The AWW Interview: Wedding Photog Casie Shimansky, Our 300th Twitter Follower!

I woke this morning to 299 followers on Twitter, and decided to take a huge risk. I tweeted in search of my 300th follower, promising a "special surprise" for whoever it turned out to be. I'd had it in mind to do an interview with my 300th follower, to bring him or her a little extra (and free!) attention and advertising. My fingers were crossed that I wouldn't get a spammer, scammer, or other such type. But I trusted that my wedding tweeps would not let me down.

Why can't all of our Twitter profile pics look this good?

Imagine my delight (and relief) when #300 turned out to be the fabulous Casie Shimansky of Rebel Belle Photography. Casie owns her own photography business and was a great sport about answering my numerous questions. She has some very valuable insights on how to start a business and make it in the wedding world, why she loves what she does, and how her Mini Cooper has won her heart.

The AWW Interview with Casie Shimansky

AWW: Casie, thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us today! What made you decide to take the leap to become a professional photographer?

CS: There are a thousand stories to how I got to here and now. The big decision came the summer after my 18 year old sister suddenly passed away. From that very first breath I took without her, I was literally learning how to live all over again. In the mean time, I found myself lost in images of Kellie, and the all new realization that – yes, while we were a family who had TONS of pictures together – there would now never be enough.  I picked up a camera, and that was it. I knew there was nothing else for me. There were no classes that could give me what I already had (which was a natural eye and love for photography dating back to high school) – and so, in a way, photography really chose me. It started because I didn’t want to forget, and it’s emerged into what is now, and forever will be, my heartbeat.

AWW: You are the owner and operator of Rebel Belle Photography. What was the biggest challenge in starting up your company?

CS: Everything. It is absolutely terrifying. I didn’t take any business classes, I hate numbers and accounting – there are still days where I wonder what I’m doing in those areas and feel like I’m staring at a brick wall. So I’ve had to do my research – and am continuously researching. I want it so badly though that those things really don’t matter to me, and I am insanely lucky to have people behind me who DO know (and love) things like accounting. I think they’re a little strange, but I still love them.

AWW: What are some advantages of owning your own business rather than working for another photography company?

CS: I started in a Children’s/Family portrait studio – so I know the other side of this pretty well – and it was a huge leaping point for me gearing up to go out on my own. There are SO MANY MORE advantages than “scary” parts of owning your own business. From making my own hours and editing images in my pajamas to KNOWING that the images I captured are 100% my own?! Those are just untouchable advantages to me. I get to be so much more creative, and at the end of the day if someone asks WHY I did something the way I did it? Well, because I’m my own boss and I make the rules. :-)

AWW: Do you have any strategic tips for growing your business?

CS: I don’t have a strategy, per say. I just go out into the world, make a friend out of everyone, and go from there. I do advertise, and have started getting more into that. I think networking and connecting with people is simply the biggest and best way to grow a business. The more people know about you? The more your name gets mentioned. From Facebook and Twitter to a friend of a friend who asks about photography over dinner? Those all help me to grow. Recommendations and “word of mouth” are my biggest (and most rewarding) ways of growing. 

AWW: There are tons of wedding photographers out there. How do you distinguish yourself in a fabulous but saturated market?

CS: I believe in getting to KNOW my clients, and sharing in their lives – not just their wedding day or one portrait session. It literally tickles me silly when I get a phone call from a bride who then says, “We haven’t told anyone yet – but – we’re having a baby!” Those moments floor me to no end, and that is what I set out to accomplish when I started this business. Clients aren’t just clients to me; they’re friends, they’re a part of my family – they get invited to BBQ’s at my place and invite me to their children’s birthday parties – and I think that makes a huge difference. These are YOUR moments, I’m just simply telling your story.

AWW: How do social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook help you with your business?

CS: They help me to STAY connected. The world is crazy fast these days, and if you blink you’ll miss the greatest moment. Social Networking has helped in every way from reconnecting me to high school friends who are now engaged and having me capture their wedding day memories, to blogs and wedding specialists I NEVER would’ve been able to find ten years ago. It’s a community, essentially, where we all come together for the greater good of creating and capturing these phenomenal moments in your life. We share ideas, what we’re working on, things we’ve heard or seen – new things, old things, funny moments, terrifying moments – EVERYTHING! I follow industry professionals from Los Angeles to India – I mean, how incredible is that?

... stay tuned for Part II of The AWW Interview with Casie Shimansky - coming your way tomorrow! 

