We were lucky to catch up with Amy Marshall recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Amy thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Taking care of customers isn’t just good business – it is often one of the main reasons folks went into business in the first place. So, we’d love to get a conversation going around how to best help clients feel appreciated – maybe you can share something you’ve done or seen someone do that’s been really effective at helping a customer feel valued?

One of the biggest ways we show our customers that we appreciate them is by making sure they truly feel seen.

In our case, our customers are the vendors who trust us to represent their businesses. So appreciation isn’t just saying thank you, it’s actively investing in their success. That means promoting their work, celebrating their wins, introducing them to other vendors they can collaborate with, and creating opportunities where their businesses can grow.

One example that really stands out is something we recently did for one of our long-time vendor partners who had gone above and beyond for our community. They had supported our events, contributed their time and resources, and consistently showed up for other vendors. We wanted to make sure they knew that level of partnership didn’t go unnoticed.

So instead of a simple thank you, we structured an opportunity that gave them significant visibility back. We extended their membership, upgraded their placement, and highlighted their work in the Book of Weddings in a premium position. It was our way of saying, “We see the effort you put into this community, and we want to invest back in you.”

What made it special was that it wasn’t transactional. It was recognition. The vendor felt valued not just as a client, but as a partner in building the community we all care about.

At the end of the day, people want to know their work matters. When appreciation is genuine and tied to helping someone succeed, it becomes incredibly powerful.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m Amy Marshall, the Owner and Publisher of Wed Society of Greater Raleigh. My role is to connect engaged couples with exceptional wedding professionals while also building a supportive and collaborative community for vendors in the local wedding industry.

My fiancé Frank and I own and operate these businesses together, and it has been an incredibly rewarding experience building something meaningful as partners. One of the most special parts of this journey is that we are not just supporting the wedding community professionally. We are experiencing it personally as well. As we prepare for our own wedding this May, we will be working with more than 20 of our Wed Society vendor members, which has allowed us to get to know their talents, their professionalism, and their creativity on a whole different level. It has made us even more passionate about the work we do.

Before joining Wed Society, I co-owned a marketing agency where we worked with businesses across the United States. That experience gave me a deep understanding of branding, marketing strategy, and how powerful the right platform can be for small businesses. While I loved the work, I realized over time that what energized me most was helping people build relationships and grow within their own communities. When I discovered Wed Society, it felt like the perfect intersection of my marketing background and my passion for bringing people together.

Wed Society is a hyper-local wedding publication and vendor network designed to elevate the best professionals in each market. Through our digital platform, social media presence, curated vendor directory, and our annual Book of Weddings publication, we connect couples with trusted vendors while also helping those vendors grow their visibility, credibility, and business.

What makes Wed Society different is that it’s not simply a listing platform or advertising space. It’s a community-driven network where collaboration is encouraged and relationships truly matter. We host industry events, highlight real weddings, celebrate vendor accomplishments, and create opportunities for professionals to meet and work with one another. Our goal is to elevate the entire market together.

One of the things I’m most proud of is the community we’ve built in Raleigh. The wedding professionals here are incredibly talented, generous, and supportive of one another. Watching vendors meet through our platform and then go on to collaborate on beautiful weddings together has been one of the most rewarding parts of this journey.

Another milestone I’m proud of is being recognized as Franchisee of the Year at the Wed Society annual convention. That honor really reflects the strength of the Raleigh vendor community and the incredible Wed Society of Raleigh team who work behind the scenes every day to support our members.

As we continue to grow, we’re also very excited about expanding into our second market, Charleston/Hilton Head, which will allow us to support many of our vendors who already work across both regions while connecting them with new opportunities and partnerships.

At the heart of everything we do is a simple belief: when talented people are connected, supported, and given the right platform, incredible things happen. That’s what we’re building with Wed Society, and it’s something Frank and I are deeply grateful to be part of every day.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Building an audience on social media has really been about consistency, storytelling, and community.

