Introducing the new One Sweet Day in May!

Holy Moly guys it's here. 

It's been hard to think of exactly what to write here. I haven't had the words really. I have been thinking about this day for literally 7 months and it's finally here. Like a kid on Christmas, I just can' t stop smiling. One Sweet Day in May is my baby and now she's all grown up. This little company is honestly what I think about every second of every day. It hasn't been around too long, but it's my whole heart. I wanted a space that shows my clients exactly who I am and what they can expect from the One Sweet Day in May experience and here it is. 

 Ashlee Proffitt is to thank of all the gorgeousness and when I meet her in November at the Creative @ Heart Conference I will be sure to give her all the hugs I owe her (which is about a million). I first contacted Ashlee back in October and we set a date for March 1st to get started. A whole 5 months away. Yikes! So I set up a little site as a sit in and it worked, it did it's job, but it wasn't me. Well that all changes today my friends and I get to FINALLY share it with you. 

Being branded is a huge thing to do, it's an investment and it really makes you find and learn exactly who you are. And that is just what I needed. I blogged a while back that I was thinking of jumping into full wedding planning and then backed off. Could I be good at it? Definitely. But I want to be great at florals and I felt (still do) that that is where my heart is. I ended up being truly thankful that Ashlee couldn't start my brand until March because it was time I and One Sweet Day in May needed. And what I have is this tiny little spec of the internet that looks and feels like me. I told Ashlee that I was really wanting a mix of Kate Spade inspired details with the romantic feel and devotion to marriage like that of Southern Weddings. And she gave me just that, in my own "One Sweet" way.

For starters, I have logo! A real gorgeous logo that's all mine!!  I thank my lucky stars for Taylor Schumann She is the lovely lady behind this beautiful creation and I just love her. Along with being an incredible calligrapher she has an amazing story of strength and survival over on her blog that you should read. Truly inspiring. Plus the girl's hilarious and keeps me laughing daily through her Facebook and Instagram posts. 

Taylor thank you for giving me your time and talent. My new logo is perfect and I will be putting it on absolutely everything. There are so many other people to thank for making this happen. I honestly was surrounded by the best team of people to bring this to life.

Here's a look into what we created through this process starting with my super fun and girly brand board. 

To Ashlee- Thank you for getting to know me and giving me exactly what I wanted. Thank you for your patience and giving me the tools to take One Sweet Day in May to the next level. Your support, encouragement, and your talent for branding amazes me and I'm so thankful to have been able to work with you. 

Andrea Pesce is the one who took all these stunning images of the One Sweet Office and my head shots for the rebrand. Which I can't wait to show more of. I am so thankful for your friendship Andrea. You are such a talented photographer and I love that you have found a niche with creative entrepreneurs. I will cherish these photos forever. We need another coffee date soon.

To my industry friends, What would I do without you. Especially Anna and Amy. Owning your own business is weird and different and I'm so thankful to have friends like you who get it. Anna, Thank you for your honesty and suggestions throughout this process. Thank you for your internet/blogging smarts and pragmatic views on things. And Amy thank you for lending your creative eye to every photo text I sent you the past few months. You two were like my secret little team and I'm so lucky to have you both in my life.  Friends like these are so important and I love mine dearly. Whether it's business advice, a website glitch, or sending a virtual high-five, industry friends get you through the worst days and celebrate even your littlest wins with you. It sometimes gets lonely here in this little office of mine and knowing I have a little tribe that are only a text away makes it so much better. 

To my family, lifelong, and non-industry friends. Thank you for taking the time to listen to me. I love you guys so much. You all give me your time even when you don't know what the heck I'm talking about. You let me vent and just talk my little heart out (and you all know this girl can talk haha) Thank you for sharing in my excitement every step of the way and putting up with my texts asking your opinions. You were the ones I asked the important questions to. The questions that gave me the answers that really made me understand what I wanted One Sweet Day in May to be. And hearing all of you say "that is so you" was the best feeling. 

