Episode 32 Design Less Like Pinterest, More Like You: The Morgan Made Wedding Shop

What if the smallest details could do the heaviest lifting on your wedding day? We sit with Morgan of Morgan Made Wedding Shop to explore how custom signage, place cards, seating charts, and engraved keepsakes transform logistics into storytelling. Morgan’s path from photography to design started with one acrylic welcome sign during a COVID backyard wedding and grew into a craft-forward studio that helps couples ditch overwhelm and get a look that actually feels like them.

We pull apart the real trade-offs between DIY and done-for-you, including the hidden costs of time, tools, and trial-and-error. Morgan shares her collaborative process—starting with a thoughtful questionnaire and a shared planning doc—so couples can move from “no idea where to start” to a unified aesthetic that guides guests and elevates the room. She explains why venue guest book illustrations are exploding, how to create keepsakes you’ll love long after last call, and what to avoid when the wedding week hits crunch time. Her hot take: don’t buy a Cricut just for your seating chart. Some tasks are better left to seasoned hands.

We also dig into trends and timeless touches. Black and white remains a favorite, but Morgan shows how frosted acrylic layers, soft transparency, and floral spacing can make minimal look striking. Color is having a moment too, showing up in clever meal-coded place cards and ribbon accents. For budgets, she breaks down a realistic starter set—welcome sign, bar menu, seating chart, and place cards—and offers ways to stretch dollars with rentals, semi-custom templates, and using pieces you already own. Beyond the art, Morgan credits vendor relationships and smart systems like HoneyBook for growth; treat vendors like teammates, and the work gets better for everyone.

Want a wedding that looks effortless and feels unmistakably yours? Press play to learn where to personalize, where to save, and what to skip so you enjoy your day instead of managing it. If you loved the conversation, subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with a friend who’s planning. Your support helps us bring more creative voices to your feed.

https://www.instagram.com/themorganmadeweddingshop/

Transcript

Meet Morgan And The Venue

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to the Preferred List, a podcast about the people behind the best wedding days. I'm James, a wedding filmmaker. I've spent years in the industry working alongside incredible vendors, and this show is all about real conversations with the one to make it happen. Whether you're a vendor or a couple, you'll get honest insight, good stories, and maybe a little inspiration along the way. Let's meet today's wedding vendor. Hey Morgan, how's it going?

SPEAKER_01 0:24

Hi, I'm good. How are you?

SPEAKER_00 0:25

Good. I'm so glad to have you on. Morgan runs Morgan made wedding shop, which is so fun. All the like DIY custom things that you could think of for a wedding, you do. And I'll start to do like a little photography as well. We were just chatting before that started. So that's that'll be fun to kind of chat about as well. Um but before we jump into that, we're here at the booking house. The booking house is an industrial modern chic wedding and event space in Manheim, PA, rich with character history. It was originally built in 1884 as the old General Cigar Company warehouse. The venue blends historic charm with contemporary style across 15,000 square feet. It's centrally located and it's an easy drive from Philadelphia, Westchester, New Jersey, Maryland, and even New York City in under three hours, serving both local couples and destination celebrations. It's a perfect space for 25 guests or even up to 250 guests. And the booking house offers separate spaces for your ceremony, cocktail hour, reception, and it's really an all-in-one property. It's open year-round, and the newly added atrium brings an open-air feel without weather worries. And with an experienced caring team providing in-house bartending and coordinating, they're dedicated to making every detail seamless so you can enjoy an unforgettable day. And I'm just so grateful to be here at the booking house. And it's as this is the idea that I had for the podcast was to be able to be in a venue local to us and like connecting with vendors. So it's so fun. Morgan, thanks for being on.

SPEAKER_01 1:55

Yes, thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_00 1:57

I heard this is your first podcast you've ever done.

SPEAKER_01 1:59

This is.

SPEAKER_00 2:01

I love it. I'm so excited. Um tell me, tell me the backstory. Like, where did Morgan made wedding shop? Where did it all start?

SPEAKER_01 2:10

Um, well, I've always been the artsy kid. Like when my friends were in sports, I was taking weekend classes at the Pennsylvania College of Art and Design. Um, I was voted most artistic in my um senior year, but I just didn't ever know where I was gonna go with that. So didn't go to college for art or anything,

From Photography To Custom Wedding Design

SPEAKER_01 2:30

and then I stumbled into photography. So that's how I got my start in the wedding world, and I loved it. Um, but it was just, I feel like it's such a saturated market, so it was really kind of hard to find where I fit. And then when I had kids, it just felt like, you know, how am I gonna leave all day and live my dream of being a stay-at-home mom? Um, so I got my start with the signage because my friends were getting married during COVID. They were supposed to have this huge wedding, um, but it became, as they all did, this intimate backyard wedding, and I wanted to pour into their wedding the best way I could. And I couldn't photograph it because I was in the wedding. So I asked if I could make a wick a welcome sign. And um, I don't know if this is gonna make sense to anybody else, but on Pinterest, these clear acrylic wedding signs with the like brushstrokey backgrounds were getting really popular, and I was like, I want to make one of those. So I made them one, and it was so much fun, and I just started like playing around with that, and then when I got pregnant, I was just like, this is kind of the it checks all the boxes. Like I get to be at weddings that I love, and I get to be artsy and um make things for people, and I get to stay home for the most part with my kids, so yeah, it's like all the best things.

