Surprise! A new look for Sincerely, Ginger.

Today I got my final logo proof from Juliet Jones (aka my new BFF) and it looked so stinking amazing that I have decided to re-work my whole launch. Details tomorrow, but for now just enjoy the beauty above....

 

UPDATE: Good morning, lovelies! As you can tell, I got pretty excited to see my final logo yesterday. I joked about Juliet being my new bestie, but truly honestly I wish I could just hug her. I hired her knowing how beautiful her work was, but feeling pretty anxious and vague about the concept I wanted. Not only was she so open to my ideas, but she made them better than I expected. We're still working on a few final touch-ups, but you guys, Sincerely, Ginger is coming to life. And it's better than I imagined.

 

 

 

So in honor of being way too excited, not being able to keep anything mysterious or build any type of excitement or hype around anything as a blogger, I'm going to launch my new site early. It's going to be a "soft launch", meaning that I'm going to switch over my blog to my new domain sincerelyginger.com, and start using the new business name. This blog will reroute to the new domain so expect to be redirected! Hopefully monday. :)

 

I can't wait to share all about the little strawberry, it's significance, and the big story behind the name and why it's so important to me. The small version is that it's my heart & soul in the form of a business. I've spent a lot of time thinking through each little aspect of my brand. By the time it's finished, it's going to be big. I decided early on that I was never going to enter this field and be mediocre. Average isn't for me. If I'm going to do something, I do it full out. It's the reason I've been putting off an official launch for so long! I didn't want to start until everything was just right.

 

True love is a big deal. Celebrating marriage is important. There is no way I am going to settle for a so-so planning experience. It has to be amazing, filled with joy, trust, inspiration and encouragement. It needs to be beautiful, better than you'd expect- but somehow exactly what you'd hoped for. Weddings are a big deal. Being a part of the journey to marriage, at least for me, is sacred. It's exhilirating, exciting, and really FUN. Sincerely, Ginger was inspired by natural light, summers along the coast of Lake Michigan, locally sourced & farm fresh food, love letters, putting a spin on tradition, the first blooms of spring, soft & romantic color palettes, gorgeous calligraphy, and of course... a little bit of sparkle. It's a blend of meaningful and beautiful, just like a wedding.

 

I don't have it all figured out. I'm still working on branding, designing a website and building an office with limited time and a super limited budget. It's worth it though. Some days I wonder if I should just let the business go. I would have more money, more time with my husband and baby (once he gets here), less stress. I could just work my part time job at the flower shop! But then my heart sinks and I think about my long term goals and why they are important to me in the first place.

 

By planning and designing weddings, I'm fulfilling my calling. My business is worth the time I'm spending right now figuring it all out. Eventually it will get easier and I won't be working 60 hours a week, pregnant, juggling 3 jobs. We won't always be sharing one car, sacrificing food for sleep. I won't be at my full time job forever (even though it feels like it some days). There is a brighter future ahead. It's closer than I realize. So that is why I'm not wasting any time on getting the elements of my brand in place. I'm doing this my own way, taking physical steps to make what matters happen.

 

Thank you so much for reading and sharing with my in my journey! I can't wait to show you the rest of what I've been working so hard on. Juliet, thank you a million times for the thought and care you put into designing my visual brand. It's simply perfect. Current & past couples, you keep the heart of my business beating. You inspire me daily, and seeing your wedding day come together makes my heart sing. So much love!

 

 

Sincerely,

 

Rachel

April Goals & Checking in on 2013

It's the first of April. Spring is in the air (well, not really in Traverse City). The first quarter 2013 is behind us and life is moving us so quickly towards summer. As cliche as it is, life moves pretty fast. I wanted to pause today and not only hold myself accountable for my monthly goals but revisit the letter I wrote to my future self back in January.

via

 

Just reading the letter makes me feel so happy. These days haven't been easy, in fact I'm struggling a lot with the transition into a new job and an entirely new way of living in anticipation of a baby. But I do know that keeping focus on what truly matters, having faith that things will come through and working hard pay off. I can't wait to see what the rest of the year brings.

Here were my goals for the month of March. It's been a good month overall.

