Coming Soon: Boone Bride Guide | Wedding Planning Resource | Boone NC Photographer

"I have learned how complex and overwhelming it can be to plan a wedding! It's not easy that's for sure!"

I've heard on numerous occasions how overwhelming it is to plan a wedding from my brides. They share nearly the same sentiment every time I check in with them as we get closer to their big day.

Another confided, “Honestly, I'm overwhelmed at this time trying to pull the wedding together, find a job, and take care of a sick pet and mother.”

The planning process is really stressful because there are so many different elements that need to come together in order to make it happen. It’s difficult and time consuming to search for vendors and ideas to make your big day special. And that’s all supposed to happen while you’re living your "normal" everyday life!

I mean, that's what wedding planners are for and why it's a brilliant idea to hire one to help you but sometimes being on a budget makes that impossible so you have to do it yourself.

SOMETHING’S GOTTA GIVE

As a newlywed myself that just got married 2-months ago, I know how mind-boggling it can be to bring everything together, especially since our wedding was planned in less than 3 weeks! It was no easy feat but I made it happen, and with minimal stress, if you can believe that! 

You can read about it in last week's blog post:

Focusing on the Marriage and Not the Wedding

People thought I was nuts. Frankly, you have to be a little crazy to do something like that anyway. But I embraced the challenge and overcame obstacles like a champ! 

What I'm hoping to do is provide a useful resource to assist my couples with wedding planning instead of allowing them to get swallowed by stress that can be created as a result of organizing such a special day. 

Basically, I want to make wedding planning less painful and a lot more awesome for my brides! 

A NEW NORMAL

Your wedding day is a reflection of your distinct personalities as a couple, so it’s important to do things YOUR WAY instead of how people think you should be doing things. 

What I love about being a wedding photographer is that no two weddings are alike because they are all unique to the couples I have the pleasure of working with.

Some brides plan a year in advance for their weddings, which seems to be the standard these days, and then there are folks that procrastinate while others just choose not to devote unnecessary time and energy to making it all happen.

Whether you are ready to begin, in the middle, or near the end, the Boone Bride Guide will help no matter how far along you are in the wedding planning process!

Simple sounds so much better than complicated, right?! 

CUSTOMER CARE MATTERS TO ME

I set out to create this wedding planning resource because once a couple books me as their wedding photographer, I like to keep the communication lines wide open! Yes, that may mean additional emails, but I’m interested in starting a dialogue with my brides to find out more about them and where they are in the planning process.

I try to be as helpful as I possibly can in the months leading up to their wedding day. I welcome them to ask me questions via email, text, or a good ol' fashioned phone chat  if they need any assistance with anything, especially if they’re planning from afar, which the majority of my brides are. 

So, with the various questions that I answer on a regular basis, I figured why not create an online resource that I can send them that has all of the information they need in one place! The wedding magazine I designed and send out to my couples is filled with lots of good stuff but the website will be JAM PACKED with goodness that I will be adding to on a regular basis!

SHARING THE LOVE

In the Boone Bride Guide, I plan to use the new space to showcase local wedding vendors and business owners that I really enjoy working with and highly recommend.

I’m also hoping to share interviews and stories behind why they do what they do because behind-the-scenes sneak peeks are awesome, and so are people's stories!

When I got married at the end of June, I didn't want just any vendors contributing to my big day, I wanted people who share similar values and were kindred spirits because it makes planning a whole lot more fun when you like the folks you’re working so closely with!

LOGO DESIGN PROCESS SNEAK PEEK

It’s been great to have this personal project to work on to keep me inspired even though I’m nowhere near being finished with everything at this point and I’m supposed to launch at the end of August. Hopefully, I'll be able to knock out some pretty big chunks of work over the next week to meet my deadline. 

What I've done so far is created two different mood boards for the Boone Bride Guide which helped me to develop concepts for the logo designs. One was whimsical and flowery while the other one had more of a tribal vibe. 

After the moodboards were completed, I then did some sketches to flesh out the logo ideas that I had as a result of the inspiration. Once I was done doodling, I then tackled creating digital mock-ups on the computer. I designed a total of 8 logo mock-ups based on my sketches for the Boone Bride Guide. 

I’m really pleased with some of the early concepts that were formed and I’m looking forward to refining a few further so that I can choose a FINAL logo design because the next step is starting on the website that I hope to complete in a week! Is it just me or do I love these tight deadlines?! haha

Since this is something that I don’t typically do, I thought it would be fun to give you a behind-the-scenes look at why I decided to build the Boone Bride Guide and how I take concepts and create designs digitally.

Please keep in mind that these are just preliminary concepts and that they all need refining before they can be used as a logo. Variations will be created for each design if I choose to use that concept and refine it further. These are just to give me an idea of what direction I might like to go in based on the vision I have for the Boone Bride Guide! I'd love to get your input.

Which three are your favorites? Please vote in the comments because I would love to hear your thoughts!

If you’re interested in learning more details about the Boone Bride Guide as they are announced, I invite you to sign up for the Weekly Wander where I will be releasing information about this new wedding website to subscribers first!

