In this episode of Now That I’m Engaged, How Do I Get Married?, Kevin Dennis and August Yocher sit down with Fantasy Sound's very own, Courtney Pyke, for a fun and honest conversation about how working in the wedding industry completely changes the way you’d plan your own wedding.

As a Gen Z team member, Courtney shares what she’s learned from being behind the scenes at countless weddings and how that perspective has shifted what she would prioritize, simplify, and skip altogether. From guest experience and shifting traditions to trusting your vendor team and tuning out social media noise, this episode dives into what really matters when the big day arrives.

They talk about why Gen Z couples are focusing more on interactive experiences and less on rigid traditions, why short and sweet speeches are becoming the norm, and how elements like live artists, arcade games, and dessert bars are replacing older wedding customs. Courtney also shares why trusting your vendors is key to actually enjoying your day and why not every detail needs to be perfect for a wedding to feel unforgettable.

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by Pinterest boards, TikTok trends, or the pressure to make every detail symbolic, this episode is a refreshing reminder to focus on your relationship, your priorities, and the experience you want your guests to have.

Courtney Pyke works at Fantasy Sound Event Services and has spent the past two years immersed in the wedding industry. From contracts and client communication to working events firsthand, she brings a Gen Z perspective shaped by real-world experience behind the scenes.

Highlights

• Why guest experience is a top priority for Gen Z couples

• The importance of trusting your vendor team on the wedding day

• How shifting traditions (like skipping the garter toss) reflect modern values

• Why interactive elements, like live artists to arcade games, are on the rise

• How to avoid getting overwhelmed by social media wedding trends

• Why short, meaningful speeches and personalization matter more than perfection

Connect with Courtney:

LinkedIn

Email

Connect with Kevin & August:

Website

Instagram

Youtube

TikTok

Pinterest

LinkedIn

Alright everybody, welcome back to another episode of Now That I'm Engaged, How Do I Get Married? And I know you're thinking, wow, that's exactly what Kevin says, and that wasn't Kevin. So I just stole his line. I stole his line for today. But we have, of course, our host Kevin Dennis, and we have a special guest today, Courtney, who works in our Fantasy Sound office, and she's joining us today.

I'm here.

Hello?

Hello everybody.

Courtney, why don't you tell

us a little bit about yourself and how we got you here today?

Well, I'm a bit of a nepo hire because I am dating Kevin's son. ⁓ We've been dating for about three years and then about two years ago, Kevin said, hey, we need some help in the office. And he knew that I hated my job. So I left that job, came here and now I work in the office. I respond to clients, I make contracts and then I work some events like the photo booth and to install on strikes and yeah.

Hahaha

Courtney wears many hats here. She knows how to do a lot of different things. Alright. So Courtney, ⁓ she's coming on today for a fun topic that we brainstormed together. So that being a Gen Z take on weddings. So how working in the wedding industry changes the way that you plan your own. So yes, Courtney is dating Nolan here at Fantasy Sound, but they're not.

That's right.

I like it.

engaged or married yet, but we're just kind of picking her brain based on what she knows in the industry and how she'd move forward. ⁓ anybody who works in the wedding industry listening to this, you know that it kind of gives you a very different perspective when you plan your own wedding when you've worked in the industry. So we're going to talk about like top priorities, decision making, the value of a strong vendor team, and just in general, how Gen Z is approaching wedding these days.

Definitely.

But yeah, we're just getting all of Courtney's takes on that.

I'm excited.

All right. And then as always, quick disclaimer, before we jump in, if we mentioned something you did at your wedding or you're planning to do, we're not saying it's incorrect. We don't yuck anyone's yums around here. This conversation is just Courtney sharing her Gen Z perspective on how she'd plan her own wedding someday based on what she's seen in the industry. So, Kevin, why don't you take it away with our first question?

You

All right, so before working weddings, what did you think weddings were like? You know, had you attended many?

I had gone to a couple like family weddings, so not any that I was really involved with the planning at all. ⁓ I never really stopped to think about everything that went into a wedding. Obviously I knew that they were a lot of work and took a lot of time, but I never thought it was as big as I know now. Definitely.

