519 TWB – BROOKE KEEGAN: Building a Dream Wedding Business
The Wedding Biz
Andy is happy to be welcoming to the show! Brooke is the visionary owner and creative director of Brooke Keegan Special Events, a leading firm specializing in custom, multi-day destination weddings, and since founding her company in 2009, she has garnered recognition from Harper's Bazaar and Brides as one of the world's top event planners! She is here with Andy in this episode to share, amongst other things, her invaluable insights from her years in the industry! As Brooke and Andy catch up, Brooke reflects on challenges faced, particularly the significant downturn in wedding engagements...
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518 TWB – BRYAN RAFANELLI: The Art of Lasting Success & Self-Fulfillment
The Wedding Biz
Andy really hopes that you will join him for this episode of The Wedding Biz as he welcomes back to the show Bryan Rafanelli of ! Bryan is a renowned designer and planner and is the founder and chief creative officer of Rafanelli Events, and he has been behind some of the most high-profile events in recent history, including Chelsea Clinton’s wedding and several of President Obama’s White House state dinners. His team has also worked on key campaign events for Vice President Kamala Harris! Bryan opens up about the pressures of maintaining excellence in a saturated market, admitting...
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517 DAVID STARK: Self-Actualization in Event Design, the Importance of Scale and Simplicity, Balancing Art and Business, and More!
The Wedding Biz
guest of the show returns for this episode of The Wedding Biz! David is a renowned event designer and planner with over 25 years of experience in the industry, and as the founder and chief creative officer of David Stark Design and Production, his impressive client list includes celebrities such as Glenn Close and Brad Pitt, SNL’s 40th Anniversary, The Whitney Museum of American Art, and The Metropolitan Opera. Listen in as David shares insights into his creative process, discussing the balance between designing for clients and creating art purely for himself. He reflects on collaborations...
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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...
info_outline“Before I know what flowers I’m going to use, I need to know what backdrop I’m going to create to show off those flowers.” Listen as Andy and his guest Lewis Miller discuss how Lewis came to be in New York City, his process with clients, how he gets inspired for his designs, how he has been able to maneuver through the pandemic, and so much more on this episode of The Wedding Biz!
Lewis is a floral designer and founder of Lewis Miller Design out of New York City. His client list includes leading industry professionals in fashion, design, photography, art direction, and architecture such as Bulgari, Carolina Herrera, Mayor Blumberg, Chanel, Tiffany, Versace, Bergdorf Goodman, the Whitney Museum, and more.
Lewis discusses how his pop-up flower flashes started and where he did his first one. He shares why he moved from Seattle, Washington to New York City and how he opened his small flower shop without fear or hesitation because he knew that was what he was supposed to be doing.
Listen as Lewis shares his process when speaking with clients, a story about one particular wedding he did in an unappealing ballroom, and the curveball he was thrown. Lewis also shares how he merges his company’s business aspect with his creative side.
Lewis is a poster child for how to run a business that can tackle a pandemic and come back bigger and stronger. He believes that if you trim the fat every few years and watch where you spend money, you will still be around when others are not. He is an inspiring creative, and you don’t want to miss this episode.
If you enjoy this revisit with Lewis, then Andy asks you to please not 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.
SUPPORTING THE WEDDING BIZ
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Time Stamps
[01:30] - This episode is a revisit of Andy’s original interview with Lewis Miller of Lewis Miller Design.
[02:51] - Lewis shares how he got the moniker, the “Banksy of Floral Design.”
[04:10] - Lewis shares how he had an idea to bring artistic flower installations to NYC.
[06:53] - Wanting to give back meaningfully, Lewis started Flower Flashes, a creative experiment outside financial expectations, in 2016.
[09:50] - Lewis shares a little bit about his background and upbringing.
[12:45] - Listen as Lewis discusses his move from Seattle, Washington to New York City.
[15:26] - Anticipating a shift to interior design, Lewis, 25 at the time, arrived in New York and had to face practical realities.
[17:50] - Lewis didn’t have fear or hesitation when he opened his business and started small.
[19:50] - What percentage of Lewis’ business is weddings?
[21:22] - Passionate about design, Lewis views weddings as a canvas for unique and personal expressions.
[24:27] - Hear a story involving Lewis facing a challenging wedding planning scenario, navigating conflicts between a bride and her parents' wishes.
[27:44] - Lewis proposed a bold solution for the challenging wedding venue.
[29:43] - Addressing diverse tastes and personalities, Lewis successfully transformed Trump's ballroom with a unique, satisfying design.
[31:58] - How does Lewis balance the business aspect with the creative side?
[33:36] - Lewis discusses what he believes has kept his business alive.
[34:54] - Lewis discusses how he focuses on efficiency, ensuring financial sustainability and allowing creative indulgences like flower flashes.
[36:38] - Navigating the unpredictable world of social media, Lewis and his team experiment with authenticity and creativity for engagement.
[39:36] - Andy reveals where Lewis can be found online.
LINKS AND RESOURCES
Find Lewis:
Lewis Miller Design - Website
Lewis Miller Design - Facebook Page
Lewis Miller Design - Instagram Page
Flower Flash - Instagram Page
TED Talk
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Title Sponsor: This episode is sponsored by Kushner Entertainment.