. Season two keeps the heart and raises the bar with more reaction episodes, smarter planning insights, and fresh guest voices from across the wedding ecosystem. I share realistic scheduling gaps, why the show’s name leaves room for guest hosts, and tease new stories like forgetting to write the script, doing a ceremony backwards, and the clause you inspired in my contract. If you’re a vendor, a past couple, or someone with a wedding tale that deserves the mic, consider this your open invite to join the conversation.

If these honest, unvarnished wedding stories make you laugh, nod, or rethink your plan, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review. Your support helps more people find the real side of weddings—and gives us more reasons to keep telling these stories.

Transcript

Why The Podcast Exists

Goals, Surprises, And Growth

The Year In Stats

Social Media And Top Episodes

Guest Interviews And Lessons

Listeners Around The World

U.S. Cities And Milestones

Season Two Plans And Gaps

Future Episode Teasers

Call For Stories And Vendors

Gratitude And Closing CTA

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Welcome to the Wedding Wear with officiating by Amanda. Hello, friends, and welcome back to The Wedding Where, a podcast full of real wedding stories, hilarious, heartfelt, little chaotic, where I strive to listen and not judge. And in this episode, we are pausing to say, holy cow, we've been doing this for a whole year. Today's episode is the wedding where we celebrate one year of the podcast. I know that that doesn't follow the normal flow, but it's my podcast. I get to do what I want. One year full of stories and laughter, questionable wedding decisions, hopefully some good advice that you can take away with you, heartfelt moments, and conversations that remind us about weddings, all the people behind them, and the fascinating experience that it is. Whether you've been here since episode one last January, or you just found this show last week and were one of the 40 listens I had last week. Thank you for being a part of this journey. This is going to be an episode really focused on reflection, gratitude, and some sneak peeks of what is coming next. So, how did we get here? Well, my name's Amanda. I'm an officiant. I've been an officiant for a long, long time. May will be 12 years. And I found myself at the start of 2025 without a normal nine to five. So all I really had going were my weddings, my loving side hustle that over the years I grew from two to three weddings a year, all the way up to more than 50 weddings in a year. And I'm a big believer in preserving stories. Write them down, make recordings, capture it on video, whatever you need to do. And I've been telling my stories to friends and family members for years. I've even told them to couples that have met with me and been thinking about booking with me so that they would know, yep, I've dealt with this before. I had a wedding where blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, happened. And after more than a decade of officiating weddings and kind of facing this unknown era in my life without a W-2 job, I realized I had too many stories not to share, and that I needed to find the best way for me to get those stories preserved. And that became this podcast. I had talked about it for a while with friends and family. And then the opportunity came, the moment came. I thankfully had the mic and the support of my husband and my family and my friends and previous couples who were like, yeah, go ahead, talk away, tell all about what happened on our wedding day. And that is how the wedding wear was born. I wanted this to be a space where we could talk about weddings, that not everything is Pinterest perfect. They're real. Not everything is bridezilla. There's there's a lot that goes on. There's a lot that goes wrong. There's a lot that goes fantastic and beautiful and right. There are new traditions created that I'm sure 10 to 15 years from now, people are going to say, like, oh, well, that was always part of a wedding. There are traditional elements falling away that I have to kind of remind couples that you don't have to have it if you don't want to. And I look forward to seeing where we go from there. And by and large, the weddings are still the day where love shows up, even if something else didn't quite go according to plan. So yeah, and I just started this and said to myself, okay, if no one ever listens, you are preserving these stories. And that's the thing that matters. That was like goal one, preserve the story. Goal two was like get some listens. Goal three, you know, reach a little bit of an audience and maybe have it help with some marketing aspects. But and those were kind of it for goals. Like I never saw myself, you know, doing big pod festivals or anything. And now I'm looking into it. I never saw myself really on somebody else's podcast. And yet I've been on one really just a wild, wild year. So we all know how much I