Yeah,

I was kind of the same way. I think I started working weddings when I was like 17 years old. And funnily enough, I'm sure I used to work at a venue, as you guys may know. And I remember walking into one and seeing one of Fantasy Sounds lovely chandeliers and just being awestruck. Like, ⁓ my God, this is amazing. But and I think that the further you start working in weddings, too, you like you kind of understand more like you're saying, Courtney, like the intricacies of everything and.

Yeah, exactly.

Mm-hmm.

You

just don't understand how many moving parts there are. It's really crazy.

Definitely, I never

thought of it really as like an industry before. I was only 19 when I started working here and ⁓ I knew Nolan ⁓ for a while before we started dating and he would always be like, I have to work. And I'm like, what is it that you guys do? Because it'd be like, I have to work during the day, then at night, and then all these weird hours. And I'm like, I need to be like, it's like DJ. And I'm like, but you don't DJ. Like I was I had no idea what was happening until I really came around.

You

He's afraid of the DJ.

Yeah, I think that you could do the music part. I think the MC part would be a little tougher.

think he could do it.

I get it. I think that's like... What is it? Number one? Number two? Biggest fear in adults is public speaking. I know it changes over the years.

Right. That would be the part that I struggle with.

I still get nervous.

Yeah. Yeah.

I still get nervous. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, it depends on the situation or if there's a lot of people I know in the crowd, it'll make me nervous. Yeah, especially like sometimes I'll introduce ⁓ like a speaker at a conference and I get nervous because there's a lot of people I know. So I don't know why. It just but it still happens to me too.

Really? Wow.

You seem so natural at it.

No, I wouldn't have thought that.

Yeah, that makes sense.

Yep.

I guess I feel the same way, like I, if it's a crowd of people I know, somehow I'm more nervous than like people I don't know because I just go in a hour and like, oh, I'm never gonna see these people again, who cares what I say. Yeah.

Exactly, you can kind of remove yourself from it. Totally.

Yeah.

Yeah, I'm by far.

Alright.

⁓ So Courtney, from your perspective, ⁓ what do you think gen Z couples seem to care about the most when planning a wedding? Like maybe stuff you've seen online or weddings you've attended working here or just attending them as a guest yourself?

Yeah, I think that especially with younger couples and stuff right now, like guest experience is one of the top priorities. I feel like people are putting a lot of time and effort and money into making sure the food is really good, making sure the music is really good, making sure there's things for the guests to be doing if they don't want to be dancing, you know, that's when you get like a photo booth or ⁓ the like artists that people can go and get their like portraits done.

Mm-hmm.

or you have games or whatever, but it's like much more focused on the party as a whole, not just on like the couple or the couple's families.

I love it.

Yeah. Well, and I feel

like with Gen Z too, like I think in general, like you kind of, like as the Gen Z generation, like I feel like they're leaning less towards tangible things and like experiences like you were saying, like, and then kind of getting into the hypothetical. Do you feel like with your own wedding, you'd probably have a lot of like interactive experiences for guests to do? Like, is there anything you've ever thought about?

I think so. I think so.

Like, I see a lot of changes in, like...

favors. They're not necessarily just like some random toshi that people take home, you know, they're maybe something they can actually use. Yeah, well, or like, you know, something they can actually use or like ⁓ something that they will really like take home like the portraits or photo strips or something else to remember the night by but it's more focused on the guests rather than like, here's like, I don't know, a mug. I don't know.

&Ms.

Yeah, the cost of ⁓ &Ms.

Yes.

Mm-hmm.

But just

something random that they'll probably never use. It's something a bit more practical. then, yeah, just kind of focused on the whole group. I've noticed just a big shift away from the more traditional ceremonial parts of the day. ⁓ And where people are just sitting and watching. Obviously, the ceremony itself is still there, but the ⁓ garter toss, I don't ever see that anymore. ⁓

Mm-hmm.

Yeah, if you don't.

I don't like, think I've worked here for two years. I think I've been to one wedding where they did a garter toss.

Yeah,

that sounds about right. I only had a couple last year. know, it just, the more traditional and some people are just... Yeah, like all kinds of different traditions. Are there any, like, that you're noticing they're skipping or reworking?