To Christopher, I love that you thought the old One Sweet Day in May was perfect, but also supported me when I wanted to take it to the next level. Thank you for loving me even when I don't deserve it. I know this whole process has made me a little M.I.A. the past few weeks, but you were a huge piece of the puzzle on the rebrand journey. After all, One Sweet Day in May started with you. This wouldn't exist if it wasn't for you. I know it's hard to understand sometimes what what'm doing with little business of mine, but thank you for letting me follow my dreams, even if if means the house is a disaster thanks to my crazy ideas. Thank you for bringing me dinner and snacks when I work well into the night. Thank you for being patient with me when I asked you a thousand questions and made you listen to all my website content to get it perfect. Your honesty is something I will always need. I couldn't do any of this without your support and understanding, so thank you and I'm very grateful I get to walk through life with you. I love you very much. 

And last but definitely not least I want to thank Ashley and Tyler Herrinton of The Herrintons. They created my fun little promo video and were so patient when I messed up almost every sentence...side note, speaking while being filmed is a little terrifying haha. I am obsessed with my video and quite honestly have watched it about a dozen times just this morning and have texted Ashley with almost nothing but celebration emojis, but they are so talented and my video portrays my business perfectly! I love them so much and be sure to check out the video over on my about page. 

Tomorrow I'll be doing a little Friday Introductions post for those of your that are new around here. And there will also be a super fun giveaway with some of my favorite things that you're not going to want to miss. Thank you for all the texts, phone calls, and sweet emails this week, y'all are the best! 

Welcome to the new One Sweet Day in May. I hope you love it as much as I do. 

Image by Andrea Pesce Photo.

One Sweet Spotlight. Dogwood Brides.

 Hi guys!

Yesterday the very first One Sweet Spotlight finally debuted and I thought for the first week, let's go big or go home! So here's another!

Today's spotlight is on Dogwood Brides , a website/blog that is going to be HUGE for the Richmond bride! I was so excited to celebrate with co-founders Anna Young and Bonnie Graham last Sunday at their fabulous launch party (I'll show you some pics a little later) and got a moment to ask them a few questions! We even got in a few fun ones at the end. 

Photos of Anna and Bonnie by Natalie Jayne Photography

Here is their beautiful new logo designed by Evelyn Henson. 

OSDIM- Tell us a little bit about what Dogwood Brides is. 

 DB-Dogwood Brides is a local wedding blog and resource for the Richmond, VA area--but we're not your typical wedding blog! We also provide information on local vendors and will be adding a venue resource soon. Rather than providing contact information and link to their website, our Vendor Listings are more like getting to sit down and have coffee to learn about their services. You get to learn about the heart behind their business and why they love what they do. You won't just find traditional weddings on DB but a variety of styles and aesthetics, because every couple is different and needs unique inspiration for their big day. 

OSDIM- What inspired you to create Dogwood Brides and what gave you the courage to go for it? 

 DB-There are quite a few different stories here! Since we met, both of us have loved weddings. When we used to have offices next to each other in our day-jobs you could find us getting mushy over wedding videos during our lunch break--yes we were those girls. While I was planning my wedding in Richmond I really noticed a lack in local resources that provided comprehensive and genuine information. Planning was hard and I wanted to change that for brides coming along after me. Bonnie did day-of coordination for my wedding and then we joked around for a while about starting some type of wedding business. When we sat down to exchange ideas and think about how to fill a need in the Richmond industry, Dogwood Brides was born! 

It's certainly been a huge undertaking, but knowing how much it will help brides-to-be and create community among vendors has kept us motivated to keep working hard. 

OSDIM- What can brides expect from Dogwood Brides? And what can vendors expect?

DB-Brides can expect almost everything they will need when planning a wedding! We are featuring real weddings and styled shoots for inspiration and vision on how to use local venues. Our Vendor Listing allows brides to learn more about local vendors and their services, and also connects them to see the Vendor's work that has been featured on the site. In addition we share basic planning posts on everything from budgets to etiquette and even DIY tutorials for the crafty bride. Most of all, brides can expect trusted and genuine information about wedding planning. 

Vendors can expect more than just a place to be listed, but a community. While getting the blog up and running is our biggest focus at the moment, we're already working on plans for happy hours to bring local vendors together. We want to foster a place for vendors to meet each other, connect, and collaborate. After we're able to get a venue section up and running, we also may have some exclusive venue information available for those vendors who are listed on the site! Of course we're also a publication, so we are another great place for vendors to have their work featured to a niche target audience. 

