DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:00:00] This is Season 2, Episode 5 of Make Your Wedding a Highlight. My name is DJ Josh from Highlight Weddings and Events. My guest today is Jillian McCarthy from Jillian Rose Events.
Well, hello, everyone. Thanks again for checking out the podcast. Again, my name is DJ Josh from Highlight Weddings and Events, and I have my second repeat guest. Her name is Jillian McCarthy, and now she's representing Jillian Rose Events. How are you doing today, Jillian?
Jillian McCarthy: [00:00:44] I'm good. How are you?
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:00:45] I'm doing awesome. It's a beautiful kind of cold day.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:00:50] I love it.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:00:52] Does it remind you of home?
Jillian McCarthy: [00:00:54] Yes, it does. It is very nice. And I enjoy it a lot.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:00:58] I'm sure it's not quite as warm as it is here right now, up in Connecticut.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:01:02] No, it is not. I think there's some snow on the ground.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:01:06] It would not surprise me. In case a listener has not heard the first podcast you were on, would you mind introducing yourself to the listeners?
Jillian McCarthy: [00:01:15] Yes. My name's Jillian McCarthy. I am the owner and planner for Jillian Rose Events. So I'm a wedding planning company located out here in the Destin, 30A, Emerald Coast area. I was previously on a few months ago. I most recently was the Wedding Sales Manager at the Henderson Beach Resort in Destin. So I just went out on my own and open up my own planning company. So I'm here today to talk about Jillian Rose Events.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:01:45] All right. Well, why don't you share a little bit about that with the listeners? Because I think that's something that they will find interesting.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:01:51] Great. I opened Jillian Rose Events officially in November of 2020, which is, for some, very weird time to start their own small business after the year that 2020 was. But I think that last year and everything that it was, everyone kind of realized a lot about themselves what they wanted to do, and what they really wanted to make their day to day look like. And so I really just kind of took control of everything. And I went out on my own, got everything, started to get up and running for my own company. But I have been in the wedding business for a long time.
I originally started back in little Mystic, Connecticut, probably almost 10 years ago. Doing internships at different hotels there in the wedding department and their banquet department. And I, throughout college did internships all across Connecticut. And then I ended up working at a venue as a wedding sales manager for years there. I just kind of loved the day to day of what it was and interacting with couples and doing tastings and detailed meetings.
And then I had opportunities doing the same thing out in Chicago, where my parents lived for a little bit, again, doing the same thing. I always worked at a venue, but I always loved sitting down with the couple and doing the details and meeting with them. And then I came to Florida in 2018 and I was a Wedding Sales Manager at the resort down here. And it just really got me in the market down here to get to know other vendors and other locations and kind of the general idea of how weddings work on the Emerald Coast.
After I took all of my knowledge from two and a half years there and brought it to my own company to kind of form what I have today across multiple States and Regions. So it's exciting. It's nice to be in control of your own destiny as lame as that may sound.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:03:42] That is a little cliche, but it's not lame. I wouldn't say it's lame. I do think that last year definitely opened people's eyes to different possibilities, because if there's not something that requires change, oftentimes people won't even consider it. Yes, 2020 and COVID-19 itself was not pleasant, but the unpleasantness wasn't necessarily a bad thing for everybody.
Now it did impact some people in a tremendous way.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:04:13] Absolutely.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:04:14] I don't want to lose sight of or diminish that. But for people that have made it through that trying experience. I think it's been a source of improvement.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:04:26] Absolutely. Yes. We're definitely lucky down here too, with how it's been throughout the pandemic and what we're still able to do and produce, especially in the wedding business. I'm very grateful to have the opportunity to even do it.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:04:39] Right. So you mentioned that you've been a part of wedding event teams in Connecticut and the Chicago area. What are the similarities and differences between there and here?
Jillian McCarthy: [00:04:50] I think a lot of it is who the couples are. When I worked in Chicago, it was a lot of city weddings. That very loft feel. And sometimes that pulls a different level of client. You know, it can be anything from their age to the types of people that they have coming to for wedding, the overall feeling that they want. The process is the same everywhere, but the overall feeling of each event is different for the region.
Down here, we'd have a lot of beach weddings and a lot of destination weddings. Whereas when I was in Connecticut and Chicago, it was a lot of local couples. Even though I worked in cities in both areas, the couples up there are usually a little bit older and I think that's a cultural thing. It's just how the couples are and the age that they get married and the different norms that they're around.
So it's different interacting with. Some places you work a lot with their parents and the families. And in another locations, you work only with the bride and groom and you meet the parents on the day of the weddings. It's just different norms that you have to adjust to based on where you are. But I think that's part of being a wedding planner is being able to read your client and what they're all about and who they want to be involved with their plannings.
It definitely taught me a lot about how to interact and sometimes manage a lot of different opinions with mothers of the brides and mothers of the grooms. And that aunt of the bride. It's definitely helpful to you have learned that
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:06:17] Yeah. Something that I've noticed since I started in 2020, my client interaction has increased on the booking side of things. A lot of couples that are coming down here, they have kind of that weird tension of, "Well, we want to have a wedding that's not super formal." And almost like they're slightly worried that if they don't do all of the traditional things, the guests won't approve of it.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:06:45] Exactly.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:06:46] But because this is a destination wedding, your guests are going to be here more with a vacation vibe anyway, and you don't really necessarily have to worry about those same kind of restraints of being super formal if you don't want to. Weddings here tend to be more kind of like a choose-your-own-adventure, where you can incorporate things or decide not to do them. And it's not really a weird thing. It's kind of normal.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:07:13] Yes. And even going along with that. Just the flow of the receptions are distinctly different. Here it's a lot of stations and strolling menus where guests can get up and interact with each other. Cause typically they're come for the weekend where they come Thursday through Sunday and make a vacation out of it. So they have everyone up and mingling. And in the cities where I've worked and it's a lot of sit down plated meal, formal, multiple courses. So it's a different style for sure.
But yeah, people love to come and then just hang out down here. It's a good place to kind of relax. Usually people are just a little bit more casual. You know, there are venues that are in this area that have that more formal feel, if that's what the couple wants. But it's a lot of just interacting and want to hang out with their guests, which is nice to see.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:08:02] Yeah, totally. Especially with COVID a lot of times, at least recently, it's been kind of like a reunion where a lot of the family members or friends just haven't seen each other and it's like, "Oh, Hey, how's it going?" during both the prelude and cocktail hour. So that's really refreshing to see when people are getting together for something like that.
So how has your experience been starting Jillian Rose Events?
