Marcy Blum, World’s Top Planner Shares Secrets To Flawless Weddings, Unforgettable Parties, and Tasteful Decor

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Podcast – Episode Featuring Marcie Bloom

Title: Marcy Blum, World’s Top Planner Shares Secrets To Flawless Weddings, Unforgettable Parties, and Tasteful Decor

Hosts: Lauryn Evarts Bosstick & Michael Bosstick

Guest: Marcy Blum

Release Date: December 26, 2024

---

Introduction

In this engaging episode of The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Podcast, hosts Lauryn Evarts Bosstick and Michael Bosstick welcome Marcy Blum, a renowned event and wedding planner with a stellar reputation for orchestrating flawless ceremonies and unforgettable parties. Marcy shares her journey, expert tips, and insights into creating memorable events while managing high-end clientele.

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Marcy Blum’s Journey into Event Planning

Marcy Blum opens up about her unconventional path to becoming a top-tier event planner. Starting from her early days living on a commune in the 1970s, she transitioned from culinary arts to event planning, demonstrating a blend of creativity and adaptability.

• Lauryn:
  "I went to Le Cordon Bleu in Paris... acting was my first passion... cooking gave me my life back."
  [00:56]

Marcy describes how her experiences in culinary school and working in high-end restaurants laid the foundation for her expertise in event planning.

---

Building a High-End Event Planning Business

Marcy discusses the evolution of her business, highlighting key moments that propelled her into the world of celebrity weddings and extravagant events.

• Marcy Blum:
  "Kevin Bacon was my first big client... that was my first big break."
  [07:14]

She emphasizes the importance of networking and delivering exceptional service to secure influential clients, which in turn elevated her profile in the industry.

---

Essential Tips for Hosting Memorable Events

Marcy shares actionable advice for hosting both high-end and regular parties, focusing on guest experience and attention to detail.

• Lauryn:
  "Not having a drink when you walk in... something in your hand. Hi, I'm happy to see you."
  [12:48]

Key takeaways include:

• Welcoming Guests: Ensure guests have a drink upon arrival and a designated space for coats to make them feel comfortable and valued.
• Guest Facilitation: Introduce guests who may not know each other to foster interaction and a cohesive atmosphere.
• Attention to Basics: Prioritize essential elements like adequate restroom supplies and a well-curated playlist to avoid common pitfalls.

---

Managing High-End Clients and Extravagant Events

Marcy delves into the complexities of handling ultra-high-net-worth clients and the extravagant demands that come with celebrity weddings.

• Marcy Blum:
  "If you're willing to do something much more manageable, I'm happy to work with you."
  [09:17]

She discusses the importance of setting realistic expectations and budgets, ensuring that both the client's desires and practical constraints are balanced effectively.

---

Handling Difficult Situations and Client Dynamics

Marcy provides insights on managing challenging scenarios, such as dealing with overly demanding clients or unexpected disruptions during events.

• Marcy Blum:
  "If someone gets too drunk... just throw them out the back."
  [29:05]

Strategies include having a dedicated team to handle entertainment needs and maintaining clear communication to preemptively address potential issues.

---

Advice for Aspiring Event Planners

Marcy offers valuable advice for individuals looking to enter the event planning industry, emphasizing the importance of specialization and hands-on experience.

• Marcy Blum:
  "Go to cooking, culinary school or design school... to give you a niche."
  [39:06]

She highlights the necessity of developing a specialized skill set and understanding the nuances of hospitality to excel in the competitive market.

---

Personalization and Intimacy in Events

Marcy stresses the significance of personal touches and creating intimate experiences, regardless of the event's scale.

• Marcy Blum:
  "It's all about people feeling that you really want them there."
  [21:26]

She shares anecdotes of incorporating unique elements, such as personalized place cards and thoughtful surprises, to enhance the overall guest experience.

---

Favorite Events and Memorable Experiences

Marcy reminisces about some of her most memorable events, showcasing her versatility and creativity in event planning.

• Marcy Blum:
  "We had fairies through the woods and sirens on the rocks... it was very cool."
  [16:24]

Her favorite projects include destination weddings in picturesque locations like Amalfi and Montenegro, where she could blend natural beauty with bespoke event elements.

---

Evolving Trends in Wedding Planning

Marcy discusses current trends and changes in the wedding planning landscape, advising couples on how to navigate modern expectations.

• Marcy Blum:
  "Personalizing it... it's about the guests personalizing it."
  [55:08]

She notes the shift towards more personalized and intimate ceremonies, moving away from overly extravagant or checklist-driven weddings.

---

Final Insights and Closing Thoughts

In the concluding segment, Marcy emphasizes the timeless principles of hospitality and the importance of creating an enjoyable atmosphere for guests.

• Marcy Blum:
  "The hospitality part of it is, I would imagine, the most important."
  [55:58]

She encourages planners to focus on the guest experience and to remain adaptable to ensure each event is unique and memorable.

---

Conclusion

This episode offers a deep dive into the world of elite event planning through Marcy Blum’s expertise. From handling high-profile clients to ensuring every guest feels special, Marcy provides a wealth of knowledge for both seasoned planners and those aspiring to enter the field. Her emphasis on personalization, attention to detail, and maintaining a seamless guest experience serves as invaluable guidance for creating truly unforgettable events.

---

Notable Quotes:

• Marcy Blum:
  "If you come to me and say, I saw LeBron and Savannah's wedding on your website and I have 500,000, I was like, it's not going to happen."
  [09:17]

• Marcy Blum:
  "It's all about people feeling that you really want them there."
  [21:26]

• Marcy Blum:
  "It's about people feeling that you really want them there."
  [21:31]

• Marcy Blum:
  "We have a competition with ourselves and how to make each one different."
  [33:03]

• Marcy Blum:
  "Personalizing it... it's about the guests personalizing it."
  [55:08]

---

For more insights and to connect with Marcy Blum, visit MarcyBloom.com.

Transcript

[Lauren Everts]

The following podcast is a Dear Media Production.

[Michael Bostic]

She's a lifestyle blogger extraordinaire.

[Lauren Everts]

Fantastic.

[Michael Bostic]

And he's a serial entrepreneur, a very smart cookie. And now Lauren Everts and Michael Bostic are bringing you along for the ride.

[Marcie Bloom]

Get ready for some major realness.

[Michael Bostic]

Welcome to the Skinny Confidential. Him and her.

[Lauren Everts]

You know, let's talk about regular parties for regular people. Not having a place to put your coat drives me insane. You know, do you have to go like, throw your coat on the bed like it's grandma's house? So that's the first thing. Not having a drink when you walk in. And I don't care if you're drinking alcohol or not. Something in your hand. Hi, I'm happy to see you. Take their coat, put it somewhere and give them something to drink. And then on top of that, you know, not everybody knows everybody. People. This isn't about you. This is about your guests. That's the point. I'm like thinking this is going to be fun. I like these people. What can I do to make them happy?

[Marcie Bloom]

Marcie Bloom, she is the creme de la creme of event planning and wedding planning. You've probably heard about her. She does some huge, huge celebrity clients, billionaire weddings. She's done every elaborate theme that you can think of. I was sat next to her at a lovely dinner party hosted by my friend Mark and Keith. And I thought, oh my gosh, she has to come on the podcast. She has to teach us how to throw a dinner party. She has to give us some tips on wedding planning. She has to tell us what to do for a high end event, a loan event, how to manage client dynamics, and how to just throw a regular dinner party, like at the house. I had questions, I wanted specifics, I wanted details. So Marcie Blume, she flew all the way from New York City to be on the show. I think you'll love her. Marcy, welcome.

[Michael Bostic]

This is the Skinny Confidential. Him and her.

[Marcie Bloom]

Michael and I were having a conversation with a guest the other day about what to do if you get sat next to the boar, right? And Mark Moulay was giving us some tips. Do you have any tips if you get sat next to the boar?

[Lauren Everts]

Mark usually changes his place card, but I don't recommend that's what he did at my wedding. Well, I got 12 people. I was like, you can't do that.

[Marcie Bloom]

He's just, he's maneuvering.

[Michael Bostic]

He just moved his seat.

[Lauren Everts]

He just moved his seat.

[Marcie Bloom]

I like that tactic. I got sat next to, to you at a dinner party and you were certainly not a bore. I was very excited to be sitting next to you. We went to Mark and Keith, our mutual friend's dinner party. It was absolutely beautiful. He was doing prompts across the table, and the tablescape was so beautiful. And then I heard that your name was Marcie Bloom. And I had heard about you through everyone who has ever had a magnificent wedding. So welcome to the show.

[Lauren Everts]

Thank you. I'm really excited to be here. Seriously excited.

[Marcie Bloom]

We're excited to have you give us a little. Little background about how you even started to dip toe into events.

[Lauren Everts]

Okay, well, I'll try to make it as succinct as possible. I was living on a commune in 1970, as one did after Woodstock, with 16 of my friends, but we were all like 16 years old. So we were planting vegetables upside down. You know, all these New York kids moved to Vermont, planted carrots upside down, and things weren't doing very well. And when that broke apart, I had no plan for my life in the future. So I sort of went and sat in my parents apartment. After not talking to them for years, I went back and sat in my parents apartment and watched let's Make a Deal until I felt better. I wound up going to Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. My brother was living there. And they said, why don't you love to cook? My mother was a great cook and a great hostess. So I went to Le Cordon Bleu. And I was thinking about this this morning when I was thinking of talking to both of you about, you know, there's not necessarily only one passion in your life. They always say to you, find your passion. Acting was my first passion. And then I didn't want to wait on tables the rest of my life. You and cooking food gave me my life back. I really felt so. I was like, oh, there is something else. So I went to Cordon Bleu and I took all these housewife cooking classes in New York, and the Culinary Institute of America started accepting women, and they accepted me. And I was one of the 50 women in the first graduating class, which was hilarious. 2000 men and us in Poughkeepsie. It's kind of wonderful. It was like being Elle McPherson. I go out with anybody I wanted to.

