Episode 9 Kennedy Bingham

On this brand new episode of "Weddings-ish with Jove," we sit down with the fabulous Kennedy Bingham, the editor and creator behind "Gown Eyed Girl," a prominent bridal stylist and influencer. We are so excited to have Kennedy as a guest on the podcast and as a real life Jove Meyer client for her wedding in August!

Kennedy is celebrated for her keen eye for fashion and her expertise in the bridal industry. With a deep knowledge and passion for fashion, she is known for helping clients find the perfect wedding attire, Kennedy has carved a niche for herself through her innovative styling techniques and personalized approach.

Her online presence beginning with Tiktok, marked by her engaging content and relatable personality. Kennedy's influence extends beyond styling sessions as she shares valuable tips, trends, and insights into the bridal world through her digital channels. Her dedication to making every wedding dress wearing individual feel confident and beautiful on their special day has made her a trusted name in the industry. Her goal is showing the world what is possible and how bridal specifically can be highly personal and unique.

Jove and our team are incredibly excited to be planning her upcoming wedding to her husband. We say husband, because the two got legally married in Las Vegas a few years ago! Jove and Kennedy do a deep dive into the planning process, and what its like being a bride planning a wedding.

In 2020, during the global shutdown when weddings and dress shopping had come to a halt, Kennedy found a unique way to channel her creativity and passion. As a bridal stylist who was feeling restless and disconnected from clients, she decided to share her expertise on TikTok. While her first video offered a glimpse into her life at home during a particularly challenging period in her relationship, her second, featured five distinct bridal looks. This TikTok video resonated deeply with viewers who were eager to see new bridal fashion, something that felt fresh and innovative during a time when many were unable to engage with wedding planning in the traditional sense. The video quickly went viral, with people expressing excitement over the unique styles Kennedy showcased. This unexpected success marked a turning point for her, as she immediately recognized her newfound fame.

Kennedy's ability to present bridal fashion in a new light not only captivated the online community but also established her as a prominent figure in the world of bridal styling on social media. Her journey is a testament to how creativity and adaptation can lead to unexpected opportunities, even during the most challenging times.

When Jove asks Kennedy to share more about her relationship, she opens up about meeting her fiancé at USC when they were both 19. They moved in together shortly after meeting, having quickly realized that they shared similar views on marriage. Neither of them wanted to get married at that time and agreed to revisit the topic only when they turned 25 and again at 30.

Kennedy reflects on the influence of her mother's experience on her own views. Her mother had been married once but chose not to marry again, an experience that significantly shaped Kennedy's perspective on relationships and marriage. Kennedy learned from her mother that one doesn't need to be married to be in love or to have a committed relationship. For her and her fiancé, marriage needed to hold genuine meaning for both of them before they would consider it.

This approach allowed Kennedy and her fiancé to focus on their relationship without the pressure of marriage, fostering a deep connection based on mutual understanding and love rather than societal expectations.

“If you think I’m a bitch, you should meet my mother.”

Kennedy sharing her future autobiography title

Kennedy initially ventured into the bridal industry with the hope of gaining relevant experience for her ultimate goal of working in luxury fashion, a deep-seated passion of hers. During a conversation with Jove, they explore the divide between bridal and high fashion. Kennedy shares her perspective that bridal fashion tends to follow established norms and traditions, whereas high fashion is about challenging and breaking those norms.

Kennedy also reflects on her personal feelings of not quite fitting into the bridal industry, partly because she is Asian. She believes the bridal industry is somewhat stuck in the early 2000s, catering predominantly to a majority demographic of white, cisgender females. This demographic focus, she feels, is due to the industry's optimization for selling to the largest possible audience, which often leaves little room for diversity and innovation.

Despite these challenges, Kennedy's unique perspective and creativity have allowed her to carve out a space for herself, where she can merge her love for fashion with her insights into how the industry could evolve to be more inclusive and forward-thinking.

Kennedy and Jove delve into Kennedy's evolving ideas around marriage and how she and her fiancé eventually decided to tie the knot. Initially, the couple had a pragmatic view of marriage, agreeing to postpone discussions about it until they were older. However, over time, the concept of marriage became increasingly romantic to them, leading to their decision to elope.

Given their preference for privacy, even among friends and family, unsolicited opinions and advice about their relationship became overwhelming. This sense of exposure, particularly for Kennedy, who rarely shares personal details, prompted the couple to elope in Las Vegas with the help of their closest friends. Kennedy wore a vintage William Travilla dress from the same collection as Marilyn Monroe's iconic white dress from The Seven Year Itch. To keep the ceremony intimate, her best friend texted a Zoom link to their family and confiscated everyone's phones, ensuring they could fully enjoy the moment.

Jove asks Kennedy why she is now planning a more traditional wedding for family and friends with the help of our team. Kennedy explains that while she loves her husband + Jove deeply, the process of planning a traditional wedding has been challenging. She views this event as a portfolio piece, an opportunity to showcase her skills and creativity and share more of herself. Despite her personal preference for intimacy, she is approaching this larger celebration as an invitation for friends and family to finally witness their relationship, almost like an art exhibit rather than a conventional wedding. She is unsure of how much of her wedding she will create content for, because she hates creating content.

Kennedy, a self-proclaimed narcissist, shares her theory with Jove about the nature of influencers. She believes there are only two types of influencers: those who seek validation from others and those who feel they would be doing a disservice if they didn't share what's going on in their heads. Kennedy identifies with the latter group. She feels a strong compulsion to share her thoughts, ideas, and experiences, believing that her unique perspective can offer value to her audience. She is excited that others have begun doing something similar to her, stating “I can’t be the only one doing this, I can’t represent everyone.”

When Jove delves into what’s next for this Gown-eyed-girl Kennedy expresses her plans to delve deeper into the design, construction, history and other elements to share with her fan base because the visual component of fashion is the “least interesting part.” We can’t wait to see what she has in store next!

Jove asks Kennedy what people don’t know about her, and she says, “a lot” mainly noting that most people would not know she is “mean” in communicating her opinions directly and to the point!

Sloan joins Jove for our Ask Jove portion of the segment where our listeners ask about what Jove recommends when it comes to inclement weather. Jove shares the absolute necessity of a rain plan and gives all of the “why’s” and what to look for when looking at a venue. “Weather is your enemy!” Tune in to hear his thorough expertise on the matter!

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