Wedding 101 Radio Show: Recent Episodes
David Rothstein
The Wedding 101 Radio Show was created to be a helpful resource for both brides and grooms as well as wedding professionals. It was created to give listeners real insights from top wedding professionals from a different aspect of wedding planning: Photographers, Caterers, Wedding Planners, Florists, Venues, and many more. These interviews will give you lots of great insights about how to get the best results for your wedding. If you have an idea for a guest please let us know. We hope you enjoy our radio show! Go to www.drsmusic.com for more info!
Listen to my interview with the wedding planner, Danielle Bega from the historic Waldorf Astoria in Chicago. Find out what the meaning of true luxury is and what you should know about planning your wedding at such a luxurious hotel.
We always hear that it's all about the dress. While that's 100% true, guys also want to look their best too! Listen to Diana Ganz and Jeanne Foley from the Groomsman Suit tell you how to get the perfect suit or tuxedo for your big day!
This is an interview with a bride and groom after their New Years Eve wedding. They talk about the planning process, how they made their decisions, why they chose the vendors they did, what advice they would give other couples that got married, and insights into how they made their wedding truly their's.
Listen to the inventors of the Wedding Pins company Big League Pins Angie and Kirsten talk about their wonderful creative little gift all your guests will LOVE!
Hear my interview with Lee Ripani from Bus Bank to learn what size bus or transposition you need for the number of guests. Discover the best questions to ask and what makes one transportation company better than another! Put on your seatbelt and get ready to become an expert in wedding transportation!
Listen to my interview with wedding shoe expert James Ciccotti to find out about what you need to know to get the perfect shoes for your big day!
You're invited to The West Loop WEDDING WALK! Meet Chicago's best wedding vendors and make a difference in the lives of another couple!
Get tickets here:? https://www.eventbrite.com/e/west-loop-wedding-walk-1st-annual-tickets-41180332483?aff=es2
Wish Upon a wedding is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit that grants weddings and vow renewals to couples facing serious illness or a life-altering circumstance.
Wish Upon a Wedding has helped over 118 couples say “I Do” since its launch in January 2010.
At Wish Upon a wedding, we believe that two people in love should never be denied the chance to marry their soul mate, and Wish Upon a Wedding provides this opportunity to those who have endured far greater challenges than many of us could possibly imagine.
In 2009, founder, Liz Guthrie, was producing a large scale wedding giveaway in San Francisco, she realized that there are so many couples in need, and so many generous business owners offering to donate their time and services to a deserving couple. She found herself wishing there was a way to donate dream weddings to couples across the country.
Wish Upon a Wedding allows countless of other wedding and hospitality professionals, to help people celebrate love, while encouraging those in the event planning industries to give selflessly to others.
Listen to life-celebrant Bonnie Cortez from ChosenwithBonnie to learn ways you can make your ceremony meaningful and authentic. Hear great tips to ensure that your wedding goes smoothly and something you and your guests will always cherish with Bonnie as your Celebrant.
Tayler Cusic - Hollman and Katherine Oyer gives the insights as to what a wedding planner does and why you need one for your big day!
Listen to Gino's East Pizza Expert Rachael Bayor talk about all the ways you can encorporate Pizza for your wedding!
Having a Type A personality can make your life much more organized. It's a wonderful and important trait for all of us to have to some extent. Maybe you think you can use your organzing skills to plan your own wedding. Think again. Find out why!
Get great insights from the wonderful day-of wedding coordinator, Courtney Bollettino, owner of Bollo Hollow Weddings. She'll tell you why having a coordinator can make your wedding so much better. Here are some stories of how she was able to step in and save the day! Find out what makes one coordinator better than another and how to get the best results when working with a day-of coordinator.
With the new year coming quickly. You better be ready! Listen to the world's great wedding marketing expert, Alan Berg to find out the secrets to online marketing and how to communicate with brides in 2018! Alan speaks ro wedding vendors around to the world has written doezen of books about how to improve your wedding business!
We live in challenging times. Brides and Vendors have more ways to communicate than ever. Unfortunately, everyone also has shorter attention spans than ever. This disconnect has made the process for brides to book their vendors more challenging than ever. It's also a challenge for the vendors. What's the best way to stand out from the crowd? What's the best way to communicate with their potential clients? What mistakes are both brides and grooms making when chooing their vendors? Listen to sales expert Maria Bayer Gauer give you the insights into how to buy and sell in 2017!
