11 COLIN COWIE: Creating Groundbreaking Luxury Experiences

Colin Cowie is a top designer for all things weddings—as well as galas, charitable events, corporate and destination celebrations. He's beloved by the likes of Oprah, Jerry Seinfeld, Elton John, Michael Jordan, Bruce Willis, Jennifer Aniston, and countless other A-list celebrities. Ever since Colin arrived in Los Angeles from Kitzwe, Zambia at the height of apartheid in 1985, his professional life has soared. While teaching cooking lessons at age 23, he met a woman whose chance encounter soon led to his first wedding assignment for a local bachelor: Hugh Hefner. Thirty-one years of parties, weddings, and multi-day events later, he's never created the same event twice. The degree to which Colin cares for and personalizes his work is not just unmatched, it's nearly indescribable, and precisely why he's consistently relied upon by the most discerning of clientele. He learns everything there is to know about his clients, over hors d'oeuvres and champagne, until the event he crafts (and the journey on which he takes his clients to get there) is not just perfectly tailored, but permanently unique. When he isn't designing weddings and Fortune 500 parties, Oprah Winfrey's Legends Ball or Guinness Book of World Records-breaking pyrotechnic shows abroad, Colin works as "creator-director" for elite brands like NetJets, Dom Pérignon, and Bergdorf Goodman; even private islands. Idyllic as Colin's life may sound, and so often is, he and Andy extend their conversation today beyond the exclusive glamour of the luxury events industry to the unseen challenges once faced in the midst of the great recession, Colin's daily routines (from meditation and "I am" statements to nightcaps), professional strategies, and the critical value of humility and gratitude. Links Colin Cowie Lifestyle Instagram Facebook Twitter Wilkie Blog FOOD, Inc. NYC Learn more about each of Colin's books on Goodreads and Amazon