1. Finish outlining business plan & client experience This isn't fully done, but I got a huge jump on it and the outline is almost finished. Client experience is "finished" but I know as I use the outline I will want to change things.
2. Finish logo & collateral design! (!!!) Working with my designer on this. I made some final decisions and now I'm just waiting for the final proofs. Counting it! Next up, translating the logo and illustration to print materials. Yay!
3. File paperwork (LLC, bank stuff, Maternity leave, etc) Boring stuff, but it's done!
4. Check 3 more things off the baby list. All set for cord blood donation, placenta encapsulation, and I've started taking my natural childbirth education class. Oh, also found a pediatrician & am researching childcare this week! Getting so excited the arrival of baby Mo.
5. Read 7 Habits of Highly Effective People for the book club! Well... I have to say that my reading time has been encompassed by baby books this month. I read some here & there, but in April I want to make more of a priority of participating in the discussions.
6. Re-organize our pantry As a last-ditch effort Isaiah and I did this yesterday. It was exhausting, but we deep cleaned and organized our whole pantry, and also cleaned out our fridge & freezer. Happy Easter?
7. Finish designing website structure & wording I have to say that I love my website. It's simple, not overdone, and you can probably definitely tell that I made it myself. But it does look professional. Now I'm just waiting to place portfolio images. :)
8. Contact vendors for my brand inspiration shoot! This didn't happen. I think I'm procrastinating because I already have a handful of vendors who want to participate, but I'm afraid of asking more people to get involved. The worst they can say is no. That's what I have to remember. Next month!

In April, I'm going to continue to focus on preparation for the next season. Lots of house cleaning & organizing, reading, and general nesting. Only 2 months left before life changes radically! I was so inspired by Emily and her daily habits list. I recently started using Lara's powersheets and am still figuring out the best way to use them. I can already tell I will love the tending list. There's something about goal setting and tracking that makes me feel awesome. Continually setting goals is so important to me. It helps me feel on track and like I'm living with purpose. I'm going to be doing a separate post about daily goals and habit forming soon! If you haven't, check out Zen Habits. I really like his tips on habit forming and sustainability.

patiently preparing for this.

April Goals

1. Implement daily habit system & tending list
2. Finish building and installing office furniture
3. Read 3 books (I'm thinking Finding Greatness by Brene Brown, Strengths Finder 2.0 & Happiest Baby on the Block)
4. Continue working on business plan with a focus on work flow & client experience
5. Exercise 2-3x per week (yoga, walking or swimming)
6. Interview potential childcare options
7. Start preparing post-partum meals to freeze
8. Organize post-partum exercise & meal plan in a new binder.
9. Start sprouting seeds for our herb garden. This is a long shot!

Spring brings it's own kind of freshness. I've always been a fan of spring cleaning. I love opening the windows and going for my first bike ride of the season. Easter is a time to celebrate renewal and grace. How amazing to give ourselves that gift this Easter.

 

What are your goals this month?

The Case for Creating a Beautiful Life

I've been using this shampoo for the past month that I used for an entire summer when I lived in Connecticut. It's nothing special, just an Herbal Essences brand moisturizing shampoo. When I bought it I had forgotten it was the one I used while I was living out east. Surely enough, the moment those suds started forming the smell of the shampoo brought be back to my 20 year old self, living in a little cabin by the ocean. The fragrance was an instant reminder of what life felt like during those months.

 

Do you have experiences like that? I seem to have them quite often. Certain songs, foods, smells or actions make me feel so nostalgic. It's like magic. In high school I was a devout follower of the band Brand New... I always feel like a 10th grader again when I hear those songs. It's little things like the soundtrack to a favorite movie or your grandma's famous rhubarb pie that make memories. For me at least, I rarely think back to a big project I was working on or anything like that as the timestamp to a certain period of life. It's the little things.

 

flowers from here.

 

Upon realizing this in a deeper way, and understanding it rather than just experiencing it, I've decided to be more intentional about the little things in my life. As a wedding planner & designer, my job is to make things beautiful, and to give a sense of peace, belonging and encouragement to my clients. It's a goal of mine to inspire the couples I work with to love better. What an amazing calling. It's an important job to do. Of course there are the parts that aren't so glamorous (I spend a lot of time with my 3-hole puncher and excel spreadsheets), but styling flowers, being thoughtful about the tiniest details like what kind of champagne to serve for the toast and what music to play... those things are important. It's what they'll remember when the think of their wedding day.

 

I'm going to start sending a "sensory" anniversary gift to my clients. You might think I'm totally weird by this point. But how amazing would it be to be gifted a candle that smells just like your wedding night or cupcakes in the same exact flavor. It's the little things guys. Sincerely, Ginger is all about an experience. I want my clients to know how truly unique and special they are, and it starts from the moment we start our journey together and lasts long after their first anniversary. I'm so pumped about this new development!

 

An easy way to do this for your wedding day is to choose a special new perfume. You can even keep using it on your honeymoon and in your first few weeks of marriage. I guarantee if you stop using it and revisit the scent months later it'll bring back so many feelings of your big day. Like magic.

