Episode #34: My Kids Interview Me: Wedding Planning FAQs with Hunter

What happens when a 10-year-old gets to ask a wedding planner anything he wants? You get one of the sweetest, funniest, and most unexpected episodes of More Than Just a Wedding yet.

In this special episode, Jennifer Starr is joined by her son, Hunter Starr, for his very first podcast appearance. Armed with a list of surprise questions (that Jennifer has never seen before), Hunter asks everything from the strangest items kept in a wedding emergency kit to what really happens when couples walk back down the aisle after saying “I do.”

Together, they share laughs, behind-the-scenes wedding stories, and meaningful lessons about what truly matters on a wedding day.

In this episode, we talk about:

• The most unusual things a wedding planner keeps in an emergency kit (yes, black socks made the list!)
• The coolest non-traditional wedding ideas Jennifer has ever seen
• How couples can create a meaningful wedding regardless of their budget
• Tips for choosing wedding colors that feel authentic to you
• What makes J. Starr Wedding Company’s approach unique
• What happens when someone forgets the wedding rings
• The emotional side of saying goodbye to couples after their wedding day
• Why lighting plays such a critical role in the wedding experience
• Jennifer’s favorite “hidden” moment that happens immediately after the ceremony
• The emergency snacks every wedding planner needs to survive a long wedding day
• How planners support couples who feel nervous or overwhelmed before walking down the aisle

A favorite moment:

When Hunter answers the podcast’s signature question, “What does More Than Just a Wedding mean to you?” with a reminder we all need to hear:

“It’s your night. Go crazy and wild… do you, because you only live once.”

Honestly, we couldn’t have said it better ourselves.

About More Than Just a Wedding:

More Than Just a Wedding with Jennifer Starr is a podcast for engaged couples, wedding professionals, and anyone who believes a wedding is about so much more than one beautiful day. Through expert advice, behind-the-scenes stories, and honest conversations, Jennifer shares what she’s learned after planning hundreds of weddings and helping couples create celebrations that feel deeply personal and unforgettable.

If you loved this episode, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who believes the best weddings are the ones that truly reflect the couple.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

I'm your host, Jennifer Starr, and this is More Than Just a Wedding, the podcast where we celebrate real people, real moments, and respected budgets. Let's make wedding planning feel a little more human.

