FAQS Archive

Keeping in line with my January post on social media free weekends, I wanted to talk a little bit about my work schedule and what I’ve found works for me as a work from home professional. A lot of you have been asking for more wedding industry business advice and that makes me so happy! Around this time last year, I was struggling to keep balance between my personal life and my business. I was working a part time job to make a bit of extra money leading up to my wedding season and was coming home every night exhausted from my full day of work. Sometimes I’d work until 3:00 am handling my own business responsibilities and more than often, I’d schedule consults and Skype dates with clients as late as 9:00 pm; when I just wanted to be in bed winding down from my day. Andrew took a backseat to it all and I found that life caught up with me; and not in a good way. Rhi needed a schedule intervention really bad.

In May of 2012 I finally decided to leave my part time job and take on Hey Gorgeous full time. For the second time. Best. Decision. Ever. Within just two weeks I booked two more events for my season, which surpassed the amount of money I would have made working my part time job for six months. I was able to work during the day and do things like eat dinner with my husband at night. Or go to a movie and not feel guilty about it. But I also learned really quickly that I’d still need to put in the hard work at home with Hey Gorgeous if I wanted to be successful and get my work done. I write a lot on this blog about what I do to stay motivated and on task. I think any business owner or creative professional can attest to the difficulties of staying on task 24/7 even more so when you wear so many different hats.

These days, I stick to a loose 9:00 am to 5:30 pm work schedule that’s done wonders for me. I work Monday to Friday, meaning those times and days are when I am accessible to clients (unless of course an appointment is made outside of these parameters and I certainly do work overtime when it’s necessary like the week of an event). I wrote a bit about a typically work day over here. And then I also wrote about a typical wedding day of work here. Just reading that post gives me this weird combination of exhauastion and excitement because my job is pretty demanding but absolutely and 110% worth it. I also usually spend Sunday nights prepping for my work week ahead, and once my weddings start each season I take Mondays off. When you work on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays you need to give yourself a little break.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg on work schedules and office hour boundaries (as learned from the incredibly smart Lara Casey herself) but I’d love to generate a discussion here (over Starbucks lattes of course!) If you’re a business owner who works from home or not, I’d love for you to dish below on what you like and dislike with your current work schedule. Maybe your comment will inspire other business owners to make changes with their current routine! Which also leads me to the exciting news involving my hunt for a perfect office space for the 2013 and 2014 Hey Gorgeous season. More on that soon though, soon. Happiest of Mondays, to you all! Photo by Kelly Braman xoxo

In a wedding world that places so much emphasis on all the pretty things and little details (which I obviously and absolutely adore!) some soon to be brides and grooms can forget the most important part of their big day; you know, the part where you officially become married to your significant other. I know from my experiences working with my clients, that finding that balance between ceremonial tradition and a uniqueness that won’t bore your guests to sleep, can be tough. The good news is there are so many endless options for making your ceremony reflective of you and your fiance. Here’s my thoughts on what you can do to make your ceremony be the best part of your wedding day!

Engage Your Guests If having your guests fall asleep as you say I Do has you dreading your current ceremony plans, think about involving them into the act. There are so many ways to do this and the best part is your guests will appreciate the honor and be more likely to stay awake and alert. For those non-church weddings, you could have your guests sit in a circular formation around your alter, signifying your audience completing the union between you and your soon to be spouse. Consider passing your wedding rings around the room, inviting guests to ‘bless’ each ring as it is passed along (we did this ourselves and our guests absolutely loved it). Or have your officiant invite three to five guests at random, as they wish, to stand and share advice on marriage in lieu of a traditional reading or verse. Guests will love the change of pace and are sure to stay engaged in your ceremony especially if they know you’re depending on them.

Skip Tradition Maybe you’re a nontraditional kind of couple. Sand ceremonies? Yuck. Unity candles? No thanks. Singing your vows with your musical-lover fiance? Awesome. Someone do this and hire me to plan that celebration please and thank you! So many brides and grooms fear the nontraditional. It’s an unspoken rule that ceremonies have to be done a certain way (which sometimes they do) but truth be told you can do whatever you’d like as you and your spouse make a commitment to on another (pending church/religious rules). Maybe you’d like to walk down the aisle alone. Or walk down the aisle with your soon to be husband! As long as your sign a license and follow your country’s or state’s guidelines on what must be said and done during the ceremony (In Ontario our officiant had to say by law “by the power invested in me” part) feel free to do whatever best represents you and your fiance’s love, relationship and style.

Add A Bit Of Tradition With that being said, if you want to still follow some sort of tradition, there are a few things that are totally fun and traditional to do it would be a bummer not to include them. My personal faves both personally and professionally? Walking down the aisle, kissing your new spouse for the first time, or even giving your husband the best accessory he will ever own :) As much as you want your ceremony to stand out from the others your guests have seen, it is a wedding ceremony and you’ll want some components to reflect that (and believe me so will your parents and if applicable, your sweet grandma). Your guests are there to love and support you, and regardless of how you say I Do it’s a given they’ll cheer you on as you walk back down the aisle as husband and wife, sand ceremony or not.

