Wedding Planner Society Podcast

CWP Society - Laurie Hartwell, Founder & CEO
  • 5.0 (27)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

CWP Society is proud to produce the "Wedding Planner Society: Industry Expert Insights" podcast!Laurie Hartwell, award-winning Master Certified Wedding Planner, and Industry Educator, and founder & CEO of the CWP Society, discuss the real lives of wedding planners and professionals, dispense business tips, and share ways you can elevate yourself and your career in the wedding industry. Visit the CWP Society website for more information: www.cwpsociety.com

  1. 6d ago

    Grace For The Grace-Givers

    You can be the calm one in every crisis and still be quietly running on empty. Today, we’re naming the thing so many wedding planners and coordinators feel but rarely say out loud: we give grace away all day long, then hold ourselves to a harsher standard than anyone else ever could.  I’m sitting down with Tish Clay of Simone Elise Events, a master certified wedding planner and seasoned wedding pro who built a business alongside her husband while balancing real life, real emotions, and real limits. We talk about what burnout actually looks like in the wedding industry, including the sneaky early signs like irritation, drained social batteries, and the pressure to be “on” 24/7. We also get honest about the emotional labor behind client management and vendor communication, especially when you’re the person everyone expects to fix everything.  From there, we dig into practical self-care for wedding planners that doesn’t feel fluffy: boundaries that actually hold, what it means to stop carrying other people’s pain, and why professionalism and vulnerability can coexist. Tish shares the mindset shift that changed how she processes stress, including the simple but powerful practice of “feel your feelings” so they don’t pile up and take you out later.  If you’re ready to build a sustainable event planning business that protects your peace, listen now. Share this with a planner friend who needs it, and leave a review so more wedding pros can find the support they deserve. www.cwpsociety.com | info@cwpsociety.com | IG: @cwpsociety | FB: @cwpsociety

    Grace For The Grace-Givers

  2. Jul 14

    Busy vs Profitable

    A full calendar can feel like the ultimate sign of success in the wedding industry — until you notice your bank account doesn't reflect it. In this episode, we sit down with Matt Mitchell, co-founder and CEO of The Event Ledger, to talk about the quiet money problems that talented wedding planners and coordinators face when their business grows faster than their financial systems. Matt brings a rare combination of experience — years in high-net-worth finance and firsthand experience running his own wedding planning company — and he makes the numbers feel human instead of intimidating. We get honest about why profitability often lags behind demand: pricing on gut feel, ignoring real operating expenses, and treating owner pay as whatever's left over. Matt walks us through a more grounded approach to pricing, starting with what you actually need to take home, then layering in expenses, taxes, and realistic event capacity. We also get into the practical side of bookkeeping — how separate accounts for operating, taxes, and owner pay can instantly change your decision-making, and why consistent tracking beats a once-a-year scramble. If slow season makes you panic, we cover the tools that smooth it out: a yearly budget, a cash flow forecast, and reserves that build month by month. The takeaway is simple and powerful: your numbers are data, not a verdict — and you can't fix what you won't face. For information about the Wedding Planner Certifications and membership options with the CWP Society visit CWPSociety.com www.cwpsociety.com | info@cwpsociety.com | IG: @cwpsociety | FB: @cwpsociety

    Busy vs Profitable

  3. Jul 9

    The Four R's For Venue Referrals

    A venue coordinator forms an opinion about us fast, sometimes before they’ve seen a single timeline or ceremony setup. That snap judgment becomes the difference between being tolerated for one wedding and being the planner they recommend every time a couple asks, “Who do you trust here?” We break down what actually earns venue referrals, and it’s not a bigger portfolio or more years in business. It’s a set of repeatable habits that make the venue team’s day easier.  We walk through the Four R's for building strong venue relationships: read, respect, respond, and remember. Reading the venue packet and policies before the walkthrough sounds basic, but it instantly changes the quality of our questions and the confidence we project to clients. Respect shows up in who we address in the room and whether we treat the catering manager and venue coordinator like true partners. Respond is the moment-of-truth skill on wedding day: when the timeline shifts or a vendor is delayed, we communicate early, bring solutions, and keep the venue in the loop. Remember is the follow-up almost no one does, a specific note that names a person and a moment, and it’s one of the cheapest ways to land on a preferred vendor list.  Then Nikki Rogers, owner and Master Certified Wedding Planner for The Serendipity Collective, joins us with 20 years of wedding planning experience from both sides of the ballroom doors. We talk about why venues protect their reputation, how “bossy” behavior hurts not just one planner but the entire industry, and what real leadership looks like when we’re bridging dozens of moving pieces. If you want better vendor relationships, smoother timelines, and a reputation that gets you booked again and again, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a planner friend, and leave a review so more pros can find the show. www.cwpsociety.com | info@cwpsociety.com | IG: @cwpsociety | FB: @cwpsociety

