The Wedding Biz - Behind The Scenes Of The Wedding Business

Andy welcomes you to another episode of The Wedding Biz in which he interviews Christopher Confero, a well known wedding planner and designer based out of Atlanta who manages to balance being not only the owner of his award-winning company Confero but also editor of the magazine Alabama Weddings. Christopher describes how his passions for music, performance, and theater shaped him creatively and continues to help him direct weddings and live events. Events, he reveals, allow him to be a creative storyteller and craft bespoke experiences for his clients. Christopher also discusses his process of connecting with couples and designing weddings to reflect their personality. Although he has systems and processes, he says he tries to meet clients where they are and have natural conversations to make them comfortable, and he describes creativity as combining different elements in a cohesive way to bring life to his clients' love stories using his "childlike ability to play." You can also expect to hear Christopher s

“Our interests are totally aligned with our clients, to make sure their wedding is the best it can possibly be.” Listen as Andy and his guest Alex Fitzgibbons discuss how Alex got involved in the event industry, his journey to Fait Accompli, why he feels his work there is about finding and expressing the life and soul of weddings he orchestrates, plus much more on this episode of The Wedding Biz. Alex is the Managing Director of Fait Accompli out of London, which organizes plans and designs spectacular events worldwide for A-list clients and Royal weddings. He orchestrated one of Vogue’s top listed weddings of 2019 and was also responsible for the wedding celebration of Ellie Goulding and weddings for the Royal family, including Prince William and Katherine and Prince Harry and Megan. Alex discusses his understanding of what a client wants and how he finds his inspiration when planning the event. Alex shares a story of one of his favorite weddings last year, his design philosophy, and the challenges of orches

Get ready to welcome Tayler Cusick Hollman, marketing consultant, small business builder, and founder of Enji. Taking what she has learned over nearly a decade of helping small businesses with marketing to design and build a suite of online marketing tools that fits your lifestyle and makes sense for you, she joins Andy today to talk about the rise of artificial intelligence and how wedding planners can use it to their advantage! She delves into how artificial intelligence is starting to change the game when it comes to marketing our wedding businesses, and she talks us through some practical first steps we can take to build an effective marketing strategy as small business owners with limited time and resources. Andy and Tayler also dive into how AI tools like ChatGPT can specifically help us in three main ways, and even though these tools are very helpful, Tayler reminds us that we still need to review and edit any AI-generated content to ensure it meets our standards. It isn't foolproof – at least not yet.

Andy is excited to bring to you his engaging conversation with Todd Fiscus, event designer and founder of Todd Events. Todd has a very impressive client roster, and also plans and designs events for noteworthy professional athletes and civic organizations. In this conversation, he discusses his background growing up loving to redecorate spaces as well as his various career pivots including considering becoming a chef before finding his passion for event design. He explains that his goal is to create events that reflect the spirit and tastes of his clients rather than imposing his own style. Todd also talks about a new course he has created called Pillars of Production which is aimed at event producers, planners, and rental companies. Pillars of Production covers a range of topics from human resources, risk management, financial management, tenting, and production languages. The goal is to help new and current industry professionals avoid some of the pitfalls that Todd himself experienced when he first started

Andy is so happy to welcome a first-time guest to the show - John Dolan! John is a professional wedding photographer, and as someone who developed an interest in photography at a very young age, this interview is especially exciting for Andy. John truly stands out as a pioneer in contemporary wedding photography, having woven a career out of advertising, editorial, and fine art photography. For over three decades, he has redefined the genre by blending the honesty of documentaries and the grace and beauty of fashion photography. John’s clients include magazine art directors and editors as well as celebrities such as Jerry Seinfeld, Ben Stiller, Kate Bosworth, Bridget Moynahan, Will Smith, Rosanne Cash, and Gwyneth Paltrow, so he has quite the reputation behind his name! You will definitely want to listen to John’s story as he shares what makes him stand out as a wedding photographer, including the surprising fact that he has only ever done photography as a profession. He also explains how photographing is, fo

