Advertise on podcast: Aisle Seat

Wedding magazines are a particular love for us here at Aisle Seat—host Alison McGill was the Editor-in-Chief of celebrated Canadian-based publication Weddingbells for many years. On this show, we get a behind-the-scenes look at the making of a beautiful new wedding-focused title, G&G Weddings, produced by the creative minds behind the award-winning publication Garden & Gun Magazine. Executive Editor Amanda Heckert chats with Alison about the inspiration behind G&G Weddings, an idea which had been percolating with the magazine's editorial team for some time and was born as a result of the popularity of the G&G's online wedding content. Amanda and Alison chat about the joy wedding media brings to readers, the process of having a real wedding covered by the publication, what's trending in weddings for the year ahead and when you can expect the next drop of G&G Weddings—the inaugural issue was such huge hit the editors are already working on a second one.

As this year draws to a close, we're looking ahead to what to expect for 2026 in the world of weddings and this chat with Canadian-based luxury event planner Alexandria Damouni from OMG Events will get you inspired about the ins and outs of stylish celebrations. For Damouni and her clients, it's not about what's cool for colour palette choices or viral florals, it's about being intentional in your day. "Experience is trending, and emotion is trending," Damouni shares with host Alison. On this episode we'll talk about the evolution of the wedding guest experience, why weddings need to reclaim their emotional impact and resonance and how couples are redefining what luxury means for their big day.

The most important part of a wedding day is a detail that's often not given proper love: the vows. These are powerful words and writing them (along with wedding speeches and a personalized ceremony) can feel overwhelming for many of us which is why hiring a pro to coach you through the process and help you craft the perfect wedding script is a very smart idea. Brian Franklin is founder of Los Angeles-based Vows & Speeches a business he launched four years ago, and his superpower is making you sound amazing. "Getting help with writing your vows doesn't make it less personal, it's actually the opposite," Brian shares. On this show he chats with host Alison about what makes for the most meaningful wedding vows and why humour should be a key component of them. Brian also shares some wedding speech disaster stories, his process for working with clients and why rehearsing your wedding vows or speech to ensure a flawless delivery is the secret to public speaking success.

On this show, Alison chats with renowned custom jewellery designer Kat Florence who creates dazzling bespoke pieces. Kat is famous for her one-of-a-kind jewellery crafted with dazzling, rare gemstones (Golconda diamonds are her current obsession) fashioned into collectible pieces that feel at once old world and modern. "I love the contrast of the old with the new," is how Kat describes her design aesthetic. Kat shares her favourite engagement ring ideas of the moment on this episode, and why she has a particular passion for coloured gemstones. She also talks about her latest business venture, Kat Florence Hotels, a luxury boutique property which she opened a year ago in her Canadian hometown of Elora, Ontario. The intimate hotel just won a 2025 Conde Nast Readers' Choice Award; Kat has created the ultimate getaway, a place to slow down, savour and feel extremely well taken care of.  

The biggest trend in wedding style? Vintage wedding looks and on this show host Alison chats with an expert in the world of vintage fashion, Cher Thornton owner of Toronto's Vintage Bride boutique. Cher has been in the vintage clothing business since 2008 and over the years bridal fashion became her specialty. Her store stocks upwards of 3o0 styles on any given day with wedding dresses spanning the decades from the 1930s through Y2K. On this episode, Cher and Alison chat about what designs and decades are currently trending with modern brides, why vintage has become so huge as wedding style choice, tips for finding your dream vintage wedding dress and how much time you realistically need to land an heirloom treasure.  

Diamond alternatives are trending as the hautest choice for engagement rings and one of the brightest and most beautiful stones is moissanite. Canadian fine jewelry brand El&Elle has made this sparkling lab grown stone the star of their lineup, and on this show Alison chats with company co-founder Louis and Justin De Bernardi about the rise of moissanite as a choice gemstone for engagement rings and statement jewelry. "When people see moissanite in person, they can't stop talking about the shine that comes from it," Louis shares. "Not only is this stone more affordable than diamonds, but a more sustainable choice which is something that is a key pillar of our brand." Other things covered in this sparkling conversation include Louis and Justin's thoughts on their favourite engagement ring settings of the moment, why hefty carat sizes are now more attainable, and what they feel the most underrated stone cut is, one which they have beautifully mastered, and share is one of their favourites in their current design lineup.

On this show Alison welcomes back Sara Margulis co-founder and CEO of Honeyfund. Sara started her company 20 years ago in 2005 and the inspiration came from her own wedding when friends and family came together to help make her dream honeymoon a reality. On this episode, Sara shares some hot destinations couples are travelling to for honeymoons in 2025 (hello, Iceland!), up and coming spots she thinks are perfect for romantic travel, and why travelling together and specifically a honeymoon are vital for a happy marriage. Sara also chats about the etiquette surrounding wedding gifting and the one thing you should never, ever expect from your guests.

