He always cracked up his clients, and now he's a local comedy club star
He's the GOAT among Nashville wedding planners.
Hugh Howser threw a fairytale Disney World wedding for Reba McEntire's son, Shelby Blackstock, and Howser married off one of the rockers in Kings of Leon. The granddaddy of them all — Howser turned Nissan Stadium into a giant wedding venue in 2025 for nuptials for the daughter of Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk.
Along the way, the native Nashvillian was cracking up brides, bridesmaids and their families with flamboyant, Southern-fried one-liners.
At elaborate corporate events, Howser found himself hosting from time to time when the hired comedian canceled last-minute. And he loved the laughs he got on stage.
When he met a rising Southern comedian named Leanne Morgan at a 2007 fundraiser Howser planned, the two clicked. And Morgan eventually encouraged Howser to start performing at comedy clubs.
The effort paid off. Howser eventually started selling out Zanies Nashville — and he has landed a spot on Nashville Lifestyles' 2026 "Inspiring People" list. Howser will join nonprofit co-founder Ashlyn Burger and Miss Tennessee Zoe Scheiderich for the magazine's April 23 event at the W Nashville hotel celebrating all three.
Nashville Lifestyles, like The Tennessean, is part of the USA TODAY Co. network.
Howser talked with The Tennessean recently about his relationship with Morgan, the insanely high costs of big weddings and why he can't sleep sometimes after performing at Zanies.
'Is that Andy Gibb?'
Howser and Morgan met in 2007 when he needed a comedian for a fundraiser for Nashville nonprofit Oasis Center, which serves troubled teens. It was early in her career. How early? Howser said he hired Morgan for $1,000.
Comedian and actress Leanne Morgan performs during Jelly Roll’s induction ceremony into the Grand Ole Opry on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn.
Friends at first, Morgan eventually became a comedy mentor for Howser.
Howser remembers her initial take as something like this: "He had on bell-bottom pants, a spray tan, and an unbuttoned shirt, and I said, Is that Andy Gibb? We’ve been on the phone ever since."
I'm sorry, how much for that wedding?
When Howser first started planning weddings 20 years ago, the cost ran around $100 a guest.
Since then, Howser has done more and more elaborate productions, taking eight days, for instance, to put up and build out huge white tents for the Nissan Stadium wedding last year. Costs also have skyrocketed.
Howser's weddings typically cost his clients between $2,500 and $3,500 a guest, he said.
No joke.
Hugh Howser, high-profile Nashville wedding planner, performs to a sold-out crowd at Zanies Comedy Club in Nashville in 2025.
'It's like a sport'
Howser, 45, started pursuing stand-up comedy in earnest around 2021, playing bars and restaurants in Nashville, like Belcourt Taps in Hillsboro Village, where, he said, "I'd perform for moms with clear purses."
Then Howser started performing with other burgeoning comedians on "New Material Mondays" nights at Zanies Nashville. Soon, he was selling out Zanies as a headliner about four times a year.
"There’s no better feeling than walking off stage when I've done well," he said. "It’s like a sport; I give it all I have. It’s really even hard to sleep when you get home. It's a feeling I can’t get enough of."
Looking for some in-person inspiration?
What: Nashville Lifestyles' Inspiring People event, featuring a cocktail hour, panel discussion and keynote speakers and influencers Shawn Johnson East and Andrew East.
Andrew East and Shawn Johnson talk with The Tennessean at their home in Nashville, Tenn., Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025.
When: 5 p.m. April 23
Where: The W Nashville hotel, 300 12th Ave. S.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: He always cracked up his clients, and now he's a local comedy club star
