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When Joe Rogers started planning weddings in 2008, gay marriage wasn’t legal nationwide. So when he worked with gay couples, they often arrived without a clear vision of what their day could look like. They didn’t have a roster of must-do traditions they always dreamed of. Many of them weren’t even sure they’d be able to get married at all.
What followed was nearly two decades of creating non-traditional, true-to-you weddings for couples who didn’t see themselves reflected in many traditions. And even better: Joe grew alongside his business, and alongside his clients.
As he took his business full-time, Joe came out as gay. And he learned a lot along the way. He felt the emotional toll of clients’ unsupportive families, encountered homophobic vendors, and reassessed the most common wedding traditions. And it formed him into the creative, supportive wedding planner he is today (even as he began taking on “secret” straight clients!).
What Every Planner Can Learn From Gay Weddings
This week on Wedding Industry Insider, we sit down with Joe to talk about the joys and challenges of specializing in gay weddings, and why he rebranded to include a key group of straight couples too.
Joe is the founder of Contageous Events. He’s a Boston-based wedding planner and designer specializing in weddings that are unique and break free from traditions.
How Wedding Planners are the Bouncers for Weddings
When Joe Rogers helps couples plan weddings, one role he takes on is the bouncer. But not necessarily for the people who are allowed in. Rather, for the traditions, the energy, and the elements that are allowed in.
Working with gay couples allowed Joe to see how freeing it can be to ditch the templates for weddings, shed the expectations, and block the negativity… and create a day that’s based completely around the couple.
This episode is a must-listen for any wedding planner wanting to recenter their workflow around what truly matters.
Working with “Secret” Straight Couples
After spending years creating a safe place for gay couples to plan weddings, Joe got a call that changed everything: an engaged couple who loved Joe’s work, but they were straight. Could he still plan their wedding in secret?
Of course Joe planned the wedding, no secrets needed. But it shifted Joe’s entire branding for his wedding planning business. Listen in to the full episode for the cultural changes that also influenced the rebranding, and to find out how it worked for his business.
Joe’s Controversial Take on Advertising
During this interview, we reflect on how weddings have changed over the past 20 years. But we also get a jolt into the modern landscape of entrepreneurship. Because we’re talking about advertising, and Joe has some hot takes on this topic.
Joe made a scary decision two years ago that he still can’t prove was financially right, but he would make it again without hesitation. Here’s what he’s talking about:
- How AI search results have influenced their Google Ads spending
- How Joe’s ideal client avatar has evolved over time
- And… why Joe removed his wedding planning business from almost all vendor directories.
Starting a Wedding Rental Business
Joe has exciting things ahead for him, and he’s opening up about his decision to launch a wedding rental business. This is an especially interesting story if you also tuned in for Chelsea Brooke’s recent interview (be sure to check it out for another take on running a rental business as a wedding planner).
It started with a few card boxes and table numbers. Now Joe has 4,000 square feet of custom inventory and a brand new company called Shenanigans.
And… Joe Rogers’s #1 Advice for Wedding Planners
Joe’s come a long way since he was first coming out and first planning weddings, but he remains true to himself. Tempted to assimilate in your market? Joe’s encouraging wedding planners to trust their vision and trust the right clients will find them.
More from Joe Rogers
To hear our full interview with Joe, you can press the play button above. And be sure to subscribe to our podcast in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen!
We want to say a special thank you to Joe for sharing these insights with our Timeline Genius community.
Joe embraces who he is (and who his clients are) without assimilating to the norms. We hope his advice gives you the courage to do the same.
Show Notes:
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- Follow Contageous Events on Instagram here.
- Questions? Get in touch with Joe or Eddie
- Interested in wedding timelines for gay weddings? Sign up for your free trial of Timeline Genius.
