From the Heart of a Planner

Happy Anniversary

1 · Jun 19, 2014 ·

On June 19, 2010 I said “I do” to my hubby — if only then I had realized the journey that we would sure to begin. It’s been full of struggles, laughter, the craziness of buying a house and meeting our beautiful little girl. A wild ride doesn’t even begin to describe it.

But today I thought I could share a little about my “fairytale wedding”, since it’s something I am quite frequently asked about. I think there’s this common curiosity about the life and romance of anyone who is involved in the wedding industry and perhaps even an expectation that somehow they’re destine to be more romantic, more thoughtful and have “better parties”. Please push all of these preconceived notions aside as I share my wedding day.

The ceremony took place at my grandparent’s house on Lake Leelanau. I was a crazy bride who felt like she had something to prove. I wasn’t yet an event planner, but I was on my journey to being one and knew that was my end goal. So I thought I had to do everything myself and I diy-ed my little heart out to the point of exhaustion, including my own wedding flowers — but that I wouldn’t have any other way.

Approximately 80 guests were greeted with a perfect, partly sunny, 75 degree day. We simply could not have asked for a nicer afternoon. And right there on the shores of Lake Leelanau I vowed to make Hubby mine, forever and always.

We didn’t write our own vows. We didn’t do anything out of the ordinary. It was a pretty traditional ceremony. And to be honest, I can’t remember all the details in perfect clarity, although looking through these pictures is definitely bring back some memories from the day.

I was determined to have great “exit” photos. So the guest threw birdseed. I had birdseed down my dress until I laid my head down on my pillow that night.

After the ceremony, we were fortunate enough to schedule lots of time for pictures which also allowed our family and friends to explore a little of Leelanau’s beauty before cocktail hour. It also gave us a few minutes of alone time which is so valuable on your wedding day. We took a trolley into Leland, which is where the reception would be held, and it’s so conveniently located to Fishtown and Lake Michigan – 2 must have spots for pictures.

The shores of Lake Michigan will forever own my heart. Leelanau is truly my home away from home, and it was so special to share such a sacred place with all of our friends and family and celebrate there. It now holds even more meaning and while I’m definitely a sentimental person, I would highly recommend to anyone host your wedding in a place the feels like home, that feels like where you want to be and where you want your forever to begin.

Catering by Kelly’s did an amazing job serving our guest a local feast. The Old Art Building was an absolutely perfect back drop for our reception. And a huge thank you is owed to everyone who helped bring our day to life 4 years ago.

But the details and memories fade. Some of the faces in these photos have now left us. Time moves forward. So I think we just need to remember to keep everything in perspective and always keep in mind the goal at the end of the day is to be married. To have that person that you want to spend the rest of your life with by your side.

It’s not about the cake, the dress, the decorations — which are all details I love. It’s about the one you can’t live without. The one you want to spend your forever with.

Photography: Shannon Scott Photography / Design & Flowers: The Day’s Design / Ceremony location: Private Residence on Lake Leelanau / Reception Location: The Old Art Building / Catering: Catering by Kelly’s / Cake: Dana Wilmer-Lucus / DJ: Moments in Time / Dress: Casablanca from Bridal Elegance / Men’s Suits: Macy’s

Happy Anniversary Hunny!!

A Blank Canvas

0 · Jun 17, 2014 ·

We just sold our huge dining room set. It was a solid maple Ethan Allen table which easily expanded to seat 10 people, along with a huge matching hutch. It was pretty – but it wasn’t right for me. It was so nice that I was scared to touch it and would panic every time guests came to dinner. Considering Hubby is a chef and we love to host dinner parties, this is pretty ridiculous, right?

It’s funny how having an empty dining room is a huge weight off my shoulders. It seems so airy and bright, open to new possibilities and full of freshness.

So what’s next? Well that’s the thing, I don’t have to have it all figured out just yet. Possibly a new office space which could then easily be turned dining room when the occasional presents itself? Or maybe a better place to craft, put together awesome event details and florals? I don’t know.

My previous visions of a new creative space for me aren’t falling into place exactly as planned. There are some hiccups in the scheming of the basement remodel. As a planner, this is sometimes hard to swallow. Sometimes it’s hard to admit that I don’t have a plan or my plans changed. But here’s what I’ve come to realize – first off, it’s a woman’s prerogative to change her mind. And secondly, I plan ALL THE TIME, it’s just what I do. I don’t think there’s ever a moment in time where some sort of creative vision isn’t floating through my head. But I don’t bring them all to life. That doesn’t make me a failure and I’m still awesome with my craft. It just makes me human.

I was reminded of this last Friday as I sat in a room with about 35 other woman who are just trying to figure out their craft, hone their visions and find the right fit and purpose for them. They don’t have it all figured out yet, some are searching for website and social media answers while some are still trying to figure out what they were put on this earth to accomplish. Just because they haven’t figured it out yet doesn’t mean that I don’t respect them or think of them as less of a person or business woman. It just reminded me that this is a constant journey for everyone and I don’t have to feel 100% on top of my game every single moment in time. I should probably cut myself some slack.

For the moment I have a big blank canvas in front of me. And I love it.

Just a little sneak peek from Ashley Slater Photography of Bloom the Workshop last Friday — the styled shoot portion was so much fun, I loved creating these florals for Michaela’s beautiful tabletop.

