Wedding Industry Networking: How to Build Real Connections Without Burning Out with Oralia Aguirre

In this episode we’ll cover:

• Why traditional wedding industry networking often leads to burnout instead of real business growth
• How to build authentic connections that naturally lead to referrals and collaborations
• Simple strategies to make networking feel less forced and more genuine
• Ways to prioritize quality relationships over quantity, even if you’re an introvert
• How to identify which networking opportunities are actually worth your time
• What to do if you feel overwhelmed by networking events or social media engagement
• How to create a sustainable networking system that keeps your calendar full without constant hustle

Wedding Industry Networking: How to Build Real Connections Without Burning Out with Oralia Aguirre

0:00:00 – Heidi Thompson
Relationships are everything in the wedding industry, but how do you build real connections at networking events where you feel like you’re trapped by small talk? That’s what we’re getting into in this episode.

0:00:15 – Intro
In a world where wedding professionals are struggling to market and grow their businesses, one podcast brings together top experts and actionable strategies to help you build the wedding business of your dreams. This is the Evolve Your Wedding Business podcast. Here is your host, Heidi Thompson.

0:00:46 – Heidi Thompson
Hello there, my friend, welcome to the podcast. I am your host, Heidi Thompson, and I am here helping wedding professionals just like you make their marketing easier and book more weddings with clients they love. A big part of that in the wedding industry revolves around relationships, and for many of us, that includes networking events. I don’t know about you, but I often feel very weird and very awkward at networking events and it can be a little tricky to figure out. You know what exactly are you supposed to do with those to make the most of them. How do you go into them with a clear goal? How do you find the right people and build the right connections? And how do you connect not just in person but also on social media, with people that you want to build a relationship with and actually nurture that? Because it’s all fun and well to meet people at these events or meet people on social media, but if you don’t nurture those relationships, they don’t turn into anything, and I find that’s where a lot of people, myself included, can struggle.

I’m really excited for you to hear today’s episode. You’re going to get a lot of helpful and practical advice on how to make the most of both in-person and online networking and build relationships that can help you grow your business. So let’s get into it with Oralia today. I am joined by Oralia Aguirre, who has been decorating gorgeous weddings since back in 2005. And she has been working with other decorators for the past about five years now, and I was really excited, when we had a conversation before this podcast, to learn she is quite the networker and has built her business so much off of networking. So today we’re going to get into all things networking and small talk and those things that feel weird, uncomfortable, but are things that can definitely help your business grow. So welcome, Oralia, thank you for being here.

0:03:16 – Oralia Aguirre
Thank you so much for hosting me.

0:03:17 – Heidi Thompson
I’m so excited to be here, so when you started your business, did you initially grow off of networking? Because I know that has been something that has been really important for you.

0:03:32 – Oralia Aguirre
I tried. I tried at the beginning. The very first couple of years I had to knock a lot of doors to first to educate myself, and that comes within networking. So I tried. But I wasn’t. I was 19, 20 years old, so it was much, much different. There I had a little bit of shyness and I was very new in life not only in the business, in life. So I tried and it was very intimidating and I had a couple of experiences that left me not wanting to network anymore. But then I came back around. I would say five years later, like around 25 years old, I came back to networking and it worked much better. Sold I came back to networking and it worked much better. So I had to give it a couple of tries before I relied on networking for my business.

0:04:32 – Heidi Thompson
I think the person listening to this is going to be happy to hear that, because sometimes we meet these people and they just feel like such natural networkers. They just know what to say, they know how to connect with people, they know how to be at these events. But honestly, it’s kind of refreshing to hear that it didn’t come super easy for you, especially in the beginning.

0:04:56 – Oralia Aguirre
No, no, it took a while and there were so many things like, personally, English is not my first language and, like I said, I was in my early, early 20s. Then I had a couple of experiences that didn’t work out how I played it in my mind. So it took a while and this is something that a lot of people can relate to. It has to it works because you need to find your people, so you need to give it a lot of tries before before it works out, so it might not work the very first time that you do it and you have to find the people that you connect to. So that’s what happened to me, but but it has improved in the last few years because now I need what I know, what to look for.

0:05:52 – Heidi Thompson
Yeah, I was gonna ask you that Because you know there are a lot of different events and we can create our own opportunities to network with people. What do you look for?

