The Wedding Biz - Behind The Scenes Of The Wedding Business

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 but art and branding materials as well. Ceci tells stories of her client’s life in her design of invitations and stationery, and about being in the business of happiness. Show Highlights: A little on Ceci’s background growing up Some lessons Ceci learned from her father How Ceci works hard on maintaining and projecting such a positive perspective How she got into the bridal industry Ceci moving to New York from California Her first jobs and invitations she created How Ceci gets inspired for each client Some stories of clients Ceci has worked with Save the Dates are your first impression Establishing partnerships with other companies Ceci’s philosophy on pricing Giving alternate solutions/choices The business aspect of the company Systems that are critical in Ceci’s company Ceci’s  brand consult

Andy's friend Meryl Snow of Snowstorm Solutions returns in this episode of the podcast for a great conversation about selling strategies! Meryl is very well known in the event wedding catering space as the co-founder of Philly-based special event and catering industry Feastivities Events along with its subsidiaries OffShoots Decor and Philadelphia’s Picnic Company. A consultant, trainer, speaker, event producer, and designer, Meryl runs Think Tank workshops and travels around the United States training event professionals on sales related strategies. Meryl is here today to discuss selling strategies we can all use, especially now that we are finally returning to business nearing the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. She enthuses over the importance of personal connection and relationships in today's market especially with the influence of the pandemic. She strongly emphasizes how crucial it is for salespeople to ask probing and open-ended questions of prospective clients so that they know and understand who they

To Ron Ben-Israel, a cake is far more than a cake. It’s equal to a performance. And if anyone knows about performance, it’s surprisingly the master of couture celebration cakes. After graduating college with a Fine Arts degree, Ron saw the world through two distinct lenses: the Israeli military, and a ballet company he joined after serving in his early 20’s. He traveled around the world, performing with two companies over nearly 15 years before finding himself in New York City and wanting to make a career transition. This is where he began to discover his talent for baking. From never having baked a professional cake to founding Ron Ben-Israel Cakes, Ron shares the path and experiences that got him there. His practical and disciplined approach to growth illustrates the level of passion, dedication, and humble learning that successful pastry chefs possess. About Ron Ben-Israel Ron Ben-Israel is a renowned pastry chef originally from Israel and currently based in New York. Ron is the founder of Ron Ben-Israel C

Andy chats with two guests in this episode of The Wedding Biz, both of whom have been featured on the podcast multiple times in the past. Laurie Arons is a planner and designer of Laurie Arons Special Events and has been featured in numerous magazine publications and has been listed in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Martha Stewart Weddings as one of the top worldwide planners. Her clientele is made up of trendsetters such as Sophia Coppola, Vanessa Getty, and Christy Turlington as well as prominent business moguls like Gary Friedman, Frank Caufield, and Eddie DeBartolo. Laurie has also created and runs a very successful wedding planner master class. Also joining Andy is Jose Villa, a fine art photographer who is considered by many to be the top event photographer in the world. He has been published in numerous magazines and was named one of the top wedding photographers by Martha Stewart Weddings, Harper's Bazaar, Style Me Pretty, and Vogue. He was also named one of the top ten photographers in the world by Amer

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 te

Andy hopes that you will join him in this episode as he chats with Tim Chi, the CEO of The Knot Worldwide which provides leading wedding marketplaces personalized wedding websites, planning tools, and registry services with its brands in multiple countries across North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia. The Knot Worldwide also includes lifestyle brands and this is actually Tim's second time joining Andy on the podcast, previously having been on episode 147 which Andy highly recommends that you go back and give a listen. Andy and Tim talk about the COVID-19 pandemic and how it impacted Tim both personally and professionally (as well as the wedding planning industry in general). Tim shares that he deeply misses in-person human connection and what negative consequences have come out of that being removed from the equation, such as many professional relationships becoming more transactional rather than personable. From that, he explains the importance of relationships maintaining cordiality and how he goe

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

Tune in to this episode of the podcast as Andy interviews Kristy Rice – artist, author, stylist, and founder of Momental Designs. Kristy's hand-painted events, stationary, and other work has been credited in People Magazine, Good Morning America, Inside Weddings and Brides Magazines, Vanity Fair, Martha Stewart Weddings, along with countless blogs. Kristy's work has also crossed into fine art and lifestyle markets with licensing and the development of branded product lines for the top arts and crafts stores nationwide. She is also the author of nine titles (most of which are about watercoloring and finding joy in art), with her tenth title about to be released (and an eleventh one currently being dreamed up!), and we talk about the process of writing books. She also talks about working on Sean Parker's wedding and Jessica Simpsons's wedding. We talk about the difficult aspects of what she does, and we also discuss building structure and process within a highly artistic brand, building a team, and licensing br