Oh Dad..

0 · Jun 16, 2014 ·

Photo by Shannon Scott Photography

What would the world be like without Dads? I cannot even begin to fathom where I might be without mine. This amazing man helps feed my crazy… with his own crazy!! And while I know he doesn’t have Facebook, has probably never been on my blog and has no idea what Instagram is… he still needs this recognition. My dad has told me “No,” countless times, only to come back an hour later with blueprints in hand on how to make my “crazy” happen. And then he steps it up a notch, inspiring me to be even better.

So anytime I have an idea or inspiration or need to talk a business idea through, I go straight to Dad. Or if my project requires power tools that seem a bit too powerful to me (I have this totally irrational fear of losing my fingers!), to Dad I go and he makes it happen for me. Thanks for all your support, for showing me all the things that girls need to know and for making sure I always owned more tools than my boyfriends!

The Best Laid Plans

0 · Jun 11, 2014 ·

Its peony season here in West Michigan. It’s also time for me to prepare for my small part in Bloom the Workshop. How lucky could I possibly be that fate would bring these two happy occasions together in the same week!?

I have one sad little peony bush in my back yard. She’s slow to bloom and doesn’t produce many buds. But each year she comes back and brings me so much joy. And each year I’m stuck with this dilemma, to pick the flowers and bring them inside to enjoy for a fleeting moment in time or leave them on the bush – where I’ll see them much less but their loveliness will live on a little longer.

This year I decided that they would have a special purpose. They would be enjoyed by others and I would bring them along with me to Bloom the Workshop. They would live long after they’re gone in the memories of all my new creative friends.

In addition, I’ve spent my week scouting out the best roadside/garden side/woodland greens and blossoms to add to the ones that will my arriving shortly at my doorstep from my wholesaler. I never order all of my flowers from a wholesaler – I need to touch, feel and explore to make my creations perfect. I had a plan, a picking spot and even a travel route all schemed out.

And then came the rain.

My poor little peonies are sadly smushed to the ground. And while I haven’t exactly explored my other flowers which I was sure to forage – I have a sinking feeling that all their sweet little petals might not be in tack. What’s a girl to do?

I sadly made my way to the farmer’s market this morning in hopes of finding some fresh cut loveliness like I found the week before, only to find the stalls empty. So now friends, I have a mission. And I don’t know yet how this story is going to end or where my travels today might take me. All I know is that sometimes the best laid plans fail but I will not. I promised to deliver some gorgeous arrangements to Bloom and I don’t break my promises.

Above is a little something I put together earlier this week — and I might have snagged the image from Bloom’s Instagram feed. Be sure to follow along with me @thedaysdesign or the workshop directly @bloomtheworkshop

Photography: The Art of Capturing Moments

0 · Jun 2, 2014 ·

I love beautiful photography. I think photographers have a really special job and I simply adore the way they can capture moments in time, feelings and emotions with just a single click of a button.

While being a photographer is something I do no aspire to do, I do wish I could capture the world in a way that truly represents the way I see it. Somehow snapping a photo with my phone doesn’t always sum up the scenery in front of my eyes. I suppose I’m a bit jealous.

In fact, there are days that I wish I could hire a photographer to just stand alongside me. To walk down the road with me and capture the different shades of green, the budding wildflowers and the gravel beneath my feet. I never want to forget the wonder in the world or take for granted the overgrown blades of grass between my toes.

A good photographer is able to preserve a feeling or perhaps help you find one that you didn’t know existed. They keep moments alive and show your day in a whole new light. Memories may fade, but the photos will live on. To all the amazing photographer’s out there – I ♥ you.

Kellie of Helter Photography is the beautifully gifted gal who captured my little Gretta James and I above.

Rest

0 · May 22, 2014 ·

Yesterday I returned home from Philosophy Flowers workshop. First off, let me just say that Kelly Perry herself is an absolutely enchanting and sweet soul with a huge passion and fabulous eye for floral. Secondly, each and every other girl I met while there was just as delightful. I was truly in flower heaven sitting with my flower friends in the mountains of Boone, NC.

One of the common themes that kept repeating itself throughout the workshop was the idea of rest. While this workshop did truly feel like more of a vacation than “work” – I would not necessarily say it was restful. Truth be told, I was exhausted by the end of my trip – and getting up at 3:30 in the morning to travel home didn’t exactly help that!

But when I finally made it home, I saw my world in a whole new light. Stepping away from the everyday enabled me to be filled with new wonder upon my return. Yesterday I took a walk and I simply saw things differently. I fell in love with flowers even deeper while away and that new light and appreciation followed me home. I stopped and picked some branches and blooms up along my walk. I paid attention to the very subtle color variations and imagined all new flower combinations.

Rest is good for the soul. Working too hard will just wear you out and make you weary. We weren’t put on this earth to be run down, but rather to embrace new friendships, to worship and rejoice.

Enjoy your Memorial Day and get some rest friends, I’m going to spend it with my little family {pictured above by Hetler Photography}!!

Up North Living & Summertime on My Mind

0 · May 2, 2014 ·

Summertime. The word itself just brings a smile to my face. I think about sunshine, lemonade and long days spent at the beach. This is a little funny though, considering I rarely drink lemonade and I live a good 35+ minutes from the beach. Maybe I should substitute white wine and backyard grilling.

