The Wedding Biz - Behind The Scenes Of The Wedding Business

Returning to the podcast is JoAnn Gregoli of Elegant Occasions, who creates events which tell the stories of its couples. JoAnn has been included in Modern Bride Magazine as one of their Top Trendsetters of the Year and was also recognized as one of the top twenty-five most influential wedding planners in the world. Listen to her return today as she talks all about how you can make or break your event with music and entertainment. She discusses how she goes about deciding what kind of entertainment is best for a specific event, why she has music playing the moment that the guests arrive, how she approaches music during particular segments of the event, what her expectations are of the entertainment she hires, and so much more. JoAnn also offers some parting advice on prioritizing live music at an event, and Andy is so grateful to JoAnn for coming back on the show. He loves the work that she does and hopes that you enjoy this conversation with her. If so, then he would love it if you would share this episode w

Sharon Sacks is the epitome of a multi-tasking go-getter! Early in her career she caught her first big break working with Berry Gordy Jr. and his Motown Records label during its peak which included projects with Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder. From there, Sharon went on to work with Jerry Perenchio, who turned out to be her greatest mentor yet. Through working with him, she got the opportunity to explore her love of creation through various weddings and events such as a grand celebration for Prince Andrew. Sharon ultimately emerged into the world of business and since then conquered numerous other projects such as creating a collection of home decor for Alchemy Fine Home and fine china for Lenox. Her passion for creation and desire to foster memorable moments has flourished and helped her become the prestigious and creative business woman she is today. Today’s interview is one you will not want to miss. Sharon Sacks sits down with Andy to share stories about her road to success. She also shares details of supe

Today’s guest is Susan Kidwell, the general manager with Hensley Event Resources! For the last thirty years, Susan has continued to raise the bar when partnering with planners and designers to create unique ways of transforming space. Susan truly enjoys the creative process of hearing a design concept and then breaking it down into production elements for her team to fabricate in multiple mediums. Susan touches upon various topics such as what got her interested in party rental and tenting, the pros and cons of tenting, the differences between transforming a ballroom and transforming a tent, how she creatively turns cons into pros, her approach to building a team, what she has coming up in the future that she is excited about, how she defines success, and much more! Andy really appreciates Susan for her time on the podcast, and it has been so informative for him because tenting is an aspect of the weddings and event industry about which he didn’t have much knowledge. If you enjoy his conversation with Susan,

Second-time guest Lewis Miller is the founder of Lewis Miller Design based out of New York City, and he has over 242,000 followers on Instagram as of today. He is a floral designer whose client list includes leading industry professionals in fashion, design, photography, art direction, and architecture such as Bulgari, Carolina Herrera, Mayor Blumberg, Chanel, Tiffany, Versace, Bergdorf Goodman, the Whitney Museum, and more.  The last time that Lewis was on the show was in September of 2020 when we were still very much in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic, so he talks today about some updates and new developments since then. He discusses his book Flower Flash, what his flower flashes are and why he began them, what he learned about himself and his business because of the pandemic, whether or not he plans to take on a business partner, how he thrives when challenged, and so much more! Andy is really grateful to Lewis for coming back to the show and hopes to touch base with him again in the future. If you en

Andy welcomes two guests to the podcast today - Julie and Chris Neubauer, the founders of Yonder Design! Yonder Design is a boutique graphic design firm which specializes in branding for social and corporate events. Their specialty lies in creating unique and highly tactile pieces that combine a variety of materials and production methods which includes save-the-dates, invitations, websites, large signs, menus, collateral, and gift boxes. Julie and Chris each share a little bit about their backgrounds with us, such as how they got started in this industry and how they met each other.  They also address what it’s like to be a married couple and business partners at the same time and whether or not that requires setting any boundaries with one another, what the creation process is like and how they come up with ideas, why they had to downsize their team especially during COVID, and so much more. They also offer up some tips for creatives to foster the best possible relationship with their clients. This conversa

Did you grow up knowing what you wanted to do with your life? Most people change their minds multiple times before they decide on their career. Today’s guest grew up always being creative, as her father was an engineer, building things. If you asked her then, she would not have an idea she would be where she is today – an entrepreneur growing something from nothing, and knowing what her skills were, and what she could pass on to others. Paula LeDuc of Paula LeDuc Fine Catering and Events started out in college studying Sociology and Special Education. With an Italian heritage, Paula LeDuc grew up surrounded by family who loved to cook and entertain, yet she never cooked until after she was married! Exploding unexpectedly, the catering business for Paula came so naturally. Listen in to hear all about Paula’s ultimate goal of creating the experience for her clients.   This episode is sponsored by Zola, the fastest-growing wedding platform that connects today’s couples with the right planners and vendors. Zola g

