Michelle Martinez
Co-Host of The Big Wedding Planning Podcast
Michelle is a Certified Wedding Consultant with more than 20 years in the Wedding & Events Industry. Michelle's company is Allure Wedding Consulting & Event Planning serving the San Francisco Bay Area, Napa Valley, Boston & Cape Cod.
What are the first 5 thing you do when you get up in the morning?
Kiss my husband
Meditate
Yoga
drink 22 oz of water
drink coffee
What is your favorite movie quote?
"Enough about me, let's talk about you. What do you think of me?"
-Bette Midler's character (C.C. Bloom) in Beaches
What is your favorite joke?
I have a terrible memory. I know I've heard better ones, but the one I remember is. "Where did the General hide his army? In his sleevies"
What is YOUR karaoke song?
Love Shack, by the B52's.
What was your most embarrassing hair style?
My mom decided I should get the "Mary Lou Retton Cut" in the 80's. I think I was in 2nd or 3rd grade. To top it off, whenever my bangs would grow out, she would cut them herself and they would always be very crooked.
What word do you love the sound of?
Savannah. Referring to the city in Georgia. But I only like it when someone from there says it with that accent.
What food reminds you of your birthday?
Ice Cream. I definitely eat ice cream on my birthday.
What food makes you think of Christmas?
Candied Sweet Potatoes with brown sugar and marshmallows. Also reminds me of Thanksgiving. Reminds me of my mom and grandmother.
What movie can you watch over and over again?
Terms of Endearment
What is the best invention during your lifetime?
The Internet
How old where you when you got your first computer?
I was 22. My husband and I financed the first ever iMac. It was blue.
What was your first car?
1979 Convertible VW Bug. I was 16.
What do you have an irrational fear of?
Bees!! I've never been stung. I'm so freaked out by them.
Who taught you to swim?
Uncle Ernie
Who taught you to ride a bike?
My Dad on a pink Huffy.
What music are you embarrassed that you like listening to?
Light Rock, Easy Listening from the 70's & 80's. Not sure why, but sometimes, I'm in the mood to blast that shit in my car and sing loud.
What do you hate the sound of?
The sound of someone cleaning under their finger nails with a paper napkin. Eeeek!!
What was the last Concert you went to?
Kanye West and it was awesome.
If you could see any deceased musician perform who would you choose?
Michael Jackson. I was/am a HUGE fan and I never got to see him live.
Michelle Martinez has hosted 170 Episodes.
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#137 Rethinking Videography with StopGoLove
April 10th, 2019 | 1 hr 6 mins
apple podcasts, wedding, wedding advice, wedding inspiration, wedding planning, wedding podcast, weddings
Meet the guests! The team behind StopGoLove:
Jared Haskell founded StopGoLove with Jason after moving back to New England from a production company in Texas. Both his curiosity and competitive nature drove him to tackle weddings after success in shooting music videos, live television, and documentary work in multiple countries around the world. Professional excellence and seeing couples thrilled with their StopGoLove experience is of the utmost importance to Jared. -
#136 Rituals and Traditions with Author Eleni Gage
April 3rd, 2019 | 1 hr 2 mins
apple podcasts, wedding, wedding advice, wedding inspiration, wedding planning, wedding podcast, weddings
There are SO many cool examples of lucky symbols, tradition, and rituals in this episode, and Eleni’s book goes into detail about all of them...from burying a bottle of bourbon one month before the wedding, to tucking a penny in your shoe...there are plenty of ways to cross your fingers and wish on a star about your wedding day and DURING your wedding day. Fun stuff!
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#135 You Ask, We Answer - 16
March 27th, 2019 | 57 mins 35 secs
apple podcasts, wedding, wedding advice, wedding inspiration, wedding planning, wedding podcast, weddings
1 voicemail and 3 emails will get you through this month’s YAWA! You Ask, We Answer. Also, we both suck at Irish accents, but at least Michelle gave it a whirl!
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#134 Write The Best Toast Ever with Beth Sherman
March 20th, 2019 | 55 mins 20 secs
apple podcasts, wedding, wedding advice, wedding inspiration, wedding planning, wedding podcast, weddings
Writing a toast or a wedding speech - or your VOWS can be daunting. You want to be personal yet universal. You want to be yourself, and also write something profound and relatable. You want to be honest and funny and touching, but you don’t want to cry all over yourself when you say your vows, or give your toast. The pressure is on! This episode is all about the toasts/vows/speeches. It’s about how to put pen to paper, to edit and curate, and to stand up and proudly speak your words to a room full of people.
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#133 White Ink Calligraphy
March 18th, 2019 | 57 mins 36 secs
apple podcasts, wedding, wedding advice, wedding inspiration, wedding planning, wedding podcast, weddings
All about Calligraphy, not just invitations, but signage, ceremony backdrops, seating assignments, outer envelopes, love letters...the possibilities are endless!
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#132 Credit Card Hacking Your Wedding
March 13th, 2019 | 59 mins 53 secs
apple podcasts, wedding, wedding advice, wedding inspiration, wedding planning, wedding podcast, weddings
Is it possible to pay for your honeymoon (or at least the flight and hotel accomodations) using points you earned when you spent money on your wedding? Yes! This episode breaks down how. We’re happy to have Keith King on the podcast because we too need to learn about our credit cards! Miles, points, travel hacking - woohoo!