Expert contract attorney Daliah Saper will talk about how to create contracts to protect both the client as well as the wedding vendors. Having a solid contract in place is crucial for both parties. Learn what you need to include and what you don't for your next contract! This is one of the most important shows we've ever done! Call-ins are welcome!
Listen the president of one nation's biggest wedding showcase The Wedding Salon Tatiana. She talks about how to get the most out working and attending bridal shows. If you're a vendor, find the how to set up your booth to get the most amount of leads. If you're a bride, find out the best tips for meeting the vendors you are most interested in learning about for your big day.
Learn from Chicago top tanning expert Jen Dieas from Golden Girl Chicago. She will give you insights about how to get the perfect tan for your wedding day!
Have you ever dreamed about having your wedding at a resort in Mexico? Having your ceremony on a beach? We'll listen to Wedding Detination Expert Marilyn Cairo. She is the Co-Founder of Director of Marketing for Ask Me Inc and Romance Director for Paradisus Resorts.
Ever wonder what's the best way to deal with tricky situations such as stepfathers, who to invite and how to always so the right thing for your wedding. Listen to America top Wedding Etiquit expert Lizzie Post. She is the great great grandaughter of the mother of ettiquite Emily Post. Lizzie has appeared on the Today Show, Martha Stewart and is the author of numerous books about the best way to always do the right thing in every situation including planning your wedding!
28-year-old entrepreneur Zabi Kator is no stranger to what it means to start from the bare minimum, with growing fast company guardNOW, within nine months he has managed to open 5 franchises including Los Angeles (home base), the Bay Area and New York. GuardNOW provides skilled professional security guards who know what to do in the event of an unforeseen incident. Guards are able to come to a location in just two hours without the need of a long term contract. Clients include small businesses, residences where the owners may be out of town, neighborhood surveillance, construction sites or vacant building that needs to be supervised. guardNOW also caters to special events for weddings, bar mitzvahs, quinceneras, and birthday parties. Specializing in nontraditional security guard services, guardNOW offers premium service for safety and security needs.
You've done all the prep work. Hired the best vendors, found the perfect venue, chosen the perfect flowers and most delicious food. There's one thing you can do that will determine how your guests will feel about your wedding, positively or negatively. Listen to find out what it is!
Listen to owner of Sana Vita Studio, Marilyn D'Andrea, talk about all of the health benefits of Pilates.
Listen to Cheryl Bayma Bank from Shutterbooth as she tells you everything you ever wondered about hiring and getting the best results from a photobooth at your wedding!
Listen to Wedding Bandleader David Rothstein explain why you shouldn't judge the quality of something based on only one experience with it.
So much of wedding planning is all about the brides. In this episode of Wedding 101, however, we are going to focus on the guys. Get some great tips from Stephanie as to how the groom can really look his best from head to toe for the big day!
Are you considering getting a creative cake made for your wedding? Listen to creative cake expert Naomi Levine of Tipsy Cake. She'll guide you through the entire process, from your first meeting to cutting the cake at your wedding. Find out ways of how she is able to create a cake that helps you express your unique personalities and share with all your guests what you love. I certainly learned a lot during the interview and I know you will too. Enjoy the show!
Sometimes the extra 10% of effort can make all the difference between a wedding that is good vs. getting a wedding that is truly spectacular. All the little extra efforts can make all the difference!
Anthony Navarro is the owner of Stand Up Chicago the city's most popular gay/lesbian marriage website. In today's show he'll be discussing the recent ruling by the Supreme Court as well the state of same sex marriage is the nation. http://i-standup.org
Planning a wedding includes dealing with vendors and services which offer a wide variety of prices and is not always a propoartionate amount of quality. David will discuss why the cost shouldn't be a big of a factor as you think when booking your vendors.
Think it's a great idea to have your family and friends help out with some aspects of your wedding? Listen to this episode and find out why you will not only ruin your wedding, but also your relationship with that person.
You've bought cars before, but now that you're married there's a lot more to take into consideration. Listen to the ultimate car guy Paul Brian host of WLS Cars Chicago.
