The Wedding Biz - Behind the Scenes of the Wedding Business

“If you don’t have lighting, you can’t see the beauty you’ve created.” Listen as Andy and Darren discuss Norma Cohen, her elaborate designs, her attention to lighting and how it affects her vision and more. Darren Olarsch founded On The Move Entertainment in 1993, an event production company that specializes in entertainment, and appeared as a guest on The Wedding Biz on July 15th, 2019. Norma started her company, Norma Cohen Productions, nearly thirty years ago. She is a powerhouse and has plann

“Growing is my daily goal, and I live every day to be better.” Listen in as Andy and his guest, Norma Cohen, discuss why she strives to grow daily, how getting rid of negative energy has helped her, some wild challenges she has been through since the last time she was on the show and what she does for fun on this episode of The Wedding Biz. Norma started her company Norma Cohen Productions nearly thirty years ago. She has planned numerous events at New York’s most iconic spaces and Europe’s most lu

Listen as Andy and Lewis discuss Sofia Crokos and her love of fashion and beauty. Lewis Miller is the founder of Lewis Miller Design, a floral design company based in New York City. Lewis’s clients include the world's leading industry professionals in fashion design, photography, art direction, and architecture. Sofia is a planner/designer based in New York City. She has also partnered with The Heritage Collection behind four exclusive private properties in Europe. She shows us her vulnerable side while

“I love fashion, and I appreciate everything beautiful because I love to surround myself in beauty” Listen in as Andy and his guest, Sofia Crokos, discuss personally connecting with clients, her love of fashion, and creating beautiful events. Sofia is a planner/designer based out of New York City. She has also partnered with The Heritage Collection behind four exclusive private properties in Europe. Sofia discusses her journey from fashion to planning, where she got her love of everything beautiful and

This is a bonus episode featuring my conversation with David Stark, a renowned NYC-based event producer and designer whose team creates events worldwide for weddings, entertainment, fashion, publishing, arts, media, and for consumer product industries. We discuss his personal response to dealing with the pandemic as well as how he's handling it with his business. David talks about what he's learned from the experience as well as how he's dealt with reducing the number of employees and how he keeps his cur

Seeing locations through color and shapes is a unique way to design events. Listen as Andy and Sean Low discuss this and much more on this episode of The Next Level. Sean's company, The Business of Being Creative, focuses on providing practical advice to those in the business of being creative. His client list includes the who's who of the wedding industry and design community. Together, they own Robbins Otoya, a design and event planning firm that designs and produces destination weddin

“It’s not about producing a New York wedding in Provence; it’s about producing a Provence wedding in Provence with New York standards.” Listen as Andy, and his guests Matthew Robbins and Luis Otoya discuss their process and dig deep into the creative aspect. They also have an exciting conversation about their use of color and a discussion about their pricing philosophy. Matthew has a company called Matthew Robbins Design based in New York City, while Luis has a catering company called Evento & Coc

This is a bonus episode to help us all through this difficult time. The interview can benefit everyone though Katie Krimitsos is the creator and host of the Women's Meditation Network, "the home for guided meditations that are created for the very special journey that we women walk throughout this life. While we are all different and unique, there is an underlying connection and shared experience between us that is so beautiful, complex and deep." websites: http://womensmeditationnetwork.com http://corona

We are all having our own reaction to the current crisis. David shares his way of getting through the myriad of challenges facing not only himself, but all of us. 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 the wedding of Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas, as well as a host of celebrity and Fortune 500 corporate events.

Today's episode is a special one about dealing with the impact of the Coronavirus though it's timeless in that it can apply to any major challenge or crisis. Brett had a very successful career as a videographer in the lux wedding market, for ten years, until the recession of 2008 forced him to pivot. Now a filmmaker and keynote speaker, Brett Culp films is based out of Tampa FL. He is also an author and produces short films such as “How to stay positive when the world feels negative.” We urge you to

Do you know how digital photos typically look different from pictures taken using film? Listen as Andy and Lynn discuss Jose's new preset that allows him to use digital but still get the film look plus much more. Lynn Easton of Easton Events is a wonderful planner and designer based out of Charleston and Charlottesville who works worldwide. Jose Villa is a film photographer known for shooting wedding photos for celebrities and high profile clients. Jose was named one of the top Wedding Photographers in th

Andy and Jose hopped on the line, Friday March 13th, to discuss the impact of the Coronavirus on the event industry and their businesses as a prelude to the regular interview. Listen as Andy and Jose discuss many topics, including the celebrity weddings he photographed in 2019. There is so much to learn from Jose, regardless of whether or not you are a photographer. If you are not familiar with his work, Jose Villa is primarily a film photographer, named one of the top Wedding Photographers in the world

Christie Osborne is FEMA-certified in Social Media Crisis Communication and I was fortunate to get some time with her while attending Catersource/The Special Event conference in Las Vegas. She talks about what to consider when communicating policies regarding response to a crisis, including the Coronavirus. She also tells us about the most frequently asked questions she's getting while at the conference. This includes, when events get cancelled, how to communicate online regarding the issue of how we deci

If you want your weddings to have theatrical productions, listen as Andy and Andre discuss Sonal Shah and her ability to plan and produce events and the challenges she faces when planning celebrity weddings, interracial weddings, and more, all over the world. Andre Maier is a fantastic photographer based in both New York City and Los Angeles, who works worldwide, and appeared on The Wedding Biz. Sonal is a premier South Asian event planner based in New York City, working all over the world. Sonal is known

"I don't design; I plan events and manage the timelines." Listen in as Andy and his guest Sonal Shah discuss how she began her career, and why she chose to niche down to South Asian weddings. They also talk about her position with Marriott and how it helped her become the planner she is today and much more on this episode of The Wedding Biz. Sonal is a premier South Asian event planner based in New York City, working all over the world. Sonal is known for planning the most elaborate over-the-top weddings.