Growing up, I lived even farther from the beach. A lot farther. I would drive 4 hours to get to my Grandparent’s house on Lake Leelanau. It was a drive that was worth every minute. When I lived on the east side of Michigan, your options for going to the beach were a bit more limited. There were a couple meaningless, no name (or at least names I don’t know) lakes that may have been swimmable and then you could drive to Lake Huron. Now no offense to Mr. Huron – but that lake fails to even hold a candle to the light of Lake Michigan.

So into the car we jumped every summer to make the 4 hour journey to Grandpa and Grandma’s house. And when we arrived, summer could then begin.

Every time I see a picture of Fishtown or even Traverse City in my social media feed, I can’t help but feel a little jealously and longing. Can I please have another excuse to go Up North? Will you please let me plan your wedding up there??? (I’m not begging – I’m asking very nicely, with lots of urgency behind it!)

I still make that trip as often as possible, especially since it’s gotten a little shorter now that I live in Grand Rapids. And while someday, I hope to live a little closer to the lakeshore but still remaining in West Michigan, I don’t think that will ever stop me from traveling to Leelanau, which will forever be my home away from home.

Photo by Shannon Scott Photography {Smug Shots}, did you know that I was lucky enough to have my wedding reception in Leland, Michigan?

I’m Not Perfect

0 · Apr 29, 2014 ·

There’s lots of talk in this industry about the “perfect” wedding. Whether it’s picture perfect or runs perfectly smooth, I think we’re given this false hope that if we plan correctly, hire the exact right vendors and read enough wedding blogs/magazines, then you’re day will indeed be perfect.

I might have other ideas. I will not plan your “perfect” wedding because in fact, I’m not perfect.

Case in point: every single inspiration shoot I have taken part in has had something go wrong or in some way did not turn out EXACTLY as I had envisioned. I’m not going to point out to you these flaws, as you might not recognize them right away and I’ll just let you think I planned things certain ways. However, this is under a very controlled environment and scenario where there are unexpecteds (think weather – which is a HUGE one, being sent the wrong linen, stepping on a bee…ouch!), so I’m sure you can imagine what might happened during a real event, where there are hundreds of people verses my 4 models and one crazy Uncle Lou might have been served too much to drink.

Humans aren’t perfect. We say the wrong things, post insulting and harmful things on social media and have typos in our writings. And I think there’s this immediate need to respond and point out these imperfections, which seems all too wrong. “I will hold myself to a standard of grace, not perfection”.

All we can really do is make the best decision with the resources you have laid out in front of you. You can surround yourself with the best support system and do what you can with what you have. Find vendors you trust, make decisions that make sense and live in the moment. That is the best advice I can possibly give you while planning your wedding (and pretty much every other piece of life).

Here’s a little sneak peek from my last project with Heather Cisler Photography. Another perfectly, imperfect project (hello major wind storm!), with more to share soon!

One Step at a Time

0 · Apr 18, 2014 ·

Do you ever see people around you doing amazing things and think “well, that’s just part of their personality, they’re super bold and outgoing. I could never do that”. Oh my, I have these thoughts a lot. I tell myself that I can’t do things because I don’t know how. And I don’t even know where to get started or who to ask.

But once there was a time when I had never planned a wedding. At one point I had never emailed another vendor. There was a while when I never planned a photo shoot. And at one time I had never written a blog post and The Day’s Design’s website didn’t exist. But somehow I figured it out (right, wrong or otherwise!)

I was thinking about all of this this morning as I’m gearing up for Easter and then a busy week ahead of that. I started to panic, as I often do, thinking that my designs might not work out or something could go wrong. Both true points. But I have to start somewhere. If I never move forward because I’m scared of the results, then I’ll just be left standing still. And that just seems silly.

One step at a time. Whatever you’re working on, just take one step at a time.

I hope you have a fabulous Easter. I’m going to leave you with a picture from my first large scale photo shoot – I was 9 months pregnant and didn’t have a clue what I was doing. But Bradley James Photography rocked it for me! And the pictures are still some of my very favorites (you can see the whole feature here.)

Happy Easter!!

What is True Will Last

0 · Apr 14, 2014 ·

The definition of success has been on my mind a lot lately. And to be honest, there are days I don’t feel very successful. There are days that I struggle, need all the pep talks in the world and still can’t find my motivation because it seems like I might never be successful. The future does not always look sunny and bright.

But then I have to check myself because I’m basing my definition of success on worldly things. Money does not equal success. I think happiness is a much truer measuring stick. Yes, there is some correlation between the two. While money might not buy happiness, it definitely can make life a lot less stressful, and if my life were less stressful I’d call that a success!

At the age of 22, I had already had many bumps in my road. I remember one day meeting with an old friend. I believe his intentions were good as he was sharing with me about his new business venture and his success and all the money he was making. I remember being wowed. And then I felt small and lost my confidence. I know this was not his intent, he wanted to inspire me. But I felt like I wasn’t enough.

So I turned to writing, which has been a long time practice of mine whenever I’ve felt troubled or at a loss. I remember writing these words like it was yesterday (although I can’t find where I actually wrote them). Am I successful? I have loved, I have lost. I’ve been to the bottom and made my way back up again. And at times I might still stumble but I’m still standing. So am I successful? Damn straight I am.