There are music companies that claim they are a "real band" instead of a "wedding band". Here's the reasons why that makes no sense and limits the quality of your wedding. As president and bandleader of one of the nation's top bands, David Rothstein explains the myth of a "real band".
Learn from expert wedding ring and jeweler Rod Kadet. His family has been in the jewelry business for over 100 years. He is the son of legendary Rogers & Hollands Jewelers founder Jewel Kadet. Rod has developed himself into one of the premier jewelry designers and wedding ring consultants in Chicago.
There's are some crucial mistakes many bride and grooms make for their reception. Listen to David Rothstein explain what the problems are, why is so important to prevent and how you can easily prevent it from happening to your reception.
David Rothstein gives listeners some insight as to why it's crucial to use ceremony musicians for your ceremony and reception musicians for your reception.
Listen to David Rothstein as he talks about The 5 most important words for a great wedding.
David Rothstein, the host of Wedding 101 and Owner of David Rothstein Music will be talking about how Dancing Between Courses works and the benefits of including it for your wedding!
Learn all about Wedding Guide Chicago. Laura gives lots of insights about what's it's like to own and operate one of Chicago's most popular wedding websites and magazines!
Learn from one of Chicago's Top Wedding Planners great tips for choosing the best vendors for your wedding. She also discusses how to resolve some of the family dynamics that happen with weddings. ryanalexanderevents.com 630-487-6935
Featured as one of the “125 Women in Chicago You Need to Know” by Crave Chicago, Susan has worked to establish The Left Bank as "The Soul of Paris in the Heart of Chicago" over the past 17 years. Her success speaks to her own insights as a collector of antique vintage jewelry – that consumers demand (and crave) quality and uniqueness. Today, The Left Bank has evolved into a petite haven for French-inspired gifts and a must-stop for brides shopping for beautiful wedding shoes, bridal accessories and a delightful place to indulge in bijoux and other small treasures, all with a French twist.
Master Carver Max Zuleta’s superlative ice sculptures transcend the common – his clean, clear and pure visions regularly push the limits of ice art. Max’s masterful creations are reflective of his celebrated artisanship and great passion for ice – as an artist he is among those uniquely aligned to his soul’s purpose. Ice sculpting since 1987 and recognized internationally, Max is ranked among the top ice sculptors in the world. His acclaimed and award-winning ice carvings have been featured in competitions and exhibitions in Alaska, Belgium Canada, Colombia, France, Germany, Holland, Mexico and Venezuela. Max regularly dialogues with many of the world’s great ice sculptors providing for a continuous exchange of ideas, tools and techniques to remain at the avant garde in ice sculpting worldwide.
Jon Wool is considered one of the special events and catering industry's foremost experts and personalities. Following his tenure as a Senior Vice President with Wolfgang Puck Catering, he established Finesse Cuisine Catering and Events, a boutique company that serves Chicago-land and beyond. Jon has appeared in dozens of local and national television features, speaks and conducts seminars at hospitality industry conferences, private corporations, and at institutions such as DePaul University, Chief Executives Board International, and the Coleman Center for Entrepreneurship. He has also served as an Adjunct Professor of Hospitality Management at Kendall College and he is central to the national Catersource Consulting Unit (CCU). Such assignments prompted Jon in 2010 to form his noted consulting and coaching unit, JHW Hospitality Consulting. A popular consultant, coach, and key speaker, Jon has been applauded for his warmth, humor, and ability to clearly communicate complex concepts. Prior to his life in hospitality, Jon received a BFA in acting from Carnegie Mellon University’s prestigious theatre conservatory. For many years, he lived the actor’s life in New York, appearing in soaps, popular movies such as Wall Street and television's The Untouchables, as well as in national and regional theater. He jokes that he was such a talented actor that he became a caterer. However, his entertaining experience has inspired Jon to consider each hospitality and speaking engagement a great piece of theater and to bring to each presentation a director's eye for fantastic players and show stopping success.
Loreen Hospodar is an artist working and living in Chicago’s West Loop where she runs her business, Reenie Rose. Reenie Rose specializes in creating custom oil paintings of bridal bouquets in an effort to eliminate the dusty, dried up bouquet that is leftover after a wedding. This alternative method of “preserving” a bouquet results in a couple having a timeless keepsake of a piece of art that tastefully alludes to their wedding and can be passed down for years to come. Loreen also dabbles in day of wedding services, murals, crafty projects and anything else she can get some paint on to. As a graduate from Grand Valley State University in Michigan, she tries to return to her alma mater often to speak to the art students there in hopes of inspiring them to pursue their artistic dreams. Loreen has a few events coming up. Martha Stewart Wedding Party, FORM & April in Paris at The Left Bank, as well as the registry option on her recently updated website.
