Weddings Unscripted

Supply House, a new 16,300 sq ft venue in Navy Yard, was built to fix a real DC problem: plenty of venues, very few that can handle 250+ guests.   In this episode of the Weddings Unscripted, we are joined by Ryan Ryskamp, co-founder of Social Supply and Supply House. He covers capacity, the electrical and AV infrastructure, and the layout, all designed with input from caterers, AV teams, and planners. He also gets candid about opening in a historic building, including permitting delays, tariffs, and rent. And, he breaks down how he markets the venue on social media and gives advice for vendors who want to show up on camera without oversharing.   Key Takeaways Build for the vendors and the clients follow. Ryan's real audience is planners, caterers, and AV teams. If they can work easily in your space, they become your best referral source. Document, then add "why us." Share the process, but plant reasons to choose you in every story. Cut the "will we make it?" storylines, because they get views but scare off paying clients. Be authentic, but discerning. Save the full tell-all for when you're a few years removed from it.   Chapters  (00:00) Welcome and meet Ryan Ryskamp (01:18) Origin story: Jess's planning career to Social Supply's 75,000 sq ft (05:48) Why a venue, and why live experiences are becoming a luxury (11:31) DC's shortage of large venues (16:45) Inside Supply House: interior, atrium, courtyard, and plaza (19:44) Built for vendors: power, dedicated circuits, floor pass-throughs, AV (28:16) Opening week, construction, tariffs, and rent (31:14) Social media strategy: talking heads and a slim content team (36:53) Why Ryan dropped the "will we make it?" storyline (44:57) Advice: document over create, and be authentic but discerning     Resources and mentions Supply House DC: supplyhousedc.com Social Supply: socialsupplydesign.com Instagram: @supplyhousedc and @socialsupplydesign   Connect with us: Visit our website: www.weddingsunscripted.com Cherry Blossom Weddings & Events: www.cherryblossomwe.com Follow us on our socials: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572429101755 Instagram: @weddings_unscripted TikTok: @weddings_unscripted

One product. One small community. A website built years before Google. This week on Weddings Unscripted, Ali flies solo for a conversation with Michael Shapiro, founder and CEO of ketubah.com, the go-to source for the ketubah, the Jewish marriage contract signed at Jewish and interfaith weddings. In this episode, Michael explains what a ketubah is, how he launched a business around one product, for one small community, in 1996, when almost nobody shopped online, and how it grew into 900+ designs from about 90 artists serving more than 100,000 couples. Ali shares the behind-the-scenes wedding planner tips that make or break the ketubah  and deciding whether the ketubah is displayed or packed away. Whether you're planning a Jewish or interfaith wedding, a wedding planner learning to serve diverse cultures, or a vendor curious about building a niche business, this episode is full of practical wedding planning tips and heart.   Key Takeaways Pick your ketubah text before you fall in love with a design.  Build the ketubah signing into your wedding day checklist.  Modern couples can honor tradition and still make it their own.    Chapters (00:00) — Welcome: Meet ketubah.com founder Michael Shapiro (01:18) — What is a ketubah? The Jewish marriage contract explained (03:24) — Starting ketubah.com in 1996 (16:08) — The "aha" moment: one product, sold worldwide (20:20) — Personal touch vs. online efficiency in wedding planning (25:24) — A wedding planner's guide to handling the ketubah on wedding day (30:14) — Ketubah text options for Jewish, interfaith & LGBTQ+ couples (30:51) — Free tools: Hebrew Namer & Jewish Wedding 101 (36:34) — How to choose your ketubah text (talk to your officiant early) (38:09) — From faxes to giclée printing: how ketubahs are made today (44:08) — Tradition vs. modern: breaking wedding rules while honoring heritage (50:40) — What's new: Doing Jewish Today magazine, Growing Family Trees & where to find Michael   Connect with Michael & Ketubah.com Website: ketubah.com Get a copy of Doing Jewish Today. A new free magazine celebrating how Jewish life is lived right now, visit: https://ketubah.com/doing-jewish-today/  Get an artful heirloom gifts that grow to welcome new additions to your family, visit: https://ketubah.com/shop/products/special-occasions/growing-family-trees/  Learn about Jewish Weddings, visit: https://jewishwedding101.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ketubah?ref=search&sid=753890443.3415873743..1  Instagram: @ketubahdotcom    Connect with us Visit our website: www.cherryblossomwe.com/podcast Cherry Blossom Weddings & Events: www.cherryblossomwe.com Follow us on our socials: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572429101755 Instagram: @weddings_unscripted TikTok: @weddings_unscripted  

