Candice (00:01.332)

Hey Kayla, welcome to the show.

Kayla Madden (00:05.123)

I'm so excited. I'm so pumped to talk to you.

Candice (00:08.542)

I'm super excited to have you here. cannot wait to hear all about how you've been able to grow your business over these four years. Are you celebrating your, you just celebrated your four year business anniversary like a couple of weeks ago.

Kayla Madden (00:22.19)

four years and I totally forgot about it because I was so busy with weddings that just passed by and I was like, crap, four years. It's pretty crazy.

Candice (00:25.472)

you

Candice (00:30.398)

Well, I want you to go on social media today and celebrate yourself if you haven't found time to do that already. I always forget about my business anniversaries too. It's like you have so many things that you're doing. just slips. Time flies when you're just having fun being an amazing wedding planner and building a brand that's recognized. Yeah. Well, you were sort of a requested guest, requested by...

Kayla Madden (00:33.961)

Amazing.

Kayla Madden (00:48.288)

Yeah, it's been great.

Candice (00:55.834)

like association. So so many people have come up to me and said, I love Kayla, I love her brand. I love everything that she's doing. She really stands out. I love her marketing. I love her events. I love her event style. Like I want clients like that. I want to build a business like hers. Can you help me? And I'm like, I don't know.

Kayla Madden (01:13.619)

That is so wild for me to hear. I'm just like, you know how it gets, you're in your own bubble, you're doing your thing, you're working hard. So to hear that people are recognizing that and want to hear about it is like so humbling and so awesome.

Candice (01:19.23)

Mm-hmm.

Candice (01:26.802)

Yeah, well, good. And listen, I think you should know that people are talking about you behind your back in really great ways. Really great ways they're saying so such lovely things about you. And that's not by accident. I mean, I've noticed you as well very early on, especially when you rebranded and you rolled that out. Like, I noticed you I was like, wow, this girl is super cool. We'll get into all this. But that's when I really started to notice your brand in your business.

Kayla Madden (01:47.694)

Thanks

Candice (01:56.464)

And you have in a saturated market, New England is so saturated. There's like a wedding planner on every corner. Yeah. It's like you wedding planner, Dunkin' Donuts wedding planner, Dunkin' Donuts everywhere. Yeah. You've, you have created a name for yourself in a saturated market and you also beat to your own drum. When I did your intro, I literally, I said that and I said in her tagline is not your cousin's wedding planner. Like she's so different.

Kayla Madden (02:02.648)

Facts. The accuracy, the accuracy.

Candice (02:26.1)

than I think what a lot of people might expect a New England wedding planner to be. And you've really carved out in your marketing and your branding, but also in your approach to design and events, you've carved out a name for yourself. So you deserve all your flowers. You're working really hard behind the scenes and we want to know like what you're doing. So that's what today is all about. All right. So I think let's start from the beginning because I love an origin story. I think there's so much greatness in an origin story.

Kayla Madden (02:45.449)

Let's get into it.

Candice (02:55.306)

So I would love to know what inspired you to start your business. Take us back to the day of the year in the month where you started your business and like, what was the catalyst?

Kayla Madden (03:05.23)

Yeah, totally. To be honest, it took me a while to get confident in my origin story. I think when I first started my business, which was in October of 2020, I like felt a type of way because I didn't have a strong hospitality background or long term event background. And I thought that I would be frowned upon in entering this industry because of that. You know, I went to school for fashion, merchandising, retail marketing, I was a buyer.

global marketing for a major toy company. But, you my introduction to the wedding industry was in 2015 when my sister got married and she is not a planner. She doesn't want to get on the phone. She doesn't want to talk to anyone. So I totally took the lead and helped her plan her wedding. And then I started doing it for friends. And then I planned my own wedding. And at the time I was just so over my corporate job. I was not feeling fulfilled. I was not happy.

And I said, you know, I'm just gonna start this little passion project and kind of see where it takes me.

Candice (04:11.7)

And here we are, it's taking you pretty far.

Kayla Madden (04:12.992)

And we are. And here we are. Yeah. I mean, it started as a passion project and it was like, you know, I can get a couple of event management clients and just do a couple of years and it'll just make me happy, but I'll keep working my corporate job. And then as soon as I got that sort of itch and as soon as I was put in the position where I realized, shit, like I am good at this. I'm really good at this. it has turned into obviously a very fulfilling career.

Candice (04:42.432)

What was that moment where you were like, wow, okay, like I actually do know what I'm doing. Even if I'm making it up, like I'm making it up correctly. Like I'm figuring it out.

Kayla Madden (04:52.882)

Yeah, totally. It was just, I don't know, like a snowball of things, you know, like I said, like I had a really small goal. And then when I exceeded that goal, I was like, okay. You know, I was like, pop off. So, you know, things just started to snowball and I just started to get really, really invested in it.

Candice (05:13.982)

Hmm, that must have been so gratifying though when you're like, wait a minute, I'm onto something here. And this is more than just a little passion project. Like this is my passion. Do you feel like the work that you're doing right now is you're fulfilling your purpose, at least at this stage of your life?

Kayla Madden (05:29.529)

Like this is so cheesy, but 100 % and what's so wild is I was always the kind of person that was like, I'll go to school. I'll work in the corporate world. I probably won't love it, but you know, it's okay. I'll make decent money. I'll go home. I'll have my weekends. Like that was 100 % my mentality. Like I truly did not think I would ever find something that made me feel this way. So as soon as I got that glimmer of it, I was like,

Holy shit, this has completely changed my life.

Candice (06:00.062)

Yeah, it's so gratifying. And once you kind of trip over a passion of yours, just can't like it takes over your life. It consumes you. Yeah, for sure. Well, tell me, what do you think when you look back at your business in October of 2020? What was your original vision back then? I know it was like, I'll do this cute little side project. But when you look at that versus the vision that you have for your business now, what do you think has changed the most?

