Navigating Beach Weddings: Tips, Discounts, and Veteran Support with John McGeever

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s time for Veterans Business Radio, brought to you by ATL vets, providing the tools and support that help veteran owned businesses thrive. For more information, go to ATL vetsource. Now here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here another episode of Veterans Business Radio and this is going to be a good one. But before we get started, it’s important to recognize our sponsor, ATL vets, inspiring veterans to build their foundation of success and empowering them to become the backbone of society after the uniform. For more information, go to ATL vets. Today on the show we have the managing partner with Beach Wedding Deals. John McGeever. Welcome.

John McGeever: Hey. Thank you. Lee. Well I’m excited.

Lee Kantor: I’m excited to learn about your business. Tell us about Beach Wedding Deals. How are you serving, folks?

John McGeever: Well, we got me and my wife started the business in 21. And, you know, we got married on the beach on Sanibel Island, and it was such a fun time. We, you know, when we finally moved to Florida in the 19, I mean, we got I’m sorry, we got married in 2018. I got that wrong. I don’t know if I said the year, but we got married in 18 and then we moved to Florida in 19. You know, we we just got some ideas. And in 21 we started the business. And, um, it’s just been great. And ever since, you know, we’ve done over 500 weddings together and we have people working for us, uh, you know, in different parts of Florida, Saint Augustine, Jacksonville and things like that. And, uh, just been fun. You know, we’ve done a lot in a short amount of time.

Lee Kantor: So, uh, take us back to kind of the genesis of the idea. How did it come about and kind of how did you build the offering?

John McGeever: Well, my wife’s a photographer and stuff. And then, like I said, you know, originally when we moved to Florida, I wasn’t going to be doing any weddings or anything like that. That wasn’t even in my thoughts at all, but I was actually going to work with the VA and, um, with with a friend of mine and do like, you know, teach project management. But then the virus struck and that pretty much closed that whole thing down. Uh, he had to shift gears and, and I, you know, I did too. So then my wife started, uh, doing some photography, and and from there, we just got into the beach wedding business, you know.

Lee Kantor: So what are some of the elements of one of the beach wedding deals that you offer?

John McGeever: Well, I mean, we do everything from the start to the beginning, you know, and we have these packages that you can go on our website and see. I mean, starting all the way from, you know, simple elopement package all the way up to, you know, everything included, you know, including, you know, photography and ceremony and chairs and flowers and, um, and everything, you know, so we try and make it affordable for everybody, but as simple as possible too. So basically they start off by, you know, figuring out where they want to get married, and then they pick a package that they can afford. And then from there, you know, if we got the date, hopefully we have the date available and stuff and we just work with them until, you know, the day of the wedding and afterwards until they get their photos delivered to them, you know, by digital downloads. So we make it as easy as possible. Tell them how to get the license, all sorts of stuff. You know, like we kind of just walk them through it to make it as easy as possible for people from out of state. You know, it’s it’s tough. That’s what happened to us when we came from we used to live in Massachusetts and we came to Sanibel. You know, we didn’t really know what was going on. And, you know, it was kind of a mystery even getting there. And then luckily we had friends that lived here. So they they actually knew the area and we met them there and that helped a lot. So all of it helps when you have somebody that knows the area and everything. It really it helps make things less stressful.

Lee Kantor: So when someone’s, uh, out of state and they’re planning a beach. Uh, wedding. Are they? Is it are they not caring about the exact location? Because Florida obviously is a peninsula and there’s beaches around the entire state? Pretty much. Um, how do you help them or like, do they go in saying, you know, East coast, West coast side of Florida or like, how are how are they determining what’s the appropriate beach to get married at?