SPEAKER_00 3:50

Yeah. But what was like in your mind? Were you like thinking about the signage thing? Were you like at weddings and you're like, oh, those are cool, I could totally make those, or is it just like a random thought? You're like, I want to do something for this wedding for my friend, and this is what I can do.

SPEAKER_01 4:04

Yep, that's it was super, I just kind of fell into it. Um, I don't even remember where it went from that sign to like it becoming a whole thing. I think I just kind of posted about it, and people were like, oh my gosh, like, can you make me something? I think that there was just a lack of that in the wedding industry where there was like so many photographers. I felt like, I mean, I wouldn't have known who to reach out to for wedding signs, really. So I feel like there was just kind of this area in the wedding industry of like just needing a crafty best friend. You know?

SPEAKER_00 4:41

That's like a that's like a super good slogan.

SPEAKER_01 4:43

Yeah. Crafty best friend, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 4:45

Um, but we were talking a little bit before we uh hit record, and it really feels like all of that DIY stuff, all of the like things that you could think of where maybe you could do that yourself. You're like, you get to the point you're just like, I don't really want to deal with that. And that's kind of it seems like that's kind of where you might step in in that process.

SPEAKER_01 5:07

Yeah, exactly. So I mean, some people don't want any bit of that. Um, but there are a lot of people that I mean, they'll maybe book me for a couple things, and then last minute they're like, you know what? I'm so over it.

SPEAKER_00 5:18

I actually have like 10 other things.

SPEAKER_01 5:20

Yeah, please do this for me. And I'm like, yes, please. Like, you know, it just I feel like because I did a lot of DIY stuff for my own wedding, and then you know, you don't have all the tools and you've never done it before, so it takes extra long. And so yeah, it's just it's nice to know somebody that can just take that off your plate and you know that they're gonna keep things cohesive and have fun doing it.

SPEAKER_00 5:46

Yeah. So well, and I always tell the story too, my wife and I, like I was literally putting the final screws into our arbor, like when we were supposed to be doing the like practice ceremony thing on Friday night before Saturday. Uh, so we we definitely did like a lot of the DIY stuff. I'm curious, like, if someone's listening, like a couple's

DIY Dreams Versus Time And Stress

SPEAKER_00 6:10

listening and they're like, we like it, like we like the idea of maybe doing some of this stuff ourselves. Um where's that kind of like value for them thinking of like we do it ourselves or we hire someone like Morgan made wedding shop to just like take care of it all?

SPEAKER_01 6:29

Yeah, I would say, I mean, time is also money, and you won't you don't want to be stressed leading up to your wedding. Um, like for example, I made all my own cupcakes for my wedding. That was crazy. That sounds crazy. That's crazy. And it was just like I made them the whole entire day before my wedding, went to my rehearsal dinner, had to have friends go back and help me finish the cupcakes. It was like, you know what? I would have so much rather to have just like paid someone that loves doing it, has all the tools, is much better in it than me.

SPEAKER_00 7:05

You probably did a great job, but it was still just like that extra.

SPEAKER_01 7:08

It takes it off your plate. And I mean, I'm like totally about if couples have things that they're like, no, I really want to DIY this, but I don't want to DIY this. Can we still like I want to work together so things are still cohesive for you? Um, but I want to take anything off people's plates that's like, you know what, I'm over it. Yeah I don't want to do this.

SPEAKER_00 7:28

So it sounds like couples can come to you with like any ideas, or maybe just thoughts of ideas, and you can like run with that and kind of just make whatever they're thinking.

SPEAKER_01 7:40

Yeah, I mean, I love when couples have like a Pinterest board, they're like, I just this is such a pretty wedding, and I love like this, this, this, and this, but this doesn't really fit my vibe. And I'm like, let's make your dream Pinterest board like yours and just have fun with it and um get really creative. And is there any way that we can really pull in pieces that have that really make it yours and unique? Um, which I think I don't know if you get into this sort of thing, but um, like I don't I feel like a lot of people when they don't want to DIY something, they go to like Etsy or something, and it's like they can't really collaborate with you as much as like I could.

SPEAKER_00 8:20

Yeah, no, it's true. I mean, they're still getting like a custom thing, but like picture the like process of hey, I like this, I don't like this, this is the vibe, this is the style, and then you can even just run with it and be like, hey, I think these couple pieces would be cool. We could also try this, we could try that, we could try this. Because I'm sure you've made some of everything.

SPEAKER_01 8:41

Oh, yeah. Like if someone asked me to macrame, I would probably get into what other crafting thing could someone ask me to do.

SPEAKER_00 8:50

Uh you sound like me because I was like, oh, I could start this video business and like buy new cameras and buy new lenses.

SPEAKER_01 8:56

Yeah, no, I definitely, I mean, it's it's I love going to Michaels and being like, what can we get into?

SPEAKER_00 9:03

Yeah. Was there when you first started Morgan Maid, was it like you kind of mentioned it a little bit, but if you could unpack, like, were you thinking business-minded? Were you just like, hey, let me craft a little bit? It's just fun, I enjoy it. And then it was like you just got asked to do more and more and more, and then it's like, maybe I should make it a business.

