THE Podcast for Wedding and Events Industry Professionals

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28 Michelle Rago: Weddings Around the Globe

28 Michelle Rago: Weddings Around the Globe

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 for travel and experiencing new cultures came from a study abroad trip in Greece when she was just 15. Ever since, she’s been exploring new ways to bring stunning events and weddings to the most inspiring and beautiful locations around the globe.

Today, Andy and Michelle chat about the steps she took to growing her passions and her business, and some of the major epiphanies and milestones she realized along the way. The pair also dive into how she untangles the vastly intricate puzzles of destination weddings, her process of making an event come to fruition, and some of her favorite and most satisfying events to date. This week’s episode taps into the idea that following what your heart desires can truly lead to a career full of personal and professional achievements. Check out the full episode now. 

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27 Angela Desveaux: Editor-in-Chief of WedLuxe Media

27 Angela Desveaux: Editor-in-Chief of WedLuxe Media

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 bet it all on the business. It’s a story many entrepreneurs can relate to, and she gives sage advice to anyone looking to strike out on their own in the industry.

In today’s episode, Angela and Andy explore the ever-challenging path to success, and how with enough determination and often sheer willpower, you can achieve what you set out to. The pair also discuss how to find balance professionally and personally, the secret to running a business with a spouse, and what’s on the horizon for WedLuxe Media. It’s a tale of following your gut and setting out to do a difficult but immensely rewarding task. The full interview is available right here.

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26 Kristin Banta: Upending Wedding Traditions

26 Kristin Banta: Upending Wedding Traditions

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 variety of positions ranging from acting to set design led her to eventually creating her own business, Kristin Banta Events. Kristin helps her clients throw amazing events and weddings that celebrate the guests of honor using some unconventional and out of the box ideas.

In today’s interview on The Wedding Biz, Andy and Kristin share what it means to throw tradition out the window, and how creatively satisfying it can be to see events through a whole new perspective. She shares insights into how she’s put on weddings without a single flower, how she tells her client’s stories using unique materials and designs, how she’s found the way to actualize her career in the most fulfilling and creatively charged way imaginable. Her interview is available right here.

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25 Jes Gordon: Bringing Personality to Every Event

25 Jes Gordon: Bringing Personality to Every Event

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. Though Jes technically started her career in the design world working in a floral shop at the tender age of 13, she hit it out of the park big-time at 19, where her innate ability to design and produce fabulous events became apparent. After a few serendipitous turning points in her life, she started her own business Proper Fun, which encapsulates what Jes’ style and process is all about.

Today, Jes and Andy delve into how the wedding industry has changed, and how there can still be a balance of professionalism and personality if you do it right. She shares what her most and least favorite events to produce are, why she deems herself an event producer rather than just a designer, and how her upbringing shaped her path to becoming a world-renowned event creator. Jes’ interview brings her splash of personality and vivid inspiration to listeners, showing that there’s always something new to create and be inspired by every single day. Check out the full episode right here.

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24 Valerie Romanoff: Personalized Event Entertainment

24 Valerie Romanoff: Personalized Event Entertainment

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 different, and Valerie creates a musical experience that is catered exclusively to each of her clients.

In this week’s interview on The Wedding Biz, Andy and Valerie share their stories about being on the music side of the professional wedding industry. Valerie tells all about her musical background, what’s changed in the industry for her, and what her process of putting together an event performance looks like. This creatively charged episode is perfect inspiration for those who are looking for a top-tier musical act at their own wedding, and for other musical professionals who want to know what it takes to be at the peak of the field. Listen in now.

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23 Lynn Easton: Destination Weddings with a Classic Touch

23 Lynn Easton: Destination Weddings with a Classic Touch

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 were really around. One wedding turned into another and another, and soon Lynn realized she had a true thriving business. But she wanted more; her beautiful designs were only being noticed regionally, and she was ready to go national, and even international. Lynn’s story is one of how to make it on the big stage, and her sage advice goes a long way in inspiring and educating others in the industry.

In this week’s episode, Andy and Lynn talk all things business, family, and pleasure, and how she truly does it all. She shares her take on what an Easton event really is, what she attributes most to her success, and how she and her husband are taking on now more than ever in the business- and still loving it. Lynn also gives pointers to other up and coming event planners on where to focus efforts most to get the more clientele. This perceptive interview is a perfect reminder of how someone with a strong vision and a great business plan can create one of the world’s most sought-after companies. The full interview is available now.

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22 Preston Bailey: Designer for the Ages

22 Preston Bailey: Designer for the Ages

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 had to overcome challenges and obstacles, both personally and professionally, including drug addiction and taking his business and clients more seriously. But at 68 years young, Preston’s career is far from the home stretch, as he’s still as passionate about pushing boundaries and discovering new designs as he’s ever been.

In this illuminating interview, Andy and Preston explore Preston’s meandering path to present. The two discuss his most life-changing moment back in 1990, how Preston truly wows guests with his decor and designs, and how he orchestrates his own work to be in perfect synchronicity with all the other moving parts of an event. Check out the full interview right here.