Andy welcomes Rachel Birthistle to The Wedding Biz. Rachel is the Owner and CEO of The Lake Como Wedding Planner based in Como, Italy. In addition to her own events, she has worked with people like Lisa Vorce on Chrissy Tegan and John Legend’s wedding and many others. She says she is predominantly a wedding planner in a destination rather than a destination wedding planner. Rachel’s father was in the fashion industry, and from a young age, she worked in his factory doing tasks like snipping thread and packing items. She found the place fascinating and knew that being in the fashion industry was where she wanted to be. She started making her own clothes in school even though her friends thought her fashion style was a little out there! Rachel discusses going to design college, finding a job with a large retailer in London, traveling all over the world, and her decision to stay home. She speaks about going back to college for sports therapy and starting a clinic in her home. Her life took twists and turns but e

Andy is so excited to welcome John and Marijo Eleazar to the podcast in this episode! John and Marijo are the managing directors and visual storytellers of Eleazar Film and hail from the Philippines. They spend their time traveling the world looking for inspiration and excitement but also found a home to raise their children in Vienna, Austria. Eleazar Film creates unique films for people and businesses with stories that they want to tell. You’re definitely going to want to listen in to this episode because John and Marijo have so many great bits of wisdom and insight to share. They discuss the various terms that help us understand the foundation of what they do, how they create such compelling videos for their clients, how to build videos into your overall marketing strategy, why it’s important to create meaningful relationships, and so much more! Marijo and John also dive into their backgrounds and how the business got started, a bit into their family life in Vienna, a couple of examples of weddings that th

Joel Serrato is today’s guest, and Andy is so excited to have him on the show! Joel has been named a top wedding photographer by Harper’s Bazaar and Martha Stewart Weddings, and his photography is based on capturing pure moments of authentic emotions. Some of his noteworthy work includes work for Pat Benatar, Tamara Mowry, and Adam Housley, and the quality of his work simply speaks for itself. Joel details how his original interest was in filmmaking but that his husband Jose Villa got him interested in wedding photography. He touches upon whether he prefers digital or film (and makes a pretty bold statement that might surprise you), what he does to bring in compatible clientele, and whether or not he has managed to find a balance between being a professional wedding photographer, a husband, and a father to two little ones. Joel also strongly believes in event professionals supporting each other rather than going up against each other, and he even demonstrates that by reaching out to photographers who got jobs

Andy is happy to welcome returning guest Meghan Ely back to the podcast today! Meghan is the owner of OFD Consulting and combines in the trenches event experience with a love of wedding PR, empowering her clients to take their businesses to the next level, and her team’s publicity efforts are even regularly honored by the Public Relations Society of America. A longtime industry speaker and writer, Meghan is a wedding pro educator with regular contributions to Wedding Planner Magazine, The Knot, Wedding Business Magazine, Catersource, and SpecialEvents.com. Meghan also is the 2022 WIPA International President and is a long-time supporter and member of NACE, and SpecialEvents.com honored her as one of the top 25 young professionals in the event industry, with NACE recently having honored her as Speaker of the Year. Meghan catches up with Andy since her last appearance on the show, discussing the editorial boom in relation to the wedding industry. She also stresses the importance of mindset when it comes to stra

We’ve all been told to “fake it till we make it,” but sometimes honesty and tenacity is all it really takes to succeed. Today’s guest, Laurie Arons, is a luxury event planner who has been named one of the top planners in the industry by esteemed magazines such as Vogue, Harper Bazaar and Martha Stewart Weddings. Based in San Francisco, Laurie’s business caters to high-end and extravagant occasions all around the world. Not only does Laurie offer her impeccable taste and eye for style, but she doesn’t hesitate to lend her expertise, her kindness, and her time to others. To hear more about Laurie’s story, technique, and passion for the event industry, tune into this episode of The Wedding Biz with your host, Andy Kushner. This episode is sponsored by Zola, the fastest-growing wedding platform that connects today’s couples with the right planners and vendors. Zola gives wedding professionals more control, better exposure, and higher quality leads - all with competitive pricing and no annual commitment. Create

