Do You Tweet?

joliefete — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:47:13 +0000

I have recently jumped on the Twitter bandwagon. Well, that’s a lie. I jumped on about 6 months ago with a personal account to stalk all of my favorite celebs (insert “loser” here) but I did just starting Tweeting for Jolie Fête!

I have connected with more budding business as well as some of the top names in the industry and what a difference it has made. From wedding leads, to contacts with wonderful people, Twitter has become a huge tool in my small business toolbox. This outlet is perfect for those of us out there that need to carefully watch where to allocate our advertising dollars. Considering the fact that nearly HALF off small businesses survive on word-of-mouth, Twitter is the perfect outlet for word-of-mouth of the VIRTUAL variety.

Social networking is a powerhouse now more than ever, especially for small businesses doing their best to stay afloat in this rough economy. If there is one piece of advice I can give those of you out there wanting to tap your respective markets, I would suggest looking in to how you can make social networking and microblogging work for you!

Follow Jolie Fête on Twitter here!

XO,

Rach

Vendor Spotlight: Emily Hayes of Emily Hayes Photography

joliefete — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 00:40:14 +0000

I am so excited to spotlight our next vendor! It is no secret that I love photography (even though I am terrible at it) and I love photographers even more! Photographers are the cornerstone of a wedding or event because they capture the true essence of the day. Their sole responsibility is to capture the joy that is going on around them. What a fabulous job!

Emily Hayes is an extremely talented photographer and I am thrilled to introduce all of you to her!

I have known Emily’s family for years and hung out with her very cool big sister when I was a just a nerdy college freshman. Emily’s talent is abundant and you can really feel her adoration for her craft the instant you see one of her tremendous photographs. So without further ado, please meet Miss Emily Hayes of Emily Hayes Photography!

Bio

Emily is a native Washingtonian and has roots in the city that go back 7 generations. She graduated from BYU with a bachelor’s degree in Marriage, Family, and Human Development. While at BYU she met her wonderful husband Todd, with whom she just celebrated 5 years of marriage! Emily started doing photography professionally just a little over a year ago, but has always loved photography. Emily’s approach is relaxed and personal. Her main goal is to capture the true personality of the people she photographs. Her family is the most important thing to her, and she is grateful for their never-ending support.

Why She Loves Photography

“My love for photography started at a young age. It wasn’t that I always loved being a photographer, but I have always been impressed with the beauty of photography and the way that one picture can convey so much human emotion. When I was in middle school, I received a subscription to National Geographic, and spent hours thumbing through the issues looking at the pictures (I was never much of a reader). Through these photos, I was able to experience the essence of different places, people, and cultures.

“Fast forward about 10 years, and my love for photographs turned into a love for photography. I realized that I did not have the resources, opportunity, or time to travel to the far corners of the world to document national geographic style photos, but I realized that I could do something better, I had the power to document the lives of people and create meaningful beautiful images that would truly be cherished. I honestly feel privileged to have the opportunity to witness the special bonds between families as part of my job. How can life get better than witnessing two best friends getting married or documenting a precious newborn baby in its first week of life?”

Just like my last vendor spotlight I would like to highlight some fun facts about Emily with her Five Favorite Things:

Her amazing nieces and nephews
A really good TV show
Flowerless Chocolate Cake
Walt Disney World
Taylor Swift

Please enjoy viewing some of Emily’s work by checking out some of her favorite photographs:

Emily, you are fantastic at what you do and I am so happy to know you! Thank you for sharing your talent!

All images are courtesy and copyright of Emily Hayes Photography

“Hi, Welcome Back!”

joliefete — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 18:33:01 +0000

The last few months have been pretty hectic for me! I took a little time off to travel and visit family and it was well worth it but now I am back to the world of weddings and events!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! This year my family has much to be thankful for (as always) but most importantly we are truly thankful for our daughter. Baby C was a miracle baby and we are thankful every day for her presence in our life. What a joy she is!