[Marcie Bloom]

Why? Why? Just to go back for a second. Did you not talk to your parents when you were on the commune? Can you not talk to anyone?

[Lauren Everts]

It was like, you know, it was like, no, no, no. It was. It was our friends. It wasn't. It was, you know, all of us. It was 1969, 1970. You know, they were. They were. The other life was crazy. We're, you know, marching against Vietnam, going to concerts, and it was just, you know, all our parents felt like their kids were abducted.

[Marcie Bloom]

What is it like to live on a commune? That's so.

[Lauren Everts]

That's pretty funny. I mean, because we were totally unprepared. We just figured we'd get out of New York, you know, I had graduated performing arts high school as an actress. My friends had all gone to music and art. You're all New York kids. And we were like, this will be fun. So we put down five grand and bought a farm up there and had no idea what we were doing. So as you can imagine, what happened.

[Michael Bostic]

To the rest of the group?

[Lauren Everts]

Most of us are still friends. One is a doctor, the other is a rather famous studio musician. And then some people didn't make it, you know.

[Marcie Bloom]

So when you graduated with a degree in culinary arts, did you apply that to restaurants or did you use it for something else?

[Lauren Everts]

So I went to in those days, which will be amazing for you to hear. I applied to every really fabulous restaurant in New York. And in those days, you know, you could say it out loud. They would just say, I'm so sorry. You know, you seem really qual, but we don't hire women.

[Michael Bostic]

Oh, wow.

[Lauren Everts]

And then even if I had letters straight up like that, straight up like that, now, they may think it, but they're not. Yeah. So I mean, lutece. And they. They're all like, well, you seem lovely. So I got a job. I was a. A sous chef at a golf club in Scarsdale. I worked at Maxwell's Plum. I don't know if you've ever heard of Maxwell's Plum. You know, I was the only woman in the kitchen, and I worked at all these places, and I was like, I don't really like this, but I couldn't figure out what I wanted to do. And then this lovely man who's now my ex husband but wasn't, he was just my boss then. He was a friend of my brother's, and we had mutual friends, and he was opening a bunch of restaurants, and he hired me as a consultant.

[Marcie Bloom]

And so that's sort of how the tumbleweed of event planning happened.

[Lauren Everts]

So then people. I was doing all the banquets in all the restaurants. We had six restaurants, big ones. So there were lots of parties. And I was like, oh, I could. This is fun. And easy. Ha ha ha ha. You know, as everything looks so easy in your 20s, I piece of cake. So that's. People started asking me if I could do events outside of the restaurants. I was like, sure, I could do anything.

[Marcie Bloom]

So what is your first big break that you remember where you were like, holy shit, this is taking off. This is major.

[Lauren Everts]

This is so funny, you know? Do you know, talk about synchronicity. I got on the plane this morning from New York, and I'm sitting in the first row, you know, one beside to put all my stuff on top.

[Michael Bostic]

They don't let you put it down.

[Lauren Everts]

So this guy gets in next to me. Really? I couldn't believe this. I told him this. He's wearing a. Like a baseball cap and a big mask. Not a clue. Puts all his stuff up, sits down. About halfway through the flight here, he takes off the cap and mask. Cause he's reading and isn't. It's Kevin Bacon, who was my first big client. And I was like, hello. He goes, oh, Marcy, what was Kevin.

[Michael Bostic]

Bacon doing coming to Austin?

[Lauren Everts]

He was doing a. Filming. Filming down here.

[Michael Bostic]

There's more of that happening here now.

[Lauren Everts]

Yeah. So I was like. He was like, I'm sorry. I was like, I didn't recognize you. It was so fun. That was my first big break. Really.

[Marcie Bloom]

So does Kevin. Kevin call you? Does Kira call you? Do there are people call you? How does it work?

[Lauren Everts]

This is 1988. Okay. So he had just done Footloose. He wasn't, you know, he was a starish. He's a kid. They were kids. Somebody introduced. I know. Believe it or you know, Kevin used to live with Tracy, Paul, and I don't know if you knew that. They were boyfriend and girlfriend for a long time. They broke up. He stayed friends with the family, and I happened to know Tracy's father, and he said, I have someone for you to work with. And that's how it happened.

[Marcie Bloom]

And then did from there, you sort of become branded as the celebrity wedding planner. Or did it take. How did that work?

[Lauren Everts]

It definitely took a while. I mean, Katie Lee and BILLY Joel was 10 years after that. You know, intermittently slow build.

[Michael Bostic]

So what when you start. When you started when you were just getting into this, how did you even know how to do this? Or was it just trial and error and you tried?

[Lauren Everts]

I didn't, but I didn't know. I didn't know. You know, I was so much older than. I'm younger than that now. Right. I was like. I mean, when I think back at people who hired me, I'd be like, oh, geez. God, those poor people. But they didn't know anything either. So now everyone knows everything.

[Marcie Bloom]

What does it take to work with Marcy Bloom and be brutally honest? Like, if so, for you to take a client right now, it's like getting into Fort Knox.

[Lauren Everts]

Throw money at me.

[Marcie Bloom]

Is it really money? Is that what it is?

[Lauren Everts]

No. That's very kind of you to say. No, I mean, we are selective. It has here. Here's the issue. It's not just the money. It's realistic expectations vis a vis the budget. So if you come to me and say, I saw LeBron and Savannah's wedding on your website and I have 500,000, I was like, it's not going to happen. And don't shoot the messenger. I'm just telling you. And I'm always like, I couldn't afford me. That's not what we're talking about. If you're willing to do something much more manageable, I'm happy to work with you.

[Marcie Bloom]

What's the most extravagant thing that has shocked even you?

[Lauren Everts]

Hard to shock me these days.

[Marcie Bloom]

So what was the thing that shocked you to your core?

[Lauren Everts]

You know what's always shocking people? Perhaps even you, Very sophisticated people. The price of headliners.

[Michael Bostic]

Oh, like for people to come perform.

[Marcie Bloom]

A million.

[Michael Bostic]

Now, that doesn't surprise me.

[Marcie Bloom]

It depends who it is, right?

[Lauren Everts]

Much more so here, I'll tell you a story, because I didn't Never signed an NDA. We were working with JLo and a rod before they broke up, and we're going through a list of musicians. And she goes, what about Bruno Mars? I said, you just work with him and he's five. Don't be ridiculous. I said, I'm telling you, million, five.

[Michael Bostic]

Million just to perform for the night.

[Lauren Everts]

Plus rider, plus the night. You get 45 minutes, you get an hour. Yeah.

[Michael Bostic]

Holy shit.

[Marcie Bloom]

And when these musicians.

[Michael Bostic]

I'm in the wrong business. I'm gonna start singing.

[Lauren Everts]

I always say that.

[Marcie Bloom]

Please don't sing. When the musicians give me a mic, I'm gonna start.

[Michael Bostic]

Larson, you can rep me.

[Lauren Everts]

You look like.

[Michael Bostic]

Tell them that I'll do it for half the price.

[Lauren Everts]

I'll tell them.

[Marcie Bloom]

When the musicians show up to a wedding and there's already so much pressure and the bride is stressed and da.

[Lauren Everts]

Da da, da, da, da da.

[Marcie Bloom]

And the musician is then a diva, which I'm sure has happened. How do you finesse it?

[Lauren Everts]

We always make it very clear as much as possible. First of all, I have a large team. They don't all work for me full time, but I have someone who's an entertainment person who Comes on all our gigs and their job is to get the green room in order. So if someone really only drinks Sprite or Diet Sprite or whatever, we don't mess with it. So we don't give them an excuse to be obnoxious in the first place. We're like, here we go and here's someone who's going to handhold you and da da da. You would never have a headliner as if you were sane. As the regular entertainment. No one wants to do their first dance. Or maybe they do, but they shouldn't to Coldplay or something. That's just dumb. You know what you want is you want a band band and maybe a DJ. And then you want like a 45 minutes of Chris Martin or Elton John or whomever you want. Because otherwise it's all about them. It's in my opinion, not the way you want to do it.

[Michael Bostic]

You mean it becomes about the person that's headline and it takes the focus off the couple.

[Marcie Bloom]

I wouldn't want the focus off me. Let's be honest. Sorry, it's my day.

[Lauren Everts]

We just did a 60th birthday for dear client of ours and they got Elton and it was just a hundred people. And they're such lovely people. They actually invited my husband to come up to Cape Cod to attend the concert. And that was. And that. That really is the crux of the whole thing. This. This was. They were giving a gift to their friends. They knew their friends would get such a kick out of it. And it was really heartwarming. Amazing.

[Marcie Bloom]

What. What are Marcy Bloom no nos and get like, be very detailed when it comes to a party. What are things that. You know it's gonna be a fucking nightmare if it happens.

[Lauren Everts]

Yeah, I mean, I think, you know, let's talk about regular parties for regular people.

[Marcie Bloom]

Okay.

[Lauren Everts]

Right.

