Wedding Planner Society Podcast

A venue coordinator forms an opinion about us fast, sometimes before they’ve seen a single timeline or ceremony setup. That snap judgment becomes the difference between being tolerated for one wedding and being the planner they recommend every time a couple asks, “Who do you trust here?” We break down what actually earns venue referrals, and it’s not a bigger portfolio or more years in business. I...

Weddings are one of the only major projects where it's considered normal to skip training and figure things out in real time — and that mindset is quietly costing couples, planners, and the industry as a whole. In this episode, Krisy Thomas and Laurie Hartwell of The CWP Society take on a claim that keeps circulating online: that wedding planning education is optional, certification doesn&apo...

The wedding industry is really good at making capable planners feel like they're not enough. In this solo episode, Master Certified Wedding Planner & Senior Educator, Krisy Thomas, addresses something most planners feel but rarely say out loud: the gap between where you are and where you think you should be. That gap is often created by comparison — polished highlight reels on Instagram,...

Your calendar can be full and your business can still feel stuck. In this episode of The Wedding Planner Society Podcast , Senior Educator Krisy Thomas breaks down three quiet growth blockers that show up in wedding planning businesses at every stage — and they rarely look like problems. They look like decisions you already made. We dig into the pricing structures, service packages, and long-stand...

What Your Couples Really Remember About Working With You A wedding can run flawlessly and still leave couples feeling unsupported during the planning process — and that gap is exactly what we're addressing in this episode. Riley Snider, Master Certified Wedding Planner, Certified Industry Educator, and owner of Elegant Affairs by Design, joins Laurie Hartwell, Founder and CEO of the CWP Socie...

When was the last time you made a decision that was entirely for you — for your business, and for the version of you that's still becoming? That question sits at the center of this conversation, because wedding planning is built on heart. But heart without structure has a ceiling — and a lot of planners hit it before they ever realize what held them back. This industry has a way of keeping yo...

Most couples think they're hiring a wedding planner/coordinator for timelines, vendor coordination, and flawless logistics. And yes — we deliver all of that. But the deeper truth is that they're hiring us for permission to be fully present on one of the most important days of their lives. When something goes sideways, our calm becomes their peace of mind. That steadiness isn't a bon...

If you've ever wondered why some wedding planners earn glowing reviews, steady referrals, and dream clients while others stay stuck in the chaos — this episode goes straight to the root. We're not talking about having a prettier timeline or better software. We're talking about the moment the schedule slips, a vendor is frustrated, the client asks the same question for the third time...

There's a split-second on a wedding day when something shifts — weather, a timeline slip, a vendor delay — and every person in the room reads one thing first: the planner. If we tighten up or sound frantic, stress spreads. If we stay steady, the room steadies too. Quiet confidence isn't a personality trait. It's the visible result of preparation done before anyone is watching. In th...

In this episode, Laurie Hartwell sits down with Amber — a bride from one of Laurie's weddings she planned back in 2004 — to ask a question most couples never think about until much later: what do you actually remember? Before Pinterest, Instagram, and TikTok told brides what they were supposed to want, wedding planning depended on trust, clear choices, and the right vendor team. Amber's...

Integrity doesn't announce itself — it shows up in the small decisions no one's watching. And in this industry, those decisions either build your reputation or quietly erode it. Founder and CEO Laurie Hartwell and Senior Educator Krisy Thomas are saying the uncomfortable parts out loud. The gray areas. The shortcuts. The behind-the-scenes choices that couples never see but absolutely fee...

A baby shower invitation landed in the mailbox — and it wasn't from a close friend or a family member. It was from a bride whose wedding Krisy Thomas, Senior Educator with The CWP Society, had planned years earlier. She wasn't inviting the vendor. She was inviting someone she genuinely wanted in the room for one of the most personal moments of her life. That's what this episode is a...

Master Certified Wedding Planner Tish Clay joins CWP Society Senior Educator Krisy Thomas for a conversation that will feel uncomfortably familiar. If you've ever wrapped a wedding, sat down in the quiet, and told yourself this is the week you fix your pricing — then watched that promise disappear the moment the next inquiry landed, you already know what we're talking about. That pattern...

