The Wedding Biz - Behind the Scenes of the Wedding Business

"I personally believe that flowers speak for themselves." Listen as Andy and his guest Rob Van Helden discuss 'perfect simplicity' and what he means by that. Rob also talks about starting a business out of the back of a car with his sister Patrice and how through word of mouth they were able to grow, plus much more on this episode of The Wedding Biz.   Rob is the owner of Rob Van Helden Floral Des...

On this episode of The Wedding Biz, Andy is having a conversation with Christian Oth. Listen as he discusses how he is dealing with the pandemic both personally and professionally, why he charges an upcharge for new contracts and a non-refundable percentage if a client postpones. Christian also shares what he is doing now, including his newest workshops    Christian is an internationally renowned...

Andy's guest co-host today is Kim Wiseley, Founder and Creative Director of Flutter Magazine, and she recently created a new sister company called The Floral Pantry. Listen as they discuss Joy's outlook on how the design relates to the location, the inclusive proposal she gives her clients, plus much more on this episode of The Next Level.   Today, Andy and Kim talk about Joy Proctor of Joy Procto...

"An event designer is the equivalent of an interior designer." Andy's guest on the show is Joy Proctor of Joy Proctor Design, a full-service design house. Listen as they discuss what led Joy to make that analogy, how her childhood influenced her career path, why she transitioned from a planner to a designer, plus so much more on this episode of The Wedding Biz .   Joy considers herself a wedding d...

Andy is bringing us a very important interview pertinent right now in the weddings and events industry. The Live Events Coalition is a volunteer-run nonprofit organization created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and it's devastating impact on the live events industry to provide advocacy, resources, and a network that connects and supports businesses, contractors, and the general event industr...

"This fragility of a moment fascinated me, and this is something I always wanted to do, freeze moments." Andy's guest on the show today is Zuzu Birkhof. Listen as they discuss her grandfather's encouragement to go to film school, being the first female to assist the well-known german photographer Olaf Heine, and why she transitioned to wedding photography, plus so much more on this episode of The...

Andy's guest co-host today is Maria Boustany, from Chateau Rweiss in Lebanon. Listen as they discuss the beauty of the Chateau, the weddings and events she has done with Yara Estephan, an extremely gifted planner and designer out of Beirut, and much more on this episode of The Next Level.   Maria and Andy discuss the 3D renderings that Yara uses when designing weddings and how the finished product...

"I think my background in graphic design helps me because I focus a lot on the details of a wedding." Andy's guest on the show today is Yara Estephan, a wonderful planner and designer out of Beirut. Listen as they discuss Yara's early interest in weddings, how she uses her graphic design background in her current work, some great stories about some major over-the-top and high-exposure weddings, an...

Every year, millions of couples celebrate their love by getting married and millions of their family and friends celebrate with them. In the U.S. alone, Americans spend $100 billion on weddings annually. Think invitations, wedding dresses, rings, venues, flowers, gift registries, honeymoons and more all on saying "I do." But at a time when a child is married somewhere in the world every three seco...

Listen, as Andy and his guests, Rime Arodaky and Greg Finck,discuss how the pandemic affected them personally and professionally, what they have been doing with their time and where they see the industry post-pandemic, plus so much more on this episode of The Wedding Biz .   Rime is a popular gown and dress designer out of Paris, and her company is considered a "Bridal House For Rebel Goddesses an...

Do you know how to have a responsibly sourced wedding? Listen, as Andy and his guests Amanda Hearst and Micaela Erlanger discuss their process of working together to style Amanda's outfits and jewelry for her extended wedding weekend and the aspects of sustainability that were considered and incorporated. Amanda makes an exciting announcement at the end of the show about a new product line and so...

Andy's guest co-host today is Sofia Crokos. Sofia is a planner/designer based out of Hamptons, New York City. She has also partnered with The Heritage Collection behind four exclusive private properties in Europe. Listen as they discuss the flower flashes Lewis he does to give back and creatively challenge himself. He also discusses his process with his clients, and much more on this episode of Th...

"Before I know what flowers I'm going to use, I need to know what backdrop I'm going to create to show off those flowers." Listen, as Andy and his guest Lewis Miller discuss how he came to be in New York City, his process with clients, how he gets inspired for his designs, how he has been able to maneuver through the pandemic, and so much more on this episode of The Wedding Biz .   Lewis is a flor...