[Michael Bostic]

Someone who's not spending $5 million on a helmet.

[Lauren Everts]

Yeah, but someone who's having a dinner party in their house. Not having a place to put your coat drives me insane. You know, you have to go like, throw your coat on the bed like it's grandma's house. Right, right.

[Marcie Bloom]

That already, like, she's great on a mic.

[Lauren Everts]

Yeah, terrible. So that's the first thing. Not having a drink when you walk in. And I don't care if you're drinking alcohol or not. Something in your hand. Hi, I'm happy to see you.

[Michael Bostic]

And people like to hold something too.

[Lauren Everts]

Cause some people like to anchor. That's exactly. Give them take their coat, put it somewhere and give them something to drink. And Then on top of that, you know, not everybody knows everybody. People. This isn't about you. This is about your guests. That's the point. Introduce people, come up with, you know, Mark is a perfect example of someone who's brilliant at that.

[Michael Bostic]

Mark. Hello, Mark. I know you're listening to this one. He is one of the best hosts.

[Lauren Everts]

Oh, unbelievable. Makes him really comfortable because didn't you say that you used to read blah blah and introduce. He's really smart and Yeah, I feel.

[Michael Bostic]

Like when we met you, he made it so seamless. Like, right away, we were all just getting along.

[Lauren Everts]

You know, he's really good at that. And that's the essence of my business. And it's probably the essence of his business and certainly your business. You have to like people. You have to essentially like people until they prove otherwise.

[Michael Bostic]

Yeah, for sure.

[Lauren Everts]

So I go in. I'm like, thinking, this is gonna be fun. I like these people. What can I do to make them happy?

[Marcie Bloom]

What are other little weird. No nos.

[Lauren Everts]

Not having hand towels in the bathroom. Not having enough toilet paper so your guests have to come out and ask for toilet paper. Mortifying. Right? Like, there should be stacks everywhere. Right. Having a playlist so you're not having to run away. Oh, my God, it's not working. You know, like everything. So your guests are not hysterically nervous, if you are even.

[Michael Bostic]

Yeah. And these are all things that are very cost effective things to do.

[Lauren Everts]

Very cost effective. I'm a big proponent of play scores. I think it shows that you care.

[Marcie Bloom]

I just finished Ina Garner's book, and she said. She said her first dinner party, she planned this whole beautiful, huge, like, five course meal. And she invited all these people who didn't know each other. But the problem was she was cooking in the kitchen, so she didn't have the. The time to go and finesse all of the people who didn't know each other. And it was a big mistake. And that makes total sense. If you're in the kitchen cooking, how are you supposed to host? It's hard to do both.

[Lauren Everts]

You can't do both. And I learned that because, you know, being a. I mean, I'm not a great chef. I'm a good home cook. So I used to do a lot of cooking and be in the kitchen the whole time, and my friends are complaining. And then I realized for like, $300, I could hire two people to actually, like, set the table and put the oven on. And it was worth every penny. People were like, this is so much nicer. So you could actually sit with Us.

[Michael Bostic]

When you do weddings or parties, is there a number you feel becomes too big to manage or kind of like ruins the vibe? We had a very small wedding, so we don't know we had like 55 people. But is there, like a number you like to have?

[Lauren Everts]

I mean, for a destination wedding, which you may know are very, very popular now? I think, although it's hard to get there, I think anything over 125 is really rough. I mean, Annie and Jeff's wedding we were talking about was a lovely wedding in Amalfi. 100 people is just the right amount for person.

[Marcie Bloom]

So beautiful. Annie, if you're listening, their wedding looked so beautiful on Instagram. It was stunning.

[Lauren Everts]

They. And they really. I mean, they're very much in love. And it just had the best vibe.

[Marcie Bloom]

Yeah. Was good energy.

[Lauren Everts]

Very good energy. And they let. They let us do a lot of fanciful things. We had fairies through the woods and we had sirens on the rocks when people came from the. From Positano by boat. So there were sirens there singing. It was very cool.

[Marcie Bloom]

Yeah, it's thoughtful.

[Lauren Everts]

Yeah.

[Marcie Bloom]

She's really detail oriented with her business, so I can imagine how she would be with her wedding.

[Lauren Everts]

Very, very much so. And again, one of those people like yourself, who's never unkind or disrespectful, so she gets the best out of everybody.

[Marcie Bloom]

What do you do when you have Bridezilla? And I am sure you could write.

[Lauren Everts]

A book on it, you know, it's. I wish it were the brides most often. I always go to the Grumenstein, you know, really? They're getting like, cuckoo. Well, here's, here's.

[Marcie Bloom]

It's too much soy milk. Go on.

[Lauren Everts]

Maybe that's it.

[Marcie Bloom]

Yeah, it's too much soy milk.

[Lauren Everts]

Because here's what's going on. Often, let's say it's the bride's parents, often, who are paying for the wedding. And the grooms now feel it, it is their responsibility to say, oh, that's too expensive. So the bride's parents think that they're not marrying her for the money. Right. So they're giving me a hard time. And it's not even their money, and it's what the bride wants. I was like, why are you torturing me? It's not your money. Nobody cares. You're not proving a point. Just go away.

[Marcie Bloom]

And also, just no one cares about your opinion. No offense. I literally did not take your opinion into account.

[Lauren Everts]

From the you get to do the music list.

[Michael Bostic]

I paid for our wedding.

[Marcie Bloom]

Of course we.

[Michael Bostic]

No, no, it doesn't matter at the time. Paid before we were married.

[Marcie Bloom]

I've paid you back bit. I sure did.

[Michael Bostic]

Anyway, you paid me back. But let's not get it.

[Lauren Everts]

You know, they usually want to talk about, again, not to be sexist, the music and if anything, the wine, which is fine. They can have that. I won't bother them.

[Marcie Bloom]

I feel like guys just shouldn't have an opinion about the wedding. Like just let the woman have the moment.

[Lauren Everts]

Well, but you could.

[Michael Bostic]

I had an opinion about the liquor choices in the wine. I think that's about it, right?

[Marcie Bloom]

Yeah.

[Michael Bostic]

And like some of the music. That's about it.

[Lauren Everts]

I do a lot of gay weddings, you know, so you can imagine. So you have to figure out who is the person who is.

[Marcie Bloom]

Did you do Keith and Mark's wedding?

[Lauren Everts]

I did Keith and Mark's wedding and.

[Marcie Bloom]

Mark was the go to. Right.

[Lauren Everts]

Well, you can't do. I mean, Keith, who I love dearly, you know, I can't. Yeah, no, yeah.

[Marcie Bloom]

Do you.

[Lauren Everts]

And we did Nate. And we did Nate and Jeremiah's. Nate Burgess and Jeremiah Brandt's wedding.

[Marcie Bloom]

So fun. So do you feel like you have experienced, stretched the wedding to the point where it's like, what do you even do now? You've done everything. Do you feel like it's like, are you trying to just get more and more shocking? Do you have another avenue you want to explore? Like you've, you've checked every box when it comes to doing this.

[Lauren Everts]

When I started, people would say to me, well, who cares about the food? It's a wedding. I feel like unimaginable. But that was what it was like. Or it was so cookie cutter. It was, you know, first dancing. So I had, you know, this is my 38th year. So it was a lot of fun. At the beginning I was like, how about if we have a tarot reader? That's insane. But things that now are not that crazy were, you know, really innovative then. So it was fun, a lot of fun. And I just came back Monday night from a six day Indian wedding in Morocco.

[Marcie Bloom]

What was that like?

[Lauren Everts]

It was fun. It was beautiful. Very celebratory.

[Michael Bostic]

I heard Indian weddings are really fun. I have some friends that.

[Lauren Everts]

Oh my God. This was fun. Really fun.

[Marcie Bloom]

What is the kind of work that that entails on your end and your teams and how big is the team? What does that look like? And are you exhausted for a month after that?

[Lauren Everts]

Yeah, pretty much. Yeah. I had 12 of us over there. There were two leads. We have two leads who were, you know, the day to Day, but I'm overseeing the big picture. And we had a production company there, and then we brought a designer we work with and his team from Chicago. The product, I mean, it was. We had to build a welcome party at the Royal Mansour. And then we did the Haldi and then the Sangeet, which was an Indian street fair. So we had to build all these sets. And it was a lot. It was a lot. It was a lot of fun. I mean, after the fact, it's fun.

[Marcie Bloom]

What is the most extravagant one that you've done out of everything?

[Lauren Everts]

Well, I have a very concrete NDA for it, but it was upstate New York and we, we built. We were there for three months. We built all these tents and it was really pretty amazing. We put in real bathrooms and an inlaid floor, and it was fabulous.

[Michael Bostic]

What do you do with it after?

[Lauren Everts]

Bye Bye? We try to recycle, of course. You know, I have. Listen, I have a tree in my little townhouse in Brooklyn. I have a tree in our garden that is from Nate and Jeremiah's wedding that was on the aisle and now it's like 8ft tall. So try to do that.

[Marcie Bloom]

What are some cool touches like that that you've seen people do for events or weddings that are maybe approachable to anyone?

[Lauren Everts]

I think it's really all about people feeling that you really want them there.

[Marcie Bloom]

Yeah.

[Lauren Everts]

I went to a fundraiser yesterday at the Plaza, and a dear friend of mine for 30 years is. She's the CEO of the catering company in the Plaza. And I sat down at this very fancy table with all these very fancy people and there was a lipstick kiss on my place card. And I knew that she was the only person in this whole corporate room who would have done that, which made me cry. So I think it's things like that, you know, a note or a photo or something under the place card. Do you remember when you and I did this? You know, they just want to feel that you want them there.

