The Business of Luxury Weddings

Just like dress trends and decor trends, weddings and how they are planned have gone through a huge evolution of their own.

How the special day was crafted used to be formulaic and predictable. There were traditions that had to be met and boxes the event had to check.

Today, there's plenty of room for the unexpected, the whimsical and the meaningful. What people include in that day is more about intention, not because it's what they have to do.

Wedding days have become wedding weekends. Venues have become more non-traditional, and wedding planners have so much more flexibility to be creative.

What's driving these shifts in the wedding experience? What is quiet luxury and why is it quickly becoming a staple in the industry? In today's episode, we're joined by 1/5th of the amazing team at Gather Events, Sarah Tivel.

She shares how weddings have changed over the years, and all the special ways clients get to put their own stamp on their special day because of this shift.

Guest Bio

Sarah Tivel is the co-founder and creative director at GATHER Events. GATHER Events was built on a love of bringing people together. They are incredibly proud to be a team of highly experienced wedding planners and event designers who thrive on creating the most memorable weddings and social events locally and around the world. With an increasing amount of guests traveling for weddings, close to home and abroad, GATHER's local and destination presence allows them to provide expert support on the ground in the US and globally. They value collaboration and believe that their creative industry is stronger and more inspired when we work together.

For more information, head to https://www.gatherevents.com/ and follow @gatherevents on Instagram.

Want a clear and comprehensive roadmap on how to succeed in the luxury wedding market? Check out the Business of Luxury Weddings course. You'll learn how to entire business model and thought process - so you can sign consistent 5-figure contracts, build a powerful network of the right people, and travel to iconic destinations. Learn more and join the waitlist at SageJourney.co.

Among the many superpowers of a luxury wedding planner, is the ability to turn 18 months of planning into a timelined, well-executed event with hundreds of moving parts.

The secret: there is absolutely no room for indecisiveness. The clients hire you to guide them and make decisions. If you're still thinking "I wonder if we should…" on the day, it's not a business you're built for.

Wendy Jacobs Hampton has this and so many other superpowers that make her perfect for this job. Growing up in a party family. Being a highly-motivated ski bum, who purchased a business for $2000, and planned weddings for the likes of the Lauren and Bush families. A confident professional who relates well to the clientele. A beautiful balance of command and care.

How did she end up in Telluride and ultimately play a huge role in building the luxury industry there? Why is it so important to remember the fun aspect of this job? In this episode, the owner of Soirée Telluride, tells her story, and what she attributes her success to.

Guest Bio

Building a company from the ground up — and skyrocketing it to success — requires unshakable confidence and a healthy willingness to take risks. Wendy has both. Melded with her matchless creativity, innovation and enviable cool under pressure, Wendy has what it takes to be a sought-after event producer and the architect behind some of Colorado's most prestigious weddings. And indeed she is.

Wendy grew up in New York, but fell in love with Telluride as a child when her family began visiting for regular ski trips in the early 80s. She became a permanent Telluride resident in 1994. Wendy has been embedded in the community ever since, always keeping her finger on the ski town's pulse. After producing the wedding of Lauren Bush and David Lauren in 2011, Wendy's world-class work established Telluride as a premiere event destination — and Soirée Telluride as an event-production company that draws national and international clients.

When she's not coordinating scores of vendors or thriving on day-of event execution, Wendy enjoys skiing with her husband, Zach, whom she met in Telluride, and their school-age daughters, Breton and Zoe (who call themselves the Soirée Sisters). She serves as board president of the Telluride Academy and is deeply committed to local education causes.

For more information, go to https://www.telluridesoiree.com/ and follow @soireetelluride on Instagram.

Want a clear and comprehensive roadmap on how to succeed in the luxury wedding market? Check out the Business of Luxury Weddings course. You'll learn the entire business model and thought process - so you can sign consistent 5-figure contracts, build a powerful network of the right people, and travel to iconic destinations. Learn more and join the waitlist at SageJourney.co.