Yeah.

They're throwing different stuff too.

Yeah.

you

I mean,

yeah, definitely the garter toss. like, yeah, they'll throw something else. They'll involve people in a different way. But yeah, I've seen that very rarely. I know the shoe game was quite popular for a little bit. Don't really see that anymore. I feel like people, even for speeches, they're really limited the number of speeches they have and the length because they're sweet, but especially for guests that maybe don't like...

Mm-mm.

know everybody as much or something. They don't want to sit through that. ⁓ Or at least that's what I've noticed is people kind of tend to just make the speeches short and sweet and, you know, they're still emotional and so like, very heartwarming, but they're not like a long lasting thing. ⁓

Four, four is the magical number I always say when it comes to speeches.

Yeah. Yeah, four

and they're quick and you can tell when they go start going long, people start getting fidgety, people start needing to like go to the bathroom or need to refill their drinks or whatever. The kids, if you have kids, start getting crazy and it's just, that's not necessarily a priority anymore from what I see.

Mm-hmm.

I

Yeah.

like the thing, like Kevin has been saying a lot lately is ⁓ telling, like if there's a lot of speeches going on in your wedding, like, what's the word I'm looking for? Emily, gosh. Recommending people do the speeches during the rehearsal dinner, which I think is really cool too.

Yeah.

yeah, that's nice. Yeah, I know I just went to a wedding as a guest in October and they did yeah, very few speeches. Day of like they did, I think the maid of honor and the ⁓ best man did one. But that was it. I think the parents of the bride kind of a combined speech. But then everyone else did ones the night before at the rehearsal dinner. Because then the people who really

Yeah, you could, can.

Mm. Yeah, usually.

like know the couple and really know the families and stuff. They do get to hear it and you get to hear the heartwarming stories and the how much we love you, but the guests that are like co-workers and know stuff the kids don't have to sit through and wait, yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah. Well, and it just usually it's a representative from each side of the family usually speaks at the wedding. And then like you said, and then it's one of the attendants, like whether it's a maid of honor, best man, or whoever it could be, one of the bridesmaids groomsmen, that those are usually, that's why four is the magic number that gets you there. And you can even split them up and even do like the welcome speech, have the parents go at the welcome and then everyone else go after dinner.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

you know, do the other two, you know, so you break them up and there's not a lot of speeches that way. are you, I'm seeing couples do thank you, you know, like a thank you speech. you, you know, what do you think about that?

Definitely.

Yes.

I always love to hear that. mean, you always know that the couple's grateful, right? You know that they are grateful for the people that have come out of town. They're grateful for their vendors. They're grateful for their families. Like, you know that. But it is always just nice to hear ⁓ because they've put a lot of work into it as have their vendor team. you just it's nice to hear them out loud say thank you guys so much for being here and appreciating our

Mm-hmm.

love and sharing our love, celebrating our love, and I think that's very sweet.

It's always interesting to me to see how far people have traveled to come to the wedding because when they start saying yeah, yeah Just always both They're all the way from London all the way from you know being Shanghai or wherever I mean it just it's crazy to me how far people will travel for a wedding

I know. It's so cool. Yeah.

I love when they do that, yeah.

That's always so fun.

Mm-hmm.

It's very like it's just very sweet brings people together

I don't.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah. Okay, so, let's see. ⁓ what are some things that you're seeing couples stressing about that don't actually matter as much on the actual wedding day? And I do kind of have a tangent after this because I've been seeing like a lot of TikToks on this like specific question.

Okay, okay.

I feel like what I see a lot is people not really trusting their vendors. get, you know, they're trying to manage all their vendors day of and you kind of just at some point need to hands off and say these people know what they're doing. You know, if you're really particular about something, tell them before, make sure you're on the same page before. That's great. You should do that. But day of like that should not be.

top priority. You should be enjoying the day surrounded by your bridal party or your groomsmen. You should be getting ready, getting photos, just enjoying it for the day instead of trying to manage everything. Trust your vendor team. Trust your coordinator, your planner. That's something I see a lot is just like the couple freaking out trying to like between sessions of like hair and makeup come in and check on everything. So just like

Mm.

Yeah, that's what I see.

