The Big Wedding Planning Podcast

Gain expert knowledge, share hearty laughs, and discover the best tips to maximize your budget and wedding planning experience. Hosted by 2 Wedding Planners with with decades of experience, they share invaluable insights and industry secrets to empower you on your path to 'I Do.'

🎉 We celebrate inclusivity here, making this podcast a perfect companion for EVERYONE planning their wedding. 👰🤵 🌎 🤝 🏳️‍🌈👭👬

Society & Culture
Relationships
Education
376
#39 The Serial Bridesmaid
Mia is Christy’s cousin and at 25 years old, she has been a bridesmaid in 7 weddings in last 2 years! The money, dresses, parties, duties and of course, the honor of the job.
33 min
377
#38 Wedding Fatigue
Is wedding planning this stressful for all couples?! Short answer: Yes, yes it is.
50 min
378
#37 Rehearsals do NOT suck!
The rehearsal. Necessary? Yes! Fun? Totally! Well, maybe more necessary than fun, but hear us out.
40 min
379
#36 Lessons (Planners) Learned
With a few weddings under our belts last May, we're sharing a few things we encountered and learned while "in the trenches".
41 min
380
#35 Rentals Guru - Kathy Newby
Everything you need to know about rentals and more!
54 min
381
#34 Unofficial Officiant
Officiating weddings when you’re not really an officiant? How does that work?
41 min
382
#33 Quick Focus! Bar Service
Last Call for Alcohol! The QUICK FOCUS SERIES returns this week and we are schooling you on Beverage Service for your wedding.
10 min
383
#32 The Master's Class
Joyce Scardina Becker is a leader in the West Coast wedding industry and was Michelle & Christy's teacher back when they took the Wedding Planner Certificate Program. Michelle interviews her mentor and teacher for the show also get's to chat a bit with Joyce's current Wedding Planner Certification Students.
22 min
384
#31 The Final Details
What items are you bringing to your wedding? Where do they need to be set up? What do you want back at the end of the night? The Final Details list answers these questions and many more!
46 min
385
#30 Booty Shoot! Miss Chloe
Boudoir shoots...what are they? Who does them? Why?? In this episode, Michelle goes ‘behind the scenes’ and hangs out with photographer Michelle Walker and bride Chloe as Chloe bares all...
34 min
386
#29 Quick Focus! Tipping Your Vendors
This episode is our first of the QUICK FOCUS SERIES. Short episodes where Michelle and Christy focus on small but important parts of the wedding and give you just the info you need to know in 10 minutes or less!
10 min
387
#28 Matt & Amanda - Part 2 - A Real Engaged Couple
Amanda Lund and Matt Gourley are getting married! They’ve been planning their wedding and they have a lot of awesome advice! They are getting married in a few short weeks and they’re checking in with us at this point in the process.
65 min
388
#27 Two Michelles In A Bar Talk Photography
Sometimes you have to record your podcast in a bar, and this is one of those times. Michelle interviews Michelle Walker, wedding photographer extraordinaire! This episode is CHALK-FULL of great advice from an experienced, talented and amazing wedding photographer. Seriously, these show notes don’t do the episode justice. Listen and Learn...there is so much to learn from Michelle Walker.
41 min
389
#26 We Love You Guys!
In this episode, we love on each other, and we love on you, our dear listeners and fans! Join us for some laughs, some Spanish lessons, and we hope you can hear our smiles as we read some of your emails to us, and some reviews! We’ve been doing a lot of interviews and heavy informative stuff on the podcast lately, so we needed to circle back to the fun we have doing this show together as co-hosts!
42 min
390
#25 (Don't) Drop The Mic! DJ Advice from Denon ...
In the San Francisco Bay Area, you won’t find a shortage when looking for a wedding DJ, but one company looms large on the wedding horizon - Denon and Doyle. In this interview, Michelle talks to owner Sue Doyle, manager and DJ Mark Haggerty and DJ and office manager Mark Addison about their experiences ‘in the field’. They have an amazing team of professional DJ’s and include supplementary services like lighting, photo booths, AV and even childcare for events. Also - virtual reality! What?!
40 min
391
#24 Make-up Talk with Becca Ashmon
Becca Ashmon is one of Christy’s go-to makeup artists in Dallas/Fort Worth. In this episode, Christy interviews her and they talk about how Becca got into the industry, why being a makeup artist (MUA) is not for the faint of heart, how personality absolutely matters, and what brides can do to find the perfect MUA for their wedding day. Also, Becca shares her favorite makeup brands, and we talk about the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and drag queens because OF COURSE WE DO.
66 min
392
#23 Floral Queen! Nancy Liu Chin
Michelle nails another awesome interview! This time, she channels Jerry Seinfeld - driving around town with Nancy, interviewing her for the podcast while they wander the East Bay streets. Nancy Liu Chin is a big time florist in the SF Bay Area, she has been in the biz for 15 years. She is sharing her wisdom, experience and passion for flowers and the wedding industry in this interview. Nancy made the conscious decision to find her path in the event design industry and landed on flowers. And thank goodness! Because we think her work is simply amazing. So is her work ethic, and her business sense and her personal style - so listen and enjoy!
49 min
393
#22 Funny Stories
In this episode, we reminisce about some of the funny/awkward/crazy stories from weddings we have done. Between the two of us, we have about 20 years of weddings under our belts. Remember - sometimes it isn’t funny during or right afterward, but in a year, it could be a hilarious story you tell at Thanksgiving! Having a sense of humor about life is imperative. We hope you enjoy listening to this episode - we sure did enjoy recording it!
50 min
394
#21 Catching Up!
Michelle is sick and Christy has a fat lip - but we will carry on! It’s been awhile since our podcast has gotten back to it’s roots...so to speak. We have been dissecting the WEDDING DAY TIMELINE, in our recent 3 piece mini-series, and Michelle recently interviewed Maria Chang, which was inspirational and insightful. We’ve just been craving a lighter, chatty chat, and we needed to catch up with each other! So here is what we threw around in this episode.
56 min
395
#20 The Wedding Day Timeline Part 3 of 3
Logistics...Contract review...Vendor policies! This part is, admittedly, not the most fun part of wedding planning. Which is why it’s a feat that Christy and Michelle managed to make talking about it FUN. Or at least we tried. This is part 3 of 3 - TIMELINES.
41 min
396
#19 From Child Refugee to Pioneer Entrepreneur ...
THE AMERICAN DREAM! Maria Chang came to the USA back in 1986, as an 11 year old child refugee from Nicaragua. Maria has been a professional make-up artist for over 20 years.
64 min
397
#18 Wedding Day Timeline Part 2 of 3
Special dances, toasts, thoughtfully selected song choices… Do you want to toss a bouquet? Should that be done before or after the cake cutting? Let’s figure this out!
40 min
398
#17 The Wedding Day Timeline - Part 1 of 3
Spreadsheets. Live them, love them. Don’t fight them! We break down our basic techniques for drafting your initial wedding day timeline - the rows, the columns, the hints and tricks. Rome wasn’t built in a day, people! The Wedding Day Timeline takes time...little by little, it all comes together....in a spreadsheet. :)
27 min
399
#16 Catering
The way to a wedding guest’s heart is through their stomach. The reception typically makes up 50-60% of your overall wedding budget. Let’s talk about how that money gets spent on food!
31 min
400
#15 Maid of DIS-Honor
When wedding planners put down the clipboard and join the wedding party! Christy is moonlighting as MAID OF HONOR for her best friend and it’s weird to be on the other side of things. In this episode, Michelle and Christy talk MOH duties, dresses, and standing up for your girl when you don’t live anywhere near her.
41 min