In this episode of Mind Your Wedding Business, Kevin Dennis sits down with wedding PR expert Meghan Ely to unpack one of the biggest pop culture moments to impact the wedding industry in recent years: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding.

Drawing on her experience as a sought-after publicist and media expert, Meghan shares why this celebrity wedding generated worldwide attention, how the media approached the story, and what wedding professionals can learn from the way it was planned, protected, and publicized. Together, Kevin and Meghan discuss everything from guest experience and privacy to wedding trends, media opportunities, and why authenticity should always come before chasing headlines.

Whether you're curious about how celebrity weddings influence client expectations or looking for practical ways to leverage timely industry moments in your own marketing and PR strategy, this episode is packed with valuable insights for wedding professionals.

Meghan Ely is an award-winning wedding industry speaker, PR expert, and founder of OFD Consulting, a public relations agency that helps wedding and event professionals grow their visibility through strategic media placements, thought leadership, and speaking opportunities. A frequent speaker at Wedding MBA, NACE Experience, and other leading industry conferences, Meghan is also the author of 20 Wedding PR Tips for 2026 and has helped clients earn features in publications including The New York Times, Brides, People, and Martha Stewart Weddings.

Highlights:

• Why Taylor Swift's wedding became a global media phenomenon
• How celebrity weddings shape wedding trends and client expectations
• Lessons wedding pros can learn about privacy, branding, and guest experience
• Using timely industry moments to generate PR and media opportunities
• Why authenticity matters more than chasing viral content
• What wedding professionals should be watching as celebrity wedding trends continue to evolve

Connect with Meghan:

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Connect with Kevin:

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Alright, folks, welcome to another episode of Mind Your Wedding Business. I'm here with the one and only Meghan Ely. How are you, one and only?

I am

hungover from the Taylor Swift wedding that I did not attend by the way, but I mean the madness around it. I'm good. I'm getting my sleep again. I'm doing well. Thank you. How are you?

Well, and I

one of the questions I was gonna ask you, we'll just get it out of the way before we jump into everything else, is why didn't she consult you on the date? Like

I

know, it's really rude. you know, Prince Harry with his post Thanksgiving and like, you know, engagement and out I mean like no one ever thinks of all of us but you know, it is okay.

Well yeah, and you

were on vacation, so

Well, I was supposedly on vacation. I take a a week off every summer to do like house stuff, like a house cation kind of thing, and it was Travis's fiftieth birthday, so we're trying and then like this happened and it's like you would have thought my whole team looked at me with like sad, mournful eyes. They were so sweet, they're like, What about your vacation? I'm like, It waits for no one. Like, you know, if someone someone famous that famous gets married, we just have to make it work.

right. All right. Well, we're gonna be talking about how Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding is influencing the wedding industry. But before we do, Meghan, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how we got you here today?

Absolutely. Well, you begged me. No, I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. That's not true, guys. Sorry, he opened the door on that. No, no, no, no. So I'm Meghan Ely. I'm a longtime owner of OFD Consulting. I'm a wedding publicist/slash friend to Kevin as well, for for many years, 11 years now. And what we do, we do a lot of things. We help people get published, but as relates to Taylor Allison Swift and all of that stuff, is we do a lot of trend tracking, as you know.

Kevin, of course, I I co-present the Wedding Trend Talk at Wedding MBA for the last several years with Terrica, our girl Terrica. So we're always watching that. But then also as a publicist, you know, anytime if someone's and we're talking household name, super famous getting married, we're talking the royals, we're talking Taylor Allison Swift, they sneeze in the general direction of their wedding. Members of the media want to talk about it and they need viable resources who can act quickly. And so that's where I come in to help provide that. So that's why.

When she got engaged and now this, it's like you you kind of prepared knowing what you were going into in terms of the hubbub around.

Well yeah, and it was everyone was talking about before the even the engagement they were already looking ahead to the wedding, I feel like. So it's it's exciting that we got the engagement and then we actually got the actual wedding itself. So yeah.

Yeah.

We did. Which was a mystery

until like three seconds beforehand. That was very different than what I'm used to.

Yeah. Yeah, no. All right. So Meghan, you've been quoted in the New York Times, the Today Show, The Bridal Guide, and many other outlets about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelsey's wedding. What was it about this wedding that made the media treat it so differently than other celebrity weddings?

That's a great question, honestly, because it's as close to a royal wedding that we're gonna get. I had a really thoughtful question come out saying, is it a royal wedding? It's like, no, it's not. It's up, but it's the closest we've got. It is a global sensation, huge name, also mirroring another huge name. I'm not a sports ball girl myself, but I know Travis Kelce was not like it wasn't like he was some unknown bloke that she picked up from a bar somewhere. And so you're talking about insanely famous people, especially Taylor Swift. And so

Yeah.

with such a huge following and so much buzz. I mean, she does anything and everyone talks about it, right? So that's what made it so different. they also were pretty public with their engagement pretty quickly, which is why it and we can get into this, why it's weird that we at the time of this recording, we haven't seen images from the wedding yet, which I know we can dive into, but it was a very public engagement once it happened, you know, as well. And that was a little bit different too, because sometimes you you hear about it through the grapevine, you see someone wearing a ring, but these guys were like, boom, we're engaged and

Photos.

Mm-hmm.

And

so but really it's the household name. she's arguably one of the most famous people globally. So that was a big deal.

Well yeah, and it's funny that you said, you know, sports ball and Trav I mean, Travis is second bill or maybe even third or fourth bill when it comes to Taylor Taylor is is what everyone's

Yeah, she's

in her whole thing, but I mean he is not too shabby in terms of very, very well known, you know. So it that's the thing in their own right. So I think it came down to that. And it's also, if I may add one more thing, there's such a interesting, I should just say, parasocial relationship people feel they have with Taylor Swift. She you know, I am not a known Swifty, but you are among Swifties, and I certainly appreciate her cat lady tendencies. I did not hide my cat tree today because I'm like Taylor would want it, so but

No, y yeah.

