Today I interview international wedding planner Julian Leaver, who started by planning sorority parties at the University of Oklahoma. He nearly pursued a State Department career, worked in hotels and now runs Julian Leaver Events with offices in Dallas and Paris.
Leaver explains how low-budget college events taught scrappiness, tight logistics, and prioritizing guest experience, and how hotel systems, data, and collaboration shaped his firm while he left behind high-volume repetition. He discusses saying no based on fit and budget, educating clients on costs (including a budgeting method based on venue and food-and-beverage estimates), and managing 3,000+ micro-decisions through phased planning and recorded calls. He details post-event surveys for clients and vendors, using feedback to improve systems and understand buyer types, emphasizes client advocacy and direct communication with vendors, shares his 10-year sobriety, describes his “Mind Over Matrimony” podcast for transparency, and outlines clear, commission-free pricing practices.
Enjoy!
00:00 Service Is the Product
00:19 Meet Julian Leaver
00:42 From State Dept to Events
02:42 Sorority Parties to Hospitality
04:24 Origin Story and Referrals
06:32 Guiding Clients on Experience
08:17 First Year Lessons Saying No
10:16 Budget Fit and Education
12:51 Wedding Budget Rule of Five
13:51 Hotel Systems vs Creative Freedom
17:06 Client Capacity and Team Structure
18:12 Paris Office and Global Planning
19:32 Local Teams Matter
20:19 3000 Micro Decisions
22:15 Recording Calls For Clarity
23:03 Post Wedding Surveys
24:15 Using Feedback To Improve
25:51 Buyer Types And Messaging
27:09 Why Vendors Avoid Surveys
30:18 Client Advocacy First
31:51 Handling Vendor Misalignment
33:09 Mind Over Matrimony Podcast
36:23 Pricing Transparency Explained
38:58 Closing Thanks And Subscribe
Comments +