The Wedding Biz - Behind the Scenes of the Wedding Business

Andy welcomes Jennifer Zabinski of JZ Events back to the podcast for a follow-up interview after initially having been on the show back in episode 96 ! Jennifer is the founder and CEO of JZ Events and has been named by Vogue and Brides in their listings of the best wedding planners of the world. Martha Stewart Weddings and Harpers Bazaar has also named her a top planner, and JZ Events is a full-se...

Andy is so happy to welcome Rishi Patel of HMR Designs back to the show today, who was first on the show back in 2019 . Rishi is the CEO of HMR Designs which is a premier event design and production firm based out of Chicago. Rishi has even been named one of the top wedding and event designers in the world by Harper's Bazaar, Vogue, Brides, and Martha Stewart Weddings and has also been recognized...

Pablo Oliveira's work is so elegant and sophisticated, his portfolio images alone are a feast for the eyes. Nuage Designs, the name of Pablo's company, is growing internationally. From royal weddings to inaugural balls, Nuage Designs has been dressing the tables of some of the most prestigious events globally including Chelsea Clinton's Wedding. Pablo grew up in Brazil, and with no history of desi...

Andy welcomes Barbi Walters, founder of and one of three principal designers with Lynden Lane , a multigenerational brand led by strong and creative intuition. Barbi and her daughters Lyndsey and Lane have decades of combined experience creating thoughtful environments both at events and inside of homes. Barbi talks about what she was doing before she founded her company and how her company came t...

We are excited to announce that today's guest is Mauricio Kirschner , the founder and chief designer of House of Kirschner . They create out-of-this world interior and event design, and are also professional architects which enables them to design and produce unique constructions and designware beyond the usual. In this insightful conversation with Andy, Mauricio discusses his childhood passion fo...

Returning to the podcast is JoAnn Gregoli of Elegant Occasions , who creates events which tell the stories of its couples. JoAnn has been included in Modern Bride Magazine as one of their Top Trendsetters of the Year and was also recognized as one of the top twenty-five most influential wedding planners in the world. Listen to her return today as she talks all about how you can make or break your...

Sharon Sacks is the epitome of a multi-tasking go-getter! Early in her career she caught her first big break working with Berry Gordy Jr. and his Motown Records label during its peak which included projects with Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder. From there, Sharon went on to work with Jerry Perenchio, who turned out to be her greatest mentor yet. Through working with him, she got the opportunity to e...

Today's guest is Susan Kidwell, the general manager with Hensley Event Resources ! For the last thirty years, Susan has continued to raise the bar when partnering with planners and designers to create unique ways of transforming space. Susan truly enjoys the creative process of hearing a design concept and then breaking it down into production elements for her team to fabricate in multiple mediums...

Second-time guest Lewis Miller is the founder of Lewis Miller Design based out of New York City, and he has over 242,000 followers on Instagram as of today. He is a floral designer whose client list includes leading industry professionals in fashion, design, photography, art direction, and architecture such as Bulgari, Carolina Herrera, Mayor Blumberg, Chanel, Tiffany, Versace, Bergdorf Goodman, t...

Andy welcomes two guests to the podcast today - Julie and Chris Neubauer, the founders of Yonder Design ! Yonder Design is a boutique graphic design firm which specializes in branding for social and corporate events. Their specialty lies in creating unique and highly tactile pieces that combine a variety of materials and production methods which includes save-the-dates, invitations, websites, larg...

Did you grow up knowing what you wanted to do with your life? Most people change their minds multiple times before they decide on their career. Today's guest grew up always being creative, as her father was an engineer, building things. If you asked her then, she would not have an idea she would be where she is today – an entrepreneur growing something from nothing, and knowing what her skills wer...

Andy decided that he wanted to do a little something different this week on The Wedding Biz and is having a conversation with his own business partner of Kushner Entertainment , Robert Sherman! Robert is also the owner of Washington Talent , the iconic entertainment company located out of the Washington D.C. area which was established fifty-five years ago before Robert eventually took the reins, t...