Ever wonder why a gorgeous wedding didn't make the magazine? It's rarely about the wedding.  Alex Pare and Alison Golt sit down with Alexandria Taylor Craig, editor of What's Up Weddings, the magazine covering Annapolis, the Eastern Shore, and Central Maryland. Alexandria walks through how she builds each issue, from sorting submissions and storyboarding in a spreadsheet to six months of chasing photographers and couples for details. She explains why a great wedding can still get passed over: venue and vendor balance, similar dress styles, and issue variety all play a part. The trio also dig into what's trending (more color, lace, drapery, vintage touches), why print is holding strong in a digital world, and why expert-sourced planning articles beat the content-mill blog posts couples often stumble on. Along the way, they talk Polaroids, wedding albums making a comeback, AI-generated florals, and how to make a wedding feel like the two people at the center of it.   Key Takeaways Not getting published isn't a verdict on your wedding. Editors balance venues, vendors, dress styles, colors, and regions across an issue, so a beautiful wedding can lose out to one that fills a gap. Make trends your own. Alexandria says the weddings that stand out take a trending color or idea and adjust it to fit them, rather than copying what's on social media. Personal details beat perfect ones. Cocktails named after pets, a family car, a tradition from your culture, or a convertible gown with three looks are what make a wedding memorable and feature-worthy.   Chapters (00:00) Welcome and meet Alexandria Taylor Craig (01:42) From rom-coms and Pinterest boards to editing a wedding magazine (03:11) What gets younger people into weddings now (hint: social media) (05:10) What Annapolis and Eastern Shore weddings look like: coastal blues, greens, and sailboats (07:08) How a twice-yearly issue comes together (08:20) 30 to 40 submissions for 18 spots, and couples who submit before the wedding (11:09) Why great weddings don't always make the cut (14:16) Storyboarding an issue and getting team sign-off (17:40) Trends: more color, lace, drapery, and vintage touches (20:25) Trends vs. making them your own (21:38) Why print still matters: trust and keepsakes (26:01) Polaroids, albums, and craving something physical (29:04) Feature articles, expert advice, and why they beat generic blogs (37:23) Permissions, photo rights, and couples who say no (43:50) Why the magazine avoids quoting prices, plus AI bouquets and Pinterest (47:42) Beyond real weddings: Get the Look and Obsessions (49:23) Personal touches and permission to skip tradition (53:37) Where to find What's Up Weddings     Connect with Alexandria Taylor Craig, Editor, What's Up Weddings: Subscribe to the magazine: whatsupmag.com/subscribe Submit your wedding (Annapolis, Eastern Shore, Central Maryland): whatsupmag.com/weddings/submit Instagram: @whatsupweddings Find print copies at wedding boutiques around Annapolis, the Eastern Shore, and Central Maryland   Connect with us: Visit our website: www.weddingsunscripted.com Cherry Blossom Weddings & Events: www.cherryblossomwe.com Follow us on our socials: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572429101755 Instagram: @weddings_unscripted TikTok: @weddings_unscripted  