Matthew Robbins joins Andy in this episode to be featured on the show three times! Matthew is the founder and creative director of Matthew Robbins Design, an event-planning firm with a focus on design and production for weddings and other events, and he is the co-owner of Robbins Otoya, a company which focuses on destination events internationally. Matthew is also an author whose work has been featured in many publications such as Martha Stewart Weddings, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, etc., and he has been a featured guest on Martha Stewart Living Radio and The Today Show. Learn how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted Matthew and his businesses and what he learned from the experience. Also, what you should do if you’re a planner who wants to start doing events overseas, how he navigates burnout and angst, and more! Andy is so appreciative that Matthew returned to the show, and if you enjoy this conversation with Matthew, then Andy would be grateful if you were to share this episode with a few people you know who might a

The creator of Easton Events, Lynn Easton returns to the podcast today! Easton Events is a luxury destination wedding design and planning company that works all over the world. Lynn is also the creative force and co-founder of Easton Porter Group, a luxury hospitality company with a portfolio of award-winning boutique hotels, vineyards, restaurants, and event venues in North America and Europe. Since last on the podcast, Lynn has launched a digital course for luxury planners who are looking to take their business from luxury to ultra-luxury, and she discusses what inspired it, what she loves the most about it, and so forth. She also talks about the differences between luxury and ultra-luxury, the greatest challenges that she has had planning ultra-luxury events (especially in Europe), and so much more! This is definitely an episode that you are going to want to tune in for because Lynn’s enthusiasm and passion for what she does is practically infectious, and Andy is so grateful for the opportunity to have her

Andy is so happy to welcome Cindy Novotny of Master Connection Associates back to the podcast to catch up! Cindy is an icon in the hospitality industry and is the original founder of MCA. She is an internationally renowned leader in sales, leadership, and customer service and has been recognized by the American Society of Training and Development as one of the most powerful, innovative, and passionate speakers in the industry. Cindy has also been named one of the top 25 most extraordinary minds in sales and marketing and is the author of the book Living with No Balance… and Loving It!. In this episode of the podcast, Cindy discusses how nerves and being out of your comfort zone can help you grow, what iconic luxury in the weddings and events industry means to her, how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the industry, and so much more! Andy really appreciates Cindy taking the time to come back to the show with updates and hopes that you enjoy his conversation with her! If so, then please share this episode with a

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 planners have a lot on their plate. After creating absolutely stunning weddings and high-profile events for over 20 years, Debbie Geller, my guest today, knows a thing or two about event planning and design. Geller Events operates out of Los Angeles, but she’s been designing events all over the world. Her high-profile clients come from a long legacy of word-of-mouth business. She does little to no PR, instead relying on client referrals and legacy clients who keep coming back for Debbie’s personalized touch on everything from weddings to corporate events. She breaks some of the typical event planning stereotypes to provide a unique experience tailored to each couple. Debbie is the heart and soul of her business, though none of these events could

Kristin Banta of Kristin Banta Events, Inc. returns to the podcast today to follow up and share some updates! Kristin Banta Events is headquartered out of Los Angeles and specializes in event design, planning, and production. She has been featured on several television stations such as Bravo, Style, Food Network, and Fox and in countless publications such as Martha Stewart Weddings, InStyle, Inside Weddings, Southern Living Brides, and the Los Angeles Times. She has even been the recipient of numerous awards including Best Social Event by BizBash and Best Wedding by Special Events. It has been over five years since Kristin was last on the podcast in episode 26, and so much has happened since then, especially the COVID-19 pandemic. She talks today about what she has learned as a result of the pandemic and how her process has changed, what is different about doing a premiere afterparty as opposed to a wedding, how she navigates burnout, how she discusses prices with clients and what her pricing strategy is, and

