We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jes Frank. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jes below.
Jes, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start big picture – what are some of biggest trends you are seeing in your industry?
Trends in weddings are constantly changing over time. In 2023 I think we will be seeing a lot more bold pops of color instead of neutrals. The alternative is black being a very popular with some couples asking their guests to wear all black. We have been seeing smaller and more intimate weddings since 2020. I haven’t had any weddings above 180 guests for the past 3 years and I’d say our average is 100 – 120 guests. I actually love this because I feel like it’s so meaningful for each person present to really know the couple and vice versa. I think we will be seeing traditional and posed photos be less prevalent and the photojournalistic, candid, natural photos be the main style of photography and videography. We went from bridesmaids all wearing the same exact dress, to bridesmaids wearing the same exact color but in different styles, to now bridesmaids not only having all different styles of dress but different colors and patterns as well. Pearls and fringe have been very popular for bridal gowns and bridal second dresses. More dramatic and unique ceremony backdrops and seating charts have been popular. I think clients are being more intentional about food as well with more interactive food stations, family style, and unique quality touches.
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 knew what I wanted to do early in life and haven’t stopped working for it. Since 2010 I’ve worked for event coordinators, wedding planners, and catering companies. I’ve gained so much experience behind the scenes that it prepared me to launch my own company in 2016. I believe in ALWAYS learning, so I’ve gotten a Bachelors degree in Event Management, wedding planning certified by Kevin Lee, and interned for both him and David Tutera in Los Angeles.
In 2018 I bought Bride and Joy and opened up a 4000 square foot warehouse to offer specialty rentals and decor to clients. Alongside our wedding coordination and rental offerings, we also have launched a floral program, bar program, and calligraphy services.
My favorite thing about our company is how much we can take care of our clients in so many different facets. When we are booked for all the service we offer, we are able to really take so much work of our client’s plate. Our team works together like a well-oiled machine to make wedding day run smoothly and look effortless. We work with our florist to make sure every part of the wedding looks incredible and filled with florals and our rental decor. Nothing gets overlooked! Our bar team makes sure that cocktails are delicious and specially made with home cooked simple syrups of different flavors, Our calligraphy personalizes our mirrors, signs, seating charts etc. Our coordination team works hard with all vendors to create a beautiful stress free day. We can be booked for singular services but our favorite definitely is when the whole team hits the wedding day ground together to serve our clients best.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
In the wedding industry, having great relationships with other vendors is EVERYTHING. For the most part, a wedding bride/groom isn’t going to be a repeat customer because we already helped them get married but we do get a lot of repeat business from bridesmaids, groomsmen, and family members who loved us at an event they were present at and want us to do their weddings as well. Otherwise, most of our business come from our fellow vendors. When you work multiple events with the same vendors, you learn each other’s styles and work ways and that helps create dream teams. There’s nothing better than working a wedding with DJs, bands, photographers, caterers, etc. that you’ve already worked with and vibed with. It makes the wedding day even more cohesive and easy. Vendors aren’t shy to share with you the other vendors they love working with. Don’t be afraid to ask them! Other vendors suggesting us to clients is probably our biggest form of advertising. Having other vendors and venues who love working us helps build our reputation and credibility to other potential clients. We have multiple venues that we are at almost every weekend because the venues suggest us to clients knowing that we will take care of and respect their venue from start to finish. They can trust us to be professional, do our jobs well, and take care of them.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
My team is what makes up Bride and Joy. My company wouldn’t exist without them. Each one of them is incredible. They work hard and don’t complain. They show up happy and positive. I’ve worked for companies where the owners would say comments to their staff like “oh is it just all about the money to you?” when employee paychecks were wrong or when employees put boundaries on being asked to do work outside of their job descriptions. I’ve made it clear to my team that yes, it is about the money at the end of the day. They work to provide a service that they get paid for, plain and simple. I do my best to make sure my team feels paid well, valued, and important. I always want the work they do to be financially worth their time. I don’t believe in people working for free for me for internships, even though I’ve had many people call and email offering free work for experience. Time is so valuable, and everyone should be financially compensated fairly for what they do and feel appreciated. I believe this is what leads to people being able to love what they do because they are being taken care of for their work. They work hard at every task and put their all into what they do because they can be confident that their paychecks reflect that. We have a family environment amongst our team which has led to us not even feeling like we are showing up to work. We feel like we are showing up to make clients happy and have the best day while we all get to work alongside each other as family and best friends. We do fun team photo shoots and dinners together. We help each other out when needed. Everyone’s work ethic and will to create incredible and stress-free days for our brides, grooms, and their families makes for the best event days. We’ve just fostered a healthy and fun work environment and I couldn’t be more thankful.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.brideandjoyweddings.com
- Instagram: @brideandjoyrentals
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brideandjoyweddings
Image Credits
Xpression Photography, Nugen Media, Wild June Photo, Whole Heart Studios, Kyla Jeanette Photo, Bakerture, Kristen Camielle Photography, The Axtells Photography + Films