That kind of reminds me, because Kevin, in our last episode, we were talking with Dana Cadwell and she was telling us a story about one of her brides that she had that during all the planning meetings, she said, like, I don't ever want to be approached on the wedding day with easy type questions or easy type changes. She's like, I want to make a plan A through Z. So if something happens, like,

you already know what my preference is and or like we're at a point in our vendor-client relationship where I trust you enough to make decisions on my behalf so that way you actually can enjoy the day and you have a team that you fully trust in.

Yeah.

Yeah, I think that's really important.

Yeah, I think that's really important. think that you want like from a vendor standpoint, that's the kind of relationship you want with the client, ⁓ especially if they're a planner or coordinator. And that's why having a planner or coordinator is very important because you have been working with them for however long, and they do know what you want. They do know what your final vision is for the day. And they've been kind of a point of contact already. ⁓

And so they can make those calls for you because, you don't want to be having to make decisions day of. You don't want to have someone calling you or texting you being like, what about this? What about this? What about this? You just want to be able to enjoy it.

All right. So Courtney, was there something you didn't? wait. No, you wanted to go on your tangent or did you? OK.

Yeah.

Yeah, no, just real quick. just, I've

Yeah,

I hear what say.

been seeing on TikTok, like it's just a trend I feel like couples keep doing is like, they will show a clip of, you know, the couple, you know, it's the end of the night. They're just getting wild on the dance floor. And the caption is like, this is the moment when I didn't care what color the linens were. And everyone keeps using that. Have you seen those? Like I keep seeing couples post that. And I think it's so funny because it's so true. Cause like at the end of the night, you're like, I just had the best day.

Gah!

Yes. Yes.

I'm dancing, I'm drinking, I'm having a good time. Like, who cares what color the lids are, you know? At that point, yeah. And I feel like it's a good mind shift, so.

Yeah.

or if the

chicken was dry or any, yeah.

Yeah, I think that-

I agree. think that when you're in the depth of planning, you're in the trenches of planning your wedding, it's like every detail needs to matter. Every detail needs to be symbolic of us and our relationship. And I get that because you want it to feel special and you want it to feel like you. But in the end, your guests aren't going to remember what your place settings look like or how they were seated, maybe a little out of order or whatever.

Mm-hmm.

if you're kind of stumbled over your words and your vows, they're gonna remember how they felt at the wedding and how you made them feel like they were a part of your relationship, part of your love story.

Mm-hmm.

All right, so question, so what's something you didn't understand about weddings until you worked them?

Definitely, like I said earlier, that there's like a whole industry behind it, that there's so many people and so many moving parts that go into each and every event. ⁓ And something like I've really learned since being here for so long is that like every event is special to vendors for some random reason. You you'll talk to somebody and they'll be like, ⁓ this couple I had.

No

Mm.

Here are their names. They got married like five years ago, but like I still talk to them and it's like it's so special that You know, you're only working with them for this one day but you know, you really do get to know them through the process and you get to know like we did like for example, we did one a couple months ago where they have like kind of an Alice in Wonderland theme and they had those beautiful lanterns and stuff and like

Mm-hmm.

That couple, just, was, they were so nice and so cool and we had similar interests and like how it turned out was gorgeous. And it was like, those just random things will stick with your vendor team. and how each vendor will have something that they connect with you over whether big or small. And it's really special to kind of form that kind of relationship with a couple to make their special days, you know, even more special.

Mm-hmm.

That's why I love doing our open houses and stuff because you get to see them face to face and you get to get to know them. You get to joke around with them and you get to really understand what they're looking for and why they're looking for what they're looking for, what their interests are, what their style is and kind of their relationship dynamic.

Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

I do feel like it's a bond, you know? Like, I have two couples that I've seen out in the wild, like, after their wedding day, and both times it was, you know, and it was just such a... It was so funny. Like, one time I was at... There's a music festival in San Francisco, and I'm just waiting in line for the bathroom, and I hear someone screaming my name, and it's one of my old brides, and she's running at me.