There's a fine line between marketing yourself and accidentally making yourself obsolete. Most planners cross it every week without realizing it. In this episode, CWP Society Founder and CEO Laurie Hartwell and Senior Educator Krisy Thomas sit down together to dig into what they're calling "planner code" — the professional responsibility we all share to protect the value of wed...

You can be fully booked and still feel like you're starting over every January. That gap — between staying busy and actually building something — is exactly what this episode is about. So many wedding planners and coordinators invest in client-facing upgrades while quietly avoiding the one investment that compounds over time: their own professional development. Matt Mitchell, Co-Founder and C...

Starting over doesn't mean starting from scratch — but it can feel that way. A new price point, a new market, a new certification level, a new season of life. Each one has a way of making experienced planners feel like beginners again. The question isn't whether those moments will come. It's whether you'll treat them as growth or crisis. In this episode, I'm joined by Veni...

Your clients may never see your vendor emails, your production notes, or the quiet fixes you make in the background. But they absolutely feel the result. That "certified difference" shows up as ease, trust, and the unmistakable sense that someone capable is leading the room. In this episode, Senior Educator Krisy Thomas is joined by Master Certified Wedding Planners and CWP Society Educa...

You can love wedding planning with your whole heart and still feel a low hum of doubt when a client questions your pricing or something unexpected happens on wedding day. That tension is more common than you think — and it has a fix. In this episode, Certified Educator Vicki Amar joins Senior Educator Krisy Thomas to talk about how to rebuild the thing that actually settles you: a professional fou...

Krisy Thomas, Senior Educator at The CWP Society, is joined by Master Certified Wedding Planner Nicole Martinez for an honest conversation about what it actually takes to lead with confidence on wedding day — not just survive it. If you've ever had the quiet thought, I hope nothing major happens today because I'm not sure what I'd do — this episode is for you. Nicole shares what shi...

Feeling that quiet pull to level up — but not sure what to change? That restless sense that you're capable of more is worth listening to. In this episode, Krisy Thomas, is joined by Christina Collins, Master Certified Wedding Planner, and Tracy Dapp, a seasoned Certified Wedding Planner, who nearly walked away from years in the industry,  before finding her way back through certification and...

In this episode, Krisy Thomas, Senior Educator with The CWP Society, is joined by Rima Shaw, Certified Wedding Planner and Certified Educator, for a conversation that goes straight at one of the most uncomfortable moments in our industry — that jolt of panic when a couple asks you to lead a culturally rich, multi-day celebration you don't fully understand. Together, they unpack what true prep...

Weddings don't come with a second chance — and yet too many planners are still showing up underprepared, overpromising, and hoping it all works out. In this episode, CWP Society Founder and CEO Laurie Hartwell and Senior Educator Krisy Thomas pull back the curtain on what's really at stake when planners skip the education and go straight to the business card. This isn't about gateke...

What if the moment that changes your wedding planning career isn't a lucky break, but a choice you make today? CWP Society Senior Educator, Krisy Thomas, opens up about being an introvert in a relationship-driven industry and how a recognized credential transformed the room before she even spoke. From that first venue meeting as a Certified Wedding Planner to national features and trusted par...

Doubt on wedding day can be quiet but crushing—the second-guessing after a tough call, the 2 a.m. mental replay, the nagging feeling that something's off even when the night goes "fine." That's what winging it feels like, even when you're good at what you do. In this episode, From Winging It to Owning It, Krisy Thomas, Senior Educator with The CWP Society, sits down with M...

Certified Wedding Planner, Industry Advancement Director, and Director of Student Organizations, Ashley Babbit, joins CWP Society's Senior Educator, Krisy Thomas for this episode. What if the right credential didn't just polish your bio—but changed how you see your future? We sit down with Ashley to unpack how structured training, community, and ongoing education turn hesitant beginners...