Peter: I'm joined by Amiee Porter of Our Third Grace Weddings and Elopements. Amiee has an awesome story. Give us a quick intro.

Amiee: I started photographing weddings in 2013, when I shot a friend's wedding. Once I posted it on Facebook, people said, "Oh, you do weddings? You're a wedding photographer." I took on that identity, grew to love the business, and I've been photographing weddings full-time since 2017. I'm from Pennsylvania, and my husband's parents own Memorytown, a venue in the Pocono Mountains.

Amiee: We became friends on Facebook, and I kept seeing the success stories you shared. The wedding world changed a lot after COVID. Then an interview with Pete Mackey popped up. His studio is down the street from where I used to live, and he crushes it. Before I joined, I asked him about his experience, and he had nothing but great things to say. Things were looking slow for 2024. I had maybe four or five weddings booked, and I needed another way to bring more in the door.

Peter: A lot of people come to us with that scenario: "This year was good, but I'm usually more booked up for next year by now."

Amiee: We visited friends in Colorado in June 2023, which is when Christian proposed, and again that November. We felt so open, creative, and free there, and we'd never lived anywhere but Pennsylvania. Our friends kept saying, "Just move here," so about a month or two after I started with you, we moved.

My mindset was, "I did so great in Pennsylvania. People should be coming to me and booking with me." I was kind of cocky, and it just wasn't working. It was really hard to book. I don't think I came across as genuine. If a couple's budget didn't align with my prices, I'd think, "That's not meant for me." Looking back, I would have changed that a lot.

Peter: You'd basically been running a six-figure business in Pennsylvania. Then you moved, and it was a stark reality: a new area with no word of mouth and no reputation. If you're thinking about relocating, you can do it, but there will be a learning curve.

Peter: You worked with us on a four-month deal, then left, and came back about two months ago. What happened?

Amiee: Heading into summer, I was planning our wedding back in Pennsylvania, traveling, still shooting weddings there, and going to my bachelorette party. I couldn't balance all of that with the ads, and I didn't want to do it halfway, so I stepped away. After our wedding, we talked about our next steps. My husband, Christian, is a full-time musician who has always wanted to give Nashville a shot, and it reminds us of Pennsylvania. So we decided to try another location before having kids. I'd tried running ads on my own, and only one ever worked, about five years ago. So I swallowed my pride and called you: "We're moving again. Let's do round two."

Peter: I admire that, because I know how hard that can be.

Amiee: Being in Colorado, disconnected from friends, family, and the word-of-mouth referrals we were used to, was a reality check, honestly for the best. Around our wedding, I realized what I needed to change. We're married now, and eventually we want a family, so I want stability and a method that works.

Peter: I had the same thing happen. The day after Katie and I got married in 2018, I shut down the business I was in and went in a new direction. Marriage is a milestone that makes you take stock. Everyone wants personal growth, but nobody wants to go through the furnace of facing themselves. You really went through a kind of death and rebirth.

Amiee: When I signed back up, I felt relief. Peter, Augie, Jeremy, the whole team had my back. Last time, I told myself I had to make it work, but I wasn't there yet. This time, I told myself to let things go. If something isn't aligning, there are more leads coming in, so just come from a place of wanting to help people.

I picture it this way: back in February, I was a dot and leads were a dot, with the arrow pointing from them to me. Now it points the other way. How can I help and be of service, even if it's not a fit? Even if they don't book me, they might tell a friend who's getting married, "This photographer was really awesome and helped me out." My biggest thing coming back was to be open.

Peter: Sometimes newer photographers do better than people who've been at this a long time, because experienced photographers have bad habits and preconceived ideas. The game has changed. Selling to strangers on Instagram is different from collecting checks from venue referrals.

Amiee: October was about getting set up and familiar with your new platform. The app keeps everything organized in one spot, so I can see where every lead is and who needs more attention. Then November took off. From the first couple of days through Thanksgiving, when I actually booked a wedding, I booked five weddings. I can't remember the last time I booked five weddings in a month, maybe 2021 or 2022. Couples just kept saying, "Yep, we'd love to work with you," and I thought, "Whoa, it's working." They were in Nashville and Colorado.

