If you’ve ever hesitated to invest in your photography business because you weren’t sure you’d have enough time, wondered whether a mentorship program could actually work for the timing of your specific situation, or you want to join at the “perfect” time to get the most out of it — this Book It review episode was made for you, friend.
Today I’m sitting down with one of my past Book It students, Laurel, to share her Book It review and it’s honestly one of my favorites, not just because of the numbers (though we’ll absolutely get into those), but because of what happened, when it happened, and what it meant for her business to work harder than her. Because life didn’t wait for Laurel to finish the program before throwing some curveballs her way — and her business kept moving anyway.
Laurel came into Book It with only two to three weddings behind her, working as a nurse, and trying to figure out how to make weddings her full-time focus. About halfway through the program, she had to step away entirely to be with family. And while she was paused? She booked three weddings, including her highest package ever at $7,500, and brought in over $16,000 cash.
But here’s the most recent update that really made my jaw drop. When we recorded this episode in September 2025, things were already looking up for her. Then in January 2026, she slid into my DMs — four weddings booked in one month, nursing only one to two days a week, and $20,000 in profit. Not revenue. Profit. In the first month of the year. Her biggest month ever.
This is what happens when you build your foundations right. And Laurel — now newly engaged and stepping into a full season of wedding planning herself — said it best: “I just am so confident knowing that the foundation I’ve got set in place for my business, it’s just going to keep working for me without me having to constantly be stressed about it.”
That is the whole point. That is everything.
If you’re a wedding photographer trying to book more consistently, increase your packages, or just finally feel confident in how you’re running the business side of your photography business, this one’s for you. Listen to the episode below, or keep reading for a summary of what’s covered.
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Laurel’s Book It Review
When Laurel first came into Book It, she was mostly shooting seniors and families — with only two or three weddings under her belt. Weddings were her dream niche, but the path there felt unclear. She was working as a nurse, posting on Instagram without much strategy, and struggling to move potential clients through her booking process with any consistency.
What Laurel really wanted was to make weddings her main thing. She knew that was where her heart was. As she put it, “It gave me the most fulfillment and just the joy that I was bringing to others through weddings was just unmatched with any other session.” But knowing what you want and knowing how to get there are two very different things — and that gap was exactly where she was stuck.
She was reading everything she could find about Instagram strategy, but kept getting conflicting information that wasn’t producing results. She didn’t have a consistent booking process because she hadn’t booked enough weddings to build one. And with only two or three weddings behind her (two of which were referrals), she was also quietly wrestling with a question a lot of photographers don’t say out loud: Do I even have what it takes to do this?
Why Laurel Decided to Join Book It
Laurel reached out to me through Instagram, and I did what I always do — I sent her voice memos back. She laughed telling me this: “I remember you’d left me so many voice memos on Instagram, which I loved because it really just gave me a sense of who you were and your personality. I was like, oh my gosh, okay, I’m obsessed with this girl. Even if this doesn’t work for me, I feel like I’m going to have a friend.”
Her biggest push over the edge into joining the program came down to two things: she needed a proven strategy for Instagram she could actually trust, and she needed to understand how to work clients through the booking process with confidence. As she said, she didn’t want to just copy what a friend was doing or follow advice from someone whose story looked completely different from hers. She wanted something proven to work — something she could trust and implement from the ground up.
That’s exactly what Book It is built for.
What Laurel Implemented Inside Book It (And What Changed)
Here’s what I love about Laurel’s story: she didn’t even get through the entire program before the results started showing up.
In the early modules of Book It, we work through connection — what it means to show up as more than a service provider, to build a brand that people feel before they ever reach out. Laurel focused on reworking her website and Instagram to feel more personal, more intentional, and more reflective of the kind of experience she offered couples. She leaned into the idea that clients don’t just want great photos — they want to feel cared for on one of the most important days of their lives.
“People aren’t just wanting a good price,” she told me. “They want to remember the person that they worked with. Being there for them and being attentive and just showing up for them and being a lot more than just pictures or videos — a real experience.”
She also worked through the inquiry-to-booking process early in the program. And that module alone? She said it gave her more confidence than anything else she had tried. “These are the questions you should be asking. The confidence that I got from just that module alone really pushed my business forward. Like it tremendously helped me just kind of get to that next level of consistently booking weddings.”
Then, about halfway through the program, life happened.
