Aisle Seat

On this episode, host Alison McGill catches up friend and luxury event planner Soha Lavin owner of Vancouver-based Countdown Events. Soha brings a supreme level of creativity and elegance to everything she does, and one of the things she is famous for is the opulent Créme de la Créme. wedding showcase. This annual event is held in Vancouver and Soha began producing it 2004; the show quickly became renowned globally as one of the best, most inspirational and immersive wedding events. Soha took a break from this year's show prep to chat with me about all the beautiful things she's been up to, why this year's event at JW Marriott Vancouver is her most ambitious yet, her take on what's happening in weddings in 2024, plus Soha shares her insider insights on the most important things couples need to do post-engagement to start the wedding planning process rolling.

Just before the holidays, Alison travelled to London and experienced a bucket list moment with a stay at Claridge's. This 200-year-old hotel is one of the world's most storied; the service and entire on property experience is second to none. While in residence, Alison sat down with the hotel's Director of Events & Groups, Mathilde Maitre, who makes all the wedding magic happen at Claridge's with her in-house team of event experts. On this show Mathilde shares the history of the hotel and what makes Claridge's so incredibly special, why a wedding at Claridge's is the ultimate experience, and how she and her team make 'I do' dreams happen in just a few months, or even 24 hours! Everything and anything is possible at the iconic Claridge's.

This episode is dedicated to all the that happened in weddings this year, and everything we can expect for the coming one. Our guest is a returning fan favourite: Nicole Natassha Goulding, full service luxury event planner and bridal stylist. It's always a great time when Nicole Natassha joins Alison to chat about everything we love, what's creatively inspiring us, and what we can wait to see more of in the year ahead. Aisle Seat will be taking a little after-holiday break and we will be back with brand new episodes on February 1st, kicking off the new year chatting about weddings at one of the world's most iconic and fabulous hotels, Claridges.

Sustainability has become a key consideration for so many couples planning their wedding day and on this week's show, host Alison has an amazing chat all about this with one of the industry's foremost experts on eco-conscious celebrations, event planner and eco conscious designer. Holly Perrier. Holly is the CEO of Perrier Planning based in Toronto and Vancouver and her expertise lies in helping her clients to plan sustainable, meaningful and stylish events. Earth conscious events are not a trend, but a lifestyle choice and essential consideration in every modern event. On this show, Holly chats about how to easily make your event more eco-conscious and make a large impact on the environment by doing so. Holly is also in the midst of planning her own wedding and she talks about how she's making that intimate celebration both eco friendly and super-chic.

The Fairmont Royal York in Toronto is one of the world's most historic and storied hotels. Over the years, this 94-year-old grand hotel has played host to royalty and celebrities alike. It's the most incredible destination to host a party at, particularly a wedding celebration. On this show, Morgan Cardozo, who is the director of social catering sales at Fairmont Royal York, takes us inside those incredible events. Morgan and Alison chat the history of the hotel, how she and her team bring weddings come to life, and what makes a party at the Fairmont Royal York the ultimate one. Morgan also shares her insider intel on wedding trends for 2024.

On this week's show our guest is New York City-based bridal stylist Gabrielle Hurwitz who helps brides curate the wedding looks of their dreams. As Gabrielle shares, she is the girl who has always been obsessed with weddings, devouring wedding magazines and binging "Say Yes To The Dress" were her teenage obsessions. She evolved those passions into a career in wedding media, taking her love of bridal fashion to the next level with her own bridal styling business. On this episode, Gabrielle talks about the rise of the bridal stylist, why the multi-looks wedding wardrobe is here to stay, fashionable grooms, and we dive into her thoughts on guest dressing and why creating a wedding guest mood board for your event is essential.

Loversland is a Toronto bridal boutique that has been doing things differently since opening their doors almost a decade ago. On this show, I chat with owners Danielle Gulic and Yvonne Reidy, best friends and business partners who have made the wedding space a more inclusive and welcoming place and can firmly be credited with introducing and championing the cool bride aesthetic. On this show, Danielle and Yvonne share their story, their thoughts on what's trending now in wedding style, the rise of the anti-bride, and they share all the details of a very exciting new launch, Loversland's own bridal wear collection.

We're entering the sparkliest time of the year, so it's time to chat about diamonds, engagement rings and pretty things and on this show, we have a master of the craft on this week's episode, Jillian Sassone of Marrow Fine. Jillian's passion for jewelry, particularly vintage pieces has made her one of the world's most renowned designers. She loves to take something old and recreate it into something new for a next generation. On this show Jillian talks about her very special custom design process, what she loves about working with vintage and heirloom pieces and the stories they tell, the trends she's loving right now for engagement rings (antique diamonds and sapphires rule!) and more.

This week Alison chat's with New York City based luxury events planner Andrea Adelstein, CEO of NYLUX Events who shares her tips for planning your dream wedding, and she also shares her own personal wedding story—she just got married this summer at Carnegie Hall and it was an intimate day full of twists on tradition. Andrea has some very interesting reflections from her wedding and some savvy considerations for every couple to keep top of mind when it comes to the big day. Having cocktails before the ceremony, serving pizza, and ending the party earlier rather than later are just a few of Andrea's brilliant wedding planning ideas.

Oh, how bridesmaid times have changed and on this week's show Alison has a fabulous chat all about this with the co-founders of UK-based label Rewritten London, Frances Cookson and Katie Arnott. The stylish friends launched their game-changing brand back in 2016 when they decided to rewrite the rules for bridesmaid fashion and create chic, cool and impactful designs that are a pleasure to wear for a wedding day and will become staples of an occasion dressing wardrobe for years to come. On this show Fran and Katie share their story, what's trending for bridesmaids in terms of silhouette, colour and vibes, and Fran shares some stylish stories from her own recent wedding day.