John McGeever: Well, that’s just it. So it depends on where they’re going to be staying. And you know, that’s one of the first questions I ask them. If they don’t tell me up front, but I’ll be, you know, I’ll ask them where they’re going to be and then I’ll we have certain spots that we do all around Florida. Uh, so I mean, places that we can save them money at and, um, other places you have to get permits and things like that. So it’s a little bit trickier most places you do, but we have places that we can do weddings without permits and stuff. So I’m doing so many weddings we have ways to save people money. And but that’s how it starts. They, you know, if they’re going to stay and say, for instance, you know, Fort Myers, you know, obviously in our area. Then we have few options. But if they’re going to be like, you know, in Orlando or somewhere in the middle. It’s all in how much they want to travel, if they want to go north, if they want to go south. It’s just how much they want to spend on it and how much time they have and things like that. But we work with them to find the best location for them.

Lee Kantor: Because the price can vary dramatically. Right? If you want to get married, uh, on South Beach, that’s going to be a lot more expensive than elsewhere on the different coast, right?

John McGeever: Not for us it isn’t. No, for us, it’s the same price. The only thing that makes it more expensive for us is if they have to. If they do it on the weekend, it costs more money because it’s more busy. It’s harder to find parking. There’s more people at the beach. You know everything. Everything on the weekend is going to cost more. But as far as as we’re concerned, it doesn’t necessarily matter the location as long as we have it available. And, you know, we have somebody that can do it. Like, you know, we don’t we can’t do all the weddings all over Florida on, you know, so we have different people working for us and but that still doesn’t change the price. The only thing that really changes the price for us is if it’s on the weekend, or if they have to get a permit, and then that really changes the price for them, because usually they have to get the permit and I’ll tell them how to, you know, some places we do it, but for the most part it’s a lot easier if the clients just get their permit, you know.

Lee Kantor: So the so the your handling the actual ceremony of the wedding not necessarily kind of where they’re staying, the hotel they’re staying at or where their family or guests are staying at. You’re you’re talking about the actual wedding ceremony.

John McGeever: Well, for the beach wedding deals, part of it. And and also we have another part that we do too. But we do we do find resorts and stuff for people to, you know, we can do that and recommend places and, um, for, for a fee, you know, obviously, but you know, so but for the beach wedding deals part, we cover all the way from, you know, the ceremony on the beach. Yes. That’s, that’s, that’s beach wedding deals.

Lee Kantor: And then does it include like photography, ceremony, photography, um, uh, if there’s like a party there or like, if they’re, you know, having the celebration that’s is that like kind of where you’re at part ends and then like the wedding party part begins. Is that a different thing?

John McGeever: Yeah. Different. Yeah. We were going to start doing start doing receptions and stuff and then we get hit with, uh, Ian and that kind of shut everything down because, you know, it’s it’s still in recovery process in my area down in Fort Myers, Bonita Springs, around in Naples and stuff. We’re still trying, you know, getting everything rebuilt back up. So we really can’t do receptions and stuff without, you know, having operating restrooms and water and all this stuff. It’s just not wouldn’t be right, you know? So we kind of just stopped doing that. We have recommendations for reception places and stuff like that for people. But, um, we just do the wedding part of it.

Lee Kantor: Right? So you’re you’re primarily about the ceremony.

John McGeever: The ceremony photography, the setup, the decorations, all that we do, All that. Yeah. Me and my wife cover this area, and we have a few other people that work with us occasionally. But yeah, I do everything all the way from setting the chairs up to the arbors, the arches, and, you know, then the ceremony, and then my wife does the photography and a lot of other things, too, you know, she’s she works real hard on it. Just as hard as just as hard as me and probably even harder, you know, now, a lot of work.

Lee Kantor: What’s the most people you’ve done a ceremony for?

John McGeever: Well, we had weddings over a hundred a few times. Our average wedding is, you know, under 50. I would think for the most part, you know, under 50 people. But we’ve had some big ones we just did recently, one not even a week ago for, uh, probably about 80 people on Fort Myers Beach. We had 70 chairs and, uh, we’d done some big ones, you know, some a lot of people. It’s hard to judge because, you know, they’ll they’ll order 50 chairs and then they’ll have 30 or 40 people standing up. So it’s, uh. Yeah, it’s we’ve done some good sized ones.

