The Psychology Behind Weddings That Guests Never Stop Talking About | WDP Ep 76

🎧 Listen to learn:

• How to make your wedding feel personal and unique
• What guests actually remember most about weddings
• How wedding planners turn your love story into a wedding design concept
• Why interactive wedding experiences are replacing standard receptions
• How to personalize your wedding without copying Pinterest trends
• Behind-the-scenes insights into custom wedding installations and event design

What actually makes a wedding unforgettable? In this episode of Wedding Day Podcast, host Sonja Babich, CEO of Iron Diamond Media, and co-host Alexis Sanabria, Publisher at Iron Diamond, sit down with Troy and Heather Balliet, the husband-and-wife team behind Amorology Weddings and Back Up Backdrops, to explore the psychology, storytelling and guest experience behind weddings people talk about for years.

Known for their immersive luxury celebrations and emotionally driven design approach, Troy and Heather share how they create weddings that guests don’t just attend—they genuinely experience. From transforming venues with custom installations to designing events that feel like “love letters” to guests, the duo reveals how intentionality, emotion and originality are shaping the future of modern weddings.

The conversation also dives into how they balance marriage and business, the collaborative creative process behind their designs and why the most memorable weddings are the ones rooted in authenticity rather than trends. Troy and Heather also discuss how custom fabrication, layered guest experiences and thoughtful storytelling can completely transform the atmosphere of a wedding day.

From interactive receptions to emotionally impactful design moments, this episode offers an inside look at why immersive guest experience has become one of the biggest shifts in luxury weddings today.

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:00

Welcome to Wedding Day Podcast with your host, Sonia Babbage, CEO of Iron Diamond Media, a leading wedding resource featuring seven localized wedding brands across the country. Hi everybody, Sonia here with Wedding Day Podcast. My co-host today is Alexis Tenabria.

SPEAKER_01 0:18

I'm so happy to be here with you guys. We're at the Havens Country Club in San Diego, and we're joined today by Troy and Heather from Amarology and Backup Backdrops.

SPEAKER_03 0:30

Well, Alexis, Lara, they have been seriously like shouting from the rooftops how talented you your company is, you two are. And I know that you are a lot of times our editorial choice of when Lara sees your work come across her desk or computer, she just knows it's Amarology. She can tell before even knowing who submitted it or come across it on Instagram or who knows what. But that means a lot. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_01 1:05

I was telling Heather just a few minutes ago that Laura we were talking last week and she was really sad that she wasn't gonna be here to meet you in person today because she's like such a fangirl. She is a fan girl. You have to set something up.

SPEAKER_03 1:17

You're like, I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 1:21

She has a huge hug coming her way too.

SPEAKER_03 1:24

So you have owned the business for 20 years. Yeah, 20, going on 23 years now. So it's been a long time. I think yeah. Wow. And um, when did you were you always both doing it at the same time? Did you start it? Did you join the forces later? Usually it's what happens, and then when that is exactly what happened.

SPEAKER_04 1:41

Yeah, Heather's started basically 2003. Yeah, I guess we would say. Yeah. And then um things just snowballed it, grew, and then we combined forces in 2009. Yeah, as things started to mellow out with our babies.

SPEAKER_00 1:59

Like so there was a lot of babies in the beginning. And so doesn't that always make sense?

SPEAKER_03 2:04

Start a business and have babies at the same time. The best way to start a business. I can relate, that's why I'm saying that.

SPEAKER_04 2:12

I know, I know, and that's that's kind of the I mean, I don't want to say naivete, but the the hubris of like, let's do this.

SPEAKER_00 2:19

We're already not sleeping, yeah, right? Yeah, jump in and throw some babies on top of that. But they I mean, I I think it was like a natural progression of things with our business too, and it continued to grow and grow as our children were growing. And so I feel like you know, we just continue to throw in more so that it would never get dull, you know?

SPEAKER_04 2:39

Throw another log on the fire.

SPEAKER_03 2:41

Like another backdrop.

SPEAKER_04 2:44

Another business, why not?

SPEAKER_03 2:46

So being a husband and wife team, um, you hear mostly common in the video and videography world. Um, it's not many that's in the planning and you know, the artistic and the creative world. Yeah. Um, how does that go as a team? Like who ha who like who's the creative energy, who's the business, or the hats that you wear, I should say.

SPEAKER_04 3:07

Yeah, well, sometimes we wear the same hats.

SPEAKER_00 3:09

Sometimes we do, we share hats.

SPEAKER_04 3:11

We do. Um, yeah, d design-wise, we we always kind of collaborate and work together, especially at the beginning stages.

SPEAKER_00 3:19

And then um Then we kind of separate off like Troy will go into the production end of things, and I'm in the like planning email front end, um, and then we come back again together for execution. I mean, we're always talking about all the projects together because our lives like overlap in all the ways, obviously.

SPEAKER_04 3:40

Sometimes we have midnight business meetings. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 3:45

Like some lights come on, I have to talk about something.

SPEAKER_04 3:49

For sure. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:50

So it's yeah.