John Zale has been involved in the Video Production industry since the mid-80’s when most finished products were delivered on VHS tape. As Executive Producer, John teams with local and national talent to produce Video and Film “Shorts” to assist Small and Medium size businesses Market their Companies on the Web. John continues to be involved with the Wedding Film Industry as Creative Director for Chicago Cinematic Weddings, a local Video and Film production company owned by Scott & Barb Scheman. Chicago Cinematic Weddings specializes in Same Day Wedding Films where highlights of the Wedding Day are shown at the reception. John is also involved in Video Education both in the Midwest as well as nationally through professional groups such as the Illinois Videographers Association and the Wedding and Event Videographers Association.
Having designed and produced his first event, a casually sophisticated country tented wedding, in 1982, John has devoted virtually his entire career to the art of fine event design. John originally worked with premier design firms in Boston and is now marking his eleventh anniversary with Heffernan Morgan Ronsley Designs, the preeminent event design house of Chicago. He has staged events in all corners of New England and the Mid West as well as in Europe. While intimate boutique weddings and dinners are a personal favorite, John is one of only a handful of designers known for flawlessly developing and executing decor for glamorous large scale weddings and galas.
With a keen eye for editing out extraneous filler elements, John's events are marked by a highly polished and understated elegance. Each and every detail is important to him, and how the guest experiences those details is part and parcel to the design process. John's events are frequently the subject of countless imitators and frequently appear in all the top event industry publications.
Wedding Marketing Expert Alan Berg will be giving his perspective on the highly controversial 20/20 ABC show "Wedding Confidential" hosted by Elizabeth Vargas. He has tweeted directly with Elizabeth. Read his open letter he wrote to her HERE: http://alanberg.com/an-open-letter-to-2020-and-elizabeth-vargas-re-the-real-wedding-industry/ Alan is regarded as one of the very top marketing gurus in the nation. Don't miss this show!
20/20 ran a very controversial program about the unethical aspects of the wedding industry hosted by Elizabeth Vargas. Wedding Marketing Expert Chris Evans who was interviewed on the show will give his perspective about the show.
How did a young, newlywed account executive at an ad agency end up being a mother of two who owns and operates a wedding cake company and mail order gourmet sweets webstore? Mary wanted a change – to combine her passion for art and baking. It just made sense. For Mary, wedding cake creation was the perfect way to make something beautiful that was more than just a work of art, but delicious as well. Sure, school was an option, but she decided that experience was way more important at that stage in her life, so, Mary experimented at home, which highly benefited her neighbors— who got to vote on which cakes they liked best, and her children— who got to eat the spoils. Mary started Take The Cake by subletting a small area in a catering kitchen, but it wasn't long before she found herself in a bigger kitchen with a bigger oven. She initially focused on cake but truly loved all pastry. The growth of ecommerce presented an opportunity to share new products with people who appreciated high quality, delicious sweets no matter how close or far from Chicago they were. That's how chocolate gourmet came into being. Somehow, the two companies kept crossing over, a little like country music. That was when Mary knew that this domestic partnership needed to become "official" – the marriage of take the cake and chocolate gourmet resulted in “Cake” – the destiny of two separate companies born from the same passion.
Did you see the 20/20 ABC Show Wedding Confidential? Meet one of the guests on the show wedding marketing expert, Chris Evans. David And Chris discuss the most controversial TV Show about the Wedding Industry!
