It's Been A Good Season!

Well for people who are in the wedding industry, you know that our busy season is a whirlwind of inquiries, meetings, contracts, and some times chaos, but all in all, you always end up making new friends, business connections, and of course, $$! :) It's hard work, and takes a lot of patience and organization, but in the end, it's all worth it.  However, I must say, that my first FULL year of a wedding season, from start to finish this year, was amazing!! I met so many awesome vendors, and made some new friends along the way.  I have learned a LOT about running a business and definitely did some "house cleaning" when it came to my brand and company.  I created a new clean and simple little logo (the lashes), revamped my website, my overall design and colors, and my business cards.  I love being self-employed and being my own boss, and this year has really shined a light on how much I am loving what I do for a living. 

This was one of the busiest, most influential, and biggest mile-stone stepping years for me.  I quit my 9-5 office gig for good! And totally gave up on being 'that girl' ever again.  I realized that if I'm going to chase my dream, I need to do it 100%, not just on the weekends when I find the time in my already busy schedule.  I opened many doors as soon as I did this, and became fully engolfed in the wedding industry.  I was so honored to even be a nominee for Best Hair & Makeup Vendor by the International Wedding Festival's VOW Awards this year! To be recognized in that aspect was truely amazing considering that I had never even been an exhibitor in their show, and had only been in the industry for a little less than 2 years.  I didn't win, but came in 2nd place out of 4 other vendors in the same category, and to me, that's truely fine and I am content with that decision.  I was just so happy to know that people went out of their way to vote for my services. 

This year I had lots of events not only in my professional life, but personal life as well! Many of my friends and family had babies, got engaged, or got married.  I took that as a sign that I was growing up and everyone else around me was too.  I grew and matured as a business owner, and have learned to communicate, market, and socialize better with my clients and potential clients.  I have finally realized that nothing is going to get in the way of my career and what I want to do.  I have learned that it's not just about being a wedding vendor, but about being there for my clients on a "girlfriend" level to calm their nerves and make them really feel like a princess on the biggest day of their lives. I can only imagine where I will be in 5 years, 8 years, 10 years! I know that I have many weddings ahead of me, and I can't wait to do it all over again! I get more and more excited with each month and year that goes by. I look forward to every trial run or special event because I know in the end I will walk with another memory, friend, or colleague. 

Thank you to my assistants who are AWESOME to say the least, and have been so tremendously helpful and dependable, which is more than I can ask for! I can't wait to share more wedding collaborations with you in the upcoming months or even years ahead! You girls rock!

I have put together a small gallery below of some of the beautiful brides that I had the honor of working with this season! I look forward to next year and hope to see some of you gorgeous ladies in the future! Thank you for your business and I truely had such a great time at each every one of your weddings! <3

What Makes a Bride Beautiful?

This is kind of a controversial blog and also kind of corny, but I got to thinking that even though all of my brides are gorgeous, people seem to have so many different opinions on what looks good for a bride.  When you hear the word 'bride' what words come to my mind? Well for starters, for me I think of: love, blushing, enchanted, beauty, and flowers. When others think of the word they may think of others like: bridezilla, demanding or innocent and regal. Yes, sometimes brides can be all of those too, but what I've come to realize is that what makes a bride beautiful is not what she exhibits on the outside.  Of course, my job is to make the bride look stunning and the best she's ever looked on her big day, but there is a certain quality about working with brides that makes me love what I do. 

Usually my bridal clients are a one-time only appointment, unfortunately, but that's why I try to connect with them on a deeper level other than just being another vendor at their wedding.  I hear their story, find things in common, talk about life and what we love.  It's the brides that are truely excited to get married, you can see it in their eyes that they feel like a princess when they look at themselves in their dress, and can't wait to see the look on their fiancee's face when he sees her walk down the aisle, that I love working with!

Worrying about the little things during the big day or even days before is totally normal and expected, but remember, at the end of the day, you are still going to be married, and that's the whole purpose of this event! It's very easy to get swallowed up by all the planning, details, and things that could and/or do go wrong, but honestly, the more you stress, the worse you are going to feel about the entire day.  When you let go of everything, and you realize why you are doing this, that's when your true beauty comes out.  Any makeup artist mask that no matter how talented they are or how many pounds of makeup they pile on your face.
True beauty to me, is true happiness.  When a bride is confident in knowing that she is making the right choice in marrying the love of her life and nothing in the world can ruin that for her, that is what it's all about!

Sorry for getting all sappy, but I just wanted to remind my clients and any future clients reading this, that it's all about one thing: LOVE! <3 not the show!

I would love to hear your comments on what you think makes a bride beautiful. Like I said, it's kind of a controversial topic, but let it out! :)