Why do couples disappear after a venue tour? It may have less to do with your price and more to do with the connection you created.

In this episode of The Venue Nest Podcast, Ashley Shepherd and Kelsey Smith discuss why couples often "ghost" venue owners after tours. Drawing from a sales psychology training with expert Matt, they reveal how missed emotional connections can lead to lost bookings and share practical strategies for asking meaningful questions, practicing tour scripts, creating gentle urgency, and handling common objections with confidence.

The key takeaway? Successful venue sales isn't about being pushy. It's about listening, building trust, and guiding couples toward a decision that feels right for them.

Rate, review, and subscribe, and join the Venue Nest community for more support and resources for venue owners.


00:00 Introduction
03:27 Common Mistakes Venue Owners Make
05:01 The First Five Minutes of a Tour
07:14 Key Questions to Build Trust
09:30 Creating and Practicing a Tour Script
14:33 The Power of How You Make Couples Feel
19:28 Handling Common Objections
23:36 Actionable Takeaways for Listeners


Join our free community! https://live.venuenest.com/signup

Follow Us
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/venuenest
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/venuenest
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@VenueNest
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@venue.nest
Website https://www.venuenest.com/

Google reviews can make or break your wedding venue’s reputation.

In this episode of The Venue Nest Podcast, Ashley Shepherd and Kelsey Smith break down how venue owners can build a strong reputation through Google reviews, client testimonials, vendor relationships, and consistent customer experiences. They share practical strategies for getting more reviews, responding to negative feedback, repurposing testimonials on social media, and capturing authentic client experiences.

The key takeaway? Your reputation is built through thousands of small moments that create trust.

Rate, review, and subscribe, and join the Venue Nest community for more support and resources for venue owners.


00:00 The Power of Reputation
03:00 Strategies for Getting Initial Reviews
06:03 Incentivizing Employees to Collect Reviews
08:39 Responding to Negative Reviews
10:31 The Importance of Reviews for AI and SEO
11:32 Repurposing Reviews for Social Media
13:34 Capturing Reviews on the Event Day
16:02 Building a Consistent Brand Over Time
18:15 The Optimal Timing for Review Requests
20:19 Leveraging Vendor Relationships


Join our free community! https://live.venuenest.com/signup

Follow Us
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/venuenest
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/venuenest
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@VenueNest
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@venue.nest
Website https://www.venuenest.com/

Competition is everywhere in the wedding industry, but does it have to be?

In this episode of The Venue Nest Podcast, Ashley Shepherd and Kelsey Smith explore what can happen when wedding professionals choose community over competition. Ashley shares the experience that completely changed the way she viewed other venue owners and vendors, including the powerful lesson that “there is room for everyone.”

That lesson eventually inspired Vendor Friendsgiving, an annual event that brings 150+ wedding vendors together for connection, vulnerability, networking, and service. Ashley and Kelsey break down how the event works and share practical ideas for creating a supportive vendor community of your own, even if you’re starting with just 10 or 20 people.

They also share a full-circle moment from last year’s Vendor Friendsgiving, when Ashley and the very venue owner who taught her that there is room for everyone showed up wearing the exact same outfit—pants, vest, undershirt, and even glasses. What began as a difficult lesson about competition eventually became a genuine friendship built on trust, respect, and mutual support.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re competing for the same clients, struggled to trust other vendors, or felt like you have to figure everything out alone, this episode is a reminder that you don’t have to build your business in isolation. There is room for everyone.

Rate, review, and subscribe, and join the Venue Nest community for more support, connection, and resources for venue owners.


00:00 A Lesson in Community
03:24 There is Room for Everyone
05:45 Introducing Vendor Friendsgiving
09:05 How to Organize a Community Event
12:54 A Full-Circle Moment
17:16 Building a Support System
18:37 Start Small and Find Your People


Join our free community! https://live.venuenest.com/signup

Follow Us
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/venuenest
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/venuenest
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@VenueNest
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@venue.nest
Website https://www.venuenest.com/

Your venue's data could reveal why you're losing leads, tours, and bookings. Are you tracking it?

In this episode of The Venue Nest Podcast, Ashley Shepherd and Kelsey Smith break down 6 key metrics every wedding venue owner should track to understand what's working, what's not, and where revenue is coming from.

They cover:

Lead Source Breakdown – Where your leads are coming from, including Instagram, TikTok, WeddingWire, The Knot, and Google.
Lead-to-Tour Conversion Rate – How many leads actually book a tour.
Tour Conversion Rate – How many tours turn into bookings.
Tour-to-Booking Date Gap – How long couples take to book after touring your venue.
Total Bookings – How many bookings you're generating each month.
Revenue Analytics – Tracking booking deposits, projected revenue, and actual revenue received.

Ashley and Kelsey also share how tracking these numbers helped them make smarter marketing decisions, identify sales gaps, understand seasonal trends, and reduce the stress of making decisions based on emotion or guesswork.

You don't need to track everything at once. Start with one metric, set a baseline, and let the data guide your next decision.

Rate, review, and subscribe, and join the Venue Nest community for more support and resources for venue owners.