I think back to that point often, not to relive the past but to learn from it. I counted myself as successful even thought I was a single girl living in a crappy apartment working her way through school. But it was MY apartment and I paid my own bills and created my own life. I was a confident, 22 year old woman with some ugly in her pasts but a whole word of hope in front of her. And what is true will last (thanks for that little quote Katie!) So think of yourself as successful and you will be. Stay true and find your path. And never let anyone tell you that you aren’t enough. Only you can make your dreams come true. You hold the key to your own success.

Flower make me happy. And happiness and love define success in my book. Thanks Hetler Photography for capturing both above.

Planning Your Dreams

0 · Apr 7, 2014 ·

When I gave my business a name back in fall of 2011, I had this ridiculous notion that by somehow having a name and business cards, people would begin to take me seriously and business would just come to my doorstep. Ha… what was I thinking???

Fast forward 3 years now and I have such a greater understanding of business, life and dreams and how they’re all intertwined. Summer of 2012 was when I really began to put myself out there and make this dream my career and by fall 2012 it became abundantly clear that if I wanted to really make this work, I could no longer also work a full time job. Leap of faith = quit my full time job.

Now all of this is fine and dandy, I had a plan – a real life business plan, I had goals and a little bit of a path cleared out to make it happen. I even had a 5 year dream in place of where I’d really like my business to be.

However, if you never change anything, you’ll never grow and make these dreams a reality. It’s great to have a plan, but you also have to follow that plan. This is where I am now. I’m sitting here telling myself that eventually “this” is how I’d like my business to be. And eventually I’d like to add such-and-such additional services. It’s been over a year since I’ve been voicing thoughts and ideas out loud with no action to move forward. If I keep doing exactly what I’m doing right now, these ideas will never happen. Umm… reality check please!

Same rules apply for so many aspects of life. In your job, in your relationships and where you want life to take you. Sure there are unexpected bumps along the way, but if you never change anything in your present, how can you just expect that the future will be brighter? You have to work for something bigger. Set goals and accomplish things.

So it’s Monday and time for a fresh start. I’m pushing forward and going to MAKE my dreams come true! What are you doing today?

And the gorgeous blooms above were put together by yours truly and photographed by Ashley Slater Photography, thanks love!!

At the Heart of Business

0 · Apr 3, 2014 ·

There’s a line at the beginning of Dirty Dancing where Mr. Houseman is bragging a little about his daughters (if you’ve never watched Dirty Dancing – you can stop reading this right now, we are no longer friends!)

“My Baby is going to change the world”

“And what are you going to do?” (referring to Lisa)

“Oh Lisa is going to decorate it.”

Seems pretty shallow and materialistic, right? Baby is going into the Peace Corps, and Lisa will decorate. Sometimes I feel like Lisa. I sit around all day looking at pretty inspiration, flowers, dresses and linen samples. I dream up cake ideas and research invitations options. Am I simply feeding an attitude of discontentment and always wanting more? Am I contributing to this sour mindset that seems to drive the wedding industry causing people to spend insane amounts of money on ONE day? And does what I’m doing actually matter?

It’s the motivation behind what I do that actually matters. So yes, what I’m doing matters. But the key is not to lose focus on what makes you get out of bed each day, makes you talk to another bride and then add some gorgeous blooms to a vase. I am certainly not trying to get rich and I want people to be a peace with their spending decisions.

Meet Gretta. She’s the reason I need to pay the bills, work from home and find balance between wedding work and life.

Photo by Ashley Slater Photography

But even before she came into existence, I knew that I wanted to be a part of the wedding industry. So what’s so special about the wedding industry, you ask? Everything – it’s magic. As a little girl I dreamt up endless wedding scenarios for myself, purple flowers, sheer tents, little white chapels and dresses with puffy sleeves (hey, I’m a product of the 80’s!). My mother and aunts kept me surrounded by paint swatches, fabric samples and all things interior design. So naturally, creative energies surrounded me, they bring me home. There’s nothing wrong with adding beauty to your surroundings.

However, as I’ve grown, it’s also this concept of “home” that drives me. My family is amazing, crazy, but amazing. Not everyone gets to be a part of something like my family and I feel sad for them. If you’ve ever watched While You Were Sleeping, that crazy, overly involved, obnoxiously loud but always has each other’s back type family is the closest I can come to describing mine. This mashed up conversation totally hits home. So in the same way, I want to help create the start of family. I love being a part of the wedding celebration because it’s the beginning of something new, a new family, a new journey and it should be a happy (somewhat stress free) one. Being a part of that is awesome!

And after my own wedding, I knew the importance of my job even more. I was one stressed out, frazzled bride who was barely able to enjoy her wedding day. I simple cannot handle the thought of you making the same mistake. The beauty in the wedding day is the vows, love and commitment shared with family and friends.

It’s easy to become obsessed with the publicity, competition, Facebook fans and making each event better than the one before. But sometimes we need to step back, stop the comparison, and focus on what matters most. This is the heart of my business.

What Would Happen?

0 · Mar 28, 2014 ·

Think back to the start of your last relationship. When you met him, did you instantly feel sparks? Where there butterflies in your tummy with just the whisper of his name and did you fall to sleep each night with memories of your last kiss warming your lips?

Picture by Hetler Photography

Remember just walking around with a silly grin on your face for no real reason at all? Oh and how you simply couldn’t wait until you could meet again. You want to yell from the rooftops, twirl in the streets and tell every stranger that passes by – you’re in love!