Luxury is the ability to surprise, delight, anticipate, and deliver. In the wedding space, it's ultimately the difference between planning an event and creating an experience. Our clients are incredibly discerning individuals, so we have to be discerning too.

The job is going above and beyond "what we have in the warehouse" to actually bring about a well-executed vision.

In this high stress environment, not breaking a sweat while pulling off these feats of creativity is part of the job.

How do we elevate an event into an unforgettable experience? What does it take to stay unflappable as we carry the vision and experience of our clients?

In this episode, we're joined by the incomparable, David Beahm. He shares his story - going from choir director to the incredible career he's had.

Guest Bio

David Beahm, founder and president of David Beahm Experiences, is known as one of New York's top event designers. A favorite of celebrities, socialites, corporate and the fashion worlds, David has a broad-based background in the arts; thus, he views event design as a combination of theater and art. Emphasizing style, quality and originality, his creations combine cutting-edge ideas with timeless tradition.

Go to www.davidbeahm.com for more information and follow @‌davidbeahm @davidbeahmtoo.

Want a clear and comprehensive roadmap on how to succeed in the luxury wedding market? Check out the Business of Luxury Weddings course. You'll learn the entire business model and thought process - so you can sign consistent 5-figure contracts, build a powerful network of the right people, and travel to iconic destinations. Learn more and join the waitlist at SageJourney.co.

In the realm of ultra-luxury event design, the pressure to exceed the client's high expectations comes with the territory. Creatively speaking, it's hard to say no to the vision, and that requires us to constantly push the boundaries of what's possible. The work of designers is incredibly detailed and precise, and that can be a heavy energy expenditure to whoever's at the helm of that vision.

The designer's job is to push, cultivate and curate everyone around them to elevate to the level of that vision. That's something Rishi Patel does extremely well.

How do you create flexibility in a process that often requires set timelines and plans? How do you craft designs where everything serves a purpose instead of just stuffing rooms with details?

In this episode, the CEO and CCO of HMR Designs joins us to share how he went from finance to event design, and the process behind the work he delivers.

Guest Bio

Rishi Patel is the CEO and CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER of HMR Designs. Named one of the top Wedding and Event Designers in the world by Harper's Bazaar, VOGUE, Brides and Martha Stewart Weddings, along with being recognized as Top 40 under 40, Rishi remains one of the most highly coveted event designers among discerning clientele and notable figures alike. An advocate for fully transformative design, he specializes in celebrations of all kinds – all while adhering to the firm belief that service and guest experience are the cornerstone to great events and the definition of true luxury. From galas, to weddings, to milestone celebrations, any event is in his wheelhouse. An educational background in Finance and an MBA from Indiana University has afforded him the ability to lead the HMR team from a fiscal perspective – though it's his artistic passion that allows him to design the fantastical events he is known for. As much of a creative visionary as an astute business leader, Rishi's insistence on unconventionality has continuously transformed the landscape of event design while granting him the honor of designing events for some of the most notable figures, families and organizations in the world.

A loyal Chicago native and avid traveler, Rishi regularly seeks inspiration from whatever cultural landscape he can find himself in. The destination event and wedding world has allowed Rishi and the HMR team to embrace so many incredible regions and pockets of the world to create spectacular events. Regardless of the marvelous adventures in design that await him, Rishi will always consider himself an artist at heart. For more information, head to https://hmrdesigns.com/.

In an industry like wedding photography, "there are as many opinions as there are planners". It's easy to get caught up in groupthink and herd mentality. People parrot information about running our businesses and what it takes to succeed like it's universal truth when it's one perspective.

All information and advice is meaningless if it's not filtered through what works best for us. Sometimes, the most profitable decision we can make is stepping away from the herd.

That was the case for Sarah Bradshaw. She detached from groupthink, tore her business down to the studs and rebuilt it better. Because of that, she was able to shift from what seems important in growing our businesses to what actually moves the needle.

What were the key mindset shifts in this journey? Why is outreach truly the job? In this episode, Sarah talks about her business, her decisions and her approach to selling.