Hi! My name is Jessica a.k.a. Wayfaring Wanderer and I reside in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains here in Boone, NC. I'm a free-spirited wedding, engagement, and lifestyle photographer who loves working with couples, families, and individuals who are committed to travel, adventure, and laid-back lifestyles. If you think we might be kindreds, I invite you to join the WW tribe by signing up [ HERE ] for weekly updates & get connected to the [ WW Facebook page ] to join the conversation! | Website www.wayfaringwanderer.com

{ Featured VENDORS }

Dresses
South's Specialty Clothiers

1180 Blowing Rock Road

Boone, NC 28607
Phone: (828)264-8977

Make-up
Beautiful Bride on Location
(Marion Edwards)

NC Wedding Venue

Smithmore Castle
Spruce Pine, NC 28777
Phone: 904-509-5095

{ Featured LINKS }
» Focusing on the Marriage and Not the Wedding
» DIY Down-Home Backyard Wedding: Emma + Alex
» Alice's Adventures in Wonderland | Wedding Styled Shoot @ Camp Sky Ranch
» Wedding Dresses from South's Specialty Clothiers at Smithmore Castle
» FREE Wedding Magazine When You Subscribe for the Weekly Wander

{VIDEO} Oceanside Picnic w/ Chef Chris Ivens-Brown | Sony Foodie Blogger Event | California

This video was taken as Chef Chris Ivens-Brown explained the dishes we would be sampling for lunch during the Sony Foodie Blogger picnic in San Diego, CA. It stinks that my camera battery died right before he was done, but this still gives you a great run down of what's in store. You can see this in HD on Facebook.

Want to see more?

 I'll be sharing the images from the Oceanside Farmer's Market and picnic this Sunday! Bring your appetite :D

 The details I have posted about the event so far can be found here: ow.ly/​4paGP

Sneak Peek | Sony Foodie Blogger Event | San Diego, CA

A completely random comment left on Sony Electronics Facebook page was the last thing I thought would lead me on a whirlwind adventure to a far-off land. Well, okay, it was only California, but it definitely seemed like it was on the other side of the globe after taking me such a lengthy time to get over there. Waking up 30 minutes late, hitting 40 minutes of traffic in Charlotte, and finding one of the only open parking spaces left at the very top of the 5^th floor of the deck were all part of why I missed my plane by a mere 5 minutes. What happened in between with standbys and disappointments doesn't really matter because I finally made it to my intended destination in time to enjoy some of the friendly company and tasty food at the welcome reception Sony was hosting for the guests of this event.

I barely had time to revel at the beauty of the lavish resort we were staying in, because I was mainly concerned with getting to the reception. The Rancho Bernardo Inn was gorgeously decorated with, what I could only describe as, country chic décor. On my first morning there, I woke up around 6:00am and set out to explore the grounds beyond the main areas. It was beautiful!

Our activities for the day started around 9:00am at breakfast. The group knew prior to arriving that we would be testing out a new camera that Sony will release sometime in April, the Cyber-shot WX9. Silver bags were awaiting us in the seats of our chairs. We didn't waste any time after announcements getting them out either. Nearly every person in the dining room had a camera in hand as they hovered over breakfast plates snapping shots and shooting HD video.

After stuffing ourselves at breakfast, we loaded up the charter bus for our field trip to the Oceanside Farmer's Market with Chef Chris Ivens-Brown. Knowing very little about his background beforehand, I had no idea what would be in store for us during the picnic they set up ocean side. When they called it a picnic, I envisioned blankets on a grassy area. However, they had something entirely different in mind that completely blew me away. This was definitely not your typical picnic!

Our activity-filled day furnished by Sony included a short two hour break between lunch and dinner. Time seemed to fly by as I hung out in the room waiting for our next meal with Chef Chris. Honestly, I had no idea where I would find the room to fill my belly with even more food, since we didn't have much time to digest between meals. Although that's what the day was all about FOOD, FUN, and photography! And there was no shortage of any of those three throughout the day.

In no time, we were on the charter bus again headed to Sony Headquarters for our seven-course meal. Upon our arrival they served us champagne and then ushered the group into the kitchen for a live demonstration where we were able to sample some appetizers. After some mingling and viewing images taken with the Sony WX9 on a huge 3D TV—which was wicked cool—we took our seats to begin the amazing meal that I managed to make room for.

{A smokin' fresh fruit salad that had a lovely fragrance}

There was no way that I would have missed trying any of the dishes they served. Everything was beautifully presented and equally scrumptious. I can't wait to share the details from that dinner because it was so outrageous and incredibly delicious, but I don't want to spoil it in this sneak preview. I plan to do a separate blog post about our picnic lunch in Oceanside and Sony Headquarter dinner, because I can't do them justice in a short paragraph or two. They definitely deserve a more in depth description than that. Not to mention the oodles of images I have to share along with the story.

I also plan to share more details about the little point and shoot powerhouse, the Cyber-shot WX9, that I had the pleasure to play with, because it's awesome. It seems like it's been so long since I've owned a p&s, but this is a perfect complement to the Sony A700 that I currently own and shoot with. You'll love all the cool features that this camera contains. A surprise is also in store, but you have to stay tuned to find out what it will be!

As you can see by this sneak peak of my trip to the Sony Foodie Blogger event in San Diego, CA, it was jam-packed with fun activities. I had a terrific time meeting new friends and filling my belly. I feel extremely grateful to have been selected to participate, and I truly appreciate all the hard work the Sony team and Chef Chris' team did to ensure that we enjoyed and savored every single second of our stay. It was an incredible experience, and I seriously can't wait to share more of the adventure with you!

What are you excited to read and see more of after this sneak peek? The food? The inn? The camera? Please share! If you enjoyed this post, I also encourage you to hit the “Like” button and share with others. Thank you :D