SPEAKER_01 9:23

Uh, it's kind of a blur. Like, I was really into the photography world, but it was just like I wasn't like completely happy. Like, I felt like there was just pieces missing. So then when the crafting thing started to take off and I realized that it wasn't as saturated of a market, I really just like I kept running with it and stopped pouring into the photography as much. So it was really organic how it all happened. But I think also other vendors were like, oh my gosh, like I have a couple that needs a welcome sign. Can you make them a welcome sign? And then got hooked up with um like Excelsior because they have the you can do in-house calligraphy there on a few things that they offer. And so it was just like there was this need and it was fun, and I just like really kept running with it. Um, but I knew I always I really like working for myself. So like when I was a photographer, I loved that aspect of it. So when that started taking off, I was like, okay, yeah, definitely I want to make this like a business.

SPEAKER_00 10:21

Yeah, because you were already kind of doing the like work for yourself business thing.

SPEAKER_01 10:26

Couldn't imagine going back.

SPEAKER_00 10:27

Yeah, I'm curious too if like someone's listening and they're like, man, I'm feeling the way you felt about photography. And then this kind of new opportunity just presented itself. But like, were you

Collaborating Beyond Etsy And Templates

SPEAKER_00 10:40

at that point like open to that new opportunity, or is is it just like fall in your lap? Like, if you could just unpack a little bit, because I'm I'm just curious, like maybe someone's listening and they're like, gosh, I'm not feeling fulfilled in this part of the wedding industry, but I love having my own business, I still love weddings. Do you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01 10:59

Yeah, no, I think that there really are so many different things that you can tackle for a wedding outside of photography, of course. But like, I don't know, like something that really took off for me this year was um my venue guest book. Like I paint or I digitally paint the like venues and stuff, and then um I framed the book.

SPEAKER_00 11:24

Did you have that one down there? Yeah. For the booking house? Yeah. Oh my gosh. I saw that sitting on the table and I was like, what is this? This is so cool.

SPEAKER_01 11:31

Yeah. So I that really took off this year because guests can like sign the mat, so it's like a guest book. That's so cool. Um, but I was telling, I think my tattoo artist about that. I think it was. And he was like, huh. I never really thought of something like so niche, you know, like that you could offer people. And like there's just so many things that can go into a wedding because it's like an evergreen's so different product, too.

SPEAKER_00 11:55

Like everyone that comes to the booking house could get that same thing from you.

SPEAKER_01 12:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:01

So I guess any other venue too.

SPEAKER_01 12:03

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:04

Not just the booking house, but that's so cool.

SPEAKER_01 12:06

But yeah, because everyone's so different and every wedding is so different, and especially ever since COVID, like the traditions are like people are so okay with being less traditional now. So it's like, I don't know. Like, I feel like there's anybody that does anything could find a place in the wedding industry, I think. Like, I mean, I'm trying to find like people that can do woodworking for me because I'm over the woodwork being part of it all. So it's like if you want to build, you know, huge backdrops for people, or um, I don't know, there's just so much that can be done.

SPEAKER_00 12:38

Yeah. Well, it seems like you were at least willing to give something new a try. So if you're listening and you're like in that spot, just go for it.

SPEAKER_01 12:46

Yeah, have fun with you.

SPEAKER_00 12:47

You never know. Um could you kind of describe like maybe some of your overall approach or style um to the things that you're you're making for your couples?

SPEAKER_01 13:00

Um, I don't know. Like I really I I try and play off of obviously the couples, like what they want. And but of course, like if I'm making stuff myself, like handwriting things, I have like a, I don't know, kind of whimsical, girly kind of flow to my own kind of style of things. But um yeah, I just really like playing off of the couple's style and what they want. And every now and then they'll come to me with something. Like, I had a couple once, they really wanted these like Star Wars centerpieces, and I was like, I don't know Star Wars at all. But like if you give me the pieces, I will have fun with it. Um, but you might not want me sourcing the pieces, like you know what I mean? So sometimes, like, if I'm not as into the thing that you're into, I'll still have fun with it. You just might need to help me a little bit more. Um, but yeah, I really want to play off of the couples and what they want and make their dream Pinterest board come to life.

SPEAKER_00 14:05

Yeah. What inspires you when you're kind of coming up with those new, like unique, different ideas with your couples?

SPEAKER_01 14:13

Um well, I always ask them to kind of give me a little bit of their backstory. So sometimes like they'll tell me something and that'll kind of spark an idea, or it'll kind of give me a way to play off of something I saw on Pinterest that was really, really cool. But the way that they said something, I'm like, oh, like what if we kind of played with that and made it unique to you? Um yeah, I don't know if that answered yours.

SPEAKER_00 14:40

Yeah, yeah, no. I I feel like from what I'm hearing, like obviously you make custom things. That's an obvious thing, right? Yeah, but it sounds like you're making them in a way that's like custom to the couple and not just like random one-off like cute things that would fit well with a wedding.

SPEAKER_01 14:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:59

Um, and I'm just wondering if you could speak to the like what does it actually do to the decor, to the style, the setup of uh the reception space, maybe, or cocktail or space to have these sort of like custom to the couple pieces um kind of sprinkled throughout,

Signature Pieces And Keepsakes That Last

SPEAKER_00 15:20

or maybe it's like everywhere, they're like maybe centerpieces or something like that.

