486 JAMESA ALEXANDER: Elevating Weddings with Storytelling, the Collaborative Process, Work-Life Balance, and More!
Release Date: 12/18/2023
516 MEGHAN ELY: Aligning Your Brand for Luxury Wedding Publicity
The Wedding Biz
Longtime listeners of the podcast will likely be familiar with today’s guest as she has been on the show several times already! Join Andy as he welcomes back Meghan Ely, the owner of ! Meghan is a longtime industry speaker and writer and is a wedding pro educator with regular contributions to Wedding Planner Magazine, The Knot, Wedding Business Magazine, Catersource, and SpecialEvents.com. Meghan joins Andy for this episode to discuss defining and achieving luxury in the wedding industry. With years of experience and numerous accolades, including but certainly not limited to being recognized...
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515 ROBERT SHERMAN: How to Build Loyalty and Retain Employees
The Wedding Biz
Andy is so thrilled to be welcoming his business partner, Robert Sherman, to the show! Robert is Andy’s business partner at and is also the owner of , a legendary entertainment company established over 55 years ago. Together, Andy and Robert tackle the topic of employee retention, discussing how to keep employees engaged, happy, and loyal over the long term. Robert shares some valuable insights from his decades of experience, explaining how hiring for company culture is just as crucial as hiring for skill sets and emphasizing the importance of communication, ensuring that employees not...
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514 TARA GUERARD: Global Tastemaker with Southern Hospitality
The Wedding Biz
If you have been a longtime listener of the podcast, then today’s voice may sound familiar to you as it is her ! Andy is so thrilled to welcome back , owner and creative director of headquartered out of Charleston, South Carolina (and with an additional office in New York City). Tara is recognized as one of the nation's leading tastemakers globally, and she is here to share some exciting updates since she was last on the show. Listen as she and Andy reflect on the profound changes brought about by the pandemic and how it has influenced their approach to client relationships. Tara shares her...
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513 ANDREA EPPOLITO: AI for Wedding Professionals
The Wedding Biz
Andy is thrilled to once again be sitting down with , a renowned luxury wedding planner and author of . Andrea shares her initial hesitation toward AI and recounts how she dedicated daily time to understand and leverage this technology, highlighting its comparison to the invention of the internet in terms of impact. Hear Andrea's take on how AI, particularly ChatGPT, can serve as a powerful creative assistant, sifting through data, spotting patterns, and offering insights that would take humans weeks to uncover. She stresses the importance of training AI to emulate one's personal style,...
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512 REVISIT COLIN COWIE: The Gold Standard: Giving Your Customers What They Didn’t Know They Wanted
The Wedding Biz
Join Andy as he revisits his with this week! Having had celebrity clients such as Oprah Winfrey, Jennifer Lopez, Ryan Seacrest, Kim Kardashian, Lil Wayne, Nicole Kidman, and Demi Moore, this episode’s returning guest has enjoyed quite the career so far. has also had many corporate clients such as Dom Pérignon, Warner Brothers, CBS, Whitney Museum of American Art, Architectural Digest, and so many more! Colin is also a published author, having written books such as , , and . Colin, as he discusses with Andy in this episode, is all about making sure that he delivers the ultimate experience...
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511 LIENE STEVENS: Current State of the Wedding Industry and Investing in Yourself
The Wedding Biz
In this truly enriching episode, join Andy as he connects with Liene Stevens, the acclaimed author, behavioral psychologist, and CEO of Think Splendid! Liene brings a wealth of knowledge from her extensive experience in the global wedding market, having collaborated with clients across 97 countries and revolutionized operations for numerous luxury brands and resorts! Tune in as Liene shares her unique journey from an unexpected promotion at a nonprofit right out of high school to becoming a key player in negotiating the release of hostages with the U.S. State Department! Her unorthodox path...
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510 REVISIT JOSE VILLA & LAURIE ARONS – Discuss Working Together As Photographer & Planner/Designer and More!
The Wedding Biz
Listen in to this revisit as Andy chats with two guests, both of whom have been featured on the podcast multiple times in the past. Laurie Arons is a planner and designer of and has been featured in numerous magazine publications and has been listed in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Martha Stewart Weddings as one of the top worldwide planners. Her clientele is made up of trendsetters such as Sophia Coppola, Vanessa Getty, and Christy Turlington as well as prominent business moguls like Gary Friedman, Frank Caufield, and Eddie DeBartolo. Laurie has also created and runs a very successful...
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509 SUSAN LACZ/Ridgewells Catering: Quality and Culture in Business
The Wedding Biz
Join Andy this week as he sits down with , the CEO of . With a career spanning over three decades, Susan has been a pivotal force in the catering and events industry, steering Ridgewells Catering through significant transformations and challenges. Listen in as Susan shares her inspiring journey, starting with her early influences, notably her grandmother, whose culinary skills and hospitality left a lasting impression on her. She discusses her initial foray into the food business, from working at a deli in Wyckoff, New Jersey, to bartending in Washington, D.C. Her passion for sales and...