Andy decided that he wanted to do a little something different this week on The Wedding Biz and is having a conversation with his own business partner of Kushner Entertainment, Robert Sherman! Robert is also the owner of Washington Talent, the iconic entertainment company located out of the Washington D.C. area which was established fifty-five years ago before Robert eventually took the reins, transforming it to a whole new level. Andy and Robert talk primarily about the various aspects of taking on a business partner but also discuss how and why they formed their partnership, their views on being friends in a business partnership and whether or not that is usually a good practice, the benefits that Andy has personally seen from having taken on a business partner, and so much more! Robert is very passionate and fully committed to everything that he does, and he plans to have him back on the show again sometime in the future. If you enjoy this episode, please, if you haven’t already, give the podcast a top rev

Today’s episode marks the second appearance by Kiana Underwood of Tulipina, an internationally renowned floral design studio that creates bespoke experiences for luxury weddings and events around the world. Kiana herself has been named one of the top wedding floral designers in the United States and is the #1 most followed floral designer on Instagram. She is also the author of Color Me Floral (which covers the secrets to designing show-stopping monochromatic arrangements for each season), the host of sold-out international workshops, and has been featured in many prestigious magazines. Her work is always in demand. When Kiana was last on the podcast, she talked a lot about moving past fear in order to make opportunities happen, and she talks a bit more about that today, discussing the challenges that she faced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and what long-term plans were affected or even canceled because of the pandemic. She also stresses how important it is to her to not become stagnant as an artist a

Listen in as Andy sits down with Brian Leventhal and John Stires, the co-founders of First Batch Hospitality! First Batch Hospitality brings outstanding wine, culinary, beverage, and private event experiences to various cities with venues that include Brooklyn Winery, District Winery, and Chicago Winery. Each of these locations is a wine production facility outfitted with stainless steel tanks, oak barrels, and state-of-the-art equipment, and each also offers full-service private event spaces set against the backdrop of the winery as well as a restaurant on site. John and Brian discuss how they met and formed First Batch Hospitality, revealing that they were both unhappy with their jobs at the time and wanted to take the leap to something new. They reveal how and why the original intention behind the company changed over time, their big plans for the future, and more! They also provide some helpful advice to anyone who, like they did, might be considering forming a professional partnership.   This episode is

This episode of The Wedding Biz is a special one because Andy is recording live during Laurie Arons’ masterclass and has three special guests today - Laurie herself, Sarah Winward (who will very soon be featured on the podcast in her own individual interview), and Susan Kidwell (who will also be appearing on the podcast fairly soon). Laurie has been on the show several times before and runs Laurie Arons Special Events. She discusses her process behind transforming a venue and how she decides which aspects of an already existing venue to keep intact, which aspects to change, how she relies on Susan to help her conceal more unsightly elements of a venue, and more! Sarah, a destination wedding florist based out of Salt Lake City, shares her personal approach to transforming a venue, at what point she ideally likes to be involved in the process, what her favorite methods are to create an emotional impact, what her greatest challenges are, etc. Susan of Hensley Event Resources talks about her priorities when it co

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 othe

Andy welcomes David Beahm of David Beahm Experiences back to The Wedding Biz, as he has been on the show several times before! David is a very popular world-class wedding designer and planner based out of New York City and is known especially for his trademark flower creations. He has helped design countless weddings for high-profile names such as Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas, and he has also done work for a number of celebrity and Fortune 500 corporate events. David reflects on his journey over the last couple of years and how trauma has taught him to be less reactive. He also looks back on his days as a teacher and what that time taught him, how he recharges after feeling close to burnout, why we need not to try to control things that we can’t actually control, how he appreciates alone time, and so much more! Andy, as always, really appreciates David’s time. He really appreciated this chance to catch up and hopes that you enjoy listening! He would really appreciate it if you would share the podc

This episode of The Wedding Biz is a special one because Andy is recording live during Laurie Arons’ masterclass and has three special guests today - Laurie herself, Jose Villa, and Carrie Goldberg, all three of whom have been on the podcast before. Laurie runs Laurie Arons Special Events, and she talks about what the most important characteristics are in a prospective photographer, what some of the inherent pitfalls tend to be, how she feels about the relationship between photography and marketing, her preference of film over digital, what she does if she is ever underwhelmed by a photographer’s gallery, etc. Wedding photographer Jose Villa discusses what he ideally needs from a planner to do what he does best, what he is most attracted to when it comes to the features of a setting, why he sometimes needs to remind himself that a wedding is not a photoshoot and that the emphasis is not on him as the photographer, how he goes about capturing unexpected moments, what he needs in terms of lighting when shooting

Andy is very excited to welcome Marcy Blum, an internationally sought after event planner and entertaining expert who has 30 years experience. She has been named one of the best in the world by Vogue, Martha Stuart Weddings, Harper’s Bazaar and the New York Times magazine. Marcy has appeared on many television shows and, with event planner Sarah Haywood, has developed EPIC, the Event Planners International Collaborative that offers an intensive and advanced wedding and event planning education. In this episode, Andy and Marcy discuss how she got started in the industry, when she started her own business and how scary it was to strike out on her own. She tells us about wanting her event designs to be different from everyone else and looking for clients who wanted the same thing. She also gives us insight into what the business looked like when she got started in the 80’s and how it has evolved today. Listen in as Marcy talks to us about some of the weddings she remembers, the way she structures the rates she c

