That's right. We're talking about the "S" word! It comes with the territory of wedding planning, there's no denying it. Wedding planning get's stressful. Let's confront it head-on!

For the past 12 years, Meredith Commender, CSEP (certified special events professional), has been the Owner, Lead Event Coordinator & Designer at Significant Events of Texas - an event coordination firm based in Dallas producing an average of 50 events each year including weddings, social events, corporate events, and charitable events. She is a regular speaker for various Event Industry organizations in North America as well as at Event Industry Conferences. Meredith joins Christy to speak about how to pick the perfect planner for your wedding.

Newspaper Wedding Announcements! Where did this idea for an episode come from? A listener share on our FB group - her wedding was announced in the New York Times - so iconic. Made me think of that Sex and the City episode where Charlotte is obsessed with getting her wedding (and perfect photo) in the NYT. It’s as old as newspapers themselves - these announcements and obituaries! And we’ve never talked about them as a part of wedding planning...or a thing people do! And it’s still a thing. So let’s learn about it! And in the second half of this episode - our listener Sheryl shares her experience and the process of getting her Texas wedding in the NYT.

End of September 2019 Peeps! You Asked and We Answered. xoxo -Christy & Michelle

Beth Helmstetter Events is a full-service event design and production studio specializing in multi-day weddings and celebrations throughout the world. Beth’s discerning clients have hosted friends and family in some of the most beautiful places throughout the world including Italy, Paris, Bali, Philippines, Costa Rica, Mexico, Korea and all over the United States. With over 15+ years of experience, Beth Helmstetter and her team are sought after for creating memorable multi-day events that are filled with meaning. Beth Helmstetter Events has been graciously named as one of the best planners in the world by Harper’s BAZAAR, Martha Stewart Weddings, BRIDES and Travel & Leisure. In addition to being the CEO and Creative Director of Beth Helmstetter Events, Beth is the founder of The Good Beginning, a social enterprise and wedding registry service that connects couples with the opportunity to donate to charitable causes in lieu of or in addition to traditional wedding gifts. Beth and The Good Beginning have been featured in Forbes, Huffington Post, Entrepreneur Magazine, Vogue and More.

Mollie Yarsike is creator and owner of Black Tie Kids. After attending different networking events for young professionals, she realized the need for childcare at adult-focused events. Since it's inception in 2014, Black Tie Kids has worked over 120 weddings in Southern California alone.

Appropriateness, values, and activism in weddings. Katrina Majkut, author of the book, The Adventures and Discoveries of a Feminist Bride; What No One Tells You Before You Say ‘I Do’, joins us this week. Katrina’s book is the only wedding book that explains where all our Western traditions come from and how they impact the people we love. It uses feminism, humor, and fun facts to help eradicate all the hidden sexism in wedding traditions and provides egalitarian options for all. Katrina is also a visual artist, who uses embroidery to reveal how other feminine traditions have affected women's lives, and exhibits around the US and lectures at colleges about activism, textile art and women's issues.

You asked and we are answering. This is the 22nd YAWA to date!

Today’s guest is the one and only, the original, the man, the myth, the legend - Krandel Lee Newton, of Dallas Texas. Krandel graciously joined Christy and her family for dinner recently and they talked and hung out for over 4 hours. Afterward, Christy’s parent’s said, “That was one of the most interesting and enjoyable guests we have ever had the pleasure of hosting! Thank you, Christy!” We think after this episode, you will share their sentiments. At least we hope you do!

Andrew and Rodger Jones were clients of Christy’s earlier this year. We met them in Boston at the TBWPP meet-up (episode #147) and have stayed great friends. They join us to talk about what happens after the wedding, once the ceremony is over, and the planner is gone.