0:05:57 – Oralia Aguirre
So usually I try. So it depends. It depends because I have, depending on the networking event and what I’m looking for, I have a very specific goal in mind and it could be like I just need to connect to other decorators. So if I’m going to a place, I look for the decorators so I can build a network, a group around me for support. Sometimes it is like I need to look for other vendors that will bring me clientele and if it is that, then I look for vendors that I usually work with, like venues, or sometimes DJs, florists the ones that I know will refer me and will bring me clients, and sometimes I’m just there for fun bring me clients, and sometimes I’m just there for fun. So it depends on what I’m looking for and the state of mind that I have in my business. Then that’s the mentality that I have to adapt to in order to create those connections.

0:07:00 – Heidi Thompson
What sorts of events are you attending? Are they, like you know, your local association type events? Are they the more loosely affiliated creator meetups? Are they, you know, small groups that you’re bringing together?

0:07:17 – Oralia Aguirre
So lately has been local groups that are related to the weddings or event industry or birthdays, because there’s a lot of groups in my area that is only for birthday parties or smaller events. Mostly that because I think that right now I want to create a network group on my own for Hispanic people, so I try to be within the event industry, but sometimes I have attended networking groups for women in business, which I think that is something that everybody can attend. It is a little bit different. The approach is a little bit different than when I’m going to events in the industry and the other side is the events or the networking that I do through my educational programs are again for the creators and people in the event industry. So that is what it is what I’m doing right now, but it hasn’t always been that way right now, but it hasn’t always been that way.

0:08:29 – Heidi Thompson
That is really interesting to hear, because you see these larger, more broad events either, for you know small business owners or women business owners. Have you found those to be helpful as well?

0:08:42 – Oralia Aguirre
Yes, yeah, definitely On those. What I think it serves is that most of the like for example on the women groups that are for business owners on those I can find a support network. It’s not necessarily that I’m going to get business from them, or referrals is more likely the support about being a business owner, especially for women. So I found that to be helpful for me because it is as a solopreneur. Sometimes we need somebody else to let us know, to be a little bit of guidance in our businesses, and by having people in other industries it gives you a kind of a sense of what they’re doing might work for me, things that probably I wouldn’t think on my own.

0:09:35 – Heidi Thompson
Yeah, I am in a mastermind of other business owners and there are some people that are within the same industry most are not and I get so many ideas seeing what someone is doing in a completely unrelated industry or field and you know can bring it into my industry. I think that’s definitely an underrated benefit to those connections.

0:10:06 – Oralia Aguirre
Yes, especially because I think sometimes definitely an underrated benefit to those connections. Yes, especially because I think sometimes we think, well, because that other people, that other wedding planner, that other photographer is doing that, we need to be doing that. So sometimes it takes a different whole business that is not in our industry to that where we can take ideas from. So that’s something that um has worked for me lately as well that I can see, okay, this business is being successful or this business owner is being successful in their own industry. Why, and then how can I apply that to my business? So there’s many different ideas that I have taken from other especially women business owners that I can apply to my own and that have been very beneficial.

0:10:56 – Heidi Thompson
So it sounds like you go into networking events with a very clear idea of what you’re looking for, what you want to get out of it. Idea of what you’re looking for, what you want to get out of it. How many of these are you doing on, say, you know, a monthly or a quarterly basis? Because I can imagine someone feeling like, well, I don’t have time to do this, or, you know, there are so many events in my area I can’t go to every single one. How should I be thinking about doing this in a sustainable way?

0:11:31 – Oralia Aguirre
Exactly. Yeah, sometimes we want to attend to everything that we get invited to, but realistically it might not be feasible to do so. I try personally. I try to do once a month, but if it’s not possible, at least once every six weeks. And it doesn’t have to be something per in person, it can be something online that the greatness of technology is that we can be in our pajamas doing something or we can just be in our desk, so it doesn’t always have to be in person. Obviously, sometimes there’s a different approach when you have things in person than online, especially for people that are introverts or that have to have a lot of energy to go into these meetings. That is going to be something that you not only like. If the event is one hour, you have to be prepared to spend at least a couple of hours, like the driving, going there and going back if you’re driving, or the online like to take notes at the end, things like that. But I would say once a month is ideal, if not once every six weeks.

0:12:55 – Heidi Thompson
That’s definitely doable. I think sometimes we get these invites or find out about things and it’s like, okay, you could be going to like something every week, or multiple things every week, and then that feels like a full-time job in itself. But I really like your way of approaching this and making decisions about what events you’re going to go to based on what that goal is that you want to get out of it either, the type of connection you want to make, the type of result you want to get out of it. I think that really helps narrow it down and makes it easier to make decisions about. Okay, I have like 20 events I could attend. Which one is going to be the one this month that makes the most sense? And then have confidence in the fact that you’re doing this because it makes sense for your business and not just because it’s you know, another thing to do.