Peter: That was about $22K in revenue on about $570 in ad spend, which shows how profitable this can be.

Peter: What's enabled you to be successful?

Amiee: Growing confidence and not being afraid to showcase my work and myself. I ask questions like, "Is this what you're looking for? What moments are really important to you? Why are you getting married?" I use the tools from the program to connect on a deeper level, run the discovery call and consultation start to finish, share my screen to show pricing and packages, and open the floor for questions.

Peter: Why do you think people struggle with that?

Amiee: Fear of rejection. When you say, "Let me know if you like it," and put it all in their hands, that's when people walk away. They want someone to take charge and say, "I'm the professional. You can trust me, and I'll lead you through this." If you do everything you can and it doesn't work, that client wasn't meant for you.

Most couples are getting married for the first time and don't know everything involved. I've photographed probably more than 200 weddings and elopements since 2013. So I'll say, "You're getting married in November after the time change, your ceremony is at 4:30, and you're not doing a first look. The sun sets at 4:30, so when would you like to do your portraits?" They realize it'll be dark, and I lay out the options. A photographer is a bit of everything, like a day-of coordinator and dress bustler, and I tell couples, "From start to finish, I have your back."

Peter: You can't lecture people on a sales call. They'll get defensive. But if you ask questions, they realize, "I actually need eight hours to get what I want."

Amiee: If the partner isn't on the call, or they want to talk it over, I say, "Absolutely, it's a big decision." I ask how soon they're looking to book, and I keep my proposal live for about a week, because I work on a first-come, first-served basis. Then I send a follow-up with everything we talked about and a gallery, and a day or two later I check in: "Any questions?" Usually by then they say, "Everything looks great. We want to move forward."

Peter: That only works if you've done a solid job on the consult. Otherwise they'll ghost you or say it's outside their budget.

Amiee: When I first came to Colorado, my attitude was, "This is my pricing, and this is what I'm worth." I didn't consider that no one knew me there. Coming into Tennessee, I've lowered my packages a little. If I'd said that in February, I would've called myself an idiot. But I'd rather lower my prices a bit, book consistently, grow my portfolio, and raise them again later. It's not forever.

On the discovery call, I gauge their budget. If it's $500, I say, "That's a little out of my range, but I'm happy to help you find someone closer to what you're looking for." On the consult, I show my pricing on Zoom and try to build a package that's almost impossible to say no to, like adding a free engagement session. I also tell them, "Just for jumping on the discovery call today, you get $200 off." Some couples have said, "This is a little over our budget, but we love you and everything you're offering. How can we say no?" I booked five weddings last month, and now it's addictive. I want to keep talking to people.

Peter: Marketers spend 80% to 90% of their time thinking about their offer: how to increase its perceived value so people can't say no while it's still profitable. In the wedding industry, people's identity is so tied up in their work that they think, "If you don't pay this price, I'm not good." You have to separate yourself from what you're selling. Look at the market and build your offer around it, instead of creating it first and blaming the market when it doesn't sell.

Amiee: At one point this year, I thought about stopping. What's the point if no one's booking? Now I realize it's not me. I just had to stop attaching my value to my price tag.

Peter: What's your biggest advice for anyone whose 2025 is looking slow?

Amiee: First, patience. Learning to lead couples and show them you can guide them through a successful wedding day takes time, and not everyone is ready at "Hey, how are you?" Second, consistency. The fortune is in the follow-up, so make sure people know you're there. Keep up with your KPIs, too. It can be a doozy, but it shows you whether you're doing enough. Third, help people. Fourth, don't get down on yourself. If one lead doesn't work out, you have three others to focus on. Don't look backward, because you're not going that way. People are also booking later than they used to, so don't panic if your calendar isn't full two years out.

Peter: That's resilience, and it's a big deal in terms of who succeeds. Even the best closers in the world hear no seven out of 10 times. A 30% close rate is considered great. These are skills you learn.

Amiee: Fifth, lean on the community: Peter, Augie, Jeremy, Angel, and everyone on the group calls. Even if you don't have a question, jump on and listen. You might learn something you hadn't thought of. Be a sponge, put in the work, and be open.