The Wedding Biz - Behind the Scenes of the Wedding Business

Andy welcomes Victoria Dubin to the podcast today! Victoria runs Victoria Dubin Events located in New York City. After graduating from Cornell University, Victoria began her career in finance and real estate and was later the owner of a successful gift and home design accessories business. She eventually started a highly sought-after event planning firm. Victoria Dubin Events offers a complete sco...

Lighting designer and owner of Images by Lighting Ray Thompson is here today to talk about storytelling with lighting for events and designing lighting for lux weddings. He has over 30 years of experience and an amazing passion for creative design. He also pioneered the modern event lighting industry. His company has created the lighting for events at major corporations like Adobe, Taco Bell, Gill...

Andy is so excited to present this interview to you with Zainab Alsalih who has been on the show once before when we were still in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic. Zainab is the founder and creative director of Carousel , one of the most prominent companies in the region for event design. She is considered one of the most respected authorities on weddings in the Middle East, and she has been co...

Today's guest is no stranger to the show as he has been featured on it before ! Welcome Brett Culp , an acclaimed filmmaker and social entrepreneur. He is the personal cinematographer for Hollywood stars, music icons, authors, hall of fame athletes, and royal families, and his films have been featured on Netflix, Apple TV, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. His uplifting keynote speeches deliver practical me...

Corbin Gurkin of Corbin Gurkin Photography joins Andy today to talk about her unique journey as a wedding photographer. Corbin has photographed weddings in places as diverse as California's wine country, the beautiful beaches of Thailand, country estates in Ireland, the hillside villages of Tuscany, and more. Her work has been regularly featured in Martha Stewart Weddings, Harper's Bazaar, Vogue,...

Frequent guest David Stark comes back to the podcast today! David is a renowned event producer and designer based out of New York City, and his team creates events worldwide for weddings, entertainment, fashion, publishing, arts, media, and more! Some of his high-profile clients and events include Brad Pitt, Glenn Close, Saturday Night Live's fortieth anniversary, Louis Vuitton, and fundraising ga...

Jack Ezon, C.E.O. and managing partner of EMBARK Beyond , returns to the podcast to talk with Andy about where he is today in the travel industry. Embark Beyond is a luxury lifestyle partnership that specializes in bespoke travel experiences. They have the ability to access royal palaces, private homes, luxury yachts, global landmarks, and more, and they negotiate hotel, air, and other components...

Regular and longtime listeners of the podcast will likely recognize today's guest's voice as she has been on the show before ! Carrie Goldberg is the founder and creative director of CLG Creative, a fashion styling and creative consulting firm which caters to personal and corporate clients all over the globe! Carrie channels her multifaceted background in editing, art direction, and creative direc...

Andy's guest today is Jeannie Young Savage , president of Details Details Weddings and Events . Details Details is a premier full-service event planning and design company which specializes in distinctive weddings, lavish events, and corporate functions. Prior to launching the company nearly twenty years ago, Jeannie was the general manager of several full-service hotels including managing 200 emp...

Since you're listening to this podcast, it's obvious that you want to find new ways to improve your wedding business. That's why I'm excited to tell you about the Book More Weddings Summit!   During this online conference, which is free if you mention my name, you'll learn how to more easily book more weddings by hearing from over 20 industry experts. The host of this event is previous podcast gue...

Andy welcomes Stephanie Cole of Cole Drake Events to the podcast today! Stephanie is the founder and principal planner of Cole Drake Events, a luxury destination wedding planning company. They have been featured in Martha Stewart, Harper's Bazaar, and the New York Times, and in this episode, Stephanie and Andy talk about Stephanie's early influences, how she made the transition from having a busin...

Longtime and/or regular listeners of The Wedding Biz will likely remember today's guest as she is no stranger to the show! Returning to The Wedding Biz to once again chat with Andy about what she does is Julie Novack , C.E.O. and co-founder of PartySlate ! Founded in 2016, PartySlate is an online resource full of photos that connects people who are planning events of all kinds with leading event p...

