We recently connected with Casey Albrecht and have shared our conversation below.

Casey, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard.

Hi, my name is Casey, I am a wedding officiant in Charleston, SC. After being an accountant for 7 years, I decided to pack my bags, and move down to the beautiful Charleston. I attended a friends wedding in the summer of 2020, she had her friend officiate the wedding ceremony. He was charismatic, engaging, and really reflected the couple’s personalities in the ceremony. He made the ceremony a part of the day that was memorable and fun for the guests and the couple.. That is my goal as well.

In Charleston, also known as “The Holy City”, you would expect that most people getting married here would be married in a church. And for many couples, that certainly is the case. But, for couples that are looking for a ceremony that reflects their personal style and story, that’s where I come in.

I offer two types of ceremonies, I like my ceremonies to be relaxed and engaging. My goal is to cater to the ceremony based on the couple’s vision.

‘No Fuss’ I Do’s – This ceremony is short and sweet. First, I will provide the couple with a basic outline and script of the ceremony, we then work together to personalize the ceremony with readings. My favorites are from novels, poems, movies, etc. Sometimes the couple writes and recites their own vows, or chooses from a selection of mine.

Customized Ceremony – The goal of the customized wedding ceremony is to convey the couple’s love story to their friends and family, while keeping them engaged and entertained. We incorporate how they met, how their relationship grew, sweet or funny stories.

That said, I have some some pretty unique ceremonies. Everything from a traditional Persian ceremony (with a ‘sugaring’ ceremony), Mexican ceremonies (with exchanging of coins and presenting a lasso to the couple), beach elopements, black tie weddings in some of the most beautiful venues in the country. Each ceremony is different, and while I have the pleasure of performing 180 ceremonies a year, each are special in their own way.

In the end, while we are standing up there during the ceremony, the goal is for the couple to have the ceremony that they love! Hence, Custom Vows by Casey

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?

As I mentioned in the last prompt, my career path isn’t exactly traditional. I went to college for accounting. Got an internship with a Big 4 accounting firm, went on to work for that firm for 7 years. I learned a ton which serves me well today. But, I knew I didn’t love (or even like) that career path.

I didn’t know what I wanted to do next, but in February of 2020, I quit my job with the plans to travel (haha). With the world shut down, my plans changed. After attending a friend’s wedding that summer, the idea clicked in my head that I can be a wedding officiant. I’ve always had a knack for public speaking, so it seemed like a natural fit. I moved down to Charleston and began to talk with some people that have been established in the industry. Really the purpose was to gauge the interest in having an officiant, not associated with any particular church or religion, etc.

Turns out, there was a pretty big need for a younger officiant in town.

How I really began to build the business was through connections and networking with other wedding vendors. The advice and guidance that I received, and continue to receive, from other vendors, is so valuable.

So, in the beginning of 2022, I started organizing networking events for wedding vendors. I started in January with an invite for the vendors I’ve worked with in the past. I picked a local bar, and we had about 25 people come out. The idea grew from there. I partnered with Uptown Hospitality, a local restaurant group in Charleston. Now, our monthly Meet Up events have about 75-80 come out. Each month, about half the attendees are new.

The networking events have expanded. I started “Collab and Coffee” events. Twice a month, we meet at a local coffee shop. Some people get some work done, take calls, or collaborate. We’ve had some great ideas come from these events. Some vendors came together to plan and execute a really successful Styled Shoot. The shoot had about 20 vendors participate, 7 models, it was a great day and the content is beautiful!

We have also had two rounds of headshots taken by some local, wonderfully talented photographers.

Our next event, our September Meet Up, will be sponsored by Carolina DJ Professionals. One of their amazing DJs, DJ Jill will be hosting a Wedding Trivia during the event, and also providing some fun elements like a photo booth.

Coming from the corporate world, there was always a network of people to ask a question, collaborate or get advice. In this industry, there isn’t necessarily that same structure. Events such as these allow vendors to come together and do some amazing things!

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best source of new clients for me are referrals from other wedding vendors. Whether it’s wedding planners, venues, photographers, DJs… people vouching for you is the best way to get a new client.

One of our favorite things to do as wedding vendors is refer our clients to our favorite vendors to work with. If I recommend a photographer, or a DJ, or a wedding planner that I love to work with… it’s for a reason. Number 1, because they are great at their job. And Number 2, because I believe their personalities will align with the couple.

So much of the wedding business is about personal connections. The couple will spend a lot of time in the planning phase of the wedding with their vendors. And, on the day of the wedding, you spend a lot of time with them as well. You want to like your vendors on a personal level.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

For a lot of creatives, and for people in the wedding industry, feedback from clients is so important. Reviews help us grow our business, and it’s always nice to hear that you did a great job for your couple.

When you are invested in your business and doing the best job for your couples, this can also come with some self doubt. You’ll see those Reels on Instagram of the photographers waiting for a reply from their clients after sending a gallery out. If the response is not super over the top with excitement, they can feel a little down. But, everyone’s personalities are different. Maybe the couple loved the photos but their response through email doesn’t reflect their excitement.

The point here is, no matter how established you are, how many successes you have, how many great reviews, there is always self doubt that creeps in. And that allows you to strive for better and learn. But for the wedding vendors out there, cranking out great services, you’re doing amazing!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.customvowsbycasey.com
• Instagram: @custom_vows_by_casey

Image Credits
Personal Photo – Franziannika – https://franziannika.photography/ Additional Photos 1. Candi Leonard https://candileonardphotography.com/ 2. Olga Chagarov – https://olgachagarovweddings.com/ 3. Olga 4. Shelby Stewart – https://www.shelbystewart.co/ 5. Kate Dye – https://katedyephotography.com/ 6. Jacqueline Clark – https://southernvintagephotography.com/about 7. Jessica – https://jaydeephotos.com/ 8. Olga