Advertise on podcast: Wedding Planner Society Podcast

The air shifts, someone snaps, the timeline slips and suddenly every vendor and family member in the room is looking at us to fix it. Laurie Hartwell sits down with Venisha Walker of Cloud9 Events to talk about what separates a steady wedding planner from a reactive one: the ability to see the human underneath the stress and respond with calm, not ego. We get personal and practical, starting with workplace “love languages” and why kindness matters most when someone is frustrated. Venisha shares her Grinch-inspired reminder that everyone has a heart, then we bring that belief straight onto the wedding day. You’ll hear a real vendor management story where an officiant refuses to honor the couple’s request just 45 minutes before the ceremony and how clear questions, empathy, and decisive action keep the wedding day timeline moving without sacrificing the couple’s vision. We also dig into conflict resolution tools you can use immediately: pausing heated debates, checking your own heart posture, and asking vendors the simplest question that prevents so many problems, “How do you like to work?” From there, the conversation turns to mentorship, gatekeeping, and why education plus experience is the fastest path to real confidence for wedding coordinators and wedding planning business owners. If you want to lead vendor teams with composure, protect your couples’ joy, and grow into the planner people trust under pressure, press play. Subscribe, share this with a planner friend, and leave a review so more wedding pros can find these tools. www.cwpsociety.com | [email protected] | IG: @cwpsociety | FB: @cwpsociety

Your calendar is stacked, your weekends are gone, and from the outside it looks like you’ve made it. Then you check your bank account and feel that gut-drop moment. We’re naming the problem wedding planners rarely say out loud: being fully booked is not the same as being profitable, and the “busy but broke” cycle is often fueled by emotion, avoidance, and cash flow that is never planned on purpose. In this episode, Laurie Hartwell is joined by Matt Mitchell, a financial expert who spent 13+ years in finance with ultra-high net worth families and then ran his own successful wedding planning company. Now he helps event pros get financially organized through The Event Ledger, and he brings a rare mix of empathy and hard numbers. We talk about why clarity and confidence come after you act, how seasonal income can make profit on paper disappear in real life, and why separating business and personal accounts is a non-negotiable for tracking, taxes, and peace of mind. We also break down pricing on purpose: finding your survival number, choosing a realistic booking sweet spot, and making sure your packages are defensible in your market while still paying you like the CEO you are. Plus, we dig into subscription spending, ROI, and the “plan during the calm so you can flourish during the chaos” approach that keeps slow months from derailing your business. If this hit home, share it with a planner friend, subscribe so you don’t miss what’s next, and leave a review to help more wedding pros find the tools to build a sustainable, profitable business. www.cwpsociety.com | [email protected] | IG: @cwpsociety | FB: @cwpsociety

Do you want to know the secret to evolving into a better wedding planner year after year? Not busier. Not more booked. Better. More efficient, more confident, and more in control of your workflows, processes, and client experience. That question sets the tone for a candid conversation between Laurie Hartwell, and longtime friend and CWP Society educator, Krisy Thomas of Southern Sparkle Wedding and Event Planning. Krisy has been featured in major publications, earned multiple planning and design credentials, and built a reputation for calm leadership and polished execution. We dig into what wedding planner certification really changes when it’s done well. It’s not just letters after your name, it’s the knowledge that shapes how you communicate with venues, guide families, and collaborate with vendors under pressure. Krisy shares why people remember how you make them feel, how confidence grows through education, and how “elite” is less about status and more about consistency. We also talk about plateaus, imposter syndrome, and the exhaustion that can creep in even when your business looks successful. You’ll hear practical reframes for staying grateful, tracking your progress on purpose, and keeping your standards high without chasing perfection. Plus, we challenge two common traps: believing your market is too small to elevate, and believing you’ve already arrived in an industry that changes multiple times a year. If you want to sharpen your wedding planning skills, strengthen your vendor relationships, and build a business that still feels fun, hit play. Then subscribe, share this with a planner friend, and leave a review so more pros can find the conversation. www.cwpsociety.com | [email protected] | IG: @cwpsociety | FB: @cwpsociety