0:13:58 – Oralia Aguirre
Yes, and I think that’s when the phrase quality over quantity applies. If you attend all of these events and you’re meeting people, let’s say that you go to one event a week and you meet about 15 new vendors or business owners or 15 new people Out of those 50, ideally you will connect to all of them, but it’s not possible. That’s when applies quality over quantity. If I go to one event and I can connect to five people, that’s much better that if I talk to all these 50 but I don’t follow up with any of them okay, I definitely want to come back to the follow-up piece, but first I want to ask you about the dreaded small talk, the piece that I feel like everyone’s just like.

0:14:50 – Heidi Thompson
Ah, I feel so awkward. I don’t really know what to do or say or how to approach people at these events. So tell us a little bit how you think about that.

0:15:00 – Oralia Aguirre
So usually when you meet somebody new, the basic questions are like who are you, what do you do, how long have you been doing it? That’s the questions that feel more easy to ask and to respond as well. So one of the things that I would suggest is to be creative in your questions, to be creative even in the answers that you give when you’re doing a small talk. If somebody asks how long have you been doing this, instead of just saying, oh, five years, 10 years, whatever it is, just say like oh, five years, but do you want to hear my journey? Like in a summary don’t talk their ear off but in a summary, do you want to hear my journey?

Because most of us have a story behind those years that we have been in the business. If you want to ask the questions, instead of asking what do you do or how long have you been doing it, you can ask what is your mission as a business? Or what do you like the most about being a business owner? Like something very specific in where not only you get an answer, but you also have connection to the person, because you’re not only doing a small talk for the sake of talking. You’re trying to connect to the person that you’re talking to.

0:16:20 – Heidi Thompson
That’s a really good point, because it can feel like it’s just this thing going around meeting people, but what you’re really doing is kind of looking for a connection point where maybe you have something in common or maybe you know someone who could help them with the thing that they’re talking about or some other opportunity there. It sounds like that’s what you’re kind of mining for.

0:16:47 – Oralia Aguirre
Yes, yeah, and I’m trying to not only to know about them and their business, but to know how we can create that connection.

Sometimes it could be about nothing business related. Sometimes it could be about the jobs that we did before having the business, about our children, about where we grew up, things like that. It doesn’t always have necessarily to be about the business. It could be about something else, and that’s when I try to practice active listening, because sometimes we are talking to people and asking all these questions and meeting all these new vendors, new people, new business owners, but we don’t actually listen to what they’re saying. We’re just there to talk. So practice active listening is it has helped me to say okay or to to identify when there’s something that I, when there’s something that they say that I get attracted to, it’s like okay, yeah, this is the connection that I can do with this person, people but I’m going to go look for opportunities to find a point of connection, to have you know the next level, deeper conversation with this person, because I think that is the part that is intimidating is that leap from this is awkward.

0:18:21 – Heidi Thompson
we’re all standing around to oh, we have this thing in common, or, oh, I know the perfect person for what you’re looking for, because that’s where I feel like, that’s where the fun is, that’s where you actually get to really connect with someone.

0:18:39 – Oralia Aguirre
Yes, especially like there’s in groups where there are so many people. If you talk to all of them, you get drained. At the end of the meeting, at the end of the event you feel so drained because you talk so much with so many people. But if you only talk to a few people and then you connect with them, then the sense of accomplishment is there Because you not only knew about many people is that you actually created a relationship with somebody.

0:19:13 – Heidi Thompson
Yeah, how do you navigate some of these bigger rooms?

0:19:18 – Oralia Aguirre
So usually I am, I am kind of an introvert and I’m a little bit shy, so I do wait. Sometimes I do wait for somebody to approach me. I’m not trying to go on and talk to everybody, and it’s usually. There’s always somebody there that is an extrovert that is asking all of these questions. So I try I don’t know if I attract them or if I try to look for them, but I try to for somebody else to start the conversation because that is easier for me.

Maybe some of the people that are listening they are the ones that are the extrovert that can go on to talk to everybody. But I try for somebody to talk to me so I get comfortable, so I don’t, I’m not nervous or stressed, and then after that then I can create a connection with them and ask these questions instead of trying to go like, make a line and talk to all of them. So it’s a little bit different for everybody, depending on your energy and the type of personality that you have, and your energy and the type of personality that you have.

0:20:26 – Heidi Thompson
I think that’s really important is to lean into your strengths there, and I find that Introverts are really good at listening, at going deep and, if they’re organized, you know, following up afterwards, whereas sometimes the extroverts are moving around so much that they kind of miss some of those deeper connections they can. I mean, that certainly isn’t always the case, but it’s good to know your strengths, it’s good to know what to look for in yourself so that, like you said, you don’t put yourself in a situation where you feel completely uncomfortable. Of course you’re going to feel a little uncomfortable, yeah, but we don’t want to like burn ourselves out energetically.