Jillian McCarthy: [00:08:26] Overall, it's been very positive. Having been in the area, there was an outpouring of support. I had close friends and vendors and colleagues in this area. But going out on my own, everyone just offered support right away. "You need anything?" Call me" "If you have any questions, call me."
That was really reassuring on the outside. Internally, it's a little tougher. I went from working at a structured eight to five, Monday through Friday, plus being at all the events job to working from my home office, that's in my guest bedroom. So, I have to stay on track with myself and there's days where you have great conversations with potential couples. And then there's other days where you don't get any leads and you don't talk to anyone and you're kind of trying to make business for yourself.
It's different to adjust to the schedule for sure. But overall I have absolutely loved it. Just getting to go out to all these different venues and meet with different vendors and getting to talk to couples in a different way, talking about myself and really what they want to do it's really fun to take that perspective of it rather than when I was at a venue. You just kind of talk about how they want to get married at that one venue. Here, I kind of get an overall perspective of just who the couple is and what they really want out of their wedding day.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:09:50] Yeah. It's definitely a challenge being the worker and the boss. For some people who transition from being the technician to then owning your own company, it's not always a good fit. So the fact that you feel empowered and you're full speed ahead with it is great.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:10:08] Yeah. It's reassuring. So I'm someone who sometimes I think of an idea and I say it, and then 10 minutes later, I'm like, "Oh, that was a bad idea. Let me do this." Very scatterbrained sometimes. But this is one thing I came up with the idea at the end of July of last year that like, this is what I really wanted to do. And ever since that day, it just hasn't wavered. So. it's reassuring to myself knowing that I'm doing what I should be doing.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:10:36] Yeah. It is a good feeling to know that. To be like, "Man, I'm really good at this. I enjoy it." It's really cool when you find where you fit in the world and when it all comes together and it makes sense.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:10:50] Yeah. It's very reassuring for sure.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:10:52] Okay. So I asked you this question in the previous podcast, but I'm going to ask it again because I imagine that your answer might be slightly different now.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:11:00] Okay.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:11:01] What excites you about being a part of a couple's wedding event team?
Jillian McCarthy: [00:11:05] One of the reasons I wanted to go out on my own, and I think it speaks to this, is I'm just so much more involved in getting to know the couple. I get to know the couple and I really feel like I'm much more a part of their day. You know, I'm the one who I feel like really gets to take control and run everything. Whereas when you're at the venue, you kind of let the planner run everything and.
You know, I was always a little green-eyed monster that I want to have that role. And I want to be that person for each couple that checks in whenever they need anything, thinking two steps ahead and just making sure that they're comfortable and happy almost as being a good hostess.
But I think for me, it's something that I am looking forward to is just really being a part of the couple's planning experience and getting to know their families and just knowing a little bit more about them and what their dog's name is and why they came up with this signature drink and this name and just getting all of the background on the couple. It just makes it that much more rewarding.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:12:07] Okay. So you're more invested in the process and not a manager or like an overseer to make sure something doesn't go wrong.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:12:14] Yeah, exactly. So having the experience from the hotel definitely is helping me now. But you just get to be there from start to finish and see them off down the aisle. And, you know, you're the last one to say "Congratulations," before they walked down to go see their husband or whoever's standing at the altar. It's just nice to play that role.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:12:36] And I think the fact that you come from that context, will help you be an asset when dealing with different venues. Because you have that unique perspective where you just didn't start out being a wedding coordinator. You can foresee or anticipate questions that they're going to need answers to. And just coming from that space will help you relate better to someone that's in the position you were in.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:13:03] Yeah, exactly. And so I know when people, when venue, coordinators and stuff for. There BEOs and their meetings during the week and how things are going to flow from their perspective because that's something that's very important is making sure that the venue and caterer have what they need and when. Because as much as I'm there to execute everything, they're the next big component to running the event just in terms of food and set up and everything. So definitely nice to have that perspective.
And I've worked shifts on the valet drive and I've done my time at front desk checking guests in. So having all of that is just going to help my couples. They have one person to go to for all of those questions, and I feel like I'm able to be that person for them rather than them asking me and I have to ask someone else to then answer their question. It mitigates a lot of that middleman, I believe.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:13:57] Right. Well, and you also benefit from the fact that you are also in the middle of planning your own wedding as well.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:14:04] Yes. So I've definitely had going through my own wedding and I'm actually planning my wedding to be back in Connecticut. So it's reversed destination, I guess, for this, but yeah. It's been fun. so I'm enjoying it.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:14:19] What are some things, as you've been planning your own wedding, that have maybe either been aha moments or just some things that are helping you in terms of interacting with brides?
Jillian McCarthy: [00:14:32] Sure. So I think the biggest thing right now is COVID. I mean, elephant in the room. We got engaged in April and I remember when I booked my wedding, I was like, "No way this will be around next summer. Like, it'll be fine. You know, after this summer, there's nothing to worry about." But now I'm about six months out and I'm still, "Where does my guest count lay? What are the restrictions in that state versus what it is here?" Because I think that's the trickiest part is the unknown right now. You know?
And I feel like a lot of brides who are getting married right now are definitely all excited to get married. But there's this sense of, "Well, we didn't get to have, you know, an engagement party or maybe my bridal shower was drive by or virtual." So I feel like it makes their wedding day that much more exciting. And I personally can relate to that because my fiance Zach had planned for both of our families to come down for a weekend and hang out here in March. And then the week everyone was supposed to come, was like the week everything shut down. And that's when he was originally going to propose. So then he decided to do it anyways, which in my opinion was a very good choice. But we didn't get the celebration with families. There's some pros and cons where it was nice to have it be just the two of us. But now that it's been almost a year planning from afar, it's hard to see what that state is doing even just, you know, what's it like when you go out to a restaurant or if you stay at a hotel that's really tricky to figure out when you're farther away. So it's nice to have connections in the state that you're getting married to say like, "Oh, it's really okay." That reassurance is definitely nice to have.
But I think that's been the hardest part is just navigating through COVID and I have found for me the best way to do it is to just plan it and whatever happens happens. At this point, everyone that I'm inviting knows where it a pandemic. So I think everyone just kind of has this go with the flow attitude. They're gonna be happy for us if they're at the wedding or not. If we have to limit desk count. It's definitely tricky to plan. And how many chairs do I rent? How many charges do I rent? Because of COVID, we don't know what's going to happen. But I'm just trying to take it one day at a time and make the decisions I need to make on time and go from there.
We're going to be married. And our immediate family is going to be there. That's what we know. So that's, what's important to us.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:16:59] Absolutely. Would you mind sharing with the listeners? you kind of have a unique approach to the wedding planning process, which I think is one of the reasons why you decided to venture out and start Jillian Rose Events. Would you mind sharing that with the listeners?