Kayla Madden (06:09.065)

Totally.

Kayla Madden (06:27.959)

Yeah, something that they think was really great is even when I went into it thinking it was just a passion project, I still was like all in. Like I still worked really hard to create an amazing website. I did it myself. So, you know, amazing for what my capabilities were. But I mean, it was great. Like I did, I worked really hard. spent days and nights working on it.

Candice (06:44.898)

you

Kayla Madden (06:52.154)

and meeting people. So I always went into it with intention, but I think as soon as I got, like we talked about that little like glimmer of it being more is when I just fully was able to dive in. And that's when I started to more so identify, you know, what was next and what was gonna really allow me to make that into something.

Candice (07:12.894)

Yeah. With your business, when you started, do you feel like you incorporated your personal values and your personality in that very first brand? Or did it take you some time to infuse yourself into your business and then go all in on who you are?

Kayla Madden (07:31.796)

Yeah, I think I was always at the root of it. And it always kind of stemmed from my own personal brand, which is why I feel like I was able to grow relatively quickly is because I really honed in on that. I think obviously, I'm sure we'll get into this. But I think when I did the rebrand, like you mentioned last year, that was me really like putting it all in. However, I do think it always stemmed from

me and who I am and my values from the start. And I truthfully think that's why couples gravitated towards me.

Candice (08:02.898)

Yeah, because of what you put out there about yourself, people connected with that. They had similar values. They believed in the same things.

Kayla Madden (08:09.792)

Yeah, totally. And I think at the end of the day, like a lot of people just want someone to connect with and resonate with. And I think that I gave them that sort of outlet. And I feel like they saw me as, like that's someone that I can work with, but also connect with.

Candice (08:26.622)

Yeah, well, like I can be a friend with that person. I would actually talk to her outside of this. I would totally chill with her.

Kayla Madden (08:32.962)

Yeah, I mean, when you think about it, when you're a wedding planner, you're spending so much time with this couple and vice versa, right? So building that connection to the person themselves is such a major, major part of it.

Candice (08:38.399)

I'm

Candice (08:46.686)

Is that easy for you? Do you feel like you just connect with people naturally or do you have to work on that?

Kayla Madden (08:53.102)

I think I'm kind of, always say like, one of the examples I always say is when I was like a young kid, I was obsessed with wrestling, but also like clothes and fashion. So I feel like I have a lot of like varied interests. And I think because of that, it allows me to connect with a lot of different people from different ages, different backgrounds. So I think that's been really helpful for me. But I mean, coming out of the pandemic, I think I lost a little bit of my social skills.

Candice (09:22.011)

Yeah

Kayla Madden (09:22.359)

And I'm sure a lot of us feel that way. So it was definitely something that when I established my business, I had to be a little bit more like conscious about it and work towards.

Candice (09:31.308)

It's so fascinating because you started your business during the pandemic. A lot of people did and it's so great to see how much entrepreneurship has come out of that time. But it was like the worst time to become a wedding planner.

Kayla Madden (09:43.328)

It was wild. You know what though? I think it was such a key to my growth because I was on the clubhouse train so hard. I was doing virtual webinars and virtual education, things that weren't virtual prior to 2020. So I feel like I really just immersed myself in as much as possible.

And again, I think that's what helped me kind of be able to jump in a little bit quicker.

Candice (10:13.096)

Yeah, I definitely think education helps a lot with just kind of finding your way and finding your footing. You also have to have a good filter on like, well, how does this apply to me? Do you feel like you're able to listen to advice and then synthesize it and take action on what makes sense to you? Do you think that's like one of your superpowers?

Kayla Madden (10:33.844)

Yeah, I think early in my business, it was probably a little harder. You know, you're hearing so much, but as time has gone on, I asked myself a lot of questions like, what is that going to do for me? Or how does that serve like what I want to do? And I think I've become a lot better at canceling out, you know, not noise, but things that really don't serve me or aren't in my best interest.

Candice (10:56.468)

Yeah, I wish more people would do that. And it's a constant struggle though, because sometimes you get a little shiny object syndrome or you get imposter syndrome and you're like, you kind of take a detour. When you started your business, was imposter syndrome something that you struggled with in the beginning?

Kayla Madden (11:04.046)

Totally.

Kayla Madden (11:10.722)

Absolutely, we've all been there for sure.

Kayla Madden (11:20.648)

man, you know what? Yeah, I think there were moments of it. There's definitely some moments that stick out where it hit me, but I never let it all consume me. really, I was very conscious about it and noticed when it was happening and then kind of just like said, get away and kind of shoved it out of the way so that I could just continue on my

Candice (11:44.415)

Yeah, it's something that so many people wrestle with. And I've been asked this question too in the past. And I'm going to be honest, I didn't struggle with imposter syndrome when I first started. Because I had no idea what I was doing. So I didn't know what an imposter would be.

Kayla Madden (11:57.106)

totally Candice I honestly feel like I was similar like I was just like whatever like I was just like doing it so I almost didn't have like the time to like wrestle with that and then I think by the time it hit me I already knew enough about myself and my brand

Candice (12:06.772)

Yeah.

Candice (12:11.218)

Yeah, for sure. But I mean, there are some days where I feel like an imposter, even at this ripe old ass age that I'm at, there are some days so as a beginner, it was like the Dunning Kruger effect, I had like all this, this like hyped up enthusiasm, and I had no knowledge of what I was doing. But the more I learned, the more I felt like I didn't know. And that kind of got in my way a few times.