    The Four R's For Venue Referrals

  4. Jul 6

    Raising the Bar for the Entire Industry

    Weddings are one of the only major projects where it's considered normal to skip training and figure things out in real time — and that mindset is quietly costing couples, planners, and the industry as a whole. In this episode, Krisy Thomas and Laurie Hartwell of The CWP Society take on a claim that keeps circulating online: that wedding planning education is optional, certification doesn't matter, and experience alone is enough. They break down why that logic doesn't hold up in any other profession with real responsibility — and why it shouldn't hold up here either. Experience teaches you what you've already lived through. Certification and continuing education prepare you for what you haven't faced yet: crisis leadership, vendor conflict, contracts that actually protect you, pricing that makes sense, and the behind-the-scenes systems that keep a wedding day calm. Krisy and Laurie also discuss the risks of learning by shadowing without foundational training, why coordinators need real planning knowledge — not just wedding-day presence — and what's at stake as AI changes how couples search for, evaluate, and book wedding professionals in a market where anyone can claim any number of "years of experience." If the industry wants long-term respect, stronger vendor and venue relationships, and a healthier marketplace overall, it starts with the standards planners hold for themselves. Subscribe, share this with a planner in your circle, and leave a review to help more professionals raise the bar. www.cwpsociety.com | info@cwpsociety.com | IG: @cwpsociety | FB: @cwpsociety

    Raising the Bar for the Entire Industry

  5. Jun 29

    The Success Gap In Wedding Planning

    The wedding industry is really good at making capable planners feel like they're not enough. In this solo episode, Master Certified Wedding Planner & Senior Educator, Krisy Thomas, addresses something most planners feel but rarely say out loud: the gap between where you are and where you think you should be. That gap is often created by comparison — polished highlight reels on Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok that represent someone else's years of repetition, refined systems, and hard-earned vendor relationships. When you're measuring your current process against someone else's final result, it's easy to lose sight of the work that actually builds a career. Krisy gets honest about what happens when aesthetics start driving decisions instead of client experience, why mistakes don't mean you're not cut out for this, and the difference between grace and avoidance when something goes wrong. She also challenges the industry's narrow definition of success — and makes the case that the only version worth building is the one aligned with your actual values, goals, and life. From how you handle a difficult moment on a wedding day to how you define growth on your own terms, this episode is a reset for planners who are doing the real work and still wondering if it's enough. It is. And this conversation will help you see why. Visit CWPSociety.com to learn more about certification and professional membership for wedding planners. www.cwpsociety.com | info@cwpsociety.com | IG: @cwpsociety | FB: @cwpsociety

    The Success Gap In Wedding Planning

  6. Jun 23

    Three Quiet Business Blockers

    Your calendar can be full and your business can still feel stuck. In this episode of The Wedding Planner Society Podcast, Senior Educator Krisy Thomas breaks down three quiet growth blockers that show up in wedding planning businesses at every stage — and they rarely look like problems. They look like decisions you already made. We dig into the pricing structures, service packages, and long-standing workflows that become invisible ceilings when you stop asking whether they still reflect the business you want now. Then we look at reputation — not the one you're building, but the one that's already out there telling your story for you. And finally, the standard that lives in your head but never made it into your process, and what that costs you when it's time to grow. Then Certified Wedding Planner, Tracy Dapp, joins Krisy for a candid conversation about what it looked like to pivot after years in the industry — from an early partnership that quietly held her back to the deeper education and mentorship that changed how she operates. Tracy gets specific about referrals, vendor relationships, messaging, and the real work of rebranding, updating services, and building the kind of documented systems that create consistency clients can trust. If any of this feels familiar, this is your sign to stop filing it under "later." Pick one area, revisit it, and take the next step. Subscribe, share this with a planner friend, and leave a review so more wedding pros can find the resources they need to keep growing. Visit CWPSociety.com to learn more about certification and membership. www.cwpsociety.com | info@cwpsociety.com | IG: @cwpsociety | FB: @cwpsociety

