MEMBERS AND EXPERTS

THE DIRECTORS

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
RACHEL LEONARD

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
MICHELE IACOVELLI

THE MEMBERS

ACCESSORIES

alexis isabeL BELLA ROSA COLLECTION Erin Rhyne la chenille Maria Elena Headpieces
Monvieve
Paris by Debra MorelanD Toni Federici

MEDIA

Brides
C Weddings
Love Stories TV
MARTHA STEWART WEDDINGS
MODERN LUXURY WEDDINGS
THE KNOT
TOWN & COUNTRY
Vogue Weddings

MEMBERS-AT-LARGE

deMelis ATelier
J.SCHEER& Co.
THE STYLISH BRIDE

SPONSORS

May, 2018: Wedding Weekend-Meet The Experts

Baccarat

Bloomingdales

October, 2019: Estee Lauder Beautiful Belle Wedding Weekend on Madison Avenue

Estee Lauder

FujiFilm Instax

Paper Source

The Cayman Islands

CANYON RANCH

THE EXPERTS

RACHEL LEONARD
Editorial Director

My mother used to tell me, "Pick one thing, and be really good at it." Little did I know that by picking one thing, I would become great at many. In my 18 years as Fashion Director of BRIDES magazine, I wore many hats . From start to finish, I coordinated and styled more than 300 photo shoots for cover spreads and special features. From Bangkok to Iceland, Africa to THE White Sands OF New Mexico, I have taken my staff AND ALL our readers AT BRIDES all over the world. Driven by my love for discovering new talent, I have helped shape the careers of some of the biggest names in bridal, including amsale, MONIQUE LHUILLIER, reem acra, vera wang and more recently Inbal Dror and yolancris - all whose first editorials were styled by me.

I started my career as a rule breaker. I was the first employee of Condé Nast to make the jump from the advertising department to editorial, where I drew from my experience as a Creative Advertising Coordinator in my role as Fashion Editor, and nine years later, as Fashion Director.

Rule breaker meetS game changer. Taking a small industry forward, I was the first to bring photographers to bridal market, sparking a global interest in bridal trends and bridal designer recognition. As BRIDES evolved to incorporate digital platforms, I covered market trends in real time through social media, quickly becoming one of the most popular voices in the industry online. 

Game changer meetS trend setter. As Fashion Director I had the privilege to take creative risks that shaped the nature of the bridal industry. My audiences were enchanted when I styled a teenage Liv Tyler in a flower-child photoshoot. They were shocked when I paired an elegant Badgley Mischka gown with hot pink Louboutin's. They were captivated when I dressed an engaged Olivia Palermo in a transparent lace skirt.

For nearly thirty years, I have set trends, broken rules, and ultimately changed the game. I have a 360° perspective on bridal. I know its past, and I know its future.

DONNA FERRARI
Tabletop Expert

As with the fashion business, each season the tableware industry shows off its new collections of dinnerware, glassware, flatware and a host of smart and stylish table accessories and giftware. For TBC 'trend reports,' donna ferrari culls from the most beautiful, most exciting, best classic to contemporary, timeless to trending, high-end to democratic design new products in the tabletop and giftware marketplace. like with clothing, she believes a tableware wardrobe needs go-to basics and core investment pieces, but it also needs to be accessorized with the fresh and fun new patterns and pieces that keep its look chic and up-to-date. 

In her work as an editor with Condé Nast, and now as a columnist for Tableware International, donna has covered most of the major tableware trade shows and has traveled across America and around the world to see firsthand the many ways tableware is produced. her experiences at the factories of big brands, to emerging Maker Movement workshops, have taught her how much imagination and skill it takes to create well-designed and well-made products. add to this all she's learned from a career filled with talking with bridal couples at special events and wedding fairs about their wedding gift registry plans.

The lifestyle layouts donna styled and produced for the pages of Brides magazine were informed by all these experiences. by collaborating with celebrity chefs, the best cocktail-crafters out there and the most in demand entertaining experts, she filled these stories with inspirational and practical ideas. Ideas not only matched to newlyweds' early stage of entertaining, but also guidance in selecting the foundational tableware pieces a couple could build on as their lifestyle and personal taste evolved. beyond being functional, she sees how tableware brings style and personality to a home.

AMY ELLIOTT
Fine Jewelry Expert

SPECIALIZING IN WEDDINGS AND FINE JEWELRY, AMY ELLIOTT HAS BEEN A VIBRANT PRESENCE IN THE BRIDAL EDITORIAL COMMUNITY FOR MORE THAN 15 YEARS. IN ADDITION TO BEING THE ABOUT.COM ENGAGEMENT RINGS EXPERT, SHE IS A FREELANCE WRITER AND EDITOR WHO ALSO WORKS AS A COPYWRITER AND CONSULTANT FOR A DIVERSE PORTFOLIO OF BRANDS INCLUDING ANN TAYLOR, J.CREW, JETSETTER.COM, SCOTT KAY, TARGET AND TORY BURCH.

