Networking is about more than collecting business cards and making small talk. In this episode of Mind Your Wedding Business, Kevin sits down with Jade Ladson of Jade Ladson Weddings to discuss the lost art of networking and how building genuine industry relationships can lead to long-term business opportunities.

Jade shares how networking helped her grow her luxury wedding planning business, why meaningful connections matter more than simply meeting as many people as possible, and how wedding pros can approach networking with more intention. She also offers advice on following up after events, becoming a valuable connector in the industry, maintaining vendor relationships, and building a reputation that keeps referrals coming.

Jade Ladson is the Founder and Creative Director of J. Ladson Weddings, an Atlanta-based luxury wedding and event planning company. With over 22 years of experience, she is known for creating elegant, thoughtfully designed celebrations and building meaningful industry relationships. Jade is also the founder of A Match Made in Wedding, an experiential bridal event, and the author of Whispers of a Wedding Planner. As a mentor and advocate for collaboration, she is passionate about educating and supporting fellow wedding professionals.

Highlights:

• Why networking is still essential for growing a successful wedding business
• Common networking mistakes wedding pros make and how to avoid them
• How to build genuine industry relationships instead of simply collecting contacts
• The importance of following up and staying connected after networking events
• How being a connector and helping others can lead to long-term referrals
• Ways to maintain vendor relationships and build a reputation that keeps people recommending you

Connect with Jade:

Website

Instagram

Facebook

LinkedIn

Whispers of a Wedding Planner Book

Connect with Kevin:

Wedding IQ

Fantasy Sound

Instagram

YouTube

TikTok

LinkedIn

Kevin Dennis (00:39)

All right, folks, welcome to another episode of Mind Your Wedding Business. I'm here with Jade Ladson.

she's with Jade Ladson Weddings. And today we're going to be talking about the lost art of networking, building genuine industry relationships that lead to luxury opportunities. I'm really excited to get into that because I think that is one of the things that a lot of us wedding professionals are horrible at is networking and talking about

ourselves and doing a great job with that. So I'm I'm glad we're gonna jump into that today. So but before we do, Jade, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how we got you here today?

Jade Ladson (01:12)

Absolutely. Thank you so much, Kevin, for an amazing introduction. Again, my name is

Kevin Dennis (01:16)

Mm-hmm.

Jade Ladson (01:18)

Jade Ladson. I am the wedding whisperer. I have owned and operated Jade Ladson Weddings for the last 22 years. So we coordinate and plan luxury weddings, luxury events, just anything a person might be wanting to celebrate. And most recently I've written a book called Whispers of a Wedding Planner. So trying to stay busy

Kevin Dennis (01:39)

That's exciting.

Jade Ladson (01:40)

over here.

Kevin Dennis (01:41)

I'm like I don't know, I was like how do you have time to write a book?

Jade Ladson (01:46)

It was just so, so many things. And I started just kind of jotting them down or hopping on Instagram real quick saying, guess what happened today? And after a few years, I had a notepad. So I put it all together and published it.

Kevin Dennis (02:00)

I love it. Well, and it's we live in that world of reality TV where everyone wants to know how the sausage is made anyway. So I think it's probably a very well

Jade Ladson (02:07)

Just

Kevin Dennis (02:09)

well done thing that you did there. So all right.

Jade Ladson (02:11)

Absolutely.

Kevin Dennis (02:12)

So Jade, give us a quick version of how you built Jade Ladson weddings into one of Atlanta's premier luxury planning firms.

Jade Ladson (02:20)

It started with just building genuine relationships. When I first started the company, I knew how to plan weddings, I knew how to plan events. I was a HR and safety manager. So I knew business. I just didn't

Kevin Dennis (02:33)

wow.

Jade Ladson (02:33)

know how to mesh the two together. And I joined this network marketing group, and they literally taught me everything I know about networking.

And I just I treated my networking like it was a full time job, eight

Kevin Dennis (02:50)

Mm.

Jade Ladson (02:50)

hours a day, meeting people, going to lunches, doing the hard things to build business relationships. And I've I've kept it with me all these years.

Kevin Dennis (03:01)

it's funny you say that's a full time job because it really is. it's hard

Jade Ladson (03:03)

Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (03:04)

to do your job that we do in the wedding industry, whatever your art is, you know, photographer, DJ, planner, you know, caterer, whatever, florist, whatever it is, but it's hard to do that and still be out there to network. it really is a full time job. So

Jade Ladson (03:18)

It it definitely

is, and you just you have to make it work.

Kevin Dennis (03:22)

Yeah,

I really agree. So, Jade, you've built a business that's fueled by strong industry relationships. Why do you think networking has become a lost art in the wedding industry?

Jade Ladson (03:34)

I think social media plays a huge tool in it. Everyone

Kevin Dennis (03:37)

Mm.

Jade Ladson (03:38)

wants things instantly. A lot of people are starting to base everything on how many followers a person has. And then they see something that looks beautiful on social media, they want it and they're not taking

time to see, okay, what's it gonna take me to get this? Yes, you did it for one person, but are you going to be able to do it for me? And then on top of that, you have so many business coaches out here flat out saying networking is dead. So

Kevin Dennis (04:08)

Well, and it's funny they say that because I really think and maybe it's dead in other industries, but our industry is such built on relationships. So I

Jade Ladson (04:15)

Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (04:16)

I think it's really hard, because with it's a bad analogy with everything going on in the world today. But I'm sometimes I I think like a wedding is like going to war and you want to make sure you have the right, you know, troops and everyone with you to go out there to get through this wedding. I need to come up with a new analogy as I say that. But

But anyway, it just but you want the people you trust and the people that you know will have your back and that'll help you out. And that's where it comes from having these relationships with these people. So it just yeah.

Jade Ladson (04:45)

It does. And aside

from just knowing that they're going to have your back, they're going to execute your vision, planning a wedding takes a year to 18 months. So aside from all of that, you want people that you get along with, people you genuinely like. And

Kevin Dennis (05:02)

Mm-hmm.