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21 Rodney Bailey: Capturing Genuine Moments

21 Rodney Bailey: Capturing Genuine Moments

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.

Rodney Bailey’s photography work, both in the wedding industry and in corporate and political venues, sets itself apart from others in the business because of his unique process he’s put in place for clients. He’s all about giving a full service experience that produces genuine moments in time beautifully.

Andy and Rodney dive into how he anticipates the most important moments to capture at a wedding as well as how the 21st century technology we all have plays a role in the photography business. You’ll hear about Rodney’s most hilarious wedding stories, his process for clients, and what’s on the horizon for his business. Listen to the full interview now.

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20 Tara Guérard: Wedding Designer with a Southern Flair

20 Tara Guérard: Wedding Designer with a Southern Flair

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 designer with offices in Charleston, South Carolina and New York City.

Tara is also the owner of The Lettered Olive, a company that focuses on designing immaculate one-of-a-kind wedding invitations, save the dates, and more, has also published two books with a third on the way, and is a mother of 3 young children. She wears a lot of hats, and to no surprise, wears them all very well!

Andy and Tara dive into how she got started in her career and how much has changed in the industry since she started her business. The two also chat about how she brings clients her southern flair, what it’s like raising three children under ten while also running a business, and Tara’s popular YouTube channel Tara Guérard’s Life’s a Party. The full interview is available now, only on The Wedding Biz!

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19 Valerie Gernhauser: Empowering Wedding Planners

19 Valerie Gernhauser: Empowering Wedding Planners

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 path of wedding planning after learning the ropes while planning her own wedding celebration. She struggled for a few years with finding the right price points to charge her clients, and began to feel the burnout factor that many in the wedding industry can feel. That’s when she changed up her game plane, created a pricing strategy (which she also offers as part of an overall pricing package for planners and designers), and became a force to be reckoned with within the international wedding planning and design community.

Valerie’s interview with Andy serves as an empowering call for anyone in the wedding industry who feels undervalued and underpaid for their creativity and hard work. She tells us her amazing story of how she created her pricing structure, how she inspires others to adopt her business plan and improve their self-worth, and why witnessing father-daughter dances still gets her choked up. Her full interview is available to listen to now.

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18 Shawna Gohel: Maharani Weddings

18 Shawna Gohel: Maharani Weddings

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 got engaged. This was in 2008, before the time of Pinterest and Instagram. She rounded up as many bridal magazines as she could get her hands on, and realized that there was a serious lack of information about Indian weddings. Shawna started her own blog as a means to organize her own wedding information, and the rest as they say, is history.

Andy and Shawna chat in depth about her favorite parts of the job as founder of the website, and what’s next for Maharani Weddings. She also discusses what it means to be a mother and a driven entrepreneur, the challenges and successes of working with her husband as a business partner, and how she finds the right balance in life to satisfy all of her passions. Looking forward, Shawna and her team at Maharani Weddings are still growing and evolving the site, and there’s no stopping this force to be reckoned with. You can listen to Shawna’s full interview on The Wedding Biz Show now.

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17 Rita Bloom: Pioneer of Wedding Planning and Design

17 Rita Bloom: Pioneer of Wedding Planning and Design

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 realized they wanted more options and creativity for parties and weddings.

Rita started her career almost by accident in the late 1960s, when she helped create some out-of-the-box decor for a neighbor’s sweet sixteen party. Her originality and tenacity as a decorator and event planner led her to picking up more clientele and work. If Rita ever came across an idea so out of the ordinary that no florist would help her, she would go out and pick those flowers in a field herself and arrange them to create her client’s vision. Her self-starter attitude led to a hugely successful career that is both fascinating and inspiring to women everywhere.

Andy and Rita dive into what life was like for women looking to get into business in the 1960s, how age plays a part in business and life, and some of Rita’s favorite moments of her long and triumphant career as a planner and decorator. You can check out the full interview now.

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16 Ellen Weldon: The Art of Calligraphy, Invitations, & More

16 Ellen Weldon: The Art of Calligraphy, Invitations, & More

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 get-togethers, and non-profit events.

As Ellen tells Andy, her process is centered around interpreting what her client wants and working tirelessly to make their vision a reality. Ellen’s company Ellen Weldon Design is always pushing creative limits, whether that be in the styles they create, the materials they use, or the latest technologies they utilize. And even when the industry changes and throws something new at her, Ellen is always ready to embrace the latest trend and take it to unexpected places.

Andy and Ellen discuss the difficulties of mixing art and business, the latest trends and how they fit in with her designs, and compare the processes of creating calligraphy and music. Check out the entire interview now.

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15 David Stark: Creativity in Design, Creativity in Business

15 David Stark: Creativity in Design, Creativity in Business

“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 design started in college when he pursued studies in painting. After finishing graduate school in New York with an MFA in painting, he realized he in fact did not want to become a painter. While waiting tables in New York in his twenties, he and his boyfriend began diving into the floral scene, slowly growing from a small job operation to eventually a larger than life business 12 years later. Though David didn’t end up becoming a professional painter, he attributes his success in large part to what he learned in art school; not to paint, but to solve problems creatively, how to put together teams, and invent things. That process is what carries through to today for David, noting that putting together a team is the most creative act you can pull off.