Married chicks, what did you do during your ceremony that was unique? What about tradition? What ideas can you share with brides to be? The gorgeous photo above is from an amazing HGE summer wedding last year at The Grosse Pointe War Memorial. Amy Carroll shot that beautiful celebration. That dress gets me every time! xoxo

If you’re anything like me and work within the wedding industry, a good chunk of your job is done through email. I’d actually say that 90% of my day to day work and duties involve using my email in some sort of way, so you can imagine staying on top of things can be difficult especially when you throw in out of the office and day of wedding work. If you follow along over on Instagram you’ll know that last week I finally got back down to the highly coveted inbox zero (the best feeling ever) and I wanted to share a few of the ways I’m try my very best to keep things streamlined nicely.

Don’t Bury Yourself. Does this sound at all familiar? You get an email, read it, know the follow up action needed but for some reason, click back to your inbox and tell yourself you’ll deal with it later. And later usually means days or even weeks later when said message is buried below 20 to 30 other new and equally as important emails. Then you get annoyed and overwhelmed. This used to be my weakness when it came to controlling the messages in my email. So now when I get something in my inbox I have to really make a decision on what action I need to take. I can RESPOND right away with a necessary response (sometimes a call needs to be made on my behalf), I can FILE the message into a necessary folder (if it’s a shipping notification for something like linens or something about a client’s event) or I can DELETE the message if it’s not important or relevant. I think it was Lara who said emails are just a bunch of decisions. Some decisions are easier than others but ultimately you have control over everything that pops into your inbox.

Keep Things Organized. Is your physical desk space cluttered and messy? Can you find what you need? Do you feel inspired looking at stuff all day? I know I don’t when my physical space is cluttered, and the same holds true for my email inbox. Just like you have desk drawers, filing cabinets, folders in your cabinets and storage cubes to keep your office things organized you have access to email folders which is a tool you should be taking full advantage of. I have three primary folder types in my account: the folders given to my clients (each couple gets their own), a Business folder with specific sub folders underneath and a Personal folder, also with more specific sub folders underneath. When I respond to an email or know I need to keep an email for future reference it goes into a folder. Here’s a little peek!

Create a System. It may seem complicated to others but I’ve really created a system here that makes sense for me and allows me to not only feel but be productive. Together with my Martha Stewart planner, colored labels, trusty pencils (I never use pens) and color coded email folders, I have a system that allows me to keep track of client related emails, important information like receipts, vendor communications, and digital files, all while remaining clutter free and simplified (I also have a big binder with dividers and colored tabls for my events by year which holds floor plans, floral recipes, timelines and sketches but that’s another story). If I get an email about an appointment, I track it in my planner, respond to the email with my RSVP and then I DELETE it. The colored tabs on my planner are similar to the color folders in my email and visually keep me in line by reminding me everything has a pretty little place to go!

A few other things that help keep me on track?

If I can’t see negative space below my bottom most message, I get antsy so as a general rule of thumb I usually try to fluctuate around 10 to 15 messages on any day where I can’t give all of my time to managing my emails. If something is in my inbox, it means I have to still make a decision on it. Nothing gets filed, or deleted until I have done an ACTION to get the email anywhere but in my main inbox. I try to keep things as specific as possible with my folder names so that I can keep track of all threads within my business. In the middle screen shot above you’ll see there’s 13 sub folders within my Business branch. Seems like a lot huh? Well let me tell you when I need to find an email that has to do with an upcoming editorial, a former wedding of mine, a business that advertises here on the blog or a receipt my bookkeeper needs, I know exactly where to go. Oh and last year I unsubscribed from every single website I’ve ever registered with, with the exception of Kate Spade, Staples, and BHLDN. If I need something from J. Crew, I’ll go get it at my leisure.

A clean inbox is like a clean house. A consistent effort yields impressive results. And deserve a glass of wine :)

Once upon a time my handsome better half and I had engagement photos taken. You can see them here. I’ll wait.

And now, thanks to my totally awesome job, I get to help my clients prep for their sessions too. I remember so clearly talking with one of my former brides Nicole (the babe below) about her engagement session with Beth Kaye last summer, and what the benefits would be of going through with one. After Nicole agreed she’d love to take advantage of that prime pre-wedding time with her and Chris in front of the camera, and Beth behind it, I was so excited to see how the photos turned out. Nicole and Chris ended up nailing their engagement session style and as a result inspired me to write a post about how you too can create a look for your e-session that looks effortless and picture perfect.

{Be You} Nicole and Chris are an eclectic, down to earth couple with a distinct and totally rad sort of style (wait until you see their incredible wedding.) Amazingly there’s a cohesive look and feel between their aesthetic style, the furnishings and decor in their home, the style of their wedding and the interests they both share. They love the outdoors and are huge fans of natural and organic elements; tied together with a bit of whimsy. So in the above photo you can see just that. A little bit of whimsy, the great outdoors, and a whole lot of personality that you’d know is a true reflection of Nicole and Chris if you got to know them for just ten seconds. There’s nothing better than just being you in engagement photos. If cowboy boots and seersucker sun dresses are your thing, don’t try to stuff yourself into a LBD and a pair of Jimmy’s because chances are you’ll feel awkward in your photos. And that’s just how they’ll look.