Cheers,

Registry Necessity #1: The Magic Bullet

Every couple is different, but let's face it: there are certain necessities for which all nearlyweds should register before they walk down life's aisle of marital bliss.

Today, we honor The Magic Bullet.

Behold, The Bullet! (Yes, this Magic Bullet - mind out of the gutter, please.)

I must admit I'm a bit behind the times on this one. Apparently the Bullet has been making quite the splash for the last couple of years. I blame the fact that the hubby and I have been living in merry olde England, whilst the Bullet has yet to cross the pond. So imagine my utter A to the Mazement and De to the Light when I arrived back on this side of the pond, went to a friend's house for dinner, and was served Gazpacho a la Bullet!

My life has never been the same.

What makes the Bullet so great and why should every nearlywed couple register for one?

Too many reasons to name on a somewhat sleepy, post-Emmys Monday morning. (By the way, if you have not seen last night's Emmy opener, watch it now. It is BRILL.) But here are my top five:

1. Load in, cap, blend, enjoy. I mean, could this thing be easier to use?

2. Fun attachments in pretty fashion colors and a free cookbook!

3. The Bullet packs a punch yet takes up very little space. Very helpful when dealing with 150 wedding gifts crammed into your 800 square foot newlywed apartment.

4. I am not exactly known for my culinary talents. So if I can make pesto with The Bullet, anyone can! The possibilities are truly endless.

5. For all of you pregnant and mom brides out there, channel your inner Klum and use the Bullet to make healthy baby food. Heidi does!

Toasting with my newly blended smoothie,

Cheers,

Business Planning for Dummies - and Smarties too!

What is really convenient is that as I set out to start my own business, all of my MBA class material on entrepreneurship, innovation, strategy, marketing, and, well, everything else - is in storage. In Massachusetts. Which is just not hugely convenient for me right now, as I live in New York. And am starting a business, like, yesterday.

But no worries! The internet is a great thing. Who needs to pay for an MBA when Google can tell you how to write a business plan? Not me! Oh wait.

AnyWay, after minimal Googling I came across a really useful website that provides free business plan templates. Is this content as dynamic as what I learned in business school? No (phew!). Is it enough for me to get the ball rolling on my Work Work right now? Absolutely.

But first: why is a business plan important? AnyWay Weddings is not exactly the next Microsoft, after all. Why should I spend time writing this document when I could instead be browsing bridal bouquets or attempting my first inspiration board or booking my next bride?

While it may be a pain to write, this plan is going to be my professional backbone. It will keep me motivated, keep me honest, keep me focused, keep me working as hard as any good entrepreneur should.

The basic elements of a business plan - and how I'll interpret them for AWW - are as follows:

1. Executive summary, including your company's mission, objectives, and keys to success
In other words, why are you here, what are you up to, and how on earth are you going to make some moolah?

2. Company summary
What the heck is AnyWay Weddings all about, AnyWay?

3. Services 
What I'm going to offer that will make the world a better place... and, more importantly, my brides' lives easier. I'm excited to nail this one down because this is where it's important to differentiate myself.

4. Market Analysis Summary
Um, fabulous but saturated perhaps?

5. Strategy and Implementation Summary
How I'm going to go what I'm here to do.

6. Management Summary 
Me, myself, and I. At least for now.  

7. Financial Plan
EEK! Numbers and math and graphs, oh my! Though frankly, since I'm starting my business on this:

(that's a shoestring, people)

I won't need to do too much number crunching yet.

 

And there you have it! Bride Adviser Business Planning 101.

Are you an entrepreneur in the wedding world? Has your business plan been put to good use? I'd love to hear from you!

Cheers,

Can we please have a moment for AWW?

How. Excited. Am I.

Without even planning it, my new company's acronym is "AWW"! Which, to me, should be the essence of a great wedding.

As in:

"Aww, look how sweet the bride and groom are!"

"Aww, I love an orange and gray wedding color palette."

"Aww, naming the tables after places they've traveled is such a cute idea!"

"Aww, that flower girl is adorable!"

"Aww, I fricking LOVE red velvet cake!"

I mean, right?

Get ready y'all. I am gonna pimp. My. Acronym.

Aww yeah!

Cheers,

Hanky Panky: Oh So Bridal

After mentioning my Hanky Pankies on the drying rack last night, I decided these miraculous undergarments needed a post of their own. Yes, my inaugural bridal inspiration post is about underwear. Because that is how I roll.

If you're unfamiliar with these most A to the Mazing knickers, let me give you a brief (ha!) introduction. Hanky Pankies are simply the world's best, most comfortable, and most stylish thong. They are one size fits all - which is kind of awesome, right? I mean, I'm wearing the same size underwear as Miranda Kerr or Gwyneth or Heidi Klum? YES I AM.