    Three Quiet Business Blockers

  7. Jun 18

    The Quiet Middle: Why Couples Lose Trust Between Milestones

    What Your Couples Really Remember About Working With You A wedding can run flawlessly and still leave couples feeling unsupported during the planning process — and that gap is exactly what we're addressing in this episode. Riley Snider, Master Certified Wedding Planner, Certified Industry Educator, and owner of Elegant Affairs by Design, joins Laurie Hartwell, Founder and CEO of the CWP Society, to map the full emotional client journey: from the early excitement after signing, through the quiet middle stretch where communication often fades, to the high-pressure final weeks when deadlines and family dynamics collide. Couples don't evaluate their planner by the number of spreadsheets you built. They remember whether they felt safe, supported, and guided — especially when nobody was watching. This conversation covers the simple check-ins that prevent anxiety before it builds, why explaining the reasoning behind your recommendations builds lasting trust, and the critical difference between sending information and actually preparing your couples to feel calm and confident on wedding day. If you want more referrals, stronger reviews, and a reputation rooted in trust, this is the skillset that moves the needle — without adding more to your plate. Ready to go deeper? The CWP Society's certification programs and  memberships give you the frameworks, community, and credentials to build a business couples rave about — and refer. Visit CWPsociety.com to explore your next step. www.cwpsociety.com | info@cwpsociety.com | IG: @cwpsociety | FB: @cwpsociety

    The Quiet Middle: Why Couples Lose Trust Between Milestones

  8. Jun 8

    Your Business Grew. Did You?

    When was the last time you made a decision that was entirely for you — for your business, and for the version of you that's still becoming? That question sits at the center of this conversation, because wedding planning is built on heart. But heart without structure has a ceiling — and a lot of planners hit it before they ever realize what held them back.This industry has a way of keeping you so focused on everyone else's big day that your own professional growth quietly gets deprioritized. And that gap shows up eventually — in your systems, your pricing, your confidence. In this episode, Krisy Thomas is joined by Denitra Barnes, Certified Wedding Planner and owner of Tailored for You Wedding and Event Planning, who is currently pursuing her Master Certification. Denitra opens up about what finally pushed her past the internet rabbit holes and into structured professional education — and the real-world difference it made: stronger client consultations, clearer pricing, more confident vendor relationships, and tools that help her deliver a consistent, elevated planning experience every time. They also get into something that doesn't get talked about enough — how education reshapes your internal credibility. Denitra shares how client psychology training has changed the way she responds when emotions run high, family dynamics get complicated, or conflict shows up mid-process. That kind of calm doesn't come from experience alone. It comes from preparation. If you've been sitting on the fence about certification, Master Certification, or simply how to grow your planning business without burning out, this conversation will give you something real to work with. Subscribe, share this episode with a planner who's ready to grow, and leave a review — it helps more planners find this community. To learn more about professional development, certification, and what's possible for your planning business, visit The CWP Society — the world's premier wedding planner certification and membership organization — at CWPSociety.com. www.cwpsociety.com | info@cwpsociety.com | IG: @cwpsociety | FB: @cwpsociety

    Your Business Grew. Did You?
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5
out of 5
27 Ratings

About

CWP Society is proud to produce the "Wedding Planner Society: Industry Expert Insights" podcast!Laurie Hartwell, award-winning Master Certified Wedding Planner, and Industry Educator, and founder & CEO of the CWP Society, discuss the real lives of wedding planners and professionals, dispense business tips, and share ways you can elevate yourself and your career in the wedding industry. Visit the CWP Society website for more information: www.cwpsociety.com

Information

  • Creator
    CWP Society - Laurie Hartwell, Founder & CEO
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    133
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 @2024 CWP Society, The Wedding Planner Podcast
  • Show Website
    Wedding Planner Society Podcast

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