Jade Ladson (05:02)

I tell my clients, as a wedding planner, I know tons of photographers, tons of stationers, but it's my job to build relationships with these people. So when I get a bride that's a little bit quirky or one that's type.

A, I know exactly the person to pair her with. They're going to get along, they're going to click, and it's all because I've built those relationships.

Kevin Dennis (05:24)

Yeah, and it's it's good you say that too because I think that's true because not every like I'm not for every, you know, couple out there. You're not for every couple out there. You know

Jade Ladson (05:33)

Okay.

Kevin Dennis (05:34)

what I'm saying? So it's like you you as a planner, that's a good skill that you have is to be able to match people up because that and that comes from probably networking and having these relationships.

Jade Ladson (05:45)

It does. And you have to spend time with these people that you're networking with. You can't just show up, collect a business card, and say, okay, this is my person. I genuinely I go out to eat with them. Sometimes I even shadow them on events because I need to know their personality. I want

Kevin Dennis (06:01)

Uh-huh.

Jade Ladson (06:02)

to see how they just on a day to day basis treat their clients because I know my couples that they are a handful. they require a lot. So if that's not something you're

accustomed to providing for your couples, you're not going to be able to provide it for mine. And that's okay, but it just lets me know who to partner you with.

Kevin Dennis (06:22)

Yeah.

It's funny you say that you go out and shadow them. there's nothing I love doing more than going out and shadowing a a planner and or even helping them. And especially

Jade Ladson (06:31)

Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (06:32)

ones that are outside my market. Because it's such an education that you get out of that and you get so many great ideas, again, especially outside our market, because you know, weddings are so different everywhere in our country. It it just we're not the same. Everything doesn't

flow the same, everything's a little different, everything's a little quirky. And so it's just

Jade Ladson (06:50)

Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (06:51)

it's really good to go out and do those kind of things. So good for you. So all right.

Jade Ladson (06:55)

Thank you.

Kevin Dennis (06:56)

So when you hear the word networking, what do you think most wedding pros get wrong when it comes to that?

Jade Ladson (07:03)

I think a lot of them either A think, this is a party, free food, free drink, let me go have the time of my life, or they think it's a mad race to see who can collect the most business cards, both of which are completely wrong. Mm-hmm. Absolutely.

Kevin Dennis (07:18)

I was gonna say they're both wrong, so

Yeah. But when they're networking so since they're both wrong, what's the right way to go about that?

Jade Ladson (07:30)

The right way to go to a networking is one, research the group that you're networking with. Who's hosting this? What type of events do they typically host? What type of people go to these events? Because again, everyone is not going to mesh. So if you are a very whimsical planner or photographer and you're going to this very strict

networking that's formatted, it's just boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. You're not going to enjoy it. So take

Kevin Dennis (08:02)

Mm-hmm.

Jade Ladson (08:03)

the time to research where you're going, see who's going to be there. Make sure your people are going to be there.

Kevin Dennis (08:08)

That's right, yeah.

Jade Ladson (08:10)

Exactly because it if not, you're not going to enjoy it. You're going to hate it. And then you'll be one of those people saying networking sucks.

Kevin Dennis (08:17)

Yeah, yeah.

Jade Ladson (08:18)

And then aside from that, this is what really gets me when it's like just business card, business card, business card, or in this digital age.

I've gone to networkings and I'm like, well, do you have a card? And it's just tap this and they want to move on. But for me, I'm meeting all these people. If I just tap your little card and it goes into my phone, I don't even know how to search you because I don't remember your name. I I don't know what we talked about. So I'm old school. Give me a card, let me look at the card, remember your name, see what we talked about. And then that way.

tomorrow when I want to follow up or if I find someone that needs what you're offering, I can say, you know what? I met a guy. His name was Kevin. I I don't remember the company name. Yeah, let me just go

Kevin Dennis (09:04)

Yeah. I got the I got his card. Yeah. Yeah.

Jade Ladson (09:07)

through it. But if you've just dropped something in my phone, I'm like, his name was Kevin. Which Kevin? I there's

10 in the phone. So

Kevin Dennis (09:14)

Yeah. Yeah.

Jade Ladson (09:16)

it just it's very personal. It's important and it's it's not something you rush through.

Kevin Dennis (09:22)

Well, and it's funny because I think the people and I'm with you. I'm a hundred percent old school. we've gone paperless here in my office, so we were very anti but I still believe in the business card and I think there's a lot in there to hand someone. And even even like after I leave, a networking event or our little chamber mixers, we still go to those here locally. but you walk away and you have someone's piece of and

I can recall that conversation I have and why it was important,

I'm gonna follow up with this guy, or hey, I could really use usually the chamber, it's everyone trying to get us to do free events. But but there's also someone in there, like I I've met a a gentleman that does janitorial service. I'm not happy with the people that clean our office. I'm like, hey, I'd love to get, you know, the there's people that still

Jade Ladson (10:03)

Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (10:04)

do it. And it's but if they tap my phone, like you said, it's in there, you can search it. But if their name is like something

You know, like Jim, like just a very common name. It's gonna flow into all the other ones and you're like, which one is it? Who's this? Yeah, it's hard to remember. And I'm not gonna go in there and search on my phone, even though I've very anti paper,

I still believe in the business card. I still think it's important. So yeah.

Jade Ladson (10:24)

Yeah, gotta have my business card. And at this

age, I'm like, I will forget. So I can jot it down on the business card. And if if you've really made an impression on me, I'll pull out my phone, take a picture of it, text it to my assistant, like, hey, I need to follow up with this person about pictures, about stationery, because

Kevin Dennis (10:43)

Mm-hmm.

Jade Ladson (10:44)

again, you meet a lot of people, but you have to have some way to remember who you met and how to reconnect with that person after the event.

Kevin Dennis (10:54)

Yeah. Well, okay, so let's let's talk about that. the reconnecting after the event, you know, because that's you know, you meet someone, it's important that you follow up with them after. So what what's

Jade Ladson (11:07)

Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (11:07)

the best way to go about?