Lee Kantor: Now, what is kind of, uh, I’m sure, people get concerned about the weather. Is there kind of a plan B if weather kind of changes?

John McGeever: Yes there is, yeah, we always have. I call it a rain contingency plan. So we, um, we have a bunch of spots really all over the place where they can rent indoor places or pavilions and things like that. And, uh, for reasonable price, you know, around. And we send them that information, you know, when they reserve the wedding, uh, give them some ideas.

Lee Kantor: So how does it work logistically? If you know, everything looks good, but, you know, it’s Florida, so the weather can change on a dime. Like, if it changes, how? How quickly can you move to that contingency plan?

John McGeever: Uh, real quick, because what we do is before the wedding, we have a three day before, three days before we do a group chat with the bride and the groom. And, um, so we’re constantly tracking the weather, you know, especially like you say. I mean, it does change. They’re wrong all the time with it. You know, sometimes you don’t even know until you get to the spot how bad it could. You know it’s going to be. And, uh, but So it’s a constant thing for me to be watching the weather and falling. So I mean, I’ll give you an example. So say it’s a week away and I’m looking watching the weather and it says, you know, it’s a 90% chance it’s going to rain. Well, I’ll probably, you know, get on the phone or email or something and start recommending. If they don’t have a plan, they should definitely get one, you know, and uh, and then if it goes down, then I’ll, you know, talk to him and tell him, you know, maybe don’t worry so much. But for the most part, it’s a constant, you know, tracking it. And, and, uh, they have to like, the decision has to be made, you know, early if it’s going to be moved to another spot, it wouldn’t be like, you know, two hours before the wedding, we’re going to change locations. It would be, you know, the night before minimum or even before that, depending upon the forecast, you know.

Lee Kantor: Yeah, I, I’m from Florida and I’ve been to weddings in Florida, outdoor weddings and um, you know, I’ve had it where it sprinkles and, you know, goes away in five minutes like Florida weather is, is, you know, unpredictable.

John McGeever: It is. Yeah, like I say, I mean, I don’t know, like, it’s I, I don’t even bother sometimes I don’t watch the news or the weather that much at all because they’re wrong all the time, you know, so I, I use like 3 or 4 different apps that are fairly reliable and I follow that. And, uh, that’s all we can do. You know, it is unpredictable. And they’ll say it’s raining in one spot. You could be.

Lee Kantor: Across the street and it won’t be ready.

John McGeever: Yeah. Right. Yeah, yeah. So it’s but it just goes off the percentages, you know, and um, we’ve had really good luck with it. There’s, there’s been a few, though, that have been, uh, we’ve had to, you know, get it in there. I mean, we’ve had, I’ve actually done one where, uh, it was like a, like a big I was, I felt like I was in the eye of a hurricane. It was raining all around me. And there was, uh, you know, uh, waterspouts, like three waterspouts right offshore. And, uh, and we got the wedding right in, right in the middle of it. It was it was amazing. You know, it was pretty.

Lee Kantor: And it becomes memorable. Well, look, if you’re up for an outdoor wedding on a beach, you know, you know what you’re doing. So you know what? What could happen. So it’s great that you’re able to give them contingency plans. And and for most cases, I would imagine just powering through because you once that’s why you’re there. You want kind of to experience the weather that’s happening.

John McGeever: So exactly. That’s that’s it. You know, and I’m willing to I mean, I’ve been through a lot of things obviously, in my life. So yeah, I mean, I don’t want to get struck by lightning, but, uh, I’m out there and, uh, I’ll, I’ll do everything I got to do to get it done for them because that’s that’s it. You know, that’s the goal to give them, you know, a stress free, you know, and just they want a beach wedding for the, you know, a cheaper price. And that’s that’s our goal to do that for people, you know. And it’s worked pretty good so far.