love stats. If you don't, please refresh yourself to any of the stat episodes I've put out. I did one on 2024 stats, a recent one on 2025 stats. I did one in like May of like a what are the trends of 2025 so far? Definitely I'm a stats person. So in the year that we had in this running from January, well, I think I actually went live on the 20th, but I'm running it for today on the 24th. So we have had 1,313 listens across all of the episodes since we launched. Majority of those come from Spotify, Wootwoot. Shout out to the Spotify, followed by Apple Podcast, the web browser. So just someone going straight and Googling it, and a fair amount coming in from Wix, which is actually where I've got my wedding website. So we put out 38 regular episodes in what we called season one, which is following with like the calendar year. We've put out three episodes so far in season two, so that's 41. We did seven bonus episodes, so that is 48. And we did a six-episode vow mini-series. And there were, as I said, six of those. So 48 and six is 54. That's not half bad when you think about that. This was done as I was job hunting, selling a house, moving, buying a house, starting a new job, moving into a new buying and moving into a new house, setting up that house, and all of the different holiday seasons, and then all of the weddings done as well. I think I'd given that stat already in my 2025 update, but I did 84 weddings this year, 84 of them. So all of these episodes were put out, recorded, and dealt with all in the midst of doing that. And when I just take a look back at that, I'm absolutely amazed. I would have never thought that this year was going to be the year that it ended up being. And I'm so, so happy that it has been. Absolutely thrilled that it has been. Let me see what other fun stats I can share with you all. Like I said, it's been a journey and adventure. I did a lot more on social media when I started out when I had more time to. That is definitely an avenue I'd love to get back to. I'd love to put the clips back again on Facebook and do some little reels behind the scenes, either of me recording or getting into the podcast realm. And then I would also love to, you know, put more out. Day in the life TikTok. I tried really doing that towards the fall of this year, fell a little short on some days. We've got our roundup of the top episodes for the year. And again, I'm not surprised most of these were earlier in the year, because then that means that they've had a lot of time to get listened to. Our introduction episode has had 63 listens. It's really great. I tried to keep that short, sweet, and to the point. Um, and then we go to our next highest episode, which is the one I often get comments about. If anyone listens to an episode and they, this is the judge of would you like this podcast or not? The introduction is a good episode to start with, but if you're really trying to assess out this episode, uh, this podcast, I mean, you should listen to the episode from February 5th of 2025, which is the wedding where I had to buy a prison bra. That really gets you straight into the weeds of what this podcast is, let me tell you. And that had 60 less in the first year. Other tough ones were the wedding where I had no clue what I was doing, which is all about the very first wedding that I officiated, the 2024 highlights episode with 47 lessons, the date really mattered with 45 listens, and then the interview episodes I was able to do with all of my couples really, really got some high traction and ratings as we gone through, which is really, really wonderful. I did find that the Vow mini-series was not really everybody's favorite, so I might switch that out for something else this summer, but it was a really much needed break and hiatus for me. We were doing a cruise to Alaska, we were house hunting, job hunting, job finding. So it was really good for me to be able to get those smaller episodes out in July and August, and then really take some time off in September. I took a whole month off. It was great. I loved it. And it really helped me get a lot of things back to balance in my life. We did some wonderful guest interviews this year. We started off getting to talk with Jess, who was my very first bride. So it was only fitting that she was my first interview on the podcast. We then got fellow officiant Tristan to come on the podcast and share some of our officiating pet peeves. You know, couples that think that we are there to be their wedding and event planner and coordinate everything from first dance song to sparkler send-off. Our realm is just the ceremony, just the ceremony, friends. We then had a very touching, heartfelt interview with Amanda. Her arc really covered about four episodes, including the one where I cried and gave a drunken toast and learned a lot from her wedding, and I'm very, very grateful still for her friendship. Then I got to go on a podcast called the Before You Do podcast with Verlin Tarleton and talk about what