Project Engaged is a podcast for wedding suppliers who are ready to level up their business! We (Eddy and Aleks) share our experience of turning a side hustle into a full time career for both of us with our successful wedding DJ business One More Song. In this podcast we interview experts and cover everything, from marketing and brand, client service and operational efficiency through to looking after yourself while running a business in the high-pressure wedding industry. We also interview real couples to get their insights into finding the right suppliers!
Welcome back to Project Engaged! Today, we are beyond excited to be chatting with a fellow "triple threat" vendor. Meet Archie, a Melbourne-based Celebrant, MC, and Saxophonist.
He also provides this amazing service where he creates "wedding banter" videos, roaming around and interviewing guests during cocktail hour when they've hit that perfect two-to-three drink sweet spot We had the absolute best time swapping vendor war stories with Archie. We dive deep into pricing transparency, what couples should look out for, and we even compare notes on what it's like being on the other side of the process as we plan our own upcoming weddings. In this episode, we cover:
We hope you enjoyed the episode us much as we did!
Eddy + Aleks xx
We're out of the studio and recording on location this week! Join us at "Melbourne's oldest pub", Captain Melville (which is actually reverting back to its original name, Mac's Hotel, soon - aptly named, we think!).
We're chatting with functions manager Jules about why pub weddings are the perfect move if you just want to throw a massive, relaxed party with your fam and closest mates. Couples are definitely shifting away from stiff, formal venues and looking for spaces where they can just be comfortable and have a good time.
Jules takes us behind the scenes of what a full pub buyout actually looks like on the day, starting with welcome pints and a gorgeous courtyard ceremony, all the way to a packed dance floor with absolutely zero sound restrictions (omg!). We also get into the food. Turns out, your guests might actually prefer a solid steak and parma or a massive grazing board over a dragged-out five-course meal.
And if you're over the traditional wedding cake, you have to hear about the self-serve tiramisu trend. Yummy! Finally, Jules drops some crucial advice for keeping your sanity intact: get all your details sorted two weeks out, and just accept that a little hiccup is going to happen on the day. The good news? Your vendors will fix it behind the scenes without you even noticing.
We loved our chat with Jules and hope you enjoy listening!
Eddy + Aleks xx
Welcome to our 100th episode of Project Engaged!
We can't quite believe we've hit triple figures after starting this journey a few years ago, but here we are To celebrate this massive milestone, we decided to do something special and sent a completely anonymous survey out via the 'Gram where 33 couples responded about their big day.
We asked them to give it to us warts and all - rating their expectations, sharing their biggest regrets, pointing out their worst stressors, and highlighting the absolute best decisions they made.
But it's definitely not all doom and gloom! We also share our couples' major wins, like why a "first look" is a total game-changer for calming your nerves, the perks of booking your ceremony and reception at the same venue and why ditching rigid formalities to prioritise top-tier food, drinks, and the right vendors is the ultimate move.
If you're feeling overwhelmed, tune in to learn how to strip out the crap, ignore the social pressures, and remember why you're throwing this party in the first place.
We hope you enjoy listening to episode 100 and thank you so much for your support!
Eddy + Aleks xx
On this episode, we are fueled by coffee and sugary donuts and we are so excited to sit down with Kimberly Moore!
Kim is a Melbourne-based filmmaker who acts as the antidote to boring wedding videos by creating super high-energy, cinematic, and totally "cheese-free" films.
If you are worried about feeling awkward in front of a camera, Kim has you covered. We chat about her strategies for "massaging the room" and how she lightly directs couples so they feel completely natural and look amazing. She also tells us why a truly great wedding video actually starts in pre-production.
Kim shares how she uses vibe-check calls and questionnaires to understand everything from family dynamics to the couple's exact vision long before the big day We also dive into her signature day-after "sneak peek" videos, which are friggin' awesome to watch. She shares why she loves sending these out so quickly and getting couples to film their genuine, raw reactions to seeing their wedding footage for the very first time.
Plus, with wedding content creation becoming so popular, we discuss how she collaborates with content creators on the day so they can work as a team instead of stepping on each other's toes
You can check out Kim's incredible films, see those awesome reaction videos on her Instagram: @kimberleymooremedia or check out her website www.kimberleymooremedia.com.
We loved having Kim on the show! We hope you do too!
Eddy + Aleks xx
Welcome back to Project Engaged! This week, we sit down with TikTok and Instagram sensation Rebekka Lord-Johnson aka The Wedding Painter!
She is one of the most in-demand vendors in the country, known for transforming fleeting wedding moments into stunning, realistic canvases right before everyone's eyes.
We dive right into Bek's highly unconventional path to success, from dropping out of four different university courses to finally teaching herself how to paint during a three-month lockdown crash course. We also get the ultimate behind-the-scenes scoop on her strict live-painting logistics
She breaks down how she directs lightning-fast three-and-a-half-minute photo shoots, tweaks poses so couples look their absolute best, and why she strictly avoids setting up her easel anywhere near the dangerous dance floor. You definitely don't want to miss her wildest stories! Bek shares what it's like showing up in a blonde wig and glasses to pull off a surprise portrait reveal, and recounts a terrifying "abduction" by a rogue Italian taxi driver and she haulling 40 kilos of art gear up a mountain.
We loved every minute of this episode! We hope you do, too!
In this episode, we're talking about "all the small things" that can have a big impact on your wedding day. While these little details might seem minor, they can actually make a massive impact on how your wedding day flows
We share a few of our own crucial tips, but we didn't stop there! We reached out to our massive wedding vendor community to bring you a goldmine of advice, covering everything from avoiding TikTok trends to dance-floor outfit changes.
Grab your notes app, because this episode is packed with valuable nuggets of wisdom to help you plan an authentic, stress-free party Vendor shoutouts
A huge thank you to the vendors who contributed their wisdom to this episode:
Rachel (Wedding Events Coordinator, Cleveland Estate): Make the day represent you rather than strictly following what is trending on TikTok and Instagram. Ruby (Videographer Down the Road Weddings): Provide drinks for the ceremony - it sets a great tone and acts as a big, warm welcome for your guests. Dani (Singer/DJ/Stylist, Logan Events): Sit your family on the opposite side of where you stand during the ceremony so they can see your faces, rather than your backs. Also, avoid timing your aisle walk to a specific song moment, keep table styling simple so it doesn't impede guest interactions, and remember: if you want people on the dance floor, the couple needs to be on the dance floor!
Jacinta (Musician/Planner/Florist, Champagne Electric): Don't forget to spend quality time with each other! The day goes by in a blur, so build in time to step away together. Melissa (Celebrant, Marry Me Mel): "Pay more, do less." Let your vendors do the heavy lifting, hire a professional MC, and remember that you are the guests of honor, not the hosts. Alyce Bailey (Celebrant): Put specific names on the front-row seats at your ceremony to avoid awkward delays or confusion among extended family members. Nick Mercy (DJ, More Than a DJ): Consider a change of dress for the bride when it's time for dancing so you can move comfortably. Chris (DJ/MC Apples): Provide comfy shoes (like sneakers or fluffy slippers) for later on in the night to keep the dance floor going. John Edney (Celebrant/DJ/MC): Embrace the imperfections. Things outside of your control will happen, so let it roll off your back like water off a duck's back. Sarah Chippendale (Celebrant): "Marry someone with nipple tassels" (Hey, whatever works to keep things uniquely you!). If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and follow us on Instagram at One More Song DJs, THE SOUNDTRACK and Project Engaged!
In this episode, we (Eddy and Aleks) dive into a topic that causes a lot of anxiety for couples: the intense pressure to host the "best dance floor ever"...!
We break down the realities of what actually makes a dance floor heave, exploring the elements you can't control and the crucial things you can.
What you CAN'T control:
How guest dynamics, family drama, the weather, and even Grand Final day footy scores can impact the vibe.
Navigating your guests' varied musical tastes, managing overplayed songs like "Mr. Brightside", and figuring out what to do with the "oldies" Dealing with bar lines, and navigating the dreaded unexpected early music cut-off! What you CAN control:
Our top tips for choosing the right DJ and writing a killer music brief (Pro tip: ask guests for artists on their RSVPs, not specific songs!). Why aiming for a 2.5-hour dance floor is the sweet spot, the importance of dimming the lights, speaker placement, and why the bar should always be close to the action. Finally, we share why you shouldn't stress out about the natural peaks and troughs on the dance floor - this is completely normal.
If you enjoyed this episode, please hit subscribe and follow us on Instagram: @projectengaged and @onemoresongdjs.
Welcome to another episode of Project Engaged! We were very excited to sit down and chat with Jacinta from Champagne Electric about throwing out the wedding rulebook and prioritising your party's atmosphere over its aesthetic.
Here is the breakdown of what was discussed:
Host, don't perform Instead of staging a performance for social media content, couples should approach their wedding as if they are hosting a great dinner party (with a banging d-floor). The only actual legal requirement is a celebrant, so you are entirely free to throw out the rulebook and skip traditions (like public vows) that don't feel authentic to you.