When Life Gets in the Way (And Your Business Keeps Working Anyway) – Laurel’s Book It Results
Laurel reached out to let me know she needed to pause and be with family. No questions asked — of course. That’s what we do. Life first, always.
What happened while she was paused? She booked three weddings, including her highest package ever at $7,500, and brought in over $16,000 cash.
Let that sink in.
She wasn’t actively working in the program. She wasn’t implementing new modules. She had done what she could before stepping away — and the foundation she had built kept working while she was focused on her family.
This is something I talk about all the time inside Book It, and Laurel lived it: your business can work harder than you when you’ve built it on the right foundations. It doesn’t require you to be “on” every single day. It doesn’t require perfect implementation or finishing every lesson. It requires building the pieces that create momentum — the right brand positioning, the right website, the right booking process — and then trusting what you’ve planted.
When she emailed and shared those wins with me, I was genuinely thrilled. Because she came in unsure if she had what it takes, booking weddings at $1,500, second-guessing her pricing, wondering if photography was really her path. And now she was booking her highest-ever package while she wasn’t even working the program and got to be present with her family.
This is more than just flashy wins, it’s her being present when it mattered most while her business didn’t stop.
What Laurel Would Say to Photographers on the Fence about Joining Book It
I asked Laurel to speak directly to anyone sitting on the fence, and she didn’t hold back:
“If you are on the fence about this program, you just need to go all in. You really just need to make the jump and do it. It will absolutely pay off in more ways than you can imagine.”
She also said something that I think a lot of photographers need to hear more than any tip or strategy I could teach: “I’ve learned that I am good enough for this. And the prices that I have set — I’m worth being paid those things. And it really just changes your whole mindset.”
The time concern is real, and I want to be honest about it. Book It does require you to show up and implement — it’s not magic. But the way the program is structured means you can work at your own pace, come back to lessons when you need them, and get support in the chat when life gets messy. As Laurel put it, “You’re going to get out what you put in. But it’s structured to where you can do both” — both the program and your real life.
What Makes Laurel’s Book It Review Different
A lot of student stories I share are about photographers who went all in, implemented fast, and saw results quickly. And those are incredible stories too. But Laurel’s story is special for a different reason.
Laurel is proof that you don’t have to have a perfect season, the perfect amount of time, or a perfectly clear runway to see results. She paused. Life got hard. And her business still moved forward because she had done the foundational work when she could.
She started at $1,500 weddings. She had days of wondering if she was even cut out for this. She was working as a nurse, posting without strategy, trying to piece things together from conflicting advice. And now she’s booking $7,500 packages, nursing one to two days a week by choice, and hitting $20K profit months in January.
Trust in the seeds you’re planting, friend. Growth is growth, no matter how small — and when you build on the right foundation, those seeds don’t stop growing just because you had to step away for a season.
Key Takeaways from This Book It Review Episode
- Building your business foundations means your business keeps working even when you can’t
- The inquiry-to-booking process is one of the most impactful things you can nail down early — it helps inquiries convert in record time
- Connection-based marketing (brand positioning, personal storytelling, showing the experience you offer – not just telling) makes the difference between budget shoppers and premium clients
- You don’t need to implement everything perfectly to see results — start with the foundational pieces and trust the process
- Pricing isn’t just about confidence — it’s about strategy, knowing your cost of doing business, and understanding how to structure packages that lead to your highest offers
What’s Covered in This Book It Review Episode
- Where Laurel was before joining Book It (mostly seniors/families, two to three weddings, struggling with Instagram and the booking process)
- What pushed her over the edge to join and what she was really looking for
- The early Book It modules she implemented — connection, website, booking process
- What happened when she had to pause mid-program (spoiler: $16K cash and a $7,500 wedding)
- Her January 2026 update: four weddings booked, nursing one to two days per week, $20K in profit in one month
- Her advice to photographers sitting on the fence
- What sustainable photography business growth actually looks like in real life
Featured Offerings or Resources Mentioned in the Book It Review Episode
- Ready to build the foundations that keep working for you, even when life is hard? Apply for Book It
- Want to connect with Laurel and see her beautiful work? Find her on Instagram at @lifeframesby_laurel and at lifeframesbylaurel.com
- Getting ghosted when a dream client inquires? Hook more of your inquiries with these FREE 4 inquiry email templates.
- Wanting to increase your booking rate and convert more discovery calls? Get the discovery call script here