[Michael Bostic]

Personally, when it comes to planning weddings for just, you know, anyone that wants to. What are some things you would caution people against or some things you would tell them to stay away from that are just typical in weddings that are turn out to be nightmares, I think.

[Lauren Everts]

I would spend much more money if my budget on staff than I would on flowers. You know, you could have the most beautiful room in the world. And if you walk in and it's, you know, nothing. There's a line at the bar or the food is cold or you're a vegetarian, no one remembered. I always say it's like bringing, you know, Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie home and they just lie there. You know, it's just like one note.

[Marcie Bloom]

That would be disappointing, right?

[Michael Bostic]

Yeah. People go crazy with the flowers and they're expensive. I remember looking at, that's one thing I remember looking at back when we got married. I'm like, Jesus Christ. These flowers are expensive.

[Lauren Everts]

Like, listen, if you have unlimited funds and that's something you're into, sure. But in, in lieu of proper staffing or air conditioning or heat in a tent, how many times have you gone to a wedding, you know it's wet or you're cold or you're overheated. You much better to spend, put a bud vase on the table and have proper temperature.

[Marcie Bloom]

We have had so many celebrities and influencers come on this show and open up about lipo. And I'm so happy that people have opened up because it's been sort of like a hush hush secret. There's a lot of people that don't actually tell the truth about it. And there's this new lipo. It's laser assisted lipo and it's by Sono Bello. Basically, it's at the forefront. So they use an L, A L technology and they showed me the outcomes. Like I got to see the before and afters and it was actually wild. I think that I want to interview someone on this. Lipo used to be such a bad word. It was so taboo and people were doing it secretly and now people are being really open about it, which I think is great. It's gone in one comfortable visit. And I have to say, like I said, the results look very good. I'm looking at these before and afters. Save big during Sono Bello's Friends and family fall savings event. Schedule your free consultation [e-mail] skinny that's SONO. B-E-L-L-O.com skinny I weightlift five days a week and I think it's so important to be very purposeful about the shoes that I weightlift in. And I'm sure you guys feel the same way. If you lift weights, there's nothing worse than wearing the wrong shoes, especially when you're lifting weights. The ones that I've been wearing are called no Bull. It's a training brand created to support support you in your daily pursuit to be your best self. Noble has footwear and apparel for training and for life. The ones that I like are the Women's Impact. Okay, you can go on their site and basically it's the strength training shoe. If you're someone who strength trains a lot, this is a great shoe. It's like known to really up the game. So the ones that I got are White gum. That's the name. So cute. If you're someone who wants to make an impact without feeling the impact, these shoes are for you. You should always take your footwear seriously with any kind of fitness activity. Noble is known for their footwear, so they have the industry's best in class trainer called the Outwork too. That's a go to strength training shoe. You could go with either one in my opinion. The Outwork is actually the one that Michael wears. He likes black. Again, they have tons of colors. This one has 10,000 plus 5 star reviews for strength training Wild, exclusively for him and her show listeners. Noble is offering 30 off your order. Visit nobleproject.com and use code TSC30. That's www.n o b U-L-L-P-R-O-J-E-C-T.com and use code TSC 30. Take your vaginal health and your hormone health to the next level with O Positive health. This product is super interesting. I actually got to interview the founder and she started it because she had the worst period cramps ever and she wanted something to support her while she was on her period. And this, like embarked on this journey where she started seeing that there wasn't a lot of talk about the vaginal health market. So she wanted to break down taboos around women's health and deliver results that you could actually feel. So she has some really cool products. There's a vaginal probiotic which we all know is so, so important. There's even something that's targeted towards menopause. And then their newest launch, which I think is so interesting, is Flo endocrine superfood powder. This is the first and only all in one endocrine superfood powder. It's really interesting and the ingredients are amazing. I got to try it. I think that if you're looking for anything to support your vagina, this is a great brand. People really like the vaginal probiotic. Like literally on TikTok, people are saying it helps them with vaginal odor and ph balance. So if you're looking for ways to support your kitty, go check them out. Visit oh positive.com and use code skinny at checkout. You get 25 off at checkout. That's O P O S I T I V dot com. You can use code skinny for 25 off your order that's O positive without the E. The worst of the worst is when you're outside in the sun and there's no parasols or umbrellas and you're sitting in the sun waiting on the bride. I think that's the worst.

[Lauren Everts]

I agree with you.

[Marcie Bloom]

Yeah.

[Lauren Everts]

And we're very strict. And I was just going to mention, one of the things that people don't pay attention to is timing. For a destination wedding, for example, if people have been together three days, the cocktail hour on the wedding night doesn't need to be an hour. They've already said everything they're going to say to each other. You can have, like, one drink and let's sit down.

[Marcie Bloom]

Right.

[Lauren Everts]

It's just.

[Marcie Bloom]

That is what's hard about destination weddings is it's a little long in the tooth, for sure, with how you have to keep having the same conversation with the same.

[Lauren Everts]

I agree with you.

[Michael Bostic]

Well, the reason we kept ours so small for destination is I did really feel bad about making people travel. We just went to Cabo, which was like, two hours.

[Lauren Everts]

Most of the people that travel, you want to give them a bit of a vacation. Yeah.

[Michael Bostic]

So, like, you want to do a lot of that stuff. But I think if you're going to have a bunch of people or like, extended family or kind of like acquaintances, you better have that thing dialed in because people are taking a lot of their time and money.

[Lauren Everts]

Absolutely. And I. I like to give people, let's say, you know, four different excursions that the group could take rather than. It's not sleepaway camps. Everyone doesn't have to get on the bus together. You know, these are like adults, so that there's. Then there's nothing to talk about. At least if people are going to four different places. You have something to say over dinner. Oh, we went to the caves or we went to a wine tasting or whatever. Some conversation that rather than, you know, isn't the bride pretty?

[Marcie Bloom]

What do you do when someone gets too drunk? Is there, like, a Marcy Bloom security situation that we just get rid of them?

[Lauren Everts]

Yeah, just throw them out the back.

[Marcie Bloom]

Take them out down the excursion, throw them in the portal.

[Lauren Everts]

It depends how. How savvy they are. Usually we just start pouring water, but some of them notice. So what.

[Marcie Bloom]

So what do you do if there's.

[Lauren Everts]

Like, get it back to the room. I mean, destination, or just like, take them to another room. You had somebody. Where the hell was this? Where could I. Oh, they broke the glass at a hotel. They were like. They pounded on the glass and they broke it. And you know, we had, we had to take a door like a solid glass pane.

[Michael Bostic]

Oh, geez.

[Lauren Everts]

Yeah. Which is expensive. You know, it's probably like 40, 50 grand, you know, to take photos, send the bill to the room the next day. That's not possible. Here's the photo.

[Marcie Bloom]

That's not fun. That's not fun for anyone. That's. That's horrible.

[Lauren Everts]

And usually it's, usually it's the kids because they've never seen an open bar before where it's free. So the people who are just like, you mean we can have all the tequila we want?

[Marcie Bloom]

Right.

[Lauren Everts]

So you have to say that they will be tequila tomorrow.

[Marcie Bloom]

What are your tips on how to do a tablescape? Mark's tablescape that he had when we were over, I was just so distracted by the details. I just love all that. And he did a really good job with that. What are some things how to put together? Like I'm doing like Christmas Eve at my house.

[Lauren Everts]

Ooh, how many people?

[Marcie Bloom]

I'm only doing seven and I got a chef. But I want the table to be super Instagrammy. Like I want like the runner and the, all the stuff. What can I buy?

[Lauren Everts]

I would do something that wouldn't ordinarily be on a table. Like Christmas ornaments or you know, things like that that you might hang on a tree. Even lights. You know, you can drape the twinkle lights down the center of the table and disguise the wire so it does, you know, maybe it'll be reminiscent of a tree down the table, you know, rather than flowers or holly or.

[Marcie Bloom]

Is there any china that we should invest in or like linens that you like? I. Mark was sending me these hand blown glass, like hand blown cups by this artist that has like pinks and purples and stuff. Is there any like things that you love?

[Lauren Everts]

I, I mean I brought back from this wedding that we were talking about. I brought back 250 place settings from Puglia. This pottery was so gorgeous. I'll send you some sites. There's a whole bunch of. Especially if it's seven or ten people. Anything's affordable.

[Marcie Bloom]

That's what I'm thinking. Like, I want to start building. This is weird. And you'll relate to this and so will Mark, but I don't know. I want to start building my collection of like tablescapes to be able to put together with different tones. I'm really into like laying a table.

[Lauren Everts]

Good. Oh, I can't wait. I'll come over and help you. I love that. That's going to be my next job. All right. We'll come to like in house, tablescaping.

[Michael Bostic]

You think that you could go from these mass productions to just tablescapes?

[Lauren Everts]

Oh, yes, in a second.

[Marcie Bloom]

There's something charming about that because she's worked with so many different personalities and, and characters and actors. I bet that's almost therapeutic.

[Michael Bostic]

Let me ask you this question. The clientele that you have, many of them celebrity, but some of them just ultra high net worth. Individual.

[Lauren Everts]

Yes. Mostly.

[Michael Bostic]

Not that people don't even hear about or know about. We know some of these individuals. Do you get in a situation with some of your clientele where they start to try to one up the other client? Like, they see you do something like, oh, I can do better than that.