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,

Join Andy in this episode as he chats with Brett Culp, an acclaimed filmmaker and social entrepreneur, having written, directed, produced, and edited the documentaries Legends of the Knight (2013) and Look to the Sky (2017). Brett is also a keynote speaker and is the personal cinematographer for Hollywood stars, music icons, authors, athletes, and royal families. This is his third time being on the podcast, and he joins Andy this time to talk about what it might be looking like to return to normal (whatever normal might even mean) life as we seem to finally be approaching the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. Brett discusses how exhausting it was to have to reevaluate our lives after the pandemic broke out. He also makes a prediction as to what our greatest challenge will likely be coming out of the pandemic entirely and how he hopes that people will act upon the lessons that they learned about themselves and the world around them. One of the greatest challenges, after all, even for the most optimistic of us, is

Join Andy as he chats with Renee Dalo! Renee, who has been referred to as “the no-nonsense Mary Poppins of Wedding Planning,” is the founder of Moxie Bright Events, a boutique wedding planning company, and she also offers educational resources for event professionals and even hosts her own podcast, Talk with Renee Dalo! Listen in as Andy and Renee discuss all things Clubhouse and how to market your business on it. Unlike other social media apps such as Twitter and Instagram, there doesn't seem to be a tight restriction on how many characters or words that you can include in your bio on Clubhouse, so Renee strongly suggests taking advantage of that! She encourages listeners to include everything that they want people to know about them in their bios, and both Renee and Andy share examples of times when that paid off either for themselves or for someone whose services that they themselves purchased after coming across their profiles on Clubhouse. At the end of the day, however, using Clubhouse directly to hard

Tune in to this episode of the podcast as Andy talks with Christina Matteucci, executive director of David Beahm Experiences! Christina has actually been on the podcast before in episodes 188, 307, 346, and 214. And she joins Andy in this episode to discuss how everything that we do in business has an element of performance involved and how we can best understand and use performance when dealing with clients and giving presentations. The main focus of Andy's and Christina's conversation is the importance of using storytelling – especially storytelling that employs effective imagery – when engaging in a sales pitch, corresponding with clients, and with public speaking. Storytelling is an interwoven part of what it means to be human because we love to both tell and hear stories. Stories draw us in, and, in fact, Christina even recommends starting a sales pitch with a story even if the story isn't relevant to what you're selling or proposing! Christina talks about what techniques that she has learned as far

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 that resonate, and how he connects with clients to make that happen. We also talk about balancing work and personal lives, which gets especially interesting (and rewarding!) when your professional and life partner is the same person. Matthew Robbins Design is a luxury event planning firm with a focus on design and production for weddings and special events. For over 15 years they’ve produced events all over the world, from intimate dinner parties to weekend-long celebrations. Their hallmark is creating collaborative experiences, where they listen closely to clients and share in the creative process. Via sister company RobbinsOtoya, Matthew and his team focus on our destination events with a special connection to Central and South America, the Caribbea

Listen as Andy interviews Lauren Dickens, founder and lead designer with Elle Audrey, a luxury planning and design company based out of New York City. Although she loved parties when she was a child because she always enjoyed the ones that her grandmother hosted, Lauren didn't go into the wedding planning business until well into her adulthood after hosting a friend's baby shower. Hosting events then became a hobby until it finally became an entrepreneurial career. Lauren is unique in that she doesn't like cookie cutter methods. She has a unique and personalized brand that has become her signature. In fact, she always wants to go all out and be very creative but sometimes can't take it as far as she would like because of budget constraints. She also has to find a balance between business and creativity which she does, in part, with business partners and personal assistants. She has managed to find these balances and does so successfully, as Elle Audrey is nothing if not successful! The jump from the corporate