Prioritising vibe and energy A beautiful aesthetic means very little if you aren't actually present and connecting with your guests on the day. To keep the energy high, you should include interactive elements and great party lighting - like disco balls or a even "rave cave" setup by a laser professional - and remember that your guests will follow your lead on the dance floor.
The "Vibe Brief" and budgeting Start your planning by creating a "Vibe Brief" to establish your top three non-negotiables, such as booking an in-demand photographer like Jackson Grant or securing a top-tier DJ. Allocate your budget to these priorities first so they can serve as your "North Star," and be willing to compromise on the remaining details without stressing.
Mastering the flow Opting for a 90-minute cocktail hour ensures you have enough time to take photos, decompress, and actually enjoy the party with your guests rather than missing it. Work with an experienced wedding professional to review the run sheet, but remain flexible on the day; delaying a speech or first dance by 10 minutes to maintain the room's energy is always worth it.
The "Vibe Killer Cut" (saving money) If you need to slash your budget quickly without ruining the atmosphere, the most effective method is ruthlessly trimming your guest list by dropping colleagues, unknown plus-ones, and children. You can also skip traditional wedding favors - unless they are highly practical like family-farmed olive oil - and save on florals by repurposing your ceremony arrangements at the reception.
Mentions:
One More Song DJs: (us!) Jackson Grant: The one and only and highly sought-after wedding photographer Weddings by E: Shoutout to Elizabeth for her planning and coordination work Daniel from Pyrotek FX: The laser professional who set up a full rave cave experience with trusses and lasers at a winery wedding Venues: Polperro Winery, Glasshaus, Gather + Tailor and The Wool Mill.
We're back in episode 3 of season 6!
In this episode, we tackle the unexciting but crucial topic of sound restrictions at your wedding venue. We chat about sometimes strict noise rules are becoming the norm due to complaints from neighbors in high-density areas and EPA limits in more regional locations (like the Yarra Valley).
We break down the different forms these restrictions take, from mandatory in-house sound systems that may lack clarity to the dreaded "sound limiter" - a device that can cut the power if the volume gets too loud (eek!), potentially killing the vibe and even damaging equipment...!
To help you navigate this, we chat about the importance of raising the sound issue before booking, suggest you use AI tools to scan contracts for hidden decibel limits and ask to hear in-house systems at actual "dance floor volume".
We also share some unique workarounds professional DJs use, such as cutting bass frequencies that travel through walls, using "satellite" speakers to spread sound, and adding "foldback" monitors to boost volume on the dance floor without tripping venue sensors.
We hope you enjoy this episode!
Eddy + Aleks xx
In this episode of Project Engaged, we dive into the most commonly asked questions from couples about wedding receptions!
We provide some advice on how couples can effectively brief their DJ on music tastes and genres, while discussing the nuances of handling guest requests (including saying no to The Nutbush, of course!).
We also break down the absolute necessity of having a designated MC, share strategies for maximising dance floor time by working backward from the end of the night, and weigh in on whether adding a saxophone player to your DJ package is worth the investment (spoiler, it is!).
Show notes and mentions:
Here are the specific resources and topics mentioned on this episode:
• Vibe Playlists: We share this with couples to help cluster genres, such as "Get Funky" (disco/funk) or "Down and Dirty" (R&B/hip-hop). • MC Blog Post: A handy set of tips to "hack" the MC role if you have asked a friend or family member to take on this role.
• Vendor Shout-outs:
◦ Tim the DJ Sax ◦ DJ Emily Gracie ◦ Kenny (sax player)
Wedding logistics don't have to be a buzzkill. In this episode, we're stripping back the stress and sharing the practical tips that actually make a difference to the vibe of your day.
We're diving into why Bluetooth is a "no-go" for ceremony music (trust us, your walk down the aisle deserves better!), how pre-ceremony drinks act as the ultimate social lubricant, and the secret to handling your wedding party so everyone feels like a legend, not a mannequin.
Plus, we introduce the "fast photo minute" - our favorite way to keep your ceremony unplugged but memory-filled - and break down the difference between legal, personal, and "ninja" vows. Whether you're worried about standing awkwardly or wondering if a rehearsal is actually worth it, we've got you covered.
Featured in this episode:
Recorded at Meet and Gather in Richmond, a creative event space by Jacinta from Champagne Electric.
Venues Mentioned:
◦ Post Office Hotel, Coburg ◦ Belbrae Harvest ◦ Captain Baxter ◦ Poodle Bar, Fitzroy ◦ Glasshaus Brucke ◦ The Terrace at the Botanical Gardens.
Planning Resources:
Personal Vows Guide: Check out our One More Song blog for a deep dive into tips on how to get started with your personal vows.
Connect with us:
Instagram: @onemoresongdjs & @projectengaged.
Website: onemoresong.com.au.
Subscribe: Don't forget to subscribe to Project Engaged on your favorite podcast platform.
We're back! Introducing Season 6 of Project Engaged! We can't wait to be back in your ear holes with some very practical wedding tips for couples wanting a modern, relaxed and non-traditional wedding! The first episode of season 6 will drop in a couple of weeks!
On this week's episode of Project Engaged we have another special guest - Dani from Logan Entertainment and Logan Events - to help us count down from 10 to 1 of the ARIA Top 100 charts of 1989!
Dani is a multi-talented individual who sings, DJs, runs an entertainment agency (Logan Ent.) and a planning + styling business too (Logan Events). Like we said, multi-talented!
Dani was able to bring so much to this episode of the podcast as she was not only looking at the count down from the perspective of a DJ, but a singer, too!
We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did!
Eddy + Aleks xx
On this week's episode of Project Engaged we have a very special guest - Celebrant John - to help us count down from 10 to 1 of the ARIA Top 100 charts of 2009!
John is a fellow "Triple Threat" as he is not only a celebrant but a DJ and MC too!
This quote from his website really resonates with us: "As a DJ, it's more than just pressing play or being a human jukebox, my experience has taught me how to read a room.".
And yes, we know last week we did say we were going to tackle 2005 in the next episode episode, but we couldn't pass up the chance to have John on this poddy and we gave him the honour of choosing a banger year (and it is a BANGER!).
We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did!
Eddy + Aleks xx
On this week's episode of the podcast, we travel back to 2016 and run through 10 to 1 of the ARIA Charts to see which songs made the list!
As always, we peek across the pond to the US to see what they had in the Billboard Top 10 (mainly to see how many were on our list, too!) and for you indie-heads out there, we check out Triple J's Hottest 100 top 10, too!
In our chats we talk about how "playable" each song from the top 10 list is at the weddings we play and any stories we have of these particular tunes!
Eddy + Aleks xx
In this episode of Project Engaged we travel back to 1996 and count down from 10 to 1 of the ARIA Singles Charts.
We chat about each track, its "wedding playability" and any fun facts or memories we have about the tune.
The number one song of 1996 may be no surprise to anyone that was around during that time...!
We also take a peek over the pond at the US Billboard Charts top 10 and the Hottest 100 from Triple J.
Eddy + Aleks xx
Hello!
In our first episode of Season 5 (woohoo!) we tackle the year that was 2012 and count down the top 10 tunes from the ARIA music chart.
For each song, we discuss whether we'd play it at a wedding, any memories each of us have of the song and any other interesting (or not so interesting) facts that we found in our research!
We also give a shout to some of the other songs that didn't quite make the top 10 but are very much worth mentioning aaaaand we also run through the top 10 tunes from the Billboard charts in the US and Triple J's Hottest 100 just for good measure.
Ah 2012, the year of the Flo Rida. Is this a good thing? We shall investigate in this episode. Warning - very strong opinions are provided!
It's great to be back and we hope you enjoy our first eppy of Season 5!
Eddy + Aleks xx
We are back! Season 5 is about to kick off and we can't wait to share it with you! And this time round, we are doing something very different...! We are bring it all back to the music in a fun and interesting way. We really hope you're gonna enjoy Season 5!
Eddy + Aleks xx
On this episode of Project Engaged we’re interrogating the competition! Only kidding! Our guest is actually a good friend of ours and all-round legend, Tim the DJ!
He’s one of the highest energy vendors we know. As well as DJing, he also plays the sax! One squiz at his Instagram and you’ll very quickly see what we mean by high energy.
Tim attracts similar couples to us - so much so, we pass on enquiries that we’re not available for and vice versa.
In the next hour or so, we’ll hear more about Tim and chat to him about the must-have ingredients for a great party.
We had such a fun time chatting with Tim so hope you enjoy listening!
Eddy + Aleks xx
We are wrapping up the first half of 2024 weddings in this episode of Project Engaged!
We haven’t done our weekend wrap ups in a while so today we’re going to do one huge one for the first half of the year.
Obviously there are too many weddings to talk about, so instead we’re going to pick out some fun highlights to hopefully give you some inspiration for your own wedding planning. Or if you’re a wedding vendor, it may give you some ideas for fun ideas to introduce to your clients.
We hope you enjoy and maybe get a new cheeky little ideas for your own wedding!