[Lauren Everts]

It's like almost like a. Interestingly enough, although, you know, I'm a born and raised New Yorker and I don't get. My clientele are like Martians. I mean, if you put them all in a room together, they wouldn't know each other, which is kind of great. Or they're people like our mutual friend who said, well, they really couldn't care less what anybody thinks.

[Michael Bostic]

Yeah, he doesn't give a shit.

[Lauren Everts]

If anything, he, like, wants to antagonize them. But like, I'm going to serve, you know, Miller High Life just to annoy people. Right. Because you think I'm going to. No, but I could see him doing. Just because you think I'm going to serve, you know, dp. Right.

[Marcie Bloom]

So there's no like competition going on behind the scenes that we don't know about.

[Lauren Everts]

But there is a competition. We have a competition with ourselves and how to make each one different. A lot of people in my business have, you know, much larger staffs or much bigger warehouses. They have to make money, they have to recycle stuff. We start from scratch every time.

[Michael Bostic]

Like, what if someone comes to you and says, hey, I saw so and so do this. I want to do the same thing. Are you like, I don't want to do that.

[Lauren Everts]

Yeah, I mean, I'll say I, I understand what you like about it. I want to take elements of it, but we don't copy people's work. I mean, we plagiarize a little. I would be lying if I said ideas all the time, but. But I don't want to do. It's not interesting for me.

[Michael Bostic]

How do you. This is just like, maybe this is like a niche question that won't be applicable to a lot of people, but how do you deal with a lot of the hotel properties. If you're going to go use a hotel. And how do you manage? Because I imagine our mutual friend that we're talking about, he shut down an entire hotel during a very high season.

[Lauren Everts]

Right.

[Michael Bostic]

I couldn't even go. I'm just kidding. Yeah, but. But I imagine that is a. Like a big conversation with the property. And I just was curious about what that looks like.

[Lauren Everts]

And you have to make deals and you have to. You also have to be. I mean, Morocco, perfect example. They're not. It's not easy. And it's all men, and my team is almost all women, so. And we took. We took them all out for dinner the night after the wedding, and they were so complimentary. And they all wrote me and said, please come back. Because we go. We bend over backwards to be respectful and nice and to not say, you know, you don't know what you're doing. This is how we like to do it. You know, it's real diplomacy. And so it's. But the same thing if we're working in the States now, of course, some of the hotels are union in the banquet department. There's nothing you can do about. I mean, they'll just like, tough.

[Marcie Bloom]

If someone's planning a wedding right now and they're listening, how do you conceptualize it? Like, what are the first steps that you have someone take? Are they going on Pinterest? Are you screenshotting on Instagram? What does it look like? Do they have to have their budget first? What is the whole, like, Marcy Bloom list?

[Lauren Everts]

You want to come up with the guest list first? You'd be amazed how many people say, we're have 300 people. I said, are you sure? Do you know that one of the two of you take a weekend, sit down and write your guest list, and then come back? It's only 2:25, which is a huge difference. Once you have that, what do you want to spend? More or less? More or less. It's always going to go over. But what do. What is the ballpark? And then what month and where in the world.

[Michael Bostic]

What's the best month to get married?

[Lauren Everts]

You know, there's nothing anymore. I mean, the best month is probably February because no one's doing it but September. And September is more popular than June.

[Michael Bostic]

What's the worst month?

[Lauren Everts]

Where are you living? You know, we did a wedding in August for Andrea Guadala, you know, for the Warriors. We said we did their wedding in Cabo in August because that was the only time he wasn't playing. I mean, People were walking down the aisle. We're going to lose people. I mean, they were just. It was hot, you know, it was really hot.

[Marcie Bloom]

So after they have the guest list, then what?

[Lauren Everts]

We look at things that you, if you want a communal experience with a lot of people, that's why they're doing a destination wedding. So if you go to a place like Positano, you're not going to get everybody in one hotel. So if that's what you're looking for, let's look at places that, where you can put all the guests in one hotel or two hotels near each other. And then where else can you do events other than the one night? You know, you have a welcome dinner, you have a rehearsal dinner, you probably have a Sunday brunch or a next day brunch. Are there places around that you could do that? Or you stuck in one resort for four days, which is kind of lethal in my opinion.

[Marcie Bloom]

And then what are the other things they need to do?

[Lauren Everts]

Well, then they have to go on a site visit and with a list of things, you know, what's the food like? How do you. People who haven't done this before, which are. Most people don't understand the difference between, let's say charging on consumption or giving a flat fee.

[Marcie Bloom]

So I don't understand the difference. What does that mean?

[Michael Bostic]

Charging on consumption is like when you, whatever you eat, whatever you drink, they're going to bill you after. If you do a flat fee, you're going to pay for a lot of it up front.

[Lauren Everts]

It depends. Are your, are your friends drinkers? If they're drinkers, you would better do a flat fee. It's like, we did it, we did.

[Michael Bostic]

A flat fee for drink for ars. And I told them, I told these people, went down, I said, listen, we got some drinkers coming down, right? And they're like, oh, yeah, we'll be fine. We do this all the time. I got nailed after for an overage. Overage. My friends drank so much that I'm surprised they even walked out.

[Lauren Everts]

Yeah, so that's. And you have to, you know, and if, let's say you have a wine cellar or you, you'd like a certain champagne, they can't get it. Can you bring in a couple of cases and they'll just charge you a small corkage or look the other way because you're spending so much there, you want to get all these things done before you sign the contract. People come to me with a signed contract. I was like, I can't negotiate. It's. It's it's too late. Why would they negotiate? You've already agreed to do it.

[Marcie Bloom]

What do you do when you have a couple that gets married, they have a huge, extravagant wedding, they've paid a bunch, and then they get hit with.

[Lauren Everts]

The bill after, and they're p. Well, it's definitely happened.

[Marcie Bloom]

I'm sure it has.

[Lauren Everts]

It's definitely happened. I mean, we try to keep them educated along the way, Right? So you try to tell them, like, this is, you know, we said it was gonna be a million, but that was before you said you wanted to port Cristal. So the Cristal's not included in that million. But, you know, people have convenient amnesia, so they don't remember. Well, I thought, you know, I always say, it's like, if I walk into Chanel and I say, I wanna. I wanna spend $8,000 on a jacket, you know, and then I walk around and I say, I. I also, I want two handbags and a pair of shoes and another skirt, and it comes to checkout and it's 40 grand. I. And if I said. But I said I wanted to spend 8,000. Yeah, right. Obviously that doesn't work.

[Michael Bostic]

So another line of questioning for somebody that wants to get into your line of work, like, if you. Looking back on your career now and all that you've accomplished and done, if a young person is saying, I want to do what Marcy's done, where would you tell that person to start?

[Lauren Everts]

Nowadays, I would tell them to either, you know, go to cooking, culinary school or design school, or even lighting school, or something that brings something to the table that gives you a niche, that you're the specialist. I mean. Cause for me, what started it was food and beverage.

[Michael Bostic]

So you wouldn't start with the broad. I can do everything.

[Lauren Everts]

No. And hospitality. And you just have to be a hospitality student. And, you know, most of not a lot of the kids who come in the Planets, as I call them, are like, you know, I know how to make pretty things. I was like, nobody cares. You know, because nobody cares. That's, like, the least of it. And if you can make pretty things for Instagram, it doesn't mean you can make 30 pretty tables for 300 people.

[Marcie Bloom]

I also think it requires an effortlessness to be presented, meaning a good advent of a good event is so gnarly and strategic and planned, but it looks effortless from the outside.

[Lauren Everts]

One of my clients calls it Sprezzatura. Have you ever heard that?

[Marcie Bloom]

I'm just reading about that in Jackie Kennedy's book.

[Lauren Everts]

Really? Well, you read a lot, don't you? That.

[Marcie Bloom]

Wait, Explain what that is again. I just highlighted it.

[Lauren Everts]

It is. This client said it to me 10 years ago, and I've used it ever since. There was a lot of work behind the scenes, but it looks absolutely insouciant. Like, it just looks effortless. Like everything just fell on the table like that, perfectly.

[Marcie Bloom]

That's ex. What I. If I, like, was looking through my own perspective of what makes a great event is it's just. It's all natural, and it's supposed to be this way.

[Lauren Everts]

Right.

[Michael Bostic]

I think that's everything, though.

[Marcie Bloom]

It's kind of like when I wake up in the morning and you turn over and you're like, wow, she's so naturally beautiful, and you just can't believe it. Like, that's the energy of a party.

[Lauren Everts]

Who is it? Charlotte Tilbury says she never takes her makeup off at night because her husband wants her husband to see in the morning when she wakes up that she looks like.

[Marcie Bloom]

I definitely take my makeup off. I'm sorry about that for you. Tell us about the celebrity weddings that you can talk about about. Give us the ones that some are your favorite. I know there's a lot of NDAs going on, but which ones? Can you tell us about the NDAs.

[Michael Bostic]

You got at this point?

[Marcie Bloom]

Probably a lot.

[Lauren Everts]

Well, now, you know, the bar mitzvah boy sends you an NDA. It was like, Shlomo, nobody cares. I mean, LeBron and Savannah's wedding was great fun because all the guys were. They had. They won that year. So everyone was really, really in a great, great, great mood. And they're all friends, so. Or they were all friends. It's now 11 years ago, so they did, like, a whole Soul Train line, and it was really fun to watch. And I got such a big kick out of it. And my team knew who everybody was. I had no idea. I was like, who are those really tall people? But let me think. Who else was a lot of fun?