Kayla Madden (12:28.931)

Love it. Yeah, totally. And I feel like, you know, as you grow and want to expand in different ways, it's going to continue to hit you in different ways. And I've definitely felt that, you know,

in the past couple of years as I've been trying to grow in certain directions as well.

Candice (12:51.752)

Yeah, for sure. Yeah. Well, take me back to your first wedding. I love this question. I want to hear the story of what it was like for your first wedding because we all have a first wedding and some of our story. I mean, they all range we but we all similarly go through some similar things. So I want to know about your first wedding.

Kayla Madden (13:11.027)

Yeah, I mean, my first ever wedding under the Madden-Made brand was a tiny winter micro wedding for a mutual friend down on the Cape. And I packed my car up with chairs, like filled to the brim and flowers, and I shoved it all in and I drove out there and I set everything up myself and it was just...

you know, this crazy thing that I just threw myself into. And you know, that bride to this day is still like sent me a housewarming gift. Like she's just so sweet and so appreciative. I'll say my first like large wedding that I did like full service planning for even though I didn't call it full service planning, you know, you just did what you had to do. My first exactly so

Candice (13:47.776)

Candice (13:59.754)

Especially during COVID.

Kayla Madden (14:04.266)

It was a backyard tented wedding in my hometown and I had to 100 % work my ass off to pretend that this was like my hundredth backyard tented wedding, even though it was not. And yeah, I think honestly, you asked me this earlier, but like that was a really pivotal point because that when I was able to execute that, I was like, damn, like I did that.

that's crazy. And kind of from there, I just knew that I had more in me.

Candice (14:39.678)

Yeah, that's quite a wedding to cut your teeth on. Congratulations.

Kayla Madden (14:42.874)

my, it was wild. I mean, the parking was kind of a hot mess, express, the color palette, dear gosh, if you guys saw it, it is not a madden made wedding. But you know what, I learned so much and it was like so exhilarating and really, really, really exciting.

Candice (14:48.523)

You

Candice (15:05.118)

Hmm, those type of weddings you're like, if I can do this, like, what else can I do?

Kayla Madden (15:11.11)

my gosh, the card box got whacked over and broke and people were showing up with all these balloons because it was a Ukrainian wedding, but no one told me that they brought balloons. So I was trying to figure out what to do with all these balloons. Just, you know, so many little funny chaotic moments, but really fun to look back on and haven't thought about that for a while. So I'm glad you asked me that.

Candice (15:21.472)

you

Candice (15:35.15)

Yeah, well, listen, I think your first wedding is one that you have to remember. It's humbling and it reminds you of where you came from and how far you've grown. And I think it also connects you back to what you're capable of, especially in stressful situations or when you're working with clients who maybe are difficult or

you are pitching yourself on a job that you're like, holy shit, I can't believe like I'm up for this job or you're nervous about something. It's always good to go back to that experience, you know, with the Ukrainian wedding and the balloons and the color palette and the house and I'm sure there was like food things and bathroom things. Yeah. Yeah.

Kayla Madden (15:54.702)

100 % 100 % so many so and you know what though that never goes away. I always have a little notebook where after wedding I'm like this happened like you know little lessons for

for all the times to come, but that's something I love about what we do is it's ever-changing and you're ever-growing.

Candice (16:31.456)

true. And you bring up a good point, which I think sometimes you don't talk about very often, especially when we look at each other through curation. We don't know that, you know, maybe on your last wedding, there was a hot mess parking situation. I mean, you're not going to go on social media and be like, Hey guys, you know, but it happens. Yeah.

Kayla Madden (16:47.314)

Totally, 100%. And anyone who says it doesn't is lying.

Candice (16:54.078)

Yeah, yes. Do you think there was, we've talked about a few strategies that you implemented when you started your business, but I guess I would ask you if you could pick a strategy that you implemented early on in your business that you think contributed most to your growth, to where you are now, to the Madden made that people are like, I want that business too. What's something you did early on you prioritize that you think really helped you in the long

Kayla Madden (17:22.176)

Yeah, honestly, hands down, just building honest connections. Very early on, I went into it asking vendors, what are your challenges? What are your struggles? What do you love about working with a planner? What don't you like about working with a planner? I remember a specific phone call I had with a videographer very early in my business. And I asked him that. said,

What are things that you haven't liked about working with planners in the past? And this videographer said to me, nobody has ever asked me that. And it kind of made me pause because I was like, how? Like, aren't people curious? Because I was just so curious and I wanted to know how I could be the best planner, the best support, work really well with vendors.

And that's something that I did off the bat, I mean, immediately. And I think it's really, really been so helpful because now I have, you know, really, really honest and great and strong relationships.

Candice (18:23.71)

Yeah, that's a really good point and a good lesson that we should always be open to hearing feedback and asking the partners that we work with, like, what's your take on this? Or how can someone in my position, maybe it's not me, how can it, what would it be like if we could do something better and include you in that? Yeah.

Kayla Madden (18:42.486)

Yeah, totally. I've always been curious in that and just trying to make it the best experience for everyone involved. And that's something that I still try to do to this day.

Candice (18:53.886)

Yeah, I would love to know about the rebrand. So in your original business, you did this all yourself, right? And obviously, you did it well, because it helped to support the rebrand. So you had some business going. When did you in what year did you rebrand?

Kayla Madden (19:00.474)

Yep.

Kayla Madden (19:08.942)

I rebranded, I launched my rebrand February or March of last year. So it's been, you know, coming on two years next year, which is so wild.

Candice (19:21.694)

I know. And how is that process for you? Do you feel like you did it at the right time in your business? And how did you know that you needed to invest in a rebrand? Like you needed to put some money on the table and like get this in the hands of a pro.

