The Wedding Biz &#8211; Behind the Scenes of the Wedding Business

The Wedding Biz - "Top 10 Event Luminary Tips for Dealing with Stress"The Wedding Biz Podcast - Episode 188: CHRISTINA MATTEUCCI, Creating the Ultimate Collaborative Relationship Between #1s and Their #2s The Wedding Biz Podcast - Episode 307: A Conversation with DAVID BEAHM & CHRISTINA MATTEUCCI Storytelling School - Website

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360 CHRISTINA MATTEUCCI: Using Performance and Storytelling Techniques to Engage with Impact May 24, 2021

Show notes

Tune in to this episode of the podcast as Andy talks with Christina Matteucci, executive director of David Beahm Experiences! Christina has actually been on the podcast before in episodes 188, 307, 346, and 214. And she joins Andy in this episode to discuss how everything that we do in business has an element of performance involved and how we can best understand and use performance when dealing with clients and giving presentations.

The main focus of Andy's and Christina's conversation is the importance of using storytelling – especially storytelling that employs effective imagery – when engaging in a sales pitch, corresponding with clients, and with public speaking. Storytelling is an interwoven part of what it means to be human because we love to both tell and hear stories. Stories draw us in, and, in fact, Christina even recommends starting a sales pitch with a story even if the story isn't relevant to what you're selling or proposing!

Christina talks about what techniques that she has learned as far as storytelling and preparation are concerned, techniques that she learned having been a student of Storytelling School. She stresses the importance of understanding who your client is and that your performance might be different depending on the demographics of your audience. She and Andy also reflect on current times and how the need for meeting virtually via tools such as Zoom has been on the rise. They discuss how to make use of the techniques upon which Christina elaborates when meeting virtually and how meeting virtually differs from meeting in person.

Performing and telling stories is not a skill with which we are all born, nor is it something that we all necessarily enjoy. Some of us are not predisposed to it, but, as Christina assures us, it's not rocket science! You can seek help and advice and can learn. Christina says more than once that it's important to prepare rather than plan, and she and Andy also talk about how important that it is to not only prepare practically but to also be well rested and hydrated!

Andy hopes that you will enjoy listening to his chat with Christina Matteucci as much as he enjoyed chatting with her. She offers a wealth of helpful information and tips from which listeners can definitely benefit! If you enjoy the episode, reach out to at least three really good friends who might also enjoy and benefit from it, and also be sure to leave a review!

SUPPORTING THE WEDDING BIZ

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Time Stamps

[2:03] – Andy announces the guest of this episode - Christina Matteucci, executive director of David Beahm Experiences.

[3:09] – Andy posits the idea that there is a level of performance involved in business situations, and Christina clarifies that the performance is authentic.

[4:50] – Christina emphasizes how important imagery and storytelling are for her when she prepares a presentation.

[7:14] – Christina recounts a couple of the storytelling techniques that she has learned.

[9:40] – Christina shares that she learned that she should start a sales pitch with a story.

[12:10] – We learn what Christina does to prepare for a sales pitch.

[14:23] – Christina discusses how she also considers choreography when she prepares for a speech, using her TED Talk as an example of when that was important.

[16:40] – It's very important, as Christina advises, to listen to hear rather than listen to respond.

[18:00] – Christina also emphasizes the importance of making use of your team if you have a team and make use of your team members' strengths.

[19:44] – Christina and Andy have a conversation about how we should make someone aware if they have a verbal tic.

[23:20] – Andy shifts the conversation toward an example from his own experience of how it took time for him and his team to figure their chemistry out.

[25:55] – Christina enthuses over how fun it is to enter a room before she begins a speech on stage and how she uses music to hype herself up.

[27:52] – Christina offers a concrete example of why the way that you enter a room is so important.

[29:05] – Christina provides some tips on how to engage an audience virtually using tools such as Zoom.

[31:19] – Christina and Andy talk about how with a virtual meeting, it can be difficult to make eye contact because of the positioning of the camera.

[33:40] – Christina recommends talking points over scripts.

[36:35] – Just one sentence, Christina proposes, can drop you into a pitch on Zoom.

[39:18] – Christina shares her favorite performance story from her own past.

[40:58] – We discover what technique works best for Andy.

[43:32] – Andy shares Christina's online contact information.

RESOURCES

Find Christina:David Beahm Experiences - Website

Christina Matteucci - On Second Thought: Lessons from a Number 2 [TED Talk]

Christina's Instagram Page

Christina's LinkedIn Profile Teucci Mama - Website

On Clubhouse, follow Andy @andykushner and join his club "The Wedding Biz" to get additional content and to get direct access to Andy.