Lee Kantor: So now, um, let’s talk a little bit about, um, kind of your experience in the military had has that helped kind of the planning of this and to, to making this work? Uh, your, your, um, your military background, did you learn anything from being in the military that contributes or helps you do this? Well.

John McGeever: I think so. You know, I mean, it’s all part of, you know, being in stressful situations, especially with the weather, you know, I mean, you get used to kind of being stressful situations. So but even still it’s, you know, it’s it’s it’s stressful just the same. But I’m able to sort of power through it, you know, and um, like I said, being in different situations. But, you know, I think it’s more or less I’ve worked outside my whole life, no matter what I’ve been doing and I’ve been managed, you know, thousands of jobs, you know, different everything you can imagine from construction to, you know, now doing weddings. So all of that helps, you know, just get through it and, um, try and stay relaxed and not put pressure on the clients and make it as least stressful as possible for them, you know? And that’s how I’ve been with everything. Yeah.

Lee Kantor: Now, you mentioned earlier that if people book a wedding for a weekday, they get a discount for that. Is there discounts for people who have, um, you know, military background?

John McGeever: Oh, definitely. Every single package. I give a 10% discount. Um, every every regular price package, I get 10% off and, um, yeah, the weekday weddings. Now we’re trying to, you know, promote that because it’s, you know, it’s it’s less busy. Uh, it’s cheaper by $250, you know, on the weekend it’s $250 extra, you know, Saturday and Sunday for us and, uh, you know, so it’s cheaper. You automatically save and, um, just it’s a much it’s much more relaxed in my opinion. You know, there’s less it’s easier to find parking and, uh, you know, and on top of that, you know, like you were saying, you know, veterans will always get that discount, no matter what, 10% off.

Lee Kantor: So what do you need more of? How can we help you?

John McGeever: Well, I mean, uh, right now we just need. It’s always good to get more weddings for, you know, right into next year and 20, 27. And, uh, we’re always looking to serve veterans and, um, so that that would be, like, really good for veterans. If they were to book a weekday wedding, they’d they’d really get a good benefit from it right now until the end of October. We only got a couple of days left of that, and then November we’re going to start another promo. Uh, I haven’t, I haven’t, you know, put that out there yet, but it’ll be in a few days. I’ll have it on social media and Facebook and different things and Google and stuff. I’ll put it on there.

Lee Kantor: So if somebody wants to learn more, is there a website? What’s the best way to connect with you all?

John McGeever: Uh, beach wedding deals. Com is the is the website. And, um, you know, we can go you can go on Google and find us on there. Uh, we’re on Twitter, on Instagram or on Pinterest. We’re all over the place. But if you just search beach wedding deals in Florida, you’ll find us on there.

Lee Kantor: Well, congratulations on all the success. 500 weddings. Man, that is not nothing. So that’s an amazing story. Uh, you came up with something that obviously resonates that, you know, over 500 folks have trusted you with their wedding, so, uh. Great job.

John McGeever: Thank you. Yeah, it’s it’s fun. It really is. And even, you know, through like, the virus there and stuff like that, I think, you know, we were we were we did 90 weddings that year. It was great, you know, because you know, Florida State Open and it’s a very veteran friendly state. You know, Florida is there’s so many reasons. I mean, you can get married here. You get a discount for months. You get a discount from a lot of other businesses too in Florida, you know. So it’s a way to save and um, yeah. 500 and going, you know, I kind of lost track. I gotta I gotta count them again. I might be over 600 before you know it.

Lee Kantor: That’s right. Well, you know, again, thank you so much for sharing your story, doing such important work. And we appreciate you.

John McGeever: Thank you. Lee, it was great talking to you.

Lee Kantor: All right. That’s beach wedding. Com to learn more. John, thank you again for sharing your story.

John McGeever: My pleasure. Yep.

Lee Kantor: All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on Veterans Business Radio.