Reverend Maureen Cotton is an Interspiritual minister, serving the spiritual-but-not-religious. She’s a spiritual wedding coach and officiant with her business The Soulful Wedding. She's on a mission to revive the understanding that weddings are a transformative rite of passage.  Reverend Maureen and Michelle get into what marriage really is, and why the difficulties that come up during wedding planning are actually a gift for the marriage.  Topics We Covered Is marriage just a symbol or a tax status? Can you tell which couples are going to “make it?” The complexities of wedding pl ..read more

Sophie Strauss is not a celebrity stylist. She is a stylist for regular people. Using her natural eye for styling, Sophie helps brides, marriers, and all types of regular folk feel and look good in what they are wearing.  Stay tuned at the end of the episode where Michelle has a special closet consultation with Sophie, helping her find the perfect outfit for an upcoming concert. CLICK HERE TO BECOME A PAID SUBSCRIBER Topics We Covered How to dress like you on your wedding day Understanding how you want to feel instead of how you want to look What kind of questions to consider when pi ..read more

Sophie Strauss is not a celebrity stylist. She is a stylist for regular people. Using her natural eye for styling, Sophie helps brides, marriers, and all types of regular folk feel and look good in what they are wearing.  Stay tuned at the end of the episode where Michelle has a special closet consultation with Sophie, helping her find the perfect outfit for an upcoming concert. Topics We Covered How to dress like you on your wedding day Understanding how you want to feel instead of how you want to look What kind of questions to consider when picking out your wedding day outfit Mone ..read more

Kat Landeta is the content creator behind Brides Love a Sale, an Instagram account that helps fellow brides find great deals on clothing, accessories, and other items for their many wedding events. She started the account while shopping for her own wedding wardrobe and began sharing her curated picks with other brides. After getting married in July, she recently founded Second Look, a socially-driven marketplace where brides can buy and sell preloved wedding fashion to other brides and their wedding parties. Topics We Covered Kat shares her own recent wedding experience Awareness on how you a ..read more

On the last Wednesday of every month, we answer wedding planning questions from our listeners. These are always chock full of information that EVERYONE can benefit from. We have so much fun and we love our listeners for reaching out and interacting with us. Listen and learn, peeps! Do YOU have a wedding planning question? Call and leave us a voicemail at 415-723-1625 -or- email us thebigweddingplanningpodcast@gmail.com Kathryn Kalabokes returns to the pod for this month’s YAWA. Kathryn is the owner of Dream a Little Dream Events, and the director of Weddings and Social Events at Merchan ..read more

Kristen is a longtime listener of the TBWPP. She used Michelle’s advice as she planned her own October 2021 wedding and she continues to listen to help her two best friends plan their weddings. She is currently planning both of their bachelorette parties. She is a local tv news anchor and reporter in Lexington, KY and a two-time regional Emmy award winner.  Topics We Covered Making an event that everyone will actually enjoy The questions to ask the marryer - expectations, dates, location, vibe, etc The best organizational tools Lessons learned along the way How to deal with the financial ..read more

Lori Conley has been working in the fashion and wedding industries for years, including David’s Bridal and now at BHLDN - Anthropologie’s own wedding brand. Join Lori Conley and Michelle Martinez as the two of them discuss who to bring with you the first time you go wedding shopping, how to transform your look on the wedding day without changing the gown in the middle of the reception, the best ways to inform your guests on the expectations of how they should dress for your wedding, what you need to know if you're getting married in 2023 and more. Topics We Covered History of BHLDN The ..read more

Gretchen Spoor is a school psychologist located in rural Michigan. Gretchen and her husband Adam could not have come from more different families. Gretchen shares all things family, trauma, wedding planning, family drama, and more. Topics We Covered Family dynamics Family drama in the planning process Losing a sibling to suicide  Overbearing in-laws Hiring a wedding planner vs not Links We Referenced Flower Moxie Heather Heigel Photography Website Healther Heigel Photography Instagram Manistee National Golf & Resort Alchemy Esthetics Alchemy Esthetics Instagram Hair by Cassierizzi I ..read more

Joining Michelle on November’s YAWA is Michelle Norwood! Two Michelles! On the last Wednesday of every month, we answer wedding planning questions from our listeners. These are always chock full of information that EVERYONE can benefit from. We have so much fun and we love our listeners for reaching out and interacting with us. Listen and learn, peeps! Do YOU have a wedding planning question? Call and leave us a voicemail at 415-723-1625 -or- email us thebigweddingplanningpodcast@gmail.com Joining Michelle on November’s YAWA is Michelle Norwood! Two Michelles! Michelle Norwood is a wedd ..read more

Ryan Cabrera is an American musician and newly wedded to Lexi Cabrera, better know to her WWE fans as Alexa Bliss. Ryan wrote a song that was inspired by Lexi, called "Worth It" and it is Ryan's love letter to the journey that led him to his soulmate. He says, "Through ups and downs, everyone has a story, and this one has a happy ending! It's a song about reflection, a song that says, even if you have to search a lifetime to find your soulmate, it’ll be worth it." The music video features real, raw footage from Ryan's wedding at Kempa Villa in Palm Desert. The best part? Ryan planned the wedd ..read more