Kayla Madden (19:36.14)

Yeah, know, I started, the weddings that I was starting to produce were at, you know, what felt like kind of the next level to me. I got really lucky and I'm so grateful that, you know, I got a couple really trusting clients early on that trusted me to create something awesome for them. And as soon as I had that, I said, okay, I need to now continue on this path. Like I'm not gonna go back.

and I knew that I one had to stand out from the very saturated, New England market. And two, had to really, I had to show like everything that I was. And I really wanted to go out there and do that.

Candice (20:11.812)

Thank

Candice (20:21.854)

Yeah. And do you feel like the process of exploring what your brand could be and recreating your brand with a pro, do you think that that was a bit of a tipping point in your business history and even elevated everything even farther?

Kayla Madden (20:38.556)

Totally. I, my gosh, I remember that process so vividly because I had this, I had this like internal battle because I knew I wanted to produce, you know, a high end, high level production design focused weddings. But when my brand designer came to me with like the first draft of assets, I was like, my gosh, like this is too different. Like,

This isn't what the other, know, I hate using the word luxury because I feel like it just, anyone can say it and I don't think it has much meaning, but this isn't what the other like luxury planners in my market look like. And I had just like this battle of like, it's to this, it's to that. And then she came back with like a revised sort of asset group. And I was like, no, that's not it. So I ended up going back to the original.

But it was like this battle I was having with my own self about like doubting anyone really going to resonate with this brand the way that I'm thinking they're going to. And wow, I'm so glad that I did what I did. Because to answer your question, like, yes, it did. It did change a lot and it did like impact my work and my clients moving forward.

Candice (21:56.244)

Yeah, I think you because it because it was so different. People noticed it.

Kayla Madden (22:02.228)

Yeah, and I mean, there are people who want a beautiful, awesome wedding, but don't want it to look like everything else. And I can't tell you how many times I still to this day get an inquiry that's like, wow, I looked at so many other planners websites, but like the second I got onto yours, like it was different. And I think that's really scary to do, which is probably why more people don't do it. Cause I mean, I had that internal struggle as well.

But man, if you do it, like the impact is so exciting and it can be so great.

Candice (22:36.202)

Yeah, I agree. And if you have a professional who's supporting you, I also lean on their expertise. Like, I don't feel like somebody is going to steer you in the wrong direction as a brand designer, and they understand your market. they're designing for a lot of things that you may not understand, and it's important to stay true to yourself. I was watching the Martha Stewart documentary. Have you watched it?

Kayla Madden (22:54.732)

Yeah, absolutely.

I have not, but I need to.

Candice (23:00.043)

you need to. And there's several takeaways from it. I've met Martha a few times. There's several takeaways from it. And the one that really resonated with me was when she said, every time I listened to other people and their opinions about what I should be doing, I made the wrong decision. But when I listened to myself and I listened to what I wanted and what I know to be true,

That's when I always won. she, think she was attributing it to her time after she got out of prison and she was kind of like pushed out of her business and she was, had to listen to different people and she didn't have control. She's like, when I'm in control and when I'm pushing forward with my ideas, things go the right way. And it struck a chord with me.

Kayla Madden (23:44.013)

That's, I resonate with that so hard and it's so true. And like I mentioned earlier, like I think being able to turn things off and really look at them saying, Hey, is this what I want? Does this work for me? Does this work for my couples?

Candice (23:45.97)

You

Kayla Madden (24:00.556)

I think that's been the true game changer in being able to kind of be able to get where I wanted to go and hopefully continue going where I want to go.

Candice (24:09.236)

Yeah, I completely agree. If you could go back and do one thing differently when building your brand, is there anything that you would do? Or do you feel like everything, like you're happy with the way this story is playing out right now?

Kayla Madden (24:23.694)

Wow, it's so hard because I am like, I'm really happy with how it's playing out. I mean, the only thing I would say is really just like listening to my gut always whether that's on a client to take on or not take on or a decision to make or, you know, saying no to a project that doesn't fulfill me. I've been asked to do, you know,

shoots or projects for influencers or for this. And I said no to some things that I think a lot of people would have said yes to. But I always, again, went back and just like listened to my gut and was like, what is this going to do for me? Is this really going to, you know, put me in the direction I want to go in? And every time I haven't listened to my gut is when I get angry at myself. So I'm going to, I'm going to stick to that.

Candice (25:10.518)

Yeah. I think you need to watch the Martha documentary. think you're going to be like, I didn't know Martha was that. I we knew that she was that girl, like she really, yeah, she is such an interesting person. And in the documentary, she shows like all sides of herself vulnerable. You obviously see the side of Martha that you would expect, which is like, you know, tough as nails. Yeah.

But it's such a great documentary. All right. So I would love to know more about your marketing and your approach to marketing because I think you do marketing really well. And so how do you think marketing played a role in building your brand? And also to this point today, like in continuing to build your brand and the evolution of it over time.

Kayla Madden (25:57.322)

Yeah, I mean, it's a work in progress. I think something that's really worked for me or that I've kind of committed to is just figuring out what my secret sauce is and then putting that message everywhere. Like that is my main message and that's what I want to convey. it's like, whether it's the images I'm sharing or the content I'm sharing or the events that I'm going to or

who I'm connecting with. I'm always keeping that top of mind and really wanting to get that message out there. And then something, I try to expand, my goal was to expand into New York and I was successfully able to plan my first New York weddings this season. And something that I did to do that, that I have found very helpful is dedicate 15 minutes a day to commenting and interacting.

Candice (26:44.371)

Awesome.

Kayla Madden (26:54.412)

with people that you want to work with and just genuine, like just genuine responses and reactions. like, the more you do it, you're one, putting your name out there where other people you want to see it are going to see it. And then two, you're just putting your name top of mind. So these people are starting to recognize who you are. And it's, you know, takes very little time. And it's just something that I still to this day will try doing for markets I want to grow in.

with vendors I want to work with, and I have found that that's super helpful.