Tired of drowning in email chains with your wedding planner? Or buried in a 51-tab spreadsheet just trying to keep your wedding straight? Keep reading — there's a new tool built to fix that, for couples and planners alike. In this episode of Weddings Unscripted, Alex and Ali sit down with Hannah Roze, founder and CEO of Plannerd, a wedding planning platform born out of her own frustrating wedding planning journey. Hannah walks through how Plannerd blends structure with flexibility for both couples and wedding professionals, why she built it, and the differences between Gen Z & Millennial couples in researching and booking vendors. They also touched on where AI genuinely helps in the planning process, what's coming next on her app, and why building wedding tech "in the open" alongside real planners matters. Whether you're a couple planning a wedding, an aspiring wedding planner, or a vendor trying to connect with a new generation of clients, this episode is full of practical wedding planning tips and an honest look at how the industry is changing.   Key Takeaways Gen Z couples research for months before ever reaching out — so vendors have to lead with transparency. Hidden costs are what blow up a wedding budget. AI is a helpful assistant for wedding admin, but a risky source for budget advice.   Chapter 00:00 — Welcome to Weddings Unscripted 01:03 — Meet guest Hannah Roze, founder & CEO of Plannerd 01:36 — From dream wedding to elopement: Hannah's own planning chaos 04:08 — Why she built Plannerd: from spreadsheet overload to structure 08:10 — Building with experts: how wedding planners shaped the platform 10:54 — Where AI actually helps (and where it doesn't) in wedding planning 12:33 — The budget conversation every planner dreads — and how to get it right 16:29 — Inside the Plannerd toolkit: budget, timeline & to-do features 21:00 — Favorite features and why flexibility beats a rigid template 26:06 — What's next: turning static planning into a conversational experience 30:50 — Gen Z vs. Millennial couples: how research and booking have changed 37:35 — What vendors are getting wrong (and right) with today's couples 51:29 — Advice for planning teams & what's coming next for Plannerd   Connect with Hannah Roze: Website: https://www.plannerd.com/ Instagram: @plannerdinc Hannah's Instagram/TikTok: @itshannahroze Plannerd offers a free 14-day trial**   Connect with us: Visit our website: www.weddingsunscripted.com Cherry Blossom Weddings & Events: www.cherryblossomwe.com   Follow us on our socials: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572429101755 Instagram: @weddings_unscripted TikTok: @weddings_unscripted

30 years of flowers, one wild career pivot, and the real math behind why your florist isn't overcharging you. This week on Weddings Unscripted, Alex flies solo and sits down with longtime friend and florist Shelley O'Neill, owner of Oyster Flower Company in Annapolis. Shelley walks through her unlikely start doing church arrangements for $60 a week, a decade running an event planning company, and the recent leap into opening her own retail flower and gift shop. They also get into Naval Academy wedding restrictions, what actually goes into flower pricing, and why the wedding design world has opened up in ways it never used to. If you've ever wondered what it takes to build a floral business — or just want to know why your centerpieces cost what they cost — this one's for you. Key Takeaways Specializing isn't quitting — you don't have to do everything to build something sustainable. Smaller budgets aren't smaller work — an 11-person wedding or a 3-week turnaround event can demand just as much (or more) problem-solving as a 300-person affair. Flower pricing isn't arbitrary — global supply issues, contract timing, and the fact that florists (unlike grocery stores) can't treat flowers as a loss leader all factor into the final cost. Chapters 00:00 — Introduction 02:52 — Shelley's origin story: $60-a-week church arrangements 04:10 — How "we'll never do weddings" turned into a full floral business 09:04 — Learning the ropes on Naval Academy weddings and stretching small budgets 14:30 — Behind the florals at Alex's color-drenched 50th birthday party 20:27 — Opening a retail flower and gift shop 24:19 — What makes the cut on *Oyster Flower Co's* shelves 26:12 — Juggling a new retail shop during peak wedding season 30:00 — The real reasons flowers cost what they cost 36:23 — Why it's an experience, not just an event   Connect with Shelley O'Neill Website: https://www.oysterflower.com/ ** (new site launching soon) Instagram: @oysterflowerco   Connect with us: Visit our website: www.weddingsunscripted.com Cherry Blossom Weddings & Events: www.cherryblossomwe.com Follow us on our socials: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572429101755 Instagram: @weddings_unscripted TikTok: @weddings_unscripted