I've noticed as experiences as an officiant and how someone should really consider before you say I do some key factors that come up in planning specifically a ceremony. And then chatting with Verlin about her experiences, what she sees as a premarital counselor and in running her podcast, what couple should consider before you say I do. Then, you know, I tapped in a little bit to doing an efficient reacts video for Frank and Monica's wedding on Shameless, and I loved reacting to it. I definitely think I want to grab maybe a few more Reddit reactions and things like that. We then had a twofer in a few ways. We had Emily and Bobby on together as a couple, sharing about their not one, but two weddings. So some great double back-to-back episodes celebrating those. And then our last interview of the year, we had Jocelyn with Danny Mae photography getting to share what she looks forward to at weddings, how hard at times it can be to, you know, be the professional, but also wrangle the family members and say, no, don't take pictures, but also know that you're there for some of the more intimate moments with a couple, and finding that balance, taking unique pictures, but also making sure you get some of the regular standard. Oh, right, every parent with the couple, everyone coming in together. Just absolutely fantastic. Episodes that were interviews were definitely longer, definitely longer. Sorry about that. But I've learned if there's something good to say, you just say it and you let it be and have fun with it. I have also been tracking where listeners have been listening from. And that has probably been the most overwhelming statistic so far. I will share. I normally, I think I joked in my, oh gosh. Oh, I might have joked on TikTok about it, how I had a recent listener from Tennessee, and I joked and said, gosh, I hope it's my brother listening. And he texted me later and said, Yeah, that was me. I do listen to your podcast. Like, good job, Dork. And that just meant the world to know that I have listeners that are family and friends, but also strangers, and that there's so many of them I can't place anymore, as I did the first few episodes, going, oh, a listener from Stroudsburg, I bet that's my parents, or a listener from New City, New York, that's my mother-in-law. Like, I don't know where people are listening from anymore. And it's beautiful. It is, it stops doing my tracks every single time. So today we'll start with, we'll start with countries, because that just overwhelms me a lot. And I covered some of it in a podcast episode about the the fact that I'm worldwide. I'm officially all seven, all seven continents. Oh my gosh, it's crazy. So we have listeners from 19 different countries, 19 of them across our episodes. And gotta give the shout-outs. I may pronounce things totally, totally wrong. Of course, US leading the way, and that's where I'm at. 91% listen there. But what has come up large in the ranks over the last two months? Listen through almost the whole catalog. So if you are the person listening in from Japan, let me know. I would love to hear from you of how you found this. I mean, was it just accidentally on replay one night in your room? What's what's happening? But 3% of my listens were from Japan. Also, a huge shout out to the Netherlands. One listener went through 21 episodes around like April, and that was just amazing. I'm obsessed with the Dutch royal family. They're beautiful. So I'd also love to learn more. I'll also give some shout outs to Singapore, Brazil, France, and Canada. Each of them had five or more lessons in this very first year. And I look forward to just seeing those numbers grow. A goal for 2026 is I'd love to get to 25 different countries or territories. That would be phenomenal. Then if I look at the United States as a whole, I've got a little map that I color in and label whenever I get a listen from. And I'm I'm doing really, really well. I have, and I'm rattling them off. Enjoy, enjoy. I have Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Indiana, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Ohio, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. Thank you all for lending your ears. It is fantastic. And I'm gonna read off the top 10 U.S. cities that have been listeners in. We have Reading, Pennsylvania coming in first, which I'm overwhelmed by. It was my hometown for a long, long time. I did college in Reading, shout out to Albright. And it's just wonderful that over 9% of my listens come from people that are that are there, followed up by Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Milford, Pennsylvania. I wonder who lives there. Pottsville, Pennsylvania, Schuylhaven, Pennsylvania, not Pennsylvania would be North Bergen, New Jersey, New City, New York, Dallas, Texas, and Federal Way, Washington. That is absolutely amazing. Thank you all. If you ever want to drop a line and let me know where you are listening from, I would be absolutely honored. And yeah, I've gotten