Yes.

You know, the thing is, I also know enough about her music to know she shares a lot of her life, what she chooses to, and her love life, like famously in her music. So people have been on this journey with her, it feels like, you know, to find the love of her life. So I think that parasocial relationship is very different than what we see with like a Selena Gomez getting married, right? Totally different, you know. Mm-hmm.

Uh-huh.

Yeah. Yeah. Well yeah,

and especially because she write every song is about you know something that has happened through her life or and her love life and you know, and they and those Swifties really document which songs are about which boyfriend and you know, and then all her number every she's about numbers and Travis you know, thirteen is her lucky number and Travis was number Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah. You don't like it.

You know more than I do, friend. You know more

than I do. But I think you're also like surrounded by people telling you that.

Yeah, I'm around it. So anyway, so even though the wedding has already happened, we ha still haven't seen the photos like you mentioned, do you think the mystery has only made people more invested in the wedding?

Wild.

It depends on when she she potentially announces a pregnancy, right? Like, you know what I mean? I mean, who knows? That's not our business. Like, I'm very sensitive even to the most famous people about that. Like, it like everyone's gonna forget about those pictures if she she announces she's having a kid, right? Everyone's like, who cares about pictures? Like, I so that that does depend a little bit on that. I would imagine maybe she'll use those photos when she's trying to cover up that she's she's expecting if

Yeah.

that happens for them. I mean, who knows, right? I again I want to be sensitive to that. But I would say the fervor is dying down a little bit. I think it's it's it's almost like with trends where things really ramp up and everyone cares and then only a few care in the back end. And right now the Swifties are a large contingency, but I think interest is starting to wane because life goes on, right? I'm sure there'll be

Forever again if the photos are released. But the further we get away from the wedding, it's like, man, I guess she really isn't. I guess she isn't, right? Or if she rolls out like an album or a new tour, which I don't think that's happening anytime soon, but like she'll change the conversation if she wants to away from

Yeah.

Yeah. Well was also interesting on the Travis side too is that Jason and Travis's podcast wind down like the week the week after the wedding and you can tell it was already pre recorded because they didn't even mention the wedding. But so they're therefore they're they're like on a hiatus until the September and then they come back when football comes back. Yeah. So so yeah. Yeah, i it really is. So so how do you think the wedding has already impacted the wedding industry even

Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Then they come back for sports ball season. But yeah, it's a quiet time, you know. Mm-hmm.

Since we haven't even seen a photo yet.

Yeah, well, I and I think we can both agree with this. I think when she got engaged, and I've said this to a few folks, it was like, listen, if she just goes and elopes, which is certainly everyone's choice, that's not going to be a great look for the industry because you're like, no, no, have a huge celebration. So I think revitalizing bringing I always I I am a lifelong lover of weddings. Of course, I've been at this for twenty three years at this point in some capacity. Not as old as you, but but up there. But I see the magic in weddings.

Yeah.

Yes.

And this brought a little bit more magic back into it, right? And that's what Meghan Markle's wedding to Kate Middleton, all of those. And so just in a general sense, it got people talking about these celebrations again and and kind of putting a little bit of pizzazz back in the wedding industry, which is always a welcome like thing, right? Because in this economic times, like it we need a dose of that. But I would say more specifically, I think there's gonna be some conversations. Listen, I don't you're probably gonna ask this and I'm gonna answer it now.

I don't think she's gonna be setting any major trends with this wedding. Like, I don't think it's gonna be some significant changes. I thought there would be, right? I I mentioned to someone how Meghan Markle had like the the floral arch and that was very iconic. And then we saw that for two to three years, and we still do. unless we see the photos, it we're not gonna see that sort of thing. But the thing is, she picked a lot of things that we were already seeing. She's literally, it was like she's his stars, they're just like us, like secret garden and all. But

No.

Mm-hmm. Garden, yeah.

I do think there'll be conversations around some of the choices made. the idea of only having your your just like having your brother as your best man, like which is what I did for my wedding. So, you know, obviously she's a copycat there, but having these smaller, maybe smaller wedding parties or not doing those. you know, there's gonna be a conversation around that. There are conversations around these vows, which were spectacularly long. I hope that doesn't come up and and become a thing. Like I want vows, but I don't need them to be 20 minutes each. who's marrying you? You know, things like this with their army.

Mm-hmm.

I was gonna say

I wonder if that I mean, how many other weddings are Adam S is Adam Sandler gonna, you know, be doing now?

Bottom family power. Yeah, I know, right. I'm sure he's

gonna be asked. I'm sure he's gonna be asked. And I'm sure he won't do it. But but I think there'll be conversations around some of those choices. But a lot of what she did, although it was extravagant and no doubt beautiful. I mean, I'm sure she had the very best team on it, but it wasn't something so outlandish like when Gwen Stefani wore the ombre dress that we're gonna say, Well, this is changing the direction of things, which that did, right? So I just don't I hate to say it, but I don't see that's why I knew that the media would

Yeah.

Yeah yeah, it did.

die down quickly because I'm like, this is an extraordinary wedding, but she didn't do anything that we haven't seen at a different scale before, you know.

Well, and I wonder too, is like there were so many people there really trying to get all this information, but they did a really good job of creating the secrecy behind what was going on from from the way the vehicles entered into a tent and can't you know, like you couldn't it was hard to see who the guests were, you know, and all that kind of stuff. So unless people were sharing th those kind of things ahead of time. So it was it was very well orchestrated. Even even like the planner she used is a very private

Mm-hmm.

Like the girls looked him up in the in the you know, his his website is basically a a black page with a logo and an email. You know, it ju Yeah.

