Heading To Vegas For WPPI

February 11, 2011

I'm so so excited that I get the opportunity to go to WPPI. The actual reason why I am going is for another company. I do some work for Silber Studios which is a photo and video company. One of the sponsors asked us to head over to WPPI to meet up with several top photographers and do interviews, work with them, etc. Which BTW, if you want to add your questions watch this cute little vid and find out more here. (I'm not normally in front of the screen for a reason.)

So, with just 10 days until the conference, we booked tickets, a hotel, and I started shopping (probably the most important part for me!) Oh and then Ian decided to tag alone. Super exciting little trip we have planned.

Here is the plan:

We are staying at the MGM Grand.
We will be there from Saturday morning until Tuesday morning, Feb 22.
I want to meet as many of you as I possible can! E-mail me and let's figure out a great time have a drink.
I am most definitely heading over to the Airplanes and Blazers party on Monday night. (I basically convinced everyone to stay so we could go! and finding a black tie dress is a lot harder than I thought.)
The only other must-see activity is going to the pawn shop in Pawn Stars. All three of us are major Pawn Star lovers and MUST take a trip over there.

I'll also of course be tweeting and blogging about everything we are doing and where we are, so in case you feel the need to stalk, you will have a great opportun to do so.

If there are big parties, workshops, etc. etc. that I am missing I would love to hear about them all. I can't wait to meet all of you and have a totally amazing time in Vegas with you all!

Oh and just a little tip for all of you, per the forecast we are looking at a potential chance of rain and some 65-70 degree weather.i understand that all of you east coasters are excited to bask in the warmth, but me, well, I think that is pretty darn freezing! I gotta exchange my tank tops and day dresses for sweaters and boots.

{Heritage & Craft} Bay Area Vintage Rentals

February 10, 2011

The Bay Area has a pretty legit wedding scene. With Napa, Carmel, Santa Cruz and SF, there is literally something for everyone. But up until now one thing we didn't have was a vintage rental company. Finding one-of-a-kind pieces for your wedding can be challenging to say the least (believe me, I'm doing it. Luckily my mom is really enjoying the process so has pretty much taken over finding all the vintage finds.) The time and the money are almost not worth finding those perfect pieces for your wedding. Then let's all applaud Erin from Bustle Events for notices this need and working incredibly hard to fill it. Thanks to her we all now have access to those expensive little finds that we LOVE but can't get behind paying for, along with a lot of pieces that you literally can't even find anywhere. Heritage & Craft goes one step further by offering a selection of custom made furniture to fit your need exactly. Basically it is your one stop shop for everything amazing and adorable and unique.

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{Down To Business} Interview with Jack Levin

February 8, 2011

As you may know, I am a writer. That is my job day in and day out. Each week I do interviews with business owners for a site called Los Gatos Patch. These interviews connect me to people who took the leap and started a company despite all the reasons why they shouldn't. I find it so incredibly inspiring and each and every time I finish the interview, I get a burst of total inspiration on my endeavors. I was able to meet with Jack Levin the other day to talk to him about his company Imageshack. This is the company that created YFrog, the image sharing product that you are probably using when you upload photos to twitter, which now has over 18 million monthly users. Here is the full interview in case you wanted to read it, but there were three incredible points that he brought up that I thought would help you business people out there.

"I met the founder of Google at Stanford and was actually reluctant to give them my resume because I thought 'does the world really need another search engine?' There were several successful companies already and I could see myself going to one of those. After hearing more about what they were doing I asked them if they would hire me, and I could see how it goes. I was employee number 20 when I started working at Google 6 years ago. I couldn't believe how different they were. Nothing about what they were doing was traditional. Thinking big is definitely in their DNA. They think that it is possible to achieve anything and operate with that idea. They know that whatever they put their mind to, they can do."

"Having the right people at the company can make or break. You can be brilliant as a founder and can hire brilliant people but if they are not compatible then you won't achieve your results. We have 21 employees now, and they are great, but we have had some past issues getting to this point. The people we are after are good at what they do which means they could go do that for a ton of other companies. We have learned to present people with challenges and keep everything interesting which keeps people here instead of jumping ship to other companies. They have options and we know that. We work hard to make them happy and challenged and always learning.

"I feel like the founder of the company is forever in the company's DNA. When people step down and let others run the company it just isn't the same company. Look at Steve Jobs, despite being sick and everything else, he is still incredibly involved in every portion of his company, and they create amazing products. When the founder starts straying away or doing other things, it just doesn't feel like the same company. I would encourage anyone who runs a company to be at the helm of the company and stay there."

Afternoon Inspiration

January 31, 2011

A mid-afternoon collection of some lovely photos that I can't take my eyes off!

Obsessed with this hairdo, among other things.

Shadow Bear Feature

January 24, 2011

Shadow Bear Photography is starting the year off right by offering one bride a free photography package! Today's feature is a style shoot by Shadow Bear. This Alice in Wonderland look is playful and flirty and oh so fun. I'm loving this dress so very much. The color palette all together is just dreamy.