From the beginning, our goal wasn’t simply to post content. It was to create a platform that celebrates the people and businesses that make the local wedding industry so special. Weddings are naturally visual and emotional, so social media becomes a powerful place to tell those stories.

One of the biggest strategies that helped us grow was focusing on real weddings and real vendors. When couples see authentic celebrations and vendors see their work being highlighted, it creates a natural ripple effect. Those vendors share the content, couples tag their teams, and suddenly you’re reaching a much wider audience through genuine connections rather than just advertising.

Another important part of our growth has been collaboration. The wedding industry is incredibly collaborative by nature. Photographers, planners, florists, venues, musicians, and so many others are all part of the same event. When you highlight that network and encourage vendors to support each other, your audience grows organically.

In fact, one of the things I’m most excited about right now is a micro-wedding giveaway we’re hosting with 12 of our vendors. It’s a full wedding package for one lucky couple, and it’s only possible because of the generosity and collaboration within our community. Every vendor involved stepped up because they believe in supporting couples and celebrating the industry we all love. Moments like that really show the power of building a true community rather than just an audience.

Consistency also matters more than people think. Social media rewards platforms that show up regularly and provide value. We focus on sharing beautiful visuals, helpful planning inspiration for couples, and recognition for the vendors who make weddings happen.

For anyone just starting out, my biggest advice would be to focus on relationships, not just reach. Social media can feel like a numbers game, but the most meaningful growth comes from building a community of people who genuinely care about what you’re sharing.

Also, don’t be afraid to start small. Post consistently, celebrate your collaborators, and focus on authentic content. Over time, those connections compound in ways you might not expect.

At the end of the day, social media works best when it reflects the real community behind the brand, and that’s always been our goal.

Let’s talk M&A – we’d love to hear your about your experience with buying businesses.

Yes, I have. Becoming a Wed Society franchise owner was my first experience purchasing and operating a business under an established brand.

Before that, I co-owned a marketing agency where we worked with businesses across the United States. That experience gave me a strong foundation in branding, digital marketing, and helping businesses grow. Through that work, I also gained a deep appreciation for how powerful the right platform can be for small businesses.

When I discovered Wed Society, it immediately stood out to me because it combined marketing, media, and community building in a very intentional way. What really drew me in was the hyper-local model. After years of working nationally, the opportunity to focus on one market and build meaningful relationships within the local wedding industry felt incredibly exciting.

The acquisition process itself was very in-depth and intentional. Because Wed Society is a franchise system, there’s a thorough vetting process where candidates learn about the brand, present their vision for the market, and demonstrate how they plan to build and support the vendor community. To date, more than 5,000 people have applied to become franchise owners, so entering the system requires real preparation, intention, and a solid business plan.

For me, that process involved many conversations about the Raleigh wedding industry, the long-term vision for the platform locally, and how I could help grow and elevate the community. What made the decision feel right was the alignment of values. Wed Society is focused on supporting small businesses, highlighting creativity, and building strong vendor networks. That aligned perfectly with my background and the type of work I love doing.

In fact, we were so confident in the brand and the value alignment that we chose to expand our investment and purchase two additional markets: Charleston/Hilton Head and Western Carolina. Charleston/Hilton Head will launch in June of this year, and Western Carolina is scheduled to launch in January 2028.

Looking back, purchasing the franchise was one of the most rewarding professional decisions I’ve made. It allowed me to combine my marketing experience with my passion for community building and entrepreneurship while creating something meaningful within the local wedding industry.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://raleigh.wedsociety.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wedsociety.raleigh/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wedsocietyraleigh
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-marshall-80737a18b
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@WedSocietyRaleigh

Image Credits

1.Laura Memory Photography (headshot)
2. n/a
3. Laura Memory Photography
4. Fofia Studio Creations
5. Lacey Gabrielle Photography
6. Lacey Gabrielle Photography