I know a lot of people outside of the industry, and the number one question I got at the beginning was like, What do you think about Madison Square Garden? I said, Everything a lot of the choices she made for us, I was like, What? And then I'm like, wait, and I sit and think about it for a second. I'm like, No, that absolutely makes sense. That absolutely makes sense. She said on the Graham Norton show, she was gonna invite everybody she ever knew, which she basically did, like, Hello Tom Cruise, what are you doing here? Like, what are you doing here? and so with that

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Yeah, I do think that it made sense that they were gonna do something very secure, right? So it it really wasn't like once I thought it through. But yeah, I just don't see this making like a mega impact because there wasn't anything I again, what we saw sounded amazing and kudos to the wedding day team, but they did what she wanted and what she wanted was what it what a couple wants these days, you know.

Uh-huh.

Yeah.

Well, no, and you mentioned it's funny that you you you you you even talked about the bridal party. I'm already starting to see that and I started seeing that a few several months ago. So yeah. So it's like I'm wondering if they're chasing or they're following the trend. Like they're following it. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah.

No, absolutely. I I think

she's falling in line with what a lot of people are doing. Like I said, I did it. I I did it because I mean I love my girlfriends, but I you know, my sister in law had just had a baby, so she was newly postpartum and I had a lot of friends from out of town and I'd been in weddings and I enjoyed the experience and I'm honored. Like there's a photo, frame photo of me being a bridesmaid somewhere from a million years ago. Really loved it, but I just didn't wanna I didn't wanna have to deal with that. You know what? I just wanted my friends I loved having my brother next to me. That was so much fun. So Yeah.

Yeah, no, and it's special that way. So so

now do you think the media is primarily interested in the wedding itself or the cultural, like economic impact?

think they're excited about breaking whatever they can first. Like that's what they care about. Like like they get the pictures, they get the things. What do you know? What do you do? All of that. Like that's what they is there any drama? You know what I mean? Like that's I think now we're gonna see some really thoughtful articles as follow up and I always enjoy those the most. Like right at the very beginning the hubbub like Johnny on the spot. Who's got who's got the scoop? Right? The most people will go. TMZ, I know. They those and them and the Swifties man, very different types of people but they can

okay.

TMZ.

They can certainly figure just about anything out. And so who's got the scoop? And then because whoever gets a scoop, they get linked to, right? And that's that's a part of the game and Google and all of that. But I would say now it's gonna be more thoughtful of like seeing some of the longer term effects of some of these choices made. But they really just I mean, you want I can't speak for the media, but based on my observations, it's like you want things that are heartwarming. and you also like controversy because people read that stuff, right? Ooh, like I again keep bringing it up, but like

Yeah.

Yeah.

The Royal Wedding with Prince Harry Meghan Markle, what was the big story? I don't know, you I don't expect you to remember this, but I it I was talking with well, it was her. It was like, like, well, she doesn't like the smell of Westminster Abbey, and she made Kate Middleton cry. And those are all not true. But like I was talking to someone who's a royal expert. It was fun, and the minute I said, Well, you what everyone talked about, we immediately knew, right? And so that's what people were looking for. That and they just didn't get it. I mean, it was a fortress, right? I mean, it was a but don't you think, and now I'm interviewing you.

It was her, it was Mark being in Marco, right? And

Yeah.

Yeah.

Don't you think if the photos get released though, they'll be kind of like I'm sure people will be covering that like mad and like analyzing it and then like how can you do it for less? Like get the Taylor Swift, like, how can you do the lighting like Taylor Swift? How can you do the music like Taylor Swift, you know?

yeah.

Well,

you also don't have a billion dollars behind you to you do

Yeah, Stevie Nixon

coming to your wedding, probably. Probably.

Well

yeah, and the rumor that they gave away they did a raffle and like some of the prizes were brand new cars and different I mean, it's just like there's all kinds

Create that's

that's so like

Yeah. But that

I mean that could start a trend if you think about it. Like people will start you know, I already have people do a little bit of raffle kind of things at their wedding, but now that you know, that could also start a trend. Who knows? You never know.

Yes, but

don't you feel like you're giving them a great day by feeding them and drinks and dancing? Like do I have I don't know.

Well, yeah. But I I I think

so. But everyone, you know, I I'm a big believer in guest experience and hey, but if you can enhance Yeah.

That could be fun. I mean it could be fun if

it's done well by the right MC and things like that. Yeah. Mm-hmm.

Yeah, I agree. So

have you had any I mean, you talk to so many wedding professionals, you know, every day. Have you heard any wedding professionals whose clients are already like referencing Taylor and Travis's wedding? Okay.

Mm-hmm.

Not yet. I think it's just

so early, right? But I do because you think about it, you know, we're right now July, right? Mid July. So I imagine depending on where people are in the process, they're really looking at like the fall wedding. Well, they're doing the last minute stuff for the summer, for the summer weddings, and then they're moving into the, you know, the the final details, last last the final countdown of the fall weddings, right? And so what else can it's not like you can be like, you what, I'm just gonna like fire all my bridesmaids because Taylor Swift didn't have any, right?

Yeah.

So it's like at this point, what could be? But I do think, and you correct me if I'm wrong, because you're in the trenches more than I am with this, we're probably gonna hear it from our holiday engagement couples, right? Like this crop that comes in November through February. They're the ones who are like, Okay, I gotta do this, or or like the station area we saw for the invitation, right? Like kind of mountain or whatever that was, you know?

Probably.

Well

Yeah, well and I'm wondering too if like once the photos release, then you could probably put a t a timetable on how that's gonna start affecting things.

Yeah.

A thousand percent.

I think on my side, here's the thing. Right now a lot of their choices, well, first of all, we don't even know if some of them are true, right? And they were more action items, right? Like Adam Sandler marrying them and giveaways and things like that. But once we have if we get actual bona fide photos, that I think that's when we're gonna you're right, we're gonna see that kind of turnaround, right? Where it's like, well, that's what I wanna do. It's like we might see a few things trickling now, like those, did you see the wall?

Mm-hmm.

