Engage! Summit Speakers

We are absolutely delighted to be able to bring you a conversation with Rebecca Grinnals and Kathryn Arce for our inaugural episode. This powerhouse team is the force behind the wedding and honeymoon industry consulting firm Engaging Concepts. With Rebecca Grinnals and Kathryn ...
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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 ...
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REVISIT: “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 ...
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REVISIT: 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 ...
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Do you know how important branding yourself and your events is? On today’s show, our guest will go more in-depth on this topic as well her perspective on choosing her support team of creative partners, for events, and on the ...
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REVISIT: 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 ...
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Today’s guest is a Part 2 interview with renowned New York City event designer and producer David Stark, Chief Creative Officer of David Stark Design and Production, whose team creates events worldwide for weddings, entertainment, fashion, publishing, arts, media, and ...
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“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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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It’s hard to overstate how glad I am to share my conversation with Sylvia Weinstock with you. I am thrilled that you'll get to spend some time with her, as I've been lucky enough to. If you’re in the wedding business ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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, ...
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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 ...
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Darcy Miller has always had creative inspirations around her. From growing up with creatively inclined parents, to creating her own crafts and projects in 6th grade, she’s had the gene in her. Her design and editorial contributions during the early ...
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David Beahm, world-class wedding designer and planner, known for his inventive work and trademark lavish flower creations, has designed countless weddings for society, high profile and discerning clients, including Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas, as well as a host of ...
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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 ...
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Edgar Zamora is the founder and lead designer of the highly acclaimed Revelry Event Designers, the industry’s go-to event and interior design company specializing in designing and installing private, as well as corporate events worldwide. Edgar is a “Transformer of ...
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These days, The Knot is largely synonymous with planning a modern wedding. It is often the first resource brides will use to feel empowered during an uncertain time. There’s a reason for that! Founder of The Knot, Carley Roney, and ...
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It takes a certain level of skill, a problem-solving attitude, and more than a dash of creativity to throw a spectacular wedding. Between coordinating the client’s vision, compiling vendor partners, troubleshooting setup, and sending the bride down the aisle, wedding ...
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When it comes to luxury weddings and events, every detail can become a work of art. Today, I am talking all about business with Wombi Rose, CEO of Lovepop. Lovepop specializes in 3D greeting cards that are truly works of ...
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When innate creativity and business collide, the world benefits from the amazing products and services those businesses provide. Creative businesses aren’t easily defined and many times, don’t fit neatly into established business niches. This episode will provide clarity and direction ...
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Kirsten Ott Palladino & Maria Palladino are co-founders of Equally Wed, an online wedding magazine celebrating love and weddings in the LGBTQ+ community. It also provides education and resources for same-sex couples and equality-minded wedding professionals. But this is far ...
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Troy Williams is a successful event designer, planner and lifestyle influencer, but his success didn’t happen overnight. It took years of hard work and persistence in following his dream, including cold-calling producers in Hollywood, finding an opportunity to be an ...
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Simon T. Bailey is no stranger to success, even though he’s quite familiar with failure. At a young age, Simon was turned down for multiple sports teams-but he didn’t let that stop him. He left his first college after just ...
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Peter Callahan almost didn’t become a world-famous caterer. Growing up around successful finance businessmen, he felt as if that was his destiny and attended undergraduate programs for business. But with every elaborate party Peter designed and catered in college, he learned more about ...
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Initially, Jose’s parents were nervous about him becoming a photographer. As recent US immigrants, they didn’t think his dreams of making money in portrait photography would come to fruition and wanted to see him take on a more traditional career ...
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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 ...
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Bryan Rafanelli’s exquisite sense of style, attention to detail and ability to transform clients’ visions into unforgettable celebrations have made him a go-to planner for the nation’s most exclusive and high-profile events. He has produced it all, from elaborate fairytale-themed ...
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Lisa Gooder was always passionate about telling stories. No matter the workplace-- from artifact appraisals to digital media, to Lisa, the way a story could connect others and draw interest were obvious. Enter her break into the wedding industry, where ...
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It takes but a moment to see that Harmony Walton’s path to success had everything to do with how she handled perceived challenges along the way. Her career is marked by her own fearless ability to focus on giving direction ...
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REVISIT: 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 ...
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On today’s show we hear from Ines and Veronica of Ines Di Santo, a bridal and evening gown couture dress designer. We learn how Ines grew up with the deep creative passion to having her business now.   Show Highlights: ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
Read More

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 ...
Read More

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 ...
Read More

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 ...
Read More

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 ...
Read More