37 FramesWe’re talking to the aspiring wedding professionals out there today.
We regularly get messages from young entrepreneurs wanting to break into this industry. Not as an assistant, not tucked safely inside a company, but out there on their own. Starting something from scratch. And we LOVE it. Because we know firsthand what a wild, rewarding, beautiful career this can be. We could go on and on (and often do) about the doors it’s opened, the people we’ve met, and how weddings have shaped our lives in ways we never imagined.
But.
There’s another side. The side that doesn’t often make it onto Instagram. The things you should walk into with eyes wide open. The things we wish someone had told us when we were starting out all those years ago.
So, here it is. The side of weddings no one talks about.
Mental Health
This industry asks for everything – your time, your weekends, your heart. It’s magical, but it’s also relentless. You cannot give endlessly without giving back to yourself.
Looking after your mental health isn’t a luxury here, it’s survival. We had to learn boundaries the hard way. Protect your joy so you can protect your couples’.
The Pressure
One day. One shot. That’s it.
There are no do-overs in weddings. No pausing vows for a reset. No asking people to redo the tears in her eyes.
The pressure is immense – and yet, that’s the thrill. It’s why we’re meticulous. Why our car boots look like emergency kits. Why our timelines have Plan B, C, and D. Couples don’t feel the chaos, because we’ve made it invisible. That’s the craft.
The Passion
Passion is what keeps you here. It’s what fuels 18-hour days and 2am editing marathons. It’s what makes you care about table linens or first dance cues like they’re the most important details in the universe (and for that one night, they are).
Without passion, weddings are just logistics. With it, they’re legacy.
The Anxiety
Even decades in, the nerves never leave. And honestly, they shouldn’t.
Because the stakes are high – not life-or-death high, but memory high. You carry the weight of someone’s forever. That kind of anxiety sharpens you. It keeps you alert, nimble, obsessive about detail. It’s uncomfortable, but it’s also the reason we never stop caring.
The Social Media Weight
Pinterest, Instagram, TikTok – they’ve changed everything. Couples arrive with mood boards that are sometimes inspired and sometimes impossible.
Social media connects us with our dream clients, but it also sets impossible standards. Every angle must be flawless. Every moment must look effortless. But behind every perfect reel? Years of sweat, sleepless nights, and a team running like a pit crew at the Indy 500.
The Sleepless Nights
There’s no sugar-coating it: this job will cost you sleep. Especially in peak season. Timelines, inboxes, travel, editing, last-minute problem-solving… it doesn’t fit neatly into a calendar.
We’ve had sunrise nights and 2-hour naps that somehow carried us through 18-hour days. It’s not sustainable forever – but it’s part of wedding season. Eventually, you learn how to make the industry work for you. Until then, stock up on coffee.
The Dream
Amid all this, the dream is what anchors you. The dream that love is worth celebrating. That families can gather. That fleeting seconds can be preserved forever.
It’s not about perfection – it’s about meaning. The vows, the laughter, the rain that became part of the story. That’s the dream. That’s why we stay.
The Industry Paradox
The wedding industry moves impossibly fast and unbearably slow at the same time. Trends shift daily, but structural change drags its feet.
You’ll be asked to be both timeless and trend-savvy. It’s exhausting. It’s exhilarating. And it keeps you on your toes.
Competitors
Competitors are always watching. Always copying. And yes, sometimes it can waste more of your focus and energy than it should. Because when you’ve poured your heart into creating something original and spent so much time opening doors, seeing your passion replicated badly or with less intention and knowledge the next week can sting. But here’s the thing – copiers will always be copiers. That’s their limit. They can only ever follow.
The truth is, disruption is where the real magic happens. Innovation. Vision. The courage to be different. That’s the space you need to live in. We’ve spoken about this often. Even on the world’s largest stage for wedding professionals – WPPI in Las Vegas. We’re often invited speakers at WPPI and we love being able to mentor new generations of wedding professionals. One of our platform talks there was called “No one is you. And that is your power.”
And that’s what you have to embrace. Your ‘you-ness’. And the right people will find you. Your people
Figuring out your own superpower – the thing that only you can bring to the table – is everything. It takes time, energy, and often a lot of trial and error. But it’s worth it. Because once you find it, it becomes your shield against the copiers, your differentiator in the market, and your foundation for building the business of your dreams.
A Shout Out to the Good Ones
Sometimes, yes, competitors aren’t copying. They’re cheering. Watching how you’ve done it. How you’ve stayed. And even rooting for you in ways you’ll never see.
Some of our competitors aren’t competitors at all. They’re our very best friends in this industry. THEY are your people. The ones you lift up, who lift you right back. The ones you can laugh with, decompress with, cry with. The only ones who truly understand the pressure and the privilege of what we do.
These are the friends who push you forward in non-competitive ways. The ones who remind you why you started. Who make you cry with gratitude because they are just that good.
These are the ones who succeed in this industry. And we’re cheering them on just as loudly. Always.
Why It Matters
If you’re new to this industry, know this: the side no one talks about is the side that makes you great. The pressure, the passion, the sleepless nights, the competition – these aren’t obstacles, they’re the fire.
And when couples look back, they won’t see the chaos. They’ll see what you protected for them: their story. Their day. Their love.
And honestly? That’s worth every sleepless night.
✨ To the young entrepreneurs out there – what’s the biggest thing you want to know before diving into this industry? And to our fellow veterans – what’s the one lesson you wish you’d learned earlier?
37 Frames
