The Wedding Biz - Behind the Scenes of the Wedding Business

How about a jungle-themed corporate event with elephant rides? Listen to Andy and his guest Steve Kemble, who is known as "America's Sassiest Lifestyle Guru," as they discuss how he takes a client's idea and creates a fabulous event. Steve shares one of his favorite corporate events and how he made the jungle theme come to life plus much more on this episode of The Wedding Biz. Steve has been the...

Do you have a strong brand identity? Listen, as Andy and John discuss Wendy El-Khoury, her insights into a brand identity, and how she believes it starts before the ring ever hits the hand. John is Australia's premier floral designer, and John was on The Wedding Biz on January 13th, 2020, so check out his episode if you haven't already.     Wendy lives in Sydney, Australia, and is the owner of Wed...

Wouldn't it be great to be able to go to a website you already follow for celebrity news and beauty tips to plan your dream wedding? Listen to Andy and his guest, Wendy El-Khoury, as they discuss how you can do all of this on the Wedded Wonderland website. They also chat about the challenges she faces with the pandemic and much more on this episode of The Wedding Biz.  Wendy lives in Sydney, Austr...

Picking a wedding dress is hard, and you need an expert to make sure you look and feel your best. Listen as Andy and Nayri discuss Monte Durham, his humble upbringing, his great success as a fashion expert and TV star, and his love of being a hairstylist. Nayri Kalayjian is a wedding fashion expert with Lovella Bridal, she is also a best-selling author, celebrity stylist, and she coaches and educa...

Have you heard an excellent rag to riches story lately? Listen to Andy and his guest, Monte Durham, discuss how he went from growing up with no running water to becoming a hugely successful fashion expert and one of the stars of TLC's Say Yes to the Dress, Atlanta, where he had been the fashion director at Bridals by Lori, the south's premier bridal salon. Monte shares his life in small-town West...

"A lot of musicians and bands make the performance about themselves; we make our performances about our clients and their audiences." Listen in as Andy and his guest, Jordan Kahn, with Jordan Kahn Music, discuss how important it is to know your audience and play what will resonate with everyone that attends plus much more on this episode of The Wedding Biz.   Jordan and his business partner Chris...

In this stand-alone episode of TNL, Andy and his guest, Sean Low, discuss how the pandemic is affecting the event industry and much more. Sean is the owner of The Business of Being Creative, which focuses on providing practical advice to those in the business of being creative. His client list includes the who's who of the wedding industry and design community. Sean was on The Wedding Biz in Febru...

"What would you do if you lost everyone and everything in your life and then got it all back again?" Listen in as Andy and his guest, Bryan Rafanelli, discuss this and how Bryan is handling the effects of the pandemic both personally and professionally, and much more on this episode of The Wedding Biz. Bryan is the go-to planner for some of the nation's most exclusive and high-profile events. He h...

"If you don't have lighting, you can't see the beauty you've created." Listen as Andy and Darren discuss Norma Cohen, her elaborate designs, her attention to lighting and how it affects her vision and more. Darren Olarsch founded On The Move Entertainment in 1993, an event production company that specializes in entertainment, and appeared as a guest on The Wedding Biz on July 15th, 2019. Norma sta...

"Growing is my daily goal, and I live every day to be better." Listen in as Andy and his guest, Norma Cohen, discuss why she strives to grow daily, how getting rid of negative energy has helped her, some wild challenges she has been through since the last time she was on the show and what she does for fun on this episode of The Wedding Biz. Norma started her company Norma Cohen Productions nearly...

Listen as Andy and Lewis discuss Sofia Crokos and her love of fashion and beauty. Lewis Miller is the founder of Lewis Miller Design, a floral design company based in New York City. Lewis's clients include the world's leading industry professionals in fashion design, photography, art direction, and architecture.  Sofia is a planner/designer based in New York City. She has also partnered with The H...

"I love fashion, and I appreciate everything beautiful because I love to surround myself in beauty" Listen in as Andy and his guest, Sofia Crokos, discuss personally connecting with clients, her love of fashion, and creating beautiful events. Sofia is a planner/designer based out of New York City. She has also partnered with The Heritage Collection behind four exclusive private properties in Europ...