Model: Melissa Leah Novo Hair & Makeup Artist: Christina Vidal Dress: Ouma Hat: Two Back Flats Styled by: Shadowbear Photography Location: Countrywalk in Miami, FL

{For Brides} Bustle Black Label

January 13, 2011

I'm very excited about Bustle Black Label because I can see the amazing possibilities it holds for you brides out there. This service is the mixture of 3 very talented Bay Area vendors who have come together to work their magic as a whole for your wedding.

Floral Theory is a Bay Area florist that specializes in creating totally unique florals that roll with texture for a wonderful wedding day look. She has done many amazing florals one of which was for Liz's Wedding.

Next up is Bustle Events, an event design and paper company. If you are thinking against hiring a designer for your wedding, you should think again because Erin from Bustle creates some amazing designs as well as some unique paper products that will be the icing on the cake for your wedding.

Finally is Christine Taylor Photography. I have not had the chance to work with her as I have with the other two but from stalking her site and blog, it is quite clear that she is an incredibly talented photographer who will capture your day just perfectly.

You may have caught this photo shoot that was featured on Style Me Pretty a few months back. This was the amazing combination of these three vendors working together.

From experience I can say that I would love if my combination of vendors had worked together in the past and had their groove going. Undoubtably it would make the entire look even more amazing because they could work with each other to create something that compliments the other.

When you book the services of all three of these vendors, you get to take advantage of discounts on all three! So basically this service saves time and money (two things most brides don't have ample amounts of these days) and you know you are in incredibly wonderful hands. Find out more about Black Label.

Both Floral Theory and Bustle Events are listed on The Inspired List!

Happy Anniversary to Engaged & Inspired

January 12, 2011

How amazing has this year been? 2010 really was quite the year for me. I started this blog as a recent engagee looking for a place to express everything wedding and everything me. I am pretty sure I have accomplished that, wouldn't you say? I've had the chance to meet so many amazing people, and I have been able to be part of many great groups and movements all on account of making the wedding world that much better.

January was just the beginning. My first ever post was this darling DIY Treat by Once Like a Spark.

Followed by the ever popular post, 30 years ago. One that I truly love and one that I feel touches on the essence of why this blog exists.

The most amazing collection came from Vera Wang in which my obsession grew to new heights.

The engagement party was an amazing success with some of the best food of all time, best company of all time. Plus I totally LOVED my dress!

We were in the thick of planning Lizzie's Wedding, here were a few photos of her bridal shower. My cousin Cooper actually did an amazing job with the photography. We had a totally fun little shoot in the middle of the street!

Parisian Love. I love macaroons, although after 2 attempts I will say that I hate making these little treats.

These Engagement Shoot prop ideas were just glorious. Can't wait to do mine!

Now for the most viewed post in the blogs history. This one post gets over 1,000 reads a week still to this day! Dessert Love.

We ended off the glorious first half of the month with an incredible feature of Lizzie's wedding on Style Me Pretty!

After literally going through hell on my search for a wedding venue, I was finally able to find the absolutely perfect spot. Holman Ranch is such an amazing space and I can't wait for the day when I'm up there celebrating my very own day.

Next up we launched our very own vendor guide! The Inspired List started as a small site and in the past few months has grown to over 400 vendors and is increasing traffic by the day!

Joseph West Photography, one of my all time faves, shared this glorious engagement shoot with us!

After all your amazing advice, I chose my wedding bands. I love that I can post anything here and all of you will help me make decisions. :)

My bridesmaid inspiration is finally becoming a reality! We chose the dresses and all the accessories and the girls are getting ready and set to look their best for the wedding.

Finally, a few of us got together and decided to create a variety of fabric flowers, make them the bridesmaid bouquets, and then sell them to donate the money for charity! We have about 10 helps and we could use you too. :) Find out more!

My wedding looms in the near future and with less than 3 months, it is safe to say I am freaking out. It'll all be under control though. For some reason I love saving things to the end.

Thanks to everyone for reading this and for all the major support. I definitely go through my ups and downs, indecisions, and successes and failures and you are there each and every time to inspire me!

Double a million thanks to my wonderfully amazing wedding vendors. Without any of them this wedding would definitely not be the same. Some have become so close that I now couldn't imagine my wedding without them being there. I'm so excited for the group of people working together to create this amazing day and I can't wait to see you all on April 8, 2011.

Getting Healthy For The Wedding

January 11, 2011

The 3 month mark has officially passed! This means that in 2 months and 30 days.....I'll be married. :)

Weight loss is not something I need to really think about all that much, but when there is a wedding on the line, I can't help but focus on it, seeing as I'll be seeing these photos for the rest of my life. If there is any time that I have to look my best, it's my wedding. So I'll spend a moment to take an in depth approach to one of my new year's resolutions. For me, it's a balance of fitness, nutrition and flexibility.