Of the couple and it was all these photos, which I thought was lovely and cute because there's a photos a lot of people don't see, right? Because they're so photographed. So I think it had more gravitas than like putting a bunch of Dennis photos up on the wall, which I would like to see. You never know, but you're not you're a lot of photographs. But I do think that you know we'll get a little bit more requests once we have tactile things. Because right now we don't have a lot of tactile, right? We have a bouquet toss away, toss away bouquet.

Mm-hmm.

Uh-huh.

Yeah.

Well, you never know. You would like to see. You never know.

Mm-hmm.

Which was was small, you know, which is what they are, and you saw you just saw a few things here and there, but that was about it.

Yeah. Do you think I mean overall, do you think any any part of the wedding industry, like, you know, fashion is being impacted yet or you know, just okay. Okay.

let that dress I mean, that is it. If there's one thing, and maybe she doesn't want everyone to copy her, right? I mean, that's the thing is too. But you think about Kate Middleton, she had those long sleeves with the lace, like everyone went bananas for that for years. We've seen that Kate effect that still goes on to this day. But the dress will be it. The dr hopefully not his white tux, but that that dress will be it and the fashion will be impacted. You know, the only fashion we get to see were all the, you know, rich guests coming.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Right. And so it's like, what do we learn from that? Not much. Other yeah, the two of almost a little goofy. Yeah. I was like, what are we wearing? Where are you? Are you dressing in are you dressing once you get there? Like, what is happening? So I do I agree. Once we it's gonna be fashion, and then if we get any like real scenes from the reception with the setup and all that, and I just don't know if we will, if we haven't already. Mm-hmm.

Yeah, yeah.

No. Some looked good and some did not. I was like, What are y yeah. Yeah, I'm like, what are they wearing? So Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

All right. So how quickly do you do vendors usually react when a when a high profile wedding happens, do you think? Like

I mean

I got text messages within 15 seconds, right? Like so what do we do? yeah. I mean, my gosh. I was when I this was me walking on a plane. I'm going to I'm in Philly. Don't ask me where I'm going. Doesn't matter. Maybe St. Louis. I can't remember. I was going somewhere. And my phone said, yes, going through by way of Philly. And it was like my phone was just I'm like, what the hell?

Did you really?

You're cutting through.

And I looked and it was like people losing their minds. And so you get it a few different ways, right? You get the Swifties who are excited. Then people are like, girl, you gonna be okay because it's gonna be crazy, all these things. But really, you know, there was anticipation she'd probably get engaged, right? Like, what do we know? But like, mmm, that was probably gonna happen. So you get the people who are the Swifties who are excited and want to talk about it right away, and that's very authentic. But then there's the rest of us who are like, this is something that could do well online, as long as there is some authenticity to it, right?

Mm-hmm.

sure Sara Dunn SEO would tell you. Sara, Sara will tell you how like those are the keywords people are searching and what are you putting out there for content and publicity? And so it was immediate for the engagement. Now, what was weird about the wedding was we were not a hundred percent sure it was the wedding until Thursday night, right? Like it was weird and annoying as someone who was trying to like go on vacation. I was like, Are we doing like it really? I didn't expect as much.

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah.

press as I had to do for it. I usually am not the as you know, I put I put Kevin Dennis out there. I don't Meghan Ely out there, but I had to do more of the press than I expected. And so it was immediate. It was

Yeah.

that made sense

to me because you're the one that is like f I don't know, it just made sense to me.

did in the end, but like I guess I was so focused on my clients that it didn't even occur to me, I like, because what I saw was once we didn't know what was going on, and then it was like everyone's like, this is gonna be a huge like, you know, media hub up for you. And it's like, well, because we're not hundred percent sure what's going on, the people who are gonna be interviewed are true, like, niche experts. So it's gonna be the people who know how to do an event inside madison square garden, you know, the people who do regularly

celebrity type things. Like and then someone like me who wedding media, the media and weddings, like there are like what, three of us who could talk about that? You know, four of us who really could talk about that in the country. And so yeah, I just it didn't occur to me at the time because I was so focused on you guys and getting things out the door. But it was immediate. you know, I was me I was joking with some of the media outlets. I mean they were just not sleeping. It was just round the clock stuff because it was as it was coming in. But yeah, it was all very immediate and

Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah.

I think those who really love Taylor Swift, they were the ones first out the gate to be like, oh my gosh, here's what we need to know, you know, 'cause they know the most. And it was cool. Mm-hmm.

Yeah. I did I did

in I did have August put our a fake truck that we were delivering stuff to Madison.

Yeah, that was

funny. See, I'm not a huge fan when people that was one of the funnier ones because you're like, Okay, that's ridiculous. But then some people were really try like there were people doing like AI renderings and they're like, is this I'm like, guys, it's not the end yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I told her too and I said, let's do it on like like cleanup and go, Whoa, what a what a weekend that was You know, like, Whew, what a whirlwind that was. So

No,

absolutely. But no, I think people jumped in pretty quickly. And it was whether they were pitching to the media or content. It was fun to see some stuff on it. I did that whole Netflix interview early on. Like Travis saw me like running into the sunroom where there was good light and I ha it was like a hundred out and I had like a blazer on. He is like, What are you doing out there? Don't come out. Trust me, it's funny. It's funny to me. I don't think anyone in it, but people did like it. So they thought it was pretty funny. But yeah, we all jumped in pretty because you have to strike while the iron's high, right? With that information. Mm-hmm.

Hey.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And like I always say, poor Travis. So

Poor Travis. Shout out to my

husband in it on his birthday week.

Yes,

yes. On his big birthday week too.

The big five. I know that was the thing is I wasn't just taking a week off. I was I was hosting fifty-five people in my house for a birthday, which is like half the size of my wedding. I was like, my God. Really, really, Taylor?

Yeah.

Yeah, come on, girl. All right.

So how much influence can a celebrity wedding have on couples who don't necessarily identify like as Taylor Swift fans?