This is a bonus episode featuring my conversation with David Stark, a renowned NYC-based event producer and designer whose team creates events  worldwide for weddings, entertainment, fashion, publishing, arts, media, and for consumer product industries.  We discuss his personal response to dealing with the pandemic as well as how he's handling it with his business. David talks about what he's lear...

Seeing locations through color and shapes is a unique way to design events. Listen as Andy and Sean Low discuss this and much more on this episode of The Next Level. Sean's company, The Business of Being Creative, focuses on providing practical advice to those in the business of being creative. His client list includes the who's who of the wedding industry and design community.  Together, they own...

"It's not about producing a New York wedding in Provence; it's about producing a Provence wedding in Provence with New York standards." Listen as Andy, and his guests Matthew Robbins and Luis Otoya discuss their process and dig deep into the creative aspect. They also have an exciting conversation about their use of color and a discussion about their pricing philosophy.  Matthew has a company call...

This is a bonus episode to help us all through this difficult time. The interview can benefit everyone though Katie Krimitsos is the creator and host of the Women's Meditation Network, "the home for guided meditations that are created for the very special journey that we women walk throughout this life. While we are all different and unique, there is an underlying connection and shared experience...

We are all having our own reaction to the current crisis. David shares his way of getting through the myriad of challenges facing not only himself, but all of us.  David Beahm, world-class wedding designer and planner, known for his inventive work and trademark lavish flower creations, has designed countless weddings for society, high profile and discerning clients, including the wedding of Cather...

Today's episode is a special one about dealing with the impact of the Coronavirus though it's timeless in that it can apply to any major challenge or crisis. Brett had a very successful career as a videographer in the lux wedding market, for ten years,  until the recession of 2008 forced him to pivot. Now a filmmaker and keynote speaker, Brett Culp films is based out of Tampa FL.  He is also an au...

Do you know how digital photos typically look different from pictures taken using film? Listen as Andy and Lynn discuss Jose's new preset that allows him to use digital but still get the film look plus much more. Lynn Easton of Easton Events is a wonderful planner and designer based out of Charleston and Charlottesville who works worldwide.  Jose Villa is a film photographer known for shooting wed...

Andy and Jose hopped on the line, Friday March 13th, to discuss the impact of the Coronavirus on the event industry and their businesses as a prelude to the regular interview.  Listen as Andy and Jose discuss many topics, including the celebrity weddings he photographed in 2019. There is so much to learn from Jose, regardless of whether or not you are a photographer. If you are not familiar with h...

Christie Osborne is FEMA-certified in Social Media Crisis Communication and I was fortunate to get some time with her while attending Catersource/The Special Event conference in Las Vegas. She talks about what to consider when communicating policies regarding response to a crisis, including the Coronavirus.  She also tells us about the most frequently asked questions she's getting while at the con...

If you want your weddings to have theatrical productions, listen as Andy and Andre discuss Sonal Shah and her ability to plan and produce events and the challenges she faces when planning celebrity weddings, interracial weddings, and more, all over the world. Andre Maier is a fantastic photographer based in both New York City and Los Angeles, who works worldwide, and appeared on The Wedding Biz.  ...

"I don't design; I plan events and manage the timelines." Listen in as Andy and his guest Sonal Shah discuss how she began her career, and why she chose to niche down to South Asian weddings. They also talk about her position with Marriott and how it helped her become the planner she is today and much more on this episode of The Wedding Biz. Sonal is a premier South Asian event planner based in Ne...

When does it make sense to change the dynamics of a company? Listen, as Andy and Robert Sherman discuss how changing the leadership of Evoke Design led Jeannette Tavares and Jodi Moraru to greater personal and business success. Robert is the President of Washington Talent and Andy's business partner with Kushner Entertainment. Andy interviewed him on The Wedding Biz in November of last year as the...

Have you ever looked at an event from a thirty thousand foot view, so you could see the big picture? Listen as Andy and his guests Jodi Moraru and Jeannette Tavaras discuss this and how event planning has evolved in the last thirty years. Both of these amazing women are individuals who work with Evoke, an Event Planning and Design company that was initially founded by Jodi but was bought by Jeanne...