We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mal McNeal. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mal below.

Hi Mal, thanks for joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

My passion for celebrating weddings authentically and boldly first stemmed from noticing a need in the wedding industry: one which coupled the freedom and empowerment that comes with elopements and intimate weddings with the community and togetherness that comes with larger wedding celebrations. I also noticed the opportunity to create a business structure that recognized the key human needs for support, advocacy, and genuineness throughout the planning process – along with the expected logistic and practical components that are expected elements of planning a wedding or elopement.

I believe that gatherings of any sort don’t have to be big in size or cost to be rich in feelings and meaning, and I wanted to forge a new path for couples who wanted to plan a wedding in a way that feels true to them and their core values. When you plan from a place of purpose and intention, you gift yourself a wedding celebration that feels like home to your heart and is a direct reflection of the things you value most as a couple. Colors, themes, and trends fade over time, so my heart is to encourage couples to plan in a lasting way from a place that is deeply rooted and closely connected to their truest selves.

What began as a small side-hustle and passion project has quickly grown into an opportunity to cultivate a team, expand our areas of influence, and walk alongside our couples through some of the most memorable and often most challenging chapters of their life story. Embracing the journey of wedding planning as a process and container for growth, expansion, and an opportunity for holistic focus on relational wellness has been the reward of a lifetime and a surprise that I had only hoped and dreamt of when I first began!

Mal, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Wildly Yours Weddings + Elopements is a full-service design, styling, and planning company located in the Midwest but available anywhere in the world! “Design” refers to the visual and tangible aspects of your day, such as color palettes, textures, and overall aesthetic styling. “Styling” is the component of our hands physically creating those intentionally designed elements: hand-dying your gauze napkins, carefully placing each candlestick, thoughtfully placing your table runners in a way that flows and creates an air of warm nostalgia. We plan the logistics of your day so that you can feel free to be present in your moments as they’re happening, rather than worrying about details and timing. We combine these three components to create not only a wedding day but an experience that is soulful and authentic to your hearts.

We believe in asking why, challenging traditions, and advocating for your voice to be the loudest and most heard above all of the wedding industry noise. Your story deserves to be told in an honest and meaningful way, and YOU deserve to be present throughout the process to embrace your new favorite memories as they happen.

We want to learn more about you and grow alongside one another in a genuine relationship as we dig deep together to learn about your values, priorities, and the elements we can embrace to ensure your heart feels as at home with your celebration as it does with your lover.

Wildly Yours is here to help you prioritize living your values, gathering new memories, and embracing your nearest and dearest people, not worrying about the tasks and logistics. By partnering with you to know what matters most to your heart and knowing how to create FOR you, we give you the gift of being free to be present and an active participant in the magic unfolding during one of your most special times.

While the story and journey of Wildly Yours has certainly not been easy at times, I firmly believe that a smooth road doesn’t contribute to resilience and growth. I am deeply grateful for the challenges that have come my way over the past several years. Balancing my role as a Registered Nurse AND my wedding planning clientele throughout the pandemic has proven tougher than I ever could’ve imagined. More than ever, my clients needed an advocate, someone truly there for them and in their corner as they navigated some of the toughest and saddest times we as a community have experienced. From leaning into doing the right thing during a period of reschedules and cancellations, showing up and staying consistent despite being overwhelmed and tired myself, and showing a deeper level of personal concern and care for my couples, it has been a make or break experience in my short time as an entrepreneur. I wouldn’t trade these struggles for the world, though, because they’ve broken, built, and grown me into the very best person and advocate for my couples and my team.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

As much as I resisted it at first, I’ve learned that social media presence is paramount in today’s digital day and age. When I dug deeper into why I originally felt so out of alignment with my values when focusing on building a social media presence, I realized that it was because I was struggling to balance authenticity and genuineness with self-promotion on social media platforms. I tend to push back and challenge norms, so I decided to show up with intention and leverage social media to serve couples and potential clients. When I reframed my view of social media use as a small business, I felt a lot of freedom in showing up and sharing wedding tips, advice, and wellness concepts without fear of what others might think.

My top bits of advice for someone beginning to find and grow their social media voice:

Focus on yourself and what YOUR unique perspective adds to the world, rather than copying your competition or comparing yourself to others. By sitting with your own thoughts and developing your own value system and giving voice to it, you’ll naturally attract followers and potential clients who align with you and what you find important.

Remember that who you are is enough. You don’t have to clean yourself up, present a certain way, or fit into any mold. Use your own authentic voice, even when it feels like you’re only talking to yourself. Be accountable, responsible, and open to growing while others are watching. Your character is who you are and what you’re known for both in easy times and the tough times.

Don’t feel like you owe anyone an all-access view into your life. There can be a lot of pressure to make your business and brand your entire personality and show all of your life to your followers…which can become emotionally exhausting. You’re a human first, and business owner second, and by practicing this in how you present on social media you also model healthy boundaries and self-compassion for your following as it grows. If something doesn’t feel right to do or present on social media, then give yourself permission not to do it!

Practice consistency in your content, rather than the frequency of your posts. Showing up and serving your followers through consistent practice and a dedicated voice goes above and beyond merely churning out content for the sake of many posts, lots of reels, or gaining followers. You want people who are there for what YOU have to say on an ongoing basis, not folks who are there for surface level content that doesn’t carry much meaning beyond a pretty photo or reel.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

In total transparency, building and growing a team was one of the most intimidating aspects of business ownership when Wildly Yours began to grow at such a rapid rate. I started from day one with so much heart, intentionality, and a desire for everything to feel personal and unique to each couple. I worried that I wouldn’t be able to gather a team of other humans who carried the same level of care and desire for connection, yet alone maintain the morale and camaraderie that is so necessary for relationship building. I am so utterly grateful to have found a small but mighty group of humans who have a passion for people and loving them well, and who’ve invested their own time and energy into Wildly Yours and creating the team environment that can be a solid foundation to building an environment of community for our couples.

My biggest piece of advice? Skills, workflows, and tasks can be taught. Look for finding people who carry the same values and ethics that are paramount to the people your business serves. Hire people who are vastly different in their backgrounds, experiences, and personalities, but who share core values and have a desire for growth and expansion every step of the way.

I asked the WYW+E team to share their own thoughts on why this is where they’re meant to be, and why our morale and solidarity runs so strong:

From Morgan –

“I would say a big part of the jiving as a team has to do with the fact that we all have very similar values and morals in regards to helping each other, working with couples, creating an amazingly beautiful yet seamless day, and working with vendors in the same regard (with respect and kindness). We always leave room for one another to speak their mind and know they’re doing so in a safe and respected place that they’ll be listened to without judgment. We build each other up and genuinely want each other to do the best they can and be the best version of themselves!”

From Samantha –

“I think our team works so well with each other because we are constantly supporting each other and lifting one another up. We all have the same shared goal of making the couple feel the best they possibly can about and on their day.

I love that there is so much trust within our team. We can each be our truest selves without feeling judged for putting our own ‘flare’ on things or asking too many questions.”

From Tara –

“I think our team works so well because there isn’t pressure to try to outdo the last wedding or have “cookie cutter” weddings. There is always room for the couples to have their style and personality shine through. And we full-heartedly support them in that! Letting them be authentically them!!

I do think a big factor is being trusted to make decisions on our own. I started at the beginning of this year, and I’ve known that I’m in a safe space to ask questions without judgment behind my asks or thoughts.”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.wildlyyoursweddings.com/
• Instagram: @wildlyyoursweddings
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wildlyyoursweddings/
• Other: TikTok: @wildlyyoursweddings

Image Credits
Molly Hoffman Photography