Jade Ladson (11:10)

For me, I'm going to give it a day or two. If if it's something that just really struck with me, stuck with me, I will reach out to them that night when I get home. But it's a simple email. And I have been using this one line since 2004. And it's like, hey, I enjoyed meeting you tonight. I enjoyed chatting with you. While it was noisy and it wasn't the best place for conversation, I would love to pick up where we left off. May I take you to coffee?

Kevin Dennis (11:40)

Mm. Fair. Yeah. I look.

Jade Ladson (11:41)

And that's it. Quick, simple. Because a lot of

times it you can't get into an in-depth conversation. Either you're being pulled away, it's too noisy, or just a lot of things are going on, but that's genuinely. Exactly. Exactly.

Kevin Dennis (11:54)

Well, and you sh you probably shouldn't get in an in depth conversation. Yeah. Cause you d you're there to meet

people. It's not about yeah. But that I think that's

Jade Ladson (12:02)

Exactly.

Kevin Dennis (12:02)

yeah, and that's a great suggestion. I always think too to meet them where they want to be met. That's another

Jade Ladson (12:07)

Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (12:08)

so sometimes I'll even ask them like, Hey, what's the best way to follow up with you? You know, and some people will be you know, everyone's different. From DMs

Jade Ladson (12:15)

Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (12:15)

to phone calls to email, everyone everyone is different. So that's all good advice. So

Jade Ladson (12:18)

Exactly. Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (12:21)

All right, Jade. What's the difference between networking to get something and and building genuine professional relationships?

Jade Ladson (12:30)

get that all the time. So many people they just even outside of a formal networking meeting, they hop in my inbox. Hey Jade, I'm XYZ.

Kevin Dennis (12:40)

No

Jade Ladson (12:41)

I do this. Can you put me on your vendors list? And I'm like, who sent you? Who?

Kevin Dennis (12:44)

Of Yeah.

Jade Ladson (12:48)

So and even at networking's people, they just they go again, it's like, let me collect these cards, let me let everyone know what I do so that they can

help me and I just I learned a long time ago you have to give to get so

Kevin Dennis (13:05)

Mm-hmm.

Jade Ladson (13:05)

when I attend a networking I'm I very rarely talk about what I do I want to meet people I want to know what they do and then my wheels start turning like okay how can I help this person? She said she's a photographer she's just getting started who can I pair her with that could help expand her portfolio

What event could I invite her to where she may meet someone that could be a mentor

Kevin Dennis (13:31)

Mm-hmm.

Jade Ladson (13:32)

for her? Every time I meet someone, it's it's never about can you help me out? It's always what can I do for this person? How can I help them grow? How can I help them get what they are looking for? And when you continuously do that for people.

without expecting something in return. Something clicks for them and it's like, wow, Jade got me tickets to this event or Jade introduced me to this person.

Kevin Dennis (13:57)

Mm-hmm.

Jade Ladson (13:58)

It's been so beneficial. I need to do something for Jade. And it just comes right back around.

Kevin Dennis (14:04)

Yeah, there's a lot of power, and I think this is where people don't realize that when they're networking, is being a connector. And that's exactly what you were doing there. And it's funny because in our local NACE chapter, we had our NACE chapter was a COVID casualty, so we don't have it anymore. But before it died, there was one person in our chapter, and she was literally she was always by the front door because she was part of the chapter, but she like

my God, you're brand new. Let me introduce you to XYZ. And they'll she would physically take them up there. This is a brand new person, never been to one of our meetings. You need to and like she would connect people

Jade Ladson (14:41)

Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (14:42)

constantly, but everyone knew who she was. And everyone would you know what I'm saying? And she wasn't having to work the room because because she was out there doing such a good job of connecting people, and she got a lot of credit for it. So I think that's I think people forget that. You know, like if you

Jade Ladson (14:55)

Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (14:56)

cause not you're gonna meet someone in a networking event event and not

you may not be able they might not be a fit for you, but they

may be a fit for one of your friends that you know. So

Jade Ladson (15:03)

Right. Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (15:06)

yeah, so being a connector, a lot of power in that. Yeah.

Jade Ladson (15:08)

Yeah, and I I

enjoy it and I it makes me chuckle because a few months back I met a young lady and I started introducing her to this person, that person, and she sat me down and she said, Jade, I don't know how to receive this. Like, why are you being so nice? Why are you helping me?

Kevin Dennis (15:25)

Mm-hmm.

Jade Ladson (15:25)

Why not? You you said you needed it. I know the people. Let me

Kevin Dennis (15:29)

Yeah.

Jade Ladson (15:29)

put you there.

Kevin Dennis (15:30)

Yeah, exactly. Yeah, 'cause even if they're my competitor, I would rather them help someone get their needs taken care of or whatever it may be.

Jade Ladson (15:38)

Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (15:39)

Because we can't be like we said earlier. Yeah, we can't. Can't do it. Especially in

Jade Ladson (15:40)

Everywhere. Yeah. Mm-mm.

Kevin Dennis (15:44)

a big market like Atlanta. You can't be everywhere. That that's a big city. That's a big city. So

Jade Ladson (15:46)

Exactly. And exactly.

And sometimes I don't want to be everywhere. So I

Kevin Dennis (15:52)

Yeah.

Jade Ladson (15:52)

would love to talk to someone and be like, okay, she is not the bride for me. I know who is and and

Kevin Dennis (15:56)

Yeah. Yep.

Jade Ladson (15:58)

pass her off. And I think that's also a good skill of knowing when to pass someone off, knowing when to

Kevin Dennis (16:05)

Yeah.

Jade Ladson (16:06)

make that connection, even if it is your competitor.

Kevin Dennis (16:45)

Yeah, I agree. So all right. So Jade, looking back over your career, how has industry relationships shaped your business more than marketing alone?

Jade Ladson (16:56)

It's basically the core of my business and just over the years, so I can do things that other planners may not be able to do. If I have a client and let's say she we're doing a mock up for her and there's a specific linen she wants to look at, normally it would have to be rented. There would need to be a security deposit placed before she can take it out of the building to look at it. I can just hop on the phone and say, hey girl.

Kevin Dennis (17:25)

Mm-hmm.

