076: Ali Phillips - Thinking Beyond Your Market
Planner Life Podcast | A Podcast For Wedding Planners
Hi Planners! In this episode, I sit down with the vibrant and adventurous Ali Phillips, Chief Wedding Orchestrator of Engaging Events by Ali. Named one of Chicago’s top wedding planners, Ali shares her journey from a fast-paced career in trucking logistics to becoming a celebrated name in luxury and destination weddings. Ali opens up about: Her adventurous childhood that sparked a love of travel Pivoting careers at 29 after discovering wedding planning by chance The lessons learned from early years navigating the Chicago market Transitioning into the luxury and destination wedding world Her...
info_outline
075: Rethinking Your Networking
Planner Life Podcast | A Podcast For Wedding Planners
Hi Planners! In today’s episode, I’m diving into the world of networking—but not the stiff, awkward kind that makes you want to turn the car around in the parking lot. This is all about meaningful, energizing, and actually enjoyable connections. I’m sharing how one last-minute decision to show up at a networking event led to a Martha Stewart feature and a dream client—and how shifting my mindset around networking transformed my business (and my attitude). You’ll hear about common mistakes planners make when networking, the power of preparation and follow-up, and how generosity and...
info_outline
074: Wedding Content Creation with BTS Bride, Stacey Moran
Planner Life Podcast | A Podcast For Wedding Planners
Hi Planners! In this episode, I sit down with Stacey Moran, the visionary founder of BTS Bride, a wedding content creation company that’s redefining how couples relive their wedding day. With a background in fashion, beauty, and social media marketing, Stacey launched BTS Bride after recognizing a gap in the wedding industry during her own wedding in 2022. Since then, her team has captured over 150 weddings and received accolades from Vogue, The Wall Street Journal, and beyond. We dive into: The origin and evolution of BTS Bride—from supporting vendors to serving couples directly What it...
info_outline
073: Workshop Recap, Template Bundle
Planner Life Podcast | A Podcast For Wedding Planners
Hi Planners! Today, we’re diving into a special topic that I’m so excited to share – a behind-the-scenes look at the Mastering Management Workshop and why coordination is more valuable than many planners realize. If you’re looking to level up your wedding coordination services, streamline your processes, and boost your profits, this episode is for YOU. In this Episode: Why wedding coordination is a valuable service and not just a stepping stone. How coordination can improve your profitability and flexibility as a planner. Highlights from the recent Mastering Management Workshop,...
info_outline
072: Fallon Carter & The Importance of Mentorship
Planner Life Podcast | A Podcast For Wedding Planners
Hi planners, welcome to this week's episode. It's one that is equal parts laughter as it is filled with nuggets of insight. Meet my next guest, Fallon Carter. Fallon is the founder and creative director of Fallon Carter Events. She has been named one of the top wedding planners in the world by Harper's Bazaar, Vogue, and Brides Magazine. Fallon is well known for connecting southern hospitality with international luxury. As you'll hear in this episode, Fallon's journey began after helping a friend with her three-day Paris wedding. Fallon soon fell in love with the organization,...
info_outline
071: Green Flag vs. Red Flag Inquiries
Planner Life Podcast | A Podcast For Wedding Planners
Hi Planners! Recently I have been getting a lot of questions from planners about streamlining their inquiry process. The pros and cons or offering a few options or more limited options. How to suss out if the client is the right fit and so much more. It got me thinking about one of my favorite topics - the green or red flag system for evaluating if clients are a good fit for you. So today’s episode is just that. Entitled Green Flag vs Red Flag Inquiries. I’ll walk you through what this process is, how you can adapt it, what an important tool it is and when you should use...
info_outline
070: LIVE from the Mastering Management Workshop - Planner Panel Discussion
Planner Life Podcast | A Podcast For Wedding Planners
Hi planners! Welcome to this week’s episode. I have something special for you and I am really excited to share it. We recorded live the Planner Panel from the Mastering Management workshop. My guests are both returning to the podcast - Christine Garrison owner of CMG Events and Candice Sanders of Engaged Events. In addition to a great conversation, you can hear a bit about what the conversations are like at our workshops. If you want to learn more about Wedding Management, be sure to be on the lookout for the new Management Template Bundle launching soon! In this episode: ...
info_outline
069: Let's Talk About Confidence
Planner Life Podcast | A Podcast For Wedding Planners
Hi planners! Today I want to talk about one of the biggest struggles that every planner faces. I want to share with you one of the main reasons planners come to Planner Life Academy. Now these planners might be coaching with me, they might be taking the online course, or they might be attending an in-person workshop. But what seems to be universal when I ask these planners why they are here...one of the most common answers is to improve their confidence. So let's talk about confidence. Let's talk about the steps we know can improve confidence. In this episode: Focus on your...
info_outline
068: New Year, New Feels
Planner Life Podcast | A Podcast For Wedding Planners
Hi planners, welcome to a solo episode today about the new year and the new feelings that come with it. In this episode: How I push my new year start to February. The steps that I take to reset for this next chapter of life and business. What about the way we get to reset each year. How when you take the time to reflect and start fresh, you get to improve your personal and professional life in a really meaningful way. This episode is supported by Planner Life Academy. In case you didn't know, we created Planner Life Academy for planners to have the education, tools and resources...
info_outline
067: Holly Gray, "No Is A complete Sentence"
Planner Life Podcast | A Podcast For Wedding Planners
Hi planners! Meet my next guest, Holly Gray. Founder and CEO of Anything But Gray Events, Holly Gray is a Los Angeles, California second generation wedding planner and community builder. As you'll learn, Holly is a former stage manager of theater, TV, improv, and she brings a fearlessly theatrical perspective and unique skill set to the event industry. Holly is known for her use of color, creativity, and bold design aesthetics. Anything but great events weddings look and feel as unique and out of the box as the couples they are crafted for. Holly's work has been featured in Equally...
info_outlineHi planners, my next guest is Erica Adams. Erica is an event producer and the creative mind behind Erica Adams Design. With over seven years of experience, she specializes in crafting memorable weddings and a variety of other events from corporate gatherings to brand activations. Known for her meticulous attention to detail and innovative approach, Erica brings a unique vision to every celebration she produces.
Erica has been named top planner by Brides and Martha Stewart Weddings, and her work has been featured in People and Essence.
I have been a big fan of Erica's over the last few years and was so excited to chat with her! In this episode, we talk about how her work experience was building the foundation for this career without her even realizing. We talk about how her health played a pivotal role in her career path and how hard COVID was when she was trying to build a new planning business. She's candid about some of the privilege she had in that season that really allowed her to be strategic about her next moves.
And we talk about how important relationships are and how they continue to be for her success. Erica shares how an unexpected referral turned out to be an NBA client and how she's now the go -to for many athletes and high profile couples. One of my favorite things about this conversation is how Erica shares advice on shadowing other vendors and having a never stop learning attitude. Please enjoy my conversation with Erica Adams.
Connect with Erica
This episode is supported by Planner Life Academy.
In case you didn't know, we created Planner Life Academy for planners to have the education, tools and resources we wish we had.
For me, I love sharing all the tips, tools and insight into all the little ways you can provide an amazing experience for your couples, their family and friends.
I think one of the best places to really make sure you are making a great first impression is at the rehearsal. For so many planners, the ceremony rehearsal is something that is stressfull and annoying, but I love it! And I think with the right script you will enjoy it too.
So I created a free rehearsal audio recording where I walk you through exactly how I run a ceremony rehearsal. So you can have my tried and true process to create your own rehearsal script allowing you to start every wedding with confidence and making a great impression.
Get the rehearsal recording today : FREE Rehearsal Recording