SPEAKER_01 15:25

So just the bare bones of it, the welcome sign and the seating chart and the menus and place cards, like that's obviously guiding them throughout things and the um the bar menus and stuff, you're showing them, you know, what's offered for the bar. But um, I think if you I mean you can keep those really basic. Like you could go on Canva and really just type it up, there it is, and it's done. But if you make it cohesive and unique to you, I think it becomes more of a statement. Like I can't tell you how many times I was at weddings where there was like um really cute um like signature cocktail doodles where they like include their pets and stuff. People will just melt over anytime your pet's included in anything.

SPEAKER_00 16:15

I I suck at that.

SPEAKER_01 16:16

Yeah, your guests love that.

SPEAKER_00 16:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:19

Um, so it's it just makes it more memorable and you know, it gets your guests just excited to be there for you. So yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:29

Yeah, no, I love that. Um, there are so many things that you could make for a couple, I'm assuming. I just from a third party looking at oh yeah. There's so many different things that you can make. Um, I'm curious, are there like some that are more popular? And like what would those kind of more popular custom pieces be?

SPEAKER_01 16:49

Uh super popular right now, I would say I've been doing a lot of place cards. Um, because I mean, you know, you people need to know where they're sitting. Um but just kind of super popular right now would be so a lot of venues require that you put the the food choices on the place cards. But I don't know. I feel like people see that, they're like, I don't really want like a picture of a chicken. So I mean you can keep it kind of low-key having your little chicken decal decal on there, but I think this a lot of guests are like, or a lot of couples are like, how can we kind of have fun with meal choice like options where I don't know, like color coding things, because I mean colorful weddings right now are pretty in. So like color coding things or just making place cards a little bit fancier with like ribbons and stuff like that to kind of low-key show what people ordered for dinner. So I've been doing a lot of that, having fun with that. Um, and couples have been asking me more to like engrave things, which is really fun. I love engraving like hangers for the bride and bridesmaids dresses and um the Mr. and Mrs. like glassware for the table. And I think all that's really cool because you keep that forever. So a lot of the stuff I make, unfortunately, isn't forever, and you know, just ends up somewhere.

SPEAKER_00 18:18

I just try not gonna put a seating chart in your face.

SPEAKER_01 18:22

Right, right. So I think that when I get asked to make something that's gonna be a part of the wedding day that you get to keep forever, like that's getting more popular and I love that.

SPEAKER_00 18:33

Yeah, that's so fun. Um, when couples are like first reaching out, um, what does that process look like for you? Like from the inquiry to, you know, the final delivery, like wedding day delivery.

SPEAKER_01 18:46

Yeah, so it's kind of heavy on the couple in the beginning, just because I have to get all the information to really make sure I'm making things that fit them. Um, so just you know, they'll reach out and I'll send them my welcome questionnaire. But I want them to have

Process: From Inquiry To Cohesive Plan

SPEAKER_01 19:00

fun with it, like sit down and you know, think about what you want your wedding to look like. Um so they kind of fill all that out. And then um we chat a little bit more if I need some more information, but then I make a Google Doc where we can just kind of like dream together. So I'll kind of list out all the things that they're wanting, maybe a couple things that they touched on, or something I saw on their Pinterest board, and just kind of put my own thoughts and ideas and options out there, and then they can, you know, put their own inspiration in there or leave comments or whatever. And then once we kind of figure out what we're gonna tackle, um, we dive in.

SPEAKER_00 19:38

Yeah, is I'm I guarantee there's a couple that's listening, they're like, we love, love the look of the custom signage or design stuff, but we are not design-minded. Like, yeah, they're like, couldn't tell you left from right in the design world. Yeah. So what's your process look like for them? That you know, maybe there's a couple that's coming and they're like, we got everything we know. We want this, we want this, we want this, this style, that style. But for the couple that's like, I don't even know what design means. Right. Like, how do you help them?

SPEAKER_01 20:15

The I mean, it's definitely a little overwhelming just because I don't like I want to give them what they want, and there's so much, like, as far as options. So really just trying to like, as as long as they can let me know, like color palette, because you know, most people have a color palette for their wedding. Um, and then like just your venue is helpful to know because we can kind of play off the vibe of the venue. Um, Pinterest is like, I mean, take a minute, look at Pinterest, see if there's things that you don't like. Like, even if you're like, I don't know what I like, but like maybe find things you don't like too. Yeah. Just that I'm not like offering you things and you're like, none of that's the vibe.

SPEAKER_00 20:58

I do, I do love asking that question too. Even on the video side, it's like, what have you seen that you don't like? Yeah. Because that can, I'm sure it's the same for you. That could say a lot. Yeah. Kind of point us in the right direction.

SPEAKER_01 21:09

So it's super helpful if you can, if you're not even sure like what you need or what you want, just even letting me know what you don't want. Um, but I mean, I've definitely had the whole spectrum. I've had people come to me, they're like, I have never been to a wedding and we're getting married, and what do we need? And then I've had, I just had a couple and they sent me a um, oh my gosh, what's the like a slideshow?

unknown 21:36

Oh gosh.

SPEAKER_01 21:37

And it was awesome. Like I took everything from their slideshow, put it into the Google Doc with a few different options. They had sizes listed that they wanted. So it's like just the range, you know. Yeah. I've worked with all all kinds, but yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:52

Yeah. No, I I I do feel like couples they might have like similar ish days, but like personalities can be so different. Um I'm sure in your world, like just something as simple as like a different color palette could make a huge difference in like what you're maybe inspired to kind of create for the couple. Are you working alongside mostly couples? Are you kind of spending time maybe working alongside planners? Maybe more of like the design heavy planners are like coming to you or is it mostly just couples?