Jillian McCarthy: [00:17:14] Yeah. So my motto or philosophy is that this is their wedding. They get to design and plan their wedding vision to make it how they want. And I am here to guide that process. A lot of my couples already come in with kind of a general idea of the feel that they want. Maybe they already have a color scheme and they need help finding who their vendors are going to be that can fit that.
My goal for all of my couples is to enjoy and relax, and I do all the legwork for them. If they already have an idea for what they want their flowers to look like or their linens. They share that with me and I can go out and find A, B, and C event design teams, get quotes, and present it to them and they can pick yes or no. I have my own wedding that I'm planning that's my own design, so I don't need to choose their design for them.
And I think that's something that a lot of couples get nervous about when hiring a planner, is that a lot of them want to do that fun stuff: picking out their colors and their florals. Whereas, I'm here to enrich that experience for them and make sure that they get what they want. And then to provide a professional spin on it. "Oh, you want to have this happen, but really like let's maybe think about X, Y, or Z." You know, I can be that unbiased opinion sometimes to kind of put a professional spin on it that's going to help them make a decision.
But I think that that is something that couples really like to do. They like to design their invitations. They like to design what their tables look like and what linens they have. So I'm just here to make that come to life for them. And really just again, do all the legwork for them. So they can do all the fun stuff of picking everything out.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:19:04] That's funny that you mentioned that because my wife totally designed our invitations and came up with the concept, but our coordinator was very influential 1) in just eliminating a lot of the stress that we would have had to deal with. She helped to focus our selections between different vendors and helped to provide some reassurance and support for Rhoda, because you can have a coordinator, but the wedding planning process is still going to be stressful.
It's not like if you were to hire Jillian, it's just going to be a magical rainbow unicorn time where you're just floating on a cloud the entire time. It's just inherent because people are involved in it. So stress is going to be there, but having somebody in your corner who understands the type of event that you want will help immeasurably to reduce the amount of stress and really keep you on track with different things.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:20:03] Yeah. And so when my couples book with me, I get them all a personal custom timeline for what they need to do and when. So like the invitations, I'm here to say, this is when you should order your invitations. And this is when you should send them out and this should be your RSVP date. And this is the vendor that I recommend. But like you design and create. So that's really I feel like what couples look for is that, what do I have to do and when? But I want to do it.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:20:31] Right.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:20:31] If that makes sense.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:20:32] No, that totally makes sense. And a lot of times, because most couples, this is going to be their first time getting married, they don't realize what a realistic timeline of events is going to be. Having somebody who is experienced and is in the know is definitely beneficial.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:20:50] Exactly. And a lot of couples like to, nothing against the moms out there. My mom has been awesome with planning. But the last wedding I think she went to was her own. And that was in the eighties.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:21:03] Oh, yeah.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:21:03] So, you know, they have the knowledge, but sometimes trends change and we have a fresh perspective of what the trends are and how things are going. You know. Do people still do bouquet to us? Do they still do a garter toss? Is that something just my mom did in the eighties? So it is nice to kind of have again, that unbiased opinion out there.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:21:23] And you're also not a family member, because that is a very treacherous dynamic to kind of wade through. No offense to having a cousin or an aunt do the coordination, but it's definitely a different relationship dynamic.
Well, how would you describe your ideal client? When you think of somebody that you would enjoy working with what comes to mind?
Jillian McCarthy: [00:21:46] All types of different people get married and I'm happy to work with anybody, everyone, and anything in between. Again, with my approach of I'm here to guide your process, usually my couples have a pretty good feel of what they want their wedding to look like. Maybe they've been to a bunch of weddings in the last few years. Maybe they do a lot of events. You know, I have a bride getting there this fall, who is a coordinator for a charity out in this area. So she's like, I already know what to do and kind of how to do it. I just need your guidance. You always want a couple who has a good time. I like to joke around and I can be pretty sarcastic. So it's always fun to have that good interaction with them too. And just someone who's bubbly and outgoing.
You know, as a planner, I'm happy to work with anyone who needs the help, for sure. So, you know, if I can help them, they want to make sure that I'm a good fit for them too, because we're going to be working together for a year and then I'm going to be with them all day on their wedding day. So it's a mutual relationship for sure. So, you know, I want my couples to kind of have an idea of what they want and you know, it's always helpful to know who they are and their preferences already going in always helps the process a lot.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:22:58] Yeah. It's definitely important to work with wedding professionals that you actually like, because photographer, for example. They can create the most beautiful pictures, but if you don't mesh well personality-wise, it's not going to be an enjoyable experience.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:23:16] Exactly. They're with you from when you're putting on your dress, getting your finishing touches up on your hair and makeup at your ceremony.
So that's one of the things I always say is as much as I'm making sure that a client is a good fit for me, they need to make sure that that's a good that for them even down to was the client someone who's very type A who needs to be responded to within 12 hours rather than 48 hours. Those things go a long way.
And I think that that's something that each client needs to kind of figure out what they want for their wedding and what they want out of their vendors as well. And then again, it's just, you almost interview each other to see if you're going to be a good fit when you first start talking.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:23:57] Yeah, I totally realized that I'm not always going to be the right fit for every couple.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:24:02] Yeah. It's like speed dating almost. And I've never been speed dating, but I've seen it on TV. So it's kind of how it is sometimes.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:24:10] Well, I've never been speed dating either, but I have been speed networking. Which is kind of nice because I'm not really a natural networker. Like I go to networking events and I usually hang out with the same people that I already know it just kind of counter productive. But I always enjoy having the conversation with a bride. Just to get an idea of what she wants for her wedding even if she doesn't pick me for her wedding DJ. It's still refreshing to just kind of hear who they are and get to know them better.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:24:42] Yeah, definitely. And one of the first things that I do with my couples when we book is within the first week, I like to jump on a preliminary planning call. One of the first things we do is we establish communication. And how do you communicate and how do you want me to communicate with you? Because I have a bride getting married this April, who we have everything via email, but she always needs a text follow follow-up saying, "Hey, make sure you check your email on this," or, "Oh, this is, due." You have to learn a lot about each other to plan a wedding, so it definitely takes some time and effort to get there. But it's nice that every client is different. That's one thing that's great about this is everyone's different and unique and they have their own vision. So it's fun to work with the different styles.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:25:24] So we have touched on COVID-19 a few times in this conversation. Would you mind sharing your continued experience with that since the last time we chatted?
Jillian McCarthy: [00:25:34] Yeah. So here in Florida, especially in this area on the Emerald Coast, we've been very fortunate to have the experiences that we've had with COVID, just in terms of being open and even being able to host weddings.