The father-daughter dance is happening, the dance floor is packed, and then the fire department walks in with lights flashing. Outside, a flash flood is rising so fast that cars are sitting in water and the roads may not be safe by the end of the night. As brand-new business owner Christina Collins learns in her very first wedding under STEP Events, wedding planning isn’t about forcing the timeline to behave. It’s about leading through the unexpected. We talk through the full behind-the-scenes scramble: reading the room while sirens distract guests, negotiating for five minutes to communicate, calling nearby venues until someone says yes, pivoting catering to a to-go setup, and improvising guest transport when the bus can’t get back through flooded roads. Christina shares what made the difference: a vendor team willing to ask “what else do you need?”, clear delegation, and calm communication that keeps guests feeling cared for even when the plan changes completely. Then we pull out the practical takeaways for wedding planners and coordinators: building a flexibility toolkit with backup vendors, alternate timeline structures, real Plan B options for outdoor weddings, and crisis reliability protocols you decide before anything goes wrong. We also get blunt about staffing, because no planner should be the only set of hands on a wedding day. If you’ve ever worried you’ll freeze when something goes sideways, this one is for you. Subscribe, share this with a planner friend, and leave a review with the best backup plan you’ve ever used. www.cwpsociety.com | [email protected] | IG: @cwpsociety | FB: @cwpsociety

“Effortless” weddings are usually the ones with the most happening behind the curtain, and we’re finally saying the quiet part out loud. We sit down with returning guest Rima Shah of Big Guava Events, a certified wedding planner and educator known for running wedding days so smoothly that couples and guests think the magic just happens on its own. It doesn’t. It’s built through planning systems, calm leadership, and a team that can execute thousands of details without making it about themselves.  We talk through what guests never see: the constant cues, the vendor check-ins, the discreet fixes, and the micro-movements that keep the room feeling relaxed. Rima breaks down why staffing is a nonnegotiable for the day or days of the wedding, especially for complex celebrations like South Asian weddings, and why trying to “prove yourself” by doing everything solo usually backfires. You’ll also hear the practical habit that quietly saves weddings again and again: rigorous inventory lists that are checked, shared, and checked again so nothing becomes a last-minute surprise.  Then we get real with a story that shows the job at its sharpest: critical Hindu ceremony items go missing minutes before guests enter, and the only way through is fast delegation, clear communication with the priest, and vendor collaboration that keeps the couple insulated from panic. We also dig into maintaining the same service standards across two very different markets, plus what it means to take care of your team so they can take care of you. Subscribe, share this with a planner who’s white-knuckling wedding weekends, and leave a review if it helps. What’s the most “invisible” task you think clients underestimate? www.cwpsociety.com | [email protected] | IG: @cwpsociety | FB: @cwpsociety

The wedding industry loves the word “balance,” but nobody tells you what it looks like when a wedding weekend collides with a school event, your partner works overnights, and your body is running on fumes. We’re sitting down with Nikki Rogers, a 23-year wedding planning pro and owner of The Serendipity Collective, to talk about what “all in” really means when you’re building a wedding planning business and raising a family at the same time.  Nikki shares her path from high-end hotels and clubs into more personal, non-traditional venues, and why that shift changed the client experience she wanted to deliver. We also get into the leap of starting her own company for flexibility, the reality of being gone on weekends, and how mom guilt shows up when you’re committed to your couples and your kids. If you’ve ever felt like you’re failing because you can’t be in two places at once, this conversation puts words to that pressure and offers a healthier frame.  We also dig into the practical side of sustainability: staying relevant through wedding planner certification and ongoing training, setting business hours that flex with summer break, and communicating boundaries without apology. Nikki gets especially real about planning while pregnant, bringing in extra support, and turning down bookings she can’t serve well, not as a loss, but as responsible leadership.  If you’re a wedding planner, wedding coordinator, or creative business owner trying to build a life that works, hit play, share this with a friend who needs it, and subscribe for more honest conversations. After you listen, leave a review and tell us: what boundary would make your business feel lighter? www.cwpsociety.com | [email protected] | IG: @cwpsociety | FB: @cwpsociety