0:21:21 – Oralia Aguirre
Yes, and I think that also one of the things that you’re, that a lot of people are going to find out when they go to this network networking groups, is the way that they, the way that they use their energy. So if, for example, if you have an extroverted person that wants to talk to everybody, some of these extroverted people will grab the energy of other people and then they leave the event and they’re so happy that they met so many people. But for some introverted people, they give their energy out. For some introverted people, they give their energy out and then at the end of the event they’re so tired because they didn’t apply it correctly.

And it’s not always like that for everybody, but it’s just like you. Like you mentioned, to know your strengths, to know when you feel stressed or anxious, to know, okay, this is not how I usually am. Like, for example, if there’s a large group of people and you are not feeling comfortable to take a step back and say, okay, I’m just going to move over here to talk to this one or two people or to take a break or whatever works for you. So it takes a little bit of self-reflection to know how you manage your energy in either a small or large group of people.

0:22:46 – Heidi Thompson
Yeah, yeah, that’s a really good thing to be aware of and to pay attention to, because I think we all just operate so differently and get our energy from different places and feel absolutely, you know, burned out from doing certain things, that it’s important to do it in a time as opposed to like a larger group of people. It’s good to know, to lean into that and just to pay attention to like how you’re feeling in the moment. I think that could be easy to ignore and just override with like no, I’m here to meet people like this is what I’m gonna do?

I just going to ignore it and then feel absolutely exhausted afterwards.

0:23:41 – Oralia Aguirre
Yes, yeah, that will be pushing yourself to do something that you’re you don’t enjoy. And then that’s where it fails, where going to these networking events fails, because then you’re not using your energy according to your personality. And that comes from experience, from practicing. It’s not that you have to make a test and it will tell you what kind, or if there is one I haven’t seen it where you can take a test and it tells you what kind of networker you are. It’s something that comes from experience. After you attend one of these events, try to check how you feel and then what worked and what didn’t.

0:24:21 – Heidi Thompson
So I’m curious. You gave us a couple of questions that you’d like to ask people. Are there any others that are either helping you find the kind of people that you’re looking for or look for other opportunities to build a relationship outside of the networking event, because I think that’s a place where a lot of people struggle is like oh, we had this great conversation, but now what?

0:24:53 – Oralia Aguirre
Yes. So usually, like I said, practice active listening, asking them about, besides their job or their businesses, what do they do in their outside life. And then, if they’re like, maybe there’s some wine people, maybe there’s some people that are foodies, like specific things that you can connect to that you can follow up. Things that you can connect to, that you can follow up, and then after you can send them a message on social media, email, whatever you want to do, and tell them like, oh, I really enjoy our talk about, and then you insert whatever topic you did.

So that way it creates a connection. It’s like, oh, it was very nice to meet you, hopefully we work together later, and then that’s it, because there’s no follow-up that you can do after that, because there was not a connection since the beginning. But if you say, oh, I really enjoy our talk about I don’t know basketball and I’m looking forward to watch this game, where are you going to watch it from? Like I’m going to do something at my house, like whatever, and then you start that conversation. So I think that’s something that you can use to know more about them as a person as well, because, yes, you’re there for business, but at the end, a person is the one handling the business.

0:26:19 – Heidi Thompson
Do you find that people that end up becoming really valuable contacts for you maybe they’re people that you know you lean on for support, or maybe they’re people that give you referrals Do you find that you connected with them on a personal level?

0:26:41 – Oralia Aguirre
first, Sometimes, sometimes, I think that’s part of the equation, because when you try to connect to somebody as a business, yeah, you know their service, you know their experience, but when you connect to them on a more personal level, you get to know why they’re doing that. Like, if it is a photographer, why are they a photographer? Why do they love their job so much? If they’re a planner, why do they do it? Why do they like to help couples so much they do it? Why do they like to help couples so much? So I think that is one of the things that you not only get to know them as a business, you get to know them as a person, and that will bring you to their mission and their values and beliefs as a business, and you can find people that have the same work ethic as you. So when you get referrals, they’re going to be high value referrals because you know that you are able to work with them, because you already created that personal connection with them.

0:27:49 – Heidi Thompson
I think it’s really interesting the difference between in person networking and intentionally networking online, because I have found personally at least I have started so many relationships that have turned into business relationships by replying on someone’s Instagram story about, like their dog or a show they’re watching that I’m also watching. Yeah, I think it’s such a valuable connection point that, like, people are putting out there and I think a lot of people miss that. Like, we have to dig for it a little bit within person, but on social a lot of people are just sharing this information and if that is something that you relate to, you know that can be a great conversation starter.