Jade Ladson (17:25)

I need to borrow your XYZ linen. I'm gonna come pick it up. I'll bring it back. When I bring it back, you know, I'll bring you some cookies. And

Kevin Dennis (17:31)

Yeah.

Jade Ladson (17:32)

it it's no business. So it's a easy relationship for the linen vendor. I've impressed my client because she's like, my God, I thought I would have had to rent this. Nope, I got you. Let's do it.

And now because she's got this linen, she's more inclined to go with my linen vendor person

Kevin Dennis (17:49)

Yeah.

Jade Ladson (17:49)

because they let her do this. So

Kevin Dennis (17:52)

Mm-hmm.

Jade Ladson (17:52)

that's the way my business is built. I I work very hard to establish the relationships. Once they're established, it's it's not just let it go. There's constant fostering, whether I'm stopping by, I'm making deliveries. But I want these vendors to know that they're important to me, they're important to my business. So

I just work really hard to make them know that I appreciate them.

Kevin Dennis (18:16)

Yeah, and it's smart that you said it's constant fostering. It's not

Jade Ladson (18:20)

Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (18:20)

over. Cause I think a lot of people, even if you think about like the preferred vendor list, you know, some of these people work really hard to get on a preferred vendor list, but once you're on that list, you can always be removed right away right away. You know, so you're only I always say you're only good as your last wedding. So, you know, so just I think that's something you gotta remember about with networking too. You're only as good as your last networking event. So you get

out there, yeah, and and make good impressions.

Jade Ladson (18:43)

Exactly. Yeah. And sometimes

there isn't a wedding. Like if you're on this preferred vendors list, maybe it's not a good look for your current clients. That doesn't mean just let

Kevin Dennis (18:53)

Mm-hmm.

Jade Ladson (18:54)

them go. I will just pop in and say, hey, I don't have any clients right now. But if you're interested, I would love to host the open house for the clients that you have. It's no

Kevin Dennis (19:03)

Mm-hmm.

Jade Ladson (19:03)

charge. Let me set it up, plan it, decorate it. Anything just to let them know they're appreciated.

Kevin Dennis (19:10)

Yeah, I agree. Good good work. All right. So what qualities make another wedding professional someone you genuinely want to work with again?

Jade Ladson (19:22)

you have to be a man or woman of your word. If you say you're going to do it, do it. No ifs and buts about it. You have to be on time. I hate people that are late

Kevin Dennis (19:32)

Mm.

Jade Ladson (19:33)

because I'm not gonna be late. And in Atlanta, there's always traffic. So that's that's never an

Kevin Dennis (19:38)

Yep.

Jade Ladson (19:39)

excuse. You knew there was traffic when you woke up this morning. Plan

Kevin Dennis (19:41)

Yeah, exactly.

Jade Ladson (19:43)

for it. And then

Aside from that, like I said, my clients, they're very high-end. They demand that that white glove touch. They want to be pampered. They want to be spoiled. So if that's not something you can do, you cannot work with my clients. I've had people tell me, my God, Jade, your client, she's driving me crazy. She's asking all these questions.

She she paid you. Like I don't I don't understand the disconnect. So you have to be willing and able to work with clients of these caliber, regardless of what they're looking for. Just you you have to be willing and want to do it.

Kevin Dennis (20:23)

Yeah, I agree. it's funny you said Atlanta traffic. I had the pleasure of being the national WIPA president many, many years ago. and anytime I'd go visit the Atlanta chapter, I would purposely stay at an airport by the hotel because one morning I got up at like I had an early flight and there was still traffic at like five something in the mor I was like,

Jade Ladson (20:44)

Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (20:44)

Where are these people? What is going on? I was like, what I was so stressed that day and I'm like, I'm gonna

Jade Ladson (20:50)

Where are we going?

Kevin Dennis (20:51)

Yeah, I was like I after that I always stayed at an airport hotel after on the it just to make sure I didn't miss my flight. So yeah. I don't know.

Jade Ladson (20:58)

Exactly. And if I have

a meeting, I'm always going to show up an hour early. And then after that, I try to make the rest of my meetings in that same location. So I'm not dealing with Atlanta traffic. But again, you plan for it.

Kevin Dennis (21:07)

Yeah. Well and it Yeah, well, and you're releasing stress is what you're doing.

Yeah, you show up an hour early, you can maybe get some emails done, you're who letting the you know yeah, yeah,

Jade Ladson (21:18)

Woosah.

Kevin Dennis (21:19)

exactly, exactly. May that's very smart move. So all

Jade Ladson (21:23)

Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (21:23)

right. So Jade, what are some behaviors that quietly damage a vendor's reputation within other professionals?

Jade Ladson (21:33)

we don't have that much time, but

Kevin Dennis (21:35)

Ha ha!

Jade Ladson (21:37)

one thing that's very big for me is vendors that assume they're bigger than the program. Again,

Kevin Dennis (21:44)

Mm, huh.

Jade Ladson (21:45)

I'm the planner. I understand these are your clients as well, but you cannot go around me to get to the client. Like if you

If we all have a meeting and you know you're going to be late, call me. Say, hey, Jade, I'm running 15 minutes late. Let me let the client know. I can smooth it

Kevin Dennis (22:03)

Mm-hmm.

Jade Ladson (22:03)

over. Or maybe I don't even need to let her know. I'll just say, hey, let's get there a few minutes early. Let's take a few minutes to catch up before the other vendor gets there. But when you're trying exactly

Kevin Dennis (22:12)

Yeah, yeah, and they won't even know. Yeah.

Jade Ladson (22:15)

when you're going directly to my client, it just

One, I don't know. And then two, you've sent them into a spiral for something that as a wedding whisperer, I could have sugarcoated it, smoothed

Kevin Dennis (22:29)

Mm-hmm.

Jade Ladson (22:30)

it out, just delivered it a little better than you just calling saying, Hey, it's Rick, I'm running late. I'm gonna be there 30 minutes late. I

Kevin Dennis (22:37)

Yeah.

