By Rich Sanders
Zoran Subotich, a popular entrepreneur in the wedding and event scene on the Emerald Coast, came here for the first time nearly forty years ago like so many other folks: on vacation!
Before he could come to Destin from the Midwest in his twenties, however, Zoran had to get to America. He was raised by his grandparents in the former nation of Yugoslavia, which was behind the “Iron Curtain” of the Soviet Union at that time and very much a Communist country. Zoran recalls: “All of these things were government funded, and it was mostly government operated. So most businesses were factories and things like that. There were very few independent business owners. In order to succeed, in order to have your dream become a reality, you would have to move to another country that offered more of a different structure… to have your own business and to be a capitalist… you have to move. And that’s exactly what my father did!”
Once his father, who worked with his brother in Chicago, made enough to get everyone to America, Zoran and his grandparents moved to the Windy City and joined a thriving community of people from Yugoslavia.
Although Zoran loved his time in Chicago, everything changed when he got to the Emerald Coast: Locals get it! He began working manual day jobs but got his big break when an AM radio station manager offered him the graveyard shift. Once Zoran started to deejay, he was hooked and eventually landed at 102.1 The Wave.
It wasn’t long before Zoran started hosting beach wedding events, and now he owns a company called Celebrations by the Sea that hosts dozens of weddings each year! Zoran describes his business as a “one-stop shop” for couples who want to get married on the Emerald Coast, and he serves as the coordinator, planner, director and emcee. Some couples even check his availability before they book a date for the wedding!
Through the Hope and Restoration Tour, which Zoran founded in 2022, he offers free concerts featuring Christian praise music (including reggae, blues, rap and hip hop). Zoran’s focus through the Tour is spreading messages of inspiration, aspiration, and optimism to the disheartened. He describes himself as an “Undercover Agent for the Most High God!”
Zoran brings his faith into the workplace everyday: “The light of God, that’s always my wish, is that they will see the light of the Father through me, through my words, through my actions, through my demeanor, to the works of these hands.” That includes support for various charities like the Tim Tebow Foundation and the Hope Squad to help him find “treasure in Heaven.”
Zoran recently appeared on the Christian Capitalist podcast, and you can listen to the entire episode on SOWAL Life’s website. We are excited to share inspirational stories of hard work and generous giving to the poor and needy in the name of Jesus Christ, like Zoran!