Check out our new “Substance” post and check back early next week for a brand new “Vendor Spotlight”!

I’m off to go decorate my home for CHRISTMAS!!!

Love to you all – xoxo

Vendor Spotlight: Adam Barnes Fine Art Photography, Inc.

joliefete — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 20:02:20 +0000

I have a great job! I very often have the chance to collaborate and work with some incredibly talented people. I would like to use this blog as a place to spotlight the many creatively intelligent people with whom I get to work.

It is no coincidence that I chose the following individual as my first “vendor spotlight”. I have only worked with him once but sincerely hope that I have many more opportunities to work with him again. Adam Barnes is an exceptional photographer who uses his craft to create memories that go far beyond the image he captures. His work is romantic, bold, elegant, and to put it quite simply: beautiful.

Not only is Adam a wonderful artist but he is a beautiful person as well. I was so lucky to work with him on one of my weddings this summer and have waited to blog about Kelly & Paul’s wedding until I could spotlight Adam at the same time. He captured the joy and beauty of their wedding day with grace and style. He has a strong and perfect partner in his beautiful wife Lauren and the two of them worked hand in hand to help us all create Kelly’s perfect day. My favorite part about Adam & Lauren is that they are so madly in love with each other and that love shows through in their work. I would certainly be remiss if I failed to mention Adam’s assistant Kristin who was right by Adam’s side through the entire day and well in to the night. Adam, Lauren, & Kristin make an excellent team who are a joy to work with.

Very often weddings can be, for lack of a better word, crazy and busy affairs that rarely slow down but Adam and his team brought an aura of calm and peace to what was indeed a busy day. I was lucky with this wedding as my bride, Kelly, was meticulously organized and designed her wedding from beginning to end. It was a lot of work to bring Kelly’s dream to fruition but it was easy in the sense that I had fantastic people surrounding me and Adam, Lauren, & Kristin were no exception.

So, without further delay please read on to find out a little bit about Adam of Adam Barnes Fine Art Photography, Inc.

Bio

Since graduating college in 2000, Adam has navigated many adventures, finally landing in one of his biggest endeavors yet, photography.

It has always been an interest of his, however from the time he picked up his first camera until a friend suggested he try it as a profession, his love for this art has grown without bounds.

Adam takes great joy in working with people and he has learned tremendously in his practice as a counselor for children and adolescents over the past seven years. It was not a difficult decision to pursue this career; he has the best of both worlds, people and his humble camera.

His desire is to bring his clients a sense filled with emotion and wonder. Adam believes God has truly blessed our days with happiness. It is his hope to capture a brief moment of it.

With a vendor spotlight I have decided that I want to highlight some of the individual’s personality as well so I asked Adam to tell me his five favorite things:

Coffee
Fall
Vintage Cameras
America’s Funniest Videos
Relationships

Because Adam is a photographer, I asked him for a couple of his all time favorite photographs as well as his favorite photographs from Kelly & Paul’s wedding that took place on July 18, 2009:

Adam, it was a true pleasure and joy to work with you. Thank you for capturing the day with such splendid images. And thank you especially for your help with my first vendor spotlight. I could not think of a more perfect person to kick off this portion of my blog. I can’t wait to work with you again, hopefully soon.

All images are courtesy and copyright of Adam Barnes Fine Art Photography, Inc.

Substance

joliefete — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 04:08:36 +0000

Substance is French for Stuff. When I asked my husband what he thought of this word as a title for one of the pages on this blog he laughed and said, “I hear substance and I think abuse”. Nice. I replied with, “Well, if you saw it on a website focused on event planning would you click it?” to which he replied, “Yes”. So there you have it…Substance.

You’ll notice the Substance tab at the top of the page. Please click on it and enjoy some of my favorite stuff. I hope to update this often with new ideas I have, tips, trends, or even answers to questions any of you loyal followers may have. I hope to make it very interactive and fun so please help me do so by taking a look!