Eddy + Aleks xx
Talk about non-traditional weddings! On today's episode, we are chatting with the absolute master of alternative weddings, Renee the Celebrant! In her own words, Renee is "really shakin' shit up"! She's all about helping couples design a wedding that truly reflects them, while hopefully re-thinking some old, pale, stale traditions along the way. Beyond a celebrant, Renee is actually a triple threat "One Woman Show" - Celebrant - MC and DJ. Renee's got a couple of exciting projects and chats to us about trends she's seeing in weddings she's involved with. We hope you enjoy this episode! We had a blast recording it! Eddy + Aleks xx
On this episode of Project Engaged we are chatting all about the key moment songs for your wedding.
No matter how non-traditional, all weddings - whether a large sit down or a more relaxed cocktail style - will have key moments throughout the day. These key moments all need epic music choices. Have you ever watched a cake cutting in silence? Awkward…
In this podcast, we (Aleks and Eddy) discuss:
Couples planning their weddings can really use these key moments to put their music stamp on their day, hype up the crowd and signal that it’s time to party!
We hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it!
Eddy + Aleks xx
On this episode of Project Engaged, we’re chatting to Tania, aka The Event Wanderer, which is all about epic wedding stationery, signage and accessories.
Having spent over 15 years working in various roles across large, small and even international events, she knows the stress and chaos that can manifest when planning any form of celebration, especially when it’s one that’s as deeply personal as a wedding.
But she also is a big believer that with the right vendors on hand, wedding planning can be enjoyable.
We hope you enjoy our conversation with Tania!
Eddy + Aleks xx
In this episode of Project Engaged Eddy and Aleks chat about sound equipment at weddings.
We try our very best to keep it as simple as we can and chat through what sound equipment a typical DJ brings to a wedding and any additional equipment that may be needed (such as a speaker for a ceremony if it's in a different area).
We are often asked "what we come with" so we thought we'd spill the beans!
Eddy + Aleks xx
On this episode of Project Engaged, we chat to big poddy fans Daniel and Megan, who got hitched earlier this year at Half Acre!
Aleks was behind the decks on this one at one of our fave spots in South Melbourne, Half Acre.
We chat all about the planning process, what they loved during thier day and some advice for couples that are currently planning their big day!
We hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it!
Eddy + Aleks xx
In part 1, we chatted to Carla and Baz all about their gorgeous wedding in Feb 2024, and in part 2, we chat all about their epic wedding business Mr & Mrs Social!
Mr & Mrs Social was born to capture extra memories from your big day with two very cool services - a video guestbook and content creation.
Think of Carla and Baz as your own party paparazzi. A lot of our past couples say that not having filmed content from their big day is one of their biggest regrets. But professional videography is not for everyone. Mr & Mrs Social’s services address this gap, giving you another two ways of capturing memories of you as a couple and your guests.
Both the video guestbook and content creation are fairly new trends in the wedding industry so in this episode, Carla and Baz tell us all about it - how it works, who it suits, plus hot tips to get the most out of their services.
Learn more about this dynamic duo and their awesome offering at mrandmrssocial.com.au.
Our first 2 part episode! In part 1, we (Aleks and Eddy) chat to real couple Carla and Baz, but the circumstances around it are a bit different because we didn’t provide DJ services.
We were actual guests at their wedding! And Aleks was the lucky celebrant! Plus our couple - Carla and Baz - are also wedding vendors themselves (see part 2!).
Carla and Baz planned a gorgeous wedding that was so high energy throughout the whole day and so true to who they are.
It took place at The Grounds of Alexandria in Sydney, with guests coming in from Melbourne, Adelaide and Griffith (where Baz’s family is from) and all the way from London.
We chat to Carla and Baz all about the wedding planning journey, the big day itself and provide our own observations as guests (and Aleks as celebrant).
Shout out to their vendors mentioned in this episode - DJ Sami from Adelaide (legend!), photographer/videographers T-One Image and content creator Danny from That Media Crew.
In this epsiode of Project Engaged, we've turned things upside down!
We sat on the other side of the podcast desk (so to speak) as we were invited as guests on the Cut The Cake with Tania and Mel!
Mel aka Mellyrain and Tania from Event Wanderer Co call Cut The Cake the "no BS wedding insider podcast couples are craving!" and we agree 100 percent!
We talk about our time in the industy, what our biz is all about, the types of couples we attract and detail everything that goes into wedding DJing! It's quite a deep dive, so strap yourselves in!
Thank you again to Mel and Tanya for having us! We had a ball!
Eddy + Aleks xx
In today's episode Eddy and Aleks debunk 5 myths about wedding DJs.
Here are the myths that we debunk!:
Myth 1: They just show up and press play! Myth 2: The DJ will just play a playlist in order... Myth 3: All they need from the venue is bump in times? Myth 4: They just do their own thing behind the decks... Myth 5: They just work on the weekends!
We hope you enjoy listening to this poddy as much as we enjoyed making it!
Ed + Aleks xx
We are pumped to be speaking to Georgia Callow, the Events and Hospitality Manager at the Glasshaus venues.
We’ve spoken about Glasshaus often on the podcast because there is something truly magical about the venues. All three are in Richmond and are ideal if you want a venue that is fitted out with lush greenery. This is what you’d expect as Glasshaus is also a nursery.
Today we chat to Georgia all about Glasshaus Outside, Glasshaus Inside and Glasshaus Brucke - what makes the venues unique and how they work.
From a straight venue hire to full package including floristry, green styling and catering, there are so many options to choose from for these stunning venues.
You can get loads of info - including pricing - on the Glasshaus website: https://glasshaus.com.au/venue-hire-inner-city-melbourne/.
We hope you enjoy our chat (we certainly did!).
Read more on the One More Song website blog: https://onemoresong.com.au/venue-spotlight-glasshaus-inside-cremorne-melbourne/.
In this episode of Project Engaged Aleks and Eddy chat all about the MC role at a wedding.
The truth is - it’s much more involved than you think!
We share a bunch of intel from our experience on what really goes into MCing and some tips if you have a family member or friend taking on the role.
Ultimately, the decision of whether or not to have a friend or family member MC your wedding is up to you! If you weigh the pros and cons carefully and choose someone who is up to the task, it can be a wonderful way to add a personal touch to your special day.
Thanks for listening!
Ed + Aleks xx
On this episode of Project Engaged, we chat all about how to balance the music tastes from our couples, their friends and family members at a wedding! It can be quite a complicated task at times!
We talk about the types of questions we'll ask in the lead up and some of the things our couples should consider when crafting their music brief via our online questionnaire (we call it " the party brief").
We also touch on how we work with the music brief on the night to ensure that we are best placed to please as many of your wedding guests as possible, while ensuing that we keep to your music brief and bring that party!
Thanks so much for listening and, as always, feel free to get in touch with us with any questions you have or if you'd like us to touch upon any specific topics in this poddy!
Ed + Aleks xx
On this bonus episode, we chat Little Love Gatherings, which is a micro wedding concept that we’ve worked on with two friends in the industry.
If you haven’t seen our website or Instagram, Little Love Gatherings are micro wedding days where we host three back to back weddings with pretty much everything locked in for the couples so the stress of planning is taken away.
Joining us for this chat we have Meleah from Lovegood Images (our photographer) and Amy Wood (our wedding planner).
If you're interested in getting hitched with 28 (or more) of your closest friends and fam, check out our Instagram page @littlelovegatherings and our website www.littlelovegatherings.com.au.
We are kicking off season 4 with a bang!
We’re so excited to chat to Melany McBride and Amy Parfett, the creators of Wedshed, which is an award winning online marketplace connecting engaged couples with unique venues and talented vendors.
They’ve just launched a book, Get Wed - a one-way pass to getting hitched with maximum vibes and minimum stress.
The book is an incredibly practical guide offering so many useful tips for modern couples who want to do their day the right way.
On this episode we chat to Amy and Melany about a number of hot wedding trends they predict for 2024 and beyond, from unique gift registries to micro weddings to the anti-DIY movement!
Get your copy of Get Wed here. And check out our micro wedding offering Little Love Gatherings here!
In this week’s episode we chat to Laura and Stu, who got married in ultra cool and relaxed style on 8 April 2023.
They got hitched at the Vegas style chapel in Collingwood, Altar Electric, with their reception being held at Le Bon Ton down the road. Le Bon Ton is an American bar and smokehouse with a function space upstairs. The food is delicious and the atmosphere ripe for a party.
Laura and Stu told us what they were after in their initial enquiry: “Definite party vibes! We have quite eclectic taste but plenty of old school soul, disco and Motown. A few selective pop-punk songs that we love and 80s classics”.
DJ Aleks Mac played the tunes for their reception and was joined by our sax player Kenny. As is usually the case after a few bevvies at Altar Electric, the guests came into Le Bon Ton absolutely ready for a boogie!
Laura and Stu share their laid back approach to wedding planning, why they DIDN'T do a first look, their fave moments on the day and some seriously helpful tips for all couples planning their non-traditional weddings!