OSDIM- Can you tell us a little bit about the process of starting the blog? 

 DB-It was an absolute whirlwind! We officially rolled up our sleeves and started working the first week of January and spent just about every minute outside of our jobs working on it until our launch this past weekend. Knowing that we want Dogwood Brides to make a lasting impact in the Richmond wedding industry and be around well into the future, we did a lot of big picture brainstorming before making decisions. We were really strategic with the type of site we should use and what layout would be best in order to best share the information that we want to curate for brides. From the beginning we knew we didn't want it to just look like a standard blog, but more of the "magazine" layout that it is which really lets you immediately browse through a variety of our content. And we've learned more than we ever thought we would about html and coding!

OSDIM- Any words of wisdom for current brides? 

 DB-Be patient with your planning! It's easy to want to quickly check things off your list, but before you start truly spend some time with your partner thinking about the day. What do you want it to look like? Feel like? Are there important personal touches to include? Certain vendors that you really want to have involved? As you look for vendors check out as much of their previous work as possible to give you a feel for what they can provide. Meet them in person to see if you would work well together--especially for photographers, coordinators, and anyone else who you will spend a lot of time with on the day-of. And budget, sit down and figure that bad boy out in the beginning and the whole process will be much easier moving forward! 

OSDIM- I know both of you also have full-time jobs, any advice on creating work/life balance? 

 DB-Balance? What's that? Just kidding! It's certainly a big undertaking to start a small business when you're working full-time. We've sort of carved out a schedule for ourselves but still have a ways to go. Since we're a team it's important to keep up with what we're doing so we use Asana to efficiently manage all of our work and we hold the same evening every week on our calendars to meet and touch base in person. Finding a rhythm for when we can do work each day (a bit before the work day, utilizing our lunch breaks, and finishing things in the evening) is the most important, so this is something that is different for each of us. At the end of the day we know we also need our sanity, but this might mean that we're working extra hard for a few days to have some more free time in our schedule. This will certainly change and get better as we get into our groove with running a small business!

And here's some fun questions!  

 If you could have lunch with anyone who would it be? 

 A: Mindy Kaling! Don't have to think twice about this one. I love her style, her book, her show, her sense of humor. Spending an hour (or probably longer because she'd show up late) with her over lunch would be the highlight of my life! 

B:  My grandaddy, John Litton. He was the absolute best man in the whole world. So much has happened in my life since he passed away and I would love to chat with him about where I've been, where I'm headed, and get his advice on how to get there!

2. What item can you not leave home without? 

 A: Like most people in the 21st century, I freak out if I don't have my iPhone. So I guess a more original answer would be chapstick, specifically my EOS lip balm!  My lips seem to always be chapped and I put it on like crazy. 

 B: A comb or brush! I let my hair "air-dry" most days and I definitely need a quick brush-through before meetings or lunch dates!

3. Favorite vacation spot?

 A: Any beach that's warm and sunny works for me! I grew up vacationing in Ocean City, MD and then went to college in Wilmington, NC  near Wrightsville Beach so those are two of my favorites. 

 B:  I LOVE Charleston (and, well... any Southern beach town)! The food, atmosphere, shopping, and BEACH make Charleston the perfect getaway for me - all of my favorite things!

4. Perfect date?

 A: Something active! My husband, Greg, and I will go for walks, or we also like indoor rock climbing, bowling, etc. Things that get us up and moving and force us to put our phones away and spend quality time together. Then followed by a meal, coffee, or our favorite ice cream--Gelati Celesti! 

 B:  Ahhhh something romantic! I would say making dinner together and enjoying it by candlelight followed by dancing in the kitchen to some smooth jazz. 

5. Life motto? 

 A: I'm going to have to go with my favorite quote for this "I get up every morning determined to both change the world and have one hell of a good time. Sometimes this makes planning my day difficult." -E.B. White

B: This is a tough one. I find daily inspiration in a lot of quotes and memories of things my parents taught me while growing up. But, if I had to choose one "theme" for a life motto it would be honesty. I've learned that always being honest in every situation (no matter how difficult) always ALWAYS turns out better in the end.