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Elle Audrey - Website Elle Audrey's Facebook Page Elle Audrey's Instagram Page

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357 REVISIT MATTHEW ROBBINS: Creative Process and Connecting with Couples May 12, 2021

Show notes

A hallmark of a world-class event designer like Matthew Robbins is to be able to gently lead clients from what they say they want to an event that represents the best of who they are.

In our conversation, Matthew generously shares his process for creating events that resonate, and how he connects with clients to make that happen. We also talk about balancing work and personal lives, which gets especially interesting (and rewarding!) when your professional and life partner is the same person.

Matthew Robbins Design is a luxury event planning firm with a focus on design and production for weddings and special events. For over 15 years they've produced events all over the world, from intimate dinner parties to weekend-long celebrations. Their hallmark is creating collaborative experiences, where they listen closely to clients and share in the creative process. Via sister company RobbinsOtoya, Matthew and his team focus on our destination events with a special connection to Central and South America, the Caribbean and Mexico, in addition to having created destination events in countries such as Italy, France, Guatemala, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica, Colombia, Mexico, and Japan.

Links

Matthew Robbins Design [Pinterest, Twitter]
Matthew Robbins' Inspired Weddings: Designing Your Big Day with Favorite Objects and Family Treasures [Amazon]
Sweet Paul magazine [Instagram]
"Evento & Cocina: Style Perfection From Cartagena" [Evento Y Cocina on Facebook]
RobbinsOtoya design and destination event planning

356 LAUREN DICKENS: Balancing Business with Creativity May 10, 2021

Show notes

Listen as Andy interviews Lauren Dickens, founder and lead designer with Elle Audrey, a luxury planning and design company based out of New York City. Although she loved parties when she was a child because she always enjoyed the ones that her grandmother hosted, Lauren didn't go into the wedding planning business until well into her adulthood after hosting a friend's baby shower. Hosting events then became a hobby until it finally became an entrepreneurial career.

Lauren is unique in that she doesn't like cookie cutter methods. She has a unique and personalized brand that has become her signature. In fact, she always wants to go all out and be very creative but sometimes can't take it as far as she would like because of budget constraints. She also has to find a balance between business and creativity which she does, in part, with business partners and personal assistants. She has managed to find these balances and does so successfully, as Elle Audrey is nothing if not successful!

The jump from the corporate world to a world of entrepreneurship can often be a scary one, and it most certainly was for Lauren. She took a leap of faith by leaving a job where she was earning a definite income and hoping that she could make it as an entrepreneur, but it definitely paid off for her! She offers advice to people looking to go down a similar path as hers and/or people who already are on that path but are looking to take it to the next level, suggesting that people today not do what she did and take that leap of faith because of the times that we currently live in. She also encourages entrepreneurs to not take on every single prospective client because you and the client need to be good matches for each other. She says to not focus too much energy on your Instagram page and to scale your business, and she, finally, enthusiastically recommends raising your prices once every year or two.

Andy said that he had a blast interviewing Lauren in this episode and hopes that you will enjoy listening to his conversation with her! Please be sure to share this episode with at least three friends who you think would enjoy it and/or benefit from it. We would also very much appreciate a review and hope that you will join us next time on The Wedding Biz.

SUPPORTING THE WEDDING BIZ

Become a patron and support Andy and the show! If you are so inspired, contribute!

Time Stamps

[1:48] – Andy reveals this episode's guest, Lauren Dickens, to us and provides us with some of her credentials.

[2:35] – Lauren explains why she views weddings as transformative, both for people getting married and for her as a planner.

[5:08] – Lauren reveals that she loved parties when she was young.

[7:54] – Lauren admits that it was very difficult at first to make that leap into entrepreneurship and recommends that people not do what she did in current times.

[8:47] – Lauren describes what makes her brand unique and personalized.

[10:10] – Lauren and Andy discuss how important that it is for planners and clients to be good fits for each other.

[12:03] – We learn what the planning process tends to be like for Lauren and her clients.

[13:25] – Lauren details a specific example of a wedding that she planned and how it was planned.

[14:11] – Lauren discloses what she struggles with most often – matching her creativity with a budget.

[18:05] – Lauren gives an example of a challenge that she once faced and how she overcame it.

[21:27] – We discover how a client ended up suing Lauren and how it was resolved.

[22:54] – Andy shares a story of a difficult time that he had working with another planner.

[24:51] – Lauren expounds upon how she balances business with creativity.

[26:53] – Lauren describes her pricing method and how she charges a flat fee.

[28:14] – Lauren enthuses over how much she hates social media even though she is very successful on her social media platforms such as Instagram.