some, I've gotten nine achievements on my downloads, five achievements on my episodes published from my host provider, which is Buzz Sprout. I it's baffling to me to think that wedding stories originating from northeastern Pennsylvania are being heard internationally. It is absolutely unreal. Some of these episodes get lessons, they got DMs, texts, and emails. Some of them really, really hit people, really made people feel seen, really got them to say, Oh my gosh, if you thought the groom having a black eye was crazy, let me tell you about what happened at my cousin's wedding. I've been here for it. I've loved hearing it. I would love to hear even more of those stories. So keep them coming. I really, I want to say thank you for every listener who pressed play, everyone who've shared an episode with a friend, couples who not only trusted me with their big day, but then trusted me to tell the stories once again, vendors who said yes to being interviewed, and couples who agreed to come back in my presence and be put on the spot. And to everybody over the last 11 years who said, gosh, you should do a podcast. And then they actually listened when I did. I keep doing this because you're here. So let's talk about the next year that's coming up. Obviously, we are in the real start of season two. I thankfully am in a little quiet of a window for weddings. I have one quick elopement later in January. I have a wedding in early February. I have my next big, you know, full ceremony, everybody and their brother, about mid-March. So thankfully it's a quiet time. Yep, it's a quiet time, and we've got a lot going on on my end with work. I've got some really, really big work projects, got some big elements in the mix. I appreciate anybody who's logging in every week and going, oh, there's not a new episode. I'm sorry. I'm trying, but there's definitely going to be some lulls this fall. I can definitely see more than a month or two of just not being able to podcast. Maybe I will have a friend to step in and take the reins. That was one of my main goals when I named this podcast of the wedding wear and not tagging it as like Amanda tells stories or officiating by Amanda presents. Because then if I ever needed to take an absence, I could really pass the reins to somebody, the wedding wear, and have a DJ friend take over for a few months, or have a photographer like Jocelyn or a fellow officiant be able to come in and be able to fill in with their own weddings and stories. So here's a few few teaser episodes of what's coming this year. The wedding where I totally forgot to write the script. The wedding where you are the reason for the clause in the contract. The wedding where we kind of did everything backwards. And the wedding where another prison, this time with ice involved. I am so excited for more reaction episodes and some more guest interviews. I already have three lined up for this year. We're gonna be starting off with Alex very shortly. And just more my gosh, I can't believe it, but yeah, that actually did happen. The wedding wear. As I build out for 2026, I have a favor to ask for anyone listening in. If you're a wedding vendor with stories, Insights, hot takes, things you keep, things you don't keep. If you're one of my couples and you've got a story that you you want to share, the time is now right for you. If you are someone who I didn't do your wedding, but you've got a funny, heartfelt, chaotic wedding experience, either yours or someone else's, or you just want to talk about what weddings really look like, let's chat. Reach out through any of the channels, Facebook, website, email, the pod and messaging. I would love to see how we fit this in on the show. Thank you so much for one year of the wedding wear, so many stories, and yet we've only scratched the surface of what on February 7th will be 250 weddings completed. Thank you for listening. Thank you for laughing along. Thank you for working as I do each and every day to not judge. And thank you for being a little corner of this weird wedding world. Here is tier number two. Cheers. Thank you for listening to The Wedding Wear with Officiating by Amanda. I hope you enjoyed today's episode and found some inspiration or insight for your own special day. This podcast is hosted on BuzzSprout and can be found on all major platforms. If you haven't already, please subscribe, like, comment, and share to help us reach even more listeners who might laugh a little at the wedding wear. For the links referenced in the show, visit Linktree at OfficiatingByAmanda. You can also follow the business on Facebook, WeddingWire, and The Knot to stay up to date on everything going on. If you have a question you'd like me to answer on the podcast, just send an email to the WeddingWare Podcast at gmail.com. And if you're ready to inquire about officiating services for your own big day, you can reach me at officiatingbyamanda at gmail.com. Thank you so much for tuning in, and until next time, this has been Amanda.