Jade Ladson (22:37)

just that that's a big one for me. not responding to emails, not communicating well.

Kevin Dennis (22:44)

Yeah.

Jade Ladson (22:45)

And that's whether it's in the beginning process or

later on after you're contracting. And if it's in the beginning, we won't even get to contract because why

Kevin Dennis (22:53)

Correct.

Jade Ladson (22:54)

is my client having to chase you to pay you some money?

Kevin Dennis (22:58)

Well, and then there's probably nothing worse for you as a planner is your client is trying to get in touch with one of their, professionals and they're flat out just not responding. And I understand

Jade Ladson (23:07)

Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (23:08)

people get busy, so it just, you know, I think that's one of the things that in the wedding industry, we're all good at our art, but we're horrible at the business side of our businesses. so the sooner that people can,

fix that part of their business, the stronger and better they're gonna become. You know, and

just

Jade Ladson (23:25)

Yeah.

Kevin Dennis (23:26)

even taking things like using a virtual assistant, setting out of offices on,

even using like some kind of project management software that you're having to like, hey, I gotta follow up with Jade on Tuesday and putting that in there and following through. You know, so yeah.

Jade Ladson (23:39)

Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Kevin Dennis (23:40)

But

Jade Ladson (23:40)

That one always baffles me when my clients reached out three times and then I hop on the phone. Now I'm annoyed and I'm like, what's going on? Jade, I'm sorry, I saw the emails, but it's wedding season, so I'm really busy. is it really wedding season? I had no clue.

Kevin Dennis (23:58)

make me mad in that whole situation is that I seen the emails. So

Jade Ladson (24:01)

Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (24:01)

yeah, that would make me more mad than any of that whole part. Yeah. Yeah.

Jade Ladson (24:03)

Exactly. Just

a simple get back with you in a few minutes. Or again, call me. Hey, Jade, your client is blowing me up. I saw it. Can you let them know I'm going to get back to you? Because I can go right in and say, hey, we're working on this. It's going to take us a couple days.

Kevin Dennis (24:20)

Yeah.

Jade Ladson (24:21)

I can do that for you, but only if you let me. That part.

Kevin Dennis (24:24)

Yeah, help me help you. So yeah. All right.

So Jade, I'm new in the wedding industry. how do I start building meaningful relationships when I don't have an established network yet?

Jade Ladson (24:41)

what I tell my students is pick five people in the industry that are right above the level you are, whether they just started, they've only been in it for a few years, but just right above where you are, study them, see where they're going, meet them, offer to meet them, take them out for a coffee, and

Back to what I said, see how you can be a benefit to them. If you wanna con if you're a photographer and you wanna connect with other photographers, find someone close to the level. Now, no, you cannot go get the photographer to the stars and say, hey, I want to buy you a coffee. Not gonna work.

Kevin Dennis (25:19)

Mm-hmm.

Jade Ladson (25:19)

But if

you find someone that's similar to where you are on the the scale of things, say, hey, let me take you to lunch, let me buy you a coffee, whatever it is, and show that you can be a benefit to them. Hey, I want to shadow you. I'll carry your lights. I just need to learn. It's it will work. It will work.

Kevin Dennis (25:38)

Yeah, I love that. Good advice. All right. So speaking of advice, what kind of advice do you have for someone who feels uncomfortable or inauthentic when networking?

Jade Ladson (25:50)

I would say, and I know this goes against everything, they always say go alone, but take someone, take someone that you're comfortable talking to and let them be kind of the buffer. No, you cannot spend all night talking to your best friend, but take your best friend.

That way you're a little more relaxed, you have a little conversation with her or him, and then move on to the next person. Let your best friend know, hey, this is my pitch. Jump in when you can. You tag team it, but whatever

Kevin Dennis (26:21)

Mm-hmm.

Jade Ladson (26:22)

it takes to make you feel comfortable, that's what you need to do. Also, yes, you have a pitch, but you don't have to memorize it word for word because there will be times that you need to tweak it.

on the side. Just be genuine, be yourself, and try to relax. Have fun with it.

Kevin Dennis (26:40)

Yeah, it's it's funny 'cause back when I was WIPA national president, you know, I got to go to all the different chapters and I was kind of like Switzerland when I went to go visit a chapter because I wasn't anybody's competition in the room. I wasn't there to, really get business. I was just, simply there to attend the event. So I would really feel sorry for the people that were just sta- you could see they're awkwardly standing around or awkwardly having a hard time networking.

So I'd go up and introduce myself and just say, Hey, I'm Kevin. I'm the national president. What brought you to the event? You know, and just

k

Jade Ladson (27:11)

Mm.

Kevin Dennis (27:12)

try to welcome them up. I would know enough people and I would try to then try to connect them with someone or try to help them out. but then you would also see people that walk around and just like you were talking about passing out the business card. Here's hey Jade, here's my card. Here, Kevin, here's my card. Hey, hey, and then not not even like stop and talk. And then I always

I always put those people's cards in in a different pocket. 'Cause I I I was like I was like, I don't need to know them. I don't need yeah, I don't need to remember what they were, you know, 'cause they're just going around just trying to give everyone their car So yeah. Yeah.

Jade Ladson (27:44)

Mm-hmm. Yeah,

it's it's weird. And if if you are alone, just find one person to make a connection with, even if it's not on a business tip, you know, compliment someone

Kevin Dennis (27:54)

Mm-hmm.

Jade Ladson (27:55)

on their clothes, ask them what they're eating. What's that appetizer you have? And see

Kevin Dennis (27:58)

Yeah.

Jade Ladson (27:59)

if you can work your way in there because it's just we're all human. No one's gonna bite you. Just mm hmm. It does.

Kevin Dennis (28:04)

Smile. Even smile goes a long way. Cause sometimes you'll be you'll

look at someone, they have a sour look on your face. I'm not gonna walk over and talk to them. if someone smiles and says hi, then that's your little moment to get in there

and start talking. Yeah. Yeah, exactly.

Jade Ladson (28:16)

Exactly. Jump in there.

Kevin Dennis (28:57)

All right. So how do you maintain relationships with vendors you've worked with over the years? How do you continue to have these longstanding relationships?

