In the first episode (!) of Weddings for Real, Megan sits down with fellow planner Grace Beason to talk about her career start at The Knot, planning her first weddings with her mentor Marcy Blum, how weddings have evolved over the years, how anyone can say they're a planner with an Instagram account, being a mom while running a business, same sex weddings, advice for breaking into the wedding industry, personalities she wants to work with (assistants, couples, and vendors), and how weddings might not be quite as glamorous as everyone thinks.

Grace has some incredible stories throughout, and you'll see why she was voted "Most Likely to Host a Talk Show" in high school.

OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT FROM MEGAN.  We have launched The Planner’s Vault, a membership site for wedding planners who are hungry to grow, ready to hustle, and actively seeking community and education. In the vault, there will be guest experts on many topics relevant to growing and cultivating a successful event planning business with new content added consistently, plus all of my templates that I have built out over the years like How to Get on Preferred Vendor Lists, The Client Experience, and more. My mission with the vault is to elevate the industry (along with some amazing experts and fellow entrepreneurs) and I want it to be affordable so it's possible to stay invested in the community and yourself for the long haul. For more information, head on over to ThePlannersVault.com. 

Music for this episode by https://www.bensound.com.

The host of the show is Megan Gillikin, owner and lead consultant at A Southern Soiree Wedding and Event Planning.  She's also available for wedding and hospitality business consulting and can be reached at megan@weddingsforreal.com.

Weddings for Real is edited and produced by Jason Gillikin for Earfluence.