GBG's CEO, Kate L. Harrison, has a JD in Environmental Law and a Master's from Yale in Environmental Policy. She planned her own green wedding in 2007 and wrote the bestselling green wedding book The Green Bride Guide: How to Plan an EarthFriendly Wedding on Any Budget (Sourcebooks, 2008). In 2009, she founded www.greenbrideguide.com to help couples use their weddings to promote social and environmental change and support the local green economy. The site also has a green gift registry and wedding shop. In 2010, she created the country's first green wedding professional certification class - a four week, online course - with the Wedding Planning Institute to help wedding planners learn about eco-friendly alternatives. Kate is also a regular contributor for Forbes, The Huffington Post, Whole Living, The Bridal Guide, Elephant Journal, Shecky's, The Daily Meal, Wedding Wire, My Wedding, Patch, and has been seen on Better TV, News 12 On The Money, Fox, CBS4, News 7 Denver, CW2, WBFF Fox45, MSNBC's Elevator Pitch: Green Weddings and Get Married's Celebrity Wedding Dish.
Bill has a widely diverse background in his chosen field of catering. He has achieved success in such varied markets as Chicago, Vail, Denver, Maui, Madison, Memphis, and Hamburg, Germany. He matriculated from The University of Massachusetts, having earned dual degrees in Business Administration and Hotel and Restaurant Administration. Having eighteen years of experience specifically in the Chicago catering arena, Bill maintains his passion for weddings and exclusive catered special events and feels that his reputation is strongly grounded in an understanding of customer satisfaction and his innate ability to exceed expectations for all his clients' personal preferences. Bill's expertise, care and special knowledge will be a helpful resource to anyone planning their wedding at the historic Drake Hotel.
Laura Jolcover, CORT Event Furnishings Midwest Account Executive With over 20 years in Sales and Marketing her proven experience, unique style and what she calls a “common sense approach” to selling and life have commended her successful results. Currently Laura holds the position of Midwest Account Executive for CORT Event Furnishings and can be reach at 630-333-2952 or e-mail as laura.jolcover@cort.com
We'll be talking about what the process of planning their wedding has been like so far. This is a couple that has recently booked everything for their 9.14.13 wedding. They've done a LOT of research into all kinds of things related to their wedding planning, including researching 13 venues and dozens of vendors before making their final decision. Find out what they liked and didn't like about the vendors they reviewed, no names will be mentioned of course. If you're a vendor and ever wanted to get into the mind of a bride and groom you MUST check this out. If you're a bride or groom, you'll get great advice from a fellow couple as to making the best choices for your wedding.
3 Hearts Boutique is run by two sisters Shelly Patoff-Becker and Molly Patoff who are passionate about their business and customer service. Shelly L. Becker & her sister Molly Bernard Patoff founded the 3 Hearts inc. with a mission to bring out a woman’s natural beauty with the beauty of diamonds. The 3 intertwining hearts represent more than just a beautiful image. The hearts; your heart, our heart, and their heart, are all connected just as we are all connected when using our hearts to give back and help others. A simple glance at the linked hearts will help remind us to slow down and use our heart as it was intended; to reach out and support those who need our help. They do a custom bridal line, and have a lot of knowledge on what to look for and where to go.
Marley Bellwood has been in the events industry since she moved to Chicago in 2006. She began in large scale catering with Blue Plate during their record revenue year of 2006-2007. After working in the catering industry a few years she directed her attention outside of food, particularly creative concepting with The Revel Group. When the opportunity arose to manage River East Art Center in late November of 2010, she jumped at the chance. In only her second year as Director of Sales, REAC is projected to double the revenue of 2011. She attributes this fact to more flexible rental fees, encouraging a higher number of non-profit bookings, who have simultaneously shown dramatic increases in their organizations' fundraising revenues. Philanthropically, she is the vice president of the board for Tickled Pink Chicago, a fundraising event group benefitting Bright Pink, a national non-profit focusing on the prevention & detection of breast & ovarian cancers in young women. She is also the Historian for the Junior Board of Urban Initiatives -which provides health & education programming to Chicago Public School kids through sports.
