Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Andrea Purtell. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Andrea, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

When I started my wedding officiating business over 13 years ago, to me being successful meant that my hard work would earn enough of a profit to support myself. Of course, that’s everyone’s goal! But it was important to me that this would be my full-time occupation. My sole endeavor. Something I could put all my effort and enthusiasm into. I was also looking to achieve a niche for myself in the competitive world of the wedding industry.

I was able to reach this initial success pretty quickly with what I consider the basics.

Industry Knowledge: Know your product inside and out. I spent hours studying and learning everything I needed to know about writing and performing wedding ceremonies as well as the legal side of this industry.

Stand out: I created my very own unique way for my couples to participate in creating their ceremony. This has been a huge success for me.

Be the customer: I created my websites with my customer in mind. I think of my website as my store. It should be easy to navigate, to see what I do and to contact me.

Customer service: In my opinion excellent customer service is huge! I find great success in providing excellent customer service. It’s important to answer all correspondents right away. I cannot tell you how many couples thank me for this! The little things are the big things. Follow through. Follow up. Get back to clients and potential clients right away.

Organization and leg work: You have to do the tedious stuff too and in my business that involves calling state and municipal offices for clarification. Updating myself on marriage laws, legal documents and keeping precise files. It’s also important to keep in contact with other vendors and venues.

Jack of all trades/knowing every part of your business: To be a successful business owner you must learn all aspects of ruining your business. For myself it was how to use programs such as quick books, build websites, register your trade name, how to become an LLC…etc… how to advertise on the latest social media platforms….

I am very lucky. I honestly love my work and it shows. I am proud to have over 400 five-star reviews. This positive feedback not only lets me know that I am succeeding in my goals but also encourages me to always strive to be better.

As my business has grown and developed, I have realized a huge part of my success is connecting with my couples (clients). I often form a relationship with them. I listen carefully to their vision and love creating their own unique ceremony.

For me success is also repeat business. I am often called back to perform another family members or friend’s wedding, a vow renewal, or my favorite, performing a baby blessing for a couple I have previously married.

What it takes to be successful, is hard work, long hours, constant learning, always advancing, finding ways create your own unique niche and stand out from the crowd. Provide excellent customer service and always strive to do your best. For me the rewards of owning my own company and doing what I love are well worth the effort.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am Andrea Purtell owner of For This Joyous Occasion Officiating Services. I am a full-time, professional Wedding Officiant. I am located at the fabulous Jersey Shore and travel through NJ as well as parts of PA. I provide religious, non-denominational, spiritual, non-religious, interfaith, and multi-cultural personalized wedding officiant services. I am honored to work with couples of all faiths, cultures, and traditions. LGBTQ+ welcome!

It was my sister, Michelle who inspired me to start my business. She had thought for a long time that this career would be perfect for me. So, in September of 2010 with Michelle’s help, “For This Joyous Occasion Officiating Services” was born. Together we created websites and wrote beautiful wedding ceremonies. Unfortunately, I lost my beloved sister in 2015. However, she created some beautiful keepsake marriage certificates that I still give to every couple.

What sets me apart from others, is my unique “Build a Ceremony Menu” that allows couples to take part in creating their own ceremony. Yes, it was inspired by my daughters love of Build a Bear LOL. I also use a special “get to know you” questionnaire that helps me create a personalized ceremony that truly reflects the couple.

I love learning and am always reading and studying wedding ceremony traditions, both religious and cultural as well as popular trends.

For the couple a wedding can become overwhelming work. I love being able to help my couples make this part of their special day easy! I expertly guide them through the entire ceremony/marriage aspect of their wedding- from applying for their marriage license to creating and performing their ceremony. My couples often thank me for making it so seamlessly easy and providing them with a beautiful ceremony.

I love my work and take great pride in providing my couples with a quality service and delivering a memorable ceremony for them and their guests.

In addition to officiating weddings I now offer baby blessings as well as memorial services.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

My top 4 strategies for growing my clientele are:

Social Media:
I am in the wedding industry, and planning wedding details is visually inspired. Couples often create wedding websites and vision boards. Therefore, having a social media presence is very important. It takes time and diligence, but posting regularly to platforms like Instagram is important. When I first started most brides/couples were buying colorful bridal magazines and making Pinterest boards. I still have many Pinterest boards showcasing my different weddings. However, today Instagram is the popular go to place for couples to get their wedding inspirations and scroll through posts from of wedding vendors. I have many couples who find me through social media.

Word of mouth:
In my business word of mouth is huge! I often have the pleasure to officiate a wedding with 4 or more bridesmaids and groomsmen as well as a 100 or more guests. It is not unusual for a couple to contact me saying they were in- or attended a wedding I officiated and loved the ceremony; would I be available for theirs?!

Reviews:
Having a collection of good reviews in a couple of different locations is important. I know I read reviews for everything I buy. Having an updated collection of reviews is a must now days.

Referrals:
When I arrive to a wedding, I work with a whole team of wedding vendors. From the venue to the DJ, Event Planner, Photographer, Videographer, etc.… I must work closely with them to create the best experience I can for my couples. Being a true professional and being able to working closely with other top rated wedding vendors and venues helps me to create a network of mutual referrals.

Customer Service:
I am a big believer in providing excellent customer service. I return every correspondence as soon as possible. The only time I don’t respond right away is when I am performing a ceremony!

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Like all business I have had pivot a time or two.

I started my business with my sister Michelle as my mentor. Although she did not officiate, she was very creative and a phenomenal writer. She also had true knack for starting a business. Unfortunately, she passed away in 2015. So, I had to carry on without her. I feel lucky to have had her input for the first 5 years of establishing my business.

COVID was a huge pivot for the wedding industry. It all happened so fast. Weddings were suddenly canceled. Even if you wanted to get married you couldn’t get a marriage license because State offices were closed.

It was a lot of work rescheduling couples sometime 2 or even 3 times. I was worried that if this lasted too long, I might have to start my company all over again from the ground up.
But I didn’t. NJ started allowing people to apply for marriage licenses over video chat and then Zoom Weddings began!

I pivoted – I reinvented. I quickly put together my new Zoom wedding packages.
I helped the couple navigate these new marriage rules. I performed the ceremonies from under a decorative wedding arch in my home office. They became such a beacon of hope. How fun it was to see friends and family gather from all over the USA and other Countries. Guests would join from their Livingroom taking the opportunity to get dressed up and with champagne in hand they were ready to celebrate over video chat.

Then as we were allowed to gather in small numbers, I had my new micro-wedding package at local beaches and parks. We would stand far apart, and I brought a little portable microphone and amp! I even had my special “Front Porch” wedding packages.

It became a time of resilience and hope. And little by little my business came back. Everyone was rescheduled or married over Zoom.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.forthisjoyousoccasion.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/weddingofficiant
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/NJWeddingOfficiant
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4OfRrjmEKU