[Marcie Bloom]

The love wedding was beautiful.

[Lauren Everts]

The love wedding was fun. And Adele was there and Rich Paul, who she's now engaged to, which I'm working on getting that wedding. Just in case anyone's listening.

[Michael Bostic]

Big listeners, they'll hear this.

[Lauren Everts]

Shameless, I'm sure. Yeah. So that was fun. I mean, Mario Carbone was there. There's a lot of food people there, and they're all, you know, all the New Yorkers. That was really, really fun. We've done a great 60th birthday party for someone in Amalfi, and that was when we do parties that are small enough, like 50 people or something that get hired. We can actually act as a full service concierge, like, get people's shoe sizes and what they, you know, what they like to eat. So. But again, without making it a big. We don't send a questionnaire. You know, we're sort of like undercover agents. So when they get there, like, how do they know I only drink diet Dr. Pepper, whatever. Things like that. And that is a real fun.

[Marcie Bloom]

I'm gonna put this out into the ether. I'd like a surprise party that I'm involved in planning what or where. Yeah, I will help plan the details with Marcy and you can coordinate it. So save up. Make us make a savings account at Wells Fargo.

[Michael Bostic]

What's the occasion? I would not do it at Wells Fargo.

[Marcie Bloom]

Okay. The occasion is a birthday that I have in the future. That you work with Marcie? That I micromanage her 70th. No, no, no, not my 70th.

[Lauren Everts]

To wheel me in.

[Marcie Bloom]

No, I don't want to be on.

[Lauren Everts]

One of those wheels.

[Marcie Bloom]

I could be on my third husband by then. Let's focus on today. I would like a surprise party planned. And I don't know when it's going to be, and I walk in, I'll be genuinely surprised.

[Michael Bostic]

Okay.

[Marcie Bloom]

And you could work on that for me.

[Michael Bostic]

We should just do a party. Just to do a party.

[Lauren Everts]

Just do a party. I'll come and do the tablescapes. It'll be great.

[Marcie Bloom]

I'd like a big party.

[Michael Bostic]

Okay.

[Marcie Bloom]

Well, I'm not. I feel like I just.

[Michael Bostic]

I was 12 about big parties.

[Lauren Everts]

Unbelievable. How long have you been together?

[Marcie Bloom]

So long.

[Michael Bostic]

Well, we got married. We've been together since I was. Well, like, officially, like, got back to 20 years old, so I'm almost 38. So it's 18 years.

[Lauren Everts]

That's unbelievable.

[Michael Bostic]

But we knew each other since we're 12.

[Lauren Everts]

Since we were 12.

[Michael Bostic]

We were together that whole time.

[Marcie Bloom]

I need a Marcy Bloom party before I die. But I also want to be a part of planning it with her.

[Lauren Everts]

No, I get it.

[Marcie Bloom]

You know what I mean?

[Michael Bostic]

But I like to. I think if you do too big what I think, then it's like. It's hard to talk to people then.

[Marcie Bloom]

No, I don't want too big. I don't want too big. I just want.

[Lauren Everts]

Just big enough.

[Michael Bostic]

Yeah, just big enough.

[Marcie Bloom]

I think 50.

[Lauren Everts]

That's just what I was thinking. Yeah, 50, 60 people is perfect.

[Marcie Bloom]

Yeah, save it on up. Put a little bitcoin in the. Marcy. Whatever.

[Lauren Everts]

You weren't at Mark and Keith's wedding. No, because I don't think you were friendly or you.

[Marcie Bloom]

We didn't know that.

[Lauren Everts]

Anyway, that was a surprise wedding, you know, so that we only met Mark.

[Marcie Bloom]

How did it. Was it a surprise?

[Lauren Everts]

Everyone thought it was Keith's 50th, which it was.

[Marcie Bloom]

But where was it held?

[Lauren Everts]

At the Lobster Club in New York. It's part of the grill in the pool, you know, so we. I had to put a platform in the middle of the room, and we put flowers on it. And then when it was time, we just moved the flowers and it was. Ar Consuelas was the. So you just called them up and people were like, what's going on?

[Marcie Bloom]

So cute.

[Michael Bostic]

That's cool. I like that.

[Lauren Everts]

It was cool. People were really happy.

[Marcie Bloom]

Out of all the weddings that you've planned, what has been your absolute favorite by far? And it could be something small or an event.

[Lauren Everts]

Well, this wedding that I was talking about earlier, and I would have to say there really are, you know, it's like your kids, which I don't have any, but I imagine if I did, you know, you love things about each of them. I mean, there's definitely been some I didn't love at all. And if I met the people, I'd cross the street. But few and far between.

[Michael Bostic]

Tell us how you really feel.

[Lauren Everts]

Few and far between. And it's been many years. As I get older, people seem to be so much more respectful. I don't know if they're worried I'm gonna, like, keel over or something, but they're much kinder to me than they were when I started. So this wedding I was talking about, we had Francis Malmond. Do you know who that is? So he came and he built barbecues all over this property. It was a huge property. Then we had LCD sound house. Was the band cool. And we had a late night, late night, late night. All different. And you moved from different tents to different experiences. So once you got, you know, we had a seated dinner, and I built an open kitchen in the tent, which I've never been able, so you could watch the chefs cooking. It was like a restaurant. It was really great fun. And then when we did in Jupiter, this wonderful couple, it was like a restaurant overlooking the water.

[Michael Bostic]

Quick break to talk about Symbiotica as we head into the new year. You want to start it off on the right foot. Symbiotica, in my opinion, has one of the best vitamin Cs on the market. I've been taking it for years. Their Liposomal vitamin C is, like I said, one of the best on the market. And what I love about it is you actually eat it like a food as opposed to just taking it like a pill or a supplement. I started taking Symbiotica's liposomal vitamin C not only to improve my skin, but my gum health, teeth health. A lot of people don't realize you can have high blood pressure or issues if you don't have proper gum health. And you know, there's this thing called scurvy that we used to get back in the day. Because of a lack of vitamin C, we do not get nearly the amount of vitamin C that we need. And so Symbiotica's liposomal vitamin C is a great solution to make sure that you're getting the proper dosage. Not only does it support collagen production and immune health, but it comes in these convenient little liquid pouches that you can take on the go. Anytime Lauren and I travel and get on a plane, I typically bring two to three of these. I take two when I get on the flight and then right before bed, I take another one. I eat it right out of the pack because I think it tastes phenomenal. But you could also add it to water. What's so cool about Symbiotica is the quality of their products. They're free from seed oils, preservatives, toxins, or artificial additives. And you're only getting the good stuff that your body craves, so check them out. It's high quality holistic wellness right at your fingertips. Be present and feel your best for life's most memorable moments. Go to symbiotica.com TSC or use code TSC for 20 off your subscription order and free shipping today. Again, go to symbiotica.com TSC or use code TSC for 20% off your subscription order and free shipping today. Symbiotica.com TSC for 20% off. Again, that's symbiotica.com TSC or use code TSC Quick break to talk about shipskis.com Guys, I could not be more excited about this service. For anyone that's looking to get into winter sports this season, how big of a pain in the ass is it lugging around your ski bag with all of the ski equipment, paying those exorbitant airline fees to get the oversized bag on there, then getting a car that you can fit it all in, then getting into the airport with all this stress and all of the things that it takes to actually get this large piece of luggage. There. Well, Ship Skis has you covered. I have actually been a customer of Ship Skis for years now and here's how I use it. Anytime I'm getting ready to do a ski trip, I get in touch with Ship Skis. Here's how it works. All you have to do is get in touch with them, like I said earlier, go on their website and schedule a shipment of your ski bag and your skis so that you don't have to deal with it, you have to bring it to the airport. You have to think about it. What they do is they provide a label and then they they handle the rest. Delivering your gear directly to your destination or your hotel or your Airbnb so that it's waiting for you all packed up and ready to go. It's just there waiting for you. When you get to your destination, you can travel the world with Ship skis and travel worldwide without the luggage Ship skis delivers to 180 countries for a hassle free gear free journey. Like I said, I've been a customer for years and every time I go, I just take my ski bag, get the label, attach it and boom, my gear is waiting for me right when I get there. Right to my destination without the headache make. Right now, Ship Skis is offering our listeners 20 off your first shipment when you go to Shipskis.com and use the code Skinny. Again, go to Shipskis.comand use the code Skinny to get 20 off your first shipment and save yourself the hassle this ski season. That's S H I p s K-I-S.com make sure you use the code skinny so they know we sent you.

[Marcie Bloom]

This episode is sponsored by Cotton, the fabric of our lives. I personally am such a big cotton fan. It's soft, it's durable, it's buttery, it's quality. And when I'm choosing pajamas for my kids, I'm always choosing cotton. I will literally search a hundred percent cotton pajamas. I just did a holiday haul where I got some Halloween pajamas, Thanksgiving pajamas, Christmas pajamas, and everything I chose was 100 cotton. And it's because it lays so nicely on their skin. It's comfortable and I just know its quality.

[Michael Bostic]

It is basically the only T shirts that I wear are all 100% cotton. I think the only material you should be wearing when it comes to underwear is cotton.

[Marcie Bloom]

Enough about your underwear, Michael. Let's talk about what I'm doing for the holidays. To prioritize my wellness. I am obviously wearing cotton, cold plunge, signing, getting my morning sunlight, meditating, lots of daily walks and lifting weights. I think during the holidays it's such a good time to really think about all the different things that you want to do new in the next year or continue into the next year. And one of those things for me will definitely be wearing cotton. I know my kids have tons of cotton. Michael has cotton and we're actually wearing it right now.

