Wedding Safari Podcast: Recent Episodes
Milton Lawrence
Inside business and growth secrets from some of the top wedding industry professionals that are crushing the wedding industry.
Milton Lawrence Jr. reveals the wedding and event industries best business practices for connecting with brides and booking more weddings. The Wedding Safari is designed for both aspiring and seasoned wedding professionals looking to grow their wedding brands while attracting their perfect client. The Wedding Safari podcast closes the gap from good to great, broke to profitable and living to lifestyle.
On episode 006 of the Wedding Safari Podcast, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Winston and Suzanne Delawar, the dynamic father-daughter duo that are captivating the hearts of brides and grooms everywhere. With over twelve amazing years in the industry, they have set the bar and are constantly exceeding expectations in the wedding photography and cinematography space. Catapulting Suzanne Delewar Studios to work with A-list celebrities like Kevin Hart and Eniko Parrish, Gabrielle Union and Dwayne Wade to Wiz Khalifa and Amber Rose, they are a true force to be reckoned with. Their work has been featured on TV, in magazines and on websites such as ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, TMZ, BET, Martha Stewart Weddings, People Magazine, Harpers Bizarr, Brides Magazine, The Knot, Grace Ormonde Wedding Style and many more. If you are novice to the industry and want to hear from professionals that have set the precedent, you do not want to miss this transformational interview.
01:58 Getting Started 12 Years Ago
03:14 Teaching the Basics
05:09 5 Figure Weddings
07:45 Transitioning Beyond the Point of the Money
11:16 How important is Social Media
14:45 Impact on Inquiries
17:12 Unhappy Brides
18:55 Networking and Collaboration
21:00 Interns
27:00 Jewish MArketplace - Know How
29:07 What Inspires Suzanne
31:20 What’s Working, What’s Not
34:16 Where is Suzanne Delewar Studio Going in the Future
36:20 Industry Mistakes
41:10 Working with Celebrities
43:45 Knowing What you Know Now, What Would you Tell Yourself
Wedding Safari-Website- https://www.weddingsafaripodcast.com/ Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/groups/WeddingSafari/
Winston & Suzanne Delawar-Website- https://www.suzannedelawar.com
Twitter- https://twitter.com/SuzanneDelawar
Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/suzannedelawar/
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/suzannedelawarstudios
Credits Audio Editing- done by Willis Aybar
Music By- John Deley
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/milton-lawrence/message
On episode 005 of the Wedding Safari Podcast, New Orleans’ own full time professional wedding photographer Cierra Johnson Hicks is captivating with her vulnerability. This isn’t just a feel good episode, it's a real journey into the intricacies of true professional business ownership. If you have a family and have been teeter-tottering on whether to take a leap of faith into entrepreneurship, you don't want to miss this interview.
Time Stamp:
02:10 Getting Started
11:28 Holistic Approach to the Logistics, Photography and Weddings
16:36 Next Steps after Mentorship
18:30 Pricing
21:00 Social Media Takeoff
22:36 What Led to Making the Leap to Transition from Full Time Corporate Position
24:00 Transitioning
27:20 Real Life - Major Blows to My Leap of Faith
38:50 Lessons Learned
45:27 Is it Possible to Pursue Your Dreams and Provide Balance
48:00 Chasing your Dreams
55:24 Piece of Advice
56:48 To Jump or Not to Jump
Wedding Safari-Website- https://www.weddingsafaripodcast.com/ Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/groups/WeddingSafari/
Cierra Johnson-Hicks-Website- southernamore.com
Email- ciarra@southeramore.com
Facebook- Cierra Johnson-Hicks
Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/southernamore/
Pinterest https://za.pinterest.com/southernamoreLA/
Host: Milton Lawrence JrFacebook- https://www.facebook.com/miltonlawrencejr/ Website- http://www.miltonlawrencephotography.com/ Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/miltonlawrencejr/ Credits Audio Editing- done by Willis Aybar
Music By- John Deley
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/milton-lawrence/message
On episode 004 of the Wedding Safari Podcast, Lauren Atwaters is the “Icing on the Cake”. You've seen her work and didn't even know it was her craftsmanship. In this episode, between jazz hands and full-on transparency, Lauren’s candid conversation covers topics from the value of a branding and how to uniquely position yourself in the specialty design wedding marketplace, to pet peeves and identifying your “ideal client”.
With a passion for creativity from adolescents, when it was time for Lauren to get married, she took on several creative DIY projects, blogging tutorials along the way detailing the intricate details from table and floor runners, signage and more to make her wedding decor truly unique. Little did she know that simultaneously her Blog and tutorials were influencing others. As her following continued to grow, she began receiving requests to create and design items for other brides. She soon decided to open her first online shop (Etsy). Although this started as a hobby in the beginning years, she reached a point when she realized her potential and Ten23 Designs was born.
Time Stamp:
2:30 About Lauren Atwaters /Introduction
3:24 Getting Started
6:30 Value in a Blog
7:43 How to uniquely position yourself in the design marketplace.