They can have a tremendous amount. That's a great question. Because, you know, here's the thing. When it comes to celebrity weddings, especially the ones that end up with like a Vogue feature, people feature, like they are sharing their images, which again, right now we don't have images, true professional images from Taylor and Travis's wedding. So it's little bit different. What happens is it's consumed in mainstream and then it linked media and everyone sees it. Even if you're not like, you don't know the last thing Selena Gomez did, you're still gonna see her stuff everywhere. You're gonna see all these what you know, in and

So what happens is it goes out publicly, it washes over us and then it's pinned and then it's reshared. And we can't help but start, you know, cataloging that and thinking, that's cute. And then of course the media is gonna cover, you can do this for your wedding inspiration. And so like we did a lot with the LA Times in the last year surrounding a bunch of celebrity weddings. Like that was kind of our that was our thing with our writer Pahlavi. It was like, okay, well, who got married? And so it's because it's everywhere.

Mm-hmm.

And it doesn't necessarily have to be because it's someone we're obsessed with. I mean, when it's everywhere and it's someone you're obsessed with, like Kate Middleton, yeah, everyone's gonna wear what she wore. The end, right? Right. Yeah. But then with Taylor, we didn't have the photos. But then with a Selena Gomez, again, recent person married, not everyone has the same obsession as they do for the royals or whatever. So yeah, absolutely has an impact. what we're dealing with right now is just Taylor didn't do anything that was so different than what we're seeing already. It was just a different scale. Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Well

Yeah.

it it's funny. I my youngest, Rian is a Taylor hater. And so yeah, she's on team a well well no, but she just i if I don't know what e she's been this way forever. She's just not a Taylor Swift fan. She likes Olivia Rodrigo. but whatever. Yeah, yeah. So but she's she told me, she goes, When all I

young. Okay. So young to have hate in her heart.

Got it.

You know, was on the T V, she walked by and they were talking about Taylor Swift. She was you better not do any Taylor Swift wedding stuff. If they ask you, tell you can't do it. So it was it was making me laugh. Yeah, I know, I was like, Okay, whatever. But it's just Yeah.

do you know what's a great example of something you've told me before that you saw that was made popular by pop culture, celebrities, things like that? You know what I'm thinking about is Crazy Rich Asian with the water going down the great great example of it's everywhere and then people are pinning it and then they go to you and they're like, Can we have water?

yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. Sure. How much money you got? Yeah, well no, and we we actually got asked to do that multiple times. Yeah, no. No, and it just and still to me that's the most beautiful scene in a wedding movie ever.

Yeah, I can do.

Yeah, that's why I'm bringing it up. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Mm-hmm.

God, I

just absolutely like totally got yeah, no, no, no, no, I did. But it just goes to show when things are at a scale being shared everywhere. And that also includes things that we see that go viral on TikTok and Instagram. Like it it's covered by enough people and then it will trickle down. It always does. Like trends have this like early adopters, then everybody, and then it dies down. And then we are left with the mason jars, right? My favorite.

Yeah. We're not

we're not talking about that. All right. So now do you think Travis and Taylor's wedding could change how couples think about like privacy and controlling what's shared from their wedding day? Okay.

Yes, yes, I do. If there's

one I'm so glad you brought that up, that there's one thing that could really we could see is is that, which is interesting because you know some people, the the world's their stage, so that's not gonna impact them, right? Like I actually as a publicist I'm a pretty private person, like believe it or not, and so I don't need all my business out there, but there are people who are showboats who are always gonna want it. But for the regular person, I think there's gonna be more of a like as we are seeing, I feel like just anecdotally, I'm seeing more of my members, like people I work with my clients.

Mm-hmm.

where they can't roll out weddings. It's not a ton, but it's like because of all this strict NDA. So yeah, I do think it's taking back the narrative. I think we're gonna see it more with celebrities in particular, because it's different than if Meghan Ely goes out there and says, guys, guys, you can't see any photos for my husband's 50th birthday. Everything cares. But although they all love Travis, but like who it my Travis, right? Who cares? Who cares we don't see the photos, but like celebrities, this will allow them to take back the narrative because for years it's all been about outdoors

Mm.

Ha ha ha ha.

Yeah.

and helicopters and obnoxiousness, but I do think it gives pause to other people to say, I don't necessarily need to share all this. Like I said, we're always gonna have show boats. We're always gonna have people who planning their wedding is like the only that's like their entire personality. So I don't put it all over TikTok. And it's like that's not going to change their minds, but it will for other people.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah, no, it makes sense.

So do you think you know, 'cause I'm big on guest experience at weddings, that's I t talk about that a lot, but you know, do you think celebrity weddings have raised the bar for guest experience over the last several decades?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Based on what we're hearing, yes, but I honestly, you know, we're yes, to a degree. But I think it's because they have the money to do it, right? To be able to induce some new ideas. And what I really think pair that with all of the wedding submission features out there that we're seeing on Bridal Guide, Destination I do, you know, ruffled, green wedding shoes, like insert amazing publication here. When you start seeing those things pair, which are a little more

How you put it like it's more accessible to people? I think between the two of those things, when it's become more accessible, yes, I think it's raised the bar a hundred percent, you know, what people have been doing. I think there's just been this overall shift in the last like five to seven years where there really has been a shift towards guest experience being more of a priority, right? When I was, my gosh, when I was doing weddings a thousand years ago, twenty plus years ago.

Mm-hmm.

I mean, we had this one wedding. It was unbelievable. And I swear it was all about her. It was like a seven hour reception. I could have died. I was like, who yeah, no, I knew that. Forever weddings. Forever weddings. And it was like that she didn't care. She didn't care at all. And but these days it's different, right? We really think about the people going and and how it makes them feel as well.

Those are too long. I call it I call it I call forever weddings.

