Meet Andrea Eppolito

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Andrea Eppolito a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Andrea , we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

When I was 13 years old, we were invited to a distant cousin’s Sweet 16. She had just lost her father, whom I had only met once, and we were all somewhat shocked that she and her family chose to go forward with the party. Our drive into the city was long, and I remember my father trying to explain why this party was taking place. “Her father wanted this,” he explained to us all. “Giving her this party meant the world to him, and by having it she is honoring him. Thank God she had this to look forward to.” His voice trailed off. “Years from now, she’ll look back on this night, and remember what it was like to plan her Sweet 16 with her dad, and those memories matter..” My father continued to explain that when bad things happen, and they always happen, that we need things to look forward to and moments to look back on.

As I remember it, we were all seated in a banquet room when the DJ came on to announce that the birthday girl’s entrance. There was a light fixed on the top of the stairs, and then she just appeared. She had big hair, lots of eyeliner, and a really big dress. The entire room was on it’s feet. People clapped, people cried, and as she walked around the room, she smiled. She smiled.

I looked around the room and realized in that moment that the energy around this girl had changed. I had this visceral reaction to the experience. I suddenly understood that if you took a room, and you filled it with the right people, the right food, the right lighting and flowers and music that you could manipulate the energy and the experience, not only for the people that are being celebrated, but for everyone who has an opportunity to bear witness to the moment.

I decided then and there that I, too, would have a Sweet 16. My mind was racing as I silently planned all the things I would have. The color scheme, the decorations, and the music. When we got home, I took a 3-ring binder and began planning in earnest. For two years I clipped photos from magazines and collected invitation samples. I sketched dresses, wrote my candle dedications, and rearranged the guest list and seating chart every time I fought with a friend.

When I was fifteen years old I was visiting a friend’s house. His mother grabbed my ever-present binder and asked, “What is this thing you keep carrying around.?” After a few minutes of flipped through the pages she handed it back and announced, “You should be a wedding planner.” I told her that I was planning on going to college and then to law school. She left, handed back the book, and told me that no, I would in fact be a Wedding Planner. She offered me a job working at a Wedding trade show that weekend, and that was all it took. From that moment on, I was hooked. I never wanted to do anything else.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

My name is Andrea Eppolito, and I am the owner and principal designer at Andrea Eppolito Events—a boutique wedding, event, and lifestyle firm based in Las Vegas. I specialize in creating extraordinary experiences for people who lead extraordinary lives. With over two decades of experience spanning hotels, restaurants, nightlife, and weddings, my mission is to design events that are as intentional as they are opulent—sensory, cinematic, and unforgettable.

What sets my work apart is not just the aesthetic, but the soul of the celebration. I only take on 4–6 events per year so I can give each client an immense level of attention and intimacy. Every event is a full production—custom, story-driven, and never duplicated. I don’t have a team or an assistant. When you hire me, you get me—my brain, my eyes, my hands, and my voice. That level of access is rare and sacred in the luxury space.

Each event is designed for three couples: who they were, who they are, and who they are becoming. That level of nuance is what creates the “never before, never again” experience. The design is rooted in tradition but executed with a forward-thinking edge that’s tailored to my client’s worldview. I always say—I bend the universe to my will so my clients don’t have to.

Beyond weddings, I’m also a speaker, author, and business coach. I’ve written four books, including Redefine Your Wedding Business and Luxury Weddings Las Vegas. I mentor wedding professionals and creatives around the world, teaching them how to elevate their businesses, attract high-end clientele, and embrace profitability without sacrificing artistry. I host a podcast and a YouTube channel, and I regularly speak at international conferences like Engage! and Wedding MBA.

Most recently, I have launched an online course: AI for Wedding Professionals. This course teaches creatives how to train AI to behave as their digital doppelganger for content creation, while also teaching them how to create images, videos, mood boards, and more.

Whether I’m designing an over-the-top destination wedding, consulting on a hotel art installation, or helping a creative pro run a better business, I am always guided by my core philosophy and mantra of celebrating life, luxury, and, above all else, love.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Looking back on my journey—from a teenage girl with a binder full of dreams to a global voice in luxury weddings and creative entrepreneurship—three qualities have shaped everything I’ve done: obsession with storytelling, disciplined execution, and emotional intelligence.