AMY BEGAN HER EDITORIAL CAREER AT THE KNOT BUT IT WASN'T UNTIL SHE JOINED THE STAFF OF bridal guide THAT SHE DEVELOPED AN AFFINITY FOR FINE JEWELRY. PRODUCING AND WRITING THE MAGAZINE’S COLUMN, "ALL THAT GLITTERS," ALLOWED HER TO ACQUIRE VALUABLE TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE ABOUT GEMS, PRECIOUS METALS AND MORE. 

SHE LATER SERVED AS ONE OF THE FOUNDING EDITORS OF THE LATE GREAT BRIDES LOCAL MAGAZINE COLLECTIVE AT CONDÉ NAST AND WAS ALSO A STAFF EDITOR AND CONTRIBUTING WRITER AT LUCKY MAGAZINE. SINCE THEN, HER JEWELRY WRITING HAS REGULARLY APPEARED IN A VARIETY OF PRINT AND DIGITAL MEDIA OUTLETS. 

FOLLOW HER ON INSTAGRAM: @AELLIOTT718

DANA WOOD
Beauty Director

Dana Wood has been writing about hair and makeup since before Victoria Beckham was a Spice Girl.

A twenty-year veteran of Condé Nast, Dana has served as Beauty Director for Brides, Cookie and W Magazine and has written for numerous other national publications, including Glamour, InStyle and Town & Country. As a published author, accomplished blogger and brand copywriter, she currently contributes to the New York Post ALEXA and The Wall Street Journal, and her most recent digital venture, FloridaBeautyProblems.com.

Dana is thrilled to once again bring her trend-analysis skills to bridal, AKA "The Olympics of Beauty."

Click here for more from Dana Wood.

YVES DURIF
Beauty Expert

Yves Durif's illustrious career began in Paris at the age of 17 inside the celebrated Jacques Dessange Salon. Through passion and persistence he won over the hair and hearts of his clients and mentors and quickly became a sought after artist. At 30, he made his move to New York City where he met Bruno Pittini, artistic director at The Bruno Dessange Salon. Yves and Pittini quickly formed a bond and he often credits Bruno for helping him realize exactly what makes a haircut “work." 

In November 1997, Yves Durif opened the doors to his namesake salon nestled in a landmark brownstone in New York's Upper East Side. In 2008, he moved the salon to its current location at The Carlyle. Over the past 40 years, Yves has garnered the trust and loyalty of a discerning, sophisticated clientele ranging from outré style-setters, to CEOs, socialites, celebrities, artists and elegant Manhattanites.

Yves talent has been featured in a number of print and online publications including: A&E, CNN, COSMOPOLITAN, E!, ELLE, FASHION PULSE DAILY, HARPER'S BAZAAR, INSTYLE, Marie Claire France, MSNBC, MTV, THE NEW YORK TIMES, TRAVEL + LEISURE, VANITY FAIR, W MagazinE AND Yoga Journal.

Beautynewsnyc.com calls Yves "an artist, one of the fashion world's best stylists." His celebrity clients include Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski of MSNBC's 'Morning Joe,' fashion muse Daphne Guinness and foremost yogini Elena Brower.

Yves' time in this business has given him a unique perspective on the underlying aspects of beauty and the perception of self. In his free time, Yves is a dedicated yoga and meditation practitioner, as well as an educator and mentor to stylists across the US.

RON WENDT
Event & Design Expert

Ron wendt has collaborated for over 20 years with some of the most established and renowned luxury companies such as cartier, chanel, LOUIS VUITTON, lvmh and tiffany & co., creating memorable events in new york and abroad. HE SPECIALIZES IN THE CREATION OF SOPHISTICATED ENVIRONMENTS FOR EVENTS WHILE ALSO PROVIDING EXQUISITE FLORAL AND INSPIRED BUILD OUT PRODUCTION AND COORDINATION.

HIS DESIGNS BLEND LAVISH REFINEMENT, CLASSIC AESTHETIC WITH CONTEMPORARY CUTTING-EDGE STYLE.

MYRNA DARAMY
Co-Chair Multicultural Committee 

Myrna Plaisir Daramy is a tech-savvy Digital Media Optimization Specialist and the founder and CEO of Myrna & Co., a technology translation for the modern business coaching firm.   Oftentimes referred to as the “Tech Whisperer” by her clients, Myrna has transformed countless small business brands and wedding industry professionals by combining her expertise in digital analytics, technology management, and SEO with a deep understanding of all things creative. She takes pride in helping her clients peel back the layers of their brand, utilize the latest and greatest technology tools, and return to them an optimized digital footprint that converts better than ever before.

MYRDITH LEON-MCCORMACK
Co-Chair Multicultural Committee 

Myrdith’s tenacity and ability to appreciate the full context of any situation propelled her from a manicurist, into a celebrity manicurist, then onto becoming the owner of a nail salon, ultimately creating her own nail polish line—all while simultaneously writing for the Huffington Post, running a bridal salon she also owned, which was the inspiration for her becoming the founder and publisher of the wedding magazine, World Bride. These numerous endeavors, in turn, gave birth to MLM Represents, a public relations, branding, and content strategy company.