After four years of undergraduate study at Wheaton College, Jim continued to graduate school at Bethel Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota and gained his Masters of Divinity in Pastoral Ministry. He served six years in parish ministry until financial realities led him into business in 1981. Two years later in March of 1983, a neighbor asked Jim if he was still "legal". Confirming that, Jim married his neighbors and friends and began a journey through the last thirty years and more than 5000 couples. He is known for his warmth, approachability and professionalism. His secret is, the wedding is about the bride and groom and their story. He brings a skill set and experience to celebrate their relationship. While everyone Jim marries is a celebrity, some couples are recognizable television and athletic personalities. All of them share the excitement of making their day special. Ongoing relationships have provided opportunities to share in baptisms, counseling, funerals and just being friends. As Jim is celebrating his 30th year as Rent-a-Rev, the privilege of sharing in people's lives is even more special. We are all different, yet we are all the same. Love, honor, respect and joy bring the best meaning to life. Jim shares life with Marg, his wife of nearly 38 years. They share a son and daughter and their families which include 5 grandchildren. Learn more about Jim and connect with him at: www.rentarev.com
We are excited to introduce our newest styling talent, Angela. She was personally referred to us by our contacts at Schwarzkopf Professional Color and from the way they spoke so highly of her, we knew had to meet her! We soon learned why such a respected leader in our industry would sing her praises. Angela has impressed us from day one with her passion for her work and her professionalism as a successful and sought-after stylist in Chicago. Angela started her career assisting the owner of Chicago’s Salon Duo and proceeded to spend the next 11 years there cultivating her skills and focusing on building her own loyal clientele. Obviously not one to flit from salon to salon on a whim, Angela took much care when deciding that she was ready to spread her wings and experience a new environment, while still maintaining her innate sense of professionalism and client care, of course!
Ritz-Carlton Chicago (A Four Seasons Hotel) was the first luxury hotel in Chicago. Nestled behind Water Tower Place Shopping Center, the hotel features an amazing Ballroom with floor to ceiling windows of views of the surrounding city and a dramatic 400,000 piece crystal chandelier, along with the Concorde Room as a Junior Ballroom. The hotel features amazing event space with Chicago feel, but with Four Seasons service and quality that you would expect. Amanda Belton is the Assistant Director of Catering at the Ritz-Carlton Chicago and has been with the hotel for almost five years now in total. Starting as a Catering Manager for four years and then leaving for a brief stint to open the newly opened Pump Room and PUBLIC Chicago only to return back to her “home” as Assistant Director of Catering at the Ritz. Amanda has and continues to work with some of the most fantastic weddings in Chicago, bringing together all the components that the couple wants combined with the culinary teams amazing cuisine. Amanda enjoys staying in touch with couples and loves nothing more then to hear “my wedding was absolutely perfect, exactly what we expected from the hotel, thank you!”
Coming from a theatrical design background and a successful career in New York, I decided to indulge in my love for all things paper and my obsession for beautiful typography and become a graphic designer. The first time I accompanied a friend to select her wedding invitations I was amazed to find how difficult it was to find exactly what she was looking for. Nothing was just as she imagined and there seemed to be too many compromises. It didn’t take long to decide to design them ourselves. After helping her with all the details of her wedding, I was hooked. I found the wedding invitations to be a wonderful contrast to the corporate graphic design and branding that comprised most of my business. I loved finding luxurious papers and using different printing techniques to make every invitation truly special. It was wonderful to be part of the process and to work with people on such a special event in their lives. Many of the brides and grooms we have worked with have become treasured friends. Over the years, the business has grown. We moved from our tiny one room studio to our trendy Lincoln Park boutique, full of gifts and wonderful invitations from all the talented designers I have admired for years. As jobs go, it doesn’t get much better than this!
After graduating school with degrees in Creative Writing and Filmmaking, Matt Buckman took a job in advertising where he met his future partner, Lori Roche. Matt found himself filming the weddings of his co-workers, so he and Lori decided to make wedding filmmaking their new career. They quit their jobs and I Do Films was born. With Matt's creative eye and Lori's creative mind, I Do Films was an instant success. By their second year in business, they were already filming nearly 50 weddings per year and had added three other staff members. Today, I Do Films works all over the world shooting nearly 60 weddings per year with studios in both Chicago and Arizona and have expanded into commercial work during the wedding off-season.
Fancy Candies is the collaborative creation of Two Sisters … Liz and Deb … whose childhood memories of Grandma’s tins filled with delightful cookies, best-ever brownies and melt-in-your mouth candies … and of Comerio’s Bakery, the local Italian landmark in their hometown of Herrin, Illinois, where customers lined up on Sunday nights for hot, homemade donuts, old-fashioned, hand-rolled cream horns, and pecan rolls that were as sticky and chewy as they were delicious … and of the little 8-foot by 10-foot, white clapboard Bowen’s Ice Cream stand, where every amazing flavor of ice cream was homemade and hand-dipped into Chinese takeout containers … have lasted a lifetime and brought them to share their beautiful creations with you.