 6. Favorite spot in Richmond? 

A: Yikes, tough question--I love everything about this city! This is not a typical answer, but I'd have to say Grove Avenue. I love to run and have spent countless hours running Grove from Libbie all the way down to VCU. I can't get enough of the beautiful houses, shady trees and scenery. Taking a tour through the West End, Museum District, and The Fan all on foot is incredible and I'd recommend it to everyone, whether you run, walk, or bike!

B: I absolutely love driving down Monument Avenue. Or any street in The Fan, really. I always say it "feels like I'm in a movie"! I can't imagine a more beautiful neighborhood to live in during the prime of my life--it's so Richmond and it's so perfect!  

A huge thank you to Anna and Bonnie for taking the time to tell us all about Dogwood Brides! 

Like I said before, Dogwood Brides had it's launch party on Sunday put on by the lovely ladies of The Darling Event and I wanted to share a few snaps from it!  

Mmm mmmm mmmm!  

Cake by the Buttercream Bee.  

This cake by The Buttercream Bee was so delicious!! One of the best I've ever had! 

Bonnie and Anna thanking everyone. Photo by @tarteventco 

And you know my flower loving heart was obsessed with this floral wall by The Proper Petal. This picture by @annayoung doesn't do it justice. It was gorgeous. 

Congrats again ladies!! Can't wait to see you do big things for Richmond brides and vendors!  

And guys, have a wonderful weekend with your loved ones and what matters most. I am looking forward to a somewhat quiet weekend before a few busy ones in the weeks ahead. Talk to you next week! 

Love,  

Michelle.  

One Sweet Spotlight. Sincerely Amy Designs.

Welcome back!

Today is an exciting day over here as it is the first ever post of the One Sweet Spotlight series!! This series is to introduce you to creatives and boss ladies who are ground-breaking in their industry and who are making it happen. There is a movement going around introduced by Natalie Franke called #communityovercompetition which you can read about here and the One Sweet Spotlight is to encourage just that. It's so important to lift eachother up and honestly, I think it makes our jobs way more fun. 

Our first boss lady is (drum roll please!) calligrapher Amy Webber of Sincerely Amy Designs! 

Isn't she so pretty?!

I'm excited to feature Amy because her new brand and website launced TODAY!! Branding genius Lauren Hooker of Elle&Company designed her branding and website and it is gorgeous!! It's fresh and bright yet has an old-soul feeling. Think whites and soft teals with hints of copper tones. Andrea Pesce photographed Amy for the new site and she perfectly captured her in every way. I've seen a few sneaks peaks over the past few weeks and you can see for yourself how beautiful it is here! 

Amy is one of the best calligraphers in the biz and is truly one of the most selfless people I have ever met. It has been amazing to see her business grow over the past few months. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to interview her and get to know her better! 

OSDIM- Your new branding is gorgeous! What inspired the new look and what did you want to express to your audience? 

AW- Thank you!! This brand and new look has been a long time coming and I’m so excited to finally be able to share it with everyone. When I first started the process, I had no idea what I wanted it to look like or what I wanted to communicate to my audience. Lauren from Elle and Company and Andrea from Andrea Pesce spent so much time with me helping me to figure out not just what I wanted Sincerely Amy Designs to look like but also what I wanted it to be about. It is amazing what processing with fellow small business owners can do. I started with an inspiration board and pinned anything and everything that I loved. I began seeing trends in styles and colors and realized that I saw a lot of those same colors and trends in my personal style and home décor (which was helpful when it was time to find props for the photos for the website!). The one thing I did know from the beginning was that I wanted the brand to feel comfortable. I wanted it to be beautiful and attract people who loved and valued calligraphy and hand lettering, but I also wanted it to come across sincere (no pun intended haha). Building relationships with clients and fellow business owners has been one of my favorite parts of owning Sincerely Amy Designs and I wanted the importance of those relationships to be communicated by having a brand that was about people and not just pretty letters.

OSDIM- How did you get into calligraphy and how has your business grown? 