The hardest part is the unknowns, I think. For me as a bride, the unknown getting married in Connecticut and for my bride, who's from Texas coming to Florida. It's just hard to know what is going to happen and when it's going to happen. Just continuing to educate myself on what phase are we in in terms of opening up and what are the guidelines and what are the rules or restrictions.
As a planner, that's just been very important to me, so that way I can reassure my clients on how things are going. And then it's just a tough time to be planning a wedding, just being that friend and confidant in your client who maybe just needs someone to talk to and be told that it's okay. You know, it's nice to have someone who can just listen or sit on the phone and cry with you if you need to like let it out. Like, I don't know if we're going to get married. Like, you know, sometimes it's just nice. So it's kind of taken on a new part of planning for me that I didn't really expect.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:26:48] Yeah. It's one of those things where with a new experience, you never know how you're going to react. This actually reminds me of when I was in the military. You do what's called SERE training, which is basically like when you're in a survival situation and you train for it. And even in your other training, You never know how you're going to react to a specific situation until it happens. So you can always kind of like, guess like, "Oh man, if this thing happened, I would totally react this way." But until you're in it with everything going on there's no way to tell. And even if you react unexpectedly, there's nothing wrong with that. It's just part of being a human and having emotions and things like that.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:27:29] Exactly. And there's no right or wrong to how you feel planning during this pandemic. No one knows what's going to happen or when it's going to happen. So people just have to remain strong and know that they're going to get married if it's with 20 people or 150 people, they're still going to be able to get married that's what's important in the end.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:27:50] Yes. The saying of the vows and being together that is the most important thing out of the entire wedding. Everything else is fluff and creates the total experience, but that's the core and that's the important.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:28:05] That's why everyone's there.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:28:06] So since you've shared about yourself as the now owner of Jillian Rose Events, would you mind answering a few more personal questions?
Jillian McCarthy: [00:28:15] Sure.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:28:15] If you could pick any time period to go back to what would it be and why?
Jillian McCarthy: [00:28:22] Like in my life?
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:28:23] No. In general. It could be in your life. It could be in the stone age, whatever.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:28:28] So I've always wanted to go back to the seventies. I love That 70s Show. I love the music from that time period. It just seemed like everyone was so carefree and there was no cell phones or computers. And everyone just kind of had to hang out with each other and relax and enjoy it. I don't know why, but maybe it's because I love the show, but that's always been a timeframe that I've wanted to go on and hang out
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:28:57] in.
I would probably go like in medieval times.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:29:00] Yeah.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:29:01] Maybe it's more because of the different shows that are on like a Merlin or King Arthur, the movie. And I realized like they didn't have all the niceties we have today and I wouldn't have glasses, so I wouldn't be able to see anyway. So, but no, I think it'd be cool to just to see what the experience is like, because you can read about it in a textbook, but it's not really real.
Unless you're in the middle of it.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:29:25] Yeah, exactly. For me I need electricity though. I think that's a requirement for myself. I need electricity and running water.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:29:31] True. Yeah. They didn't have either one of those back then. I don't know if I asked you this question. What's your guilty pleasure?
Jillian McCarthy: [00:29:38] My fiance makes fun of me all the time, but I'm like a big Potter head. Like I love Harry Potter. My cat's name is Tonks. Yeah. So, I mean, I listen to it on audio book. We have all the movies. But my whole family is, so I feel like they're my safe Harry Potter friends that I have.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:29:57] I think mine right now. I don't really have one. I guess working on my business.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:30:05] That's a very productive one to have.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:30:09] Actually, I take that back. My guilty pleasure is getting to eat food that is not compliant with Rhoda's diet because she's currently getting ready for a figure competition. So she can't eat anything. She's in competition prep, so her diet is super regulated. I actually, for the first time in forever, got a month of free bagels from Panera, which is kind of funny because my wife consistently got them for the entire time we've been together. And this is the first time I've ever gotten them. So I go to Panera and get a bagel with butter. Usually Asiago Cheese. And I also signed up for their free coffee thing. So I get a free bagel and a coffee and I'll probably do that today. So that's kind of like my guilty pleasure cause I know that Rhoda can't, so I kind of feel bad. But it's still really good. What is a talent that you have that some people would be surprised to find out about?
Jillian McCarthy: [00:31:10] Gosh, a talent?
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:31:12] A talent. Yeah!
Jillian McCarthy: [00:31:13] Like juggling? I can't juggle.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:31:14] Whatever, whatever you would consider a talent.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:31:17] So I think one thing that a lot of people don't know about me is that I've been an athlete for a very long time. And usually when you're a wedding planner, it's not associated with being an athlete. I played soccer for years, travel teams. I didn't play in college, but I played on a club team, which is. Like quote unquote, JV. I went to the University of Connecticut, so Uconn, and played there. I got recruited to run track at some places.
So I surprised a lot of people when I didn't go into a physical therapy or a sports medicine type of role. So I think that that's something that not a lot of people know about me. And I have played like the beer leagues, but I have played as an adult. They have some spring leagues around here that I usually end up playing in. So I just think that's a little different.
Not a lot of female wedding planners do that. Maybe they do. And we don't know, but
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:32:08] They're all secrets.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:32:09] Yeah. I think that's something that people just don't know about me that I love sports and I've been an athlete for years and. Even though I'm washed out now, I still consider myself an athlete. So
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:32:18] Oh, hush. What position do you play?
Jillian McCarthy: [00:32:21] In soccer I played center mid.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:32:22] Oh, nice. So you're on the ball a lot.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:32:25] Yes. So may have gotten some awards here and there. So. Yeah.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:32:31] Okay. All right. Well, as we wrap up the podcast, is there anything else you would like to leave the listeners with?
Jillian McCarthy: [00:32:37] Well, I feel like the theme of today has been planning during COVID. You know, just making sure that they keep what's important in mind and couples just kind of need to remain strong and remember what they're there for. And everything will get worked out. A lot of vendors, especially in this area, have pivoted to make sure that they still have a positive planning experience. Just keeping what's important in mind and trying to have fun where you can and enjoy the wedding planning as much as possible and just take it day to day. I think that's important.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:33:07] Absolutely. That's a great note to end the podcast on. If a bride would like to reach out to you, what is the best way for her to get ahold of you?
Jillian McCarthy: [00:33:17] My cell phone, what's listed on my website and social media, is (860) 885-9993. In my email is jillian@jillianroseevents.com. And then all of my social media is just @jillianroseevents. So you can follow along, reach out on any platform. I'm pretty quick to respond. That's how to follow along with my planning and all of my couples.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:33:45] All right, Jillian. Well, thanks for coming back once again.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:33:48] Thank you. This was great.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:33:50] My pleasure. All right. So here's all the couples that are in the process of planning their weddings and here's to making those weddings a highlight.