SPEAKER_01 0:18

Well, hello, everyone, and welcome back to the More Than Just a Wedding podcast. Today I have a very special guest with me, Mr. Hunter Starr. Hi. Hi. Are you ready for this? Actually, I literally do all this. Don't be nervous. It's okay. Hunter has a slight tickle in his throat. So if we have some water drinking and so forth, that is why. But we are gonna do this. This is his first official podcast, and he has a list of questions to ask me that I have no idea what he's going to ask. So this should be interesting. I'm gonna answer them as quickly and honestly as possible. All right, let's go. Fourth question. What is the strangest thing you carry around on a wedding day? The strangest thing I carry around on a wedding day. Oh strangest. Fake cake? No, we don't carry around fake cakes. I mean, we have these amazing emergency kits that have literally everything you can imagine. Okay, I know what it is. Black socks. Do you know why? Oh, because it's nighttime. Um no, because it's very often that a groomsman forgets to bring black socks. And so he'll he'll be wearing his black tuxedo and his bright Nike socks will be showing. So we have we have black socks in our emergency kit. That's probably the weirdest thing. Okay. What is the coolest wedding idea you've ever seen? The coolest wedding idea I've ever seen. You know, I think really anytime someone makes it about just so uniquely them, I think that's what's really special. I had one of my best girlfriends, Addy, you know, Addy and Derek. When they got married, they actually rented out this really cool little small pizza restaurant. And they were really good friends with the owners, and they had the reception there. And it was so cute and so quaint and so them. I thought that was really incredible. Anytime someone doesn't do the quote unquote traditional and goes a little off course just to make it their own, I think that's what's really cool. If someone doesn't have a lot of money, can they still have a really cool wedding? Oh, a hundred percent. I synthesize that it's it can be harder to think that because we live in such a fast-paced digital world with images popping in our faces all the time with the most over-the-top, extravagant, especially weddings. But I mean, if you have everyone there that you love and you are celebrating your future with the person you love, that's all you really need. Honestly. Some of the most endearing moments I've seen have been some of the most simple, simple moments. So, yes. How do you know what cuddles to decorate? Yes. How can you pick? Well, you want to be mindful of the venue that you've chosen first. You want to know what the paint looks like in the interior. You want to know what the is the carpet have a certain color, does it have a certain pattern? Like you want to take into account, you know, the tables, the chairs, all of the things because you want to work with the venue, not against the venue. So I think step one is you look at the foundation to which you're starting with. And then from there, you choose colors that you like that speak to you. You don't have to just choose fall colors because you're getting married in the fall. You don't have to choose spring colors for getting married in the it's this is going to be something that's yours forever. So you want to choose what feels right to you. That is something you hope I learned from watching the long. Something I hope you learn. Well, I hope, Hunter Star, that you learn that you can do anything you want to do. And you know what makes it all the better is if you pick something you really love to take that's really fun. That's what I hope you learn from me. Um if a couple says, I don't know what I like, I just don't like ugly stuff. We have a lot of couples that don't know what they like. A lot of times it's honestly really helpful if you tell us what you don't like first. Process of elimination. And we go from there. It's quite fine. We'll help you. We will find it. Why is JSTAR Wedding Company better than the uh other services? Why is JSTAR Wedding Company better than the other services? Like other planning services? Wow, that's quite a question. Um, I would say what makes us unique is that a lot of our team members come from the hospitality world. Do you know what that means? So it means that we worked in like catering. So I worked at a private golf and country club as a catering director for almost eight years before I started the company. And many of our other team members also worked in various roles in the hotel world and resorts and so forth. So we have a lot of knowledge of what our venues need to be amazing partners, and I think that makes us very unique. And I think our commitment to customer service is above anything and everything else, and that makes us um really good at what we do. Um what happens if somebody loses the the lanes? Well, nobody's ever lost the rings, thank goodness. But we have had people leave them at the hotel or leave them back in the room, and we always, when we first get on site, we double check to make sure that we have them. Great, great answer. Thank you, son. I see that. Do you get sad when a wedding is over because you miss the people? I do. I really do. It's a weird thing. We go through this long process of getting to know our couples, and and then we get to know their family and their friends, and their special songs, and their special moments, and we hear their speeches, and we're just like really wrapped up in this this special little world of theirs, and then it's over. And that is the weirdest part, is when it's over, it's like, oh, you don't need me anymore. Whereas, like with photography, they still get to be in touch because they're doing the editing and they're doing the photos and they're doing the wedding albums and so forth. So, yeah, it is sad. It's a weird part of the process for sure. Um, are you proud that your kids know what you do for a job? Yes, I'm very proud that my kids know what I do. I think you guys know maybe more than maybe you should, but um, it's been really fun to share this world with you guys. And I hope you have fun memories of it when you're adults. How do the vendors help with the lighting? How do the vendors help with the lighting? Well, lighting is incredibly important at a wedding. Um, it's really important for photography. When we're planning the timeline with the photographer, we have to know when the optimal lighting is for the photos. And then lighting inside the ballroom is really important because it creates a mood, it creates a vibe. And again, we have to make sure that the lighting that the DJ or band is putting out there is not affecting the photography in a negative way. So it's there's a lot of talk about lighting. In your opinion, what is the most special moment in a wedding? Okay. I've said this on here before, but it I mean it, and it's the I always think of it. It is a moment that usually nobody gets to see but the planner and sometimes the photographer. And what it is is after the couple has said I do, and they walk down the aisle, and everybody's cheering and looking, and it's it's such a moment. Following that moment, they walk away down a pathway, usually kind of in hidden view of everyone. And I love to watch what the couple. I mean, I always coach my team, stay way back in that moment, let them have a minute to themselves. But every couple does something different. Some couples just start laughing because I think their nerves are just out of control. Some embrace, some cry, some just kind of like take a big sigh of relief. It's always unique and different. So I love to watch what they're gonna do in that moment. I think it's really sweet. Do you keep emulgency snacks in your planner bag because people get hungry? Yes, because I get hungry. Because our team gets hungry, because everybody gets hungry. If you are working a wedding, hunger is very real because your adrenaline is pumping and you are working long day, long hours. So you have to have snacks on you. Do you want me to talk about my favorite snacks? Okay. Protein bars are usually quick go-tos. I always have protein bars. I know April, she does not go to a wedding without her um, gosh, what do you call it? Chomp. Oh, her chomp beef sticks. Yeah, she likes the chomp beef sticks, but she also likes the uncrustables grape flavor. Okay, next question. Have you ever had a Vladimir groom completely freaked out? We have had, I can think of one particular bride that was just so nervous, not to get married, but nervous about being the center of attention and having everyone's eyes on her. And that's actually more common than I would have thought it was for brides and grooms. So, you know, we try to plan. If we know that ahead of time, we can plan accordingly to sort of soften those moments so they don't feel so intense. Okay, Hunter Star, my favorite little human. So I end every podcast by asking my guests one particular question. Are you ready to answer the magical question? Okay. Okay. So the question is the name of this podcast is more than just a wedding. Hunter, when you hear the words more than just a wedding, what does that mean to you? Um, the words more than just a wedding means to me. Like it's just like go crazy and wild and do you because you only live once. Yes, son.

unknown 11:54

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 11:56

That was a fantastic answer. Good job. I'm proud of you. Well, this concludes this episode of the More Than Just a Wedding podcast. Hunter Star, congratulations on concluding your first podcast. You did a fantastic job. Will you come back and join me again? Yeah, you promise. Pinky promise. All right. I love you. Love you. Thank you. All right. Thanks everyone for listening or watching today. We appreciate you being here. Until next time. Bye.

SPEAKER_00 12:30

You've been listening to more than just a wedding with Jennifer Starr. If you enjoyed today's episode, be sure to follow and share it with a friend. Until next time, real people, real moments, respected budgets.