New Podcast The Wedding Tea Spills the Truth About Planning a Philadelphia Wedding
The program is focused on multicultural couples, but founder Eilena Mercier-Ehmann says any duo can learn from it.
Eilena Mercier-Ehmann, the owner and lead florist of Event Loft, has launched a wedding podcast for diverse couples. Photo by Sheronda Seawright
Event Loft Floral & Event Design owner Eilena Mercier-Ehmann is on a mission to help couples make smart, informed decisions about their Big Days. Not just about their florals and decor, but for all the other little (and big) details surrounding them. That’s why she’s launched a podcast.
Dubbed The Wedding Tea, the weekly program debuted in mid-December and is focused on multicultural couples. “The podcast was created as a space for multicultural couples to learn from trusted professionals in the wedding industry,” says the Willow Grove-based professional, who launched her full-service floral biz back in 2014 and works with soon-to-be-weds throughout Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey. “I found there was a void in the industry for couples planning their weddings to hear advice, tips and more from experts who look like them and produce high-quality weddings.”
Mercier-Ehmann says that though the podcast is aimed at a group who hasn’t always been the target audience of wedding content, she notes that anyone can learn from it — interracial, non-Black or -Brown, or same-sex couples.
To that end, while not all the vendors she highlights will be people of color, they will work on high-end multicultural weddings. It’s an effort, she says, to help duos manage expectations for their celebrations in terms of budget and its ramifications for floral design and decor, photography, event planning, catering and venue capacity, to name a few. “You might say your budget is $30,000, but everything you want is actually for a $100,000 wedding,” she says.
Image courtesy of Eilena Mercier-Ehmann
Mercier-Ehmann has had plenty of practice having that necessary but challenging conversation with duos in discussions of pricing for her immersive, flower-filled experiences. That’s why she lists a minimum fee of $6,000 on her website — to establish those boundaries from the outset. “When you want vendors who are quality, it’s an investment,” she explains. But with that investment comes a vendor’s expertise and confidence that they’ll be able to make the right decisions for you — a necessary part of wedding planning that the podcast aims to help its listeners understand.
The episodes range from 30 to 45 minutes and make for easy listening. The first few offer informative, honest and realistic advice with a side of wit. There is no sugar-coating; the professionals with whom she speaks tell it like it is. Take Mercier-Ehmann’s chat with Tiffany Chalk, owner and lead planner of Delaware-based Tiffany Chalk Events. “I come out of the gate talking about budget,” Chalk said during her interview. Another nugget: “Not every client is my client, but every couple deserves a planner.” (It’s true: If you and your planner don’t connect, pulling off a seamless Big Day proves more difficult.) Other episodes feature NYC bridal stylist James R. Sanders, Philly-born beauty pro Sheena Bloomfield (of Sheena Marie Makeup Artistry), and Dana Herbert of Desserts by Dana, with more in the works.
The Wedding Tea is on Apple, Spotify and Stitcher.
Get more great content from Philadelphia Wedding:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | NEWSLETTER | PINTEREST
Getting married? Start and end your wedding planning journey with Philadelphia Weddings' guide to the best wedding vendors in the city.