Candice (27:28.222)

Yeah, I love that. And I think it's an underrated marketing technique to create genuine connections with other people, especially on social media. And I mean, there's so much strategy in that outside of just creating connections and being supportive, which people always appreciate. You're also dropping your digital business card around. People are saying, bad made everywhere. They're like, who's this person?

Kayla Madden (27:50.784)

Totally. Totally. mean, I can't tell you how many times vendors who have never worked with me refer me to their clients. It's like crazy because we've just built this like connection and they feel like they know me because, you know, I'm trying to be out there. I'm trying to be open with my message and I put myself out there and I'm connecting with them on a level that

Candice (28:01.503)

Yeah.

Kayla Madden (28:17.386)

is genuine because it is, and they're receptive to it and they're sending me clients because they want to work with me. it's just a really, really exciting thing to see come to fruition. And I think you just got to put yourself out there. And that honestly is just the biggest thing that's worked with me for me from a marketing perspective.

Candice (28:42.932)

Yeah, it's a good lesson and a really good reminder. Do you have like a marketing strategy? Do you sit down and you're like, Ooh, let me create my marketing strategy. Or are you just kind of like, I know that I want to stay on message and I've got these like awesome pieces of content that I want to share. Do you kind of wing it? Is it somewhere in the middle? What's what what do you do? No right or wrong answer.

Kayla Madden (29:00.046)

Yeah, I mean, it's my marketing strategies not great. I'm going to be honest, I do my best for the time being. But no, I do sit down, I dedicate time to deciding messages, but it's a lot of things that like, as I think of things. like, if a couple says to me something that like sparks a message I want to convey to other couples, or if something happens, like I'll just take little notes on my phone.

Candice (29:09.507)

Mm-hmm.

Kayla Madden (29:28.888)

And then that way, when I sit down on my Monday that I've dedicated to, you know, creating my social media plan, then I can kind of utilize those notes and I'm not trying to like pull things out of nowhere. And I'm not creating this like random caption that has no, you know, connection to my couples or to me. So I, you know, I write down those things and try to pull from that and then, you know, kind of plan what I'm going to share.

And I mean, so many people have said this, but I try really hard to only share things that I want to produce. Like there are so many weddings I've done that like no offense, love my couples, but like won't see the light of day on my marketing. And it's because I really have to be strategic about sharing what kind of weddings I want to continue to be a part of.

Candice (30:18.976)

It's a really, really interesting strategy because the eye is what buys in the wedding industry. So if you're sharing things that are, say not your style and you don't want to attract more couples like that, but that's exactly what you're going to do by sharing work that is attracting people who want the things you don't want to do. So yeah.

Kayla Madden (30:39.094)

Totally, and I mean, it's really hard when you're first starting and you don't have a lot to share, right? And it's like, even back then I was so strategic. Like I would share like a black and white image of something from like an event. So it wasn't like super, you know, themed or anything. If I didn't necessarily, wasn't necessarily like, you know, proud of the design or it wasn't necessarily something that I want to continue to produce.

Candice (30:41.565)

it is.

Candice (31:03.23)

Yeah, it's a good point. And that's also just a good technique is trying to find something from a wedding. If you're just starting or you're in that series where even too, for anybody out there who might be trying to transition to a different style or niche, you may not have a lot of that work. There's ways that you can frame it, but you have to be really strategic about it.

Kayla Madden (31:20.142)

Totally.

Candice (31:24.402)

One thing I will say about your marketing is that it's very consistent. And I don't mean that Kayla's always up on a Monday posting, because I don't keep track like that. But what I do keep track about is that what you share is very on brand. And there's consistency in every image and in everything that you share and in what you participate with and who you're seen with, the people that you're connected to.

Kayla Madden (31:32.526)

Riot.

Candice (31:50.668)

And it's very strategic, but also organic. Like you're just following your own way of doing things, but because you've remained true to yourself and what you like and what you want, and you're very clear about your vision and the types of clients you want to work with, you know what to do and what not to do.

Kayla Madden (31:54.683)

Totally.

Kayla Madden (32:08.234)

Yeah, I mean, it all comes down to just my personal brand is like my brand is an extension of my personal brand. Like it's just who I am. So I feel really comfortable, you know, keeping that voice throughout everything I do. And, you know, honestly, one of the biggest compliments I ever got was from another planner. I met her at an event and she said,

you match everything that you see. She's like, you know, when I meet you in real life, like it matches your website, it matches your Instagram feed, it matches your stories. Like that's who you are. And that's a huge compliment because gosh, I don't want to get on a call with a couple and they're like, like, this is who you are. Like that would be so unfair. And they're going to catch onto that bullshit. You know, they're going to know that you were putting on a facade. And it's like, I think

Candice (32:34.227)

Yeah.

Candice (32:49.727)

Mm-hmm.

Kayla Madden (33:01.186)

the sooner people just really hone into who they are and like project that and just like celebrate that, people are gonna love it and they're gonna trust you.

Candice (33:11.4)

Yeah, I agree. That could be hard to do though. And I, it is hard. For some people it comes naturally. Do you think this comes naturally to you or do you have to work on embracing it? Like loving yourself enough to share all the different parts of you in your business and just feel really confident in yourself.

Kayla Madden (33:31.224)

I think having like a variety of interests and like personality when it comes to that has helped me naturally do this, right? Like I've always been the, in know, the second grade, I threw a themed parties for my friends. And then in high school, I was always the girl who had like the cool artistic bedroom. Like I think those parts of who I am make it a little bit easier for me to just like, you know, this is who I am and like be out there.

