The Wedding Biz - Behind the Scenes of the Wedding Business

Angela Desveaux is the founder, publisher, and Editor-in-Chief of WedLuxe Media, which includes her print and online magazines, a trendsetting blog, a wedding show, an online boutique, and many other facets. But the path to all this success wasn't easy, as she shares in this week's episode. Angela recalls her first few years of building the magazine with her husband Bruce and what it was like to b...

Just because something is tradition doesn't mean you can't play by your own rules. For Kristin Banta, that's the name of the event designing game. From her youth to present, Kristin has always marched to the beat of her own drum, questioning the status quo and asking the question many of us forget to: why are some things done a certain way, and who says we can't change them? Her background in a va...

How do you truly entertain without boundaries? Just ask event designer, producer, and planner Jes Gordon. Designing and planning events that are constantly pushing creative and innovative limits is what she does best. From getting inspired by her clients and their families to seeing what's on the streets of cities and incorporating that into her work, she's got no short supply of amazing ideas. Th...

Valerie Romanoff has had music in her veins since she was a little girl of two years old. Her love of melodies, guitar, and learning all kinds of music has propelled her into the world of high-end wedding and event performances with her company Starlight Music. Valerie knows just how important music is at a wedding, and how it acts as the heartbeat of the entire event. Every crowd and event is dif...

Lynn Easton is a busy woman. Between managing her destination wedding design business Easton Events and growing her Easton Porter Group luxury properties, she's got a lot of balls in the air. But for her, that's all just part of the fun. Lynn started her wedding planning career over twenty years ago almost by accident. She offered to help a friend plan and design her wedding, back before planners...

The year is 1980. The place is New York City. And the person is Preston Bailey, who at the time was just looking for a way to pay the bills and not get evicted from his apartment. What started as a small time floral business blossomed into what we know as Preston Bailey's immaculate and stunning work. For Preston, it's been a long journey to get to the top tier of wedding and event designing. He's...

Rodney Bailey bought his first camera at 12 years old, saving up all his money from a summer of mowing lawns to pay for it. He got his first gig photographing a friend's sister's wedding at age 16, just a few weeks after getting his driver's license. Rodney's career started when he was young, blossoming out of a passion for the art of photography, and that passion is still burning bright today. Ro...

Southern charm and Tara Guérard are synonymous with each other. Add weddings to the mix, and you've got one of the most highly respected wedding designers in the business. Tara's business, Tara Guérard Soirée, began 20 years ago when she discovered her love for design, creativity, and of course, planning parties! Her design aesthetic and passion for her work has led her to being a top tier designe...

Valerie Gernhauser is no stranger to unfortunate circumstances. The timing of her professional career landed amidst Hurricane Katrina, the financial banking crisis of 2009, and the economic downturn of the entire country. But instead of feeling self-pity for herself, she decided to do something about it and took her future into her own hands. Valerie, a law school graduate, turned to the unlikely...

Shawna Gohel is a pretty big deal in the Indian wedding community. Her site, Maharani Weddings, boasts 800,000 visitors every month. Shawna and her team has published over 10,000 articles on Indian weddings, and an astounding 40% of readers return to the website several times a day for inspiration. Her readers have truly become addicted to the content she shares. It all started when she herself go...

To say Rita Bloom is the pioneer of the wedding planning business would be an understatement. Rita's story of discovering an entire industry need and growing her business is one of amazement and empowerment. From the 1960s when there was no such thing as wedding florists, designers, or planners, is where Rita grew from. As she puts it, the customer invented her business, as more and more people re...

Would you ever expect an industry lauded calligrapher to have gotten an F in handwriting? For Ellen Weldon, that black mark ignited a lifelong passion for handwritten designs. Ellen's portfolio is as impressive as her calligraphy skills, having worked for companies like Cartier, Saks, Estee Lauder, Clinique, Lancome, and many others. Her meticulous work is also sought after for weddings, corporate...