Weddings do not fall apart all at once. They unravel in tiny moments: a late delivery, a missing linen, a vendor who vanishes when it is time to cue a key event. The reason so many couples never see the chaos is because a tight vendor dream team is quietly fixing it in real time, and that kind of calm is built long before the wedding day ever starts. We sit down with Emma Cockerham of Infinity Events Memphis to talk about what “team player” really means in the wedding industry and why vendor vetting is one of the most important skills a wedding planner or wedding coordinator can develop. Emma shares a high pressure museum wedding where rentals arrived hours late, forcing the entire vendor crew to create an elevator assembly line and set a full seated dinner in minutes. It is a masterclass in collaboration, professionalism, and timeline discipline. Then we get into the standards that protect clients: how to spot red flags, why contracts matter, and why respecting the wedding timeline is not optional. You will also hear a story about an incredibly unprofessional DJ, a reminder that the cheapest option can become the most expensive mistake when the person holding the microphone is not prepared to lead a room. We also unpack the “single point of contact” role and how clear communication keeps vendor relationships strong without blocking the couple’s connection. If you want better weddings, fewer fires, and more confidence in your recommendations, hit play. Subscribe for more planner-forward conversations, share this with a wedding pro friend, and leave a review with your biggest vendor vetting non negotiable. www.cwpsociety.com | [email protected] | IG: @cwpsociety | FB: @cwpsociety

One missed detail in Times Square can ripple across a million people, but Vicki Amar says the emotional stakes of a wedding can be even higher. She spent nearly a decade producing major NYC citywide events, then walked away to become a full-time wedding planner and the owner of Amarvelous Event in South Florida. That career pivot forces a bigger question: is “big” really about headcount, or is it about how much care you bring to the work? We talk through the surprisingly direct overlap between large-scale event coordination and wedding planning: anticipating failure points, protecting the guest experience, and staying calm when the pressure spikes. Vicki shares what changes when you go from a machine full of departments and protocols to being the one person who holds the timeline, the vendor team, and the couple’s peace of mind. She also explains her favorite client touch, a post-wedding “exit call,” where couples get to relive the day and finally hear the behind-the-scenes “saves” they never noticed. Then we zoom out to what makes a sustainable career in the wedding industry: community over competition. We dig into how planners build trusted networks for referrals and support, why shared standards matter, and how design details like florals, candlelight, and color palettes can trigger the biggest emotions. We also get real about family dynamics, mediation, and reading what isn’t said in the room, because weddings are never just two people and a checklist. If you’re a wedding planner or professional looking for certification, support, and a global community, come check out the CWP Society. Subscribe, share this with a planner friend, and leave a review so more people can find the show. www.cwpsociety.com | [email protected] | IG: @cwpsociety | FB: @cwpsociety

A South Asian wedding can mean five events, hundreds of guests, sacred ceremony timing, and a timeline that shifts the moment an elder remembers "one more tradition." That's not chaos — it's culture, and it's exactly why preparation matters. In this episode, we're joined by Rima Shah of Big Guava Events, a planner with more than 14 years of experience, to talk about what planners rarely see from the outside: the mountain of coordination before the wedding weekend even starts, how religious rituals and family customs can evolve in real time, and why the couple isn't always the only source of truth so building communication early is key.  Finally, we share why The CWP Society is building a South Asian wedding certification, and how education helps planners serve couples with respect, confidence, and real cultural understanding. Subscribe for more conversations like this, share this episode with a fellow planner, and leave a review with the biggest insight you're taking into your next wedding weekend. www.cwpsociety.com | [email protected] | IG: @cwpsociety | FB: @cwpsociety

