This Week in Weddings

Running a wedding business is very often more than a full-time job and when you add a child to the mix, it's no joke! In this week's episode of the This Week In Weddings podcast, we're chatting with a wedding industry entrepreneur who is also a new mom to hear how she's balancing both roles. Whether you have a young child or are just thinking about how you can make parenthood work when you own your own wedding business, this episode is for you.

About our guest: 

After graduating from The University of Texas graduate with a degree in botany and 5+ years in the hospitality industry R. Love Floral was born and the business began to take off. Raquel Lovern Harris and her team have been creating beautiful weddings in the DFW + Austin/Hill country areas since 2010. Raquel has since traveled the country to study under the top designers in the world to hone her design eye, experiment with texture and explore the world of flowers. 

Balancing family, business and life, Raquel loves spending time with her husband and toddler son – who can be seen around the studio and making trips with her to pick up flowers and such around town.

When not designing beautiful weddings and events, she loves teaching floral classes for birthday parties, bachelorette parties and girls night outs. A lover of plants, she is always looking for the best local foliage and blooms to give her designs an earthy garden flair. 

 Her weddings and photo shoots have been published in over fifty magazines and wedding blogs such as Martha Stewart, BRIDES, Style Me Pretty, Southern Weddings, Ruffled Blog, Magnolia Rouge, Brides of North Texas, D Weddings, Modern Luxury, and My Weddings (sister company to Martha Stewart) named R. Love Floral top ten favorite florists of Texas for 2017.  

In this episode, listeners will hear about:

• How Raquel got started in the wedding industry
• When Raquel started thinking about motherhood and being both business owner and parent
• How much Raquel did (or didn't) plan ahead when it came to trying to time the start of her family with the wedding season
• Taking a maternity leave when you're a wedding business entrepreneur
• Bedrest, early pregnancies, and taking a baby to work with you
• Balancing being a business owner with motherhood
• Raquel's best tips for new mothers running a business

Want to connect with Raquel?

• Website: http://www.rlovefloral.com/ 
• Instagram: @rlovefloral
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rlovefloral/

When you're in the wedding industry, you often have the benefit of seeing other vendor categories up close. If you've ever considered making a switch from one field to another, this week's episode of the This Week In Weddings podcast is for you. We're chatting with Larissa and Chavvon Smith, who made the switch from being wedding photographers to owning a letterpress and luxury printing company. This week's episode is a must listen for all the serial entrepreneurs out there, and is full of great advice for anyone with an entrepreneurial spirit.

About our guests: 

Larissa and Chavvon Smith are the owners of Cotton Paperie, a Dallas based letterpress and luxury printer. They print items ranging from business cards that help businesses create powerful first impressions to luxury wedding invitations. In addition to working with some of the most amazing brides & wedding planners in the industry, their clients include Google, the Dallas Cowboys, eBay, Cotton Inc., Hennesey, the George W. Bush Foundation, and Fortuny. Before founding Cotton Paperie, Chavvon and Larissa were event photographers covering events nationwide. Specializing in wedding photography they worked as a husband and wife team. Event photography and the busy weekend schedule was becoming a strain to balance that business and 3 small children so Chavvon took the leap and purchased a letterpress and put it in the garage. Having no print experience whatsoever he found the manual for his vintage press on eBay, bought it, studied it, and learned to operate his first press. Larissa having a background in Interior Design naturally gravitated towards the graphics design aspects of letterpress printing. It was a perfect fit. Through much trial and error and the help of their photography friends network, Cotton Paperie was born!

In this episode, listeners will hear about:

• Chavvon and Larissa's transition into the wedding industry
• Why Chavvon and Larissa decided working weddings on the weekends didn't work for them anymore
• How they got into the printing industry
• Best tips for someone wanting to move into a new industry
• The group of people that Chavvon and Larissa credits for helping them start and test their business concept

Want to connect with Chavvon & Larissa?

• Website: https://cottonpaperie.com/ 
• Instagram: @cottonpaperie

As you're building your wedding business, it's easy to think any client who can afford your services is your ideal client, but that's simply not the case! In this week's episode of the This Week In Weddings podcast, we're chatting with invitation designer Kristin Wilson about her experience with working with the "right" and the "wrong" clients and how she focuses her business to only work with clients that are a fit with her brand.

About our guest: 

Kristin Wilson is an entrepreneur with a passion for teaching creatives and designing for couples. As the owner of the Society for Creative Founders, she works closely with artists, makers, and designers to help them to grow their business, educating women both in an online community, through monthly classes, and with annual in-person events.