0:28:46 – Oralia Aguirre
Yes, I think that people in general whether they’re business owners or not, or sometimes they’re even clients they in general they want to know who’s the person behind the business or, like in social media, they want to know who’s the person behind the account. So that’s why the connection can can be created through that Like, for example, when you mentioned that, the first thing that came to mind is that I know through social media that you both and I don’t like chocolate, and that’s one of the things that resonates with me, because I saw it on social media and I was like okay, yeah, I really do hate it because we don’t like chocolate, and we’re probably the outcasts that many people will hate because of we don’t consume it. So I think that’s one of the things that you can connect with people. Like when you know something personal about them, it is easier to connect with them on a business level.

0:29:46 – Heidi Thompson
Yeah, and I think so many of us are putting little bits of our personality out there into the social media space. It’s like you’re just kind of putting out a little bit of a hand and I think so many people miss that opportunity to be like oh my God, like you eat chocolate, I eat chocolate. Crazy, everybody loves it. Wish I understood why. You know it does give you a reason to start that conversation and I don’t know, maybe people are kind of intimidated by that.

0:30:21 – Oralia Aguirre
Yes, and I think it is easier to make conversation about something personal, because when you try to make the conversation about business not that it works like that 100% of the time, but when you try to make a conversation about business the answers are usually the same, especially with people in your industry, like how’s work going, how do you feel about the clients this year? How are your events? Usually the answers are the same for everybody or they’re going to be very similar. But if you try to connect on a personal level, there’s so many opportunities there and so many answers that you can get. That is going to let you know how that person is and it gives you an idea of okay, well, I can approach this person because of what they mentioned about their personal life.

0:31:21 – Heidi Thompson
Yeah, yeah, that’s a good point Because, yeah, if you meet a bunch of photographers, you’re probably going to hear, you know, the same sorts of answers to those questions about the business itself. So you’re going to one networking event every month, every six weeks. You have a goal going in. Do you approach social media in a similar way, where you’re looking to connect with I don’t know, maybe a certain type of person or certain relationship you want to build?

0:31:58 – Oralia Aguirre
I don’t know, maybe a certain type of person or a certain relationship. You want to build the social media. I would feel for me personally, but I think for most of the people it’s more relaxed because in there you can think about what you’re going to write before you do.

When you’re in person it’s like whatever comes to mind yeah, like whatever comes to mind will come out. Yeah, like whatever comes to mind will come out. So I think it’s a little bit more relaxed approach in where you can also make these connections with other people but having the same goal. Like, for example, if you’re going to reply to somebody’s post, my goal is just to comment on their post, just for the sake of it or because I later down the road I want to create a relationship with them. But I would say that social media is like way, way less stressful than in person.

0:32:47 – Heidi Thompson
That’s a really good point. I didn’t think about the fact that, yeah, you can think about what you’re saying before you actually blurt it out.

0:32:54 – Oralia Aguirre
Yeah, you can type it, you can delete it, you can check, you can choose not to do anything at this point, but then mention it after, like if there’s something that you saw on somebody’s page and then it comes up again, it was like oh yeah, a couple of weeks I saw that, you mentioned that and you are mentioning it again. Let’s talk about this again. Let’s talk about this. So it is a lot.

0:33:18 – Heidi Thompson
Do you have any specific structure around that Like? Are you spending a certain amount of time reaching out to people commenting on things?

0:33:42 – Oralia Aguirre
I try to. So one of the things that I try to do is I separate. So I have two separate accounts, one for coaching and one for my business. So I try to be very specific on who I follow in which account so they don’t overlap media. Then I know like, for example, if I go to my business account, I know that is mostly networking so I can get referrals. If it is about my coaching page, I’m working so I can get students to come to my program. So it is the like, uh, having a goal, um, and then I do try to spend, instead of just scrolling without having something to, to actually check, because it can be so overwhelming to just go to your phone and trying to find somebody and then you and you end up looking at funny videos, right?

So one of the things is like, if I’m going to reply to somebody’s post and it’s something insightful, then I do try to think about what I’m going to say. And we all have this, we all have the favorite people that we follow. So we try to consume their content and try to be insightful in the answers. I don’t time it. I don’t necessarily time like, oh, I’m going to network for 10 minutes today. I don’t necessarily do that, but I do try to whatever time that I spend on social media to be useful. There’s times, like where I watch funny videos as well, but not on my business or coaching accounts.

0:35:23 – Heidi Thompson
Right, yeah, there’s a separate account.