However, like a lot of it is me like consciously telling myself to like not listen to things or asking myself conscious questions. So that part of it is very much something that I actively try and work towards, especially now. thank you.

Candice (34:14.496)

I'm so proud of you. No, I am. It's not easy to be yourself. It's not. People say, just be yourself. you're like, well, it was that freaking easy, wouldn't we all just be ourselves and be comfortable with who we are and what we have to say and that our ideas matter or just feel confident in that we're enough?

I'm proud of you for embracing yourself. And that is one of the, think the big keys to your success over these last four years is you're just you and you're okay with you. Like you like you and you was kind of cool and interesting.

Kayla Madden (34:35.79)

Totally.

Kayla Madden (34:49.716)

Totally, and there's gonna be people who don't like me like then that is totally okay as well, you know, so I think a lot of people are scared to repel and I think that's something that I had to make a conscious decision about being okay with like I had to say I'm not gonna be for everyone like some people aren't gonna be like how loud I am about my values some people aren't gonna like that I say

Candice (34:52.748)

yes.

Kayla Madden (35:15.368)

I wanna burn polyester white linens in a giant fire. Like there's gonna be people who don't like or resonate with what I say. And I, you know, I have to be okay with that.

Candice (35:26.016)

Yeah, we all do. Because we're not for everybody. We're not. And we don't want to be. Exactly. Yeah. And we don't want to be. Like, I just don't have the time to be for everybody, if I'm being totally honest. No.

Kayla Madden (35:29.326)

Even in our personal lives.

Kayla Madden (35:36.526)

Absolutely. Can you imagine? No thank you.

Candice (35:40.96)

I'm like, I don't know if I have one more minute in the day to make another new friend or to be for everybody. you know, repelling people is also like being true to yourself is also giving people the opportunity to find the solutions they need with the right people that they want to work with. So I think sometimes when we people please and we try to be everything to everybody, we're doing the opposite of what our intention is. And we're like,

Kayla Madden (35:46.912)

Right

Candice (36:06.174)

you know, luring people in under a false pretense when we could just be ourselves and let them find a different person who might be a better fit for them, you know?

Kayla Madden (36:15.368)

Yeah, totally. And sometimes it's just finding like one little thing about yourself, you know, it doesn't need to be like this whole big thing. Maybe it's just, you know, I have a another planner friend who she is super family oriented. And like, that's so important to her. And I'm like, make that your message. Like there's a couple who are going to resonate so strongly with that, you know, so like

Candice (36:40.415)

sure.

Kayla Madden (36:40.46)

I think it can just be a little something and start with that and just try to really hone in on that and make that a message.

Candice (36:48.136)

I agree. Well, speaking of messaging, I want to know what it means to have a Madden made event. First of I love your business name. I think it's so fun. Of course you did.

Kayla Madden (36:57.12)

my gosh, I stole it from my husband. It was his Instagram handle for years. And when I started my business, said, Can I use your Instagram handle as my business name? And he was like, Yeah, sure. And now he's like, like, you really used it. And I'm like, I did that. Yeah, thank you.

Candice (37:17.3)

Well, you did it justice. Yeah, you did it justice. He should be proud. But what does it mean to have a Madden made event? Like, what do you think are, first of all, maybe some specific values that make up your brand, but also like what you bring to the table at the events that you're planning and designing?

Kayla Madden (37:38.74)

Yeah. So I think off the bat in terms of just values is really, you know, I am very loud and proud about my values, my ethos, what's important to me. And I think there are couples who resonate very deeply with that. And that's becoming, I think, increasingly important for, you know, the next generation of clients as well. You know, everyone's looking for that those brand ethos. And I think just being honest about them is going to

is gonna really be helpful for the people who wanna work with me. So that's one thing and just the experience itself. really say that I'm, I want a down to earth experience. my cup, I'm gonna bust my ass, I'm gonna work really hard, but my couples want a down to earth experience that feels professional, but still very comfortable. Like they have that sort of companion, that collaborator that they really trust to come to.

And that's kind of from like a values and experience what I would say a madden made experiences. And then in terms of the actual, you know, wedding experience itself, it's not cookie cutter. Like they don't want to show me a picture on Pinterest and then just have me recreate it. You know, they want something that's deeply personal. You know, we have a lot of tiny little details that other people might not notice, but that are so deeply connected to who the couple is.

and their guests notice it and they really enjoy it. And that's really a big part of the overall madden-made wedding that they get is they're gonna get something they haven't seen before and that is so intentionally curated for them.

Candice (39:20.148)

Hmm. Do you approach each wedding design project? Obviously with that in mind, you're probably trying to with your clients, like get to the root of their personality, their interests, like how can we make this different? You know, like what are you guys about? Like, so walk me through maybe some design things that you might do that you feel like really help to

Kayla Madden (39:32.266)

yeah.

Candice (39:44.212)

from a visual standpoint, be like, this is definitely a made event. But then also what you don't see visually, like what you just get to experience when you get to come to one of your events.

Kayla Madden (39:53.886)

Yeah, so I mean, from my couples, I'm pulling, like you said, as much information as possible, like, what's in their background when I'm having calls with them? Like, what does their artwork look like? I'm stalking their Instagrams. What do they wear? What vacations do they go on? I'm asking them about those trips. I'm asking them about the concerts they attend, how they grew up. Really, I'm spending all this time getting to know them.

so that I can then produce something that is really unique to them. And I'd say, I think you asked about like, you know, what it feels, the design feels like and looks like day of, you know, I think, I think people kind of know my design style as like a mix of colors and patterns and multi-layered and that's kind of, you know, my design MO. And then like I mentioned, those really personal details. So.