When you have such an amazing relationship you want everyone to know, right? You want to share it with the world!

What if we were that enthusiastic about God? What if we couldn’t keep from smiling because of this great gift he has given us? If we shared our relationship with every stranger that passed by… what would happen? Would joy be contagious, cause dancing, celebration or laughter? Would we start a revolution? Would the world ever be the same?

What would happen?

Bloom

0 · Mar 27, 2014 ·

One morning I woke up to a completely out of the blue email from dear Ashley, of Ashley Slater Photography. She wanted to work with me sometime. Me? Yes, me! A friendship quickly blossomed between the two of us as we realized our similar interests – weddings, Disney movies, babies and God – it was as if we were destine to become friends.

The amount of friendships that have blossomed in similar such manor since I have taken the plunge into the wedding industry has quite remarkable. In fact, it has been one of my favorite yet most unexpected parts of this journey.

Have you ever read someone’s online profile and just know the two of you would be friends? It happens, almost like in internet dating. Almost.

When Ashley told me about this workshop that she was dreaming up, her excitement was absolutely contagious. And then she told me that she was partnered with Michaela and I just knew something fabulous was in the works and I needed to be a part! I haven’t met this California girl yet, but I’m certain our virtual friendship will become something more when I see her face in June.

Bloom | The Workshop is the dream turned reality coming to West Michigan. And while the only credit I can take is adding some pretty petals to their website, I’m so excited for these ladies and I cannot wait for them to share their creative talents and business strategies with all of you. Yes, you! You – the attendees that I have not met yet, but will see more of my flowers throughout that day. You – sitting there thinking you wish you knew how to photograph and style some gorgeous content for your blog. You – the one who’s thinking they might actually take the plunge and start a blog or another completely awesome creative business. Or you – you who needs a big hug and a team of creatives to lean on as your journey through life.

Registration opened TODAY… go grab a seat! Or read a little more from the geniuses behind the workshop, Ashley and Michaela.

Capturing the Now

0 · Mar 21, 2014 ·

As if life isn’t busy enough on its own, this week I’ve been dealing with a sick baby and then of course I found myself battling the bug a day later. On the bright side, I did get to cancel my appointment to have my wisdom teeth removed… silver lining, right?

Do you feel like you’re just battling through life, rather than living it? There are some days that I just can’t get this notion out of my mind – it’s as if I’m just surviving rather than actually living. We just have to push through until we recover, surviving until the next paycheck, making it work until we can afford something better – always looking to the future. But what about the now?

While looking to the future is what gives us hope, and I truly believe that that’s hugely necessary and helps us persevere, however, I do believe that we need to search for some contentment and acceptance of the “now”.

I heard through the grapevine that yesterday was National Happiness Day. And while I completely wonder who determines these things, I also was inspired by the number of people who celebrated it, they celebrated being happy – now. I love that idea!

And I have a couple of projects up my sleeves that do just that…. they celebrate us, life, being a woman and preserving through the hardships.

Project #1 I’ve already told you about. The Romance Shoot is a great way to pamper yourself and find an excuse to feel pretty. I’ve teamed up with Hetler Photography and Helena Young to design a soft and romantic backdrop for these photo sessions, while their job is to make you feel gorgeous and then capture that magic. The original idea was to make this solely a boudoir marathon, but then we thought women don’t need to wear lingerie to feel pretty. Sometimes sexy is in the confidence to just be you. So we opened these sessions up to anyone, maternity, boudoir or whatever reason you might like to have your beauty captured. Sometimes women need to be reminded that they are beautiful.

Project #2 is something for me. Yup, I’m being selfish on this one, because I can. It involves my love of beautiful blooms and surrounding myself with them. I’ll share more on this later.

Project #3 is something special for someone I don’t even know yet. My version of a pay-it-forward. Details are still in the works, but I might need a little bit of help bringing this crazy idea of mine to life. That was about as clear as mud, right? Let’s just say that if you have a heart for hospitality and are in the creative/wedding industry, we might want to chat.

Project #4 is my small role in Bloom | The Workshop. I love helping other creatives and watching others succeed. So being a part of this creative workshop is extremely exciting to me as I want to see others blossom and grow.

Last January I put together a small photo shoot showcasing some Valentine’s bouquets (you might remember it from here). As I was putting the details together, I began thinking about a model for the shoot. And then ultimately, I decided I could model for it. I can make myself feel pretty once in a while, right? So I did, blemishes, flaws, remaining baby weight and self-consciousness aside. I didn’t want any pictures of myself until I lost those last few pounds – I was living for the future and not fully grasping the “now”. But I’m glad I had the courage to model, because I think we all need to be reminded of our beauty once in a while. Capture the moment we’re living in and focus a little on the now.

Happy Friday to my beautiful friends!

Photo by Heather Cisler Photography, oh my goodness was it cold that day!!

Everyone is “So Excited!”

0 · Mar 13, 2014 ·

Photo by Heather Cisler Photography

Do you ever feel like everyone is just bursting with excitement and you just can’t seem to keep up with all of it? Is everything really “so exciting”? I follow a lot of people in the wedding industry across social media and on any given day there’s always someone who’s trying to build excitement and suspense about some big project that they can’t tell you about yet or something new coming soon, etc, etc.

