The first annual Relevant Workshop is in the books! Maine based wedding photographer Brea McDonald and I have been friends and colleagues since a serendipitous meet up during an inspiration shoot in 2009 at the Barn at Walnut Hill in North Yarmouth, Maine. Since that time we have traveled coast to coast attending workshops and retreats to better our respective businesses and fuel our passion for lifelong learning. Although there are great workshops in each industry, we wanted something to connect, inspire and educate our larger regional wedding community as a whole. After many, “We should host an educational event!” proclamations, the stars aligned for April 2016.

Relevant Workshop was a day of inspiration, education, and engagement that took place on April 28th at The Barn at Flanagan Farm in Maine. The goal was to elevate our wedding industry and strive to keep us relevant in our craft. Mission accomplished! One attendee noted, “I’m a newbie and I’m very introverted so this was a really big deal for me to be involved in such an amazing thing. Everyone was so nice! Even my first emails from Meg and Brea were welcoming! I hope I’ll be in a different spot in a year from now (in a good way) and I will for sure take the advice that all of the great speakers shared. Thank you SO much!!” 

We had generous support from Meagan Gilpatrick of Maine Seasons Events, DJ Jon of Event Mix DJ, One Stop Event Rentals, a beautiful lunch buffet from The White Apron and the coolest post event Pizza Party EVER! Thanks Fire and Co!!

Speakers included Jessika Brooks-Brewer of French’s Point, The Maine Wedding Venue Cooperative, and the Maine Wedding Planner Cooperative, talking about “Our Maine Market – A View From The Top” • Beth Fitzgerald “Create Your Six-Figure Wedding Business By Marketing to Millennials” • Brea and I talked about “Who is your client? Do you know who you are talking to?” • Abbie Mcgilvery of From the Nest Social talks about the crucial role social media plays in our industry as well as reaching your target audience. • Wedding Photographer Leah Haydock will teach us solid client communication methods you can use immediately in your own business and at the end of the day… Let’s talk Shop! Our talented panel of wedding professionals discuss the biz. Kate Martin of Beautiful Days, Jay Curcio from The White Apron, Maria Northcott of The Maine Wedding Network, Leah Haydock of Leah Haydock Photography, Meagan Gilpatrick of Maine Seasons Events, and Jessika Brooks-Brewer of French’s Point.

“I am still feeling so empowerd and rejuvenated  to have spent the day with such a diverse, smart savvy  group of people from our industry,  The love, warmth and professionalism the two of you put out to the world is what gathered all the great creative minds together for the day. Thank you for all the time energy and effort you put into Relevant!  The speakers and their content was insightful and interesting.”