SPEAKER_04 3:51

So it's yeah, it as far as like division of labor, um a lot of it is just collaborating together. And then um, you know, production and and that, you know, business uh administration, business development is kind of me. Heather's the genius behind the creatively executing what we what we come up with together.

SPEAKER_00 4:15

And client relations and things like that. More our team. We have an incredible team. So we we work together in the office, um, which is wonderful that I have that day-to-day like support. Support, yeah, for sure. So they're incredibly invaluable to me too.

SPEAKER_01 4:30

And how many are in your team now?

SPEAKER_00 4:32

So there is three of us in the office, and then Troy, and then we also have a little bit of remote going on right now, too. So yeah. Um, so yeah.

SPEAKER_04 4:44

And then on the backup side, I have three employees that in the shop that we are always working on things.

SPEAKER_01 4:50

And the shop where's the shop?

SPEAKER_04 4:52

The shop is a 5,000 square foot warehouse that we have a lot of fun in.

SPEAKER_01 4:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 4:58

I bet we should do like a video tour sometime.

SPEAKER_01 5:02

Hey, that's good content. Yeah, that would be great. I mean, I bet that would be really fun to see because you do so many unique custom build-outs for people.

SPEAKER_04 5:11

Yeah, yeah. We have a lot, I mean, we do a lot of corporate stuff. We do uh obviously we do um for different wedding planners as well.

SPEAKER_02 5:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 5:18

But um, yeah, we have a lot of great equipment. We have a big C and C machine, a giant flatbed UV printer, a vinyl printer, vinyl plotter, full wood shop. Yeah, we have all the toys. Laser cutter, we have a great bathroom.

SPEAKER_03 5:30

So this can lead into like your installations and your designs that you truly bring to life. Um, and what you have shared if before we met today is like you truly are bringing the story to life. Yeah. Right? Their love story and creating that the chapter or the live version of their story on their wedding day. Yeah. So how do you start that process with the couple to like the drawing, the sketches, and it's a fun process.

SPEAKER_00 5:55

I mean, I feel like it starts with getting to know our couples, right? I mean, that's really the first thing that we're doing is getting to know them, you know, asking a lot of questions, finding out about what makes them them, um, what's important to them, their priorities, and and then we have a big brainstorm sesh where we're throwing everything out that you can possibly imagine, seeing what sticks, then refining, you know, and so it's really it's kind of like a game.

SPEAKER_01 6:22

Like we just are you guys like narrow it down first.

SPEAKER_00 6:27

So they're not involved in that process. It's really like, you know, we'll get information from them, then we'll take that and we'll brainstorm together. Yeah. Um, we'll do it as a team, we'll do late nights, Troy and I, that are like, you know, we have one coming up this week, too, that we're working on right now. So um, you know, it's always, you know, really just sitting down and like just putting everything out there that we can think of. We're not, you know, usually looking to what other people have created. We're trying to create something that hasn't been created. And that's really like, you know, we find inspiration everywhere. Um, but I think that's really something that's important to us is we want to give them something that is unique to them.

SPEAKER_01 7:08

I love when I see your weddings because there's always obviously like that personal tie-in. You can find it in some detail, but it also like you end up tying in the venue so well, also. So like you highlight these really unique pieces. And I don't know, you know, I don't how I don't know how many of your couples start with you like before venue picking. Like, how far in advance do you take that like back down the road? Because it feels like it's always such this perfect marriage. Thank you so much. That's so kind.

SPEAKER_00 7:37

Yeah, I I think that the venue ties into such a big component of it, right? Like, and our couples come to us at all different places. Sometimes they've already booked their venue, sometimes we're helping them in that process. But I mean, we want to create an event that looks like it belongs there, right? Like it is, you know, it's married into everything that is there, right? So, I mean, that's something, you know, we want to take those venues and make them shine with what they were like. And sometimes we'll step in and we're like, let's flip this on its head and let's do something in a different place that hasn't been done here because we want to do something that's different.

SPEAKER_03 8:11

And every time I come across your work, it just looks effortless. Thank you. Just clean and artistic. It's all it's not a lot of effort. I know the blood, sweat, and tears, but you really do, you can see the the end, what you create is just so stunning every single time.

SPEAKER_00 8:32

Thank you. And there's, I mean, I feel like we're passionate about it. You know, I mean, even after all these years, I feel feel like there is so much joy in what we create, and we love to create what we get to do.

SPEAKER_03 8:43

But what we create too is like the design, like the architecture, whatever the installation is, but how you complement the right floral every time.

SPEAKER_00 8:51

Thank you.

unknown 8:52

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 8:52

That's really, I mean, we have amazing florists that we work with too, and it's a it takes a team. It really does. And I think that we have people that we're so in sync with that, like we just that collaboration process is so fun. I mean, it's when we are all coming to the table and we are giving them ideas and then they're snowballing off of that, and we're just building something. They get excited too.

SPEAKER_01 9:13

They're like, oh yeah, I love that idea, but we could do it like this too. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 9:17

Our vendors they get excited and they love to create with us, and we love to create with them. So it's really it's fun. I mean, that's a huge part of the problem.