Aleya Harris is the owner of Flourish Marketing & The Social Media Pantry. With 13+ years of marketing experience, she helps business owners get more clients. I actually met her on Clubhouse, while listening to a room the was moderating, and was very impressed by her knowledge. Today, we discuss how to create an effective brand story.   SUPPORTING THE WEDDING BIZ Become a patron and support Andy and the show: For as little as $6 per month, or $0.75 per episode, are you willing to support the industry insights Andy brings on his podcast? If you are so inspired: contribute.  Become a Patron! RESOURCES Find Aleya: Flourish Marketing Co.  The Social Media Pantry   On Clubhouse, follow Andy @andykushner and join his club, “The Wedding Biz” to get additional content and to get direct access to Andy.   Follow The Wedding Biz on Social:  The Wedding Biz The Wedding Biz on Instagram: @theweddingbiz The Wedding Biz on Facebook: @theweddingbiz The Wedding Biz Network The Music Makers Support The Wedding Biz by click

"I believe this job is the practice of love." Listen as Andy and his guest, Dewi Kurniadi, have a truly inspirational conversation about creating and running her business, her personal journey before making the leap into being an entrepreneur, what it took to make a major geographical move, dealing with immense challenges, and forging her own path, plus much more on this episode of The Wedding Biz.   Dewi is the Founder of Sweet Bloom Cakes, an extremely popular and successful Sydney-based boutique studio offering custom-designed handcrafted cakes, confections, and personalized event experiences.    Listen as Dewi shares where she gets the inspiration for her cake designs and when she knew it was time to go full time with Sweet Bloom Cakes. She talks about rebelling against her parents and what they wanted her to do versus following her dreams.   Dewi discusses her process and how she learned to build a team that could support her and help grow her business. She shares a story about when a client wanted her t

Today's guest co-host, for The Next Level, is Sean Low. Sean’s consulting firm, The Business of Being Creative is focused on providing practical advice to those in the business of being creative. Sean’s client list includes the who’s who of the wedding industry and design community. Check out Sean's podcast, on The Wedding Biz Network,  The Business Of Being Creative at https://theweddingbiznetwork.com/portfolio-posts/the-business-of-being-creative/. We are discussing Holly Chapple's interview, from last Monday. She is a popular event and floral designer who is the owner and President of Holly Chapple Flowers. She not only executes beautiful weddings and events but also operates Hope Flower Farm out of Loudoun County, Virginia, a flower farm and key floral source for her design work and the base camp for in-person education. Holly also leads a collective of designers from all over the world Via Chaple Designers. Her floral work has been published in numerous publications including Martha Stewart, Southern L

"Because the vision, ideas, and concepts that I come up with are new and leading in the industry I'm going places others haven't yet been, and that's been amazing." Listen as Andy and his guest, Holly Chapple, discuss how Holly is more of a big vision person and how she implements those visions. We talk about her virtual teachings, her latest favorite design aesthetic, her process with clients, how she handles her social media, and how she balances raising a large family with being an entrepreneur, plus much more on this episode of The Wedding Biz.   Holly is a popular event and floral designer who is the owner and President of Holly Chapple Flowers. She not only executes beautiful weddings and events but also operates Hope Flower Farm out of Loudoun County, Virginia, a flower farm and key floral source for her design work and the base camp for in-person education. Holly also leads a collective of designers from all over the world Via Chaple Designers. Her floral work has been published in numerous publicatio

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 celebrity and Fortune 500 corporate events. In this episode, we learn a lot about David and how got there from here—his early days as a teacher, his deep background in music and musical theater, and the leaps of faith that enabled little and big synchronicities alike.   Links: David Beahm Experiences David Beahm Experiences [Instagram] David Beahm [Instagram]

"Keep doing what you are doing, but work extremely hard at it. You have to work from the heart." Listen as Andy and his guests, Arun Bablani, discuss at what age his interest in event planning became clear and his decision to make it his career. They also talk about what motivated him to start his own company, his courage and his belief that anything worth having doesn't come easy, and when he began to specializ in South Asian weddings, plus much more on this episode of The Wedding Biz.   Arun is the founder of Vivaah Weddings, a premier wedding planning, and management company operating globally for destination weddings with offices in the UAE. They specialize in South Asian weddings in the form of Indian, Pakistani, Srilankan, and Bangladeshi weddings. Vivaah Weddings was rated the best wedding planning and management company in the Middle East by Brides Awards 2020, the Best Wedding Planner 2020 global wedding category at the International Wedding Awards, Best Wedding Planners 2020 Best Wedding Concept and