{Coordinate} I have to admit I didn’t give Nicole or Chris any direction in picking out their photo locations, outfits or props (like mentioned above, I gave Nicole more guidance on just having an engagement session to begin with!) But I’m so impressed with how well they coordinated their multiple outfits together. When Nicole added a bit of gold sparkle to her neckline, Chris threw on a tie. When Nicole changed into a plaid button up shirt, Chris switched up his shoes and unbuttoned his shirt a bit. Just like your other half’s personality compliments yours, your significant other’s outfits should work together with yours too. It’s so easy for chicks to find engagement worthy outfits and accessories but don’t forget about your dude either! When you both look and feel your best that’s when your photos will really shine.

{Sweat the Small Stuff} I know I said above to Be You, and perhaps you’re not a Sweat the Small stuff kind of chick, but when it comes to your engagement photos you might want to consider some minor details. Things like how your nails look, what sort of accessories you’ll wear, if your shoes have the price tag stuck to the bottom still, if your treasured ring is going to be cleaned prior to the shoot, if your fiance has scheduled a hair cut for the day before and you both like it best when it’s a bit longer, if you’re getting your highlights redone closer to the date and even if your new pair of skinnies are see through; these are all things to consider. If you’re using your photos for things like Save the Dates, newspaper announcements, canvases or guestbooks, chances are you’ll want your photos to be simply divine.

So let’s hear it! What did you wear in your engagement session? Feel free to share links to your photos, below xoxo

When people ask me what I studied in college I always tell them journalism (truth) because it was one of the few majors that didn’t require much math (partial truth). I always wanted to be a news anchor and for six years put on my best reporting face until one day I decided the wedding industry was instead where I belonged. I never doubted I could successfully run my own business. But I never actually prepared for what it would take to make the back end work. Meaning give me a bride who loves glitter and unicorns and I can dream up a stellar wedding aesthetic but ask me the difference between an expense and a cost and I might get a little weak in the knees (and not the same weak in the knees I get around peonies. Bummer.) It wasn’t until last year that I really realized I’d need to invest in my business in more ways than just photo shoots and instragram. So I hired a CPA. And left his office that day in big ugly toddler tears.

Turns out an IKEA storage box full of receipts with pretty short hand on the top of them, doesn’t do my CPA too much good. Neither does just thinking and not doing much about owning Quickbooks. But on the flip side there’s people called bookkeepers and my goodness am I ever glad I found an amazing one thanks to Ben and Laura. Hiring my amazing bookkeeper was by far my best decision in 2012 and something I would recommend to any business owner just getting started (or to any business owner who has been around for while but doesn’t yet have one.) If you’re unsure where to find a reliable one check with any industry colleagues or even friends and see who they can recommend for you to use.

A bookkeeper can really give you so much. For starters they can take that big scary box of receipts and make sense of them for you. I’m pretty good at keeping things and labelling them as I go but knowing what each receipt means and how it should be tracked is foreign to me. And totally boring. Enter a bookkeeper. They can also log all of your spending, earnings, draws, expenses and costs into Quickbooks so you can see in front of you how much your spending in each area of your business (for example I have ton of transactions filed under Business Development in 2012 and Florals for obvious reasons). Without getting into too much detail, the best part is come time to meet again with my CPA I can hand him a USB that my bookkeeper loaded my entire business onto, so he can do my taxes quickly and with ease.

Last Friday I met with my bookkeeper to give her some final December receipts and I have to say working with her has been such an eye opening experience. I’m not the greatest with money and wanted to make sure I became better in 2013 with it. Seeing my bank account listed out to the last penny in front of me (I’m very much a visual learner) and in front of a total stranger is a really good lesson on establishing wants and needs a bit better. Paired with the experience of adopting a family in need for the holidays I really am so thankful for everything this new step has taught me about money, value, organization and being accountable. Remember that whole living with purpose and intent? Amen to that.

To all of you other business owners out there, do you do your own bookkeeping and taxes?

Side note. I want to take a minute to address my Starbucks addiction. I drink way too much of it. And I know this is fairly obvious but I think I turned a blind eye to it late last year because I was that embarrased. Sort of like the girl who can’t quit buying Coach purses, or smokes, or baby clothes from the GAP or whatever your vice is. When I saw all of the charges from Starbucks listed out in my Draws Report for 2012 I took a really big pause and vowed then and there to cut back for the sake of my wallet and my sanity. And I’m happy to say I’ve done pretty good lately. So for old times sake, we’ll throw the above photo in here because it’s cuter than a photo of my IKEA storage box full of receipts; and I have what I like best in my hand, a lovely white and green Bucks cup. Happy Monday, friends. Love you Shay! xoxo