We're the calm in everyone else's storm — the ones with a backup for the backup and a contingency for every "what if." But we almost never stop to ask what happens if the unexpected lands on us. In this one, Brianne and Laurie catch up as old friends and get honest about that blind spot — not to scare anyone, but to talk through what's actually changed for each of them, and the small, doable things that let a planner step away without everything unraveling. Brianne Ackerland — a Master Certified Wedding Planner with 15 + years planning weddings across Iowa and Illinois, who also educates planners through the CWP Society — shares the day her life flipped overnight: a sudden cardiac arrest, just one day after wrapping a full-service wedding. We get into the messy reality of recovery, including what it's like to be unable to speak clearly while your phone keeps ringing and the weddings keep coming. From there we get honest about the operational gaps so many of us have: client details living only in our heads, passwords stored nowhere anyone else can reach, and backups that are "someday" ideas instead of real systems. Then we map out steps you can actually take now — building a planner ICE list (in case of emergency), naming a point person who knows exactly who to call, curating a trusted local network, and creating real redundancy with both cloud tools and good old-fashioned paper. We also dig into why personality fit matters when someone steps in for you, the tools that quietly cut down the chaos, and how leaning on trained assistants can make a handoff feel seamless for your couples. If this one sparked a gut-check, take one small step today — then come back and tell us what you changed. Subscribe for more conversations like this, share the episode with a planner friend, and leave a review so more wedding pros can find us. www.cwpsociety.com | [email protected] | IG: @cwpsociety | FB: @cwpsociety

The best weddings have a moment where the couple walks in, stops, and exhales — and that moment is never an accident. In this episode, we talk with Riley Snider of Elegant Affairs by Design in Tampa, Florida, about how real wedding design works when it's built on purpose, not trend-chasing or "more decor." Riley walks through the practical process she uses to find the thread behind a chaotic Pinterest board: deep design questions, a detailed design questionnaire, and a dedicated design meeting built to uncover what actually matters to a couple — connection, intimacy, energy, family tradition, or a specific hosting vibe. We also talk about reading reactions, inviting honest feedback, and using tools like multi-page vision boards so couples can see their story coming together before the day arrives. Then we get into the harder conversation: budget. Riley shares how she guides couples toward intentional spending, prioritizes what creates the biggest impact, and avoids letting any decision feel like a compromise. We also cover guest experience ideas couples are loving right now, and why chasing a "viral wedding" can pull planners away from what their clients actually need. If you want to design weddings that feel personal, cohesive, and memorable, this episode is for you. www.cwpsociety.com | [email protected] | IG: @cwpsociety | FB: @cwpsociety

Nearly 30 years into marriage, Laurie sits down with the person who has watched it all unfold up close — her husband, Phil. The late nights. The hard calls. The moments she carried more than she let on. This conversation is about what it actually takes to support a Wedding Pro — not just the surface-level cheerleading, but the daily reality of loving someone who is expected to be decisive and organized and endlessly warm, all at once. Phil talks about how his understanding of that pressure has shifted over the years, why the instinct to "fix" can land as dismissive, and what support really looks like when the calendar is full and the person you love is running on empty. Laurie also introduces her "cargo plane" theory of burnout — why planners are trained to carry weight for everyone else, and how something as simple as a real check-in can be the difference between steady and overloaded. The conversation goes deeper still, into the season that changed everything: Phil's stage 3B colon cancer diagnosis, the surgeries and chemo that followed, and the strange reality of a business — and a life — that kept moving regardless. They close on hope, identity, and the empty-nester chapter ahead, along with why community matters so much for planners and coordinators who need people who actually understand the weight of this work. Subscribe for honest conversations about building a sustainable career in this industry, share this episode with a Wedding Pro who needs to hear it, and leave a review to help more planners find us. www.cwpsociety.com | [email protected] | IG: @cwpsociety | FB: @cwpsociety