The custom engagement ring is having a mega-moment thanks to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. So too are romantic old mine cuts and elongated shapes, and on this show we get into all of these Taylor-centric trends with Cathy Shen, a Vancouver-based jewelry designer and owner of Ma Folie. Creating bespoke engagement rings is the foundation of Cathy's Vancouver-based business and she is passionate about pieces stacked with meaning, and personalization. "If you want something very intentional you go to a small jeweler or designer to create that piece which reflects you and your partner," Cathy shares in this chat. Host Alison and Cathy get into the specifics of designing a custom engagement ring; why she loves sapphires for as a star-stone to make a ring truly bespoke; and how Taylor's instantly iconic engagement ring will shape trends for years to come.   

Weddings are no longer just events, they are experiences full of personal touches and meaningful moments for both the couple and their guests. On this week's show host Alison chats with Alexandra Clement McNamara, creative director and founder of Clement & Co. Events in Toronto about how couples are making their celebrations authentic and uniquely in 2025. Alexandra also shares an insider look at what's we can expect to see trending for 2026 weddings which she and her team are well into working on with clients. Expect to see more intimate weddings and classical European influence when it comes to venues, decor and wedding fashion.    

Wedding content creators have become a star wedding vendor which are essential for every modern wedding. On this show I chat with Jana Janevska, founder of Calgary-based Wedding Day Bestie, about the evolving role of the wedding content creator and how she has seen her business explode since she booked her first wedding back in 2023. Jana recently made headlines as the wedding content creator for the wedding of TikTok mega star Madeleine White who had her dream day in Santorini this past July, a celebration that literally broke the internet with incredible social content. Jana worked with the bride and groom to make this wedding a viral sensation and to date the views are in the multi-millions on both TikTok and Instagram.

On this week's show, we have a returning guest who was actually the very first person Alison welcomed on Aisle Seat. Angel Spendlove is the co-owner and creative director of Canadian bridal brand & For Love, a label loved for it's cool bride vibes and which was one of the first in the wedding space to offer paired back, modern styles with easy and effortless silhouettes and innovative fabrics like linen and micro sequins. & For Love's latest collection "The Lovers," Angel leaned into her formative years as a ballerina for inspiration and on this show, she talks about the brand's latest lineup of dream dresses, talks a few of her favourite trends and gives us a little teaser of what we can expect for her brand's 2026 collection.   

If you are considering a wedding on location in a tropical paradise, this show is for you. Our guest this week is a destination wedding expert Karolina Fernandes owner of Diamonds Destination Weddings who is a specialist in planning dreamy celebrations in the Caribbean and Mexico. As we chatted about a few episodes back with Sydney Stanback from Pinterest, the tropical destination wedding is one of the biggest wedding trends of 2025. People are looking to check out and relax for their party in a location that is equal parts chill and super-chic. On this show Karolina and I chat about the hottest places to say 'I do' right now, why a destination wedding really is more affordable than you think and a perfect option if you want to do less planning and more enjoying of the moment.

This week Alison has a sparkling chat with Mercedes Smith owner and designer at Alexis Gallery, a custom jewelry design studio in Toronto who create the most gorgeous pieces. We love to talk about diamonds, bling trends and engagement rings here and Mercedes and Alison became fast friends on this show because they speak the same love language when it comes to fine jewelry. Mercedes gets into what she's loving when it comes to engagement rings, how the average carat size for a centre diamond is on the rise (thank you lab diamonds!), how she and the team at Alexis Gallery work to create dream engagement rings for couples and more. If an engagement this summer is something you are planning for this glittery episode is for you.  

This chat about wedding etiquette could not come at a better time with wedding season now in full swing. On this show I chat with etiquette expert Myka Meier and let me tell you Myka weights in on all those burning questions you have about weddings and acting accordingly. Myka is an etiquette coach, the founder of Beaumont Etiquette in New York and the author of two etiquette books and has been featured in Vogue, Town & Country and Harper's Bazaar. She's also the co-founder of the Plaza Hotel's Finishing Program. Myka also recently started working with Lovebird, a modern, all-in-one digital wedding communication platform designed for couples who want an elegant, seamless, and stress-free way to manage their wedding details. Enjoy this chat with Myka and I guarantee you will walk away enlightened about everything wedding etiquette related whether you are getting married yourself or have upcoming parties on your upcoming social calendar.

This week's episode is such a great one with returning guest Sydney Stanback, global trends and insights lead for Pinterest, and we chat all about Pinterest's just released 2025 Wedding Report. With over 3.8 billion wedding related searches and more than 13.4 billion wedding ideas saved globally in one year on Pinterest, the trend authority most certainly is in the know about what couples want for their dream party. This year's report puts the focus firmly on Gen Z and how they are shifting the wedding landscape with celebrations that are big and bold, full of hyper-personal touches and a colourful, modern aesthetics. Sydney and Alison chat all the latest trends you can expect to see in weddings in the coming months to put you in the loop of what's haute if you're in wedding planning mode, or attending a wedding this year.