Who are The Wedding Yentas? The Wedding Yentas is an online community of brides, grooms, vendors, and well, yentas, who come to learn and dish all about weddings. Whether you’re involved in a traditional Jewish wedding, an interfaith wedding, or even a Jew-ish wedding, this is the online place for you — a wedding havurah, if you will. Alison Friedman owns and operates The Wedding Yentas and is a wannabe Carrie Bradshaw of all things wedding! Alison began planning her wedding at the age of 5 with the help of her Barbie and Ken dolls. She always loved everything about weddings and dreamed of finding the man to sweep her off her feet who would complete the most important element of the wedding day: love! The Wedding Yentas began because there was no other site like it on the Internet. So why is this site different from all other sites? You will always find fresh, daily posts covering everything from Real Jewish Weddings, explanations of traditions, DIY ideas, the latest wedding trends, and giveaways! A fun, conversational experience is what you should find here because, after all, it’s all about being in the company of Yentas. You can also find a growing Vendor Directory filled with elite wedding professionals who can help make your day absolutely perfect!
Dr. Yana Dubinsky is a licensed Senior Clinical Psychologist and Director of Internship Training of Primary Care Psychology Associates, LLC (PCPA). She received her master’s and doctoral degrees in Clinical Psychology from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology and completed her Internship training at the Counseling Center of Baruch College, of the City University of New York. Prior to that she attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she completed a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Dr. Dubinsky has experience providing therapy to individuals and couples and she primarily works with adults and older adolescents. Dr. Dubinsky is fluent in Russian. Her therapeutic style is best described as integrative, utilizing the framework that she sees as most helpful to each individual or couple that she works with. She builds upon the foundation of interpersonal psychotherapy and integrates aspects of other approaches, primarily mindfulness (incorporating the mind and body connection) and cognitive behavioral psychotherapy. Her view is that the therapist/patient relationship is collaborative, with both therapist and patient working together to help understand the patient and the patients’ difficulties more clearly. Dr. Dubinsky recently completed a Certificate program in Primary Care Behavioral Health with The University of Massachusetts Medical School, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. Dr. Dubinsky is recognized by the National Registry of Health Service Providers in Psychology.
Joann Ambriz is the President and CEO of Formally Modern Tuxedo. A graduate of Purdue University, Joann has been in the tuxedo business for over 30 years. After growing a local tuxedo company to 27 stores, the ownership decided to sell to a large conglomerate. Joann & her partner Brian Schellhase decided to open Formally Modern to keep the small business alive and customer service as the fore front of their growing company. Joann completed the Harry Friedman retail sales program and then became an instructor for the program. She was also involved with TAG America group, a collaboration of wedding industry (bridal & tuxes) from around the country who's purpose was to improve the industry by improving the product and customer service offered. Joann has received several awards from the Schaumburg Business Association as well as from The Taylor Group, which is the largest wedding invitation manufacturer, for Business of the Month or Year.
All your questions answered on choosing how much alcohol to purchase, to what kind of wine and spirits to choose for your big day! Jeff started working wih Binny's on a part time basis while he was finishing school. After graduating, he moved up in the company and eventually became the general manager of a location. In his seven years in the business, he has been directly responsible for ordering and bringing in new products in Binny's beer, wine and liquor sections. Along the way, he began helping customers out with larger orders mainly for weddings as they would walk into the store for help. Based on levels of customer service, beverage packages provided and relationships with venues, event planners and caterers he built from a few walk in customers a business that does over 200 wedding packages per year. It is Jeff's goal to give his customers everything they want for the lowest cost in Illinois.
MEET OUR GUEST: Santa Fe native Colin Lyons was raised in a family with a great appreciation for photography and film. Before enrolling at the Art Institute of Chicago, Colin studied with a former Time Magazine photographer, and in 2009 Colin became a guest teacher at the Art Institute. Colin's work has been featured in various magazines, including Modern Luxury's Chicago Social and Chicago Social Brides. He brings a dynamic and artistically informed photographic style to your wedding.