Why is this? It starting to annoy me… even though I’m completely guilty of this myself.

While usually I love to see others succeed and it definitely feels good to be surrounded by celebration and good news – there are definitely days I just want to scream “I don’t care!”

Here’s the truth. Our businesses are like our babies. We pour our hearts and souls into them. You posted your baby’s first smiles, first steps, first time eating solid foods (or if you’re not there yet – trust me, you will… even if you claim you never want to be one of “those parents”). As a mama and a business owner, I can tell you there are so many similarities its a little ridiculous. So we post and brag about all of our new accomplishments and milestones. It’s big news to us, even if the outside world might just see it as “another blog post” or “another styled shoot” or “a new service offered”.

So next time someone tries to post some super exciting news do your best to be their cheerleader and not roll your eyes. We can do this together… go team!

The Romance Shoot

0 · Mar 12, 2014 ·

Dreaming of warmer weather and some romance? Ladies, I’ve teamed teamed up with some of Grand Rapids’ finest to make you feel amazing, pampered and pretty! Introducing “The Romance Shoot”.

Think whimsical romance, with soft colors and lots of texture in a gorgeous country landscape. Helena DeYoung will enhance your beauty with awesome hair and make-up, and Kellie Hetler will capture it with her amazing photography. Styling and props will be my responsibility with visions of draping curtains, a wrought iron bed, floral garlands and crowns all coming to life. Pictured is just a hint of what we have up our sleeves… although this is definitely the snowy version!

These sessions will take place in the warmth of May and are perfect for boudoir, maternity or anyone else who wants to feel pretty because after all, EVERY girl deserves to feel BEAUTIFUL!

Contact myself or Kellie for more details!

I am 29!!!!

0 · Mar 6, 2014 ·

I just had that “Holy crap, I’m 29!” realization. Now here’s the thing, I’ve been 29 now for almost 2 months but suddenly I feel like I’m 29… and next year…{gulp} I’ll be 30.

So what does this mean? I’ve been out of high school for over 10 years. I can’t even pretend that I understand “today’s teenager” or that I can even come close to competing with their technology and pop culture understandings. I sound like an old lady. And while I might try to improve upon this a touch, I’m still going to jam to my oldies radio.

On the plus side, I’m finally starting to get comfortable in my own skin. I have figured out my dream job and while I’m still tweaking it a bit, I’m on a good, solid path. I still love fashion – but fashion my way. I’m a mom. That doesn’t mean I’m going to pull out the “mom jeans” anytime soon, but it also means that I don’t feel like I need to adhere as much to the “Mean Girl” practices of high school. And I’d like everyone to like me but that’s really not realistic. So just stick to your guns and be who you are – I know I’m going to make someone mad along the way, they’ll get over it.

At age 29, I still don’t know everything. Even though when I was a teenager I thought I had most of it figured out. This morning I had to Google what an ampersand is… all I can say is thank goodness for Google, where were you when I was in school?

If only I could have told myself 10-15 years ago that all the weird, quirky and unique traits that I had would come in handy today. Maybe I wouldn’t have tried so hard to bury them and “conform”. Oh the lessons learned!

So here’s my 29 year old self, making some pretty for an event – or at least supervising while Rachel does all the work! Thanks for the laugh, Eliza Jean Photography!!

How to Run Your Business like a 4 Year Old

0 · Mar 3, 2014 ·

Last week I had the pleasure of my niece’s company. She’s four and it was a little challenging… okay, A LOT challenging. There were moments of laughter, annoyance and pure amazement, just wondering how her little innocent and overly imaginative mind works (to all you moms with 2+ kids, I applaud you).

And throughout her visit I began to wonder, what would it be like if I ran my business like a four year old?

First off, I wouldn’t care what anyone thought of me. I would do something simply because that’s how I want to do things, and it’s my way or the highway. She wears hairbows with her pajamas, walks around with a laundry basket on her head and is constantly delegating tasks to me (right, wrong or otherwise!) She dances to the beat of her own drum and just does what she loves. May she always stay true.

Additionally, I would not be scared to ask questions. Lots of them. Every five minutes. Knowledge is power friends. Sometimes I feel so scared to ask questions that I never learn what I truly need to know for fear of sounding dumb. But this is learning at its best – and yes, it can be over the top annoying at times but humor her (and humor your colleges, peers and associates – they’re only trying to better themselves). I think people can all learn from one another.

This little lady sings her own praises and tells me when she’s good at something. For me, this is tough. I’ve always been taught not to be boastful or brag. But if I don’t do any self promotion, then my talents will never be recognized. I can’t just expect people to want to hire me out of the blue without any prior knowledge of my creativity or if I’m not willing to share my strengths. The key here is to keep it humble and always keep in mind where your talents came from.

I would continue to fight for what I want. Without complete understanding of the age difference between her and Gretta (who is 15 months), she was constantly pushing Gretta forward, trying to get her to do what she wanted. And the same goes for the cat. Even though it was an uphill and hopeless battle, it never stopped her. She never saw the situation as impossible, it just meant that she had to try harder, explain herself better and possibly talk louder.

And there would be breaks for playtime. A time to rest is desperately needed. Give your head a break and let the creative process start all over again.

The world would constantly be filled with wonder. Comparison wouldn’t be a thief of my time. Life would remain fresh.