In the wild.

and both the bride and groom were there and it was, my gosh, so great to see them. you know, and them, I've had such a great connection with, like, I remembered their names, I remembered their day, they were so awesome. Like, we went through a lot that day, like during the introductions, the groom, someone like ran into him and his contact popped out of his eye. And I actually found the contact on the floor. But anyway, and then the other one, ⁓

You

They had a corgi and I have a corgi. it was a couple of years ago, I went to the corgi con in Pleasanton and they were there and our corgis got to me and it was so cute because like that was something we bonded over during the planning process. But like you're saying Courtney, like you really do have a special bond with them. And I hope all couples know that, like, yeah, we care.

Yeah, I

would have thought before like, ⁓ for especially one, like not one that you, like a coordinator where you're working with them for months at a time, but you know, just a vendor, you're like, okay, well, they do so many events, right? They have like six events this weekend, like why would they remember me? But then you working in it, you realize, yeah, that people stand out for so many different reasons and you'll remember them and you'll remember their faces and their names and what, know, something special about their event day that

Mm-hmm.

really stood out to you. And then yeah, you kind of, you know, you might run into them or they might cut, you know, get in contact later, or you'll come across them on social media and be like, they bought a house or they're traveling, they got a dog or they're having a baby or whatever. And it's like, it's just, you get these kind of just random connections with people and you get to see their, their lives kind of play out from afar. ⁓ And see just how special yeah, like this day was kind of the start of all that, right. And

It's special.

It is.

I agree.

I agree. Alright, so knowing what you know now, ⁓ what would be some of your top priorities if you were planning your own wedding?

Definitely a planner. ⁓ Someone who, like you said, really understands what our vision is for the day ⁓ to help kind of relieve that stress. Especially if you're both working and everything leading up to the wedding. It's just like, it's a full-time job planning a wedding, which is why it's a coordinator's job to do it. ⁓ Also, I think photo and video is always very important.

Mm-hmm.

to all people, including me, you know, want those memories to have physical, you know.

Emily stuttered over my words. Yes. ⁓ Do I need to like go back to the beginning of my sentence or just keep going? Okay. Definitely photo and video is really important to a lot of couples to have those kind of physical memories to look back on and to have to show. ⁓ That's always quite important. And then I think, yeah, the a lot of

Yeah.

I know what you're trying to say. I know what you're trying to say.

If you want, yeah.

effort and time will be put into making it personal to me and my fiance and to the guest experience.

it. All right, so are there any Pinterest or Instagram TikTok trends you love but would actually avoid in real life?

That's a good one.

This was tough. I had a hard time thinking of ones. ⁓ I think...

There's a big difference in planning if you are planning to have kids at your wedding versus not. And the biggest thing I think of is I have a lot of kids in my family. No one has a lot of kids in his family and I would want to include them is ⁓ don't have anything fragile. And like that's the biggest thing is like people will have these beautiful like, like ⁓ seating charts.

Hmm.

Yeah.

that are, you know, maybe food or like glasses of champagne or whatever. But all I can think about when I see those is kids running up and running into it. Or we have the cake suspension that we have in our, we show them at our showcase and we install them every once in a while. And whenever somebody asks about them, I'm like, but are you going to have kids at the wedding? Because a child will see that and say, oh, it's a swing or whatever.

Yeah.

You

That's such a good

point, yeah.

Yeah, that's what I always

think of. It's just, and I know a lot of people don't have kids at their wedding, and I totally get that for that reason, but it's just something to consider. For sure.

Yeah, no, it's I... Well, this is kind of on the same realm. It wasn't even a kid, it was a groomsman, but it was introductions one time. ⁓ They got a little too crazy with the dancing and one of the groomsmen was like this close to knocking over the cake, but he was safe. It was fine. But everyone audibly gasped for a moment, so... Yeah.

That's so scary.

Yeah, no, that's scary. We had one

where we had market lights that hung from the ceiling and went down to the floor behind the CR table and about halfway through the event, like, toddler got bored and went over and was just stomping on the bulbs because they like, they pop, right? They make a noise and they whatever. And we're like, okay, so maybe that's just something to consider in the future is, yeah, the children.

⁓ good, yeah. Yeah.

Yes.

The Children.

the children.

So, ⁓ other than like vendor type items, like I know you mentioned, know, planner, photo, video, but is there anything else that you would spend money on for your wedding without hesitation?

