How did you get your start in the wedding industry? What inspired you to become a photographer/wedding planner?
I never set out to become a photographer or have a wedding coordinating business, but life just naturally guided me to it and I couldn't be more grateful - I love what I do! I picked up photography as a hobby when I finished grad school and was mostly interested in street and live music photography. Then one day, a buddy of mine (who is an amazing wedding photographer), called me up and asked me to second shoot a wedding he had the following day. I told him that I really had no idea what I was doing and hadn't even attended a wedding in years but he somehow convinced me to tag along. I was hooked.
I had such a great time with it that I began assisting him and learning as much as I possibly could by shooting for anyone that would let me. Then I started taking classes, attending workshops, and reading everything about photography that I could get my hands on. I eventually I started booking my own clients and my hobby turned into my full time job.
I started this blog because I wanted to showcase vendors like Small Miami Weddings. When did you realize there was a need for this type of service?
As I started booking weddings on my own, I noticed that I felt a connection with my clients and a sense of creativity that I didn't get when I shot larger weddings. The smaller weddings felt more raw, more real. Everyone was happier and everything felt so much more relaxed. The majority of my smaller parties also wanted outdoor ceremonies, which I LOVE. And so I found myself turning away the 100+ weddings and focused on working with the smaller groups.
It was at this point that I started noticing that the grand majority of my clients were asking me for advice on so many other things because most of my clients weren't from Miami and some even came from overseas. They were feeling lost and didn't have the budget for a coordinator that charged a hefty flat fee, regardless of the guest count. Keep in mind that most of these coordinators were accustomed to working with groups of 50+ and so they didn't really understand the concept of an intimate wedding. And my clients weren't really looking for anything out of this world - just some help with finding a florist, officiant, maybe a nice hotel nearby or restaurant to celebrate. But their dream was to have a beach wedding.
That's when I noticed that there was a void for a service that caters to small weddings in Miami. So I got a team together and began offering the services they were asking about. Now, my team helps with every aspect of the wedding and specializes in coordinating small ceremonies and elopements for groups of 2 - 50.
What is it that you love about small weddings and elopements?
I love that I get to work one-on-one with my clients to develop the vision that they want for their wedding day, in a very relaxed way. I speak with my clients over the phone, email, and Skype and so because we don't have a traditional showroom, we don't have to be tied down to traditional business hours within our time zone. That makes my clients very happy which makes us very happy. They know they can call or write me at just about any time and usually, someone is available to them.
We tailor every aspect of the ceremony to be reflective of the couple's personality and because our clients travel from all over the world, we get the opportunity to work with all sorts of tastes and styles. Overall, our clients don't sweat the small stuff. They're genuinely happy about what they're doing, with the people they love most, and are focused on the fact that they're marrying the love of their life vs all the details that are sometimes in place to please or impress someone else. I also love the fact that we can book an event two years in advance or two days out, so I'm always on my toes. I never know what the day is going to bring me.
South Florida has a plethora of interesting venues/locations to choose from. Which is your favorite place to shoot and why?
Though I absolutely love the beach and could never see myself living more than 30 minutes from the ocean, my favorite place to shoot at the moment is Vizcaya Museum and Gardens in Miami. It is a very unique place and the gardens are absolutely stunning. My creativity goes into overdrive when I'm there.
Planning can be so overwhelming, do you have any advice for our engaged couples?
My best advice for engaged couples is to start by making a written plan of wants and needs, including a budget. Take some time to talk to each other about what you truly want in terms of style, guest count, etc. as this will help you move forward in planning the wedding you truly want - not what others want you to have. Be open to the people you hire and the advice that they give you. Pinterest can both be your greatest asset and your worst enemy as it is inspiring and can make an undecided couple even more indecisive.