Falling in love with all things paper when she first started her entrepreneurial journey in 2010, she also designs bespoke wedding collections for forever sweethearts as the founder and designer for Grace and Serendipity.  She is a wife and mom to three, who believes that everything happens for a reason and life is meant to be celebrated.  On any given day, you can find her with coffee in hand and a classical playlist humming softly in the background, wholeheartedly pursuing the discoveries and adventures that life puts in her path.

In this episode, listeners will hear about:

• The importance of understanding your ideal client
• Creating an ideal client avatar that's very specific
• Signs for knowing that a client doesn't fit with your style or work process
• How to turn down a client gracefully when you know it's not a good fit

Want to connect with Kristin?

• Website: https://www.graceandserendipity.com/
• Society for Creative Founders
• Instagram: @graceandserendipity

Getting that perfectly styled image isn't all about luck... there's also science involved. From Instagram to print magazines, styling images is all the new rage, and in this week's episode of the This Week in Weddings podcast, we're chatting with photographer Rebecca Yale, who shares some tips for styling images that will get the attention of magazines and potential clients. Whether you're a photographer or planner looking to expand your range of services or you're just wanting better images of your own products, this week's episode about styling will be one to hear.

About our guest: 

Rebecca Yale is an internationally acclaimed wedding and fashion photographer.  She holds a degree in art history, aesthetic philosophy and photography from the Gallatin school at NYU.   Winner of Rangefinder Magazine’s Grand Prize in Wedding Photography and 1st Place in the Details Category Two Years in a row, she was the photographer of the 2017 Knot Dream Wedding and has been featured in 50+ publications including Martha Stewart Weddings, Brides Magazine, The Knot, People Magazine, Grace Ormonde, Style Me Pretty, Flutter Magazine, Magnolia Rouge, Destination I Do and many more. 

Rebecca was named one of the Top 10 Globetrotter Photographers in the World by Destination Weddings Magazine UK in 2016 and one of the Top 10 Photographers to Know in New York City by Brides Magazine in 2015.  Her passion for education lies in helping people create stronger imagery, by changing the way people see imagery at its core.

In this episode, listeners will hear about:

• What styling is and why it has gained momentum in the past few years
• How to manage your time on an event day to incorporate styling
• The biggest mistakes people make when it comes to styling
• How to make styling personal to the event so that the images make sense
• Rebecca's online course for styling

Want to connect with Rebecca?

• Website: http://rebeccayalephotography.com/
• Instagram: @rebeccayale 

As we say each week, running a business is hard! But when you're dealing with your own personal struggles – whether it be a death in the family, issues with your children, or even a bout with depression – it can be even harder. In this week's episode of the This Week in Weddings podcast, we're chatting with custom invitation designer Tifany Wunschl, who shares how she's kept her business afloat for 13 years when life hasn't always made it easy. 

About our guest: 

Tifany Wunschl started Gourmet Invitations in 2005. She wanted her business to reflect her personality and as a foodie, Gourmet Invitations was the perfect name for her custom invitation business. She has been seen on WeTV’s “Preston Bailey’s Midnight Wedding” after having the honor of designing invitations for Preston Bailey. Her work has been seen on Entertainment Tonight and published in wedding magazines such as Martha Stewart Weddings, Bridal Guide, Destination Weddings I Do, Brides, The Knot and many others. Her work has also been featured on Style Me Pretty, Brides.com, Glamour.com, People.com, and much more. Tifany has worked with celebrity wedding designers and her clients include TV and radio personalities, an NBA All-Star, an NFL superstars (including a Superbowl ring holder), an MLB star, and even a royal highness.

Tifany is also a speaker with expertise in many different subjects. She has spoken to NACE, ILEA, ABC, and will be speaking at Engage 18 in Cabo San Lucas. In 2016, she launched Amuse Invitations, an amusing bite size portion of Gourmet Invitations. The Etsy shop offers instant download items such as signs and table numbers. She also partnered with Rebecca Marie Photography in 2017, to form T&R Stock, a curated stock photo company specializing in imagery for the busy entrepreneur.

In this episode, listeners will hear about:

• Tifany's tips for doing work in less time, by focusing on the task at hand and eliminating distractions
• How having a community has helped Tifany keep going during difficult times
• Tifany's personal struggle with depression and how she has learned to identify and combat her triggers
• Dealing with clients and setting expectations when times get tough

Want to connect with Tifany?