Jade Ladson (29:07)

make sure I'm front of mind with them.

All the time. I am constantly referring business to them, even if it's not my client. If I get on a call with somebody and the date they want isn't available, or I just know I'm not a good fit, but I've listened and you've told me the type of venue you're looking for. I'm still gonna send you there. Hey, go

Kevin Dennis (29:29)

Mm-hmm.

Jade Ladson (29:29)

to this place, ask for this person, tell them Jade sent you. I'm gonna follow up with the venue. Hey, be on a look out for an email from Jane Doe. This is her date. I can't.

Work with her, but your venue's a great fit. I do drop-ins all the time, they get goodies from me. Valentine's Day when we were kids, how we used to do the little Valentine's cards and classes.

Kevin Dennis (29:52)

Mm-hmm.

Jade Ladson (29:53)

My vendors they get Valentine's Day cards and candies from me, just random visits. And when I show up to the office, I'm never empty-handed. I like to

Kevin Dennis (30:03)

Ha ha ha.

Jade Ladson (30:04)

eat, so I'm I'm bringing you something.

Kevin Dennis (30:06)

Yeah.

It's n well, and it's nice to have touch points, you know, and I think

Jade Ladson (30:10)

Okay.

Kevin Dennis (30:11)

yeah, it's a really good thing. I like that you do Valentine's Day and celebrate other holidays 'cause I think everyone does it around, the holiday season at the end of the year. And I remember

Jade Ladson (30:20)

Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (30:20)

one time I was doing an event at a venue I worked at and See's candy is big here in California. And they literally I counted they had thirty-two pounds of See's candy.

I don't know why I was waiting for the event and I'm just sitting there and I'm like, starting count. I'm like, and I looked at the girl that worked there and I go, Hey, who the heck is bringing all this candy to you guys? And she goes,

Jade Ladson (30:40)

Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (30:41)

and then she said something very magical to me. She goes, I don't know. It just keeps coming. And so you're one of many when you're doing that. So when you're celebrating these odd holidays, or you know, every day is a holiday if you go on to on the internet.

Jade Ladson (30:55)

Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (30:55)

chocolate chip cookie day or pizza day or

You know, you can find a holiday to celebrate, you know, but do yeah,

Jade Ladson (31:01)

Any reason.

Kevin Dennis (31:02)

and and just doing it on the off. Not not being one of everyone. And so we

Jade Ladson (31:05)

Yeah.

Kevin Dennis (31:08)

we decided after that point in our company we were never gonna celebrate the end of the year, you know, the holiday season ever again. And we were gonna start celebrating random things. So then it yeah.

Jade Ladson (31:17)

Yeah. I absolutely

will not do the end of the year. You'll never get a Christmas card from me. You'll never get Christmas

Kevin Dennis (31:23)

No.

Jade Ladson (31:23)

basket. You will get one on the new year to

re-establish our relationship in the upcoming year to wish you prosperity and hope that your new year is great. But everybody's getting desserts for Christmas. So

Kevin Dennis (31:37)

Mm-hmm.

Jade Ladson (31:38)

what's one more?

Kevin Dennis (31:39)

Yeah, no, well, yeah, you're one of many at that point. And it

Jade Ladson (31:41)

Yeah.

Kevin Dennis (31:41)

it was very powerful what she said. So I'll ne I'll never ever forget that. And 32

Jade Ladson (31:46)

Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (31:46)

pounds of cease candy is a whole shitload of candy candy, excuse my French. But it was I'm like, damn, that's a lot of candy. Yeah,

Jade Ladson (31:49)

That's a lot of candy.

Kevin Dennis (31:54)

exactly. So all right. So what, Jade, what makes someone memorable? Like whether you're working in a wedding with them or something that

will make them memorable that you met, you know, while networking.

Jade Ladson (32:12)

For me, if I'm working a wedding with them, it's going the extra mile for my client.

Kevin Dennis (32:19)

Mm-hmm.

Jade Ladson (32:19)

If they need to get in a few minutes early, it's five minutes. Open the door. Or exactly,

Kevin Dennis (32:26)

I know. That that drives me nuts.

Jade Ladson (32:29)

or if the bride is having a meltdown and she's like, I really need a drink. well, the bar's not open till ma'am.

She's paid for

Kevin Dennis (32:39)

Just kidding.

Jade Ladson (32:39)

this bar for four hours. Please, can she just have a glass of champagne? Like,

Kevin Dennis (32:42)

Yeah.

Jade Ladson (32:43)

just be human. Being human.

Kevin Dennis (32:45)

Mm-hmm.

Jade Ladson (32:46)

That that's all I ask. What if this were you and you just needed this? Or, you know, you're telling people, well, you can't come into this this time. This is her grandmother. Her grandmother's 98 years old. We we need to get her seated before everybody else.

Kevin Dennis (33:01)

Yeah.

Jade Ladson (33:02)

Let's let's let us do it. So all I ask is.

Be human, be compassionate and think about how you would wanna be treated if this was your special day.

Kevin Dennis (33:11)

Yeah. And I think it's funny because I think a lot of us in the weddings industry forget that. And I think

Jade Ladson (33:16)

Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (33:16)

it's it's a really a lost art. But the people that do have some hospitality and treat people kindly are the ones that they're gonna get remembered. People are gonna remember that yeah,

Jade Ladson (33:24)

Exactly.

Kevin Dennis (33:25)

you always remember whether it was good or bad, you always remember how you were treated. So yeah.

Jade Ladson (33:28)

Mm-hmm. Exactly. And I say

all the time, like wedding planning and anything in this industry, it's still in the field of hospitality. So if you're not willing to be hospitable, pick another career.

So yeah.

