Pop the Questions with Veronica Joy

We sat down with Veronica Joy (AKA @veronicajoyevents)—a renowned NYC-based wedding and events planner who’s produced events for some of the biggest names in media like the The New York Times, Oprah Winfrey Network, and HGTV. Veronica is teaming up with Zola for our new series "Pop the Questions" to help couples and guests alike. In this Q&A, Joy shares her experience producing weddings across the country for over a decade, ways to avoid the most common planning mistakes, navigating family pressure, and solving tough wedding day challenges.

Got your own wedding dilemmas to dish out? Join Zola’s r/PoptheQuestions community on Reddit to get real advice from couples just like you. Joy will also host a live AMA in Zola’s subreddit on Monday, October 13, giving couples a rare opportunity to ask one of the industry’s most creative forces their burning questions directly. Stay tuned!

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I produce luxuriously fun celebrations in New York City and beyond. I'm also known for making events peaceful, personal, and epically joyful.

How did your career in events begin?

I always say my career started when I was 17 years old, wheelin' and dealin' with the DJ on an all-girl Catholic school budget planning Junior Prom. It was a pretty good prom, and after that, I was hooked.

Since then, I've produced events for some of the biggest names in media: The New York Times, Oprah Winfrey Network, HGTV, all while building my wedding planning business in the background. This year, we're going to be celebrating nine years in business, and I am so excited.

What’s your best piece of advice for a vendor who’s just starting out?

This industry is built on relationships, and you never know which connection is going to shape your career.

What’s the very first thing you recommend couples do when they start wedding planning?

Make a guest list and be intentional about it. Who you invite shapes your budget, the venue, and the vibe.

What’s the most common mistake you see couples make, and how can they avoid it?

Don't pay attention to what anyone else is doing. My favorite advice to give anyone in wedding planning, and in life, is put your blinders up. No one is you, and no one is your partner.

Your tagline is “Be a guest at your own wedding” — what does this mean to you?

The kindest thing someone said to me at my own wedding was, "You were so present," and I thought that was the nicest thing because they saw that I was present and in the moment, and that's the gift that I love to give all my clients, giving them the opportunity to just be present where their feet are planted and be a guest at their own event.

If you had to pick one thing for a couple’s day, what’s the one area you think they should prioritize?

A private moment after your ceremony. You just did something so monumental in professing your love for each other. Take a minute, be alone, right before the party starts.

And on the vendor side, after your planner, your photographer is the most important to book.

What’s one wedding tradition you think is worth keeping, and one couples are fine to toss?

I am obsessed with a first dance. I think it is such a special moment for just the two of you, but do not invite everyone to join in on it. It is your dance.

It’s not my job to tell you what to toss, but whatever you do toss, I have your back.

What's the one current wedding trend you're currently obsessed with?

Right now, I am obsessed with dinner entertainment that goes far beyond background music. Hit 'em with a Whitney power ballad or a throwback sing-along—it gets the crowd going.

What’s the toughest wedding day challenge you’ve had to solve on the spot?

So, early on in my career, before fashion stylists were a must on-site, the bride's dress ripped moments before she went down the aisle. We safety-pinned her in the dress. I sent her off to her ceremony. I got in my car, drove into town, found a bridal stylist, brought her back to the church. The bride and groom came down the aisle, moved them in the sacristy, had her sew her up, sent her to her reception, and put a spare pair of scissors in their honeymoon suite at the end of the night so we could cut her out. And now, we never do a wedding without a fashion stylist on-site.

If you had to describe your wedding planning style in two words, what would they be?

Luxuriously fun.

You're hired for a wedding with a blank slate venue. What are the first design decisions you make to establish the entire vibe?

If guest experience is at the top of your priority list, focus on the floor plan and the flow.

We're seeing a lot of couples dealing with family pressure. What's your best advice for setting healthy boundaries with well-meaning, but over-involved, relatives?

This happens often…but I think the best bet is to, in the beginning of the process, have a designated decision-maker to communicate all final decisions to every single vendor so there is no miscommunication along the way.

Are their any Zola tools you specifically recommend to couples?

Yes, wedding website, registry, and RSVP — my power planning trio.

What’s your ultimate “wedding hot take” as someone who’s revolutionized the wedding and events industry?

I don't believe in a B-list. Be intentional, invite the people who matter the most. The energy in the room comes from the right guest list, not the biggest one.