• Website: Gourmet Invitations
• Instagram: @gourmetinvites
• Twitter: https://www.facebook.com/GourmetInvitations/ 
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/gourmetinvites/ 

Is it time for you to make a change to your business? Sometimes change is necessary to move forward successfully, whether it's a dramatic shift to your business offerings or just a slight tweak. In this week's episode of the This Week in Weddings podcast, we're chatting with event planner Amy Zaroff of Minneapolis-based Amy Zaroff Events + Design. In her 15+ years in business, Amy has transformed and reinvented her business several times to keep it moving forward, and in this week's episode she's sharing her story and tips.

About our guest: 

Myriad career paths have led Amy Zaroff to this high point in life. An early career as a television producer and later as a marketing director allowed Amy to refine her skills in design, planning and time management. Along with her husband, Amy fine-tuned her innate skills in event planning at their authentic, New York-style delicatessen. In 2004, she purchased the invitation, stationery and gift store, Give My Regards To, and added full-service event planning to the company’s repertoire of services. Over the next several years, Amy began to build an all encompassing event planning company that would deliver exceptional customer service by working intimately with clients to understand every aspect of their special event.

By channeling years of experience in marketing, design, catering and event planning into one endeavor, Amy and her team have become known as the prime source for creating life’s most memorable experiences as Amy Zaroff Events + Design. Her company now handles social, corporate and non-profit events including experiential marketing activations across the country.

Amy is on the board of Appetite for Change, Pab’s Packs and Perspectives and is involved in The Birthday Party Project locally in Minneapolis. She also volunteers for several local agencies and organizations, offering pro-bono event planning for several Twin Cities non-profits that benefit women and children.

In this episode, listeners will hear about:

• Amy's background and she began her career in the event industry
• How Amy transitioned from restauranteur, to stationery store owner, to event planner
• How working with a business coach and consultant helped Amy get paid what she was worth
• How reinvention has helped Amy take her business to the next level 
• Amy's suggested business books, including The EMyth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber and Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman

Want to connect with Amy?

• Website: Amy Zaroff Events + Design
• Instagram: @amyzaroff
• Twitter: @amyzaroff
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amyzaroffevents/ 

Growing your business doesn't have to just mean booking more events in your local market. Taking your company nationwide or working in different markets is another way to grow your brand. If that's something you're considering, this week's episode of the This Week in Weddings podcast is for you. In this week's episode, we're chatting with musician and singer Jordan Kahn about how he's taken his entertainment company from just local-based to booking events throughout the country.

About our guest: 

Raised on the great popular music of the last century, Berklee College of Music graduate Jordan Kahn and his party orchestra of 11 to 40+ performers have a reputation for dance-floor-filling musical performances that will bring you across all genres.  From Justin Timberlake to Chicago, Pitbull to Earth Wind and Fire, Sinatra to Santana, and many many more, the talent is vast and possibilities endless.  

Matched with his expansive repertoire and ability to go from song to song without stopping, is Jordan's unique formula of how to elevate energy in any room. Jordan believes that, "We as performers exist for our audience. For me, it is all about connecting musically and emotionally with every single person in front of me.  Whatever it takes to provide our crowd escape away from their normal day-to-day, and bring them an experience they will never forget!"

In this episode, listeners will hear about:

• Jordan's background and he began his career in the wedding industry
• How networking helped Jordan grow his business in his market and in other markets
• How Jordan balances traveling for events and networking with his band's performances
• Jordan's thoughts on donating services for industry events when you're running business

Want to connect with Jordan?

• Website: Jordan Kahn Orchestra
• Instagram: @jordanmusiq
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jordanmusiq

If you've been in business for any period of time, you may have considered writing a book. But do you know how to go about doing it? In this week's episode of the This Week in Weddings podcast, we're chatting with wedding photographer Cavin Elizabeth who recently self-published a book about wedding photography. In this podcast episode, we're diving into the process and steps to get you from idea to published author.

About our guest: 

Cavin Elizabeth is a wedding photographer based in San Diego, California. Her wedding work has taken her all over the United States and France. She has been published numerous times on leading national wedding blogs, such as Ruffled, 100 Layered Cake, Style Me Pretty, and Green Wedding Shoes, as well as stunning regional blogs such as Southern California Bride. 

In addition to being a wedding photographer, Cavin is an educator and an avid blogger of wedding planning tips for brides and grooms. Beyond creating one-of-a-kind images for her clients, Cavin focuses on teaching couples how to make well-informed wedding plans that are ideal for photography. She believes that couples who plan their wedding with photography in mind are the couples who receive the most beautiful images.

Cavin recently published her first book, A Bride’s Guide to a Picture Perfect Wedding, which gives couples the tools to plan their wedding with photography in mind. The easy-to-follow book focuses on the three major components of the wedding timeline, guiding brides from the planning months to the Big Day itself, and the days following.