0:35:25 – Oralia Aguirre
Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah, but. But I think that is. It is good to know. Okay, if I’m going to reply or get in touch with this person on social media, Is it going to be just because I want to be their friend? Because it can be like that as well. Probably you just want to be their friend and that’s fine, and then later down the road you get to work together. But if it is for something work related, okay, I’m going to reply to this with the intention of and then, when you put that in mind, you can I think you can be more mindful about the choice of words that you use.

0:36:08 – Heidi Thompson
Yeah, definitely, and that makes a lot of sense. It also is going to guide. You know who you’re connecting with, how you’re connecting with them If you have, like you said, a certain goal, a certain intention in mind. That really helps you stay focused and not feel like, okay, I need to connect with every single person in my market. You know, that can be daunting.

0:36:35 – Oralia Aguirre
Yes, yeah, and it also wouldn’t be unique, because then you’re trying to connect to everybody just because and it is a little bit it can become a dreadful task if you’re not enjoying it. If you’re just replying for like to make a connection but you don’t know specifically for what. It can be dreadful because then you feel obligated to have a conversation with whoever is in social media. So I think it think it stops being unique, because then you’re just doing it with no goal in sight.

0:37:17 – Heidi Thompson
I love that you were thinking about like every part of this Okay, why am I doing this? What am I trying to get out of this, what is the function of this? And then taking actions that align with it, which sounds obvious, but most people don’t do that, and I think just having that like guiding light of, okay, this is what I’m trying to do, this is who I’m looking for, these are the kinds of connections I want to make can really just help narrow that focus so much and make it a much more manageable task. But also, like you said, you feel good about it because, okay, I did something toward this goal that I have.

0:38:03 – Oralia Aguirre
Yes, yeah, and it creates meaningful connections as well, because you can connect to it, whether it’s in person or on social media. You can connect with a lot of people, but if you don’t try to build a relationship since the beginning where you are connected with the other person, it can fade away very easily. You can even work together or do something. If there is not something meaningful that creates that support or that trusting relationship, then it can fade away very easily. And one of the things that we should be taking on account where we’re trying to network is that we want relationships that for example, brings us referrals or clients all the time, not only once. Bring social referrals or clients all the time, not only once. That you can rely on them, Like if I’m talking to other people in my same line of work, if I need help with something, I know that they’re going to help me all the time, not only once.

0:39:06 – Heidi Thompson
Yeah, that’s a really good point, and I’m curious how do you follow up, how do you nurture these relationships in a meaningful way, because it is so easy for them to just kind of fizzle out?

0:39:21 – Oralia Aguirre
Yes, yeah, especially the ones on social media, because they can just ignore your goals. But one of the things is like same as we try to do a connection with clients and to nurture. It is the same kind of the things is like same as we try to do a connection with clients and to nurture. It is the same kind of the same approach as of a friendship. You get to talk to somebody and then you follow up with them and ask them about, like, for example, if you met somebody in a networking group that it was in person and you created a relationship with them or you connected with them because you have children the same age, then later down the road you can just ask it can be something as simple as asking how your children are doing. It is the summer, any plans for the summer with your kids? Things like that. If it is, for example, somebody that you connected with that about a TV show, you can say, okay, well, the TV show is coming up or you do have plans to watch it. What do you think that is going to happen? Whatever it is right. So try to create that relationship with it, to nurture it, because consistency will create the relationship. It’s not.

Like I said, it’s not something that you’re only going to do it once. So I try to connect with them. So once I met them for example, the ones I met in person I tried to connect with them on social media, because that’s the easiest way. Nowadays An email can get lost in the inbox and not you never hear from them again, or it’s just like it’s on your mind, but it’s not necessarily a conversation that you can have back and forth. So if you met somebody in person, follow up with them in social media, because that’s the consistency that you need. You get to look at what they’re doing and if they follow you back, they get to see what you are up to. So for the next time that you see each other in person or where you have a private conversation, you can use the stuff that you saw on social media to create conversation. So I would say consistency Not harassing, though it’s not like you’re gonna ask them things all the time.

0:41:38 – Heidi Thompson
Yeah, I’m curious for yourself, because I think this is going to be different for everybody too. Yeah, Do you have systems in place for yourself of like, okay, these five people, these 10 people, I really want to nurture that relationship. So I’m going to, I don’t know, create reminders for myself to reach out to this person, or I’m going to make sure I look for their posts. Like, is there anything that you are putting in place to make sure that you are nurturing the relationships that you really want to nurture?