SPEAKER_01 22:28

Mostly couples. I have a few times worked through um planners and coordinators. But I think the couple always has to kind of come in and be a part of it too. So um but yeah I mean I always want to be a part of things with your coordinator because I mean if you have one we should be talking like yeah for sure. Yeah because you know I need to know where things are going and you know you've already told the coordinator where things are going. Like let me talk with them and get those final details situated without you having to worry about it. Let me take that off

Helping Non-Design Couples Find Their Style

SPEAKER_01 23:10

your plate. But I will say that the times when I've only worked with coordinators to kind of figure out design stuff because the the couple doesn't really want to be a part of that stuff. I feel like it makes it a little bit harder just because I don't know the coordinator always needs to end up checking in with them anyways. And you know we want to make sure that I'm making something that's unique to you and you're getting like a kind of third angle up like through the coordinator.

SPEAKER_00 23:43

So it seems like you it's not that you won't do that but you enjoy the like kind of one-on-one time with a couple.

SPEAKER_01 23:50

Yeah like I want to get to know you and so it's it's definitely helpful when the couple is a big part of it.

SPEAKER_00 23:56

Yeah so when couples are thinking about maybe including you or someone like you that's making kind of these custom signage pieces or just I don't know custom things letting things um to keep it really generic uh what kind of timeline should they be thinking about like is there a timeline for maybe certain things that's faster than other things?

SPEAKER_01 24:20

I would say I mean I don't have to be as booked as early as a lot of other people because especially if you only need a couple things like we can get that done pretty quickly. But if you want me for like all the things like you should probably be reaching out I don't know like I would say at least three months beforehand. I mean that's that's like at least because I mean I need to source materials and um sometimes I need to talk with like like if you want kind of a grand welcome sign or a grand seeding chart and you want flowers to be involved in that we need to know what we're making so that you can tell your florist what needs to be put on there and how many flowers need to be so I mean every wedding is so different. I've had people two weeks before be like hey can you make me some place cards? I'm like yeah sure that's fine. Because I mean most of the time I don't make them till the week of anyways because things change so much and guests are coming and then they're not coming and food choices change. So can't really make them until a week before anyways. But yeah definitely um if you want it to be a super cohesive collection that fits in with like all the flowers that you're going to be having and all that we should be talking no later than like three months beforehand, preferably earlier but you're like please reach out a little earlier I'm curious to know like what kind of trends you're seeing in that kind of like custom wedding pieces space. Yeah uh trends I feel like I'm getting a lot of people that really love like the classy black and white and I love that so much. Um it's I feel like there's even more to play with than people kind of realize because I don't know it's black and white but there's so much that you can do it.

SPEAKER_00 26:13

It's funny because you said like the color is like a kind of a thing now. I know like the poppy colors but you love the black color color.

SPEAKER_01 26:20

I every time I get a couple with color I'm like I'm so excited because I don't do it a whole lot. But I do get a lot of people that are doing black and white and I think it just always looks so good almost in every venue. And I think that's why people go for it. They're like you know what let's just do like black and white because it's gonna fit with everything.

SPEAKER_00 26:37

But you're saying there's more that couples can do with black

Working With Planners And Coordinators

SPEAKER_00 26:40

and white that than what they're realizing.

SPEAKER_01 26:42

Yeah so they'll come to me and they're like I just want like a white sign with black text and I'm like or we could have a little bit more fun with it and like I did see this one thing where um and I've made it too where we instead of like just solid black or solid white with acrylic you can do like kind of the like transparent type stuff and then you can play with it and um like I saw this one sign on Pinterest and I really want someone to want to do this where it was like frosted white and frosted black signage so you could still see through it a little bit and they had like flowers like bouquets in between different pieces of the signage and it just looked so cool. So yeah even if like with the super simple black and white which I've been getting tons of there's still so many ways to make it super unique and have fun with it.

SPEAKER_00 27:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:33

Are there other things in the design maybe process or execution that can kind of keep things feeling like really timeless and not as like trendy or so I would say really like instead of diving into like what is trending right now, really just think about you guys as a couple and I feel like as long as you're doing that and doing stuff that you think is pretty, you know like I mean yeah eventually that thing might not be as trendy but if you had a great wedding day and you loved it and you thought it was just beautiful and it felt like you I think to heck with the trends like who cares? You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00 28:19

Yeah no I love that. Are there are there details that couples are kind of often overlooking in this like custom wedding piece space?

SPEAKER_01 28:30

Maybe making more things that you can use forever. So like we could make a welcome sign that could it's not super welcome y you know like I don't know that could be you know hung up and used forever um or like having a lot of fun with your seating chart because I think a seating chart is a place where you can get a little bit more I don't know like quirky with it and really pour into like who you guys are as a couple. I see it a lot on Pinterest like the using golf balls or yeah like personality. Yeah like I think a seating chart's a fun place to add personality and then if it's like something like a golf ball you can keep little pieces of that forever.

SPEAKER_00 29:10

I don't know I love mementos yeah our our I don't have no idea when this is gonna come out but the wedding that we just shot they had a wall of tambourines.

