Wedding Wire World Recap

Thank you Brooke Michelle Photography! We did a headshot swap and edited the photos personally to match our separate brands.

Wedding Wire World was nothing short of AMAZING! Brooke Jackson (Brooke Michelle Photography) and I decided months before the event we were going to go together and share a hotel room. For those of you that may not know either of us in person, Brooke and I attended the same high school! Brooke graduated a year after me but began her photography career a couple years before I even started. She was the first photographer who ever reached out to me to talk about why/how/when I began my photography business. I am thankful for community over competition because if we did not practice these ideas, we would be in a community that refused to grow rather than a blossoming environment.

Wedding Wire World began with checking in and receiving our SWAG BAGS. We were gifted a name tag with our name as well as our business name, a Weddings magazine, stickers, a Hilton personal grooming kit and a few more goodies!

So many inspirational speakers! Natalie Franke talked about the brain behind the business! Natalie studied neuroscience in college and was fascinated by the way the brain operates.

Monte Durham from SAY YES TO THE DRESS was at the conference, YES he was really there! I LOVED HIM. He was the perfect amount of sassy. Monte talked about trends that are coming back into the wedding industry. What I loved most about him was that he related things back to himself but kept his speech entertaining. He is 100% right when saying your client doesn’t just pay for the service or product you provide, they pay for the entertainment and overall experience they will have with choosing you. I couldn’t help but think about how I am always concerned with my client’s overall experience and the main reason I am at Wedding Wire World is to learn new innovative ways to IMPROVE their experience with me.

Bethenny Frankel was also there speaking about how she made her business successful!

On the first night of Wedding Wire World, there was a networking event in the Pose Lounge of the Gaylord National. This place was AMAZING! Blinking lights and stairs that changed colors. Brooke and I enjoyed a couple of drinks and chatted with a few other wedding professionals before hitting the dance floor. 

We went to the coolest Asian place called Grace’s Mandarin! I have always loved the Asian culture especially their artwork but this was the first time I have been to a restaurant where they give me a hot towel before and after dinner! Not to mention the sushi we got was so delicious. I would definitely recommend this place if you are going to be in the National Harbor anytime soon.

Ahh! The last day was so bittersweet. We listened to Natalie’s speech on Instagram because let’s be honest, her feed is one of the prettiest! We also decided we could be best friends because we have the opposite good side 😉

I loved every bit of Wedding Wire World. Being able to be a part of a community full of people willing to share their successes and what they found didn’t work for their business was so refreshing.

We are all human and regardless of our pretty feeds or how we are when we reach the top, we all fought to get there. We will all make mistakes, fail and get back up to try again. That’s the beauty of being an entrepreneur right? Being able to learn from your mistakes to continuously grow and evolve the experience you make for your clients. Yes, I wish I could go back and give the very first wedding couples I had the honor of shooting a more incredible experience. Although, if it weren’t for those souls who believed in me and TRUSTED me more than I trusted myself as an artist at that time, I wouldn’t be standing here blossoming into a better wedding photographer each year.

For that, I am thankful. I am thankful for other wedding professionals who share what has made them successful and ideas that you might want to avoid.

I can’t wait to take on this busy 2016 wedding season. I get to cherish and spoil the clients I have the honor of working with in many new ways!

If you were searching for a wedding photographer, what would be the first three things you would want to see from them?

Quick responses, prints in their packages, friendly demeanor, etc? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!