[Michael Bostic]

It's just an all around great material.

[Marcie Bloom]

If you're doing any holiday shopping, make sure you're always shopping 100% cotton. That's what you want to choose, especially if you have kids. I know when I shop for Michael's T shirts, he's a medium. If anyone wants to know that he likes a hundred percent cotton. Another way to implement cotton into your routine is through sheets. So if you want to get all cotton sheets or cotton pillows, it's so amazing. And to just know it's 100. Cotton is such a wellness hack.

[Michael Bostic]

Like I said earlier, it's going to hold its shape, it's going to hold its form. It's going to last a really long time. So it's a good investment.

[Marcie Bloom]

The other day I opened the drawer and found that Michael had about 45,000 different cotton shirts. I like color variation, all different colors. He truly has the whole rainbow. We're both cotton fans. Cotton is, is the fabric of now. Learn [e-mail] that's thefabricofarlives.com.

[Michael Bostic]

You like to do the experimental stuff.

[Lauren Everts]

Very much so. And people usually, if you want to get married at the Plaza and have a seated dinner and you know, just church wedding or something, you'd be spending too much to hire me. That'd be silly.

[Marcie Bloom]

What's the best location worldwide that you think? Like, do you think it's New York during the this or the. What's your favorite?

[Lauren Everts]

You know, because, I mean, I love Amalfi. It's gotten so crowded, you know, you can't. We did a nice wedding in Greece over the summer. I really love Montenegro, believe it or not.

[Michael Bostic]

Montenegro's coming up.

[Lauren Everts]

Yeah, I mean, it's been up, but it's been. But we really did a fabulous wedding there at the Sveti Stefan before it closed down the first time. And now that was fun because we had a James Bond theme rehearsal dinner. Because the groom, a good friend and crazy.

[Marcie Bloom]

So has any wedding ever broke up before they get married?

[Lauren Everts]

Only one.

[Marcie Bloom]

Only one. And then when you look back on all the weddings you've done, are people divorced or are they still together?

[Lauren Everts]

No, My stats are fairly good. That's what I said to Kevin today. I was like, you tell Kira, please. Thank you so much because I still have you on the website because you are my poster children for a good. You gotta remove them off the side.

[Michael Bostic]

If they break up.

[Lauren Everts]

Well, it depends. Like somebody. You know, there are. If people are remarried. You can't have like. Like Salman and Padma, for example. Salman Rushdie and Padma Lakshmi's wedding. I can't have them on the website.

[Marcie Bloom]

That would be a big wedding. I would think it was.

[Lauren Everts]

It was quite something. And he still had the fatwa against him. You know, the. The. The Muslim decree that they were like, they should kill him if they saw him. Yeah.

[Michael Bostic]

When it's all said and done, after all of these extravagant weddings and celebrity weddings and. And that you've done for the average person that just wants to have a great wedding ceremony, like, what. What do you think needs to be. Like, what are the things they need to hit and, like, they need to focus on?

[Lauren Everts]

So, you know, I got married last year. You remember, that's where Mark and Keith went. So I've been with my partner for 22 years and we just. And he's 20 years younger than I am.

[Marcie Bloom]

How funny.

[Lauren Everts]

So I thought I should, you know, marry him before. Right. And all I care. What was very important to me was the music, the ceremony music I wanted to walk down to. Miley Cyrus used to be young. Really? That's funny. So my friends in the music business, I said, just make a tape for me and, you know, so we can play it without it. Because there were only 14 of us. And I definitely did not want to go into wedding hell. And as a surprise to me, they flew down two singers. So when I walked down, I thought Miley was there. I said what she sounded just like. So things like the little surprises that you can do, obviously, or people remember. People remember a lot. Or if you're making a toast and you don't just say thanks for everybody coming from all over the world. You know, my friends who, you know, I went to public school with came from London. Things like, people are. They just want to feel special.

[Marcie Bloom]

It sounds to me that you've. You've sifted through what really works to refine your own wedding meaning. Like, it sounds to me that the thing that I'm hearing across the board is. Is there's. You, like a lot of personalization and intimacy. That's what I'm noticing. Out of all the things you've done, that seems to be what you think Is important.

[Lauren Everts]

I mean, my mother was a great hostess. You know, we lived in the Bronx, in Riverdale, in the Bronx, but. And we had, you know, nice apartment, middle class, and she was a teacher. But if there were four people, four uncles coming who all drank different scotches, she would have four different scotches. And that was the way I was raised. Like, it's about the guests personalizing it. Personalizing. So to this day, if I'm in a room with 200 wedding guests, I'll be like, excuse me, that guy needs a drink over there. People are like, what is wrong with you? Cause I came up in the restaurant business. I came up. You know, if you saw Martha Stewart's Netflix documentary, she came out of catering. We're all made from the same cloth. I can't do what she does. But I'm just saying that innate. What's going on? What's the timing? Is the cake out yet? Are people. Is the. It too much time between courses? Like, just. Yeah.

[Michael Bostic]

The hospitality part of it is, I would imagine, the most important. Funny enough. Like, I know the design, and everybody gets stuck in that. But when you think about great events, it's like, how were you served? How were you treated? How did it feel?

[Lauren Everts]

What was it? Vibe? Exactly.

[Michael Bostic]

You know, how do you feel? There's, you know, a lot more people that are asking their friends to officiate weddings. I had to officiate a wedding. And originally, when I went into it, I was like, oh, this will be easy. And then I started thinking. I'm like, wait a minute. I'm like, this is like, the most important part of this woman's one of the most important. And I was like, and her family's gonna be there. And then my. I have my dodo friend, and it's important to him, but I can't, like, just go off. I have to, like, actually be thoughtful.

[Lauren Everts]

No, it's a big honor. I mean, I did it twice in the. For clients in the past.

[Michael Bostic]

Do you like when people do it or do you see it?

[Lauren Everts]

No, I find. Find it extremely intimidating, especially since I'm supposed to be getting the dining room ready, but I had an Indonesian client in Napa who they needed me. But these clients, we just did this. Oh, I think you know them, maybe.

[Michael Bostic]

Yes, I do.

[Lauren Everts]

In Oregon. This big wedding we did in Oregon. I think perhaps maybe, you know. Anyway, we did a 5,000 acres.

[Michael Bostic]

They're not from Oregon. They just did it in Oregon.

[Lauren Everts]

He spent summers there. They're from Malibu.

[Michael Bostic]

Okay.

[Lauren Everts]

Yeah. Anyway, point was, they asked me to do it. They said, well, you know us so well. I said, so you're absolutely right. You have to go on a forensics hunt for like what's important. You just, just, you don't want to get up there and just tell stupid jokes or like, isn't this a beautiful theorem? So it turned out these people, he's 40, he'd become self made, very, very wealthy. And when he was a kid, he used to spend summers at his grandfather's house on this property. And through a series of misfortunes, the grandfather went bankrupt. And then they had to get rid of the farm. And he said, As a 13 year old, it was like a movie moment, I'm going to get rich and buy it back. And not only did he buy the farm back, he bought the other 6,000 acres around it. And that's where on that place, that's where we had the ceremony. So that was easy for me. I was like, I'm just going to talk about that. Like, there won't be a dry eye in the house. And then I can be totally incoherent after that. Whichever.

[Michael Bostic]

So do you like when people ask people to do it and do you think they should do it or you think they should shy away unless they're certain?

[Lauren Everts]

I think if people are going to write their own vows, it's unnecessary to have, you know, you might as well have a straight up officiant. Right. Because everyone repeats themselves, I hear. Like sometimes people write their own vows and the officiant has already said everything that's in their own vows is just goes on forever. But if you're not gonna write your own vows and you want this person to sort of be a vessel for what you wanna say, but you're too shy or, you know, stage shy. That's a good idea.

[Marcie Bloom]

Do you think that everyone should get married?

[Lauren Everts]

Ah, oh boy. You know, I was very, I was married before, I was very worried about. I think everyone should have a wedding whether they get married or not.

[Marcie Bloom]

That's a good, that's actually like, honestly a good tip. Have a wedding.

[Lauren Everts]

Have a wedding. You don't have to. I mean, I have two clients that I am convinced they never actually did it legally.

[Marcie Bloom]

And does anyone really care? I mean, it's kind of like Goldie and Kirk, right, Kurt? It's, they're like, they're forever.

[Michael Bostic]

Cool.

[Lauren Everts]

Yeah, it's cool. And it doesn't make as, you know, if someone wants to leave, that doesn't stop you. And it does, I mean, it does make a difference, right? And but as I said, we were together 22 years and I had a big birthday and I was like, what do I want to do for my birthday? I know, we'll get married.

[Marcie Bloom]

That's fun.

[Lauren Everts]

Yeah.

[Marcie Bloom]

What is the biggest changes that you're seeing in the evolution of planning and weddings? Meaning, like, are you seeing things that are jumping the shark? Is it too much for a 2 year old to have an $80000 birthday? What are things?

[Lauren Everts]

That's who you hire. I'm sorry. She's like, just like, sign here.

[Marcie Bloom]

What are the things that you think are. It's gauche.