When Cavin isn’t busy photographing chic brides and grooms, she loves to attend New York City Ballet performances, travel to European and tropical destinations, watch the latest British dramas on Netflix, and enjoy fruity craft cocktails and delicious vegetarian dinners with friends. 

In this episode, listeners will hear about:

• The steps Cavin took to write her book
• Why Cavin decided to go the self-publishing route
• The additional resources that Cavin needed to hire to assist with the book, including editors and graphic designers
• Ways to protect yourself legally when writing a book
• How long it took Cavin to write her book, from the initial outline to having the printed copies

Want to connect with Cavin?

• Purchase A Bride's Guide to a Picture Perfect Wedding
• Website: https://www.cavinelizabeth.com/ 
• Instagram: @cavinelizabeth
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/cavinelizabeth

If you're not tapped into the Jewish wedding market, you're missing out on business. In this episode of the This Week In Weddings podcast, we're chatting with Michele Schwartz all about breaking into the Jewish wedding market. 

About our guest: 

Michele Schwartz began her career in hotels and weddings at Walt Disney World. She is a published author and highly sought-after speaker, with a degree in Communications from the University of Texas at Austin. Michele is the creator and editor-in-chief of The Modern Jewish Wedding where she shares her expertise in Jewish wedding design, fashion and culinary trends. She has also recently expanded into consulting with creative partners in the event industry to assist them in their blogging, social media efforts and developing a winning customer experience. She is also a member of the goMagic team helping others experience the Disney Magic.

Award-winning, innovative and influential, Michele is the President-Elect of NACE Austin, and has served as Vice President of Communications for ILEA Austin, Social Media Chair for One to One Women Coaching Women, and President of the National Council of Jewish Women, Austin Section. She is an acclaimed national speaker presenting in front of audiences at The Special Event, Engage!, Catersource, NACE Experience, and several local NACE and ILEA chapters. She has been featured in the New York Times, Chicago Bride Magazine, Moment Magazine, OneWed.com and Caribbean Bride Magazine, among others. In 2014, she and her team won an ESPRIT Award for Best Team Event.

In this episode, listeners will hear about:

• The ins and outs of bar and bat mitzvahs
• The most common way for this demographic to find their event vendors
• Budget differences between Jewish weddings and other types of weddings
• Chuppahs, yarmulkes and other Jewish traditions

Want to connect with Michele?

• Blog: http://www.themodernjewishwedding.com/ 
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ModernJewess/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ModernJewishWedding/

Until you make a sale, you're not really in business. Making sales is what it's all about, yet many of us in the wedding industry haven't been properly trained on how to sell and how to close the deal. In this week's episode of the This Week In Weddings podcast, we're chatting consultant and trainer Cindy Novotny about sales tips that anyone can use to book more business.

About our guest: 

Cindy is the founder of Master Connection Associates, a premiere international training and consulting company, specializing in customer service, sales and leadership performance.

During MCA’s history, Cindy has received numerous awards and accolades. The American Society for Training & Development (ASTD) recognized her as one of nine most powerful and innovative speakers and Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) recognized Cindy as one of the Top 25 Most Extraordinary Minds in Sales & Marketing. The Award is given for the most innovation, vision and achievement in the hospitality, travel and tourism industry. This year, Cindy was also the recipient of the IACC Pyramid Award for Excellence in meetings.

Cindy’s energy, passion, and drive guarantee that her message will always ‘hit home’. She addresses multigenerational and multicultural groups from an array of industries. A true “road warrior,” Cindy travels almost 50 weeks per year speaking, training and consulting.

Cindy’s book “LIVING WITH NO BALANCE…And Loving It!” encapsulates her life on the road, running an international consulting company, assisting with her award winning restaurant, and managing her 200 acre cattle farm in Iowa. In this fast-paced book, Cindy challenges people to feel good about trying to do it all while living in a less than balanced World.

In this episode, listeners will hear about:

• Cindy's background in hospitality, training and consulting
• How Cindy is able to respond quickly to inquiries in 7 seconds, 7 minutes, or 7 hours
• How professionalism goes a long way in making sales
• Steps to take when meeting with a client for the first time during a sales consultations
• How to effectively follow up after sending a proposal
• Asking for the sale in a way that doesn't feel pushy

Want to connect with Cindy?

• Website: http://www.cindynovotny.com and http://www.masterconnection.com/ 
• Email: [email protected] and [email protected]
• Phone: 949-589-6137