SPEAKER_01 29:18

That's so cool.

SPEAKER_00 29:19

And then they like shook the tambourines when they came in so it's like a little you know a little thing. It was it was really cool. That is cool.

SPEAKER_01 29:27

Like you can get so creative with it and I mean then you can keep one of those tambourines and so yeah.

SPEAKER_00 29:32

Yeah I was trying to find uh an extra one somewhere I did not but uh I know my kids love when I bring like the wedding gifts home like if something as simple as like a little small fan. Yeah and I was like I need to take two because they're gonna fight over it but they played with it for like a week straight. That's um when couples are kind of thinking about the cost associated with all of this obviously we can't say like what's a welcome sign cost because it could probably cost you know hundreds of dollars in difference between like one design and another um but are there kind of like more generic ways that costs maybe could be kept lower um for the couples that are like we really want the design stuff but we're just worried it's gonna be like blowing

Timelines, Trends, And Black-And-White Magic

SPEAKER_00 30:20

our budget.

SPEAKER_01 30:21

Yeah and um I'm trying to come up with a way to really have like just like a super easy sort of package for couples like that where it's like you know maybe it's not as time consuming for me because it's just like it's already kind of designed and ready to go and we make it a little bit more unique to you but then it's just a little bit more cost friendly.

SPEAKER_00 30:48

I think it it would lose a little bit of like the um a little bit of the uniqueness to you because there wouldn't be as much to change maybe I don't know you're always paying for custom like if it's a custom I don't know I'm just even thinking of like a custom watch or if you customize like a new car like you're gonna pay extra for that so I do like that idea of like some form of like template system. Yeah it's in the works these are the these are the the Morgan templates that you can kind of choose from.

SPEAKER_01 31:20

Yeah it's in the works so we'll see.

SPEAKER_00 31:22

See maybe when this is out it'll be a thing. We'll just speak it into existence. I love doing that on the podcast.

SPEAKER_01 31:27

Yes we love to manifest but also like couples can use a lot of their own things too like if you have a bunch of mirrors like let's use those if you have a bunch of frames then you're not buying the mirror trying to source it somewhere. Yeah so I do try like if couples want like silver frames and all I have are gold I'm happy to source rentals and rent them out to you but if you already have them like let's use them. So yeah we can have a lot of fun with the stuff you already have too to kind of keep costs maybe a little bit lower.

SPEAKER_00 31:53

Yeah. So for for and I know this is probably gonna be hard to like put a number to um but I I love just being like open and just being super helpful for couples. Is there like a generic set of things that usually costs like a certain amount of money it's like you want a welcome sign, you want a seating chart um maybe not the top thing maybe not the the bottom thing um maybe a few other like maybe a a little a small sign for the bar for like a custom drinks um what what kind of like price ranges are couples kind of in on the like we want the custom stuff but we're like what's normal?

SPEAKER_01 32:35

Yeah so I would say kind of the smallest kind of package just like I don't know you want all the sign you want the necessary signs but you don't want to go all crazy you know like menus usually not necessary and they're a huge I mean they're a luxury item like you don't people probably chose what they're eating already they don't need to know what's for dessert looks great for the the table scale yeah but if you like really want to have one you could have like one per table and it's kind of displayed maybe a little bit bigger or something or like along with the table number or something. But uh like welcome signs and bar menus and place cards and probably like a seating chart would probably be kind of the biggest um needs like if you don't want to make them yourself. Yeah um just because like maybe I mean a welcome sign is kind of like not necessary like people know they're coming to your wedding but I feel like it's just it's kind of like a nice piece and it can be kept kind of lower cost. So I don't know maybe like I don't know that's hard. If you're not making any of it yourself we could probably get it done for like 500 um it's just like a ballpark starting starting point. Yeah for like the necessary things I think that would probably be a good number without having it in front of me.

SPEAKER_00 33:58

Yeah no and and I just feel like there's there's so many things that go into that even that that could um adjust that up or down even um like if the wedding's smaller yeah like I'm not gonna charge you the same amount of money if I'm just listing like 20 names on a seating chair. As opposed to like 200.

SPEAKER_01 34:14

Right.

SPEAKER_00 34:15

Yeah no and it it's just so interesting because I feel like couples don't do any of this stuff before they do it.

SPEAKER_01 34:22

Right.

SPEAKER_00 34:23

Right? And then they're jumping in they're like oh I didn't even think about like a welcome sign or I didn't even think about the fact that we would either need to pay someone to make one of these things or make it ourselves.

SPEAKER_01 34:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 34:36

And I love as much as we can like demystify the process and like the things about it. Just the couples are like oh yeah like we know how that works now. But when they're you have the stuff made um you mentioned something about making some of that stuff like the week of um are you the one that's doing like the delivery are you like kind of giving it to the couples and they're maybe giving it to like a coordinator or a planner and that they're putting it out or you putting everything out?