We hope you get a lot out of this episode, our last for this season. Thank you for your support. We'll be back for Season 4 later in the year!
On this week's episode of Project Engaged we chat to legendary Melbourne wedding photographer Alex Motta from Motta Weddings.
Alex has been working professionally as a wedding photographer for well over a decade and has captured love stories in different parts of the world from Australia to Europe and Central America.
Alex has a wealth of knowledge and extremely useful tips for couples. We chat through how he got into wedding photography, his process in the lead up and with couples on their wedding day and some pearls of wisdom that he's picked up along the way.
We LOVED chatting to Alex and hope you get as much out of this conversation as we did!
After a little break between episodes, we are back in your earholes for another episode of Project Engaged! This week we chat about the Beat Mix conference we both attended in Tweed Heads in early August.
It was a fantastic reat opportunity to catch up with wedding DJs and MCs from all around Australia. The conference was organised by a member association - the DJAA - DJ Alliance Australasia.
We talked some technical stuff but otherwise it was a huge variety of topics related to business, marketing, music, wellbeing and client service.
We cover some of the topics and themes that may be interesting for you guys, our listeners!
We also captured some sound bites from other attendees so we’ll play those throughout the episode.
One of the things we noticed is how many skills DJs need.
There were so many incredibly smart people in the room! Lots of them have their own businesses so need business, marketing and operational skills, but it goes beyond that. You need great people skills, you need emotional intelligence to be able to read a crowd and you need technical skills too. Plus lots of problem solving and working under pressure!
So all in all, we were really impressed. Plus everyone was lovely and we had lots of fun!
In this week’s episode we chat to Claudia and Andrew who got married at The Savoy on Little Collins St in the heart of Melbourne on Saturday, 4 February 2023.
Claudia’s niece Paulina initially reached out to enquire of their behalf about a DJ for their big day (including the ceremony) on the recommendation of their photographer, Meagan Brown (who we simply adore!).
The guest list included a large Latino demographic and people from all around the world so we were very excited for the prospect to spin a variety of tunes that wouldn’t ordinarily have the chance to otherwise.
Eddy had a blast for their wedding and it was so lovely to catch up with them again and reminisce about their special day.
We hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we loved recording it!
In this episode we chat with Nick and Lara got hitched at Panama Dining Room on Saturday, 11 February 2023 with around 100 family and friends from Australia, the UK and the USA!
Here’s what they said in their initial enquiry:
"Music is a massive part of each of our lives. For Lara she is a lover of many genres, some of her favourite artists ranging from Simon and Garfunkel to the Beatles to Arctic Monkeys to The Black Keys.
For me [Nick] I also like to DJ (in my garage) and am a big fan of 80s, 90s, dance, breakbeats, garage, techno and trance. In between it all we have some huge crossover and shared musical love. For us we want to blend it all together and have an eclectic mix. Music is one of the most important elements of our wedding for us!"
Key vendors:
Precious Celebrations
Elsa Campbell Photography
Pomp and Splendour
One More Song DJs (Eddy Mac)
We chat to Nick and Lara all about their engagement, planning process, their fave moments of the day and they provide some tips to couples planning their own wedding.
We loved chatting to these legends and hope you enjoy listening to our conversation!
On this episode we are chat to another wedding business duo, and we were so excited! It’s also the first time we’re talking about filmm too!
Caity and Duncan are a couple of wedding photographers and videographers based in Melbourne (who also happen to be a couple!). Aleks had the pleasure of working with them on a really fun North Fitzroy wedding earlier this year. As Aleks was involved in the ceremony so they spent all day together and she was struck by how warm and friendly they both are. An absolute joy to be around.
We speak to the duo about how they got into weddings, their process and some of their awesome techniques which makes them stand out from the crowd!
Here’s what our mutual client, Elise, had to say about Caity and Duncan on Google:
"Caity & Duncan are exceptional at their craft, and also really fun people to be around. I'm so happy they were our wedding photographers. I generally get uncomfortable in front of a camera, particularly posing. With Caity & Duncan, I was completely at ease and had a great time. They had me laughing while also looking my best - that's skill!
I've just received the sneak peek pictures, and they are gorgeous. They really reflect the emotion and feel of the day. I've had many people say how excellent they look - the colours, composition and beauty of the pics. I'm going to be recommending Caity & Duncan to all my mates."
We didn't speak about this on the poddy, but after it was recorded, also asked Caity and Duncan to tell us a little about their choice of music for their wedding films and this is what they said:
"All of our wedding films are curated to each couple, so no two wedding videos are ever the same. From the music to the colours and editing, everything is unique to the vibe of each couple - and they get to collaborate and make sure it's something that represents them (and doesn't make them cringe). We tend to think of our wedding films more like mini-movies, rather than traditional wedding videos."
We hope you enjoy listening to this poddy as much as we enjoyed recording it!
On this episode we chat all about Aleks' new celebrancy gig!
Some of the questions Ed asks her are:
We also spill the deets on our annual wedding livestream on Mixcloud (scheduled for the 14th of July 2023 at 7.30pm)!
In this episode we chat about planning your wedding in today's tough economy.
Planning a wedding on a budget can be challenging, but it's definitely possible to save money without sacrificing the things that are important to the couple.
In this episode we chat through some tips to help you save money on your wedding while still prioritizing what matters to you.
We hope you enjoy this episode and get something out of it (even if it’s a small thing!).
On this episode of Project Engaged we are talking about a topic that we haven’t yet covered in our three seasons, so we’re really excited to learn more!
For this episode, we are chatting with Brit Stevens, who is behind the State of Reverie brand.
State of Reverie provides designer wedding invitations, stationery and signage. And even wedding websites!
Here’s a review from a happy client: “Brit was an absolute legend and a pleasure to work with creating our custom website. She was patient, thorough and attended to changes quickly and efficiently. We have had so many compliments on the finished product from our guests and can't wait to see the remainder of our wedding stationery in person.”
We love when a couple puts their own stamp on their day and this is exactly what we’ll be chatting to Brit about.
We hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it!
BONUS EPISODE ALERT!
We have a sneaky mini podcast episode for your ear holes where we chat to Judith from Toko Events, one of the the masterminds behind the amazing idea that is the Elopement Extravaganza at Rupert on the 20th of August this year!
If you’ve wanted to get married at Rupert with a top notch group of suppliers, but haven’t had the budget or been able to secure a date, this is for you!
What you get:
You also get wedding planner guidance throughout to make the process easssssyyyyy and fun and ensure they can tailor the day to reflect YOU!
If you're a couple who are up for a bit of fun, but still want a luxe experience and to feel supremely special on their day, this is perfect for you!
To apply or if you have any questions, simply hit up the @tokoevents Insta account or email hello@tokoevents.com.au.
Check out the amazing suppliers that are involved:
On this episode, we chat to real couple Dean and Pip, who got married at Noisy Ritual in Brunswick East in April 2023. Their initial enquiry said it all: "We're real keen for wall to wall boogie for our wedding. Absolutely key. Planning on ripping the speech bandaid off and then relentless dance floor times."
The couple were so excitable from their very first meeting with their DJ Aleks. It was clear they’re big music lovers and their music brief was epic: lots of Indie, funk, Motown / soul, disco and a sprinkle of RnB. And the guests were on board, with dancing starting straight after the ceremony!
We also put in our first audio guest book (you can hear a few of the hilarious messages in this ep) and our signature party lights, which (if we do say so ourselves), really elevate the dance floor!
It was an all star line up of vendors, which included:
Other peeps mentioned on this episode:
Shameless plug podcast episode alert!!
We chat about all the fun extras that you're able to add to our DJ services! If you're thinking of adding something extra to us, you can check out our Services page.
We have extras like sax, percussion, party lights, audio guestbooks and our photobooth (to name a few!).
Venues and peeps that we mentioned on this podcast include:
Did you also know Ed can spin real vinyl at your wedding? Learn more here.
On this episode of the podcast, we share some ideas to make your wedding unique (sourced from real weddings we've seen or been a part of).
Most of our couples are party-lovers and want their wedding to be a super fun affair.
But beyond that, they also want to make sure their wedding really reflects them with personal touches that makes it unique and not a cookie cutter wedding.
Today we’re going to share some really cool ideas from our real clients to hopefully give you some inspiration for your own wedding planning!
We covered a lot of these in an Instagram Live last year but have some new ideas so worth a listen anyway!
There is SO MUCH good music around and so many factors to consider when hand-picking tunes for a function. Often you have a mixed demographic with different ages, backgrounds and music tastes. Some people love to dance and some need a little more encouragement. How do Eddy and Aleks go about selecting what to play?
In this podcast, we shgare an insight into how she chooses music, including pre-gig and of course, throughout the night!
On this epusode, we chat to a trio of Victorian based celebrants who are leading the way in the wedding community! We were so excited to be joined on the podcast by not one, but THREE industry legends: Megan Watson, Matt Finch and Zena Lythgo.
