Unveiled Interviews

The economy, changing values, re-defining traditions, and the “virality-factor” of house labels are all pushing consigned bridal fashion forward as the leading option for so many brides looking for ‘the dress’  – but, what does this process of shopping used actually look like?

In this interview, we talk with Allison Chou, founder and curator of Double Happiness Bridal, a luxury bridal consignment boutique in New York City. Though growing in demand, the work Allison does is still relatively new to the industry, so we ask her all about the how’s and why’s of consignment over new, what makes a fashion label considered “luxury,” and the mindset that brides should have when choosing their dress.

Website: https://www.doublehappinessbridal.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doublehappinessbridal/

In this flashy, new-aged world of high-tech cameras and high expectations, it’s always impressive to hear from artists who embrace the art of a slower and more intentional creative process. The pressure to create for a dopamine hit is real, and has caused a massive shift in the way we consume, appreciate, and create works of art today. It’s no surprise that this pressure has landed in the wedding industry as well, where we have too seen a shift in the way weddings are created and then captured.

In this episode, we hear from cinematography-extraordinaire, Mark Brown, a UK-based wedding filmmaker who travels the world creating wedding videos using only analog media. Mark’s work is whimsical and comedic, but also romantic and poetic. It’s not flashy or boastful, highly edited or high-definition, but in a way, that’s what makes it so beautiful and memorable.

Through all the trends and advancements in film tech, Mark continues to hold tight the process and style that most resonates with his personal taste and values, even when it may polarize with the expectations set by modern standards – all the reasons we wanted to learn from hilm. In our conversation, we ask Mark all about his use of film (the why’s and the how’s), how it informs his process and style, and what his thoughts are on the impact of modern technology on the creative process.

Website: https://www.markbrownfilms.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markbrownfilms/

Nearly all engaged couples have the same end goal in mind: showing their guests an incredible experience. But, what exactly does it take to accomplish this?

Is it all in the food and beverage? The music or entertainment? Does a good experience depend on creative design or thoughtful amenities? What about the itinerary or wedding day timeline – is this the secret to a lasting impression?

Given her business motto is all about “planning really good parties,” we figured the best person to ask all these questions to was Tory Smith, lead planner/producer at Smith + James Events. Tory and her team have done unparalleled work both executing events that perfectly fuse refinement with approachability, and reaching clients that also speak their language, so we invited her to find out: how do they do it?

Website: https://www.smithjamesevents.com/ 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smithjamesevents

Building a thriving and reliable business, especially in the wedding industry, requires more than just creative talent or charisma. Many wedding professionals often get caught up in maintaining appearances through social media, blogging, submissions, and workshops, and while these are important for visibility, they don't guarantee long-term success or sustainability.

Kelsey Connely, owner and creative director of Downey Street Events, brought a strong understanding of business-to-people relationships from her previous career in HR before later acquiring the premier wedding planning company.

In our conversation, Kelsey and I delve into the often "daunting" aspects of business ownership, covering topics such as setting up bank accounts, saving for taxes, drafting and negotiating contracts, and strategizing to move a business into higher markets.

Website: https://downeystreetevents.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/downeystreetevents/

As so many wedding photographers navigate tumultuous waters of business-ownership, many explore the pros and cons of expanding their team through associates. While many find this route to provide ease through added hands, others find that adding associates to their brand actually hinders performance of themselves or their business.

With so many questions and unknowns around operating with associates, we invited someone much more experienced in the area – destination wedding photographer, Ali Beck. Through her career as a wedding photographer, Ali has dabbled in many forms of associateship including building an associate team then reverting back to solo. Throughout this process, she learned so much about her own personal and professional goals, all of which she so generously shares in this interview.

Website: https://www.alibeck.co/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alibeckphoto/

For some brides, the tradition of shopping for “the dress” is warmly embraced, leading to joyous memories of "girl time" over champagne. But for others, the reality isn’t so simple or glamorous; its stress over finding multiple looks, refuting conflicting tastes, balancing price tags with budgets, and figuring out how to communicate likes (and dislikes) with the wedding party.

Fortunately, for these types of wedding woes, we have professionals like Gabrielle Hurtwitz, a bridal fashion stylist based in New York City. Not to be confused with beauty artists or personal shoppers, bridal stylists like Gabrielle work closely with brides to curate thoughtful and thorough wardrobes for the entire wedding weekend. 

As you can probably imagine, layering colors, textures, and budgets for not just “the dress,” but also other looks for the bride – and often her close family and friends – comes with many challenges, so I was thrilled to interview Gabrielle on all parts of her role and process.

Website: https://gabriellehurwitz.com/ 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabriellehurwitz/

Wedding publications, magazines, digital editorial: Whatever you want to call it, what is going on in this space?

What are publications' purpose in the wedding industry? What role should they fulfill? Are they genuinely helpful or relevant for couples planning their weddings today? For wedding professionals and vendors serving these couples, is it worth “paying to play” and why have the wait times for publication become so long? 

With me in this episode is weddings editor turned media consultant, Sarah Schreiber, who, over the course of her decade-long career in digital editorial at Martha Stewart Weddings and Brides, gained a deep understanding of how this world operates. During our conversation, we discuss how (and why) this space has changed so much over the past couple of years—and what the publication landscape might look like with the rise of a new generation of both couples and technology.

Instagram: @sar_schreiber

Though he prefers to say he is “photographer fascinated by weddings, rather than a wedding photographer,” John Dolan is recognized today as a pioneer who helped bring wedding photography into the modern world, where we seek creative and holistic storytelling and appreciate it as an actual artform.

But, the appreciation of the artform has seemed to fog up a bit as a new industry has emerged – the industry of education in wedding photography. Suddenly, the focus seems to be more on the business side where photographers are seeking quick-fixes and immediate gratification.

So we wanted to know… what is John’s take on all of this? Are we onto something or have we lost the point?

John’s Website: https://www.johndolan.com/

John’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johndolanphotog 

Memory Cult by Anastasia Pagonas: https://www.memorycult.com/

John’s Book “The Perfect Imperfect, Second Edition”: https://www.johndolan.com/print-shop

This episode is for all the wedding documentarians out there – photographers, videographers, and yes, content creators,  I’m looking at you – who are wondering how they can get their clients to open up a bit more, feel more comfortable, and ultimately be fully present with the full range of emotions that are ultimately felt on a wedding day.

In this interview, I welcome Joel & Justyna Bedford, a husband and wife destination wedding photography team. Joel and Justyna are highly recognized in their industry for their warm and whimsical approach to photography and for their ability to document their subjects with authenticity. 

For this interview, the scope of our conversation will be how wedding vendors can show up for their clients with said “softer footprint” and ways we can hold space for our clients and their loved ones on the wedding day.

Website: www.joelandjustyna.com  

Instagram: www.instagram.com/joelandjustyna

What would weddings look like without our beloved Instagram, Tik Tok, etc.? Would the trends be the same? Would they last as long, or longer? How would we find our vendors? How would we find our inspiration? 

Though I originally reached out to her with the intention of having a conversation around floral trends, Amanda Luu of Studio Mondine and I immediately bonded over our mutual struggles with social media and the way it has shaped the way we think about weddings today. So, we figured why not have this conversation instead?

In this episode, we take things back in time to the ways social media has shifted our approach, mindset, and ethos when it comes to weddings, and how moving past it might be the key to "success" we’ve been missing.

Website: www.studiomondine.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/studiomondine