I think I really like the live artist trend. I think they are just gorgeous, know, whether they're the ones that have a canvas and they're painting like a scene from the ceremony of the reception or they're one of the ones that, you know, paint the guests as they come in to give them a favor. I think those are just so amazing. They're, the artists are so talented. They're so cool. They're very personal. And then I think, you know, one way there's

Mmm.

a vendor we work with, KVT Fine Art, who is just phenomenal. Her work is incredible. And she stands there through the reception, she paints and everyone goes over and looks and is so impressed. And then end you have this beautiful painting that can, you know, go in your house or whatever. I think that's something that I would definitely consider spending, you know, investing in because it's so unique and so cool.

Her videos are so cute too. I like her stuff, yeah.

Yes, they're so cute.

All right, Courtney, what's something you would keep simple or skip entirely?

I've probably skipped the garter toss for the same reason that a lot of people skip the garter toss is I don't need my religious grandparents seeing that. And I think also I'm seeing kind of a shift away from like a big cake. You know, think we've been seeing that for a little while. I personally have a lot of food allergies and I don't think anybody else would enjoy a gluten-free cake the way that I have to have it. So...

Hehehehehe

Valid, valid,

yep.

I think that would something I would keep quite simple is maybe a small cake for the cake cutting and then dessert table buffet kind of thing for the guests or ice. That is so my style. Yeah. So that is something I would keep simple. Yeah. And then they can go and get as much dessert as they want.

Ice cream sundaes.

Yes!

And the kids would live with two.

Yeah. So when you are at the events physically, so whether you're working the photo booth or installing lighting, when you're at the events, are there any guest experiences or elements that have kind of stood out to you that have gotten people talking a lot?

⁓ I think like the light we've talked about the life painters and the artists and stuff. That's always a big talking point I hear. ⁓ Been just seeing like ⁓ people who have like flower bars where people can go and get flowers or so cute or ⁓ arcade games. We've been seeing a lot of people book our arcade games. And that's just something that

Mm-hmm.

Those are cute, yeah.

can keep people entertained and is something personal that you don't see very often. That's something that it's normally the groom who as they're leaving the showcase, they say, how much could we get for the, how much are these? Can we get those there? And that's personal, right? You can tell like, that groom and like they like Pac-Man or whatever. And then the guests will all go to the wedding and play Pac-Man and be like, I know groom wanted this here. And so that's kind of thing. Just like it doesn't need to

Mm-hmm.

How much are these?

Yeah

be an ultra formal event. And I think having, you know, if you are like funky and you want like a magician, like, and if that's something that you like, and your guests would like, go for it. Because it's personal and it your guests will even go, that was such a blank person wedding. Yeah. You know, or if there you have like

Yeah.

unique experience. Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Fill in the blank here, yeah.

Exactly.

Such a cool, unique, personalized wedding. know, if you have, if you want live music over a DJ, if you like, I've been seeing one of my favorite ones that I've been to in the past couple months was a couple and they were both musicians. And so everything kind of revolved around music for the night, like the other decor and stuff. And the the groom's family was all music musicians and they played some music for a little while for the reception, like, and it was just

Yeah.

fun and personal and they sounded great. ⁓ So just including those things that are personal to you, your guests will feel it.

Is it my turn?

Yeah, but that's okay, Emily. No, I did the what guest experience. No, it's okay. Me and Kevin have this struggle for our whole lives, but it's okay. It's fun.

I thought it was your turn.

⁓ okay.

Okay.

We'll get there eventually. All right,

Courtney, if you were a guest at your own wedding, what would you want the feel to be like?

I want the guests to be comfortable and feel really, I mean, really just feel like it's my wedding. You know, really feel like it's personal to me and my fiance, you know, to leave going, that was Courtney's wedding. And that was, you know, they didn't feel, I'm a very casual person. I'm not a fancy person. I don't want my guests there going like, isn't like her, you know? I want them to.

Hehehe

enjoy it for what it is. I want it to be a party. That's my preference though. I want it to be big and a party and that I understand the appeal of a small casual thing, but I want my guests to feel comfortable and like they belong there.

than your fiance's Mr. Fancy Pants.