12:12 Pet Peeves
13:45 Know your Avatar ( Imaginary Person)
16:09 Attracting Clients
16:45 Transitioning from and Attracting High-End Brides and Clients
19:53 Defining your Target Audience
24:43 Marketing/ Branding Strategy
28:30 Branding v. Marketing vs. Advertising
31:00 Put it Down on Paper
35:00 Handling difficult Clients
39:17 Importance of Collaboration
43:39 Fondest Memories and Greatest Rewards
47:05 Work-Life Balance
Wedding Safari-Website- https://www.weddingsafaripodcast.com/ Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/groups/WeddingSafari/
Lauren AtwatersWebsite- http://www.ten23designs.com/about-us
Email- info@ten23designs.com
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/ten23designs/
Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/ten23designs/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ten23designs
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/ten23/
Host: Milton Lawrence JrFacebook- https://www.facebook.com/miltonlawrencejr/ Website- http://www.miltonlawrencephotography.com/ Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/miltonlawrencejr/
Credits Audio Editing- done by Willis Aybar
Music By- John Deley
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/milton-lawrence/message
On episode 003 of the Wedding Safari Podcast, HOT-lanta native and celebrity custom cake designer LaMeeka Edwards discusses fopas, fondant and fortune while working in the cake design space. Starting as just a hobby and snowballing into designing for the likes of Neyo, Phaedra Parks and Kandi Burress, Cakes by Lameeka is a true love affair.
A technician by trade for the State of Georgia Telecommunications Division, LaMeeka started out by taking a few decorating classes here in there. At the request of fellow co-workers and friends to make “party” and wedding cakes, the transition was imminent. Shortly thereafter, budget cuts and layoffs affected the state government. While her love for cake decorating and design continued to grow, she was afforded the opportunity to pursue her passion full time.
Wedding Safari-Website- https://www.weddingsafaripodcast.com/ Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/groups/WeddingSafari/
LaMeeka Edwards-Website- http://www.cakesbylameeka.com/
Email- cakesbylameeka@hotmail.com
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/CakesByLaMeeka/
Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/cakesbylameeka/
Host: Milton Lawrence JrFacebook- https://www.facebook.com/miltonlawrencejr/ Website- http://www.miltonlawrencephotography.com/ Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/miltonlawrencejr/
Credits Audio Editing- done by Willis Aybar
Music By- John Deley
Music By- John Deley
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/milton-lawrence/message
On episode 002 of the Wedding Safari Podcast, Jamaican wedding planner and president of the Jamaica Wedding Professionals Association Ophelia Mcknight discuss ways wedding professionals can dive into one of the fastest growing segments of the wedding industry.
Jamaican born and bred with almost two decades of Toronto living, Ophellia McKnight has 20 years of wedding industry knowledge and experience. She is Jamaica wedding planning royalty, being the first formally registered wedding planner on the island. Her first company, then called The Bridal Affaire, has grown into an international destination wedding planning and design firm and rebranded to Bridal Affair Destinations ten years ago to support and refine her development in the industry.
Discussion Time Summary
2:46 What are you seeing presently in the destination space?
4:00 How to penetrate the destination wedding market?
4:44 Just getting started, how do you attract customers to build business?
5:01 Trial and Error
6:36 What to do when you want to get into the destination wedding space?
8:30 How to Branding within the Destination Wedding Market Place
12:00 Managing client expectation
14:14 How to position yourself to attract destination brides?
17:15 Importance of Collaboration
23:25 The Good, The Bad and the Ugly
24:02 What is one of the most rewarding aspects of being in the industry
30:00 Leveraging Mistakes
30:56 Working with Vendors who can’t support your brand.
35:07 Niche Market: Should or Shouldn’t you?
40:23 Work-Life Balance
53:40 Wat would you do differently?
Wedding Safari-Website- https://www.weddingsafaripodcast.com/
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/groups/WeddingSafari/
Guest: Ophellia McKnight
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/ophellia.mcknight
Facebook Page- https://www.facebook.com/TheDestinationCollective/
Website- http://www.thedestinationcollective.com/
Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/destinationcollective/
Host: Milton Lawrence JrFacebook- https://www.facebook.com/miltonlawrencejr/
Website- http://www.miltonlawrencephotography.com/
Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/miltonlawrencejr/
MentionsMunaluchi Bride Magazine- http://munaluchibridal.com/
The Coterie- https://vendors.munaluchibridal.com
CreditsAudio Editing- done by Willis Aybar
Music By- John Deley
Merrick Cousley of Merrick Cousley Photography
Dwayne Watkins of TeamDWP Studios
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/milton-lawrence/message
Setting the stage for the Wedding Safari Podcast, Milton Lawrence Jr. interviews Candice Coppola, business coach and lead planner at Jubilee Events. The discussion included but not limited to the current state of the Wedding industry, changes and adaptation, how to increase sales and the core fundamentals of getting started in todays wedding industry.
Facebook- www.facebook.com/groups/WeddingSafari/
Candice Coppola Bio
Twitter- https://twitter.com/candice_coppola
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/eventjubilee/
Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/ajubileeevent/
Website- http://eventjubilee.com/
The Signature CEO Conference- https://thesignatureceo.com/
Milton Lawrence Jr-
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/miltonlawrencejr/
Website- http://www.miltonlawrencephotography.com/
Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/miltonlawrencejr/
Twitter- https://twitter.com/miltonlawrence
Editing was done by Willis Aybar- https://www.instagram.com/willisaybar/
Cover Photo Credit: Carla Ten Eyck
Music By- John Deley
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/milton-lawrence/message