Well, and I and couples are even going as far as like helping with transportation and if they don't have like a bus to transport people, I've even seen couples provide Uber and Lyft codes and they're gonna pay for the ride home. You know, like like there's yeah.

Yeah.

I love that. I love that. You're just thinking of it. Beginning, middle, and end. You're thinking of their experience.

My cousin, she still got married recently. We went up to her wedding, which was a lot of fun, right? And it was gonna be a million degrees that day. It is gonna be outside. And I can think about years ago, many years ago. I'm not gonna identify where because I don't wanna identify anything, but I went to a wedding and was like hotter than the hinges, right? And it was I ended up burning the tip of my nose while waiting for the wedding to start, which was super late because the water was bouncing the sun was bouncing off the water.

We were all gonna have like heat stroke. There was no water stations. And this was like fifteen years ago, right? But this wedding I just went to with Giselle, my my cousin, there were water stations like like it was thought through. There were umbrellas for people who really wanted the shade. It was it w it was so different night and day than what, fifteen years ago, where it was like

Yeah, but there it's funny. I I so we had a really weird, like wet spell during our October. And October here in California is like it's booming with weddings like crazy. And we had a bride that literally got married in the rain. It was, you know, and it was it was a Jewish wedding, so the the cantor was gonna sing, and so he's worried about his guitar getting wet, and there's just all these like variables that are going on, but the whole time I I I finally took a video of it because it was too good to be true.

Yeah, they come in.

Like you panned to the couple getting married and you could see the sheets of rain coming down sideways and then guests are just sitting there miserable. And then Well, and there and there was a guest right in front of me that was from New York and he said, and I'm I'm gonna cuss because he cussed, but he goes, So much for sunny f*cking California and everybody was like, but I was like with that really thick New York accent, and I'm just like, but the whole time I'm like, I don't blame you, sir. This is miserable.

Yeah, that's not fine for anybody. It's not

I know, right? You know.

I know it's not exactly the same, but for Travis's birthday, we knew that thunderstorms in the south, it's every, every day. Every day, right? And so we had we we we were happily surprised about how many people said yes. Like in a hundred percent of people who are RSVP'd yes came by the way. But I spent hours, I mean Travis really and Oliver too, walking through the house, like counting the number of chairs and the space in between to make sure there's I mean, that was my obsession was

Yeah.

comfort for everybody on the day of and I learned that from all of these weddings over the years, you know.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Well, but it's just y 'cause you got hospitality in your blood and that's what a big part of you know, 'cause that's what it's about. Yeah.

Is with these guys, yeah, you're right.

You don't think about what about everybody else because you get so like they're all leaving, like they're all leaving and not staying for the reception, like it's just crazy. So, yeah, I do think that as a whole, between the big budgets we see with the big weddings, but also the accessible stuff that we're seeing on the blogs, like we're seeing, and it's great. And then the correct me if I'm wrong, too. Maybe even at the most immaculate, you know, micro level here is people attend weddings, right? You remember that age where you go to like a thousand weddings.

Yeah.

And you see how it's done and that kind of gets into your bones and you're like, I I remember what it was like to make sure there was a water station was really hot. I remember what these things were like in the Uber code and I wanna do that because that made me feel good, right? So I think there's a there's that kind of cycle too.

Well and even like my wedding last weekend it was super hot out here. It w or it was starting to get warm, not super, super hot, but like the caterer like looked at me and he goes he goes, Yeah. He goes, The couple didn't pay for it, but I still did a water, lemonade, and iced tea station for the guests for the ceremony. Because you know, and it just he goes, I just I don't want anybody to pass out. But I mean you know, that so that to me I'm like this guy say Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

They go above and beyond. We had

our our charcuterie person who came and brought up a couple of trays. Barbara, she's amazing. The lazy gray, she was amazing. And I hired her because I was like romanticizing the idea of putting all these trays together. And I'm like, that's idiotic. Like someone else needs to do that day up. She wrote me and said, Hey, I'm on my way. I'm gonna be a few minutes past when I thought because you know, because at the time of this recording, the parasite is out there unknown. You guys don't have it as much as we do, but there are I think there's only like twenty people in Virginia, but

Yep. No.

you know, it's freaking us out. And she's like, I went and rebought things that were less likely to be like, I mean, she without being asked and like that's how wedding pros really stand the test of time. You know? And that's it goes back to Taylor Swift's wedding for a second. It's like, well, yeah, like some people like, oh my gosh, we'll never know who did the X, Y, and Z and we won't know a lot of what was done. No. Well first of all, they were paid well, please. Like it wasn't one of these influencer ones where they think visibility and tr- like I mm

Yeah, I agree.

And we don't need to though.

Yeah.

I could talk about that forever, but but there's that. And then in addition to that, those will be referred out. I mean, that what we've learned from Taylor's wedding planner was referred out from more than likely because some of Taylor's friends had used them as well. You know what I mean? Like

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

'Cause Selena he Selena's wedding, I think.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And it's like these folks will stay busy. Don't worry about not having a credit on an Instagram.

Well, and

it just made me it like I don't know. I've I had a lot of appreciation for the the wedding planner that was very private and then kept himself private but yet was the go-to guy. You know, I'm I'm sure it's hard to get to that person, but I was just like, you know, because there's so many people out there that are making the wedding planning about themselves, you know, and there's so many people on Instagram and it's about them and look look how crazy I am at a wedding or look how I put everyone in p you know, it just but it I don't know. It it it made me like really reflect.

Yeah. And what that

Yes.

on everything after that was the one thing that I walked away with. I was like, hmm, I really like that. I don't know. Yeah.