Guest Bio

Since 2008, Sarah Bradshaw has been known for creating iconic wedding day photographs. Drawing inspiration from classical architecture, vintage fashion, and modern interior design, she uses her well-honed skills as a storyteller to create heirloom images full of warmth, light, and palpable emotion. Her enduring purpose, that guides everything she does, is to inspire a vision of intentional, generational love and connection through timeless and authentic imagery.

For more information, head to https://sarahbradshaw.com/ and follow @sarahbradshawphoto on Instagram.

Want a clear and comprehensive roadmap on how to succeed in the luxury wedding market? Check out the Business of Luxury Weddings course. You'll learn the entire business model and thought process - so you can sign consistent 5-figure contracts, build a powerful network of the right people, and travel to iconic destinations. Learn more and join the waitlist at SageJourney.co.

Obsessive craftsmanship, storytelling, collaboration. If we could sum up wedding photography, it would be in these 4 words. It's not just about taking a pretty picture, and it's definitely not just about the technical stuff.

At some point focus, light, and composition become so deeply ingrained in us we have to reach for something more. We have to learn the art of earning the photo - both from our experience, and also our ability to truly capture the moment. A camera isn't just a way to capture an image, it's a way to access the individual, and in a wedding, that's a huge responsibility.

When we combine all these things into one seamless process, we deliver the magical but authentic moments people will treasure. How has our craft developed, and what do we consider our craft today?

In this episode, we talk about our evolution as artists behind the camera, and every intangible that goes into what we do, and why we love it.

Want a clear and comprehensive roadmap on how to succeed in the luxury wedding market? Check out the Business of Luxury Weddings course. You'll learn the entire business model and thought process - so you can sign consistent 5-figure contracts, build a powerful network of the right people, and travel to iconic destinations. Learn more and join the waitlist at SageJourney.co.

"Your vision is safe with me." That's what a planner needs to say and deliver to their clients. When you're at the helm of a magical moment where every detail matters, how things look isn't your first consideration. You have to go 30,000 ft up, take what they want to see and steep it in reality, while still maintaining the magic.

To do this effectively, confidence, competence, and kindness are required. For Michelle Rago, these things come easy, and it shows in the experiences she creates.

How did she get started? What's her process for making sure an event has the client's fingerprint? How can we shift our mindset around sales?

In this episode, the world famous planner shares her story, her process and her mindset around what she does.

Guest Bio

Michelle Rago is an event planner, and founder of Michelle Rago Destinations, a full service boutique event planning firm based in New York.Michelle and her team have produced and designed events as far-flung as New Delhi and the Cote d'Azur, and of course, from coast to coast on the continental United States. Team Rago will oversee and execute every aspect of your event to not only ensure it unfolds smoothly, but to allow you to be carefree and fully engaged at your own wedding or event. For more information, head to https://michelleragodestinations.com/.

Connect with Michelle on Instagram @michellerago

Want a clear and comprehensive roadmap on how to succeed in the luxury wedding market? Check out the Business of Luxury Weddings course. You'll learn how to entire business model and thought process - so you can sign consistent 5-figure contracts, build a powerful network of the right people, and travel to iconic destinations. Learn more and join the waitlist at SageJourney.co.

If you're good at the craft, raising your rates isn't a question of skill. It's more about doing the mindset work so you can confidently elevate how you show up in the marketplace. Your work has to be good - that's a given, but you'll hit a ceiling if you only focus on that. To grow our revenue, we have to raise what we think our work is worth - and that has a lot to do with branding.

The shift to a higher rate starts internally. Believing it for ourselves first makes the pricing and marketing work easier. If we don't feel worthy, we'll never have the confidence to ask for more, even if we're exceptional photographers.

Sidonie Vidal went from charging €2.5k to €11k. That leap is more about mentality than methodology. How did the mindset piece play into her 4X rate increase? What were the small shifts that stacked up over time and allowed her to grow her business?

