Project Engaged

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: How Archie transitioned from a "recovering" high school music teacher and band manager to a full-time wedding pro Why he quickly hung up his DJ headphones to focus strictly on playing the sax and delivering killer ceremonies The famous "Grandma Test"- what it is, and why your ceremony script needs to pass it Pro tips for keeping the vibe high and handling the dreaded "dance floor circle" Some truly unhinged wedding stories, including marriage certificates blowing into a river, a serial-fainting bridesmaid and quite possibly the worst, microphone-dropping father-of-the-bride speech we've ever heard. If you want a "young, fresh talent" (with a bit of extra mayo on top!), Archie is your guy! 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

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!