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#131 Rethinking Flowers with Amelia's Flower Truck
March 11th, 2019 | 48 mins 29 secs
apple podcasts, wedding, wedding advice, wedding inspiration, wedding planning, wedding podcast, weddings
SURPRISE! BONUS EPISODE. Today’s guest is entrepreneur Mattie Bush - who started a flower truck in Nashville and is killing it! Flowers and weddings go hand in hand, but in this episode, we are digging in a little deeper and talking about unique ways to incorporate flowers into your wedding - in an action station way. Something for guests to do and create and leave with...and it’s beautiful and makes for a great photo op. Flower Trucks, flower bars, DIY bouquets....enjoy!
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#130 Must-Ask Photographer Questions With Kathy Thomas
March 6th, 2019 | 1 hr 5 mins
apple podcasts, kathy thomas, kathy thomas photography, wedding, wedding advice, wedding inspiration, wedding photographer, wedding photography, wedding planning, wedding podcast, weddings
Kathy Thomas is AWESOME. We love talking to photographers on the podcast and we’ve had a few episodes with guests that are professional wedding photographers. Kathy has great advice for hiring a wedding photographer - stuff we haven’t heard before. She even surprised us with some of her tips and tricks - specifically for couples heading to their initial consultation with a photographer.
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#129 You Ask, We Answer - 15
February 27th, 2019 | 1 hr 9 mins
apple podcasts, wedding, wedding advice, wedding inspiration, wedding planning, wedding podcast, weddings
YAWA! It’s a good one this month. We’re talking about everything from lesbian wedding processionals to boring transportation timelines, to ex-girlfriends...and everything in between. We’re starting this episode off with a voice message and ending with a bang! We love these episodes and we love you. Keep sending emails!
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#128 Cocktails With The Aero Bar
February 20th, 2019 | 47 mins 15 secs
apple podcasts, wedding, wedding advice, wedding inspiration, wedding planning, wedding podcast, weddings
Brian Fuente, his right-hand woman Amberly, his parents, and his director of operations all met with us at the warehouse to show us the bars, talk business and cocktails with us, and to put a nice bow on our Nashville trip before we headed back home.
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#127 Simply Eloped
February 13th, 2019 | 42 mins 12 secs
apple podcasts, wedding, wedding advice, wedding inspiration, wedding planning, wedding podcast, weddings
Janessa White and her partner Matt witnessed so many close friends spend tons of money on large weddings that were stressful and difficult to plan. After noticing that many of these friends didn’t enjoy their weddings, the duo realized that there must be a better way. With that, Simply Eloped was born and the two set off on a mission to make getting married, fun, easy and affordable!
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#126 Unique Venues, Unique Perspective: Mayflower Venue's Veronica Armstrong
February 6th, 2019 | 55 mins 16 secs
apple podcasts, wedding, wedding advice, wedding inspiration, wedding planning, wedding podcast, weddings
Hey! We should get married in an apple orchard! Or a castle! I want a private garden for the ceremony and a rustic but elegant open barn for the reception. WHERE CAN WE GET THAT? Check out Mayflower Venues, y’all. They might just feature the perfect venue for you. Here’s teh blurb:
Mayflower Venue’s platform and proprietary event planning software enable nontraditional event
spaces (farms, family estates, orchards etc.) to market, book, coordinate and host custom weddings (or events) for couples who demand more unique and customizable venues. -
#125 You Ask, We Answer - 14
January 30th, 2019 | 55 mins 51 secs
apple podcasts, wedding, wedding advice, wedding inspiration, wedding planning, wedding podcast, weddings
We LOVE getting listener emails with questions! And if you want our attention for a full two hours of one-on-one consulting, hit us up and we can schedule a video chat meeting. 2 hours, $200. Easy peasy! So valuable and fun.
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#124 Planning Education with Whim Events
January 23rd, 2019 | 1 hr 2 mins
apple podcasts, wedding, wedding advice, wedding inspiration, wedding planning, wedding podcast, weddings
“Natalie Pinney and Moira Thompson are the co-founders of Whim Events, a full-service wedding planning, design and floral studio in Boston, MA. (We LOVE Boston!)
Together over a lot of coffee, crazy ideas and a mutual love for making people’s dreams come true, Moira & Natalie founded Whim Events in 2011. They have designed and planned hundreds of weddings throughout New England, and were named Best Wedding Planner in Boston by Boston Magazine. -
#123 Psychology of Wedding Planning With Angela Proffitt
January 16th, 2019 | 1 hr 13 mins
apple podcasts, wedding, wedding advice, wedding inspiration, wedding planning, wedding podcast, weddings
When we took the show on the road in 2018 (literally), we ended up at the desk of Angela Proffitt, celebrity wedding planner, connector, and small business guru. She is a treasure in Nashville. She has her own podcast and we were guests on it as well - Weddings Unveiled. She has an adorable accent. But the adorable stops there (well, it stops with her adorable Southern smile, I guess) and the badass begins as soon as you hear her talk about her business, her priorities, and her journey. Buckle up, Y'all!
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#122 Live At The Modern Love Event
January 9th, 2019 | 1 hr 16 mins
apple podcasts, wedding, wedding advice, wedding inspiration, wedding planning, wedding podcast, weddings
MIchelle and Christy took the show on the road and headed to Nashville Tennessee to sponsor and record live at The Modern Love Event. We met brides, grooms, friends, parents and lots of amazing top wedding vendors in the Southern City that never sleeps. This episode is the ‘show’ we did in the loft of The Cordelle, the host venue of the Modern Love Event. We chatted with attendees, answered questions, addressed concerns and dished out a lot of free advice. It’s free, so don’t blame us! It’s like a live YAWA. We had so much fun. And we touched on SO MANY TOPICS.