They also come in all sorts of colors, in lace and cotton, in low-rise and original. What I love most about them - which definitely says something about me I s'pose - is that they don't take themselves too seriously. They are totally comfortable, yet totally fun and sexy at the same time.

Now, my confession: my "something blue" was a pair of Hanky Pankies. Specifically, this pair in baby blue:

This and all photos from the gift section of the Hanky Panky website

Love.

But it gets better! I was thrilled to discover that they have expanded their bridal collection since I got hitched last September. The collection now includes gems such as these...

"Something blue" for the classic bride:

Just call her Mrs. Hot Stuff:

 And a good bride always takes care of her girls:

Adorable, right? And chic! And most important of all, wedgie-free. All. Day.

Alas, my days of bridal underwear shopping are over. Until I have earned the right to wear the adorable maternity collection, I'll stick with my current jersey and lace Hanky Pankies - for which, by the way, I never pay retail. I recommend the Saks outlet and Bloomie's sales. But more on bargain shopping later.

Cheers,

Fun Work and Work Work

As much as I wish I could browse fabulous wedding blogs all day, apparently I have decided to start a business. Granted, it's a business that will allow me to browse wedding blogs regularly. But it's still a business and I need to get serious. I didn't pay mucho dinero for my MBA (Master's in Bridal Advisement? Alas, no - Business Administration) to be a half-assed entrepreneur.

Go big or go home. Or, in my case, go big from home, as that is the current location of my office. I'd show you a picture, but I currently have my Hanky Pankies hanging on a drying rack next to my desk.

Anyway (AnyWay?), what I love about my new gig is that it's the perfect blend of Fun Work and Work Work.

Fun Work comprises most of my day. Greeting, meeting, and tweeting. Browsing and brainstorming. Admiring and advising. And that is how I've spent the last six weeks with my first two brides. (More on them later.)

Now comes the Work Work. Now that I have decided to turn a timely bridal advising gig into my new career, I want to do it right. So when I'm not admiring plentiful inspiration boards and oodles of freshly posted real weddings, I'll be Work Working on my business plan.

A real business plan! I'm excited and daunted at the thought. After all, this is what my MBA trained me to do. I should be able to do it well. But it's hard! There are lots of numbers! And even a few graphs! And once it's written, well, then this is all for real. Which is hugely exciting but a wee bit scary. After all, no entrepreneur wants to fail, right?

But here's the thing: no matter what happens, I won't fail. I can't fail. Because whatever AnyWay Weddings turns out to be, I am going to learn a ton. I am going to take a risk, go big, and absorb every ounce of learning out of the experience that I can.

Let's get this business started!

Cheers,

And so it begins... again

Getting back into blogging is like riding a bike, swapping a sore bum for minor eye strain.

Ah, it's good to be back! The last time I dabbled in the blogosphere, I was writing about how my MBA program was taking a toll on my pre-wedding primping. Fortunately, it all worked out in the end. I got my MBA in Cambridge (the England one, not the Boston one), got hitched in Portsmouth (the Rhode Island one, not the England one), got a job (with the 2012 Olympics!).

The Jen Triptych: with diploma, as bride, with Olympic mascot

And then? Why, I left my job! Alas, it was time for the hubby and me to leave London and head back to NYC.

So here I am, back in the most fabulous, vibrant, lovely corner of the blogosphere: blogging about weddings.

But here's the thing: since I last immersed myself in the wondrous world of wedding blogs (while planning my September 2009 nuptials and during the occasional dull MBA lecture), these blogs have multiplied like the facets on a million-dollar, platinum-set rock. And I love it!

I love it because I know firsthand how inspiring blog content can be for brides. I love it because it's fantastic that so many newlyweds are getting the attention they deserve for the personal, innovative, beautiful weddings they create. I love it because it presents me with a challenge, a conundrum to conquer.

Thus I conunder (which should totally be a real word): how will I set myself apart? How will I offer useful content that will compliment the fabulosity that's already out there?

Here is my answer, at least for now:

In addition to sharing ideas and inspiration, I am also going to take y'all on a journey. My journey to set up my new bridal advisory company, AnyWay Weddings. I have never started a company before, but it's something I've wanted to do for a long time. And now the time is right.

So please join me! Subscribe to or follow my budding blog! Offer your comments, advice, tips, and feedback!

The adventure begins.

Cheers,

 

Big plans are in the works... this blog will be up and running soon!