Source: Elizabeth Messina

As far as nutrition goes, we should probably skip this so I don't totally embarrass myself. Basically I eat oatmeal and drink a lot of tea, oh and I eat tons of vegetables. Not so good for the health of my body. And when I "binge" I eat pastries. I am totally obsessed with bagels, scone, croissants. You name it, I love it. Which doesn't bode so well seeing as I pretty much work in a coffee shop for 40 hours a week. :( But this plan of action is neither healthy, nor smart, so this year I plan to change that. I'm sticking to simplicity though. Brown rice, chicken or salmon, and tons of veggies. And today, I didn't even have my normal scone!

Source

I am lucky enough to not have to worry about shedding too many pounds, but instead focus on toning and strength which will show on my wedding day. I decided that the best way to handle this problem (since weight lifting is pretty much out of the question for me) is to take Yoga. I'm just starting out, but so far I can see two things. First off, I have the worst balance/flexibility ever. And second, my body feels amazing after this type of a work out. I am already getting more toned and stretching parts of my body that I never even knew existed before! It is also a totally amazing way for me to shed the stress of my day to day life and the added stress of wedding planning and take a moment to focus on myself. So basically, I'm totally obsessed with yoga. Totally.

Green Wedding Shoes

Lastly and the final component to my personal program is bike riding. Again, totally obsessed. The winter is definitely my off season because it is so darn cold, but I highly enjoy biking as soon as it gets above 70. Instead of going on bike rides every week, I let my car sit in the driveway and take the bike instead. I bike during short errands and to and from Peets. I even bike to Ian's dad's house every Sunday (which is about an hour ride) instead of driving. This totally burns fat and creates muscle at the same time.

I can't say that I am 100% at following this little program of mine, but when I do, I can tell. So for the next 3 months (and hopefully longer) I am going to focus my hardest on doing all of the above. Will it work? I guess we will find out when I see my wedding photos!

Being Creative AND Giving Back. {Perfect Combo}

January 10, 2011

I've got some pretty exciting news. Steph Bubble, Alicia from Charity Wedding, Jenna from Heart Carry Press and I got together with an awesome idea which we are now opening up to all you brides, Wedding Bloggers, Twitter Peeps, etc. Basically anyone!

THE PROPOSITION:

Each of us will contribute as many fabric flowers as we can. These will be in all different colors and patterns, all different types of flowers, etc. After receiving all the flowers, I will create 7 bouquets (Honestly, if we get a ton of people to help with this, we could potentially create 10-20 bouquets that could all be sold with money donated to charity. It's up to us how much we want to give back!)

THE RESULT:

After the wedding I'll put these on Etsy and sell them. We will choose a charity and donate all the proceeds from the bouquets to that charity.

If you are interested in contributing to this send me an e-mail allison@engagedandinspired.com. I'll then send everyone an e-mail with more info, tutorials, fabric ideas, etc. etc. to make it super easy for you to contribute!

{Goals and Non-Goals} My Year Is About To Begin

December 30, 2010

I've been taking this new year pretty seriously in terms of goals, purposes and life itself. But I can't help look back on 2010 with a big fat smile seeing as it was one of the best years of my life. By the end of 2010 I can officially say I that I am happy, which sad as it may be, was something I could never truly say in the years before. So without further ado, here is my list of what I plan to accomplish in the next 365 days.

Source: The Inspired List

1. Make The Inspired List the most amazing vendor guide that helps thousands of brides on their big day.

2. Continue to be a writer and don't ever give that up for a 9-5.

3. Marry the man that I have been in love with since I was about 13 years old.

4. Travel the world like never before.

5. Make a little time for Vegas :)

6. Expand and grow with Engaged & Inspired and continue to inspire and be inspired by all that the wedding world has to offier.

7. Continue saving like a crazy person and continue to have zero debt to anyone.

8. Comment more on blogs. I always mean to and I want to show my love so this year I'm making time for that.

9. Buy my Lexus. (This one I can't wait for!)

10. End the year with little Reaghan in my belly.

Source: The Inspired List

As I said eariler, 2010 was the best year ever, so here are my non-goals courtesy of Design Love Fest.

1. You started Engaged & Inspired this year. Best decision ever. Keep that going like never before.

2. In October 2010 you left corporate america for the luxurious life of working more hours, pouring your heart and soul into your work and proving yourself as a writer and inspiring people for a living. Don't ever stop.

3. You've never been afraid to work like a crazy person and that is admirable. This year don't trade work discipline for anything else because that is what got you where you are now. Never stop proving to yourself and everyone else that you can do the impossible.

4. In 2010 you traveled more than ever. Good job on that. There is nothing wrong with seeing the world.

5. You tried your hand at home decor. And so far, it has paid off. Create an inspiring and fun space to be a part of.

6. You weren't such a drama queen.

7. In 2010 you sacrificed things you didn't really need anyway in exchange for discipline in saving money and staying out of debt all together. Keep that going and never go back.

8. You made your own life go right because you were in charge 100%. Way to stay grounded and true to you.