[29:50] – Lauren offers us some helpful tips if we are looking to take planning and designing to the next level.

[32:36] – Lauren asserts that looking at online guides as to how the planning process should go is setting unrealistic expectations and explains why.

[33:38] – We learn that Lauren considers scaling your business to be a measure of success.

RESOURCES

Find Lauren:

On Clubhouse, follow Andy @andykushner and join his club, "The Wedding Biz" to get additional content and to get direct access to Andy.

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Title Sponsor: This episode is sponsored by Kushner Entertainment. http://www.partyslate.com

355 ALEYA HARRIS: Creating An Effective Brand Story May 05, 2021

Show notes

Aleya Harris is the owner of Flourish Marketing & The Social Media Pantry. With 13+ years of marketing experience, she helps business owners get more clients. I actually met her on Clubhouse, while listening to a room the was moderating, and was very impressed by her knowledge. Today, we discuss how to create an effective brand story.

SUPPORTING THE WEDDING BIZ

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Become a Patron!

RESOURCES

Find Aleya:

Flourish Marketing Co.

The Social Media Pantry

On Clubhouse, follow Andy @andykushner and join his club, "The Wedding Biz" to get additional content and to get direct access to Andy.

Follow The Wedding Biz on Social:

www.KushnerEntertainment.com

Support The Wedding Biz by clicking here.

Title Sponsor: This episode is sponsored by Kushner Entertainment

354 DEWI KURNIADI: Creating Ethereal Beauty with Cake Design May 03, 2021

Show notes

"I believe this job is the practice of love." Listen as Andy and his guest, Dewi Kurniadi, have a truly inspirational conversation about creating and running her business, her personal journey before making the leap into being an entrepreneur, what it took to make a major geographical move, dealing with immense challenges, and forging her own path, plus much more on this episode of The Wedding Biz.

Dewi is the Founder of Sweet Bloom Cakes, an extremely popular and successful Sydney-based boutique studio offering custom-designed handcrafted cakes, confections, and personalized event experiences.

Listen as Dewi shares where she gets the inspiration for her cake designs and when she knew it was time to go full time with Sweet Bloom Cakes. She talks about rebelling against her parents and what they wanted her to do versus following her dreams.

Dewi discusses her process and how she learned to build a team that could support her and help grow her business. She shares a story about when a client wanted her to design a cake with doves in it for her grandfather and other challenges she has had to face and overcome.

Dewi also shares some tips and advice for any cake designers who want to take their businesses to the next level and how she balances the business and creative sides of her company. When she needs to recharge, Dewi likes to window shop for inspiration and find new textures to use on her cake designs.

SUPPORTING THE WEDDING BIZ

Become a patron and support Andy and the show: If you are so inspired: contribute.

Show Highlights:

[02:17] Welcome to the show, Dewi!

[02:45] Dewi shares where she gets the inspiration for the design of her cakes.

[04:53] Dewi discusses when the passion for cake design became a reality.

[06:44] What did you want to do when you were young?

[07:28] Dewi speaks about rebelling against what her parents wanted her to do.

[08:31] Dewi talks about her background and when she took the leap into entrepreneurship.

[11:41] She shares that the transition to working Sweet Bloom Cakes full time was a long journey.

[13:08] Do you ever feel you are struggling to reach a level you haven't reached yet?

[14:22] Dewi discusses how she learned to build a team that could support her.

[19:01] She shares her process of talking to her clients and taking that information to design their wedding cakes.

[21:59] Dewi speaks about a client that wanted her to incorporate doves into their wedding cake.

[24:05] Have you had any major challenges with events that you have had to overcome?

[26:10] Dewi talks about the business side of her company and how she handles it.

[28:28] She shares how her family feels about where her career has taken her and moving to Australia.

[30:56] Dew discusses some tips and advice for a cake designer that wants to go to the next level.

[32:56] Window shopping is what Dewi does when she needs to recharge.

[34:27] Thank you for being on the show!

RESOURCES

Find Dewi:

Sweet Bloom Cakes

@sweetbloomcakes

Instagram | Facebook

On Clubhouse, follow Andy @andykushner and join his club, "The Wedding Biz" to get additional content and to get direct access to Andy.