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508 KERRY BRACKEN & JENNIFER ROCHER/LAVENDER & ROSE: A Marriage of English Charm and French Elegance
The Wedding Biz
Andy welcomes Kerry Bracken and Jennifer Rocher of this week! Lavender & Rose is an exclusive event planning company based in the enchanting French Riviera. Join Andy as he explores their captivating journey and how they have crafted bespoke weddings in the stunning locales of Southern France and Paris! Listen as Jennifer and Kerry share personal stories of how they first got into wedding planning, with Jennifer bringing her local French expertise and Kerry contributing her British flair after moving to France in 2007. They reveal how their partnership began organically, evolving over...
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507 TORI WILLIAMS: From Glam Services to Global Recognition as an Event Curator and Designer
The Wedding Biz
Andy is so honored to bring Tori Williams of Tori Williams Events onto the show today! Tori is a world renowned luxury event curator who has showcased her work on major television networks such as Lifetime, Bravo, and The Food Network, and she is even the star of the VH1 original series My Celebrity Dream Wedding! She joins Andy today to discuss everything from childhood influences to pivotal moments that shaped her career! Tori shares her journey from cosmetology to becoming a sought-after event curator and designer. With a client list featuring names like Tyler Perry Studios and the Atlanta...
info_outlineAndy welcomes you back to The Wedding Biz as he interviews Jamésa Alexander, the Founder of Jayne Heir Weddings & Events, a premier boutique planning agency. Listen in as Jamésa shares insights into her journey, discussing her background in kinesiology and how it shaped her perspective. The conversation delves into her approach to event planning, emphasizing the importance of storytelling and creating a personalized experience for each couple. Jamésa also reveals her strategies for handling challenges during events, drawing on her experience in aerospace and defense.
Jamésa and Andy also explore the collaborative process with creative partners and the meticulous selection of vendors based on the couple's vision, and Jamésa discusses the balance between the creative and business aspects of running a successful wedding planning agency. The conversation also includes candid discussion about the challenges of maintaining a work-life balance, especially as a successful entrepreneur and mother. Jamésa is also co-author of the book Planners Unplugged, an anthology book that shares planners' stories, challenges, and inspirations, and she provides us with some background insight into that as well, including how you can get a copy!
You’re very likely to gain valuable insights into the world of event planning, the importance of collaboration, and the personal challenges faced by professionals in the industry, so Andy invites you to give this episode a listen! If you enjoy this conversation with Jamésa, then Andy urges you not to keep it to yourself. Share the episode with some good friends who might also get something out of it, and be sure to also leave a top review wherever you listen to the show, as that really helps the show out! Lastly, don’t forget to follow The Wedding Biz on Instagram and subscribe to the podcast so that you never miss a new episode when it drops!
Have you heard about Stop and Smell the Roses with Preston Bailey on The Wedding Biz Network? Listen as Preston shares the secrets, tools, and technologies behind his extraordinary ability to create a theatrical environment out of any space. Also, don't forget about Sean Low's podcast The Business of Being Creative, where Sean discusses the power of being niched, pricing strategies, metrics of success, and so much more. You can find both shows on The Wedding Biz Network.
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Time Stamps
[0:53] - Andy reveals today’s guest as Jamésa Alexander of Jayne Heir Weddings & Events!
[2:15] - Learn how Jamésa was an entrepreneur even as a child hosting pizza parties.
[3:53] - Envisioning a mechanical career, Jamésa studied kinesiology but pivoted to business, launching Jayne Heir despite hospitality inexperience.
[5:18] - How did Jamésa get her business started?
[6:58] - Jamésa identifies her signature as her ability to tell stories.
[9:40] - Hear Jamésa share a recent story that highlights her signature.
[11:53] - Drawing on aerospace experience, Jamésa stresses preparation, teamwork, and strategic resolution when navigating a crisis.
[14:39] - Remaining calm under pressure, Jamésa applies a data-driven approach honed in engineering and project management.
[16:05] - Hear how on event days, Jamésa is in a "what else" mode, ensuring resolutions and options for clients.
[18:49] - Jamésa argues that success hinges on a curated vendor team aligned with the couple's vision and values.
[21:34] - Jamésa feels that collaboration with vendors is key; she guides the vision but allows for their creative expression.
[23:18] - Leveraging her aerospace skills, Jamésa applies meticulous planning and asks crucial questions for successful events.
[25:46] - Jamésa reveals how she ensures seamless events by planning timelines and fostering open vendor communication through check-ins.
[27:03] - How does Jamésa balance business and creativity?
[28:28] - Jamésa identifies her biggest struggle in the industry.
[30:38] - Andy and Jamésa discuss the importance of maintaining work-life balance as a parent.
[32:32] - Learn more about Planners Unplugged, an anthology Jamésa co-authored that shares planners' stories, challenges, and inspirations.
[33:41] - Andy reveals where Jamésa can be found online.
LINKS AND RESOURCES
Washingtonian - “This Late-Summer Wedding Brought the Outdoors in for a ‘Garden Romance’ Theme”
Glamour - “Host a Party That’s Unforgettable in 5 Easy (and Fun) Steps”
Brides - “150+ Black-Owned Wedding Businesses to Support Now and Always”
Find Jamésa:
Jayne Heir - Website
Jayne Heir - Instagram Page
Jayne Heir - TikTok Page
Jayne Heir - Facebook Page
Planners Unplugged
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Title Sponsor: This episode is sponsored by Kushner Entertainment.