Well, hello, everyone. Thanks again for checking out the podcast. Again, my name is DJ Josh from Highlight Weddings and Events, and I have my second repeat guest. Her name is Jillian McCarthy, and now she's representing Jillian Rose Events. How are you doing today, Jillian?
Jillian McCarthy: [00:00:44] I'm good. How are you?
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:00:45] I'm doing awesome. It's a beautiful kind of cold day.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:00:50] I love it.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:00:52] Does it remind you of home?
Jillian McCarthy: [00:00:54] Yes, it does. It is very nice. And I enjoy it a lot.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:00:58] I'm sure it's not quite as warm as it is here right now, up in Connecticut.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:01:02] No, it is not. I think there's some snow on the ground.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:01:06] It would not surprise me. In case a listener has not heard the first podcast you were on, would you mind introducing yourself to the listeners?
Jillian McCarthy: [00:01:15] Yes. My name's Jillian McCarthy. I am the owner and planner for Jillian Rose Events. So I'm a wedding planning company located out here in the Destin, 30A, Emerald Coast area. I was previously on a few months ago. I most recently was the Wedding Sales Manager at the Henderson Beach Resort in Destin. So I just went out on my own and open up my own planning company. So I'm here today to talk about Jillian Rose Events.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:01:45] All right. Well, why don't you share a little bit about that with the listeners? Because I think that's something that they will find interesting.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:01:51] Great. I opened Jillian Rose Events officially in November of 2020, which is, for some, very weird time to start their own small business after the year that 2020 was. But I think that last year and everything that it was, everyone kind of realized a lot about themselves what they wanted to do, and what they really wanted to make their day to day look like. And so I really just kind of took control of everything. And I went out on my own, got everything, started to get up and running for my own company. But I have been in the wedding business for a long time.
I originally started back in little Mystic, Connecticut, probably almost 10 years ago. Doing internships at different hotels there in the wedding department and their banquet department. And I, throughout college did internships all across Connecticut. And then I ended up working at a venue as a wedding sales manager for years there. I just kind of loved the day to day of what it was and interacting with couples and doing tastings and detailed meetings.
And then I had opportunities doing the same thing out in Chicago, where my parents lived for a little bit, again, doing the same thing. I always worked at a venue, but I always loved sitting down with the couple and doing the details and meeting with them. And then I came to Florida in 2018 and I was a Wedding Sales Manager at the resort down here. And it just really got me in the market down here to get to know other vendors and other locations and kind of the general idea of how weddings work on the Emerald Coast.
After I took all of my knowledge from two and a half years there and brought it to my own company to kind of form what I have today across multiple States and Regions. So it's exciting. It's nice to be in control of your own destiny as lame as that may sound.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:03:42] That is a little cliche, but it's not lame. I wouldn't say it's lame. I do think that last year definitely opened people's eyes to different possibilities, because if there's not something that requires change, oftentimes people won't even consider it. Yes, 2020 and COVID-19 itself was not pleasant, but the unpleasantness wasn't necessarily a bad thing for everybody.
Now it did impact some people in a tremendous way.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:04:13] Absolutely.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:04:14] I don't want to lose sight of or diminish that. But for people that have made it through that trying experience. I think it's been a source of improvement.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:04:26] Absolutely. Yes. We're definitely lucky down here too, with how it's been throughout the pandemic and what we're still able to do and produce, especially in the wedding business. I'm very grateful to have the opportunity to even do it.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:04:39] Right. So you mentioned that you've been a part of wedding event teams in Connecticut and the Chicago area. What are the similarities and differences between there and here?
Jillian McCarthy: [00:04:50] I think a lot of it is who the couples are. When I worked in Chicago, it was a lot of city weddings. That very loft feel. And sometimes that pulls a different level of client. You know, it can be anything from their age to the types of people that they have coming to for wedding, the overall feeling that they want. The process is the same everywhere, but the overall feeling of each event is different for the region.
Down here, we'd have a lot of beach weddings and a lot of destination weddings. Whereas when I was in Connecticut and Chicago, it was a lot of local couples. Even though I worked in cities in both areas, the couples up there are usually a little bit older and I think that's a cultural thing. It's just how the couples are and the age that they get married and the different norms that they're around.
So it's different interacting with. Some places you work a lot with their parents and the families. And in another locations, you work only with the bride and groom and you meet the parents on the day of the weddings. It's just different norms that you have to adjust to based on where you are. But I think that's part of being a wedding planner is being able to read your client and what they're all about and who they want to be involved with their plannings.
It definitely taught me a lot about how to interact and sometimes manage a lot of different opinions with mothers of the brides and mothers of the grooms. And that aunt of the bride. It's definitely helpful to you have learned that
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:06:17] Yeah. Something that I've noticed since I started in 2020, my client interaction has increased on the booking side of things. A lot of couples that are coming down here, they have kind of that weird tension of, "Well, we want to have a wedding that's not super formal." And almost like they're slightly worried that if they don't do all of the traditional things, the guests won't approve of it.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:06:45] Exactly.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:06:46] But because this is a destination wedding, your guests are going to be here more with a vacation vibe anyway, and you don't really necessarily have to worry about those same kind of restraints of being super formal if you don't want to. Weddings here tend to be more kind of like a choose-your-own-adventure, where you can incorporate things or decide not to do them. And it's not really a weird thing. It's kind of normal.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:07:13] Yes. And even going along with that. Just the flow of the receptions are distinctly different. Here it's a lot of stations and strolling menus where guests can get up and interact with each other. Cause typically they're come for the weekend where they come Thursday through Sunday and make a vacation out of it. So they have everyone up and mingling. And in the cities where I've worked and it's a lot of sit down plated meal, formal, multiple courses. So it's a different style for sure.
But yeah, people love to come and then just hang out down here. It's a good place to kind of relax. Usually people are just a little bit more casual. You know, there are venues that are in this area that have that more formal feel, if that's what the couple wants. But it's a lot of just interacting and want to hang out with their guests, which is nice to see.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:08:02] Yeah, totally. Especially with COVID a lot of times, at least recently, it's been kind of like a reunion where a lot of the family members or friends just haven't seen each other and it's like, "Oh, Hey, how's it going?" during both the prelude and cocktail hour. So that's really refreshing to see when people are getting together for something like that.
So how has your experience been starting Jillian Rose Events?
Jillian McCarthy: [00:08:26] Overall, it's been very positive. Having been in the area, there was an outpouring of support. I had close friends and vendors and colleagues in this area. But going out on my own, everyone just offered support right away. "You need anything?" Call me" "If you have any questions, call me."
