For brides and grooms, The Big Fake Wedding serves as a source of inspiration, a resource in finding trusted wedding vendors, and an emotional reminder to plan for what comes after the wedding: a marriage! For participating wedding vendors, the event exposes their business to new referral sources while also exposing each vendor to a wealth of inspiration, resources, and confidence to take their business to the next level.

I originally started The Big Fake Wedding in 2008 as a way to market my budding wedding photography business. In the eight years that followed, I earned what I refer to as my "DIY MBA" as I learned about everything from trademarks to balance sheets to hiring and firing. The business was featured on dozens of news outlets including The TODAY Show, The New York Times, and Daily Mail. I sold the business at the end of 2016 and remain their biggest fan.