SPEAKER_01 35:06

So they can choose that um they can I

Make It Personal And Memorable

SPEAKER_01 35:10

have like a setup fee. That means that I would come and set it all up none of it's on your plate. I also have a teardown fee for I mean I can take everything that I brought and then you're welcome to come get anything you'd want to keep just so that it's not on your plate the day of um or if you're like you know what we just want to come we'll come get it. I have a coordinator she's let you do everything. So they can totally do that too. Yeah is there a good way for them if they want to pick it up to like get it from one place to another without it like breaking in half or something it's definitely I don't know gives me a little bit of anxiety. I don't like transporting this to myself sometimes um if we're doing something really big and really grand, you know, I pretty much recommend that I would do that um myself. So but I mean if it's just like um you know some frames with bar signs and then like menus and place I try and box everything up really nice, wrap things if they need to be wrapped.

SPEAKER_00 36:12

I assume you'd want that for yourself too to make sure it's getting from one place to another.

SPEAKER_01 36:17

So and then like a list of like if there is like a like I have this kind of poll stand. So maybe little notes of like hey this is kind of how you put it together. But yeah if they really just want to take the things and do it they are more than welcome to do that. And I'll try and make that as totally seamless and easy as possible. But it is always a little scary transporting anything. I mean I don't know how people that make cakes do that.

SPEAKER_00 36:46

Oh yeah like that I've seen this box that like they like stick the thing in it and then it like keeps it I don't know but I just I would not want to do that.

SPEAKER_01 36:54

No like that's the scariest part of it.

SPEAKER_00 36:56

I'm pretty rough with my cameras so I'm not I'm not the one to judge off of that. I'm surprised they still work. Anyways um do you so couples that are in this like in between of like hey we want to DIY some stuff or we at least want to try it and maybe it doesn't work and they can come to you but or they're coming to you for some stuff are there things that you're like hey if you're gonna choose to not DIY these couple things that those are the things you probably want to stick away from because of your experience you know like these are not fun to do and they often can go haywire really quick.

SPEAKER_01 37:35

Seating charts espe like okay don't buy a cricket for your wedding would probably be like it might be a hot take but we'll yeah like I mean especially for a seating chart because I mean my first seating chart that I made someone where I used a cricket took me 12 hours because I didn't realize like just the intricacy of weeding all of those little tiny letters out cricket's no joke.

SPEAKER_00 38:01

It's not a joke if you're not patient don't even think about buying don't even think about buying a cricket. No we cricket stuff and my wife's like can you can you cricket that for me and can you weed it for me and then she'll get the iron like that's the fun part when you're ironing the stuff on that's the fun part oh my gosh just yeah seating charts I mean even just handwriting a seating chart I would say like you probably don't want to do that because the markers aren't as like oh you just write like no uh it it's I've done it so many times and I'm still like why is this marker not working? Like so if anything the seating charts

Budget Basics And Cost-Saving Moves

SPEAKER_00 38:40

like stay away from that.

SPEAKER_01 38:42

You want someone with a bit of experience I think so if you've never done anything like that let somebody else tackle that and then yeah you I don't think you want to be cutting so many place cards. I feel like that's just like it gets super tedious and it's so time consuming. That would be something I would say let me take that off your plate.

SPEAKER_00 39:05

Yeah literally yeah uh yeah sorry I like that the pond yeah uh so corny um anyways uh so when you're we we we've we've had a lot of like really helpful stuff for the couples but a little bit stuff for the vendors um but I'd love to kind of hit a little bit more on like the business side of things um because obviously you want to run a successful custom signage wedding piece shop right um I'm curious like what have you done in your business that's like really moved the needle for you that's like really um helped you grow kind of as a creative in this space?

SPEAKER_01 39:51

Yeah I would say um treating other vendors like your coworkers like I mean I don't even advertise anymore aside from like Instagram because I just I get a pretty decent amount from just you know other vendors needing to know someone crafty.

SPEAKER_00 40:11

Um the craft what did you say the craft best friend or something?

SPEAKER_01 40:14

Yeah crafty best friend yeah um so I feel like you need a t-shirt sorry I'm like going off no I do I think it's on my business card is it I love that um so you got you got a lot of um vendor connections that are really treat them like your coworkers um and also use a booking program of some sort like Honeybook or a Dopsado yeah Honeybook if you want to sponsor you know I'm here and I use it so heavily and like I think that I wasted so many years not getting it the money the my money's worth out of Honeybook. Like I was like oh yeah I can do all these things but it's kind of time consuming to learn and whatever. Yeah. No like use those features like just something as simple as um for so long I did not have it synced to my calendar so there was so many times where I caught myself or I mean I was really lucky that never nothing ever got actually messed up but I would like come to a wedding a day early because I just I don't know I think I put it in something wrong like in my manual. Yeah. Utilize the features it's you know it costs a good amount of money but as long as you're using those features it will streamline so much for you and make your life so much easier.

SPEAKER_00 41:37

Yeah and I feel like I always feel like there's this weird in-between of like wedding vendors can sometimes be like really entrepreneurial in the way that they run their business and they do things and then they can be like weekend warrior maybe it's a a side thing to a full-time job doing something else. But it sounds like from what you're saying like if you're gonna do it like go it all in on the systems that are going to help you succeed.