That was really reassuring on the outside. Internally, it's a little tougher. I went from working at a structured eight to five, Monday through Friday, plus being at all the events job to working from my home office, that's in my guest bedroom. So, I have to stay on track with myself and there's days where you have great conversations with potential couples. And then there's other days where you don't get any leads and you don't talk to anyone and you're kind of trying to make business for yourself.
It's different to adjust to the schedule for sure. But overall I have absolutely loved it. Just getting to go out to all these different venues and meet with different vendors and getting to talk to couples in a different way, talking about myself and really what they want to do it's really fun to take that perspective of it rather than when I was at a venue. You just kind of talk about how they want to get married at that one venue. Here, I kind of get an overall perspective of just who the couple is and what they really want out of their wedding day.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:09:50] Yeah. It's definitely a challenge being the worker and the boss. For some people who transition from being the technician to then owning your own company, it's not always a good fit. So the fact that you feel empowered and you're full speed ahead with it is great.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:10:08] Yeah. It's reassuring. So I'm someone who sometimes I think of an idea and I say it, and then 10 minutes later, I'm like, "Oh, that was a bad idea. Let me do this." Very scatterbrained sometimes. But this is one thing I came up with the idea at the end of July of last year that like, this is what I really wanted to do. And ever since that day, it just hasn't wavered. So. it's reassuring to myself knowing that I'm doing what I should be doing.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:10:36] Yeah. It is a good feeling to know that. To be like, "Man, I'm really good at this. I enjoy it." It's really cool when you find where you fit in the world and when it all comes together and it makes sense.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:10:50] Yeah. It's very reassuring for sure.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:10:52] Okay. So I asked you this question in the previous podcast, but I'm going to ask it again because I imagine that your answer might be slightly different now.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:11:00] Okay.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:11:01] What excites you about being a part of a couple's wedding event team?
Jillian McCarthy: [00:11:05] One of the reasons I wanted to go out on my own, and I think it speaks to this, is I'm just so much more involved in getting to know the couple. I get to know the couple and I really feel like I'm much more a part of their day. You know, I'm the one who I feel like really gets to take control and run everything. Whereas when you're at the venue, you kind of let the planner run everything and.
You know, I was always a little green-eyed monster that I want to have that role. And I want to be that person for each couple that checks in whenever they need anything, thinking two steps ahead and just making sure that they're comfortable and happy almost as being a good hostess.
But I think for me, it's something that I am looking forward to is just really being a part of the couple's planning experience and getting to know their families and just knowing a little bit more about them and what their dog's name is and why they came up with this signature drink and this name and just getting all of the background on the couple. It just makes it that much more rewarding.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:12:07] Okay. So you're more invested in the process and not a manager or like an overseer to make sure something doesn't go wrong.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:12:14] Yeah, exactly. So having the experience from the hotel definitely is helping me now. But you just get to be there from start to finish and see them off down the aisle. And, you know, you're the last one to say "Congratulations," before they walked down to go see their husband or whoever's standing at the altar. It's just nice to play that role.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:12:36] And I think the fact that you come from that context, will help you be an asset when dealing with different venues. Because you have that unique perspective where you just didn't start out being a wedding coordinator. You can foresee or anticipate questions that they're going to need answers to. And just coming from that space will help you relate better to someone that's in the position you were in.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:13:03] Yeah, exactly. And so I know when people, when venue, coordinators and stuff for. There BEOs and their meetings during the week and how things are going to flow from their perspective because that's something that's very important is making sure that the venue and caterer have what they need and when. Because as much as I'm there to execute everything, they're the next big component to running the event just in terms of food and set up and everything. So definitely nice to have that perspective.
And I've worked shifts on the valet drive and I've done my time at front desk checking guests in. So having all of that is just going to help my couples. They have one person to go to for all of those questions, and I feel like I'm able to be that person for them rather than them asking me and I have to ask someone else to then answer their question. It mitigates a lot of that middleman, I believe.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:13:57] Right. Well, and you also benefit from the fact that you are also in the middle of planning your own wedding as well.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:14:04] Yes. So I've definitely had going through my own wedding and I'm actually planning my wedding to be back in Connecticut. So it's reversed destination, I guess, for this, but yeah. It's been fun. so I'm enjoying it.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:14:19] What are some things, as you've been planning your own wedding, that have maybe either been aha moments or just some things that are helping you in terms of interacting with brides?
Jillian McCarthy: [00:14:32] Sure. So I think the biggest thing right now is COVID. I mean, elephant in the room. We got engaged in April and I remember when I booked my wedding, I was like, "No way this will be around next summer. Like, it'll be fine. You know, after this summer, there's nothing to worry about." But now I'm about six months out and I'm still, "Where does my guest count lay? What are the restrictions in that state versus what it is here?" Because I think that's the trickiest part is the unknown right now. You know?
And I feel like a lot of brides who are getting married right now are definitely all excited to get married. But there's this sense of, "Well, we didn't get to have, you know, an engagement party or maybe my bridal shower was drive by or virtual." So I feel like it makes their wedding day that much more exciting. And I personally can relate to that because my fiance Zach had planned for both of our families to come down for a weekend and hang out here in March. And then the week everyone was supposed to come, was like the week everything shut down. And that's when he was originally going to propose. So then he decided to do it anyways, which in my opinion was a very good choice. But we didn't get the celebration with families. There's some pros and cons where it was nice to have it be just the two of us. But now that it's been almost a year planning from afar, it's hard to see what that state is doing even just, you know, what's it like when you go out to a restaurant or if you stay at a hotel that's really tricky to figure out when you're farther away. So it's nice to have connections in the state that you're getting married to say like, "Oh, it's really okay." That reassurance is definitely nice to have.
But I think that's been the hardest part is just navigating through COVID and I have found for me the best way to do it is to just plan it and whatever happens happens. At this point, everyone that I'm inviting knows where it a pandemic. So I think everyone just kind of has this go with the flow attitude. They're gonna be happy for us if they're at the wedding or not. If we have to limit desk count. It's definitely tricky to plan. And how many chairs do I rent? How many charges do I rent? Because of COVID, we don't know what's going to happen. But I'm just trying to take it one day at a time and make the decisions I need to make on time and go from there.
We're going to be married. And our immediate family is going to be there. That's what we know. So that's, what's important to us.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:16:59] Absolutely. Would you mind sharing with the listeners? you kind of have a unique approach to the wedding planning process, which I think is one of the reasons why you decided to venture out and start Jillian Rose Events. Would you mind sharing that with the listeners?