We chat to Megan, Matt and Zena about changes to the wedding industry over the last few years, how the concept of CoC (Community over competition) started and why couples benefit from positive relationships between wedding vendors. We also share some hot tips and trend predictions for weddings and recount the fun and mayhem that is the annual CoC party!
We absolutely LOVED chatting to these legends! We hope you enjoy listening to our chat!
On this episode we talk all things live music for your wedding with Wendy from Wendybird Music!
We’ve had the pleasure of seeing Wendy live and she has an incredible voice and is clearly very passionate about music. Wendybird Music offers highly customisable live music options where Wendy and her musician buddies can perform as a duo, trio, quartet and five piece.
Although we are DJs, we absolutely LOVE live acoustic music for pre-ceremony arrival, ceremony key moments and cocktail hour. What a vibe!
On this episode, we chat to Wendy about how she works with couples in the lead up, hot tips for briefing your acoustic artist and choosing ceremony songs, and an insider look into how Wendy and her musicians work (we were fascinated to learn that they “read the crowd” just like us DJs do!).
Real couple alert! On this episode of Project Engaged, we chat to our gorgeous clients, Pia and Suny, who got hitched at Glasshaus Outside and Inside in Cremorne in November of 2022 (with Aleks as their DJ!).
Their A-list team included:
We LOVED this episode and we hope you do too!
After hours of research, you’ve found your dream team of wedding vendors and are ready to start booking them in. How do you make sure you can secure these legends, and also get the most out of their expertise and experience throughout the planning process and of course, on the big day itself?
On this episode, we (Eddy and Aleks) share our tips for getting the most out of your wedding vendors from initial enquiry right through to post-wedding.
We’ve been reflecting on the last year or so of weddings we’ve played (almost 150 of them!) and wanted to share with you 5 common mistakes we see. They’re not make or break, but they will have a material impact on your big day (especially if combined - yikes!). Avoid these mistakes and you’ll thank us later!
As always, thank you so much for listening to our poddy and we hope you enjoy!
On this episode of Project Engaged, Aleks and Eddy chat about their favourite all-in-one, inner-city Melbourne venues!
We are so spoiled for choice here in our beautiful city. For those couples that are on the look out for a venue (or perhaps even doing a little research for friends and family) in the inner city, this episode is FOR YOU! :)
Venues mentioned in this ep are:
Also, shout out to Champagne Electric, Killer Queen Creative and Caity and Duncan and Weddings by Alex who were mentioned in this podcast.
Enjoy this episode!
In this episode we chat to one of our past couples, Kalise and Jack, who got hitched on the 19th of March 2022 at Churchill Events (with Eddy as their DJ).
Jack and Kalise's wedding brief was "Bridgerton on vacation", and we think they nailed it!
On the podcast we talk through their planning process, how they decided on their venue and vendors, their favourite moments on the day and what they would have done differently. We uncover so many gems of wisdom about doing things your way (and forgetting about stuffy traditions and succumbing to family expectations).
Jack also happens to be a new wedding photographer, so we also ask him a few questions about his time in the industry!
Their awesome vendors included:
Venue: Churchill, Taradale
Photographer: Bianca Virtue
Celebrant: Love Leah
Florist: Prunella
Cake: Beurre
Dress: Emma Hauser
DJ/MC: Eddy Mac
We really hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did!
In this episode of Project Engaged, we (Eddy and Aleks) discuss how we organise their music for a wedding! This ep was inspired by a recent Instagram reel Ed put together, talking about this very subject.
We run through our questionnaire (aka our "party brief") where we ask music-related questions and gather our couples' favourite artists and songs, what we do with any Spotify playlists that couples provide and our overall process of getting all the music together in our library, ready for a wedding.
We hope this gives a little more insight into the work us wedding DJs do in the lead up!
Enjoy!
In this episode we are so excited to be chatting to Judith from Toko Events!
Judith is a wedding planner who provides a whole range of services, whether you’re looking for someone to take care of literally everything or styling only.
We’ve worked with Judith on lots of very fun, non-traditional weddings for stylish couples and can tell you, she’s a very valuable vendor to have in your corner!
Here's some of what we chatted about in the podcast:
Judith also hints at some details on her upcoming workshop that empowers couples to plan their own weddings (you heard it here first!).
We hope you enjoy this episode us much as we did!
If you're planning your wedding, you might be overwhelmed with articulating what music you do and do not like as a couple.
In that light, we've created 8 playlists organised by musical “vibe”. We came up with these by reflecting on the types of clients that we attract and the best parties we’ve played to date. This resulted in a handful of playlists that represent the very best of the songs that make our weddings awesome.
Your music tastes may fall into more than one category but the main thing about these playlists is they transcend genres, decades and artists. They're grouped according to their overall "vibe"! We've uploaded samples of each of these to our Spotify, which you can listen to below!
Real couple alert! On Episode 8 of our wedding planning podcast, Project Engaged, we chat to our gorgeous clients, Simon and Tom, who got hitched at Rupert on Rupert in Collingwood in June 2022! Tom and Simon's wedding was such a huge party! There were bubble guns, glowsticks, our photo booth, percussionist (joining our DJ Aleks Mac), hangover kits, a cannoli cart - this wedding had everything you need for an epic party. On this episode, we talk all things wedding planning and Simon and Tom provide their hot tips for organising a non-traditional wedding that is authentically YOU! Their epic suppliers: Ceremony and reception venue: Rupert on Rupert Celebrant: Precious Fawcett Photography: Elsa Campbell Florist: Wildbloom Florists Hair: Boys – Kings Domain Barbers. Girls – Kylie Jane Artistry Make-up: Making Pretty and Sara Morrison Shoes: McCloud Shoes and Oscar Hunt Rings: Tiffany and Co Suits & ties: Oscar Hunt Cake / Cake topper: Sallycakes Acoustic trio for ceremony: Paper Hearts Reception DJ, percussionist and photobooth: One More Song (Aleks and Eddy) Transport: Yarra Trams Honeymoon: The W Hotel Bali
You may not realise how many parts of your wedding actually require carefully curated music. It’s not just about the dance floor! As soon as guests arrive for your ceremony, the atmosphere is being set for the rest of the day. In this episode, we (Eddy and Aleks) go through all of the music needed to create your wedding soundtrack, with some hot insider tips and examples from our real couples and weddings! You can read more in our blog, which has links to some inspirational playlists too. PS - it goes without saying (and we’re completely biased), but having a DJ instead of just a playlist means you’ll have music expertly tailored for each part of your big day. If you’d rather leave all the music to an expert, consider booking a DJ for the whole day, from setting the pre-ceremony vibe through to the final song at your reception! For our Mixcloud mixes, please Google "Mixcloud One More Song DJs".
We’re super excited to be chatting to a wedding supplier with many talents. Zee Scott is a celebrant, MC and cake maker, and all round legend!
She’s got an unmatched energy and we’re always excited when we get to work with her on a wedding. She’s always up for a boogie, which we obviously love!
Here’s what some of her clients say about her:
“Zee was one of the absolute highlights of our wedding. We had so much fun planning the ceremony with her and couldn't have been happier with the result on the day. So many friends and family commented on how fantastic she was. Hot tip - she also makes a great MC and having her do both the ceremony and reception made everything seamless!”
“We had the best day ever with Zee being our celebrant and baker! Everyone had a good old belly laugh with the personal touches to our story and commented on how amazing she was as a person and a gem in her field! If I were to get married again, I would 100% get Zee to do it all over again!”
On this episode, we chat about the process of making her VERY stylish retro buttercream cakes, her celebranting style and why you should book a professional MC for your wedding. Oh, and her experience of being on Bake Off!
On Episode 5 of our wedding planning podcast, Project Engaged, we chat to the one and only Nikki McCrone, Melbourne wedding photographer extraordinaire!
We speak to Nikki about wedding trends we're seeing this year, how couples can find a photographer that fits their vibe, what to consider when picking a venue and some tips to inject fun into your wedding photography!
PS - if you want to understand Nikki's vibe, check out these snippets from her client Google reviews:
“It’s okay, you can stop looking for your wedding photographer, because Nikki is THE ONE. Nikki was not just a photographer to us - in fact, we want to adopt her so we can have her infectious energy and enthusiasm with us always. We will now be hiring her for all future life events that require a photographer.”
“We received the wedding photos a week before the proposed delivery date, and cried with joy at how beautiful they are, and how they so perfectly captured the beauty and atmosphere of the day!”
“If you are considering Nikki McCrone as your photographer, if these wonderful Google reviews or a quick stalk of her Instagram doesn't convince you....then all it will take is your first phone call with her and you will be well and truly sold. Nikki is the absolute dream.”
We hope you enjoy this episode and get as much out of it as we did!
In this episode Eddy and Aleks discuss how to find a great wedding DJ for an epic party!
If you're a couple who loves music and wants a great party for their wedding, you'll want to make sure you find an experienced wedding DJ who knows how to help you achieve the dance floor of your dreams (and build up to it throughout the night)! You can check out the blog for this podcast here.
