Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Carly Curry. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Carly , appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?
Honestly, it was a risk starting my officiating business. I really had no qualifications to be a business owner… or an officiant, but like a lot of stories these days, my best friend asked me to officiate her wedding and I said yes. From there, I thought: Maybe this could be a career path for me. I reached out to a couple of friends who I knew owned their own businesses and asked them what steps they took to make that happen. One of my friends was also an officiant who was kind enough to share how she structured her ceremonies, how she got to know her couples, and the most important thing: what her contract looked like. This part of starting Curry Up and Get Married was the easiest part. What felt like the biggest risk for me was then promoting myself. I had worries that I think are normal like: What if my business ends up being a failure? Then I had odd worries like: What if people from high school see and laugh about it? Maybe that’s a silly thing to stress about, but that’s what was going through my head. I also had my husband asking me questions such as: Do people really need officiants? Well as it turns out, they do! Once I started to promote my business and gain traction on online platforms, I got my first *real* couple to hire me (my best friend isn’t imaginary, but her money was, so I don’t count her and her husband as a real couple hiring me). Since then, the risks that have been taken have to do with how I gain clients. Some people might say that personal feelings shouldn’t impact your business, and while I do somewhat agree, I have found out that there are things that I will not promote with my business due to my personal opinions. I am no longer on a well known wedding site due to their usage of AI and ChatGPT. This will most likely significantly lower the amount of couples that find me, but I cannot actively support AI. This also means that I do not use any AI to assist me in writing my ceremonies. AI is ruining the Earth and that matters to me. Equally, there is an outwardly homophobic venue that I had a wedding at that I will no longer work with. The right to get married to whomever you love, in the way that you want, is truly important to me. This will also impact who works with me. However, at the end of this officiating journey, I know that I’ll be able to look back on these risks and know they all were important to me.
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.
For anyone who might not have read about me before, I mostly got into officiating weddings to see if it could be a form of income for me. When I started officiating, I had recently given birth to twins and decided to stay home with them. Due to that, I was severely lacking adult interactions. Weddings seemed like a good way for me to socialize as well. Prior to officiating, I taught third grade for four years at a Title 1 school. I gained many skills during my time teaching that help me during weddings such as: a strong presenting voice, organization skills, behavior management, the ability to work with a team, answer tough questions, problem solve, and have an open mind. Along with these skills, I truly like getting to know people and their love stories. I feel extremely proud of my work when clients receive comments from attendees saying how well their relationship was captured and asking how long the couple had known me for. I love the bond that the couple and I create is clear to the guests as they watch the ceremony. One of the hardest parts of officiating is knowing that I’m not actually a part of my couples’ lives and I am simply there to assist and present their love in a way that’s meaningful to them. There are times when couples invite me to stay for the reception or ask to be friends on social media and I am ALWAYS honored! Keeping up with my couples is one of my favorite pastimes, in the least creepy way possible. So, what sets me apart from other officiants? Honestly, I believe that we’re all different and come with our own pros and cons. I might be the best fit for some couples and the worst fit for others. I would like to think that most officiants are out here to do what’s best for the couple! If the officiant and the couple end up being friends after? Well that’s just the cherry on top.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
Clear communication!!! Whether it’s with potential clients, current couples, vendors, or the wedding party and guests, it’s all important. Now with current couples, this doesn’t necessarily mean responding immediately or even within the same day. I let all of my couples know that I try really hard to respond within two days of hearing from them. However, because of life, sometimes this doesn’t happen. So, I also let them know that they could NEVER bother me and they can absolutely email me to check in and let me know that they prefer more timely responses. In addition to that, I let couples know that if they really need a response from me, they can put in the subject line something like: CARLY, PLEASE READ THIS RIGHT NOW. And I will make that my top priority. As for potential clients, I’ve found that people appreciate clear and concise answers, even if it means I’m unable to work with them. For vendors, I typically reach out to venues and/or coordinators about a week before the ceremony. I do this to introduce myself or re-introduce myself and ask if there’s anything they need from me. I’ll also let them know if I plan on being at the rehearsal or not. At the rehearsal, I always ask if the venue/coordinator plans on running the rehearsal or if they would prefer me to do so. Every venue and every coordinator is different and I have no preference either way! As for the wedding, I usually show up about an hour early to make sure we’re all on the same page. During that time I’ll introduce myself to the photographers, videographers, and the DJ. I let them know if the couple has anything out of the ordinary that they plan on doing so they’re aware of it and again just make sure we all understand what’s happening. Basically, communicating with literally everyone, introducing myself every chance I get, and being flexible with what’s needed of me.
How did you build your audience on social media?
I don’t think this answer will be what people are expecting. I understand how important social media is for future clients to get to know their vendors, but I personally don’t feel like I’ve really put a lot of thought into my social media. I don’t post consistently, I don’t post at peak interest times, I don’t even know how many followers I have. Here’s what I do know: I post things that I would want to know if I was a potential client. If I see something that I like, I’ll share it without reservation. I try to let my personality and who I am show through my content, but I’m not over analyzing my captions. The easiest way I’ve found to gain an audience on social media is to make friends. Following vendors that I enjoy working with and sharing their content also gets my name out. Creating solid professional relationships has gotten me on multiple Preferred Vendor Lists, which I value much more than social media. I will say this, social media is incredibly magical when a photographer shares their photos and tags me or when a photographer lets me share their photos and tag them. This all comes back to making friends, though. I feel strongly about uplifting hardworking vendors who are easy to get along with. I also feel strongly about getting offline and outside to touch some grass, so it’s a balance.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sites.google.com/view/curryupandgetmarried/home
- Instagram: @curryupandgetmarried
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552805911842
Image Credits
Oh Shoot Photography
Karli Kemme Photography
Shutter Putter Photography
Daniel Farmer & Patti Chou
Lynzeeharrisonphotography
Brandon Wilson Films & Rosaida Wilson
Dainty Dove Photography