"When life gets tough, it takes guts to keep going." Andy is excited to have Cindy Novotny back on the show. Cindy is the founder of Master Connections Associates, an internationally renowned leader in sales, leadership, and customer service. The Association of Talent Development has recognized her as one of the nine most powerful and innovative speakers. Cindy is also the author of the book Livin...

Andy has Laurie Arons on the show today to talk about how she is handling the pandemic personally and professionally, some events she has been lucky enough to have, and how she has stayed connected with her clients that rescheduled their events for next year, and much more on this episode of The Wedding Biz .   Since founding Laurie Arons Special Events in 1994, Laurie has been featured in numerou...

"It's not about how a wedding looks; it's about how it feels." Andy's guest co-host today is Abi Matesun, Founder and CEO of Malekfoto Films and Malekfoto Weddings. Abi is a two time Emmy winning cinematographer, filmmaker, photographer, public speaker, and two time Telly Award winner. Listen as they discuss how Zainab honed her skill set as a child, the advantages of traveling to many countries a...

"I try always to make sure I design a wedding with the couple in mind and personalize it as much as possible." Listen as Andy and his guest, Zainab Alsalih, discuss how she designs a wedding, why she transitioned from corporate events into weddings, her process when doing events, and much more on this episode of The Wedding Biz .   Zainab is the Founder and Creative Director of Carousel Events out...

Does giving back make you feel better? Listen as Andy and Robert Sherman, the President of Washington Talent Andy's partner at Kushner Entertainment, discuss JoAnn being the godmother of destination weddings, wanting to be an advocate for her clients, founding the Sewing Angles, and much more on this episode of The Next Level.   JoAnn is the owner of Elegant Occasions by JoAnn Gregoli. She has bee...

Andy and his guest, JoAnn Gregoli, discuss how she educated herself to speak the language of her vendor team, how she approaches destination weddings, how she approaches marketing for her services, and much more on this episode of The Wedding Biz . JoAnn is the owner of Elegant Occasions by JoAnn Gregoli. She has been included in Modern Bride Magazine as one of their Top Trendsetters of the year a...

Andy is happy to have Carrie Goldberg back on the show to discuss how COVID-19 has affected her personally and professionally, what she is hearing from both brides and planners, and the challenges planners have with managing their clients' expectations, but also keeping them safe and socially distanced.   Carrie is the Digital Travel & Weddings Editor at Harper's Bazaar, where she oversees all thi...

"You must reinvent yourself by expanding your vision and allowing yourself to do new things." Listen as Andy and his guest David Tutera discuss his last two jobs before the pandemic put a stop to everything, what he's doing both personally and business-wise during the shutdown, what he's doing to adjust his business and reinvent himself,  and much more on this episode of The Wedding Biz . David's...

"Success is not about the destination, but rather the journey." Listen as Andy and his guest, Zainab Alsalih, Founder and Managing Director of Carousel Events, a bespoke event design and wedding planning company based in Dubai, discuss the way Abi sees and photographs a wedding, his need to find the love-story with his clients and the importance of good visuals plus much more on this episode of Th...

"Everything you see in life that has impacted the world in any form or way started as a dream." Listen as Andy and his guest Abi Matesun discuss what Abi means by this statement, why he left Nigeria, how he started in photography and the transition into film, and much more on this episode of The Wedding Biz . Abi is the Founder and CEO of Malekfoto Films and Malekfoto Weddings. Abi is a two time E...

"Designing jewelry is all about family and connecting emotionally." Listen as Andy and his guest Carrie Goldberg, the Travel and Weddings Director at Harpers Bazaar, discuss Zameer's refugee family upbringing, his ability to create an experience when he designs jewelry, how he comes up with ideas for engagement rings and much more on this episode of The Next Level.  Zameer is the Founder and CEO o...

Zameer Kassam is known for Infusing storytelling with personal history when designing jewelry. Listen as Andy and Zameer discuss the rings he designed for Hasan Minhaj, Ashley Judd, and Lupita Nyong'o. Zameer also talks about his background working in his immigrant family's jewelry business, why talking to people about their love stories was his favorite part, the passion that led him to design je...