0:42:17 – Oralia Aguirre
Yes, actually I have. There’s only one thing that comes to mind. But there’s one thing on my calendar that I have. So once a month I have like vendors checking that’s what I call it. So it’s usually if I haven’t seen anything on social media about their events, I go to their page and try to like their posts or comment oh, have you been any fun happening in your business lately? Or if I see that they’re working on a project, if there’s anything that I can support you with, like to offer your support, because there are some people that won’t ask for help necessarily. So when you offer your support, even if you don’t, if if they don’t need it, they will be grateful that you’re there offering it.

So I do have like that’s the only thing that comes to mind for me. But I do have on my calendar vendor check-in and I try to allocate like one or two hours for that Because I want to get it like all at the same time. But that creates conversations too and sometimes like, for example, there was a photographer and this happened last year I just sent them a text saying like oh, I haven’t seen anything of your work lately, and then they mentioned that they were going through something personal and then we connected on that level. Like they said well, I’m not doing very good, and then I just offer an ear to hear their story and then from now, from then until now, we try to refer clients to each other. So I think that’s one of the things that that can be beneficial, like if you have a vendor check-in or a social media time frame in where you can sit down and create connections. I think that is something very valuable.

0:44:21 – Heidi Thompson
Yeah, I think you have to do something intentional about it. Right is like having really clear goals, really clear intention with what you’re doing and how you’re spending your time that you’re allocating for networking, for connecting with people. And, like I said, I think that’s going to be different. For some people, having that one block on their calendar is going to be exactly what they need. For some people, block on their calendar is going to be exactly what they need. For some people, they’re going to need, you know, a daily 10 minutes to check in with people.

Or I have a client who I think he does this once a week he has saved posts from. So he has like a folder of saved posts from all of the vendors that he wants to continue building relationships with and he just goes through that folder to get you know their profile. What are they up to? I’m going to go comment. So there’s a lot of different ways you can structure it, but it all has that same theme of okay, I really do want to build relationships with these people and that’s not just going to happen. I mean, sometimes it does, but most of the time you’re going to have to put a little bit of work or some structure into it.

0:45:43 – Oralia Aguirre
Yeah, I think that sometimes it can happen organically, where you connect it and then you follow up with them, but sometimes you have to put a little bit of work into that and one of the things that I just remembering. Now I don’t do this anymore, I should, but a few years back I used to have kind of like a newsletter Not every month, it was like I would say, three times a year where I would tell other vendors, oh this is what I’m up to right now, what are you up to? And it was email back then. Now, with social media I think it could be a little bit easier, but I was just like having bullet points of, oh, this is what I did in these six, like, for example, right now that we’re in the middle of the year, this is what I did, for example, right now that we’re in the middle of the year, this is what I did, what I accomplished and this is what I need help with in my business what are you up to?

And that can create a conversation. And, like I said, I used to do it in a newsletter format. On email, right now there’s a vendor that sends me, so I’m the receiver on this, but I think it’s a good networking tip. She sends me like cards, like for my birthday, for Mother’s Day, for Christmas, and it’s something very simple that can create a connection with other vendors. You don’t have to do much other than sending a message in a car, and that feels special, especially nowadays that nobody sends anything by mail.

0:47:21 – Heidi Thompson
Yeah, yeah, that really stands out. I’ve gotten those too and it’s like, oh my god, it’s so thoughtful, yes, yeah.

0:47:27 – Oralia Aguirre
So, and it’s nothing like there’s no gift. There’s not like nothing extravagant, it’s nothing like there’s no gift, there’s nothing extravagant, it’s just a card. But by thinking I feel special when I receive the cards, like, oh my God, I’m part of her mailing list. How special it is. So it’s one of the things that a lot of people can do with vendors that they want to create relationships. Just send them a newsletter, an email, a car, make a. Now that on social media one of the things that I’m thinking of is on Instagram you can make a friends group where only certain people see your stories. You can do that with vendors that you want to connect with.

0:48:09 – Heidi Thompson
Yeah, there are so many ways to do it. I think that’s partially why it’s overwhelming, but this gives people some really good, tangible ideas. Is there anything else that you feel like wedding pros overlook when it comes to networking, or mistakes that you see that?

0:48:30 – Oralia Aguirre
There’s one that comes to mind right now is that don’t try to do everything at once. So work little by little. So when you try to do networking, we talk a lot about trying to do in-person stuff but, like you mentioned at the beginning, if you try to attend all of the events, you’re going to get drained. These take energy and time and sometimes money, because you have to get gas and some of these networking events you have to pay an entrance fee. So it takes time, money and energy. So don’t try to do everything at once, because then you’re going to get burned out and at the end it’s going to be like oh yeah, networking is not for me, but it’s not that it’s not for you, it’s just like you’re trying to do too much.

