Yajaira Daniel of YD Beauty is a makeup artist based out of Branford, Connecticut. Yajaira joins Regina and Cate to discuss what she's learned in over a decade in the industry, why hair and makeup on a wedding all comes down to timing, and (as often comes up during this podcast) why it pays to hire someone with a lot of experience. Yajaira started out as a model and has been in the beauty industry ever since. In addition to her gorgeous work, her clients come to love and refer Yajaira because her energy lifts up everyone in the room. She had Regina and Cate cracking up throughout her interview ..read more

Susie and Liza are co-owners of Hope Lodge Venue, a wedding and event space in Moosup, Connecticut. They joined Regina and Cate to discuss their purpose in opening a venue in their community, and what buying and renovating an historic building has meant to them and their clients.  Susie and Liza recounted their decision to purchase a well-known building with loads of history in the small town of Moosup, CT. We learned about how they brought the place back to life with a singular purpose: providing a place for gatherings of all kind, for people on a budget! It was fun hearing the entrepren ..read more

Emily Spurlock, a custom stationer based in New York, joined the We Do Wedding Podcast to talk about her obsession for design and production and how that's led to a six-figure luxury wedding business. Emily does more than wedding stationery. From wildly unexpected custom illustrations to day-of details, designed dance floors, and installations that transform spaces, Emily is able to help clients every step of the way in creating a spectacularly designed wedding. We talked about the origins of her design obsession, how she entered the upscale wedding industry in New York City, and how she's lea ..read more

Cassie Torres is one half of a husband-and-wife team that owns Beet & Blossom Photography based out of Connecticut. Cassie joins the podcast to continue the conversation around why wedding photography matters. Cassie described her journey from English teach to full-time wedding photographer and talked about what makes a Beet + Blossom couple unique. We puzzled as to why, as photographers, the styles we're drawn to aren't always what we deliver to our clients, and we talked at length about our big WHY. For Beet & Blossom, it is all about creating a long-lasting legacy for their clients ..read more

Kendra Hayes of Green Haven, an outdoor wedding venue in Pomfret, Connecticut, joined Regina and Cate to discuss the beauty of the sprawling property and why the Green Haven team has decided to specialize in small (fewer than 50 people) weddings. Kendra fit in well with us, as she is clearly a type-A people pleasure who will go above and beyond to make things easy and gorgeous for her wedding clients. In addition to chatting about what kinds of people typically book Green Haven, we also wound up talking about backup plans, boundaries, and blueberry patches. We learned about Green Haven's dream ..read more

Jen Milano, owner of mobile bar The Vintage Horse in Connecticut, joined the We Do Wedding Podcast to talk us through how she transformed an old horse trailer into one of the busiest mobile bars in the state in only a couple of years. In our conversation, we talked about the challenges small business owners face, especially those who started their businesses during the pandemic; the cost of doing things the right way; and how Jen's managed to start up and operate her newish business with two toddlers in the house! Mostly, our conversation made us yearn for warm summer nights at outdoor wedding ..read more

Kylie Costello, venue coordinator at 19Main in New Milford, CT joined the We Do Wedding Podcast to talk about the 1900's renovated bank that's become a popular wedding venue. Kylie told us about her journey from new coordinator, straight out of college, to a seasoned pro with hundreds of weddings under her belt--and what she's learned over the past six years. We learned that 19Main's central location and neutral, elegant backdrop make it popular for all kinds of couples who want to make a classic, full-service venue their own. We were surprised to learn that 19Main offers a full day to its cou ..read more

Irma Garcia is the owner of Earth and Sun Co., a photography and videography company based in Rhode Island and serving all of New England and beyond. Irma joins Regina and Cate to talk about how her passion bled from photography to videography and back again, why pretending to be someone you're not will always lead to failure, and the impact of aligned branding on reaching the right clients. We talked at length about why and how Irma overcommunicates upfront with potential clients, and Irma explained how the responsibilities and time commitment of photographers and videographers differ, from t ..read more

Jenna Szyluk is the founder/CEO of Dash of Pride, an LGBTQ+ friendly wedding and special event supplies shop, as well as Dash of Pride Wedding Pros, a wedding vendor directory focused on serving LGBTQ+ clients. The business is based out of Oregon and serves clients and vendors worldwide. Jenna's episode was a special one. She joined us in a very real, very vulnerable conversation about the complexities LGBTQ+ folks (and other under-represented groups) face while planning their weddings (and frankly, in general). We get REALLY real in this episode, all of us speaking frankly about experiences w ..read more

Brittany Sherwood, co-owner of Tents Unlimited based in Connecticut, joined the We Do Wedding Podcast to talk about all the rentable items that are needed for weddings--and the ones that can elevate a space to match a client's wildest dreams. In keeping with our conversation last week about rentals and the importance of thinking through the 'cost-effectiveness' of having a backyard wedding, Brittany educated us on what goes into running a successful rental business, what new things they've added in the past couple years, and what clients can expect when hiring Tents Unlimited. Brittany was a w ..read more