You can be the calm one in every crisis and still be quietly running on empty. Today, we’re naming the thing so many wedding planners and coordinators feel but rarely say out loud: we give grace away all day long, then hold ourselves to a harsher standard than anyone else ever could.  I’m sitting down with Tish Clay of Simone Elise Events, a master certified wedding planner and seasoned wedding pro who built a business alongside her husband while balancing real life, real emotions, and real limits. We talk about what burnout actually looks like in the wedding industry, including the sneaky early signs like irritation, drained social batteries, and the pressure to be “on” 24/7. We also get honest about the emotional labor behind client management and vendor communication, especially when you’re the person everyone expects to fix everything.  From there, we dig into practical self-care for wedding planners that doesn’t feel fluffy: boundaries that actually hold, what it means to stop carrying other people’s pain, and why professionalism and vulnerability can coexist. Tish shares the mindset shift that changed how she processes stress, including the simple but powerful practice of “feel your feelings” so they don’t pile up and take you out later.  If you’re ready to build a sustainable event planning business that protects your peace, listen now. Share this with a planner friend who needs it, and leave a review so more wedding pros can find the support they deserve. www.cwpsociety.com | [email protected] | IG: @cwpsociety | FB: @cwpsociety

A full calendar can feel like the ultimate sign of success in the wedding industry — until you notice your bank account doesn't reflect it. In this episode, we sit down with Matt Mitchell, co-founder and CEO of The Event Ledger, to talk about the quiet money problems that talented wedding planners and coordinators face when their business grows faster than their financial systems. Matt brings a rare combination of experience — years in high-net-worth finance and firsthand experience running his own wedding planning company — and he makes the numbers feel human instead of intimidating. We get honest about why profitability often lags behind demand: pricing on gut feel, ignoring real operating expenses, and treating owner pay as whatever's left over. Matt walks us through a more grounded approach to pricing, starting with what you actually need to take home, then layering in expenses, taxes, and realistic event capacity. We also get into the practical side of bookkeeping — how separate accounts for operating, taxes, and owner pay can instantly change your decision-making, and why consistent tracking beats a once-a-year scramble. If slow season makes you panic, we cover the tools that smooth it out: a yearly budget, a cash flow forecast, and reserves that build month by month. The takeaway is simple and powerful: your numbers are data, not a verdict — and you can't fix what you won't face. For information about the Wedding Planner Certifications and membership options with the CWP Society visit CWPSociety.com www.cwpsociety.com | [email protected] | IG: @cwpsociety | FB: @cwpsociety

A venue coordinator forms an opinion about us fast, sometimes before they’ve seen a single timeline or ceremony setup. That snap judgment becomes the difference between being tolerated for one wedding and being the planner they recommend every time a couple asks, “Who do you trust here?” We break down what actually earns venue referrals, and it’s not a bigger portfolio or more years in business. It’s a set of repeatable habits that make the venue team’s day easier.  We walk through the Four R's for building strong venue relationships: read, respect, respond, and remember. Reading the venue packet and policies before the walkthrough sounds basic, but it instantly changes the quality of our questions and the confidence we project to clients. Respect shows up in who we address in the room and whether we treat the catering manager and venue coordinator like true partners. Respond is the moment-of-truth skill on wedding day: when the timeline shifts or a vendor is delayed, we communicate early, bring solutions, and keep the venue in the loop. Remember is the follow-up almost no one does, a specific note that names a person and a moment, and it’s one of the cheapest ways to land on a preferred vendor list.  Then Nikki Rogers, owner and Master Certified Wedding Planner for The Serendipity Collective, joins us with 20 years of wedding planning experience from both sides of the ballroom doors. We talk about why venues protect their reputation, how “bossy” behavior hurts not just one planner but the entire industry, and what real leadership looks like when we’re bridging dozens of moving pieces. If you want better vendor relationships, smoother timelines, and a reputation that gets you booked again and again, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a planner friend, and leave a review so more pros can find the show. www.cwpsociety.com | [email protected] | IG: @cwpsociety | FB: @cwpsociety