Meet the Wedding Academy Team


Jac Bowie
- Darling Don't Panic
I’m Jac and it’s so lovely to virtually meet you. I’m based in the beautiful state of Victoria in Australia.
What can I tell you about me, apart from the obvious stuff. Well I’ve had a great career so far producing everything from book tours to burlesque shows. I’ve worked for iconic clients like Cirque Du Soleil, Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney—but I eventually found my true home in the world of weddings.
I plan everything from intimate elopements to expansive wedding weekends for couples across Australia and beyond. My wedding business is aptly called ‘Darling Don’t Panic’ with a team of wonderful planners and stylists.
Not to toot my own horn but I’ve been lucky enough to be named one of the top Top 15 wedding and event stylists in Australia and New Zealand by Truly Madly Deeply and one of the Top 20 Wedding Planners to Follow on Instagram by Hello May.
My favourite place on earth to produce a dreamy destination wedding is New Caledonia and I love firing up my outdoor fireplace, grabbing a glass of wine and thinking up new designs and experiences for my clients.


Kristin Sullivan
I’m Kristin, and so thrilled to connect with you. I’m based in the United States with offices in Florida, New Hampshire and Tennessee.
A bit about me….after experiencing a nightmare during my very own destination wedding I have since spent decades as a Destination Wedding & Celebration Planner. I am the Founder & Creator of The Bridal Retreat where “Wedding Planning marries Wellness”. During Covid19 I became an International Best Selling Author and launched my wedding retail line. After living in the Florida Keys and San Diego for many years, I am now making history in the Music City of Nashville, Tennessee.
I have had a few five minutes of fame in my career, one having a Wedding featured on ABC Primetime with Diane Sawyer; it will be the only time as I would never again allow my clients or myself to take part in the media circus during such an important time in their lives.
It is my dream to plan a destination wedding on a yacht, moored off the island of Hydra in Greece. I spent six weeks writing on Hydra one Summer and vowed to return for this!


Zoe McKeown
- Cherish Wedding Planning
I have just celebrated 10 years of my wedding planning business and looking forward to 10 more. It has flown by and I attribute that to the lifestyle it has given me and the fact that it does not feel like work.
A decade ago my life was very different, I was a secondary school teacher working long hours and having no freedom in my job. So rather than doing it till I retired I thought I should follow my heart and started setting up my own wedding planning business, so I have been where you are and remember it well.
I loved planning my own wedding (secret – not everybody does you know) and felt that I had more skills to offer and wanted to explore a new path. Might have been the hormones as I was on maternity leave with my third daughter, but whatever spurred me on I have never regretted it.
A short while into that journey I started working with the academy mentoring students alongside planning weddings and I have done the 2 side by side ever since. I am very lucky to have found a career that combines my 2 strengths and passions – teaching and weddings. Although I am not a great believer in luck, it was not an accident that this happened I take full responsibility for it and love sharing what I have learnt along the way with fellow wedding business enthusiasts.


Martha Tobyn
Since I was a little girl I always dreamed of a career in the Fashion Industry. When I was 7 I even tried to make my own version of a Disney Princess gown! So it’s no surprise at 19 I left my hometown in rural England for the fashion hub of London.
After 4 years at art school and another 4 working my way up in the world of fashion I realised there was a huge disconnect with my girlhood dreams and the reality of my career. I was succeeding in my industry but I wasn’t happy or fulfilled.
In my late 20’s I was hit by the realisation that I didn’t really want to work for other people anymore. I wanted to be my own boss and reap the rewards of my hard work.
So the big question for me was, what can I apply my skills to that will allow me to be creative and be my own boss?
At the start of my fashion career I’d worked for a couture bridal studio. I knew it was a lucrative industry so it got me thinking…what wedding industry jobs could I do?
As soon as a google search led me to the Wedding Academy website and I discovered that wedding planning and styling was a viable career, I was hooked!
Just over 3 years later and a year into my business I’ve got nearly 15 weddings under my belt and I couldn’t be happier! I love running my own business and working with couples to plan and produce the wedding of their dreams.
I feel incredibly lucky that a few months into my course I landed a much sought after role assisting Kylie as part of the Wedding Academy team.
I’ve learned so much on my journey with the Wedding Academy, both as a student and a team member. I manage a lot of the design and social media for the Academy alongside running my business.
I also love to be able to connect with both current and prospective students, sharing my own experience of the course and launching my own business. Expect to see my on the Wedding Academy Facebook page sharing my wedding business insights and advice as I navigate this wonderful career journey.