I’ve always been a storyteller. It started with poetry and sketchbooks and grew into designing weddings that aren’t just beautiful—they mean something. Storytelling isn’t about aesthetics. It’s about emotional architecture. It’s about weaving who a client is, what they’ve overcome, and how they see the world into a physical space. If you can master storytelling, you can move people—and when you move people, you make memories that last forever.

I always suggest that you study stories. Watch how a great film or novel builds a character arc. Apply that to your clients. Ask better questions. Listen harder. Develop a point of view. The best designers and strategists aren’t just making things look good—they’re making people feel seen.

Developing disciplined execution is also vital. You can have all the creativity in the world, but if you can’t bring it to life flawlessly, it doesn’t matter. Precision, logistics, timing, and leadership—this is the backbone of luxury. My events are complicated, layered, and emotionally charged. I built a career on knowing how to take a client’s vision, translate it through my lens, and execute it without fail.

Learn to love the unglamorous parts of business. Be excellent at contracts. Understand workflows. Time-block like a maniac. Systems give you the freedom to create without chaos. Discipline is the most underrated luxury tool in your arsenal.

Lastly, you need to focus on emotional intelligence. At this level, you’re not just managing tasks—you’re managing people. Their expectations, fears, egos, family dynamics. My job is part designer, part therapist, part intuitive strategist. The ability to read a room, de-escalate tension, and lead with both strength and softness has been invaluable. Clients trust me because I get them—not just on paper, but emotionally. Self-awareness is a skill. Practice it. Get coaching, journal, reflect, and pay attention to what triggers you. EQ can be cultivated—but only if you’re willing to get honest with yourself first.

If you’re early in your journey, stop trying to be everything to everyone. Get clear on who you are, who you serve, and what you’re really offering. It’s not just “pretty weddings” or “planning help.” It’s transformation. It’s legacy. It’s the feeling your client will carry long after the flowers have wilted and the music stops.

Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?

I truly believe that you should go all in on your strengths, especially if you want to build something iconic that moves the needle in your life and in the lives of your clients.

That doesn’t mean you ignore your weaknesses. It means you know them. You respect them. And then you build systems or hire people to protect those areas so they don’t derail your efforts and goals.

Your strengths will always matter more than your gaps. You don’t get paid – or get permission to do what you do – for getting slightly better at the things that you struggle with. You grow by becoming monumentally better at the things you do better than anything else.

In a world that is constantly trying to make you “well-rounded,” your edge lies in what you do exceptionally well. Nobody builds a legacy on mediocrity. You don’t get remembered because you were pretty good at everything. You get remembered because you were extraordinary at one thing.

I’m not the best at everything in this business. I don’t want to be. But here’s what I do better than most: I see people. I listen obsessively. I tell love stories through space and sensory design. I create emotionally resonant moments that live in the marrow of my clients’ bones forever.

I leaned into that – poured gas on it. I built a business that revolves around intimacy, detail, and high-touch design because that’s where I’m a force of nature. I create guardrails and protections around everything else.

This has allowed me to build a better business in my own way. Years ago, as my business was becoming more respected, it was suggested that I should expand and build a team. The thought was that I would never scale if I didn’t have more planners to delegate to. There was this feeling that if I outsourced my designs and assigned clients to other planners that I could grow at a greater speed, increasing my client base and my profit.

When everyone was trying to get bigger and go wider, I decided to dig deeper. I doubled down on being boutique and personal. I said no to more events. I raised my rates. I built a brand on “value” not on “volume”. My connection to my clients would be absolute, and I would focus on the things I did naturally, instinctively, and obsessively.

And that decision—to go all in on what I was best at—completely changed my life. I became known for my ability to deliver something no one else could. Not because I do everything, but because I do my thing with unparalleled clarity and conviction.

When you go all in on your strength, you don’t become less—you become laser-focused. You become magnetic. That kind of clarity is powerful.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

1+2 = Allen Tsai
3, 4, 5, 6 = Nicole Hubbs
7+8 = John & Joseph

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