In this episode, Sidonie shares her story of how she changed her mindset and elevated her brand to increase her earnings and level up from the middle market.

Guest Bio

Sidonie Vidal is a photographer from the South of France – the picture book country full of sun, beautiful villages, and lavender fields. She wants to recreate this southern French feeling with her images and bring warmth, connection, and passion to every project she photographs. Sidonie works with couples from all over the world to create bespoke experiences and capture the essence of their special day on camera. She allows her clients to relax knowing her editorial photography allows the unadulterated emotions between them and their loved ones to shine through in every image. For more information, head to https://sidonievidalphotographe.com/

Instagram – @sidonievidalphotography

Want a clear and comprehensive roadmap on how to succeed in the luxury wedding market? Check out the Business of Luxury Weddings course. You'll learn the entire business model and thought process - so you can sign consistent 5-figure contracts, build a powerful network of the right people, and travel to iconic destinations. Learn more and join the waitlist at SageJourney.co.

Luxury wedding or not, we're in the business of serving our clients and pulling off a once-in-a-lifetime fairytale for them. Of course, we have to be exceptionally talented, but there's also a whole strategic process of unglamorous, behind-the-scenes work to make it look seamless and luxurious.

All wedding vendors are in the unique position of not being guests, but having such a pivotal role on a very important day. Ultimately, we're privileged service providers who work together to make magic happen. The better we get at reading the room and collaborating, the more elevated the experiences become, and the more people want to work with us.

How can photographers and videographers work well together? What's our guest's process for creating a seamless, luxurious experience both behind and in front of the camera? Why is this industry so special to us?

In this episode, we're delighted to be joined by top wedding filmmaker, Peyton Frank. She shares the process that allows her to deliver perfection over and over again.

Guest Bio

Peyton Frank is a Destination Wedding Filmmaker who creates heirloom wedding videos to be cherished for a lifetime. She has an obsession for beautiful stories, events, and experiences, and a passion for making films and creating magic through moving images, light, and sound. Peyton has been named One of The Top Wedding Filmmakers in the World by Harper's BAZAAR.

For more information, follow @‌peytonfrank on Instagram. For mentorship sessions & general inquiries, send an email to [email protected]. To inquire about the 2024 Certified Drone Pilot Guide email [email protected].

An emotion-provoking image that speaks to the planner, not a wasteful unsolicited gift.

Steady, quiet persistence, not annoying pushiness. Understanding the cues that say ultra-luxury, and nothing less.

That's how you get on the radar of an elite ultra-luxury planner, and get hired again and again. In the high stakes, high-touch and high detail world of elite wedding planning, photographers are the most important vendors on game day.

Planners want collaborators who understand their role and how to bring the ultra-luxury experience from start to finish, with minimal hand-holding.

What sets ultra-luxury weddings apart in the level of service vendors have to bring? How do you get your first ultra-luxury job and keep getting called back for more weddings?

In this episode, elite planner Lynn Easton shares the layers of luxury that make up the best of the best in weddings. She also shares how to make a connection with an elite planner, and the pet peeves photographers and videographers must avoid if they want to impress.

Want a clear and comprehensive roadmap on how to succeed in the luxury wedding market? Check out the Business of Luxury Weddings course. You'll learn the entire business model and thought process - so you can sign consistent 5-figure contracts, build a powerful network of the right people, and travel to iconic destinations. Learn more and join the waitlist at SageJourney.co.

Guest Bio

Lynn Easton is a leader in the world of event planning, sought-after speaker, and founder of Easton Events. Easton is a full-service wedding and event design and planning company founded in 1998. With offices in Charleston, South Carolina, and Charlottesville, Virginia, Easton is dedicated to guiding their clients with a steady balance of head and heart through their weddings and milestone events. Easton has received national acclaim from top industry publications, including VOGUE, Harper's BAZAAR, Martha Stewart Weddings, Town & Country Weddings, The Knot, BizBash, among others. For more information, head to eastonevents.com or go to eastoneducation.com to find out about her courses.