Candice (40:30.164)

Yeah.

Kayla Madden (40:48.45)

things that might seem a little bit odd, like why is she doing this? Or what does that mean? But they always know that it comes down to being tied back to that couple and those things that they shared with me.

Candice (41:00.99)

Yeah. Do you feel like your education background in fashion merchandising and retail prepared you to be able to look at things with a design eye and to like curate a visual experience for people in events? Because I mean, you didn't go to school for interior design. So you don't have that back. mean, none of us really do. Some of us, but really none of us do. So do you think that your background in visual merchandising kind of prepared you for some of this?

Kayla Madden (41:22.242)

you

Kayla Madden (41:30.276)

Yeah, I think it definitely helps. think pretty early on I'm able to kind of get like a sense from someone. Like I always tell people sometimes it just takes like one call and I'm like, right, I already have the color palette in my head and I already have like, it's always like kind of brewing. I think that, you know, fashion school was really helpful and helps me kind of just.

get a sense of who people are and then just kind of, you know, play with that.

Candice (41:58.654)

Yeah. Do you look, is there any places that you love to poke around for inspiration? Maybe is there, let me reframe this question from a recent wedding design. What was like a unique source of inspiration that maybe people wouldn't have looked, but you looked and you found to inspire the design behind the event.

Kayla Madden (42:18.94)

man, it's so cheesy. literally pull so much from my couples. It's like sickening. places I like to look are restaurants. And I think that restaurant and food branding is really, really cool right now. And I think they do things that might not necessarily automatically be translated into weddings, but that can be. And I think that

You know, people also know me for doing a lot of unique stationary type elements. And I pull a lot of that from restaurants or food branding. I mean, I sardines in my branding. get so many sardine things mailed to me by people. It's the sweetest. But, you know, I think things like that, that you don't necessarily relate to weddings are a great place. And that's where I pull a lot of stuff from.

And I also encourage my couples to like, I'll tell them like, send me things you're into that aren't wedding images, like fonts and restaurants and things like that. And then obviously you mentioned home interiors. Like I think there's so much inspiration. I come from home interiors.

Candice (43:16.767)

Yeah.

Candice (43:25.064)

Yeah, it's a great place to look, especially if you're just like kind of thinking about an aesthetic, know, hotels, restaurants. I you pay a lot of money to have some like big fancy schmancy designer design their shit. like you might as well be inspired by it, but also fashion. mean, I remember many years ago, probably before I became a planner, this might've been

Kayla Madden (43:31.864)

Totally.

Kayla Madden (43:38.339)

Yeah, exactly. It's so true. So true.

Candice (43:54.066)

A few years before there was a television show on TLC. I can't remember the name of it, but it was like a home improvement show. It was with that carpenter guy, Ty Pennington. Do you remember the name of the show?

Kayla Madden (44:06.126)

I don't think so.

Candice (44:08.096)

I don't, I don't, they used to like redo people, like a room in people's house or something like that. And I remember I used to be obsessed with this show because I was obsessed with interiors and design and stuff like that. And I remember watching an interior designer and he was Genevieve Gorder.

And she was, you know, it was her design. She was like going into this family's house. She was going to transform their living room, right? Into like something in like 24 hours. And she's like, my inspiration is this bowl of soup. And it was like this white leek soup in this interesting bowl. And she was going on and on about it. And like everybody's standing around thinking she's absolutely crazy, but something clicked in me and I was like, I

Kayla Madden (44:33.55)

Now.

Kayla Madden (44:43.244)

I see it.

Candice (44:44.19)

I see it. And then to see the bowl of soup turn into the living room, it was like a light switch had turned on for me and I thought, so you can look around at things and then look at color, texture, the way things are like playing with each other and that can then inspire something like that. It was totally revolutionary for me. I had never thought of something like that before.

Kayla Madden (45:06.265)

yeah, totally. Sometimes I see one small thing and all of a sudden I have like 20 ideas that stem from that one tiny random item.

Candice (45:14.492)

Yeah, for sure. I wonder, do you think that's something that can be learned or do you think it's kind of an inherent trait that some people possess that ability to look at a bowl of soup and be like, I see like a full event in that bowl of soup.

Kayla Madden (45:30.094)

I mean, I think there's definitely a part of it that's like natural, right? Like you kind of have it or you don't, but I do think you can push yourself because even I find myself in like creative ruts because at the end of the day, like I'm doing so much and then I have a deadline to me and it's like, whoa, my creativity like can't be on a deadline, you know? But at the end of the day, like I do have to push myself sometimes. So I think it's just getting yourself outside of the box. So.

Maybe it is going out to a couple of new places or a museum and just kind of like focusing it and making again that conscious effort to like, okay, what can I pull from this?

Candice (46:04.594)

Agreed. And I think also too, helps is being having some creative partners, like having a creative team in your life of people who you can bounce ideas off of and be like, Hey, what do you think of this? You know, like you want to be able to, when you're in a creative rut, get some feedback from somebody that you trust, to help guide you or to throw an idea your way.

Kayla Madden (46:13.742)

100%.

Kayla Madden (46:24.795)

Totally. Sometimes I need someone to tell me I'm not being totally cuckoo also, you know? Yeah, they're like perfect. Yeah. Exactly.

Candice (46:30.581)

Or just the right amount of cocoa. You're like, this is perfect. It's very on brand for you. What do you think when you look at five years from now, you talked about expanding into New York. So congratulations on that. But when you look at your brand in five years, you've got four years in, five years ahead. Where do you see yourself? Like where, where are we going?

Kayla Madden (46:46.926)

Thank you.