Never underestimate the power of stepping back and looking at the world through someone else’s eyes. You never know what you might see.

All photos of my adorable little niece are courtesy of Bradley James Photography. I simply never tire of their gorgeous work.

Focus on the Controllable

0 · Feb 21, 2014 ·

Life spins out of control pretty fast. Sometimes it seems like just stops and makes a complete 180 from where I thought it was initially headed. And the worst part? It’s completely out of my control!

There are so many factors and variables that I deal with on a day to day basis, that I really have no say in, that it can absolutely drive a person bonkers. Yup, I said it BONKERS!! Business and personal life included: the weather, my clients, no response from an email, that new event planner in town, the fact that it’s raining inside my house (yes, I’m still dealing with that!) I can’t take it anymore!!!!

Solution: focus on the controllable. It’s as simple as that. Why do we spend so much time stressing and worrying about things that we have absolutely, positively no power over?

So here we go, this is how it’s all going to relate:

In business:

I’m a business owner (if you were previously unaware of this, we have some catching up to do!). I cannot make brides choose certain packages or services. I cannot make them work with myself or any other vendor. I have no say in whether or not they even get married. I also cannot dictate how many others decide to set up shop and also become wedding planners in my market. There is no way to prevent them from snatching brides away from me, undercutting my pricing or even possessing more creative ability than I do.

What I can do is focus my marketing efforts towards to brides I want to attract. I can put my best foot forward and continue to live my dream and hope others will recognize and appreciate my talents. I can hand out lots of business cards and introduce myself to everyone I see.

In wedding planning:

Spoiler alert – something unexpected WILL happen at your wedding. Wedding planner or not, something will not go exactly as planned. It might be something minor, it might be a bigger deal. You cannot control the weather, your guests, traffic, illness and the hundreds of other variables that come into play.

However, you can hire a planner and professional vendors and try to cover all your bases. Make sure you have communicated your desires as much as possible. You can be aware of the weather report and have umbrellas on stand-by. Be smart about the vendors you hire, if they have horrible reviews or you don’t like them, you don’t have to work with them – even if they were recommended by a friend or relative.

In life:

Manage the manageable. Live one day, one moment at a time. Take nothing for granted. I don’t know if a hurricane is going to sweep through here tomorrow and blow my house down (with this crazy Michigan weather, it wouldn’t even surprise me!). But what I can do is prepare and make sure that I’m smart and I build my house of bricks, rather than straw. My dining room might be completely disheveled, but I can keep the rest of my house tidy, just to save a bit of sanity.

Here I go back to this old saying “Do what you can with what you have”. Make the best of the situations and resources you have right in front of you. I mean really, what more can you do? Oh, and take a deep breathe… one must not forget to breath and let life happen.

Have a great weekend! Weather permitting I’m skipping off to Traverse City to meet with a bride, yeehaw!!

PS – And to add a touch of romance, that lovely image up there was captured by Chelsea Seekell Photography for your viewing enjoyment. You can see the whole wedding here.

My Valentine

0 · Feb 13, 2014 ·

Since it’s the week of love, I thought I’d share a little about my Valentine. I’ve been trying all week to write a little about our love story… but it seems pretty lame. I haven’t been able to come up with a post that describes us – everything that I’ve started sounds cheesy, or insincere and just isn’t us. That “ah-hah” moment never happened for me, when I KNEW Josh was the one I was going to marry. There was nothing special or memorable about our meet cute. It wasn’t love at first sight, and I actually don’t even remember the specific day that we met.

I’m such a sucker for a good, sappy love story so I always thought I would be a part of one. That’s not how life turned out. Sometimes ordinary is okay. It’s the little things that mean the most. We can just be us, just be together and know that we found the person that we’ll spend the next 60+ Valentine’s Days with.

So this guy has been my Valentine for 7 years now, which seems pretty crazy looking back. This picture is a little throw back to winter 2010 (taken by Unikke Photography), and was the closest thing we had to engagement photos. And by the way, I highly recommend having engagement pictures taken, that moment in your life is gone in a blink – capture it!

P.S. – I just did the math, I’m not sure I want to spend 60+ Valentine’s Days together, that would make us really really old!

More Negative…

0 · Feb 10, 2014 ·

“Monday Monday, can’t trust that day.” – Remember that old song by The Mammas & The Pappas? I was thinking about it yesterday morning as I was getting ready for church. I was thinking that I’m ready to change the lyrics to “Sunday Sunday, can’t trust that day.” It seems that Sunday has been a day of surprises for my family lately, and not necessarily pleasant ones.

I may have mentioned this before, but my mother used to say that the Devil always had way of sneaking in on Sundays, doing everything in his power to stop you from going to church and being able to worship. As I’ve grown up, I believe this more and more. He tried hard, but didn’t win yesterday.

It’s funny, on Saturday I stared to write a post following up on my discussion about negativity from last Monday. It was in fact the most popular blog post I have ever written. The purpose of the Saturday’s draft was to dig a little deeper into why negative things impact us so much. And there was also a little update on my current “leaky” situation. And now today I have a new update… that post is old news.

So here we are one week from when I first discovered the drip in my ceiling which lead to the creation of the enormous hole. My previous statement about there not being any damage other than the ceiling needs to be retracted. It appears that new floors might in our future, however not in our budget. In addition, we have sprung another leak. Pretty exciting, huh? My bathroom is now dripping too, and not from the faucet.