Kevin Dennis (33:42)

Mm-hmm. I agree. It's sometimes

you are going, What the hell are they doing work in weddings? You know, sometimes you're just sitting there and

Jade Ladson (33:49)

Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (33:50)

like, You are such a curmudgeon and you makes you this makes no sense what you're doing. Yeah. What are

Jade Ladson (33:55)

No. I met

somebody once, a vendor, and she told me, yeah, I don't really talk to my clients. I don't like to talk to people. You know, you could work in the warehouse and not talk to anyone. So

Kevin Dennis (34:05)

Yeah. Yeah. Can

do all kinds of stuff and not yeah, there's lots of jobs out there where you don't have to talk to people. Yeah. No,

Jade Ladson (34:10)

Mm-hmm. Exactly, but this is not one of them.

Kevin Dennis (34:14)

no, it is not. No, this is a this is a people people profession if there ever was one. So

Jade Ladson (34:18)

Yeah, yes.

Kevin Dennis (34:20)

all right, you touched on a little bit earlier about communication. So how important is communications like behind the scenes when it comes to, earning repeat referrals from a planner?

Jade Ladson (34:31)

For me, it's everything. Like, again, if you have an issue that's going to affect my client, let me know so I can fix it. Because maybe it's wedding day and you know you're not gonna make your 1 PM setup slot. Let me know.

Kevin Dennis (34:46)

Mm-hmm.

Jade Ladson (34:46)

That way I can move somebody else in that slot. I I'm like a magician, I'm a wizard. I can fix it. Communicate, let me know, because no one wants to be surprised at the last minute. So

You can never overcommunicate, even though I'm sure some people think I do it. Just communicate, respond, let people know. Don't ignore people. People are spending way too much money on weddings and events to feel ignored. Like a simple

Kevin Dennis (35:15)

Yeah.

Jade Ladson (35:15)

response.

Kevin Dennis (35:16)

Yeah. Yeah I don't I agree with you. You can never overcommunicate in our industry. It really it it really is the like that's like baseline requirement. Yeah baseline. So yeah.

Jade Ladson (35:26)

Yeah, exactly.

Kevin Dennis (35:29)

All right. so Jade, have you ever seen one great collaboration turn into years of business opportunities? And what made that happen?

Jade Ladson (35:40)

I've seen it a few times, but the one that sticks out mostly for me, it was very personal. I met a lady at a networking event. We had absolutely nothing in common. There was nothing I could do to help her, nothing she could do to help me, but we connected, we did the lunch thing, and

Maybe a few months she told me about a nonprofit she was a part of. And I said, my goodness. Like I would love to come to one of your meetings. Like that just really hits home for me. She invited me to the event. I ended up being on the board for a couple of years. And again, it was just being able to give back to me. There

Kevin Dennis (36:20)

Mm-hmm.

Jade Ladson (36:21)

she was already married. All her friends were married. But

maybe four years after that again we stayed in contact. She called me one night. It's like Christmas Eve. And she said, hey Jade, I got so and so on the phone for you. She just got engaged. Can you talk to her? And I'm like, it's Chris- I asked it because it was you. I I wasn't prepared to speak

Kevin Dennis (36:40)

Yeah.

Jade Ladson (36:42)

to the client. Hi, what's going on? Congratulations.

Kevin Dennis (36:45)

Yeah.

Jade Ladson (36:46)

To the client ended up literally doing a consultation on Christmas Eve.

And she said, Well, my friend has told me everything about you. I looked at your Instagram. We want to hire you for the wedding. And I said, It's great. You know, give me a couple days. I'll send the contract after Christmas. And she said, Well, if you could send it tonight, we're prepared to pay you. Coming right up.

Kevin Dennis (37:07)

Yeah.

Jade Ladson (37:08)

Coming right up. And it was to date one of the most beautiful and the largest weddings that I have ever done.

Kevin Dennis (37:15)

Yeah, that's amazing.

Jade Ladson (37:16)

Didn't work for it at all. Just hello. Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (37:18)

It just it just showed you just answered the phone.

That's those yeah, it's funny because still to for me, probably about forty-five percent of our business comes from these two venues, locally. And I met this person back in 1992. And I yeah,

it was a long time ago, and I was like a punk kid at the time, and and she basically told me everything I needed because I she was never referring. We were doing these it was like a weekly

networking referral group, right? We go to

Jade Ladson (37:51)

Mm.

Kevin Dennis (37:51)

and my dad's boss got me to go and I would attend these meetings and she never referred me. And she was a caterer at the time. And before she had the venues. And I was like I sat across from her one day. I go, what do I have to do? And she goes, You look at me and she like gave me a laundry list of everything I had to do. And I did it. And so

Jade Ladson (38:07)

Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (38:09)

and it's funny, but still to this day I'm working with her company. So how many I mean, so

Jade Ladson (38:13)

Cool.

Kevin Dennis (38:14)

many years ago that was so yeah, it's crazy.

Jade Ladson (38:17)

Yeah.

Kevin Dennis (38:18)

You just never know. So

Jade Ladson (38:19)

You never know, you never know who you're gonna meet and you never know what it's going to turn into.

Kevin Dennis (38:24)

Yeah. All right. This I I get curious to get your take on this one. So, Jade, what's the one networking mistake you wish more wedding professionals would stop making?

Jade Ladson (38:36)

Showing up to a networking starving. That's that's a big one. Like, get you a small snack before you leave the house, in the car, whatever. Yes, it's okay to grab a bite to eat. Yes, it's okay to have a cocktail because Jade is going to have a cocktail. But

Kevin Dennis (38:53)

Mm-hmm.

Jade Ladson (38:53)

if you have a plate full of food that you're trying to balance and a drink in this hand, exactly

Kevin Dennis (38:57)

Like heaping Pepsi

Jade Ladson (39:00)

a drink in this hand, how are you gonna meet anybody? You

Kevin Dennis (39:02)

Yeah.

Jade Ladson (39:03)

your hands are full, you can't shake hands.

Or if you've got all this food and you're stuffing your face and someone like me comes over to introduce you, then it's a mm-mm. So

Kevin Dennis (39:12)

Yeah, that yeah.

Jade Ladson (39:14)

yeah, I'm very big on eat before you go so you're not starving. And

Kevin Dennis (39:19)

Mm-hmm.

Jade Ladson (39:19)

if you do want to get something to eat, get it, go into a corner, nibble

Kevin Dennis (39:23)

No.