Augusta Cole joins Andy in this episode of The Wedding Biz to talk about her career and how she always manages to stay one step ahead, discussing how she took the leap to start her own business, how she built her team, and more. Andy first met Augusta when she was working for Lynn Easton as Executive Director where she garnered a stellar reputation for her wide-ranging abilities. She has since sta...

Joining Andy on today's episode of The Wedding Biz is Jean-Pierre Uys of Jean-Pierre Uys Photography! Based out of New York City, Jean-Pierre is an acclaimed wedding photographer, artist, and creative explorer. Having shot over 700 weddings, his images have been published in over seventy local and international magazines, and he even helped publish two hardcover wedding books. Jean-Pierre is also...

Andy's guest today is the founder and C.E.O. of Miss Diamond Ring, Michelle Demaree! Miss Diamond Ring is a Los Angeles-based diamond concierge service that offers its clientele a personalized boutique service as special as their love story. After honing her craft for more than ten years in the diamond industry and representing state-of-the-art brands such as Harry Winston, Tiffany & Co., and Van...

Joining Andy this week is returning guest (and host of another podcast as part of The Wedding Biz Network) Preston Bailey! Preston is the premier international event designer for a client roster that includes celebrities, royalty, CEOs, and athletes! He has had a number of art installations with showcases in cities including but not limited to New York City, Las Vegas, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Londo...

There are many digital platforms that provide inspiration for designing and organizing events, however, PartySlate is an especially curated platform, using images, that offers such inspiration and connections to local professionals. Creating such a well-orchestrated and impactful company is no small feat, which is what makes building this creative source so impressive. Julie Novack is not only the...

Sean Low of The Business of Being Creative joins Andy today to talk about his business and how it has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic over the last couple of years. The Business of Being Creative is a consulting firm that is focused 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, a...

Joining Andy today is returning guest Laurie Arons of Laurie Arons Special Events ! Laurie founded her company in 1994 and has been featured in numerous magazine publications. She has also been listed in Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, and Martha Stewart Weddings as one of the top worldwide planners. Her clientele consists of noteworthy trendsetters like Sophia Coppola, Vanessa Getty, and Christy Turlingt...

Andy is joined today by KT Merry of KT Photography ! KT has been recognized for her industry excellence by top media outlets such as Harper's Bazaar and Vogue, and she has built a thriving and very profitable business that allows her to also pursue her passion for conservation by using her art to protect the planet and its inhabitants who are most vulnerable. Over the past ten years, KT has evolve...

What does leadership mean to you? Leadership has many meanings, and everyone may have their own perspective on it. Today's guest, Brett Culp,  has a wonderful point of view on leadership and has built an amazing foundation for his life. 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 an...

Today's guest, Heidi Thompson, has no shortage of hats that she wears! She is a wedding business and marketing strategist and is also a bestselling author, having published Clone Your Best Clients . She is also the founder of Evolve Your Wedding Business where she helps wedding professionals grow six-figure and multi-six-figure businesses without putting a ton of hours in! Heidi's business and mar...

Andy's guest today is Jennifer Stein, co-founder and editor-in-chief of Destination I Do Magazine, a magazine that can be found on newsstands in all fifty states as well as twelve countries. The magazine can also be found online along with a daily blog , and Jennifer also has her own podcast . She has over two decades of experience in business and publishing, and she was even recognized as one of...

Today's guest spot goes to Paul Morse , who chats with Andy about his career as a professional photographer! Paul is of Paul Morse Studios based in New Orleans, and his talent and unique style have earned him the trust of presidents, world leaders, Fortune 500 companies, and numerous bridal couples. He enjoyed a successful photojournalism career with the Los Angeles Times and then served as a Whit...

As anyone knows, sometimes we need a little motivation, a push in the right direction. Maybe we're not as focused as we need to be and just need someone to motivate us to reach our potential. Cindy Novotny is with us today, and she's here to give some of her signature "straight talk" advice. Listen in and find out why you should embrace public speaking, set goals, and stay focused on what you want...