Andy welcomes Persephone Maglaya to the show today! Persephone is the founder and C.E.O. of The Media Socialites, a social media and influencer management agency. She is also the creator of @everydayvogue and @bridalvogue, which reaches over 275,000 collectively, and she has a team of fifty full-time employees and works with over 130 luxury bridal partners. Persephone reveals how she got started in this industry and how The Media Socialites came to be, how to go about defining your brand and your audience, why she feels that it's important not to fear your vulnerability as a creator especially when trying to appeal to your intended audience, how and why TikTok is becoming the most important platform for creators to promote themselves, where social media trends are headed, and so much more! The social media landscape changes daily along with its trends and algorithms, and it will continue to change. That's why Andy really appreciates Persephone's expertise in this area, and he really hopes that you find her in

Andy is so excited to bring on today's guest, Sarah Winward! Sarah is based out of Salt Lake City and is a destination wedding florist who creates flower arrangements that are inspired by the changing of seasons in nature. Believing that flowers should feel natural in the environment in which they are going to be viewed, Still, she also finds many of her materials in the immediate area where the event will be held. Sarah primarily does flowers for events but also works on installations for private and commercial clients. She also offers various workshops and is a master of her craft! Sarah dives into various topics such as what her childhood was like and what her biggest hobbies were as a child, how an interest in weddings and events came about for her, what the process frequently looks like between her and her clients, what her biggest challenge often is and how she overcomes it, how she has managed to become so popular on social media, what her morning routine and evening routine look like, her love for nat

Floral artist Kiana Underwood is the celebrated owner of Tulipina an internationally renowned floral design studio that creates bespoke experiences for luxury weddings throughout the world. She has been named one of the top wedding floral designers in the US and is the most followed floral designer on Instagram. She is the author of Color Me Floral and the host of sold-out international workshops. She has also been featured in many magazines, and her work is always in demand. Kiana and I talk about the importance of bravery and pushing past fear to create what you desire. Her life and her work is an example of how she has pushed passed this fear to create the art and life that she wants. She shares her story of moving to the US and how freeing her new school experience was. We get to learn how flowers were always part of her life and culture, but it took bravery, tenacity, and out-of-the box thinking to make floral art her business and life's work.   This episode is sponsored by Zola, the fastest-growing wedd

This episode marks today's guest's third spot on The Wedding Biz! Michelle Rago is a very popular and successful destination planner, producer, and designer based out of New York City, and she has published a book titled Signature Weddings: Creating a Day Uniquely Your Own. She joins Andy today to discuss topics such as how the COVID-19 pandemic affected her business, how she sometimes has to make decisions in the moment, her passion for travel, how she values her independence, what her greatest challenge is now especially since the pandemic, what she is most excited about in the future, and more!  Andy is so glad that he had yet another opportunity to talk to Michelle and hopes to have her on again in the future! If you enjoyed his conversation with Michelle and/or found it helpful, then Andy would love if you were to share this episode with a few people you know who might also enjoy it and would also appreciate it if you were to subscribe to the podcast if you aren't already so that you never miss a new ep

Longtime listeners of The Wedding Biz will definitely recognize today's special guest, as she has been on the podcast several times before! Christina Matteucci is the executive director of David Beahm Experiences, and in today's conversation, she and Andy talk about the generational gap in the event industry. She offers potential solutions not only to bridge that gap but also to thrive even more in our careers. Christina reflects on an article she wrote for Special Events titled “X Marks the Spot: A Forgotten Generation's Plea to the Hospitality Industry,” an article about the generational gap in her industry. She passionately argues that the generational gap is problematic within the events industry and that bridging that gap and having more generational blending can do nothing but benefit an office environment. She offers several examples of how generations can lean into their differences and learn from each other which, again, will only benefit the company and the industry overall. It was an incredible tim

Joining Andy this week is Jess Levin Conroy, the founder and C.E.O. of Carats and Cake, a community within the events industry that connects industry pros with couples planning weddings. They also offer a software solution focused specifically on venues to drive their entire event revenue streams and focused on revenue optimization. Andy and Jess have a conversation that is full of a wide range of topics, including how she would describe what she does with Carats and Cake, what her college education was like and what she learned from it, how she went about implementing her brand, how she handles obstacles, how she overcomes her weakness of being too reactive, her thoughts on how the current economic environment is impacting her business and the wedding industry in general, how she finds a balance between her busy professional life and her personal life as a wife and mother, and so much more! Andy really enjoyed this conversation with Jess Levin Conroy, especially since it gave him the opportunity to get to kn