Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Sasha Souza was raised by a flower-child mom who encouraged her daughter’s flair for the dramatic. Cultivating a background in the theater arts, Sasha emerged as a businesswoman with a gift for theatrical styling and, after helping numerous friends and family members plan their weddings, she opened her first event design firm called The Whole Shebang!. Today she is an event scholar, designing events and weddings the same way a Broadway producer approaches a play — she makes sure that the stars shine and the audience/guests always go home wanting more.

She was also a featured event planner on the Style Network TV show “Whose Wedding is it Anyway???” Sasha and her work are also frequently featured on television programming including CBS “Early Show”, ABC’s “Primetime” wedding series special, “Inside Edition”, “Eye on LA”, and “In Wine Country”, “Get Married” and upcoming on “Marcel’s Quantum Kitchen” for SyFy, among other shows.

Sasha Souza was also a featured celebrity speaker at the Conde Nast Bridal Group’s Wedding March series part of the March on Madison series as well as a regular speaker at The Special Event Show Conferences and Event Solutions Conference and Tradeshow. She is an active keynote speaker for events across the country. Her speaking engagements have taken her all across the United States, Mexico, Canada, Trinidad, Bahamas, Turks & Caicos, Anguilla and to Tokyo, Japan to educate her peers & couples about the hottest trends in wedding & event design.

Learn More About Sasha Souza at www.sashasouzaevents.com 

Q1: Now you were involved with Theater before you got involved with wedding & events. How did this come about?

Answer:

Sasha Souza: I love theater and drama – which isn’t too far off from weddings.

Q2: How has working in Theater helped your career in wedding & event planning?

Answer:

Sasha Souza: I’m not a great performer so I was always working the back of the house instead of on stage. I would stage manage which is similar to producing an event.

Q3: How did you get involved with the TV Show “Whose Wedding is it Anyway”?

Answer:

Sasha Souza: I rec’d a call from casting, they were looking for weddings & I had one in the time frame they wanted to shoot with a budget & drama It was a perfect combo.

Q4: How has TV exposure been helpful to your business?

Answer:

Sasha Souza: It helps show your work to a wider audience. They don’t have to search for you, you’re delivered directly to them. But you need personality& like ability

Q5: What advice do you have for wedding pros wanting to be involved with TV shows?

Answer:

Sasha Souza: Hire an entert’mnt lawyer to review contracts. That’s a must. The contract doesn’t protect you. It protects the production. Walk away from a bad deal.

Q6: What was key to growing your business when you were just started out?

Answer:

Sasha Souza: I worked every wedding that came my way, I worked with as many vendors as I could to gain trust in the industry & knowledge. I met a lot of people.

Q7: How do you work with social media daily & weekly?

Answer:

Sasha Souza: For SSE we post a daily pretty on 5 different sm sites, single snapshots of 1 of our events and I publish a lot of my personal life on instagram.

@JulieAlbaugh How do you handle celebrity weddings ?

Answer:
Sasha Souza: There is a higher privacy level but I must be able to use the art after or why do it.

Q8: What are the latest wedding trends that you love this year?

Answer:

Sasha Souza: We think of things we want to create and do that, some have become trends & inspiration which I love. I find if I spend time following trends I’m less creative. We had a bride walked in by a gospel group instead of her dad and she wore purple.

Q9: How do your work with couples in the initial first meeting?

Answer:

Sasha Souza: First meeting is like a first date. Intro me, my business & services. Talk about their wants, needs. I’m not hard sell. They “get” us or they don’t.

Q10: How did you become a Master Bridal Consultant ?

Answer:

Sasha Souza: I started with the ABC when I started my career. I was novice, accredited and master. I did all the work to earn the title, it wasn’t handed to me as honorary.

Q11: You seemed to be involved with many wedding & event groups. How has this been helpful to your business?

Answer:

Sasha Souza: Referrals are where we get events since I don’t advertise. Getting a referral from vendors is important & effective in gaining client trust.

Q12: How do you find time to blog ? What inspires you?