Jillian McCarthy: [00:17:14] Yeah. So my motto or philosophy is that this is their wedding. They get to design and plan their wedding vision to make it how they want. And I am here to guide that process. A lot of my couples already come in with kind of a general idea of the feel that they want. Maybe they already have a color scheme and they need help finding who their vendors are going to be that can fit that.
My goal for all of my couples is to enjoy and relax, and I do all the legwork for them. If they already have an idea for what they want their flowers to look like or their linens. They share that with me and I can go out and find A, B, and C event design teams, get quotes, and present it to them and they can pick yes or no. I have my own wedding that I'm planning that's my own design, so I don't need to choose their design for them.
And I think that's something that a lot of couples get nervous about when hiring a planner, is that a lot of them want to do that fun stuff: picking out their colors and their florals. Whereas, I'm here to enrich that experience for them and make sure that they get what they want. And then to provide a professional spin on it. "Oh, you want to have this happen, but really like let's maybe think about X, Y, or Z." You know, I can be that unbiased opinion sometimes to kind of put a professional spin on it that's going to help them make a decision.
But I think that that is something that couples really like to do. They like to design their invitations. They like to design what their tables look like and what linens they have. So I'm just here to make that come to life for them. And really just again, do all the legwork for them. So they can do all the fun stuff of picking everything out.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:19:04] That's funny that you mentioned that because my wife totally designed our invitations and came up with the concept, but our coordinator was very influential 1) in just eliminating a lot of the stress that we would have had to deal with. She helped to focus our selections between different vendors and helped to provide some reassurance and support for Rhoda, because you can have a coordinator, but the wedding planning process is still going to be stressful.
It's not like if you were to hire Jillian, it's just going to be a magical rainbow unicorn time where you're just floating on a cloud the entire time. It's just inherent because people are involved in it. So stress is going to be there, but having somebody in your corner who understands the type of event that you want will help immeasurably to reduce the amount of stress and really keep you on track with different things.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:20:03] Yeah. And so when my couples book with me, I get them all a personal custom timeline for what they need to do and when. So like the invitations, I'm here to say, this is when you should order your invitations. And this is when you should send them out and this should be your RSVP date. And this is the vendor that I recommend. But like you design and create. So that's really I feel like what couples look for is that, what do I have to do and when? But I want to do it.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:20:31] Right.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:20:31] If that makes sense.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:20:32] No, that totally makes sense. And a lot of times, because most couples, this is going to be their first time getting married, they don't realize what a realistic timeline of events is going to be. Having somebody who is experienced and is in the know is definitely beneficial.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:20:50] Exactly. And a lot of couples like to, nothing against the moms out there. My mom has been awesome with planning. But the last wedding I think she went to was her own. And that was in the eighties.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:21:03] Oh, yeah.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:21:03] So, you know, they have the knowledge, but sometimes trends change and we have a fresh perspective of what the trends are and how things are going. You know. Do people still do bouquet to us? Do they still do a garter toss? Is that something just my mom did in the eighties? So it is nice to kind of have again, that unbiased opinion out there.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:21:23] And you're also not a family member, because that is a very treacherous dynamic to kind of wade through. No offense to having a cousin or an aunt do the coordination, but it's definitely a different relationship dynamic.
Well, how would you describe your ideal client? When you think of somebody that you would enjoy working with what comes to mind?
Jillian McCarthy: [00:21:46] All types of different people get married and I'm happy to work with anybody, everyone, and anything in between. Again, with my approach of I'm here to guide your process, usually my couples have a pretty good feel of what they want their wedding to look like. Maybe they've been to a bunch of weddings in the last few years. Maybe they do a lot of events. You know, I have a bride getting there this fall, who is a coordinator for a charity out in this area. So she's like, I already know what to do and kind of how to do it. I just need your guidance. You always want a couple who has a good time. I like to joke around and I can be pretty sarcastic. So it's always fun to have that good interaction with them too. And just someone who's bubbly and outgoing.
You know, as a planner, I'm happy to work with anyone who needs the help, for sure. So, you know, if I can help them, they want to make sure that I'm a good fit for them too, because we're going to be working together for a year and then I'm going to be with them all day on their wedding day. So it's a mutual relationship for sure. So, you know, I want my couples to kind of have an idea of what they want and you know, it's always helpful to know who they are and their preferences already going in always helps the process a lot.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:22:58] Yeah. It's definitely important to work with wedding professionals that you actually like, because photographer, for example. They can create the most beautiful pictures, but if you don't mesh well personality-wise, it's not going to be an enjoyable experience.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:23:16] Exactly. They're with you from when you're putting on your dress, getting your finishing touches up on your hair and makeup at your ceremony.
So that's one of the things I always say is as much as I'm making sure that a client is a good fit for me, they need to make sure that that's a good that for them even down to was the client someone who's very type A who needs to be responded to within 12 hours rather than 48 hours. Those things go a long way.
And I think that that's something that each client needs to kind of figure out what they want for their wedding and what they want out of their vendors as well. And then again, it's just, you almost interview each other to see if you're going to be a good fit when you first start talking.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:23:57] Yeah, I totally realized that I'm not always going to be the right fit for every couple.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:24:02] Yeah. It's like speed dating almost. And I've never been speed dating, but I've seen it on TV. So it's kind of how it is sometimes.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:24:10] Well, I've never been speed dating either, but I have been speed networking. Which is kind of nice because I'm not really a natural networker. Like I go to networking events and I usually hang out with the same people that I already know it just kind of counter productive. But I always enjoy having the conversation with a bride. Just to get an idea of what she wants for her wedding even if she doesn't pick me for her wedding DJ. It's still refreshing to just kind of hear who they are and get to know them better.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:24:42] Yeah, definitely. And one of the first things that I do with my couples when we book is within the first week, I like to jump on a preliminary planning call. One of the first things we do is we establish communication. And how do you communicate and how do you want me to communicate with you? Because I have a bride getting married this April, who we have everything via email, but she always needs a text follow follow-up saying, "Hey, make sure you check your email on this," or, "Oh, this is, due." You have to learn a lot about each other to plan a wedding, so it definitely takes some time and effort to get there. But it's nice that every client is different. That's one thing that's great about this is everyone's different and unique and they have their own vision. So it's fun to work with the different styles.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:25:24] So we have touched on COVID-19 a few times in this conversation. Would you mind sharing your continued experience with that since the last time we chatted?
Jillian McCarthy: [00:25:34] Yeah. So here in Florida, especially in this area on the Emerald Coast, we've been very fortunate to have the experiences that we've had with COVID, just in terms of being open and even being able to host weddings.
The hardest part is the unknowns, I think. For me as a bride, the unknown getting married in Connecticut and for my bride, who's from Texas coming to Florida. It's just hard to know what is going to happen and when it's going to happen. Just continuing to educate myself on what phase are we in in terms of opening up and what are the guidelines and what are the rules or restrictions.