Yeah, no,

no. I really did like that as well. And I think it was great. It did not bother me as much as it bothered others that we didn't see as much. But it was like I think there was a statement to doing it at Madison Square Garden. It's like, yeah, we're under lock and key. Like you're not you're what we want you to see. Yeah. And it sounds like it was an amazing party. So people didn't miss their cell phones at all anyway. So

Well yeah, we can control the environment is exactly what I thought. Yeah. 'Cause it was all

Yeah,

but those who had that on their bingo card in Madison Square Garden did not get that right because that was yet

I that was

the biggest thing is like i it was a surprise. We didn't know if was gonna happen. Like we still didn't know till Thursday night when people were in the rehearsal dinner. It was like, what is happening? Like I think as someone who, as you can contend, I'm a bit of a control nut, like just a little bit. So like to not have any idea, at least with the royal wedding days, I I they were a date. Date on the calendar. There were no surprises, no vacations planned around it, you know.

Mm-hmm.

No

Yeah.

No, yeah, that made it hard. All right, so what should wedding pros be paying attention to right now of everything that's going on?

I was gonna say hydration because it's really hot. I know. What should they be paying attention to? in a general sense. Well, I would say just having a brief knowledge of like what went down at Madison Square Garden is just helpful so you can stay relevant, right? Because not all of them are swfities, but a lot of people are. And so just making sure that you that that's important. I think it's important to just have a general idea. There's no next big wedding right now. Like there just isn't. There, we're not looking for the next thing with that.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

I would say what you'd be looking out for is if photos are rolled out, you ask yourself, how could this impact some of the choices made by our couples? How can we accommodate? If we can't accommodate, what can we do to show them we can do it, but just a little bit different, right? That's the thing. That's what we always said. It's like when years, years a million years ago when food trucks were I mean, it's still something people do, but like all the rage.

Uh-huh.

I I went to club caterers and I spoke and I Listen, I know you're not gonna let these out of your club, right? So you have to ask yourself, What can you offer instead of this to accommodate this kind of desire to do this pop up, right? You know, and that's what they should be doing, really.

Yeah. Yeah.

Well and that's a probably good advice because once the photos come out is like how can you spin it and r into what you do in in you know, because couples are gonna be asking about it. So yeah.

Yeah, hundred percent

with that. So so we'll just see. Time will tell like I said, if she announces an album, I don't think she'll announce a tour anytime so but tour or

I think

she's gonna announce a residency. That's my that's my prediction. Yeah.

residency. That's

it. In Las Vegas. Do you think it would be in Las Vegas?

I don't know where, but I the sphere could be it it's been kinda rumored there.

That would be nuts.

I would go to that.

too, and I'm not a taylor- I I I wanted to go to Yeah, there we go. We'll go. We'll do

We'll go.

Plans

are done. We were supposed to go see Britney and obviously that didn't work out. No, it did not. So we have to fill our fill it with something else. No, no, so we'll see. But like if she starts announcing other things, this starts to go. And then she's just an old married couple like the rest of us. So

That pretty bitch didn't happen, no. So you never know.

Yeah. It makes

sense. Well, yeah, and that's the and that's I think kind of the cool thing is that they really do look like they're a fun couple having a great time, you know, and I think I mean yeah.

I actually got I definitely got a little like emotional a couple of times like watching it a little teary. Just it was very like they're very sweet together. They seem they really enjoy each other's company and I love.

Yeah. Well,

are you re the heiress tour documentary you watched? Is that yeah. Yeah, and I did too, 'cause it was very and th the like the times that he was like waiting for her and doing like you you're like, these two guys are really in love. So

Yeah, I watched that. I thought it was very smooth.

Yeah, they

are. And the and he's a show he's a showman and he gets it. Like not I don't think everyone w they he doesn't strike me as someone with a fragile ego. Like, you know, I don't think we have to worry about like his cup is filled, he knows he's great, he's handsome. Like I mean, to some I think he's okay. But like you know what I mean? Like he's a handsome guy. He's got a charm.

No.

No.

Yeah.

Yeah yeah no and he's got like a it's his sense of humor, the way

he carries himself. Like he's definitely gonna be acting yeah, he's already acting now, so he's definitely gonna be that's probably gonna be he's gonna have some kinda T V career when his whole life is said done.

Well we'll see.

I mean, the podcast is hilarious. He and his brother are really funny together. And like everybody's on that. Like George Clooney was on the podcast. I'm like, what?

No,

th this last year they writ well, 'cause they just ended last week and they just w and they so they started with Taylor Swift and then they ended with Tom Brady, who's, you know, everyone can s yeah. Well, I mean, they consider him the best ever. Well, no, and they had no, but but then you go in in between, it was like the A plus list of everyone, and then and then and then you put Prince William in there and it just you know, it yeah.

Yeah.

Which is nuts. I mean yeah, I'm from Boston, so I know who that is, of course. And Prince Prince William. And Prince William. That was nuts.

Yeah.

Yeah. On their wedding week too. Like that was cra

Yes, random.

I

thought that was really funny. Like he needed more press anyways. But no, I I think it will be fun to see what they do and they do seem to really enjoy each each other's company and I think that's nice. I think it's I think it's nice for especially young kids who look up to Taylor Swift to see something healthy like that. You know, well what we see we perceive as healthy. I think, you know.

even you probably didn't listen to the episode that she was on with them, but even the episode that she was on, you know, the very first episode of their season last year with Taylor is she was kinda like, You could tell 'cause she was referencing they do a thing called New News and t Travis makes a but she goes, I've been waiting to do this. Newww you know, and she was like Yeah. Yeah.

Okay, yeah.

Yeah, she's really into it. They're just they really it was fun

on the documentary when she was talking about how she's really gotten into football. It was very sweet. They had they both have an intensity to them about what they love. And and, you know, it's great to find someone else like that with that kind of passion, you know? Look at them. Shout out, Taylor and Travis. May you two crazy kids.

Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah, there you go.

You crazy kids. Alright. So for the wedding pros listening, what's one business decision you would not make based on this wedding?

Honestly, and I and who am I to say this? I am shocked they have not controlled the narrative by releasing a handful of photos. I don't know if I would have made that move because here's the thing.