Answer:

Sasha Souza: I wish I had more time. I typically blog when I have something to rant about. @sse_mel blogs occasionally. I need people who want to blog for me 🙂

Q13: How do you determine what vendors you will work with?

Answer:

Sasha Souza: Word of mouth referrals are top instead of cold calls. we have our own floral designer since ’99 but otherwise, it’s all about who has suggested them.

Q14: How did you book Signature Sasha come about? Where can it be purchased?

Answer:

Sasha Souza: I met a publisher who asked me what I wanted to write & we produced that. We finished it in 5 months. It’s available on Amazon.

Q15: Do you have any special events or projects coming up?

Answer:

Sasha Souza: I have a new book coming out in early 2015, yet to be titled. Similar to SS but w/more detail about the events & weddings. available for pre-purchase ~Sept.

Q16: What would you like everyone to take away from this chat?

Answer:

Sasha Souza: I do the same job as any planner/designer. I started where everybody else did & if I can garner great clients, so can they. Be determined. Create your look.

#WeddingMarket Questions From Twitter:
1. @amorojewelry   What’s your favorite part of weddings?

Answer:
Sasha Souza: The drama, of course! 🙂

2. @YourBDWYSong  We have a creative service, where do you think Brides are looking for these services (besides wedding planners)?
Answer:
Sasha Souza: Online definitely.  secondarily entertainment brokers.

3. @SandyMalone_ Have you done wedding reality TV?

Answer:
Sasha Souza: YES Whose Wedding and Marcel’s Quantum Kitchen as well as others.

4. @Sweetestevents_  Did you participate in bridal shows? 
Answer:
Sasha Souza: I did a few in the beginning but found that brides didn’t want to go there to find a planner.

@Caseyfphoto Brides usually want a planner before the bridal show, no?

Sasha Souza: Or not at all, unfortunately.

5. @Sweetestevents_ What about your thoughts on hosting a Wedding Workshops?

Answer:
Sasha Souza:  I love them! The closer people can get to a face to face the better the experience.

6. @amorojewelry  What’s your favorite part about celeb weddings?
Answer:
Sasha Souza: To me, they’re like any other wedding – two people love each other just happen to have limelight.

7. @EdibleWeddings   I’m guessing you get the infamous “Do you do day of coordination” question?
Answer:
Sasha Souza: Sure do. We offer many services but do offer month of planning.

8. @MalloryKeith How do you balance what is currently big in the field with your own personal brand?Answer:
Sasha Souza: I ignore the noise and focus on my brand and our needs/brides.

9. @MariellOnline  What ARE the absolute essentials for a wedding?
Answer:
Sasha Souza: #1 planner and then whatever else they think you need for your wedding.

10. @BridalBalance How do you advise brides handle the emotional challenges of wedding planning?
Answer:
Sasha Souza: If stressed, they’re doing it wrong. It shouldn’t b stressful, it should be fun. I tell all brides that.

@BridalBalance Yes, but I find that many brides are stressed between the planning & emotions running high.

Sasha Souza: They don’t have to allow it & get caught up in it. I think they think they need to be stressed because everybody tells them.

11. @MalloryKeith Where do you think splurging (within your budget) makes the most impact? Floral, Entertainment, Lights, Food?
Answer:
Sasha Souza: Lighting, hands down – accentuate positive, hides negative.

12. @TweetMyWedding  Re: social media: You update three SM accounts a day, is it the same info or different info per account per day?

Answer:
Sasha Souza: I try to augment the same info with other posts throughout.  I do all my own SM so hard to do all different.

13. @mikebdjmc Just started following you on twitter. How  should a vendor that you have never worked with approach you?

Answer:
Sasha Souza: We have a form on our website that goes to @ssevents_mel for evaluation. A followup call is good, too.

14. @amorojewelry If you could plan a wedding for anyone who would it be?

Answer:
Sasha Souza: I am a MAJOR @JohnStamos lover for 32 years, if he gets married again, I’m his girl.  Since I’m married, he needs a different woman to marry, but I am all over that…