In Episode 3, we chat to one of our fave wedding suppliers, Sarah Borg, the genius behind Bangin Hangins.
We're pretty obsessed with these super colourful streamer installations. You'll recognise them as soon as you see them. They instantly add personality to any space and just scream PARTY.
And you'll recognise Sarah right away too. She is the embodiment of the Bangin Hangins brand - a colourful firecracker with an infectious energy who even has her own dancing GIFs!
We're lucky enough to work with Sarah on many weddings and we know as soon as we see those colourful streamers adorn a ceiling, we are in for one fun night.
On this episode, we get the lowdown on the epic installs, backdrops and arches Bangin Hangins offers for weddings, and some practical and helpful tips for couples thinking about adding them to their big day!
On this episode, we chat to Jen and Caitlin who are the Event Managers at Post Office Hotel Events in Coburg, Melbourne. The venue right up the road from us and there are so many things we love about it!
Let’s start with the fact that the venue is attached to a pub and you basically get your own private beer garden. Other things to mention are the food is delicious, the staff is wonderful, the space is super versatile and most importantly - it’s just such a relaxed party vibe, which is what we’re all about!
In this podcast, we chat all things weddings with Jen and Caitlin including how the venue works, the types of couples it attracts and they also provide some pearls of wisdom on planning a relaxed and fun wedding!
Post Office Hotel is holding an open day this Sunday, the 18th of September, which we're super excited to be a part of. You can get free tickets through their website (google Post Office Hotel Weddings) or via their Instagram account (@pohevents).
On this episode, we chat to Jen and Caitlin who are the Event Managers at Post Office Hotel Events in Coburg, Melbourne. The venue right up the road from us and there are so many things we love about it!
Let’s start with the fact that the venue is attached to a pub and you basically get your own private beer garden. Other things to mention are the food is delicious, the staff is wonderful, the space is super versatile and most importantly - it’s just such a relaxed party vibe, which is what we’re all about!
In this podcast, we chat all things weddings with Jen and Caitlin including how the venue works, the types of couples it attracts and they also provide some pearls of wisdom on planning a relaxed and fun wedding!
Post Office Hotel is holding an open day this Sunday, the 18th of September, which we're super excited to be a part of. You can get free tickets through their website (google Post Office Hotel Weddings) or via their Instagram account (@pohevents).
We are pumped to have our first guest for this new season and what a cracker of a guest we have lined up!
On this episode, we chat to celebrant Nat Sproal, a self-confessed no-BS melbourne celebrant who’s all about the heart and soul, rather than the frills and tradition.
Nat loves good tunes and is ALWAYS first on the dance floor!
Her style of delivering weddings is relaxed, natural and a little bit cheeky.
She says that stiff, formal, overly traditional weddings aren’t really her jam. Nat is so aligned with the types of weddings we love being involved in!
We’ve worked with Nat many times and always know it’s going to be a fun time when she’s officiating.
We chat to Nat about...
Phew!
We hope you enjoy listening to this one as much as we enjoyed recording it!
Eddy + Aleks xx
We are back for Season 3 of Project Engaged! And we have a brand new focus! We are shifting our focus towards helping fun-loving couples plan their non-traditional wedding and find superstar suppliers!
We'll interview married couples for their insights as well as awesome suppliers, and, of course, share our own wedding experiences.
Thank you to all of our listeners for supporting us so far. The podcast will still definitely be relevant to wedding vendors so we hope you hang around!
In this episode we chat about a very important topic - how to write copy for your business that will attract your ideal clients!
In Episode 7, we chat to Hayley Maxwell, a brand clarity and messaging coach, copywriter, ferocious ice cream eater, and leopard print lover… (and not necessarily in that order). She’s been honing her skills since the early 2000s. She’s helped Government entities, charities, global corporations and small businesses master their message, and then bring it to rip-roaring life with compelling, respectful copywriting that inspires action.
Her mission is to help her clients become memorable, meaningful, and the only real choice for the people they really want to help. Hayley is also the host of the Fierce Impact podcast and creator of the Website Copy Accelerator course.
In this ep, we focus on really practical tips to help you banish boring copy, as Hayley would say!
We bet quite a few of you fall into the category of "burnt-out wedding professionals". What a couple of years it's been! If this is you and you're ready to make a change and be taken out of your comfort zone, boy, have we got an episode for you!
In Episode 6, we chat to the absolute legend that is Yarra Valley based photographer Rick Liston. Rick is also a workflow fanatic and the man behind Wedding Workflows, a business that helps burnt out wedding professionals with automation and outsourcing to help buy you more time, serve your couples better and scale your dream business! Umm, sign us up!
We could have talked to Rick for hours. His whole outlook will both challenge and inspire you. Forever obsessed with exploring innovative ways to work with purpose, his business Wedding Workflows is about preserving your time and creative energy for the breadwinning areas while automating and outsourcing the laborious tasks that prevent you from doing so.
In this episode, we chat to Rick about his story, all things workflows, automation and some of his tips for introducing better workflows in your wedding business today. And more importantly, we talk a lot about WHY you should do it!
How are you feeling about your wedding business brand? Are you proud of it? Excited to share it with the world? Or is it feeling a bit stale and just not... you?
In our latest episode we chat to Michelle Newell from The Storytelling Business about when and how to refresh your brand! Michelle is a brand strategist and storyteller who specialises in rebranding small and medium businesses. She believes in rebranding ‘from the inside out’, which means starting with your vision, values and people before you even think about tweaking your logo or website!
As we've shared on the podcast before, we have seen first hand the power of a rebrand (or brand refresh!) with our business One More Song. We talk a bit about this on the episode and Michelle explains the different levels of rebranding, what's involved, tips on a DIY rebrand and on the other end of the spectrum, how a team of professionals can help you if you're looking to do undergo the full shebang!
For our Victoria based listeners who are thinking about sprucing up their brand, Michelle is also running a Shoot & Tell Day in Footscray next Thursday, where you can book in an hour personal branding session to have new pics taken by a professional photographer and be interviewed by Michelle, with 10 photos and a shiny new bio (About page) + in-person elevator pitch delivered to you in two weeks. Head to @thestorytellingbiz on Instagram for the deets and to book!
PS - check out the show notes on our website for a link to the article Michelle mentions where she provides tips on gathering client testimonials.
Enjoy and as always, we'd love to hear your feedback!
In this episode, we chat to Dale Cohen, who owns a multi-op AV business called Play on Sound & Lighting in Melbourne, Australia.
Dale helps us with AV set ups for our business, One More Song DJs, and works in sound, lighting, vision and even livestreaming in and outside of the wedding industry.
We kick off the conversation with Dale on how he started his business (he came from working in AV for a Big 4 firm and his business started as a side hustle and grew from there).
We also chat to him about how he manages all of his bookings as a multi-op business (ie with multiple technicians) and the systems and processes he uses that help him run his biz efficiently.
Dale has some amazing contractors that help him in his business too, so we chat to him about how he goes about finding this talent and what he looks for in staff.
Because the pandemic and its effect on the weddings and events industry is still fresh in our minds, we chat to Dale about the learnings that came out of the pandemic that he's been able to apply to his business moving forward. Dale is a pretty chilled operator! So we also ask him how he keeps his cool in high-pressure situations (like at weddings!). You can check out Dale's business, Play on Sound & Lighting here: Website Instagram
It's been a while between drinks...!
On today's shorter episode, we chat about how we've been going with the heavy workload in the wedding industry at the moment.
It's been one full year since Aleks left her 9-5 to focus fully on One More Song DJs and start her own marketing biz, Pump Me Up!
We use the opportunity to reflect on what it was like back in the "9 to 5" world, as opposed to running your own small business.
We ask the question on just how many hours you tend to work with your own business (we are sure that it's no surprise - it's more than 8 hours per day!).
We also chat through how it can more difficult to "switch off" if you're running your own biz too.
We round out the episode discussing how vital it is to hire an amazing accountant to make life a little easier on the financial side of things!
We are so excited to have our first Canberra guest – DJ Sue Freeman! Sue is a mobile DJ playing at weddings, corporate and other private events in the ACT and surrounding areas. She operates under her business Runaround DJs. Sue became an international celebrity last year when a video of her DJing at a shopping centre went viral. Aussie Instagram account Brown Cardigan got a hold of a video clip showing her transitioning from Usher’s Yeah into California Love and the rest is history! What made this video special was that Sue is 63 years old and she was mouthing the words to some absolute bangers. It’s not a common sight and caught the attention of media outlets around the world.
We hope you enjoy listening to Sue's story, how she got into working at weddings, what it’s like to go viral overnight and how it’s never too late to start in the wedding industry!
It's our first episode of season 2! And what a cracker!
In this episode, we chat to Laura about her own journey from celebrant side hustler to full timer and now wedding biz coach as well as sharing some tips on how to develop a CEO mindset, which we're so passionate about!
The themes in this episode carry on from Season 1 - it's all about "finding your people", developing solid systems and processes and thinking like a professional business owner!
Surprise!