"You're only as good as your last party." This old adage is something that renowned event producer and designer David Stark holds in high regard. David has produced events for noteworthy celebrities like Glenn Close and Brad Pitt, organizations like Saturday Night live, the Whitney Museum, and the Metropolitan Opera, has 5 books published, and the list goes on in similar fashion. David's career in...

Christie Narvaez is an entertainer who's worn many hats—actress, producer, comedian, and more. Today, Andy talks with her about her latest roles: Wife and mother. In a first for The Wedding Biz, we get the bride's side of the story! Andy conversation with Christie includes straight talk about what it's like to be the bride at a luxurious wedding. Yes, getting married at The Pierre New York is an a...

Marc Eliot is Founder and CCO (Chief Creative Officer) of swoop, a New York-based design studio for upscale luxury celebrations for weddings, social events, and corporate events alike. swoop is also the exclusive in-house event design affiliate for Cipriani. In this episode, Marc and Andy discuss what music and design have in common, the importance of "Game Day" improvisation, listening to what a...

In today's conversation, Andy talks with Ashfer Biju, the executive chef and food and beverage director at the iconic The Pierre, A Taj Hotel in New York City, responsible for all things culinary. To Ashfer, however, he's more than his official job title; he's a self-proclaimed "crafter of perishable art." After growing up in a small fishing town in India, Ashfer discovered his passion for food as...

Colin Cowie is a top designer for all things weddings—as well as galas, charitable events, corporate and destination celebrations. He's beloved by the likes of Oprah, Jerry Seinfeld, Elton John, Michael Jordan, Bruce Willis, Jennifer Aniston, and countless other A-list celebrities. Ever since Colin arrived in Los Angeles from Kitzwe, Zambia at the height of apartheid in 1985, his professional life...

When planning a dream-come-true wedding on an island getaway, only one name immediately comes to mind: JoAnne Brown. In this week's conversation, Andy talks to the go-to planner for weddings in the Cayman Islands and beyond. Even before she dominated the destination wedding world, JoAnne was fittingly immersed in the tropics. Born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, with a mother born in the Caymans...

As the second of three generations to uphold the Fred Marcus Studio brand, Andy Marcus has grown into his status as one of the rare few wedding photography legends, with his son, Brian, poised to carry the legacy forward. In Andy's nearly 50 years of work in the industry, he's photographed the weddings of Eddie Murphy, Kelsey Grammer, Mick Jones, Mary Tyler Moore, several of the Trumps, Princess Y...

An icon of the hospitality industry, Bill Spinner was literally born into it—as a young man, he first learned what it means to make people's experiences special by doing everything that needed to be done at his family's restaurant and inn. Today, Bill is in his 20th year at The Pierre New York, where he's Director of Sales and Catering. In that time he's worked with celebrities, socialites, heads...

In this episode, Andy talks with with Rick and Chris about what initially inspired them to do event design and production, how they keep their inspirational wellsprings replenished, and the joys and challenges of being partners in business and in life. 

Bryan Rafanelli's exquisite sense of style, attention to detail and ability to transform clients' visions into unforgettable celebrations have made him a go-to planner for the nation's most exclusive and high-profile events. Andy talks with Bryan about how he became a world-class events designer, and they discuss the business of creativity and the creativity of business.

Matthew Robbins generously shares his process for creating events that resonate, and how he connects with clients to make that happen. We also talk about balancing work and personal lives, which gets especially interesting (and rewarding!) when your professional and life partner is the same person.

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 Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas, as well as a host of celebrity and Fortune 500 corporate events. I had fun and fascinating conversation with David at his beautiful farm, "This...

Sylvia Weinstock reinvented the tradition of the wedding cake. In this episode I talk with Sylvia about her amazing life and career in the wedding business, her philosophy on both, and about this amazing time in Sylvia's life as she closes one chapter and opens a new one.