But not really. I mean,

That's why you need a blend. You need a blend of both of you, you know? So,

come on. Yes. it would definitely lead. Yeah.

bit.

yeah. Like this Scott Courtney and Nolan written all over it, so, yeah.

Yeah,

that's what I want.

So, ⁓ what advice would you give couples who feel overwhelmed by all the wedding content online? And this has been a big conversation we've been having on the podcast lately.

I'm sure, I'm

sure. I think the first thing you need to do is really just prioritize. What are you going to be spending your money on? Do you have any vendors or venues that you really like separate from social media, separate from what other people are saying, just like you and your partner? What do you guys want? Like what are your top priorities? I find a lot of times like people come into us and they don't have

Mm-hmm.

the same budget ideas and they don't have the same style ideas and they end up getting a quote from us that is like eight different things, eight different options and then I'm like they're gonna go home and they're gonna, they're not any better off than they were because they're just being faced with so many decisions. So I think turn the phone off at some point and really take a look at your relationship, your budget, your preferences.

Yup.

And know that it's going to be special no matter what because it's you guys and your friends and family, your guests are going to like being there to celebrate you. Not everything has to be totally perfect because most weddings aren't the weddings you're seeing on Instagram, TikTok and whatever. They're very curated, right? Those are the photos that show the best of the best of the day. And it's important to

turn the phone off. I I think that's for a lot of different scenarios. It's good to turn the phone off, leave it behind, maybe like go outside and like talk about this in a very just like, from your point of view, what do you want? What are your priorities? And then just know that yeah, your guests are there to celebrate you and your relationship and your love. They're not going to, again, care about the place settings or, you know, the

Mm-hmm.

You

Yeah.

a color the bridesmaid is dressed. Like you're gonna care and that's fine if that's something you care about, but your guests won't. ⁓ And then to trust your vendors. I feel like that's a big thing is if you have vendors that you like, go for it and then just trust them to do their job. Especially if weddings are what they do all the time. They know what they're doing and trust them.

Yeah.

All right, we're going to wrap up with some rapid fire questions. Are you ready for this? I've added a couple more too, so more to the list. Yes. All right, you ready? Big wedding or intimate wedding? All right, you got it. Formal or relaxed?

Okay, yes I am.

Did you? This is coming from Courtney, a Gen Z-er. Yes.

great.

Okay.

Ready? Yes.

I don't think I can get away with intimate.

relaxed for sure. That's just my style.

Just your style. All right. DJ or band?

I prefer DJing.

Okay. Flowers, real or fake?

real.

real or better. All right, timeline packed or go with the flow.

I wish I could say go with the flow, but I think it's gonna have to be fact.

What's the one food item you would want to have at your wedding?

Ooh.

God.

I think I really liked the ice cream sundae I did.

guard there.

I

It's a good one.

Yeah, no, that's really smart. I've been to a couple where they have them and it's always a hit.

Yeah, they really are. All right. Pinterest board or gut feeling?

gut feeling.

All right. Classic or traditional?

So it's a non-traditional.

I think you mean

non-traditional.

⁓ I bet.

Emily, classic or non-traditional?

non-traditional.

Sorry, was getting excited. All right, weekend wedding or weekday vibe?

That's okay.

I think weekend.

Wedding inside or wedding outside?

Pretty classy there.

Ooh, outside.

Hmm.

Definitely plan arm. Definitely plan arm. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah?

All right, Courtney, those are all the rapid fire questions I had. do have any you want to add August?

Eww. I don't know. Now I feel on the spot. I don't think so. I also feel a lot of the things Courtney picked I would pick as well, so yeah.

Okay, didn't mean to put you on the spot.

Hang on.

Perfect. All right, Courtney, we can't thank you enough for being here. If you want to reach out to Courtney, she could get her at Fantasy Sound, all the details there. You can give her some advice or tell her she's crazy or all the above. know. Yes.

Mm-hmm.

I'll take all the feedback. But

Be nice to Courtney!

yes, please be nice.

Alright folks, so thank you guys for listening to another episode and now that I'm engaged, how do I get married? We'll see you next time. Bye!

Bye.