Andy welcomes Jennifer Zabinski of JZ Events back to the podcast for a follow-up interview after initially having been on the show back in episode 96! Jennifer is the founder and CEO of JZ Events and has been named by Vogue and Brides in their listings of the best wedding planners of the world. Martha Stewart Weddings and Harpers Bazaar has also named her a top planner, and JZ Events is a full-service event planning firm that has done work all over the world. She is here in this episode to discuss her production of Serena Williams’ wedding, the business that she began during the COVID-19 pandemic (Destination Hampton), what she does to feel and stay grounded, how she prevents burnout, what she looks for in a designer, what about the future excites her, and so much more! Andy is so grateful to Jennifer for coming back on the show to follow up and really hopes that you enjoy the conversation as much as he did having it. If you did enjoy the conversation, be sure to go back and listen to episode 96 if you haven’

Andy is so happy to welcome Rishi Patel of HMR Designs back to the show today, who was first on the show back in 2019. Rishi is the CEO of HMR Designs which is a premier event design and production firm based out of Chicago. Rishi has even been named one of the top wedding and event designers in the world by Harper's Bazaar, Vogue, Brides, and Martha Stewart Weddings and has also been recognized as top 40 under 40. Listen as he joins Andy today to discuss the wonderful success he has had over the last year or so and the lessons that he has learned since COVID struck in 2020. Rishi also updates us on how he has been rallying his team together, what has been grounding and inspiring him, what excites him about the future, and so much more! Andy is so grateful to have had Rishi and his passion and enthusiasm back on the podcast! If you enjoy this conversation, Andy would love it if you would share this episode with a few people you know who might also enjoy it and would also be grateful if you were to subscribe

Pablo Oliveira’s work is so elegant and sophisticated, his portfolio images alone are a feast for the eyes. Nuage Designs, the name of Pablo’s company, is growing internationally. From royal weddings to inaugural balls, Nuage Designs has been dressing the tables of some of the most prestigious events globally including Chelsea Clinton’s Wedding. Pablo grew up in Brazil, and with no history of design or events in his family, becoming who he is today appears to have been a total accident. Always having an artistic side, though also loving math, he ended up going to Switzerland to study Hospitality. Dealing with high end expectations comes from Pablo’s background in the Hospitality industry.  Pablo started his company working in the textile industry and is now considered a trend setter in the linen world. Starting with his first warehouse, Pablo has grown his business and continues to do so.   This episode is sponsored by Zola, the fastest-growing wedding platform that connects today’s couples with the right pla

Andy welcomes Barbi Walters, founder of and one of three principal designers with Lynden Lane, a multigenerational brand led by strong and creative intuition. Barbi and her daughters Lyndsey and Lane have decades of combined experience creating thoughtful environments both at events and inside of homes. Barbi talks about what she was doing before she founded her company and how her company came to be, how she feels about environment at an event, her usual process with clients and how it changes client to client, how doing wedding design differs from interior design, what her greatest struggle is, and also offers some tips and advice to any event designers who might be considering interior design. Andy really appreciates Barbi’s time and expertise, and hopes that you find this episode interesting and informative! If you do, then he would love it if you would share this episode with a few people you know who might also enjoy it and would also be grateful if you were to subscribe to the podcast if you aren't alr

We are excited to announce that today’s guest is Mauricio Kirschner, the founder and chief designer of House of Kirschner. They create out-of-this world interior and event design, and are also professional architects which enables them to design and produce unique constructions and designware beyond the usual. In this insightful conversation with Andy, Mauricio discusses his childhood passion for construction, structure, and architecture. He talks about how he started his career as an architect and then got pulled into the event industry and he then dives deep into the heart of what event design means to him, describing it in a unique way. Mauricio also explains the unexpected way in which he begins his creative meetings, reveals what inspires him, and so much more! Andy found this interview to be absolutely fascinating and knows that listeners will also get a lot out of it and find themselves inspired. Please share this episode with at least three people you feel will also enjoy it and subscribe to the podca