The Business of Luxury Weddings James × Schulze

As luxury shifts from conspicuous consumption to conscious consumption, we have to change how we think about the services we provide. It’s not that people are spending less money, they are just choosing to spend smarter, and putting more meaning behind every buying choice.
 
In the luxury travel space, crafting a great experience shouldn’t start with the location, it starts with the feeling people are seeking. It’s about focusing on the ingredients of the experience rather than the deliverable. What they want, not where they want.
 
This is especially true in the destination wedding space - where travel intersects with celebration, meaning, and connection. How do we deliver experiences driven by meaning, not money? What is the secret to building relationships with luxury vendors? Where is luxury travel headed and what does it mean for weddings?
 
In today’s episode, we’re joined by travel industry icon and founder and partner of EMBARK Beyond, Jack Ezon. He shares his journey, what sets his team apart, and why travel matters. He also shares luxury trends in the wedding industry and beyond.
 
Guest Bio
Jack Ezon is a travel industry icon and founder and partner of EMBARK Beyond. ​​More than a travel agency, EMBARK Beyond is a luxury travel advisory dedicated to creating thoughtfully designed experiences that go beyond a destination. Jack was the longtime president of one of the largest and most successful luxury travel companies in the United States. Over his 15 years as president, he found explosive growth in the business (100x growth in annual sales), and made close connections with global industry leaders. Together with Founding Partners Eli Ashear and Julie Danziger, Jack recognized the need to evolve as our clients’ demands and industry trends did. Thus sparking the idea for EMBARK Beyond! Focused first on client needs, they have built relationships with the world’s most sought-after lifestyle and fashion brands to open the world - beyond imagination - to their clients. The EMBARK Beyond team is comprised of some of the most respected names in the travel industry. Their closest friends include the world’s top hotel owners, general managers, global sales directors, tour operators, airline leaders, and cruise directors.
Go to https://www.embarkbeyond.com/ for more information and follow @embarkbeyond on Instagram.  
 
Want a clear and comprehensive roadmap on how to succeed in the luxury wedding market? Check out the Business of Luxury Weddings course. You’ll learn the entire business model and thought process - so you can sign consistent 5-figure contracts, build a powerful network of the right people, and travel to iconic destinations. Learn more and join the waitlist at SageJourney.co.

Every human being has moments where inspiration strikes them, but not everyone will chase it. A great creative concept, collaboration, or business idea can fade because you’re scared to put it out there.
 
Not for Sofia Crokos.
 
She goes down every avenue of creativity from fashion and weddings to food and flowers. Her secret: manifesting, chasing beauty, and acting on inspiration without limitation. Instead of saying ‘no’ or ‘not now’ to an idea she engages with it and goes after it.
 
Because of this, her pursuits aren’t just successful - they also fulfill her and pull her to the next incredible idea. How does she stay inspired as she gets pulled in different directions? Why is the pursuit of beauty the thing that drives her life and business?
 
In this episode, we’re excited to be joined by the luxury event planner, restaurateur, and founder of Sofia Crokos Events & Lifestyle. Sofia shares how she went from fashion to weddings, how her restaurant came about, and all the incredible ways she chases beauty and inspiration in everything she does. 
 
Guest Bio
Sofia Crokos is a luxury event planner, restaurateur, and founder of Sofia Crokos Events & Lifestyle. She’s also a connector, a collaborator, a creator; qualities that turn her clients’ great expectations into luxurious, elevated realities. Sofia Crokos Events & Lifestyle has perfected the art of entertaining. Since 1998, Crokos and her agency have offered unparalleled style and service, luxurious design, and expertly orchestrated events to the most discerning clientele. Internationally renowned for their personalized philosophy, impeccable eye for detail, boundless creativity, and infectious positivity, Sofia Crokos Events & Lifestyle champions a hands-on approach to every aspect of a celebration, no matter the size. This exceptional insight into the world of luxury events, paired with relationships with the most prestigious vendors around the globe, allows every client to experience these unforgettable moments with a sense of ease and levity, while also earning Sofia Crokos Events & Lifestyle recognition as one of the premiere event agencies in the industry. For more information, go to https://www.sofiacrokos.com/ and follow @sofiacrokosevents on Instagram. 
 
Want a clear and comprehensive roadmap on how to succeed in the luxury wedding market? Check out the Business of Luxury Weddings course. You’ll learn the entire business model and thought process - so you can sign consistent 5-figure contracts, build a powerful network of the right people, and travel to iconic destinations. Learn more and join the waitlist at SageJourney.co.

When your successful planning business has a thriving floral arm, why would you shut it down? To make room for more creativity and collaboration! Most people wouldn’t dream of ending something that’s doing so well, but that could be keeping us from what we really want.
 
If a business is just chugging along, it’s easier to keep going as is. Shaking things up is actually so much harder than staying the same, but as entrepreneurs, we often have to let go to level up. We have to close down something good to make room for something exceptional.
 