We've decided to sneak in a special bonus ep for our listeners, a day out from Christmas!
We chat about what it's been like to be back at work (e.g. weddings), some of our thoughts and reflections on how the industry is looking, and - of course - chat a little about marketing along the way!
Wishing all of our listeners a lovely silly season and can't wait to be back in your ear holes full-time again next year!
Ed + Aleks
In our final episode of season 1 (omg!), we chat about some of the main themes that came across during the podcast. These were all related to having a business that you LOVE!
The main topics and themes that came across again and again were:
The importance of brand and marketing.
Finding your people.
The importance of your network.
Client service.
Mindset.
Listeners got in touch with us throughout the last 5 months and told us that they want to hear more of the following:
SEO!
Legal side of business.
More about making the jump from side hustle to full time biz.
Marketing, marketing, marketing! More about finding your unique selling point and differentiating.
So it's safe to say that we have our work cut out for Season 2, which we'll kick off sometime into 2022! Until then, it's been an absolute pleasure on the podcast.
Thanks again to all of our listeners! See you next year! :)
In Episode 26, we have the pleasure of chatting to James from Mr Hendrix Photography. James is a Newcastle based wedding and engagement photographer with an affinity for preserving moments in time. He specialises in capturing once-in-a-lifetime moments as naturally as possible. To him, couples' comfort comes first, and the photos will take care of themselves - because a genuine smile is SO much better than a forced one. Eddy met James in March 2021 for a wedding at Coombe Estate in Victoria and instantly knew that he was a legend with an infectious energy. We had something in common too - James used to be a working DJ who hung up the headphones for a camera! In this episode he describes his awesome journey going from being a full time solar panel salesperson who did photography on the side to full time wedding photographer who has more time to spend with his young family. It's full of super practical tips for other wedding vendors looking to do the same thing! Key takeaways can be found at projectengaged.biz.
In Episode 25, we try out a different format, where Aleks interviews Eddy about his experience before starting our business One More Song! This episode is for DJs who are thinking about going solo. We talk (with great passion!) about why we think if you want to nail it as a wedding DJ, working for an agency may not be right for you. Eddy has been there and done that. He worked for two large entertainment agencies for a number of years, both in the office and as a contractor DJ. In this episode we delve into what that was like and why he decided to branch out on his own (with Aleks joining shortly after!). As always, all takewaways from this ep can be found at projectengaged.biz.
In Episode 24, we talk about a topic that we know a lot of you will find really beneficial - Instagram, specifically delving into Instagram reels!
Love it or hate it, Instagram is an extremely important marketing tool for businesses in the wedding industry and to get maximum results, you need to be on top of new functionalities and what's resonating with users.
We are very excited to announce our guest today - Kryshla Salaris. Kryshla is an Instagram Coach and the founder of Shall We Social. She helps service-based business owners grow their gram game via coaching + online courses. On her LinkedIn profile, she says "Reclaim your time and say goodbye to Instagram overwhelm". Yes!
Kryshla comes from a corporate background and started her own biz in 2016.
What we love about Kryshla is she really breaks down Instagram and offers super practical tips that anyone can follow. There are some phoneys out there, but Kryshla is THE REEL (get it?) DEAL.
As usual, takeaways can be found at projectengaged.biz.
In Episode 23, we talk about something a bit different! We are excited to welcome Jazz, who is a Melbourne based meditation teacher with her own business, Jazz Kalus Meditation.
Jazz is a full time social worker and has seen meditation being used as a tool to support people with stress, anxiety and depression.
Her business Jazz Kalus Meditation has different meditation offerings including a 3 day "Learn to Meditate" course and free group meditation.
On her website, she says "The more I meditate, the more me I become".
Being in the wedding industry and running your own business can be stressful and anxiety-inducing, so we were very keen to hear some tips from Jazz about how meditation can help manage this!
As always, takeaways from this episode are available on projectengaged.biz.
In Episode 22 we speak to hair and makeup artist Danee Bolan from Killer Queen creative who has built an amazing brand and network with her business Killer Queen Creative. Danee (originally from Perth but now in Melbourne) has always had a passion for hair and makeup. This was a side hustle for some time while she worked the 9-5 grind. After the birth of her first son, she decided to take her small business full time, re-brand and create a movement. Enter Killer Queen Creative! We speak to Danee about her branding and vibe and how she was able to jump into her business full time. As always, key takeaways are available at projectengaged.biz.
This week we have the pleasure of speaking with the man, the myth, the legend that is Yarra Valley based wedding photographer (and fellow podcaster), Michael Briggs (aka Briggsy). We cover Briggsy's journey of ditching the desk for a camera and how he took that leap into doing something he loves.
We ask him what he's been up to between lockdowns from a business perspective and chat to him about how he's automated his business to be as efficient with his time as possible.
He also chats to us about the biggest lessons he's learnt since he started wedding photography full-time and gives some advice to wedding photographers who are just starting out.
As always, key takeaways and useful links are available at projectengaged.biz.
In this episode we (Aleks and Eddy) chat about the top 5 lessons we've learnt from our stints in the "corporate world" and how we apply these to our wedding business, One More Song DJs.
In a nutshell, treat your business as if it were a large organisation or publicly listed company. Hold yourself to high standards and adopt the same professional practices as large successful businesses!
The lessons we chat about are as follows! Communication is key. Stand by your pricing and focus on value. Nurture your booked clients. Maintain your professional network. Be accountable.
We also chat about an upcoming presentation we are doing on Tuesday the 5th of October with the DJAA (for DJs and MCs) about staying relevant in a pandemic (or on the off season). For more info on this preso, be sure to hit out website projectengaged.biz!
This week we speak to Jeremy Robertshaw from Agility Digital about all things Search Engine Marketing (aka SEO). We've mentioned SEO a few times during our podcasts. We kick things off by asking what SEO actually is and Jeremy takes us through some of the important things to consider when thinking about SEO for your business.
Jeremy also dishes out some "quick wins" gold that listeners can implement TODAY to make improvements to their web rankings!
Success with SEO is not something that happens overnight though, it takes time, work and patience. But once you start seeing results, it's hard not to get excited about its potential to help grow your business or side hustle!
Resources mentioned in this podcast (in no particular oder):
As always, full episode takeaways can be found at projectengaged.biz.
In Episode 18 we chat to one of our lovely couples for our second "Couple Insights" episode!
We're very excited to be chatting to one of our lovely couples for our second "Couple Insights" episode!
Jelena (aka Jel) and Tim got married in what could only be described as a picture perfect wedding. Not only was it in 2019 BC (before COVID), but it was at the stunning Euroa Butter Factory on a warm summer's day and styled to absolute perfection!
Jel and Tim came to us through their planner and stylist Laura from Wanderlust Creative. We provided a brass trio as well as DJ (Aleks Mac) to cover music all day from pre-ceremony drinks right through to the final song. As it was quite early in the business, both Eddy and Aleks worked with the couple early in the process, with me taking over as their DJ. It was quite a long lead time as the guys were super organised and booked in their big ticket items early.
In this episode, we chat to them about how they planned their dream wedding, lessons learnt and any tips they have for suppliers!
Check out the full show notes at projectengaged.biz.
Large scale weddings with Colleen Haggarty from Showtime Event Group!
Episode 17 is our first venue interview! We are excited to welcome Colleen Haggarty, Wedding Producer at Showtime Event Group.
Showtime Event Group is one of Melbourne’s leading event companies, with six fabulous wedding venues under its umbrella, including State Library Victoria, Cargo Hall, Rippon Lea Estate, Showtime Events Centre, and more.
We've worked with Colleen on State Library weddings and can tell you she's an absolute machine! A State Library wedding is a serious production and on the night you will see Colleen with her headset on, directing multiple staff and suppliers and getting more than her daily 10,000 steps in as there are a lot of large and grand spaces at the venue.
On this episode we get an inside look into how such a large operation works and some tips from Colleen for suppliers who'd like to work in venues like the State Library.
As always, you can check out the full show notes at projectengaged.biz.
How we conduct client discovery meetings for One More Song! We asked what you wanted to hear about and you answered!
In our latest episode, we (Aleks and Eddy) go in depth about the client discovery process (ie the initial chat/meeting we have with prospective couples).
What is it? Why and how do we do it? And what have we learned? We cover all of this in depth on this episode.
As always, check out the full episode notes on projectengaged.biz.
In Episode 15, we speak to Geelong based money mindset coach and speaker, Nicole Alesios.
Nicole helps female service based business owners value and price their time accordingly and have easier money conversations, firstly with themselves and secondly, with their clients and prospects.
She started her career in human resources and has worked with large and medium sized companies, C-suite executives, high net-worth individuals and entrepreneurs, across a number of sectors including publishing, utilities, pharmaceutical and property and well-being.
She now consults privately and although she works with women-led businesses, we spoke to her about how everyone can identify and change their mindset around money. In this episode we share Eddy and Aleks' money personalities (hint: they're very different!) and how that affects mindset, and Nicole offers some tips for how to approach those difficult money conversations.