Okay.

i like I'm actually shocked at how few photos have come out for the wedding, but at some point there's still gonna be enough of a desire for it that someone's gonna someone's gonna pull a phone out of somewhere, I don't wanna know, and show a picture that they took. And so I think as someone who is a publicist who's all about, well also reputation, but also controlling the narrative or at least having some say in it. I don't know if I would have chosen not to put out the photo. You know, that I think that's that

I would have done a little bit differently personally. But they're geniuses. Like her publicity team, they're geniuses. So like who am I?

Alright, so

Well yeah,

yeah. And I think she's part of that. Like she's part of that strategy, I think. Yeah.

sure. She's a big part of that

strategy, but her publicist your public team, they're icons, you know. So I'm sure there's a reason to it. But from my like, I guess amateur view, amateur in the sense of swiftiness, I'm kind of like, wouldn't you get ahead of that by releasing some photos and calling it a day? And like that's it. I don't know.

Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. I

thought so. I th for a while there I didn't think they were like once I found out I'm like they're not gonna release any photos ever. And then you start read like Christian Dior seems like he was very confident that photos will come out 'cause it you know, it's rumored that he did the he did the the gown.

Yeah. No, it wasn't really

that was in the press release that was sent to People magazine, so yeah.

Okay. Yeah. So so

photos will come out, so it's just it'll be interesting. But also there's probably gonna be some nike number about it. The the date will reflect something and

Probably

or something. You know, what I always enjoyed was with the Royals, obviously they're we were all at the ceremony, right? But then they had the reception you didn't see a lot, but what they did is like once every few years you see a never before seen photo from the wedding. And I love I love the trickling in on that. You know, that's fun for me. So we'll see. I'm sure there's a method to it. I'm just surprised in a sense, because when you don't release, you're making a message. But when you're releasing and you're limiting, that's a different kind of message too. And I'm surprised that wasn't the message that was

I do too. Yeah, it is fun.

Well you're

aren't you controlling it at that point?

Yeah, 'cause

it says there, you get three. That's it. Just like the engagement. You get a you get a you get a couple, right? That's it. So

Yeah, makes sense.

So all right, so now the photos have been released. Is there things that people should be doing on their like social media page, blogging, doing anything?

First of all, you have to ask yourself, like, how authentic is this, right? Putting this out early, because you don't want to seem like you're just going after grabbing after whatever's popular. But if you truly are a Swifty or someone who stays on top of pop culture, sure. What I would do is if you have media contacts, go and you know that they've been covering taylor swift's wedding circle back with them and say, hey, just saw the photos released, and would be happy to give commentary, da-da-da-da-da-da-da. Like that's what I would be doing. I mean, literally, my pitches.

Okay.

were me texting, getting on the plane in Philly saying, like, holy crap, Taylor Swift, what do you need? Like, like if you've got that kind of relationship, that's what it's gonna look like. So I would be doing the outreach. I would be jumping on the queries like Harrow, quoted, insert, whatever that is, and potentially putting yourself out there and just staying on top of that. If it's authentic you, that's that's a big thing because like when I I'll say real quick, I don't mind in our safe space of you, me and all the listeners.

When I posted about the engagement, someone did message me and was very unhappy I had done anything and was like thought it was disgusting. Like that I had talked about the Taylor Swift engagement. That's okay, it was one person and everyone's entitled to their own opinion there. So I'm not knocking them for that. but there it and I never call myself a Swifty, but there was an authenticity to talking about like and for me, and that's why this didn't bother me literally at all, but like the idea of managing the media

rush, which is going to happen. So don't you need someone to help lead you through that. And that's what I was there to do. It was strictly educational, you know? So, so that's the kind of thing you have to you have to be ready for people to be like, ugh, what are you now? You know, it's like, that's fine. I mean, anytime you put your self out there, right?

Yeah. Yeah.

No.

There's plenty of people that don't like me and I'm okay with that, so we just move Yeah. We we just Yeah. I know, I know. All right, I think we did it. Is there anything else we missed?

I mean the things I hear. I'm just kidding. I'm kidding. Wait what?

No, I think those are the big things. I think we'll we'll wait and see if the photos go go live and then we'll go from there.

And I I gotta thank you for jumping on here, like because you do the you do the you do the important numbers of the of the podcast. The w the first the well you you do the first, you did the fifty, you're coming back to do the hundred, whether you want it to do it or not. But but we're like at eighty I think when this gets released, we're eighty two or eighty three. We're some I would

Mm-hmm.

gonna say there is I am a regular guest of honor.

I knew that's coming out.

We did the wedding MBA

No, that might have been the fiftieth. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So we do I always you gotta be the you're you're all those numbers for me. Yeah. Yeah.

Okay, that was a big one.

I'm on the call. It's like a Batman signal, like a bat signal

to me. And I'm like, gotta stop everything. Kevin needs me on the podcast. Well, you had good questions. These were great questions. So thank you. It gave me something to think about a little bit further. Yeah.

I gotta text you. You're on. So

Well, I tried.

Well, there we go. All right. Well, where can folks you know learn more about you and how old you are and

OFD Consult-. Just take your age minus ten and that's how old I am. OFDConsulting.com. OFD Consulting over at Instagram. I always say don't look for me on TikTok because I like I'm just watching cat videos. I'm biting time over there. Life hacks, how to make my own veggie stock. Like I'm not gonna be great to you over there.

Yeah, love it. All right. And we will have all of Meghan's information in the show notes in the email blast that goes out so you can connect with her. And I actually referred you to someone recently that did not know you and I was shocked because every I feel it I feel like everyone knows you. I'm like, you don't know Meghan Ely? oh my god, you gotta get in the collective and yeah. I I I I was I was working it like a like like a good friend should, so yeah. So

thank you. I would

Well, that's very nice of you.

Like a good friend should. Thank

you.

right, folks, thank you for listening to another episode of Mind Your Wedding Business. We'll see you next time. Thank you, Meghan. Bye.

thank you.