SPEAKER_03 9:26

So kind of leading into that, so some of the new things that you're getting excited about that I believe is like dessert. Did you say dessert tables on the dance floor?

SPEAKER_00 9:33

Did I read that right? Well, more like strolling desserts. Like we'll have like strolling cannolis and people that we come to the like, you know, the dance floor and bring that party to them too, you know. I mean, there's a lot of fun things that we're seeing, and we're well, yeah. Sometimes people don't want to leave the dance floor, but they still want to, they're like, Oh, there's something good over there, but I'm having fun right here. Yeah, I mean, there's I think the more interactive elements that you can put into an event the better. I mean, it really is like those moments that just help guests to feel cared for and feel thought about and you know, just give them all the the special touches. Um I really I was just talking to Troy this morning, and I feel like, you know, our an event our events are a love letter to their guests. Yeah. You know, and we want it to read like that. We want it to read like you know, everything has been thought of down to the smallest detail. It's not just a pretty table that we're setting. We're setting something that is thoughtful and that is curated in a way that that makes them feel like there is surprises around every terminal.

SPEAKER_01 10:40

I think that like kind of takes ties back to your name, like your business name, right? Yeah. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 10:45

For sure. So, what is your favorite part of the wedding process that both of you both realize like we did it or your aha moment of the wedding day that like you want to give like a high five.

SPEAKER_04 10:58

Well, it is it is. I mean, this you've you've talked about this a lot with me, and I I feel the same way is the the gratification you get of seeing everything set.

SPEAKER_01 11:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 11:10

And then when the couple comes in and seeing their response, yeah, yeah. And and just usually they love it. Like your first look, kind of. Yeah. Your first look for our for our design.

SPEAKER_03 11:23

That's a good point. Are they gonna like the look that I did?

SPEAKER_04 11:30

And and overwhelmingly the response is this is this is exactly what we wanted. Or more than I ever want. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 11:39

That's what wedding pros are known for, going above and beyond.

SPEAKER_00 11:41

Yeah, I mean, right? That's we want to exceed expectations in all the ways and wow them. Um yeah, and wow them, and you know, just hear that from their guests too, that it's something because really at the end of the day, like our couples are so happy when their guests are happy too. Like when they hear those things. I mean, it's really all about showing love for the people that you love in your life too, right? So I mean, all of that just ties back in and of course. It's I Troy and I's biggest thing, and I think this is why we're still in this industry today, is just the connection of this industry, you know, the love that is here and the people that that we love, that we get to work with, that we get to serve, the the families that you know we grow to love so much, too. So I think that's really the biggest thing for us.

SPEAKER_04 12:27

Yeah, and and if you're asking about that moment, it it is absolutely the human response to all of this stuff, is it doesn't matter. It's the emotion. Yeah, it's everything is a representation of an inner world, an inner am I hitting my microphone, sorry. An inner world, an inner experience that um that we want to honor. So yeah, that's it.

SPEAKER_03 12:55

When you do the when you say the love, the love letter, when do you realize what the letter is about when you're in the planning process?

SPEAKER_00 13:02

Oh, I love that. I mean, sometimes it's you know, it's not until our design meeting. And you know, sometimes that's a surprise to our couples. I think they they don't know what they're gonna get from us sometimes, you know, like and that's where trust comes in too, right? That's such a huge part of it. But I I think us sitting down, we always you know kind of do a write-up of like an overall feel of what that love letter is and kind of paint that picture for them with words of what you know we're trying to represent and and bring into that day. And so that's where that love letter begins. Like I think it's it starts there after we've you know, again, like gotten to know more about them and their story and the unique things. There's so many, each couple is so unique, right? There's something about them. I mean, we're gonna hear similar things over and over, like, you know, we love to travel and we love to, you know, whatever it is. But we're looking for the things that are different, you know. We're looking for the things that set them apart and you know, have it makes it more fun for you too, too.

SPEAKER_03 14:06

Yeah, because you know we wants to do the same things over and over again.

SPEAKER_01 14:09

We don't want to publish the same thing over and over again.

SPEAKER_02 14:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:12

So how many time how many meetings do you have with a couple before you like do a design proposal for them?

SPEAKER_00 14:19

We do a lot of like, well, there's a lot of phone calls and a lot of emails and like you know, a lot of our couples can be, I mean, they're all over the world, right? And sometimes we're working on destination weddings where we're in different places, but um we always have them with us for our design meeting, which is our main meeting, okay. Um, where we're showing everything to them. Um, and then really it's up to them. Like, we don't put a limit on the amount of meetings or phone calls or things like that with our couples. Um, we really want to lean into to giving them you know what they need. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 14:53

Yeah. Well, you two, uh, it's that time. We uh we all have to get to a party.

unknown 14:58

Yeah, we all have to get to a party.

SPEAKER_03 15:01

It was so nice for you two to come on to the podcast. And I fell in love with you guys today, and I know our viewers did too.

SPEAKER_02 15:07

Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 15:08

And we're just so proud of your work and your talent that you just share with us. And honestly, your couples are so lucky to have you two on their wedding day. Thank you. Thank you.