This is what By Bello’s Lindsey Morgan realized, so she made the decision and took the leap. How did she come to the realization that she had to close her floral business? What new awesomeness has this created space for? What are the keys to her business growth and success?
 
In this episode, she talks about her journey, the power of taking action, and how she has created multiple streams of income in her business. 
 
Guest Bio
 
Lindsey Morgan is the owner and creative director of By Bello and Bespoke by Bello. Passionate about marrying natural landscapes with distinctive event design, Lindsey has been nationally recognized for her inspired approach, building memorable parties from the ground up. Alongside her masterful team, Lindsey provides each client with a highly personalized experience, leaving both the celebrated and celebrating with an event they’ll remember for a lifetime. For more information, head to https://bybelloevents.com/.
 
Want a clear and comprehensive roadmap on how to succeed in the luxury wedding market? Check out the Business of Luxury Weddings course. You’ll learn the entire business model and thought process - so you can sign consistent 5-figure contracts, build a powerful network of the right people, and travel to iconic destinations. Learn more and join the waitlist at SageJourney.co.
 

When it comes to branding and approach, most photographers are focused on themselves. It’s all about their aesthetic and getting clients to fit into it. We make ourselves the thing our clients should aspire to. That was our approach for years…until we realized that it wouldn’t allow us to sustain real success in luxury.
 
So we switched to this: focusing on our clients; and instead of pigeonholing them, shifting our approach according to their needs. Many photographers would consider that selling out - why would we let clients dictate what we do, we’re the creatives after all.
 
Well, if we want to move up to premium and luxury, we have to deliver a lot more than creative talent. We have to craft an experience, and we can’t do that if we don’t take a client-focused approach.
 
How do we shift from ourselves to our clients? How does this approach allow us to build and sustain real success?
 
In this episode, we talk about the value of curating our brand around serving others instead of ourselves. 
 
Want a clear and comprehensive roadmap on how to succeed in the luxury wedding market? Check out the Business of Luxury Weddings course. You’ll learn the entire business model and thought process - so you can sign consistent 5-figure contracts, build a powerful network of the right people, and travel to iconic destinations. Learn more and join the waitlist at SageJourney.co.

Get to know your client and match yourself up to that. That’s the format of traditional marketing we’re taught to use. What if we could accomplish more by going about it in a completely different way? In luxury, cost isn’t the biggest factor in the decision making process - desire is. If we make people want our service, they will buy it.
 
Creating desire instantly makes us more sought-after, especially in a market segment  where exclusivity and uniqueness are the currency of buying choices. From the way we book client calls, to the photos we post on social media, we can use desire to increase the demand for our photography.
 
What steps can we take to make our services more desirable? How do we raise our prices and tap into a higher market segment? How can we build sustainable businesses while also having room to actually live our lives?
 
In this episode, we’re joined by the CEO and Founder of Photographer's Edit and host of the Bokeh podcast, Nathan Holritz. We talk about simple and practical steps we can take to make our services pull in the buyers we want. 
 
Guest Bio
Nathan Holritz is the CEO and Founder of Photographer's Edit and Cheezoo. He’s also the host of the Bokeh podcast. Starting in professional photography over 20 years ago, Nathan helped bring a modern style of premium wedding photography to the Chattanooga market via Holritz Photography.
 
While helping run Holritz Photography, Nathan saw both a personal and industry need for a company that could handle the post-processing of the thousands of images photographed at weddings. He created Photographer's Edit, a company geared toward providing a solution for professional photographers to outsource this post-processing following weddings and large events. The company was launched in 2008, and has since processed millions and millions of images for wedding, portrait, and commercial photographers. Head to https://www.photographersedit.com/ to find out more.
 
Want a clear and comprehensive roadmap on how to succeed in the luxury wedding market? Check out the Business of Luxury Weddings course. You’ll learn how to entire business model and thought process - so you can sign consistent 5-figure contracts, build a powerful network of the right people, and travel to iconic destinations. Learn more and join the waitlist at SageJourney.co.

For many photographers, weddings are a highly intimidating niche. The idea of shooting a once in a lifetime event, at the highest spectrum of emotions can be daunting.
 
And that’s before you add a luxury component to it.
 
Shooting that level of event and having that caliber of client comes with a lot, but the biggest thing is a shift in our own mindset.
 
To break into luxury and command those rates, you’re basically creating value overnight and that can understandably be a real challenge psychologically. We have to shake off the middle class mentality and start to think of events the way the ultra-wealthy do - it’s not about cost, it’s about want.
 
How do we start to occupy the luxury mindset? What are the key skills we need to have at this level? In this episode, we’re joined by photographers and co-hosts of the B&H Photography Podcast, Allan Weitz and Jill Waterman. We talk about luxury weddings, how to build a successful business in that space and the skills that take you to that next level. 
 
Guest Bio
 
Allan Weitz is a Photographer, Writer and host of the B&H Photography Podcast.
Jill Waterman is a Photographer, Writer, Storyteller and co-host of the B&H Photography Podcast.
 
Go to https://www.bhphotovideo.com/.