Jade Ladson (39:24)

on it real quick, drink your cocktail, because always drink your cocktail. And then put

Kevin Dennis (39:27)

Yeah, so that's right.

Jade Ladson (39:29)

it down, do what you came to do. You can eat at home. You just

I that's the big one for me.

Kevin Dennis (39:37)

Yeah, I agree. and then what what role does mentorship play in building a strong like wedding industry, you know, relationships with people?

Jade Ladson (39:51)

I think it's huge because you don't know what you don't know

Kevin Dennis (39:56)

Mm-hmm.

Jade Ladson (39:57)

and

you're just you're always learning and I think that's kind of why I started my mentorship. I've always had a internship program. And interning

Kevin Dennis (40:08)

Mm-hmm.

Jade Ladson (40:09)

is good. It's great. You learn, you get to see, but with a mentorship, it's a little more hands-on, it's built around your business. And you're just you're learning from someone who's been there, done that. And it's personal. You get to ask the the serious questions. I just

For me, mentorship is huge. I still have a business mentor as well as a business coach because I I can't stop learning. This industry changes every day at the drop of a dime. So I always need to have someone that's above me to show me. And then I want to show the ones that aren't

Kevin Dennis (40:46)

Mm-hmm.

Jade Ladson (40:47)

quite where I am. So it's, you know, just the circle of life. It's important. And I wouldn't be where

Kevin Dennis (40:51)

Yeah, it's a good way of putting it.

Jade Ladson (40:53)

I am without it.

Kevin Dennis (40:54)

Yeah, that's a good way good way of putting it. Circle of life. So

Jade Ladson (40:57)

Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (40:58)

all right. So if I'm someone that wanted to become, you know, a wedding vendor that planners, photographers, venues immediately think of when making referrals, what should I focus on?

Jade Ladson (41:11)

I would focus on again being a person of my word.

I would also make sure I

Kevin Dennis (41:17)

Mm.

Jade Ladson (41:18)

were investing in my business because how are you asking me to refer you and you don't have the simple stuff? You don't have a website or you're

Kevin Dennis (41:27)

Mm-hmm.

Jade Ladson (41:27)

not promoting your own business. You're just sitting at home waiting for me to give you a business. For me, I want to see you out there getting it. I want to see you doing the things, the social media, attending the networkings, meeting people because I know you're serious, then I can get behind you. But if you're just at the house,

And you're calling me, like, hey Jade, can I get a referral? You haven't posted in two months. What why? So, yeah, do the things.

Kevin Dennis (41:52)

Mm-hmm. Yeah. It's funny, it's

funny you say that because I always feel like you you really need to have your house in order before you

Jade Ladson (41:59)

Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (42:00)

go out to network because there's nothing worse than someone handing you a business card going, here's my business card, but my website's not live yet. And I'm just

Jade Ladson (42:08)

Yes.

Kevin Dennis (42:08)

like in my head, I'm like, what the then what the hell are you even doing here? Like you should not even

Jade Ladson (42:12)

Right.

Kevin Dennis (42:13)

yeah, go make your website work, then come to a networking. You know, it just

Jade Ladson (42:18)

That part.

Kevin Dennis (42:18)

Yeah, and that happens so often that people will say, here's my, you know, but I don't have my website, doesn't work yet. So yeah.

Jade Ladson (42:26)

Yeah. Or I don't have a website. Well why is it on the card?

Kevin Dennis (42:30)

Yeah, exactly. So people get your house in order. So

all

Jade Ladson (42:34)

Please and thank you.

Kevin Dennis (42:38)

right. So looking ahead, what do you think will separate businesses with strong referral networks from those that struggle to grow?

Like this is your prediction moment.

Jade Ladson (42:48)

I think exactly. I

think just that the struggle to grow will I guess evolve into them just becoming stagnant and them being forgotten. Yes, social media is the hype right now. And if you're on TikTok, people can see it. But

When they're talking to their friends, they know someone that does what you do. So yes, your reel went viral and you show it to your best friend. Like, look, Becky just did XYZ. She she planned this wedding and she's great. And then someone says, I know another wedding planner. She's also great. You should reach out to her.

A personal referral is going to supersede whatever you saw on social media because

Kevin Dennis (43:35)

Mm-hmm.

Jade Ladson (43:35)

it's like, this is great. I don't know this person. I don't know anybody that's really worked with this person. But my friend or somebody at my job actually knows this person. So let's let's reach out to them, even if nothing more than to see if they can do what you want done. So I just think referrals are really big and they they give you that boost.

Kevin Dennis (43:58)

Yeah, I agree with you. All right, Jade, we made it to the end. So I just want to thank you so much. You were a great guest. But before we let you go, where can listeners learn more from you and connect with you?

Jade Ladson (44:10)

Absolutely. I am on Instagram @j_ladsonweddings. My website is www.jladsonweddings.com. All social media, jladsonweddings.com. And if you really want to know what I'm up to and what goes on behind the scenes at these weddings and networkings, you can grab my book, Whispers of a Wedding Planner, live on Amazon.

Kevin Dennis (44:33)

I love it. We're gonna plug all that stuff and and put it in our weekly email that goes out. And then we'll also make sure that we tag everything in the show notes as well. Jade, we can't thank you enough for sharing your knowledge and your wisdom when it comes to networking. we really appreciate it because I really still think that's it's really the lost art that what we do in our industry.

Jade Ladson (44:52)

It is.

Kevin Dennis (44:53)

And that's really where you get all the serious like like you we were talking about earlier, some serious relationships, some serious business comes from those

Jade Ladson (45:01)

Okay.

Kevin Dennis (45:01)

meetings.

And people just don't take serious enough. So yeah.

Jade Ladson (45:05)

That's true. That's

true. Well, Kevin, thank you so much for having me. I would love to chat with you anytime. So just feel free to reach out and and we will talk about it.

Kevin Dennis (45:15)

We w

I would love to have you back as well. So all right, folks, thank you for listening to another episode of Mind Your Wedding Business. We'll see you next time.