SPEAKER_01 42:08

Let the system be one of your employees for real. We'll give her a name I don't know why it's a hurt honey yeah thanks honey book yeah if you really seriously I'm here I'm here um so treating vendors like coworkers um are there other things that make that partnership work really well for you and like even just from you to them too like you're not just like sucking value from other vendors but providing it for them as well yeah I mean I think that I think photographers get this a lot where everyone's reaching out to photographers like we want to use your pictures you know and like now I'm on that side of the let me use your pictures um but like I think just being a team and like

Delivery, Setup, And Avoiding Breakage

SPEAKER_01 43:00

you know I mean you're making you're throwing a party together you know talk about it and enjoy the process together and um at the end of it like I don't know it's kind of fun when you all kind of I had it was I think it was the dad of a bride reached out like a couple days later and just emailed every single vendor and was like thank you so much for putting on this amazing day for my daughter and then like all of us that were kind of like in the thread of the emails you know were connected then after the wedding and we're like it was so much fun like the flowers were so pretty and it made like my signs really pop and like I don't know you're a team and I feel like sometimes it's really easy to just show up, do your part, yeah, leave and then never talk to those people again. But I don't know, like you'll probably see them again eventually. It's nice to build the relationships and When you can collaborate on something, it's you know, it's fun to do that.

SPEAKER_00 44:04

I will say from doing the podcast, I I interviewed a planner, Bethany. She's so great. And um, I was going to a wedding with a photographer friend of mine that I've I was already friends with. Um, she needs to get on the podcast. Uh, but I like got at the wedding, got to the wedding, and I was like, hey guys, yeah how's it going? And so like that is so true. It's so much fun when you can like make those connections and not just like a hey, I'm so and so. Oh, cool, I'm so and so, and then you like just never chat after that. But it just like it's so nice when you go to a wedding and you're not just this like random extra vendor.

SPEAKER_01 44:44

Right.

SPEAKER_00 44:45

Um, you're like a part of the team.

SPEAKER_01 44:47

Exactly. That's so fun.

SPEAKER_00 44:48

Yeah. Is there anything that you wish you knew starting your business? And maybe you can even like you can even like hearken back to maybe the time where you were like in your photo business, but just like what do you wish you knew starting out?

SPEAKER_01 45:04

I wish I knew how much of a difference it really does make connecting with. I mean, I just coming back to that, like it makes a huge difference when you build the relationship with other vendors. And I mean, as a photographer, if people want to use your pictures, like heck yeah, in my personal opinion, like spread my pictures everywhere. Yes, please. Um, but yeah, I feel like as a photographer, I was I mean, I was serving at the same time. So I was so drained. So it would be like if someone came to me a week after a wedding and they're like, Did are the pictures ready? Like, can we have some? Can we use them for my business? I'm like, yeah. And then I'd be like, oh my gosh, I'm so tired. And I just would totally forget about it. But then like my pictures aren't, you know, rotating around and stuff. And you know, then that connection kind of dwindles with other people. So I think it really does make a huge difference. And I wish I would have done it more, just building

What Not To DIY: Seating Charts

SPEAKER_01 46:00

the connections because I see it now with my signage, like how I'm really not paying for advertising because of all my friends in the wedding industry, you know? So yeah, just I really wish I would have poured more time into connecting with the other team members.

SPEAKER_00 46:16

Couldn't agree more. Um, I mean, that's kind of like the heart behind this podcast is to have a chance to connect with other vendors, but also like get y'all's stuff out there and like get more couples and more vendors to see and hear about the journey in your business and the experience um that you guys have had, or you specifically, but like everyone that's been on the podcast. Uh, but Morgan, thank you so much for being on.

SPEAKER_01 46:41

Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_00 46:42

Yeah, this has been such a good episode. I hope everyone that's listening has gotten so much uh signage, custom wedding pieces uh from Morgan. Um, where can people find and follow along with what you're doing?

SPEAKER_01 46:55

Um, so currently I just have an Instagram. It's at the MorganMade Wedding Shop. Um yeah.

SPEAKER_00 47:02

Yeah, so reach out there if people are interested and and want to learn more. Okay, awesome. That'll be in the description below if you're like a link clicker. Yeah. If you don't want to look it up yourself. Uh so that'll be down there. And uh what what do you have anything coming up that you're excited about?

SPEAKER_01 47:20

Um, well, I've gotten into engraving and it's kind of trendy right now to have like live engravers and stuff at events. So I have a couple things like that lined up, and I think that's gonna be I hope I get to do a lot more, but that's gonna be a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_00 47:35

Yeah, I feel like it fits with your uh keep sake kind of idea or mentality that you like to kind of have.

SPEAKER_01 47:41

And it's like a fun, it's like entertaining, but it also is like something for your guests to take with them too. So yeah.

SPEAKER_00 47:46

Yeah, that's super fun. I hope you get to do more of those because that sounds like it would be yeah, a fun process to like even just be like in the day more. I know. Because I feel like you kind of put your stuff out, yeah. It all just like gets consumed by the guests and a couple, and then you maybe pick it up or don't pick it up. It'd be fun to be a part of the day a little bit more. Um, but Morgan, thanks so much for being on. Thank you. That's all for this episode. If you're watching on YouTube, please make sure to subscribe, drop a comment if you have questions for Morgan or for me. Um, we'd love to know how you're liking the show. And if you're listening, wherever you listen to podcasts, what's up? How's it going? Thanks for listening. Uh, it would be incredibly helpful if you could leave us a review, let us know how you're liking the show, and uh make sure you're sharing it with all your friends because you know they gotta hear more about Morgan's story and the other people that we have on the on the on the show. So um that's all for this episode. Appreciate you guys tuning in, and we'll catch you next time on the preferred list.