As a planner, that's just been very important to me, so that way I can reassure my clients on how things are going. And then it's just a tough time to be planning a wedding, just being that friend and confidant in your client who maybe just needs someone to talk to and be told that it's okay. You know, it's nice to have someone who can just listen or sit on the phone and cry with you if you need to like let it out. Like, I don't know if we're going to get married. Like, you know, sometimes it's just nice. So it's kind of taken on a new part of planning for me that I didn't really expect.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:26:48] Yeah. It's one of those things where with a new experience, you never know how you're going to react. This actually reminds me of when I was in the military. You do what's called SERE training, which is basically like when you're in a survival situation and you train for it. And even in your other training, You never know how you're going to react to a specific situation until it happens. So you can always kind of like, guess like, "Oh man, if this thing happened, I would totally react this way." But until you're in it with everything going on there's no way to tell. And even if you react unexpectedly, there's nothing wrong with that. It's just part of being a human and having emotions and things like that.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:27:29] Exactly. And there's no right or wrong to how you feel planning during this pandemic. No one knows what's going to happen or when it's going to happen. So people just have to remain strong and know that they're going to get married if it's with 20 people or 150 people, they're still going to be able to get married that's what's important in the end.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:27:50] Yes. The saying of the vows and being together that is the most important thing out of the entire wedding. Everything else is fluff and creates the total experience, but that's the core and that's the important.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:28:05] That's why everyone's there.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:28:06] So since you've shared about yourself as the now owner of Jillian Rose Events, would you mind answering a few more personal questions?
Jillian McCarthy: [00:28:15] Sure.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:28:15] If you could pick any time period to go back to what would it be and why?
Jillian McCarthy: [00:28:22] Like in my life?
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:28:23] No. In general. It could be in your life. It could be in the stone age, whatever.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:28:28] So I've always wanted to go back to the seventies. I love That 70s Show. I love the music from that time period. It just seemed like everyone was so carefree and there was no cell phones or computers. And everyone just kind of had to hang out with each other and relax and enjoy it. I don't know why, but maybe it's because I love the show, but that's always been a timeframe that I've wanted to go on and hang out
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:28:57] in.
I would probably go like in medieval times.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:29:00] Yeah.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:29:01] Maybe it's more because of the different shows that are on like a Merlin or King Arthur, the movie. And I realized like they didn't have all the niceties we have today and I wouldn't have glasses, so I wouldn't be able to see anyway. So, but no, I think it'd be cool to just to see what the experience is like, because you can read about it in a textbook, but it's not really real.
Unless you're in the middle of it.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:29:25] Yeah, exactly. For me I need electricity though. I think that's a requirement for myself. I need electricity and running water.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:29:31] True. Yeah. They didn't have either one of those back then. I don't know if I asked you this question. What's your guilty pleasure?
Jillian McCarthy: [00:29:38] My fiance makes fun of me all the time, but I'm like a big Potter head. Like I love Harry Potter. My cat's name is Tonks. Yeah. So, I mean, I listen to it on audio book. We have all the movies. But my whole family is, so I feel like they're my safe Harry Potter friends that I have.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:29:57] I think mine right now. I don't really have one. I guess working on my business.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:30:05] That's a very productive one to have.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:30:09] Actually, I take that back. My guilty pleasure is getting to eat food that is not compliant with Rhoda's diet because she's currently getting ready for a figure competition. So she can't eat anything. She's in competition prep, so her diet is super regulated. I actually, for the first time in forever, got a month of free bagels from Panera, which is kind of funny because my wife consistently got them for the entire time we've been together. And this is the first time I've ever gotten them. So I go to Panera and get a bagel with butter. Usually Asiago Cheese. And I also signed up for their free coffee thing. So I get a free bagel and a coffee and I'll probably do that today. So that's kind of like my guilty pleasure cause I know that Rhoda can't, so I kind of feel bad. But it's still really good. What is a talent that you have that some people would be surprised to find out about?
Jillian McCarthy: [00:31:10] Gosh, a talent?
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:31:12] A talent. Yeah!
Jillian McCarthy: [00:31:13] Like juggling? I can't juggle.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:31:14] Whatever, whatever you would consider a talent.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:31:17] So I think one thing that a lot of people don't know about me is that I've been an athlete for a very long time. And usually when you're a wedding planner, it's not associated with being an athlete. I played soccer for years, travel teams. I didn't play in college, but I played on a club team, which is. Like quote unquote, JV. I went to the University of Connecticut, so Uconn, and played there. I got recruited to run track at some places.
So I surprised a lot of people when I didn't go into a physical therapy or a sports medicine type of role. So I think that that's something that not a lot of people know about me. And I have played like the beer leagues, but I have played as an adult. They have some spring leagues around here that I usually end up playing in. So I just think that's a little different.
Not a lot of female wedding planners do that. Maybe they do. And we don't know, but
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:32:08] They're all secrets.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:32:09] Yeah. I think that's something that people just don't know about me that I love sports and I've been an athlete for years and. Even though I'm washed out now, I still consider myself an athlete. So
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:32:18] Oh, hush. What position do you play?
Jillian McCarthy: [00:32:21] In soccer I played center mid.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:32:22] Oh, nice. So you're on the ball a lot.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:32:25] Yes. So may have gotten some awards here and there. So. Yeah.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:32:31] Okay. All right. Well, as we wrap up the podcast, is there anything else you would like to leave the listeners with?
Jillian McCarthy: [00:32:37] Well, I feel like the theme of today has been planning during COVID. You know, just making sure that they keep what's important in mind and couples just kind of need to remain strong and remember what they're there for. And everything will get worked out. A lot of vendors, especially in this area, have pivoted to make sure that they still have a positive planning experience. Just keeping what's important in mind and trying to have fun where you can and enjoy the wedding planning as much as possible and just take it day to day. I think that's important.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:33:07] Absolutely. That's a great note to end the podcast on. If a bride would like to reach out to you, what is the best way for her to get ahold of you?
Jillian McCarthy: [00:33:17] My cell phone, what's listed on my website and social media, is (860) 885-9993. In my email is jillian@jillianroseevents.com. And then all of my social media is just @jillianroseevents. So you can follow along, reach out on any platform. I'm pretty quick to respond. That's how to follow along with my planning and all of my couples.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:33:45] All right, Jillian. Well, thanks for coming back once again.
Jillian McCarthy: [00:33:48] Thank you. This was great.
DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:33:50] My pleasure. All right. So here's all the couples that are in the process of planning their weddings and here's to making those weddings a highlight.