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353 THE NEXT LEVEL: Sean Low Discusses HOLLY CHAPPLE - Working The Big Vision Apr 28, 2021

Show notes

Today's guest co-host, for The Next Level, is Sean Low. Sean's consulting firm, The Business of Being Creative is focused on providing practical advice to those in the business of being creative. Sean's client list includes the who's who of the wedding industry and design community. Check out Sean's podcast, on The Wedding Biz Network, The Business Of Being Creative at https://theweddingbiznetwork.com/portfolio-posts/the-business-of-being-creative/. We are discussing Holly Chapple's interview, from last Monday. She is a popular event and floral designer who is the owner and President of Holly Chapple Flowers. She not only executes beautiful weddings and events but also operates Hope Flower Farm out of Loudoun County, Virginia, a flower farm and key floral source for her design work and the base camp for in-person education. Holly also leads a collective of designers from all over the world Via Chaple Designers. Her floral work has been published in numerous publications including Martha Stewart, Southern Living, Brides, Southern Weddings, Elegant Bride, and Weddings Unveiled.

352 HOLLY CHAPPLE: Working The Big Vision Apr 26, 2021

Show notes

"Because the vision, ideas, and concepts that I come up with are new and leading in the industry I'm going places others haven't yet been, and that's been amazing." Listen as Andy and his guest, Holly Chapple, discuss how Holly is more of a big vision person and how she implements those visions. We talk about her virtual teachings, her latest favorite design aesthetic, her process with clients, how she handles her social media, and how she balances raising a large family with being an entrepreneur, plus much more on this episode of The Wedding Biz.

Holly is a popular event and floral designer who is the owner and President of Holly Chapple Flowers. She not only executes beautiful weddings and events but also operates Hope Flower Farm out of Loudoun County, Virginia, a flower farm and key floral source for her design work and the base camp for in-person education. Holly also leads a collective of designers from all over the world Via Chaple Designers. Her floral work has been published in numerous publications including Martha Stewart, Southern Living, Brides, Southern Weddings, Elegant Bride, and Weddings Unveiled.

Listen as Holly shares her journey from a floral designer to teacher and speaker and why she created Hope Flower Farm. Holly discusses how she handles the business side of her company and her focus on providing an environment for her team to become leaders in their own individual departments.

Holly talks about her own patented product line of vases and armatures that help people design flowers, how she grew other aspects of her business this past year, and the community her son created on Facebook called The Greenhouse. Holly also believes that there will be complications post-Covid and she wants people in the industry to have a lot of grace with themselves.

Holly speaks about her process, her very large social media following, how often they post content, and what she believes gives them the edge and keeps them coming. She knows one thing she does right is manage the Instagram page for Holly Chapple and personally answers every DM she gets.

SUPPORTING THE WEDDING BIZ

Become a patron and support Andy and the show: If you are so inspired: contribute.

Show Highlights:

[02:19] Welcome to the show, Holly!

[02:46] Holly believes she would not have been exposed to flowers if her parents hadn't owned a garden center.

[04:07] She shares being exposed by her parents to her first floral design job at the Washington International Horse Show.

[06:44] Holly speaks about her journey from a designer to a teacher and the purchase of Hope Floral Farm.

[08:17] Holly discusses bringing in ringers and letting them stay at their bed-and-breakfast at the farm.

[10:23] How do you look at the business side of your company with all that you've done?

[12:51] Holly wants to provide an environment for her team to become leaders in their own individual departments.

[15:26] "I've always been great at knowing what is wanted, needed, and will sell."

[16:16] Holly talks about the knowledge and information that Sean Low gave her years ago that has made her company what it is.

[18:16] Do you feel anxiety or fear with the pressure and responsibility you have with all the things you have going on?

[20:29] Holly talks about growing other aspects of her company over the last year.

[22:27] Holly speaks about the community her son Alex created called The Greenhouse.

[23:50] Holly has her own patented product line of vases and armatures that help you design flowers.

[27:19] What are some of your favorite design aesthetics, and what stands out to you?

[29:23] Holly believes there will be lots of complications post-pandemic, so have a lot of grace with yourself.

[30:57] Holly speaks about two weddings she has coming up in the next few weeks with total redesigns and venue changes.

[32:22] What is your process to determine what the client wants, and how do you mix that with your design to embody who they are?

[35:30] Holly shares she had the best clients on the books last year that rescheduled to this year.

[36:55] Holly discusses what she believes has allowed her to get to the number of followers she has on Instagram.

[38:27] Holly personally answers every DM that comes across on her Holly Chappel Design Instagram page.

[40:32] Holly talks about how she has balanced having seven children while being an entrepreneur.

[42:01] The biggest challenge Holly believes working parents have is knowing where their kids are, and since she is home-based, she is lucky to have the time with her kids.

[43:42] Thank you so much for being on the show!

RESOURCES

Find Holly:

Holly Chapple Flowers

@hollychapple

@hopeflowerfarm

@chappledesigners

On Clubhouse, follow Andy @andykushner and join his club, "The Wedding Biz" to get additional content and to get direct access to Andy.

Follow The Wedding Biz on Social: