I was engaged 5 months before I got married. 

That version of "Stacie" back then had NO idea what she was doing planning a wedding (my mom will chime in and tell you so!). I had just graduated from college and gotten engaged soon after. I had no job. I had some cringe-worthy idealistic thoughts about how amazing I was going to be as  a spouse. And I had absolutely NO CLUE how to plan a wedding. 

Especially when it came to booking a photographer.

I happened to be at a friend’s birthday party at the end of July (our wedding was in September) and one of the girls there told me she was a wedding photographer. I hadn’t looked around at any photographers in town and had no idea what style of photography I liked. But I knew I needed one, so I booked her.

I didn’t even look at that girl’s portfolio! Which sounds absolutely CRAZY to me now.

AND,

BLESS. UP. 

Y’ALL, SHE WAS SUCH A

GREAT,

BRILLIANT,

SWEET

WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER…

...and our pictures turned out great.

My interactions with my wedding couples now, is based off of my experience with her as my photographer… because she was SO KIND, SO SWEET, offered up so many great posing ideas and fun activities for Brett and I (a pretty awkward couple back then) to do, and at times I hardly noticed she was snapping away really important moments.

I probably wouldn’t have booked a photographer on time if that girl hadn’t approached me at that party. 

And let's be EXTRA real, I probably wouldn't have known where to even begin looking for a wedding photographer. 

Don't even get me started on wedding invitations. I designed my own basic-rustic-handwritten-kraft-papered-invitations and went through a long printing process (I printed on my Dad's home inkjet printer almost 300 invitations! DEER IN HEADLIGHTS! That's something I would never even consider doing now!). I hardly knew what an invitation suite even was back then! I can't imagine what it would have been like to have someone design my invitations.... I probably would have loved it and I probably wouldn't have stressed out so much! 

So, you get it. 

I was kind of a total mess when it came to logistics.

But I knew exactly what I wanted when it came to the intentionality of our wedding. I knew the words we said  to each other and to everyone watching that day would be the highlight of our lives. The ceremony was the part I most looked forward to. Everything else could have gone SO poorly, but all that mattered to me was that Brett and I got to hangout with every friend, family member,  and cheerleader in our lives... and then get married in front of all of them. And dance party with them afterward. 

But looking back, I'm really grateful for our pictures. I'm grateful a brave photographer approached me at a party about taking our pictures.... and now that I AM a photographer and designer, I'm seeing how important it is to approach others about the wedding services they might not be thinking about yet!

But what I've found, is I can't do this small business/photographer/invitation designer thing alone. 

I need to rely on my network to connect me to those wedding couples. 

DO YOU KNOW ANY COUPLES WHO JUST GOT ENGAGED OR ARE TYING THE KNOT IN 2018?

WHAT DO YOU THINK IT COULD LOOK LIKE FOR YOU TO TAKE THE TIME TO SUGGEST JAMBOREE TO 3-4 RECENTLY ENGAGED COUPLES?

You'd be suggesting they book services with a girl who's already excited and passionate about their wedding. Who's ready to jump into the knitty gritty details of their day so when it finally arrives, they can relax and trust their vision is coming to life in their invitation design or wedding photography.

WOULD YOU CONSIDER SUPPORTING MY SMALL BUSINESS, MY LIFE, AND THIS AWESOME DREAM I'M WORKING HARD TO CHASE DOWN--- BY SHARING MY BUSINESS WITH A FRIEND WHO NEEDS THE SERVICES I OFFER? 

Thanks for considering! 

Tell me about YOUR wedding! Were logistics hard for you too or did you consider becoming a wedding planner after successfully planning your own wedding? Did you research your photographer? Did you have someone design your invitations or did you use pre-made designs?

Enjoy the rest of your Wednesday! 

Stacie