The Wedding Biz - Behind the Scenes of the Wedding Business

Joining Andy today is a good friend of his, Lauryn Prattes of Lauryn Prattes Events . Lauryn is one of the top planners in the country as per Martha Stewart Weddings' assessment, and she has also been recognized by numerous other publications as being one of the top planners in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Andy is not only a friend of Lauryn's but has also worked with her and her team,...

Having had celebrity clients such as Oprah Winfrey, Jennifer Lopez, Ryan Seacrest, Kim Kardashian, Lil Wayne, Nicole Kidman, and Demi Moore, this episode's returning guest has enjoyed quite the career so far. Colin Cowie has also had many corporate clients such as Dom Pérignon, Warner Brothers, CBS, Whitney Museum of American Art, Architectural Digest, and so many more! Colin is also a published a...

Andy chats today with Jack Ezon, C.E.O. and managing partner of EMBARK Beyond ! EMBARK Beyond is a luxury lifestyle partnership that specializes in bespoke travel experiences, and they have the ability to access royal palaces, private homes, luxury yachts, global landmarks, and so much more! Negotiating hotel, air, and other components related to travel, EMBARK Beyond acts as a full concierge serv...

When we think about wedding and event floral designs, our imagination is often limited to bouquets and centerpieces. Today, I am talking to one of the premier event designers in the world.  She sees flowers and foliage as a way to create lasting memories of events your guests will never forget. Mindy Rice, of Mindy Rice Design, is a native Californian with a creative lineage. Growing up, Mindy was...

Andy hopes that you will tune in to this episode of The Wedding Biz as he talks with Sunna Yassin and Mollie Jones-Hennes of Bash Please . Named top planners by Brides, Harper's BAZAAR, and Martha Stewart Weddings, they are a full service creative event production company with studios out of Los Angeles and San Francisco. They are here to talk about what it takes to create an enjoyable and success...

When you think of experiencing personalized and experiential destination weddings, you most likely need to be thinking of Harlan and Kara, The Travel Siblings . This duo has been designing private and intimate events and luxury travel experiences around the globe for years through their affiliation with the Elite Division of Travel Leaders  - Tzell Travel Group and were recently recognized by Cond...

Listen in to Andy's conversation with Dave Calzaretta, the founder and president of Magnificent Events & Entertainment ! Magnificent Events & Entertainment was founded in 2000 and has since established an impeccable reputation out of Chicago, Illinois (and also now Scottsdale, Arizona), and it is considered an international booking and event expert company. Dave always had a love for music, especi...

Michelle Rago has always had wanderlust flowing through her veins. It's what has inspired her to build her massively successful career as a wedding and event destination producer and expert. She's now one of the most sought-after destination event planners in the world, in large part because of her vision, relationship building skills, and meticulous attention to every possible detail. Her love fo...

Join Andy in this episode as he chats with Julie Novack, C.E.O. and co-founder of PartySlate , a photo-rich website (that, in fact, just recently hit a million photos) where leading event professionals share their work, build their brand, and drive leads. Before founding Party Slate, Julie held executive positions at top-tier digital agencies such as Razorfish, Vibes, and Agency.com. With over twe...

NSBWEP stands for the National Society of Black Wedding and Event Professionals and was created in the summer of 2019. Since the inception of the association, they now have over 135+ Black-owned businesses that represent the industry from the East Coast to the West Coast to include the Caribbean. Membership is based on each business owner passing mandatory credentials and having an exemplary busin...

This episode features Ceci Johnson of Ceci New York. We have the privilege to listen to how Ceci built her business from the ground up. Ceci of New York is an artist and designer of not only invitations and stationery but art and branding materials as well. Ceci tells stories of her client's life in her design of invitations and stationery, and about being in the business of happiness. Show Highli...

Andy's friend Meryl Snow of Snowstorm Solutions returns in this episode of the podcast for a great conversation about selling strategies! Meryl is very well known in the event wedding catering space as the co-founder of Philly-based special event and catering industry Feastivities Events along with its subsidiaries OffShoots Decor and Philadelphia's Picnic Company . A consultant, trainer, speaker,...

To Ron Ben-Israel, a cake is far more than a cake. It's equal to a performance. And if anyone knows about performance, it's surprisingly the master of couture celebration cakes. After graduating college with a Fine Arts degree, Ron saw the world through two distinct lenses:  the Israeli military, and a ballet company he joined after serving in his early 20's. He traveled  around the world, perform...

Andy chats with two guests in this episode of The Wedding Biz, both of whom have been featured on the podcast multiple times in the past. Laurie Arons is a planner and designer of Laurie Arons Special Events and has been featured in numerous magazine publications and has been listed in Vogue , Harper's Bazaar , and Martha Stewart Weddings as one of the top worldwide planners. Her clientele is made...

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 design...

Andy hopes that you will join him in this episode as he chats with Tim Chi, the CEO of The Knot Worldwide which provides leading wedding marketplaces personalized wedding websites, planning tools, and registry services with its brands in multiple countries across North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia. The Knot Worldwide also includes lifestyle brands and this is actually Tim's second time...

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...

Tune in to this episode of the podcast as Andy interviews Kristy Rice – artist, author, stylist, and founder of Momental Designs . Kristy's hand-painted events, stationary, and other work has been credited in People Magazine , Good Morning America , Inside Weddings and Brides Magazines , Vanity Fair , Martha Stewart Weddings , along with countless blogs. Kristy's work has also crossed into fine ar...

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 a...

Join Andy in this episode as he chats with Brett Culp , an acclaimed filmmaker and social entrepreneur, having written, directed, produced, and edited the documentaries Legends of the Knight (2013) and Look to the Sky (2017). Brett is also a keynote speaker and is the personal cinematographer for Hollywood stars, music icons, authors, athletes, and royal families. This is his third time being on t...

Join Andy as he chats with Renee Dalo ! Renee, who has been referred to as "the no-nonsense Mary Poppins of Wedding Planning," is the founder of Moxie Bright Events , a boutique wedding planning company, and she also offers educational resources for event professionals and even hosts her own podcast, Talk with Renee Dalo ! Listen in as Andy and Renee discuss all things Clubhouse and how to market...

Tune in to this episode of the podcast as Andy talks with Christina Matteucci , executive director of David Beahm Experiences ! Christina has actually been on the podcast before in episodes 188 , 307 , 346 , and 214 . And she joins Andy in this episode to discuss how everything that we do in business has an element of performance involved and how we can best understand and use performance when dea...

A hallmark of a world-class event designer like Matthew Robbins  is to be able to gently lead clients from what they say they want to an event that represents the best of who they are. In our conversation, Matthew 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 es...

Listen as Andy interviews Lauren Dickens, founder and lead designer with Elle Audrey , a luxury planning and design company based out of New York City. Although she loved parties when she was a child because she always enjoyed the ones that her grandmother hosted, Lauren didn't go into the wedding planning business until well into her adulthood after hosting a friend's baby shower. Hosting events...

Aleya Harris is the owner of Flourish Marketing & The Social Media Pantry. With 13+ years of marketing experience, she helps business owners get more clients. I actually met her on Clubhouse, while listening to a room the was moderating, and was very impressed by her knowledge. Today, we discuss how to create an effective brand story.   SUPPORTING THE WEDDING BIZ Become a patron and support Andy a...