XO,

Rachel

Some Things That Are Keeping Me Busy…

joliefete — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 16:48:37 +0000

Work always keeps me busy whether it is because I’m working a wedding/event or working to get more business. But lately my life has been keeping me pretty busy and that’s because this little girl is on the move.

Yes, that’s right folks, Baby C is a crawling wonder. I guess I better keep a better eye on her as she scoots around my desk while I work.

Other things that are keeping me busy are:

my massive sales blitz to the DC area
working on writing samples in hopes to begin writing for a few select wedding magazines
starting a “tips” section to this blog to give brides-to-be some tips from yours truly
another massive sales blitz to the Salt Lake City, Utah area (starting in a couple of weeks)

So here’s hoping my little mobile C will stay put long enough for me to get it done

XO,

Rachel

In Honor of Alissa Mears & Ben Stein – August 1, 2009

joliefete — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 15:54:40 +0000

On August 1st Alissa & Ben said “I Do” and I got to help them do it!

Alissa and Ben had so many great ideas for their wedding and it was so fun to help them put them all together. They were married at Allisa’s parent’s home in Vienna, Virginia and the setting could not have been more perfect. Despite some major rain prior to our start time, we still managed to make it work to have everything outside! Good thing too because with nearly 200 guests it would have been really cozy in the Mears’ home if it had indeed rained.

I loved the little details Alissa had thought of. She is a teacher and you can surely tell she loves her job because there were aspects of education in every detail from the books as part of the centerpieces to the book mark menu cards! Alissa and Ben also love to travel so they incorporated the colors of Morocco in to their decor.

Everyone was so thrilled for Alissa and Ben that it became a whole family affair. Alissa’s mom is one of 12 children and everyone was out in full force to help bring together this very special day. Ben’s dad was even able to marry them, which was really sweet. It was muggy and hot but it was still perfect and a great time was had by all.

Once again, my assistant Shannon was a huge help and we both enjoyed working with all the vendors and family members. Do you want to know one of my favorite things about doing weddings? I get to become part of the family for a few months. It is really great to get to know such wonderful people and Alissa & Ben are no exception. I wish them all the best for a happy life together!

XO,

Rachel

* All images courtesy and COPYRIGHT of Creation Waits Photography

www.creationwaits.com

Sneak Peak

joliefete — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 04:38:11 +0000

Here’s a sneak peak from Kelly & Paul’s wedding on July 18th, 2009. Better photos and more of them coming soon so stay tuned!

XO,

Rachel

RomeoandJulie

joliefete — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 04:34:46 +0000

My incredible web designer Julie Locke has just unveiled her updated website and it is très jolie!

I started working with Julie a little over a year ago when I sought her out to help me brand Jolie Fête. She was incredible and so much fun to work with. After a couple of lunches in New York, she had created an incredible logo and with that came the spectacular design of my website.

I know for a fact that I have booked at least two weddings as a direct result of my website. These two brides made specific mention that the reason they were drawn to me and my company was because they LOVED the design of my site. I owe that all to Julie!

Julie is an incredibly talented designer who takes color, lines, and images and creates a true personality. She is dedicated to her craft and that dedication shows through her work. I am honored to be included in her portfolio. I am especially honored that she agreed to work with me, this little tiny company, when she works with such high powered individuals. I am thrilled to be counted among her clients.

I consider Julie a true friend and an inspired designer and I know she is going to continue to be wildly successful!

Check out her new site at www.romeoandjulie.com and then click on the “branding/logos” link and you’ll see Jolie Fête! Thanks Julie, you’re amazing!

In Honor of Marie Austria & David Africa – March 14, 2009

joliefete — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 04:33:15 +0000

On March 14, 2009 I had the absolute pleasure of coordinating the Austria/Africa Wedding. It was held at the BEAUTIFUL Presidio in San Francisco, California. Marie & David are such a wonderful couple with an equally wonderful family! It was such a joy to serve them. Marie has given me permission to share some images from their wedding on the blog so please enjoy!

XO,
Rachel