The point of blogging about all this? I am not looking for sympathy or pity. Actually, I’m laughing about the situation. It’s kind of funny in its own twisted way. Simply put, A LOT of the things that sneak into my life in the form of negativity have to do with comparison. It is easy to compare yourself to someone across the internet, who seemingly has this prefect life, gorgeous office and booming business. They have a lovely and ideal family, live in the suburbs with 2.5 children, a flashy SUV and no worries. Their Instagram feed is meant to inspire, but actually makes you feel like less of a person since their home is spotless and you just tripped over the dog, 3 toys and spilled your generic brand coffee all over your rug. Trust me, my house is not normally worth taking a picture of. My desk? You haven’t seen it on social media for a reason. I live in the real world with babies and spills and beat up old, second hand furniture.

The point is this: there is so much truth to the saying “comparison is the thief of all joy”. Negativity is all in the interpretation. If it makes you feel poorly about yourself, then I consider that negative – even if it isn’t something that the general public would classify in that way.

Even stranger, all of this was on my mind yesterday morning and then our pastor preached about comparison and finances which really drove the point home. My housing situation could be so much worse, I am lucky to have a home. So today I am grateful for my home, the sunshine and this week of love – in which I’m going to have another featured over on Burnett’s Boards in conjunction with Heather Cisler Photography!

Have a great week friends!

Steering Away from Negative Town

0 · Feb 3, 2014 ·

Last week was a burst of fun! I played in the snow with some gorgeous flowers and Heather Cisler (while also freezing my tushy off – there’s a fun little preview from her below). I traveled up north with my hubby and baby girl to meet my dear friend Rachel and we collaborated on a little project that makes me giddy all over! I was able to spend time with my Grandpa, meet some new vendors and have a lovely dinner with family and brunch with friends. Plus I put together even more flowers and I ate a donut with sprinkles… sound like the perfect week, right?

And then Sunday came. We had perfect weather for travel (which has not been easy to come by lately) and made a couple of stops to pick up ingredients to make a simple and yummy dinner while we watched the Super Bowl. That was the plan anyway. What actually happened is a whole other story. I opened the door to our home and immediately was greeted by the sound of dripping water. About two feet in front of me was a huge crack in my dining room ceiling which was leaking. Thankfully, it had managed to soak the rug beneath but no other furniture or flooring was damaged. Needless to say, our original plan for the night was shot.

Today I have a giant hole in our ceiling, where the wet and rotted drywall once sat. I also have 3 buckets, a ladder and a huge garbage can decorating my no longer functional dining room. And due to the odd layout of our house, this also means that our main entry is not usable either.

Oddly enough though, I woke up today in good spirits. The sun is shining and life will move on. Then I made the mistake of logging into Facebook. Negative comment, horrible status update, grumbles, complaints and other rants flooded my newsfeed. Yes it is Monday… we all may have the case of “the Mondays” however, move on! This just brings others down with you!!

Logging out. While I did not make any definite New Year’s resolutions this year, I did promise myself that I would steer away from anything that made me feel negative or poorly about myself. This might mean un-following certain people on social media, not comparing yourselves to others – either in personal or business situations, and trying oh-so hard to focus on the positive (like the fact that I’m going to have some amazing pictures to share with you really soon!)

When I feel these negative thoughts creep in I like to turn to writing. Sometimes this is where my encouraging blog posts stem from, I write them for me. Many of them also go unpublished, as at times it might be better if you didn’t know all of the crazy details running through my head. And then I play with flowers. Because who can be sad while playing with something so pretty?

There will be storms to survive. There will be mountains to climb. There will be battles to fight. We’re only in month two of 2014 and these worlds could not be truer. It can only get better from here – I say with lots of hope and anticipation for the future!

Happy Monday!!

Pep Talks: Hovering over the “Send” Button

0 · Jan 23, 2014 ·

I have chatted about fear before. But that doesn’t mean I have overcome all of mine. So here we are again… I’m thinking about the risks we take every day. They may be large or small, but they still exist. Every time you leave the safety of your own house there’s a chance that something good or bad could happen to you. There’s a chance something could happen if you stay at home too. But most of us don’t stay cooped up, afraid to exit our front doors because we could get hit by a bus or attacked by a swarm of angry bees. We can’t think about all the bad things that could possibly happen to us.

Remember when the weather was warm and we could eat outside? {Sigh} Photo by Bradley James Photography

Earlier this month I had the amazing opportunity to see the Zac Brown Band in concert. Awesome. I highly recommend. As I was standing there watching them perform, a line to one of their songs really hit me, “You may fall down on your face, roll the dice and have some faith”. I have heard the song a hundred times. But for some reason it really resided with me that night. I made a silent vow to myself; I was going to take more risks.

So here I am, twenty days later dreaming about an idea, reaching out to others in the industry and afraid to hit the “send” button. What if they think it’s dumb? Why are we so scared to taking chances? I hate that I care so much what others think!

But I do. Even though I try to tell myself that I don’t, that I need to make myself happy and do what’s best for my family. “Roll the dice and have some faith.” Faith. Faith. Faith. That’s what I need. You don’t know if you don’t ask, right?

What are you scared to fight for? Is it worth the risk?

From the Heart of a Planner

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