Today's episode marks the second appearance by Kiana Underwood of Tulipina , an internationally renowned floral design studio that creates bespoke experiences for luxury weddings and events around the world. Kiana herself has been named one of the top wedding floral designers in the United States and is the #1 most followed floral designer on Instagram . She is also the author of Color Me Floral (...

Listen in as Andy sits down with Brian Leventhal and John Stires, the co-founders of First Batch Hospitality ! First Batch Hospitality brings outstanding wine, culinary, beverage, and private event experiences to various cities with venues that include Brooklyn Winery , District Winery , and Chicago Winery . Each of these locations is a wine production facility outfitted with stainless steel tanks...

This episode of The Wedding Biz is a special one because Andy is recording live during Laurie Arons ' masterclass and has three special guests today - Laurie herself, Sarah Winward (who will very soon be featured on the podcast in her own individual interview), and Susan Kidwell (who will also be appearing on the podcast fairly soon). Laurie has been on the show several times before and runs Lauri...

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...

Andy welcomes David Beahm of David Beahm Experiences back to The Wedding Biz, as he has been on the show several times before ! David is a very popular world-class wedding designer and planner based out of New York City and is known especially for his trademark flower creations. He has helped design countless weddings for high-profile names such as Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas, and he...

This episode of The Wedding Biz is a special one because Andy is recording live during Laurie Arons ' masterclass and has three special guests today - Laurie herself, Jose Villa , and Carrie Goldberg , all three of whom have been on the podcast before. Laurie runs Laurie Arons Special Events, and she talks about what the most important characteristics are in a prospective photographer, what some o...

Andy is very excited to welcome Marcy Blum, an internationally sought after event planner and entertaining expert who has 30 years experience. She has been named one of the best in the world by Vogue, Martha Stuart Weddings, Harper's Bazaar and the New York Times magazine. Marcy has appeared on many television shows and, with event planner Sarah Haywood, has developed EPIC, the Event Planners Inte...

Andy welcomes Persephone Maglaya to the show today! Persephone is the founder and C.E.O. of The Media Socialites , a social media and influencer management agency. She is also the creator of @everydayvogue and @bridalvogue , which reaches over 275,000 collectively, and she has a team of fifty full-time employees and works with over 130 luxury bridal partners. Persephone reveals how she got started...

Andy is so excited to bring on today's guest, Sarah Winward ! Sarah is based out of Salt Lake City and is a destination wedding florist who creates flower arrangements that are inspired by the changing of seasons in nature. Believing that flowers should feel natural in the environment in which they are going to be viewed, Still, she also finds many of her materials in the immediate area where the...

Floral artist Kiana Underwood is the celebrated owner of Tulipina an internationally renowned floral design studio that creates bespoke experiences for luxury weddings throughout the world. She has been named one of the top wedding floral designers in the US and is the most followed floral designer on Instagram . She is the author of Color Me Floral and the host of sold-out international workshops...

This episode marks today's guest's third spot on The Wedding Biz! Michelle Rago is a very popular and successful destination planner, producer, and designer based out of New York City, and she has published a book titled Signature Weddings: Creating a Day Uniquely Your Own . She joins Andy today to discuss topics such as how the COVID-19 pandemic affected her business, how she sometimes has to mak...

Longtime listeners of The Wedding Biz will definitely recognize today's special guest, as she has been on the podcast several times before ! Christina Matteucci is the executive director of David Beahm Experiences , and in today's conversation, she and Andy talk about the generational gap in the event industry. She offers potential solutions not only to bridge that gap but also to thrive even more...

Joining Andy this week is Jess Levin Conroy , the founder and C.E.O. of Carats and Cake , a community within the events industry that connects industry pros with couples planning weddings. They also offer a software solution focused specifically on venues to drive their entire event revenue streams and focused on revenue optimization. Andy and Jess have a conversation that is full of a wide range...