Deval Parekh and Isha Gandhi are owners of iDev Event Company, LLC., a wedding planning company that specializes in South Asian and Fusion Weddings. They offer services such as wedding and event planning, Month and Day-of coordination, bridal and party henna, Mehndi, and live Bollywood singing and music. iDev specializes in ethnic weddings. Their motto is, “No matter what the event, never compromise on food, alcohol, and music.”Isha joins us to talk about her journey into becoming the expert in weddings and event planning that she is today and answers burning questions about Indian and Fusion weddings.

Today’s episode is a You Ask, We Answer, as is our end-of-month tradition.

In this special episode, we have a talented wedding planner, Tamara Jones. After a very poignant email from listener, Felicia Reid, we hope to begin to address some of the glaring roadblocks and differences that appear as a person of color planning a wedding. As well as address ways that all of us can help increase inclusivity in the wedding world.

Desirée Adams is a wedding planner in Upstate New York who creates heirloom occasions for modern couples. After seven years producing high-level events for internationally-recognized companies in Washington, DC, she took a break to focus on her young children. But she couldn't stay away for long. Three years and three moves later, she founded Verve Event Co. in 2017.

Today’s episode is a You Ask, We Answer BONUS episode! We are answering questions from the facebook group.

Just because your friend is officiating your wedding, doesn’t mean it has to feel amateur and boring. Mark Groleau is a professional wedding officiant, and he runs the company “Unboring Wedding.” Not only does he work with couples to officiate a personal, and lovely ceremony. But he can also teach your friend to do the same!

Today’s episode is a You Ask, We Answer, as is our end-of-month tradition.

Weddings are a special day, and though you want them to be beautiful and picturesque, it is also important to create a unique experience and long lasting memories. Aleah and Nick Valley of Valley and Co share about their favorite wedding experiences, their coffee table book "Storied Weddings," and give loads of great advice on how to make a great day no matter how big the wedding.

Michelle and Christy record together from LA - to frame the narrative for their Boston visit earlier this year to emcee at WED 2019. We were also lucky enough to meet many of our Boston listeners at our first ever Meetup and it was so fun!!We had a wonderful time at WED - an interactive, educational experience as the emcees. We also got to record live with attendees (and some of their moms!) at the event and we loved it! We hope you enjoy this special, bi-coastal episode.

Brenda and Mason have been through a lot to get to where they are now: newlyweds celebrating each day they have together as a married couple. In this episode, a couple shares their individual stories of transitions that led them to each other, and explain what marriage means to them.

Today’s episode is a You Ask, We Answer, as is our end-of-month tradition.

Birdy Grey has revolutionized the hunt for the perfect bridesmaid dress. After realizing the accessibility, and quality of bridesmaid dresses didn’t reflect the price, two best friends, Grace Lee (formerly of InStyle Magazine and Kate Spade New York) and Monica Ashauer (of McKinsey and Co, and Ralph Lauren) started this company offering beautiful, well-made dresses for under $100.

The idea of designing a wedding is stressful! We’ve all been down a Pinterest hole or two, consumed with ideas and inspiration that just lead to more confusion and anxiety. Thankfully, there’s Kasey Kyprianou, a wedding designer, to help bring your significant other and your authentic selves into your big day. Through getting to know you on a more personal level, Kasey is able to transform your wishes into beautiful designs for everything from invitations to signage and more.

No matter where you are in the wedding planning process, the idea of also planning a honeymoon is exhausting. Of course, after the big day, you want nothing more than to celebrate with your partner. And thankfully, there are people who can help! Our guest, Irina Vishnevskaya works tirelessly to help plan the perfect honeymoon. Irina is part of Alle Travel, a spruced up version of a travel agency. They make it easier for newlyweds, and others, to plan the perfect getaway.

We have both had our share of clients who have big plans to lose weight or tighten up in the months before their wedding. You know, the time when you are busy working, and planning a wedding, and dealing with family AND celebrating being engaged...all in a short, pressure-cooker timeline...not the most optimal time of your life to successfully change your diet and workout routine. But nevertheless, sometimes new habits are formed during wedding planning, in a GOOD way, and these changes can set you on the path to a happy, healthy life with your partner, as a married couple.