We think this topic is especially important for wedding vendors as the pandemic has really challenged a lot of us financially and we've been thrown into having many uncomfortable money conversations. It's also made a lot of us think hard about what we're charging clients and the value we offer.
As always, be sure to check out the show notes at projectengaged.biz.
In Episode 14, we interview Melbourne based stylist and florist Lucy, who works under the business banners Styled By Varu and Flowers By Varu. Launched in 2017, Styled By Varu blends Lucy’s floristry and design credentials with her more than 15 years’ events experience and passion for delivering stunning, personalised weddings.
Before starting her business, Lucy worked in a fast-paced events role in an exclusive 5-star Melbourne hotel for eight years. During this time, she saw first-hand a local wedding styling market saturated with overpriced services only accessible to a select few. So Lucy set about developing a boutique wedding styling service offering a high-quality service at an affordable price point.
The following client review on Google says it all: "There is no doubt Lucy was our biggest support during the entire wedding process. She looks after everything! From offering much needed emotional support at times, to buying a last minute lock and wishing well for our big day, nothing was too much to ask. We are sure that our day only went smoothly because of Lucy's planning, guidance and expertise."
Lucy gave some really interesting insights into wedding planning, floristry and styling, and how she works with clients to bring their dream vision to life! We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it! As always, you can check out the podcast page at projectengaged.biz.
In this episode, we chat about a super important issue in the wedding industry - inclusivity and how as a vendor, you can genuinely support marriage equality.
We interviewed Alex Ross, the founder and creator of Theodore magazine - formerly Mr Theodore - Australia's largest LGBTQI+ wedding guide dedicated to promoting the finest wedding suppliers who are supportive of marriage equality.
The guide has been around since 2015 and we've been a part of it since One More Song was established. Alex has been awesome to work with. He's a very savvy marketer and that definitely comes in handy when you're a supplier listing on Theodore.
What we love most is that Alex advocates for inclusivity in the wedding industry and makes it easy for LGBTQI+ couples to find their dream suppliers.
In this episode, Alex shares his deeply personal story about why he founded Theodore. We also chat with him about where Australia is at in terms of support for LGBTQI+ marriage and how to ensure that you're a truly inclusive wedding supplier.
Check out projectengaged.biz for all takeaways from this episode!
In this episode, we welcome our first wedding entertainment guest, Cut a Rug!
Aaron Duncan aka Cut a Rug is a one-of-a-kind DJ who caught our attention for his epic dance floors and huge party vibe. He's based on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland and specialises in weddings, events and other private parties, from Sydney to The Whitsundays, New Zealand and beyond!
If you've seen his Instagram, you'll see that he lives up to the tagline on his website: "Sicker than your average". He's definitely inspired us for our business One More Song and is the perfect offering for couples who want a party DJ for their wedding.
There are many things that stand out about Aaron but one that particularly strikes us is the brand advocates he has. You could call them super fans! You'll often see Instagram stories from celebrants and photographers who post a photo of Aaron's set up before the wedding's even started because they're so excited to have him there. The same goes with clients and guests.
In this interview, we chat to Aaron about his career and how he's gone about building an incredible amount of support for the Cut a Rug DJ brand!
Episode links and takeaways can be found at projectengaged.biz.
In this episode, we welcome our first international guest, Rachel Waring! Rachel is based in the UK, in east London. She's a wedding stylist turned strategist, helping creatives blend visuals and sales. She specialises in Pinterest training and content creation and has created online training to help business owners achieve the same success she's had with Pinterest. She's also the co-host of a podcast for creative small business owners called The Business Proposal Podcast. This is how we first came across Rachel, and we've since had one-on-one coaching sessions with her to teach us about Pinterest and help us set up this podcast. On this episode, we pick Rachel's brains about content creation, being your own art designer and how to get started on Pinterest. Episode links and takeaways can be found at projectengaged.biz.
BONUS EPISODE! In Episode 10, we expand on an Instagram post we did recently talking about 5 ways you can keep yourself productive while locked down (thanks COVID). We've put together some ways you can work ON your business when you're not able to work IN it. Side note: we appreciate that we live in a culture where productivity is revered, which is not always a good thing. If you prefer to binge on reality TV shows with a bag of chips and a bottle of wine to get you through lockdown, DO IT. These are just tips for those of you who have ants in their pants and feel better at least getting some work done! For the full show notes, click here.
In this episode, we chat to Heidi Rayment (Hitched By Heidi), a wedding celebrant, MC and host of the Effortless Weddings podcast.
She's been described by clients as an "epic party wrapped up in your favourite warm blanket". What a description!
Heidi went through a rebrand like we did with our business One More Song last year. After a few years of being a celebrant, 2020 saw Heidi spending most of the year in lockdown and going into some deep soul searching about why her business wasn't delivering the amount of work she really wanted.
What resulted was a big rebrand that transformed her business. In terms of enquiries, Heidi went from the sound of crickets to around 5 enquiries a week and even 5 a day during crazy peak season.
She's also launched a new business Elopement Adventures!
Heidi was just a dream to chat to and we really hope you enjoy this episide as much as we did!
**Links to resources mentioned:** * Heidi mentioned these three expos: One Fine Day, Wedding Expos Australia & Wedding And Bride
In Episode 8, we chat to wedding photographer Oli Sansom (aka Briars Atlas), who we see as a true leader in the industry!
There are tons of incredible wedding photographers out there, but Oli definitely stands out to us as someone who creates true art out of the most mundane moments. He's become the choice for couples wanting creative coverage of their wedding everywhere over the world.
He's won more awards than we can count and has been shooting weddings for 8 years. He also lectures internationally.
In this episode, we chat to Oli about mindset, tapping into creativity and how to do things differently. Read the full show notes here.
In this episode we respond to a listener's question about "workflows". (We've been using this word quite a bit apparently in our podcast).
One of the major improvements we made to our business One More Song DJs last year was making our process of managing our bookings more efficient. Workflows were a big part of this!
What is a workflow, you ask? Put simply, a workflow a list of things to do from inception (enquiry stage), right through to the fulfilment stage (after a wedding is done).
Our workflow management is contained in our CRM of choice - Tave. If you are looking into a CRM, definitely check out Tave! You can use this referral link and get a 60 day free trial to see if it's the right CRM for you!
If we've used other terms in our podcast that you'd like to learn more about, please hit us up! We'd love to share more knowledge if we can!
Read the full show notes here.
Jessie Belle is a Geelong based celebrant who has been described by clients as "a gorgeous pocket rocket of creativity, love, humour and excitement".
She is confident, bold and has a recognisable brand that perfectly reflects her energetic personality!
In this episode we chat to Jessie about her career change from performer to wedding celebrant, overcoming common challenges in the industry and how she's found "her people"!
Read the full show notes here.
The law can seem like a very daunting thing when you're starting and running your own business. Let's face it, unless you have a law degree, it's pretty damn confusing.
In this episode, we speak to lawyer Andrew (Andy) Smith about the legal stuff you need to consider when starting your own business, choosing the right business structure for you, contractual terms and considerations when choosing between staff and contractors.
And we have to mention the C-word. COVID restrictions have thrown weddings into disarray, making it even more obvious how important it is to have robust terms with your clients and suppliers.
Read the full show notes here.
DISCLAIMER: The content discussed in this podcast is for informational purposes only, is general in nature, and is not intended to and should not be relied upon or construed as a legal opinion or legal advice regarding any specific issue or factual circumstance. Nor is this information intended to create, and receipt of it does not create, a lawyer client relationship between you and any of the presenters. We strongly recommend you consult a lawyer in the event you require legal advice.
In this episode, we (Eddy and Aleks) talk about the 7 key lessons we've learnt from making mistakes early on in our business. These cover a range of areas including branding, mindset, client communications and more! Your mistakes are what help you grow. Learning from ours has been invaluable.
Read the full show notes here.
In our first "Couple insights" episode, Aleks chats to Cait and Andy, whose wedding she DJed in May 2021.
Cait and Andy have very particular tastes and were careful in selecting their team of suppliers. In this episode, they share the process they want through in choosing their dream team, how they worked through two postponements and some simple but very important tips for all wedding suppliers operating in these uncertain times!
Shout out to suppliers mentioned: She Takes Pictures He Makes Films, Toko Events, Bangin' Hangins, North St Botanical and Mitchelton Wines.
Read the full show notes here.
Content, content, content! These days, marketing your wedding business can seem like a minefield, and yet it's easier than ever to DIY. In this episode we chat to the super savvy founders of online Aussie wedding directory Ivory Tribe, Jo & Nat, who talk about how to market your business, making the most of the pandemic and some hot tips for suppliers looking to ramp up their business in 2021.
Read the full show notes here.
Hey there! We're so excited to introduce our podcast for wedding suppliers who want to engage with their ideal clients and fall in love with their businesses! In our first episode, we chat about how we started our successful DJ business One More Song (taking it from side hustle to full time career), how we made use of 2020 to level up our business and what we'll be covering in our podcast in episodes to come!