Andy and David also chat about his favorite events he has ever produced, and he explains the mindset he uses when approaching a new event. For David, it’s all about creating relationships with people, pushing boundaries in the designs he creates, and always staying a little nervous, because that means you’re trying something completely original. Listen to the full interview to hear what inspires David, how he pulled off creating event decor out of toilet paper, and how he balances the creative and business aspects of his company.

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14 Christie Narvaez: One Bride’s Wedding

14 Christie Narvaez: One Bride’s Wedding

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 absolute dream. But it still shares aspects that all brides will be very familiar with—the pressure to be perfect, the anxiety that weddings can bring out with family and between the bride and groom, struggles with weight and appearance, and striving to remain in the moment and present through one of the most important events of your life. Christie also shares funny stories, including her experience of being on Say Yes To The Dress.

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13 Marc Eliot: Design, Music & Cipriani’s

13 Marc Eliot: Design, Music & Cipriani’s

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 design “wants”, how to get where the clients wants to go even if they can’t express how to get there, the freedom of structure, and more.

Marc discovered a passion for music and as a young man. As a teenager he composed music and entertained as a singer, with a focus on performing standards by greats like Nat King Cole, Dean Martin, and Frank Sinatra. This love of music eventually took him from New York to California in search of fame and fortune, and eventually back to NYC when those remained elusive.

Marc’s involvement in the luxury wedding industry is a happy accident—the result of being asked to work for a floral decorator as a young man. Originally a way to help finance his music career, Marc found a new passion—design. He learned that he loved designing events, producing events, and working with people. This new kind of “performance” fueled a lot of the same passions as music for him, and for some time his music career and design career co-existed, as Marc simultaneously honed his design craft while performing music, releasing albums, and producing shows.

In 1991, Marc founded his own Long Island floral company, Simply Elegant, with two partners and ran it for nine years as its Managing Partner & Creative Director. His growing reputation ultimately led to being General Manager and Creative Director of Floralia Decorators, with an exclusive affiliation at The Waldorf Astoria’s in-house floral provider.

When not fully immersed in his role at swoop, Marc is an avid composer, crooner, lyricist and writer, and an active member of the world-famous Friar’s Club.

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12 Ashfer Biju: Culinary Artist, Executive Chef at The Pierre New York

12 Ashfer Biju: Culinary Artist, Executive Chef at The Pierre New York

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 a child and was driven to share his love with others ever since. With his entire family working in the restaurant industry in some fashion, Ashfer quickly dove into the hospitality industry and helped launch a vegetarian restaurant in India when he was only 18. He studied hospitality and pursued a degree at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley, California. Soon after, Ashfer traveled to open restaurants around the world, from Berkeley to Mauritius and the Maldives. By 2009, when he had already opened numerous hotels and restaurants, the time for Ashfer to move to New York City had come.

Not surprisingly, Manhattan ended up being far more than the mere short-term piece of a working travel circuit as he’d expected; Ashfer found his calling in what he considers one of the three “maximum food cities” of New York, London, and Hong Kong. Extending beyond his current work at The Pierre, Ashfer and Andy delve into the “extreme form of art” that is food, the importance of food’s personalization in weddings, why food is an experience at heart, and even why turmeric is “the next kale.”

After their conversation, Andy had the opportunity to experience Ashfer’s food firsthand through a tasting at Perrine in The Pierre. Read about his experience below the links.

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11 Colin Cowie: Creating Groundbreaking Luxury Experiences

11 Colin Cowie: Creating Groundbreaking Luxury Experiences

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 has soared. While teaching cooking lessons at age 23, he met a woman whose chance encounter soon led to his first wedding assignment for a local bachelor: Hugh Hefner.

Thirty-one years of parties, weddings, and multi-day events later, he’s never created the same event twice.

The degree to which Colin cares for and personalizes his work is not just unmatched, it’s nearly indescribable, and precisely why he’s consistently relied upon by the most discerning of clientele. He learns everything there is to know about his clients, over hors d’oeuvres and champagne, until the event he crafts (and the journey on which he takes his clients to get there) is not just perfectly tailored, but permanently unique. When he isn’t designing weddings and Fortune 500 parties, Oprah Winfrey’s Legends Ball or Guinness Book of World Records-breaking pyrotechnic shows abroad, Colin works as “creator-director” for elite brands like NetJets, Dom Pérignon, and Bergdorf Goodman; even private islands.

Idyllic as Colin’s life may sound, and so often is, he and Andy extend their conversation today beyond the exclusive glamour of the luxury events industry to the unseen challenges once faced in the midst of the great recession, Colin’s daily routines (from meditation and “I am” statements to nightcaps), professional strategies, and the critical value of humility and gratitude.

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