[Lauren Everts]

I think people, you know, I have couples who go to sleep at 10 o'clock every night and yet they're spending a fortune on an after party. I was like, why are you doing that? You don't want an after party. Someone told you somewhere you have to have an after party and you couldn't care less. Don't do that. Right. That's just dumb. Or a choreographed dance set when, you know, they, they don't like dancing, they don't like being in front of people. They just, you know, my favorite story about that was that J.J. philbin and Michael Sherd, you know, J.J. philbin's Regis daughter and Michael Sher wrote the Office and they met on snl. They were both writers on SNL and neither one of them could dance many years ago, but they're both comedians, so they, they. We walked into the Pierre Hotel and for the first dance, the lights went down and started playing Duran Duran, you know, Hungry, Hungry Like a Wolf, which is a fabulous first dance for a wedding. And we had this couple dressed in a wedding gown and a tuxedo. And they'll come out and the lights are very dim and he's throwing her all over the place, like between his legs. And they're doing pirouettes and everyone in the room is like, what is going on? The lights come up and they go, well, sorry, that wasn't us. And then they come out and do their first dance.

[Marcie Bloom]

Oh my God, that is so funny. That's very true to their personality. I like that because it feels it was hilarious. I think that's cute.

[Lauren Everts]

It was cute.

[Marcie Bloom]

Do you think that there should be drama at every single wedding?

[Lauren Everts]

No.

[Marcie Bloom]

Why? I like a little drama.

[Lauren Everts]

Well, good drama.

[Marcie Bloom]

I caused a little bit of a couple scenes. You know why? Everyone who talks about my wedding now is like, remember when you threw the banana at me? And it like, like there's all kinds of. It's a big story, but they remember the Funny stories.

[Lauren Everts]

You know what they remember.

[Michael Bostic]

The trauma.

[Lauren Everts]

The trauma, the drama. I mean, I listen, I'm like. I'm a drama queen. So I like. There's always.

[Marcie Bloom]

So do I. I like it.

[Lauren Everts]

Keep it feisty when they move. Yeah. But just, you know, just a smidge.

[Marcie Bloom]

A smidge. A smidge of drama.

[Lauren Everts]

But again, to back what you asked me, I think. I think people, you know, this whole personalization thing. You don't have to name, you know, 40 tables after the places that, you know, you had dinner together and things like that. It just confuses people. They need to find a table number. You know, everyone's like, oh, you know, Murray's Cheese Shop. Where is my table? Like, it's like a. You know, it's. People are doing things. Cause they feel, you know, it's incumbent upon them to do something so special, so unusual. Just make it a lovely. That's unusual enough to have a lovely evening where you're not bored stiff. And my biggest thing is we get people up after the main course and that, you know, we usually don't do dancing during courses in between. Cause I don't like it. And it's usually bad for the food and bad for the music. Go straight through three courses. Do all the toasts. Two courses now and 20 minutes an hour, 30 max. And then it's a party.

[Marcie Bloom]

Before you go, will you share a couple resources that you like for, let's say, like, your favorite wedding dresses? Maybe you could do high and low, your favorite wedding cakes, your favorite. I don't know, any. Any little, like, Marcy Bloom secrets.

[Lauren Everts]

We just used the buttered end in la. I don't know if you're they. It was so delicious that I took all the samples with me that I was gonna toss afterwards. Cause I had to go to the Parker in Palm Springs and I ate the whole thing.

[Marcie Bloom]

So that. It must be really good if you're saying you've tried so many different weddings.

[Lauren Everts]

It was so good. And usually I can turn away from weddings.

[Marcie Bloom]

And it was that good.

[Lauren Everts]

Delicious.

[Marcie Bloom]

Okay, what about dresses?

[Lauren Everts]

I like Danielle Frankel a lot. Have you seen her things? She's doing some beautiful, beautiful things. She's sort of new ish on the scene, but a lot of people are. Dang. I also like Vivienne Westwood. Does some beautiful wedding dresses. And there are some great stories. I mean, Mark Ingram in New York has the gamut of everybody's dresses, the really good ones. He has Rhea Macra and Oscar, I think, and everybody.

[Marcie Bloom]

I forgot to ask you one of the Most important questions. What can we not do to outdo the bride? Like, are we not allowed to wear cream? What are the rules around gay weddings?

[Lauren Everts]

I always wear cream. Cause I have a couple of cream dresses. I'm like, they don't care.

[Marcie Bloom]

They don't care. Yeah, that's fine.

[Lauren Everts]

Right?

[Marcie Bloom]

So what can you not do? Like you don't want to wear your tits out.

[Lauren Everts]

No. You don't want it. Yes. Well, I don't have much, but that's my birthday present, my person this year. But if I did, I wouldn't wear them out at the wedding. You don't want to wear a big ostentatious hat or something that calls attention. I mean there was this girl yesterday, this fundraiser who was wearing like a full on red velvet jumpsuit in the middle of this. It was just absurd. Like you don't want to wear anything that calls attention to you. I mean you want to look beautiful and sexy and. And particularly if you're in the wedding party. You know these poor women, sometimes they make them wear these horrendous things, which is so mean.

[Marcie Bloom]

You know what? I didn't do bridesmaids and he didn't do groomsmen's because it's like, why over complicate things?

[Lauren Everts]

Especially unless you're 18. Nobody cares. And this is ridiculous.

[Marcie Bloom]

And all the girls are always fighting and then the.

[Lauren Everts]

Yeah. And they're the worst. They're much worse than the brides. The brides. Because it's not their day. I really want to get it.

[Michael Bostic]

Well, it's. It felt awkward to me because I'm like, I got to put these people in order of importance to me.

[Lauren Everts]

No, exactly.

[Michael Bostic]

And it felt strange to like.

[Lauren Everts]

No, it's. Yeah.

[Marcie Bloom]

Are we gonna be expecting a book from you? I think you need to write a book.

[Lauren Everts]

I'm considering it. Tell me what. Give me.

[Michael Bostic]

Okay. Towards the end.

[Lauren Everts]

Yes.

[Michael Bostic]

When you're like.

[Lauren Everts]

I got like I'm done.

[Michael Bostic]

You're done. The end. No, I mean like towards the real end.

[Marcie Bloom]

Do an entertaining marches, break all the.

[Michael Bostic]

NDAs and you release.

[Lauren Everts]

And just release the book. Book.

[Michael Bostic]

That's the. That's.

[Marcie Bloom]

You could do it as like you could just call the book Wedding Planner and it could just be anonymous and.

[Michael Bostic]

You could use fake.

[Marcie Bloom]

Like there's this guy, the book's called waiter and it's by. It's such a good book.

[Lauren Everts]

Good.

[Marcie Bloom]

And he just writes all the ship. But you don't know who it's by.

[Lauren Everts]

It's a good idea do to call.

[Marcie Bloom]

It Wedding planner or. But we also would like a book that's like entertaining for weddings and you give us all your secrets.

[Lauren Everts]

Okay, we'll do that too. Fine. Okay, let's do it. And a shot. So I have to go because I have to start writing. No, I'm teasing. I was like. And a TV show. Anything else? You're going to my fairy God.

[Marcie Bloom]

I mean, you're great on a mic.

[Michael Bostic]

I was not kidding. I don't know how you haven't had a TV show at this because you see all these kind of different shows around these kind of things.

[Lauren Everts]

No. You know, there was an article in the Atlantic my girlfriend wrote:6 months ago in the Atlantic, which was very funny because she used to be a wedding player, now she's a best selling author. And the first, the opening sentence was. Was. On Sunday, wedding planners pray. Not because they're particularly religious, but they're waiting to hear the complaints from the night before.

[Michael Bostic]

Is that true?

[Marcie Bloom]

Is there always complaints?

[Lauren Everts]

Well, no, sometimes you get nice goes. But there's usually my grandmother, you know, left her flask that, you know, she swam from Germany with and we can't. You know, I'm sure you've heard of the most important thing that's ever happened, even though the wedding was fabulous, but you can't find that flask. You know, things like that.

[Marcie Bloom]

It's. It's like a pepper and a. Yeah.

[Lauren Everts]

So they're trying to do a TV show around that article, which is possible.

[Marcie Bloom]

You would be great, Marcy. Where can everyone DM you? Ask you questions book with you?

[Lauren Everts]

Please DM me. I answer all my DMs. It's M A R C Y B L E U M on Instagram.

[Marcie Bloom]

And where can they look at all your clients and your website and everything?

[Lauren Everts]

Marcy bloom.com. isn't that clever?

[Marcie Bloom]

It's so clever. Mark. I would love another dinner party and I would love to be invited for the pre party. So I can see how you set up the tablescape with Marcy.

[Lauren Everts]

Oh, I'm going to send you a bunch of things.

[Marcie Bloom]

Please send me like all your life, please.

[Lauren Everts]

China and fantastic.

[Marcie Bloom]

Yeah. I want to know what's worth investing in.

[Lauren Everts]

I agree. Because I have a pantry now that we just.

[Michael Bostic]

All right, next steps. Marcy, we're going to plan a party.

[Lauren Everts]

Okay.

[Michael Bostic]

We'll figure out the occasion.

[Lauren Everts]

Okay.

[Michael Bostic]

Lauren will be participating, but also surprised.

[Marcie Bloom]

Don't worry, I can do both.

[Michael Bostic]

I feel like it's going to be fun.

[Lauren Everts]

I can tell you.

[Michael Bostic]

Do something fun.

[Lauren Everts]

Say that he loves you. You did not.

[Michael Bostic]

Thank you. Marcy, you're the best.

[Lauren Everts]

Thank you. Thank you so much.