Vendor Besties Podcast

It's Halloween which means it's time for Wedding Vendor HORROR STORIES.   Rod & Freddie share the terrifying tale of their first s'mores rodeo and how it all went down in flames!   You might want to catch this one on YouTube... we've got two Super Marios and a microphone!   Guests: Rod & Freddie from Marsh and Mallow Co

Nothing like having the purveyor of perfectly golden roasted marshmallows be the guests of our golden episode!  (E16 drops on 10.16.26)   What's it like to be a custom bougie dessert experience vendor? We chat with Rod & Freddie from Marsh and Mallow Co all about providing gourmet s'mores for their clients and guests!   We also go wayyy off the the rails trying to define a s'more.

How valuable is it to participate in a Styled Shoot? We're not talking if you'll make any money (realistically you'll probably end up out of pocket for materials), but what are the non-monetary benefits?   Guest: Just Elizabeth, by Design

Some wedding vendors have a whole second (or third) job in addition to being an events vendor in order to keep the bills paid.    It's tempting to use the off-season to relax and rest if you are lucky enough to not have to spend it hustling an additional career, but if you want to be constantly upping your game and raising your prices, you need to be investing some of that off-season time into you...

So what does it take financially to START an events business? We chat with a sustainable florist about all the things that cost real dollars when setting up to be a wedding vendor!   Guest: Just Elizabeth, by Design   Watch on YouTube starting 9.4.26

Think you can just book clients without a consultation? Listen in for all the things you could be (and should be) asking your clients in that first chat! And don't forget to think about your product or service from beginning to end - what other labor/vendors might need to be involved before the end of the day?  Don't leave your client trying to figure it out for themselves!   Guest: Vanessa with T...

What is the value of showing up to a wedding show/expo or venue open house?    It all depends on who is running the show and the goal of the show.    We welcome back  Vanessa with The Traveling Planner to chat about where the value lies!

Communication matters. Almost more than the quality of your product or service! Vanessa joins us to discuss how bad communication just ruins it for everyone. Guest: Vanessa of The Traveling Planner

How important is Social Media in your marketing plan? Very. Sorcha shares her wisdom about what works for her, and ironically shortly after we taped this episode her profile blew up and she's now at 30k followers and climbing, with her viral reel at 2.5M views. Listen in for where we think the importance lies in putting a lot of effort and energy into content creation! Guest: Diana from The Victor...

We're talking all about AI! How bad is it?   We discuss the different ways we are seeing clients and vendors using AI and how we accommodate requests and inquiries using AI in their questions and/or inspo photos, and how some usage of AI can be disingenuous.  Guest: Diana from The Victorian Belle

Zacch & Jared wanted one last chance to duke it out over a very hot topic - do you live mix during dinner or no?  This episode is  quickie!   Guests: DJ Zacch with Paradox Production, and DJ Jared with Pure Vision Entertainment.

DJ Zacch & DJ Jared are back and we're talking Gen Z! Selling your product or service to Gen Z might seem scary but we break down the best ways to communicate in the way they expect! It all comes down to vibes! Guests: DJ Jared with Pure Vision Entertainment, and DJ Zacch with Paradox Productions.

We welcome TWO "competing" DJs on this episode and though they may work for different companies, we all agree there is Plenty of Business in this industry for everyone, as long as you're doing things the right way!   Join the conversation about the value of a DJ, how DJs get it right or wrong, and when you need them and when you don't!   Guests: DJ Zacch with Paradox Productions, and DJ Jared with...

When should our clients consider the topic of staffing?    Daniel from The Waitstaff Team gives us some great tips on what kinds of details his team needs to provide an accurate quote, and when it makes the most sense to start the conversation! 

What happens when clients hire us for things that are not in our purview and shouldn't be our responsibility?   How do we explain to clients that every aspect of their day is going to require labor in some way?  Enter the role of The Waitstaff Team! Staffing for every aspect of your event. Guest: Daniel of The Waitstaff Team

Conflict happens when there are more than two people. What happens when you have to work with another vendor that you are currently in conflict with?  What happens when you fight with a vendor bestie and need to work with them immediately? How do you resolve the tensions in a professional way? 

Going into Season 2 of the podcast, and reflecting on how our businesses went in 2025!  We are firm believers in learning from our mistakes, so the off-season is definitely where we take the time to reflect and improve our systems and contracts, and build better boundaries for ourselves!  This episode focuses on the positive changes we're making so 2026 levels up! 

Never do business with family! We dig in to why, and how to protect your relationship if you DO need to (or want to) do business with family and friends! Final Episode of Season 1, coming to you from VBHQ.

The Vendor Besties are coming at you from VBHQ!  In this episode we tell our train wreck stories and what valuable lessons we learned from them, because there's nothing like learning lessons the hardest way possible!  These stories have nearly everything except something actually on fire, but they are dumpster fires nonetheless, and we hope you will be as entertained (or scarred) as we are.  

We welcome back Diana from the Victorian Belle for Episode 10! What kinds of things should you invest in for your business? How do you justify those costs? If you're *one of us* you thrive on dopamine and we know spending money on our businesses is dopamine-generating... so we really have to buckle down and learn to control the dopamine monster and make sure our investment purchases benefit the bu...

Can you lie and say it's not a wedding in order pay less? Sure. And possibly negate your vendor contracts, and have your day go sideways.   The truth is the majority of business in the wedding and events industry are small businesses just trying to keep the lights on, and our pricing is just math.   What does it cost to wash all those rentals? To pay the power bill? To invest in and replace equipm...

How the heck do you decide on pricing?   We're back at The Belle and welcoming Diana as our guest! Diana wears many hats at The Victorian Belle but is primarily in charge of the wedding side of the business.   We discuss how our individual resources and situations make a big difference in how we determine our pricing structures, including where to start and fast you can raise your prices!

Shot on location at The Victorian Belle, welcoming our first guest Joelle Dardis Photography!  We talk about burnout and how to balance business with keeping our lives on track. Know when saying yes might put money in your bank account but take from your sanity, health, and relationships!   

Overselling your product or service means underdelivering... and that just means you become the butt of the joke and the leaf of the tea.   We're dissing on vendor mistakes and how they can go wrong for the rest of us. (And we don't hate all DJ's... promise!)   And bottom line, what is our responsibility to pick up the pieces when we didn't break the vase?   The first of the Victorian Belle Sessio...

In the final chapter of our cozy living room sessions, we dive into why your professional network isn’t just about who you know, it’s about how you work together. We unpack how familiar vendor relationships can elevate every part of an event: from planners and photographers creating a seamless timeline, to bakers and coordinators ensuring every dessert table is picture-perfect (and wrinkle-free)....