WE-Wedding Education Summit

Ryan R. Kolder is a seasoned event professional and marketing strategist with a passion for creating high-impact experiences that connect businesses, brands, and communities. As one of the driving forces behind Wedding Show Productions, Ryan has spent years producing some of the Midwest’s most successful and trusted wedding shows, helping thousands of engaged couples connect with top wedding professionals across Iowa and beyond.

With a deep understanding of live events, sponsorship strategy, and relationship-driven marketing, Ryan is known for building platforms that deliver real value for vendors—not just visibility, but meaningful connections and measurable results. His collaborative approach and attention to detail have made him a trusted partner to venues, sponsors, and industry professionals alike.

Ryan will be extending his work with Wedding Show Productions this spring beyond the wedding shows to include year-round vendor education, networking opportunities, and innovative membership programs designed to help small businesses grow sustainably. He is especially passionate about elevating local businesses, fostering strong partnerships, and evolving the event experience to meet the changing needs of today’s couples and professionals.

When he’s not producing events or developing new programs, Ryan enjoys staying connected to the community, gardening, spending time with family, especially his two lil fur babies Myka and Coco.

Ryan also is super excited to be presenting at the 2026 WE Summit and looks forward to chatting with all the Wedding pros of South Carolina 

Shantel Campbell’s journey in the wedding industry began in 2015 as the Marketing Manager for one of Orlando’s top-grossing catering companies. During her seven years there, she built a deep foundation in marketing strategy and digital advertising within the wedding and events space.

To further sharpen her skill set, Shantel spent a year working at a digital marketing agency serving national and global brands such as Meta, Universal, Delta, and NASA. There, she gained exposure to marketing strategies and performance-driven best practices that many wedding businesses never get access to, allowing her to bring a more strategic, data-informed approach to the wedding industry.

With over 10 years of experience and now the owner of I Do Marketing Group, exclusively serving wedding businesses, she knows exactly what content converts. Today, Shantel is here to share her secret sauce: marketing and social media strategies that don’t just look good, but skyrocket engagement, visibility, and leads. These are sessions you won’t want to miss!

Shannon Tarrant is on a mission to help event industry businesses shake things up. A professional go-getter, she has a distinctive 15-year background in developing companies into the top of their local market. As an off-site caterer and then venue manager, she developed both companies into local powerhouses by following the same system for success. 

Shannon is a highly regarded coach, working alongside vendors while running her own wedding business - Wedding Venue Map, a resource helping couples to find the perfect venue. Her successful system includes strategic planning, goal-oriented sales, outside-the-box marketing, and exceptional vendor relationships.

Shannon has been featured on Catersource, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Special Events. No matter which hat she's wearing, her goal is simple - to empower companies to differentiate themselves and drive measurable results using a proven system of small changes with big impact.

Shannon tells it like it is, whether you’re ready for it or not. 

Tom Chelednik has over 25 years of sales and marketing experience, including 18 in the wedding industry. From 2008 to 2020, he held leadership roles at The Knot, including Regional Director of Sales and Director of Training, and helped Wedding Pros grow their businesses across 20 states and Canada. 

Tom also served as COO of The Treasury Venue Collection, gaining firsthand experience with venues. He rejoined The Knot Worldwide in 2022 as Director of Vendor Engagement. Tom travels the country, continues to learn from other wedding pros, and shares his knowledge to help them grow their businesses. When not on the road, Tom enjoys time with his family, including his three grandchildren. 

Gina Cramer is the owner of Make it Happen Events and Wedding Show Productions. She has been planning events and weddings for over 15 years. With her experience, she has learned the importance of a well-organized event, strong vendor relationships, teamwork and the connection between couples and wedding professionals. Gina has always been in love with events, keeping others organized and thrives on checklists! 
Gina, with her partner, Ryan, produce 6 wedding shows a year focused on quality wedding professionals and couples. The shows have become the most respected in Iowa and continue to highlight the thriving wedding industry in the Midwest.
When Gina's not planning events, you’ll find her spending time with her adult children, Andrew & Elizabeth and husband John. You can also find her cooking, creating charcuterie boards, traveling, reading, or simply enjoying a glass of wine with friends. 

Raised in South Carolina, Paige Gillespie comes to The Poinsett Bride after her long, successful career in public accounting.  There, she specialized in business tax, business consultation, and business tax preparation.

After graduating from the University of South Carolina and then joining a local public accounting firm in 2009, Paige took her expertise in small business matters and entrepreneurial drive and decided to apply them practically to The Poinsett Bride.

A lover of all things retail and fashion, her goal is to make brides’ dreams come true—every single time.

Entrepreneur • Therapist • Speaker on Entrepreneurial Stress & Relational Resilience

If you serve couples on one of the most important days of their lives, you know the pressure. High expectations. Emotional intensity. Tight timelines. Thin margins. Endless decision-making.

Lisa Rivers doesn’t just understand that pressure — she’s lived it.

Before becoming a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Lisa owned and operated a successful commercial refrigeration company for 15 years. As a serial entrepreneur, she has navigated payroll, staffing, marketing, contracts, client crises, economic shifts, and the relentless responsibility that comes with being the one in charge. She knows firsthand that business ownership is both a dream and a nervous system marathon.

Today, Lisa combines her entrepreneurial background with advanced clinical training to support high-performing business owners — especially those in relational, service-based industries — in managing stress, preventing burnout, and building sustainable success.

Lisa holds a Bachelor of Social Work from Columbia College and a Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy from Converse University. She is one of a select group of Certified Relational Life Therapists who completed the highest level of certification through the Relational Life Institute, and she is a Certified Relational Life Therapy Bootcamp Facilitator. In 2025, she presented Embracing Diversity: Best Practices for Serving LGBTQ+ Individuals and Couples Using Relational Life Therapy at the Relational Life Therapy Conference.

In addition to building, owning and operating a commercial refrigeration company, Lisa built from the ground up, owns and operates Reedy Rivers LLC a real estate company, Lisa Rivers Counseling Services LLC (specializing in relational therapy), Greenville Couples Therapy, a thriving co-working collective, and the Directory of South Carolina Relational Therapists. Lisa also teaches Couples Therapy as an Adjunct Professor in Converse University’s MMFT program and serves as an AAMFT and South Carolina LMFT Approved Supervisor Candidate mentoring new clinicians.

But what matters most to wedding industry professionals is this:

Lisa understands the emotional labor of your work.

She understands that your livelihood depends on managing other people’s emotions — while managing your own.

She understands the toll of peak season, difficult clients, perfectionism, and never fully clocking out.

Her Entrepreneurial Stress Management classes are designed specifically for business owners who serve couples — equipping you with practical nervous system tools, relational boundaries, burnout prevention strategies, and communication skills that protect both your business and your wellbeing.

Lisa brings the rare combination of:

• Real-world entrepreneurial grit

• Advanced relational expertise

• Deep respect for service-based professionals

• A grounded, humble leadership style

Because at the end of the day, credentials don’t build resilience — skills do. And sustainable businesses are built by regulated, supported humans.

Mitchell Busse leads EventGuard, the first AI-powered platform dedicated exclusively to wedding and event insurance. He partners directly with venues (and other wedding industry professionals) across the country to simplify the insurance process, automate compliance tracking, and ensure couples and hosts are properly protected.

Following EventGuard’s recent acquisition by Jewelers Mutual Group, the platform is positioned to expand its solutions and deepen its impact across the wedding and event industry.

Rather than treating insurance as a box to check, Mitchell helps venues use it as a tool to protect revenue, strengthen policies, and build trust with clients. His work sits at the intersection of technology, risk management, and the evolving event industry.