AW- I have always had a love for letters. Growing up, I would practice my handwriting and I would look for ways to do letters differently. Even now, I still love experimenting with my handwriting. Calligraphy came into the picture when I was lettering some envelopes for a friend’s baby shower. I was spending hours on the envelopes using the fake calligraphy method (found here) and I loved every minute of it. I knew then I needed to learn real calligraphy and I haven’t looked back since.

While I have no other business to compare it to, I have felt so blessed and blown away with how quickly Sincerely Amy Designs has grown. Since starting 9 months ago, I’ve had some incredible opportunities, worked with amazing clients, and found a community of friends that I cherish. I’ve learned so much about myself and even greater, I have learned so much about God. This has been one of the craziest spiritual journeys I’ve ever been on and I’m so thankful for how the Lord has showed up, provided, guided, and blessed this endeavor. I pinch myself every day that I get to do this and that the Lord has entrusted this to me. 

 One Sweet Day in May was honored to create some #onesweetblooms for Amy's photo shoot! 

OSDIM- What advice would you give calligraphers or creatives who are just starting out? 

AW- The advice I find myself giving the most often is to network! It can be so scary to send that email to someone whose business you admire but it is so worth it! I truly don’t think Sincerely Amy Designs would be in existence if I hadn’t taken a chance and reached out to other business owners. Not only have those connections been critical to the success of the business but so many of them have turned into the sweetest friendships. We aren’t meant to do this alone. It’s impossible to reach our full potential when we travel the small business journey by ourselves. So send that email, leave that comment, and put yourself out there! 

OSDIM- What have been some of your successes and what has been challenging for you? 

AW- It’s funny how quickly our challenges come to mind but how much time it can take to think through what we are doing well. I have SO much to learn about calligraphy and about running a business but one of the things I consider a success is the continued desire to educate myself and grow. I work hard to invest my time, energy, and finances in continually learning how I can improve.

The most challenging thing so far for me has been balance. I’m sure so many of you can relate! I work a full time job during the day and my husband and I live with and take care of my aging grandma. Our life is the most chaotic it’s ever been and it can be overwhelming at times. Learning how to balance my day job, calligraphy business, husband, grandma, church, friendships, rest and play can be so hard. Working out of our living room has also been a challenge. It’s a less than ideal set up and my poor grandma hates that her formal living room has turned into a calligraphy studio haha. 

OSDIM- What are your favorite projects to work on? 

AW- I love everything about weddings so I get excited to work with brides on adding calligraphy to their big day. While I know a lot of calligraphers find envelopes to be tedious and sometimes maddening, I actually really love them. I have a deep love for snail mail and the invitations are my favorite detail of a wedding day, which makes envelopes a fun project for me. Guests love to see their names written in an art form that has been around for centuries. It communicates thoughtfulness and attention to detail and I love getting to be a part of that!

OSDIM- What makes you stand out from others? 

AW- Margaret Peterson has a quote that says, “There is something in the human soul that longs for beauty beyond necessity”. I heard that quote years ago and I have never forgotten it. It’s that attention to and lovefor the ‘beauty beyond necessity’ as Margaret puts it, that is where I think I stand out. While most people overlook the small details, I think that is where so much beauty can be found. That plays out in so many ways in my business, from how I communicate to my clients, to the interest I take in all the details of their wedding or project, all the way to how I go about creating the perfect lettering style for each project. It is an honor and a pleasure when a bride or client looks to me to add beauty, through calligraphy, to their event, special occasion, favorite quote/verse, or business.

OSDIM- What can we look forward to from Sincerely Amy Designs in the future?

AW- There are a lot of exciting things ahead for Sincerely Amy Designs! One of those exciting things is expanding the teaching side of the business. There may just be a workshop coming up soon and I can notwait to share the details! I am really looking forward to sharing with others something that I’ve grown to love so much!

All photos by Andrea Pesce Photography.  

Congratulations on the new brand, Amy!! And friends, because this is our first ever week for the One Sweet Spotlight, We're starting off with a bang and I'm excited to feature another amazing brand tomorrow!!! Yay!! Stay tuned!!   

Love,  

Michelle.