00:00 Making Data-Driven Decisions
04:00 Internal Data: Employee Performance
06:18 The Six Key Metrics
06:39 Metric 1: Lead Source Breakdown
08:26 Metrics 2 & 3: Number of Leads & Lead to Tour Ratio
10:44 Metric 4: Tour Conversion Rate
14:56 Metric 5: Tour to Booking Date Gap
15:58 Metric 6: Total Bookings and Revenue
18:07 Automating Data with Venue Nest
19:08 Actionable Steps for Listeners


Join our free community! https://live.venuenest.com/signup

Follow Us
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/venuenest
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/venuenest
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@VenueNest
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@venue.nest
Website https://www.venuenest.com/

How many wedding leads are you losing simply because you're responding too late?

In this episode of The Venue Nest Podcast, Ashley Shepherd and Kelsey Smith break down why response time matters when connecting with today’s couples, especially Gen Z. They discuss why text and DMs are becoming more important, how quickly couples expect a response, and five communication habits that can help venue owners convert more leads.

They also share practical ways to improve response time, stay organized across multiple communication channels, and avoid losing leads simply because you responded too late.

If you’re a venue owner looking to connect with more couples and convert more inquiries, this episode is for you.

Like, subscribe, and share this episode with another venue owner who needs to hear it. And join the free Venue Nest community to connect with other venue owners and grow together.


00:00 Communicating with Gen Z
00:45 The Importance of Response Time
01:19 Key Statistics on Response Speed
03:27 The Psychology of Quick Responses
04:42 Understanding the Gen Z Client
06:20 How to Communicate with Gen Z
10:29 Venue Nest's Unified Chat Solution
12:40 Best Communication Habits for Gen Z
15:55 Actionable Tips for Venue Owners


Join our free community! https://live.venuenest.com/signup

Follow Us
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/venuenest
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/venuenest
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@VenueNest
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@venue.nest
Website https://www.venuenest.com/

In this episode of The Venue Nest Podcast, Ashley Shepherd and Kelsey Smith reveal why some wedding venues thrive while others struggle to get noticed. They explain why visibility is now the currency of the wedding industry and how venue owners can adapt to today's digital landscape using platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and YouTube. You'll learn why authentic, behind-the-scenes content often outperforms polished marketing, how to repurpose content across multiple platforms, use location tags and strong hooks to reach the right audience, and even leverage AI to generate content ideas. The biggest takeaway? Consistency, not perfection, is what drives long-term growth.

If you're a wedding venue owner looking to increase visibility, attract more qualified couples, and book more weddings, this episode is full of practical marketing strategies you can start using today. For a deeper dive into venue marketing, be sure to check out Venue Nest University.


00:00 Introduction to Venue Marketing
02:54 The Evolution of Venue Marketing
04:25 Repurposing Content Across Platforms
07:02 Overcoming Perfectionism
11:31 Targeting the Right Audience
13:18 The Power of a Good Hook
14:47 Understanding Viewer Psychology
17:16 How to Stay Current with Trends
19:27 Consistency is Key


Join our free community! https://live.venuenest.com/signup

Follow Us
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/venuenest
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/venuenest
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@VenueNest
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@venue.nest
Website https://www.venuenest.com/

If you're afraid no one will care about your venue as much as you do, this episode is for you.

In this episode of The Venue Nest Podcast, Ashley Shepherd and Kelsey Smith explore why hiring a venue director can be the turning point for a growing wedding venue. They explain the difference between a venue coordinator and a venue director, share their proven hiring process, reveal the qualities they look for in strong leaders, and answer the biggest concerns venue owners have, including "What if they leave?" and "No one will love my venue like I do." Whether you're hoping to scale from 50 to 150 weddings a year or simply step away from the day-to-day without sacrificing your client experience, this episode offers practical leadership and hiring strategies to help you build a stronger, more sustainable venue business.

If you're ready to stop being the bottleneck in your business and start building a team that can carry your vision forward, this episode is a great place to start. Be sure to like, subscribe, and join the Venue Nest community for more practical advice to help you grow your venue with confidence.


00:00 Introduction
01:08 What is a Venue Director?
02:25 Venue Director vs. Venue Coordinator
05:32 Finding and Filtering Candidates
07:40 The Problem with Traditional Hiring
09:57 Implementing a Video Application Requirement
12:15 Qualities of a Great Venue Director
17:41 Objection: "It's Easier If I Do It Myself"
19:58 Objection: "What If They Leave?"
22:20 Episode Wrap-Up and Call to Action


Join our free community! https://live.venuenest.com/signup

Follow Us
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/venuenest
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/venuenest
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@VenueNest
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@venue.nest

Feeling overwhelmed as a venue owner? It might not be a time problem. It might be a systems problem.

In this episode of The Venue Nest Podcast, Ashley Shepherd and Kelsey Smith share why so many venue owners become the biggest bottleneck in their own business. They break down three practical ways to reduce overwhelm, including brain dumping every role you handle, creating canned responses for repetitive questions, and mapping out your client journey. They also explain why documenting your processes makes it easier to delegate, protect your business, and create more freedom without sacrificing the experience you provide.

If you're ready to spend less time putting out fires and more time growing your venue, this episode is for you. Be sure to like, subscribe, and join the Venue Nest community for more practical strategies to help you build a thriving venue business.


00:00 Introduction
03:37 You Are the Bottleneck
05:01 Documenting Processes to Create Freedom
08:47 The Many Hats of a Venue Owner
10:16 The Power of Transparency
13:24 Tip 1: Identify and Offload Roles
14:25 Tip 2: Use Canned Responses and Automation
18:26 Tip 3: Define Your Client Journey Stages
20:21 A Resource for Venue Owners


Join our free community! https://live.venuenest.com/signup

Follow Us
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/venuenest
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/venuenest
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@VenueNest