Kayla Madden (46:56.43)

I really want to up the ante on like the level of production that I'm currently doing. So something I'm working on right now is like educating myself on that. Like I wanna know more about lighting. I wanna know more about other sort of production elements that go into weddings and events and kind of build a little bit of expertise there so that I can, you know, in five years execute much larger scale of production. And I wanna build a team.

And something that's been again, an internal battle is I feel like a lot of the people around me are building like teams of like lead planners that then go on and take their own weddings. I was like, yeah, I'm going to do that too. And then I was like, Whoa, I don't want to do that. Like I very much want to be the lead planner and designer. And I want to build a team that supports that and that supports larger production. So it's like an in-house like.

builder or an in-house designer to support me or other people to kind of support me. But that's really the direction that I want to take things as like larger scale productions and a team that helps me execute those.

Candice (48:08.936)

Ooh, you're like our up and coming Jess Gordon. I'm excited for you. This is a big deal. This is really exciting. Yeah. Yeah. Hell yeah, girl. I love it.

Kayla Madden (48:17.474)

Thank you. Yeah, I want to have some big dreams. I feel like you got to dream big a little bit and and we'll see what happens.

Candice (48:25.322)

Production, producing events at that caliber, which I can visually see where you wanna go. And to be able to do a lot of it in house, like your Jess Gordons or your David Beams is really exciting. It's an exciting place to be and they're magical events. And it would be so wonderful to see your take.

on what that looks like, what the experience is like at those events. feel like you're, because your style is so, it's unique enough in itself where this will just be a nice breath of fresh air.

Kayla Madden (48:59.218)

Yeah, I mean, I can't tell you how many times I've had an idea that I'm like, but how do we bring that to life? Like, where do I find this? So that's kind of where I'm at right now is thinking ahead as to, you know, how can we make these wild?

Candice (49:04.205)

Yeah.

Kayla Madden (49:13.45)

exciting, crazy ideas come to life.

Candice (49:16.247)

gosh, I cannot wait to see this. When you are talking to somebody who maybe is in their first year or two of business and they're

trying to find their way. Maybe they're struggling a little bit with their own confidence, or they're struggling to find their own voice or their message. And they want to build a business like yours. Maybe not exactly the same font and the same color, but more so the same energy, the vibe, the mission behind it. What's a piece of advice you would give that person?

Kayla Madden (49:54.083)

Yeah, it's gonna be to not worry about what everyone else is doing and it is so hard and even you know, even just a couple weeks ago I had to mute someone myself on Instagram because I had that little moment where I was

making myself feel a type of way and it happens. And I said, all right, I'm going to mute you for a little, I'll unmute you when I'm like moved on from this. And I think you have to just make a conscious effort to do that. Like not worry about what everyone else is doing. Think about what you want and then think about what you need to do to kind of get there.

Candice (50:29.14)

Yeah, and explore all the resources available you to get to where you want to go. Surround yourself with the right people. Yeah.

Kayla Madden (50:35.352)

Totally. And you know what? I was just going to say this sounds a little backwards because I'm saying don't worry about what other people are doing, but also finding your group of people, whether that like one or three people, whatever it may be, that you fully trust and you can go to and you know that they understand you as a person and you know that they're going to help lift you up and they're going to help talk you out of, you know, not listening to yourself. I mean, even myself, you know, I have two planner, two to three planners.

Candice (50:58.836)

Yeah.

Kayla Madden (51:03.276)

that are just like my people and we just are honest with each other. We don't judge each other. We're just there to kind of be a sounding board. So if you find that and then you just ignore everyone else, I think you've got a good path ahead of you.

Candice (51:19.176)

I agree, keep your circles small and relevant to where you're going and where you're headed for sure. In your opinion, this is my final question. In your opinion, what do you think makes an iconic brand in the wedding industry that people recognize? What's that secret sauce that you think makes an iconic brand?

Kayla Madden (51:24.718)

Totally.

Kayla Madden (51:36.653)

Any good designer can design a beautiful wedding, but not everyone can design an iconic wedding. Color outside of the box. Like do not put yourself in this little box. Do not feel like you have to look a certain way, that your events need to look a certain way.

Color outside of that box and man, when you do, you can create some really, really cool stuff and you will get recognized for it.

Candice (52:15.59)

yeah, for sure. Well, Kayla, thank you so much for such a great conversation. I've loved learning more about your business, hearing your origin story, hearing your take on design and working with clients. This has been so great. And I know it's inspired everybody who's listened. So thanks for taking the time today to share. How can somebody who's listening to this episode, if they're not already stalking you, how can they go and find you? Where do they need to look?

Kayla Madden (52:44.537)

Yes, come find me on Instagram. That is where I spend a lot of my time hanging out, MaddenMadeEvents. And then my website is maddenmadeevents.com.

Candice (52:54.528)

Yeah, you can go stock, Kayla, in all the places. See exactly what we're talking about. I love it. Well, Kate, let's, yeah. my gosh. Well, thank you. This has been so great. I've loved learning about your business. And again, I just want to congratulate you on in the last four years, creating a business that people recognize is so hard to do. And you have, you've definitely been strategic. You've stayed true to yourself. You've stayed on

Kayla Madden (52:56.94)

Yes, come stock. Come stock, come message me, say hello. Thank you so much, Candice.

Candice (53:24.138)

brand message. You've not wavered from what you want and what you want to portray. You've been consistent. And I think that is your secret sauce besides you just being like a WWF loving.

Kayla Madden (53:39.47)

Right? Well, thank you so much. It's been a lot of work and it's, you know, tears have been shed and, you know, years of life have been shed, but no, it's, it's been so worth it. And thank you so much for letting me share some about it with you.

Candice (53:46.57)

I'm sure.

Candice (53:55.346)

Yeah. Yeah. So great.

Kayla Madden (54:00.834)

Thanks Candace.