So figure out first what works for you according to your personality. Like I said, it’s going to take a lot of self-acknowledgement on how you are and how you work best. If you think that online is better, then try that first. Don’t try to do online meetings and then classes and then in person and then connect to social media, connecting social media with people. Don’t try everything at once. Try one thing at a time, see if it works and if it does, stick to it and then you can add on more stuff later. But if it doesn’t work, then move to your next option and then see what works from there. And, like I said, try to have a clear goal. In whatever networking group you go, try to have a clear goal, because then that’s going to be. By having that clear goal, you can create an action plan to achieve that goal. So that’s one of the things that comes to mind, like, don’t try to do everything at once, because then it’s going to become overwhelming.

0:50:21 – Heidi Thompson
Why do we do that? Because we are overachievers. Yeah, like there’s just that entrepreneurial thing of like I’m going to do it all at once and then two weeks later you’re like I hate this.

0:50:34 – Oralia Aguirre
Yes, yeah, and sometimes you try to do everything at once and you can and, but you have to identify, okay, of all the things that I tried, which one works best Realistically, which one is the one that I want to stick to, because you can do it for a little bit of time, but it’s not going to be. It’s not feasible to do it like that all the time.

0:50:58 – Heidi Thompson
Yeah, that’s a really good point. Yes, this has been a fantastic conversation. I think it’s going to be super helpful for the listener. Where can they go to connect with you?

0:51:11 – Oralia Aguirre
Okay. So I’m usually more active on Instagram, so my Instagram page is @oralia.ae. I’m more likely active on there. I post every day and then you can find my link for the program. So I have a program for event creators. There’s two options. There’s the essentials, where you can finish in 30 days, and then there’s the whole program, where you can finish in six weeks. I mean 12 weeks, sorry. So there’s a couple of options, but I also have a few classes that I give masterminds. There’s always something going on, so Instagram is usually the best.

0:52:00 – Heidi Thompson
Awesome. I will make sure to link to that and I will link to your website in the show notes. Thank you so much for being here and sharing your networking wisdom.

0:52:09 – Oralia Aguirre
Thank you so much and this has been wonderful. And, like I said, just don’t try everything at once. Choose one thing at a time, but give it a go. By having real connections in the industry, I bet that it’s going to become so much easier to be a business owner.

0:52:27 – Heidi Thompson
I totally agree with you and thank you for the reminder to try one thing at once, because we are so prone to just doing it all. So thank you again.

0:52:37 – Oralia Aguirre
Thank you so much for hosting me.

0:52:39 – Heidi Thompson
I hope this has given you some ideas about how you can and should use these sorts of networking events to meet the right people to reach your goals, even if you’re an introvert. To meet the right people to reach your goals, even if you’re an introvert. Even if it feels weird, it’s still completely doable and I really love everything that Oralia has shared here, including how to follow up after the event. That gets forgotten so often and it can just cause a good spark of a relationship to fizzle out. So I hope this has given you some things. I’d be really curious to know what you’re going to implement and if you are going to take any of these ideas, these tips, and put them to work for you. Shoot me a DM on Instagram.

I’m Evolve your Wedding Business over there. I would love to hear what you’re going to put to work for you. I know I am going to be doing more follow-up after events. I have definitely been guilty of having a great conversation at an event and then it just kind of drops off because you don’t see that person again unless you really make a point to follow up with them. So I will have everything in our show notes linked up over at evolveyourweddingbusiness.com/333. Thank you so much for taking the time to be here and I will speak to you again very soon.

About Oralia Aguirre

Oralia is the founder of Dream Decorations, a company she started back in 2005 with the mission of creating stunning, heartfelt decor for social events—making it easier for families to truly enjoy their most special moments.

Her journey began when she helped decorate her best friend’s wedding, and that moment sparked a passion that has now led to over 600 beautifully executed events. Originally from Mexico, Oralia moved to California at 17 and has grown her business through every stage—what started as a hobby evolved into a side hustle, then a part-time job, and today, it’s a thriving, full-time, profitable business.

In 2020, she launched Dream Mastermind to mentor fellow decorators, and in 2023, she took things to the next level with Event Decor Academy—a coaching program designed to help event professionals build systems and strategies that match their lifestyle and creative vision.

Website: event-decor-academy.learnworlds.com
Instagram: @oralia.ae

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Links & Resources:

The Wedding Business Collective
Expert Tips On Wedding Business Networking & Vendor Relationships With Carin Hunt
Episode 220: Networking That Doesn’t Feel Awkward & Sleazy with Sara Alepin

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