Sue Becker is he founder and owner of From Piles to Smiles® organizing and productivity service. My passion is helping people develop organizational systems so they can grow and thrive in the life they were meant to live. As a full-time working professional and parent, I know the positive impact of an organized home and business – there’s a peacefulness and joy that comes from feeling in control and having time to enjoy the things that really matter in life. I can help you create customized systems to conquer your piles of paperwork, pare down your overwhelming clutter, and streamline your jam-packed schedule. I’ve helped thousands of people around the world create substantial change by organizing and simplifying their lives. I am also a frequent speaker to corporations and organizations across the country.
I am a featured author in the book Conversations on Success along with sales legends Tom Hopkins and Danny Cox, and communications expert Dr. John Gray. In addition, I have written articles for, and been featured in, numerous local and national newspapers and magazi
Frost Lighting We offer imaginative production solutions designed to make your event distinctive and unique. Our experienced design staff can help blend all of your technical needs with a creative balance of form, function and style to create a one of a kind event. From beginning to end we are the team player you’re looking for to accomplish your goal with an uncompromised level of service and attention.
MEET OUR GUEST: Debi Lillyis a nationally renowned event-planning expert based in Chicago. She is the founder and president of A Perfect Event – Chicago’s most successful special event company with a faithful (and famous) following, including Oprah Winfrey. Known and recognized as a premier event and wedding planner, she continually serves as an industry expert for such publications as InStyle Magazine, Martha Stewart Weddings, Bride’s, Modern Bride, Bridal Guide, Modern Luxury’s Chicago Social Magazine, Chicago Magazine, and The Groom’s Guide.
Andre LaCour, Master Photographer, CR, is an award-winning photographer with more than 25 years of experience capturing relationships and important moments in the lives of his clients. Andre’s sophisticated and distinctive approach is grounded in the principles of art, and combines the best of photojournalism, classic and fine art styles. One of Chicago’s most established and reputable wedding photographers, Andre will photograph his one thousandth wedding in the summer of 2010. His portfolio of work includes all aspects of wedding, portrait and fashion photography.
Susan Cordogan is the president and owner of Big City Bride. She is the lead wedding planner of the entire company. They have planned over 4,000 fabulous weddings since they started in 2000. Susan gives her expertise on wedding planning and advice to couples who are looking to hire a wedding planner for full service or day of. She will give listeners some real insights in how to get the best results for working with the best the wedding planner that fits your budget and your needs.
Elizabeth earned a Bachelor of Arts in Dance from Marymount Manhattan College in New York City. In addition to performing internationally in India, France and Japan, Elizabeth was a featured dancer for Holland America Cruise Lines. She performed with the Valerie Alpert Dance Company and the Chicago Honey Bear Dancers. Her choreography has been presented at Marymount Manhattan College, the Merce Cunningham Studio in NYC, Rebound Dance in Chicago, Links Hall, Lifeline Theatre and the Athenaeum Theatre. 12 years ago she moved to Denver and started the Elizabeth Marberry Dance Studio. She has a national reputation as one of the top Wedding Dancing coaches in the nation. Learn insights into getting the results for your first dance, father/daughter and mother/son dances. You will even learn how to put together you're very own flash mob! Hope you enjoy the show!
Ilana Greene and David Rothstein will interview John Rudy, Vice President at Food For Thought Catering. David Rothstein is a celebrity wedding specialist. Ilana Greene is an active reporter for Forbes, Chicago Now (Tribune blog) and many others.
The Wedding 101 Radio Show is a weekly radioblog broadcast through our website. The radio show is designed to be a helpful resource for both brides and grooms as well as wedding professionals. It will give listeners real insights from the top wedding vendor professionals in the nation. Each week we will feature a wedding professional from a different aspect of wedding planning: Photographers, Caterers, Wedding Planners, Florists, Venues, Marketers, and many more. These interviews will give you a lot of great ideas about how to get the best results for your wedding. Wedding vendors can also learn from fellow professionals. If you have an idea for a guest, please let us know. We hope you enjoy our radio show! Our very first guest is Wedding Marketing Expert Alan Berg
Alan is a popular and in-demand speaker for live and virtual meetings and events. His book "If your website was an employee, would you fire it?" is getting rave reviews as are his new DVDs. David Rothstein is a celebrity business owner. He owns a successful wedding and music business. Ilana Greene is a graduate of Cornell, Harvard and LSE. She is an active reporter for Forbes, Chicago Now (Tribune blog), Street.com and many others.