 

Personally, I want to be more intentional about the small things in my life. A phrase I always come back to is "if something matters to you, cultivate it". I think I'll work on weekly lilacs in my office this spring. :)

 

 This post turned into something different that I originally thought it would, it's a little more scattered. But what it really boils down to is this. Cultivate small, sensory habits. Cultivate a beautiful life filled with things that give your life meaning. Not only will you be working towards your ideal day, but looking back you'll see that you've been living your ideal life.

Branding Inspiration for Sincerely, Ginger Weddings & Events



Good afternoon, everyone! As you probably know, I've been working mega-hard on branding my business under my new name, Sincerely, Ginger Weddings & Events! The name fits me and my personal brand perfectly, and it's so important that visually that's represented. In my last post I talked about finding inspiration, and here I wanted to share more specifically how I was doing that for this huge project I'm working on. As Lara said in the webinar I attended, "A brand is not your logo!". I couldn't agree more.

 

I'm aiming to showcase who I am, and what I can offer brides as a wedding planner & designer. A logo is just part of that equation. Colors, images & how you write are just three little pieces of the equation. There's lots to thing about!

 

Sincerely, Ginger is about love. It's about appreciating and celebrating the little things that make life so special. Once I understood this, everything became more clear. I plan weddings in little Traverse City, Michigan to bring real love to the forefront of our daily lives, and I do it beautifully! I'm so proud to be able to do that for my clients.

Images sourced on my Pinterest Board

 

Here's a little snippet of my brand inspiration board. Before I even got to this place, I wrote my story. I thought about my grandma Ginger and what matters most to me. From there, I honestly just started pinning images that stood out to me, things that I evoked the feeling I wanted brides to feel when they're first introduced to me & my brand. Miraculously, a cohesive board came together... and I was like "this is the best thing ever". Looking at these images makes my heart burst.

 

Friendship, love, lightness, anticipation. Big smiles, happy hearts. Soft colors and big bold blooms screaming with color. Those peach juliet garden roses get me every time. :) I asked a few people for feedback about the board. I heard things like, "it's so YOU", and words like happy, feminine, inviting, pretty & pink. I think I got it right. Celebrate with me?

 

I could have probably made a smaller board to make it more aesthetically pleasing on the blog, but I didn't want to leave anything out. :) I can't wait to tell you all about who I hired to design my logo. She's pretty much the coolest, and I know she'll do a great job with such an important task. Because even though your logo isn't your brand, it IS a big part of it!

What do you think?

On Finding Inspiration as a Wedding Designer

In the past few weeks I've had the privilege of creating design boards for a few of my clients. In doing this I've realized how much the process of gathering inspiration, organizing it, piecing out details and finally presenting it to my clients truly does fire me up! Each stage has been so much fun for me. Color palettes, big blooming florals, perfect paper products... be still my little wedding planner heart.

 

via

I wanted to chat a little bit about where I find inspiration. Obviously Pinterest is great. I know for a fact I'm not the only one who spends hours browsing through boards and organizing images to my liking. I'm also a pretty big fan of tumblr, which is where I save images that I'm going to use for this blog. Of course, there are other blogs out there that are regular reads. From fellow event planners & designers to Once Wed, 100 Layer Cake, Style Me Pretty and you name it, I check them almost daily. Photographers are a great source of inspiration for my work too. Rylee Hitchner, Jose Villa, & Tec Petaja are easily my top three.

 

Most of the time, though- I need to get offline to find authentic inspiration. I get inspired when my husband and I take time for dates- away from our iPhones and other distractions. Relationships fire me up. Real conversation spurs real creativity.

 

I like books and magazines that I can hold in my hands. Exercise clears my mind, especially when I'm outside. A good hike in the woods does wonders for my creativity muscle. Relaxing is vital for me, especially when I take the time to do it right. A bubble bath and a good night's rest leaves me restored for the next day. And everyone knows that the best ideas are concocted in the shower!

 

Stories inspire me to get inspired. I love hearing love stories. I like telling my own. More often than not, clients inspire me with their own ideas.

 

Flowers get me fired up. The colors, textures and endless arrangements and opportunities. I also enjoy grocery shopping, my favorite is Oryana (our local co-op) or the farmers market in the summer. Picking and choosing fruits, vegetables and flowers season to season is a blast for me. (Note to self... peonies are coming soon!)

 

So essentially that's the first stage. Meeting with clients, hearing their ideas, getting out and about in the world to gather authentic inspiration. Once I do that it's easier to refine my ideas and source images to put together a cohesive design board, that's where pinterest comes into play for me. How do you do things? Where do you find your best sources of inspiration?

xoxo

Rachel

Guest Post on I Love Farm Weddings

Today you can find a guest post by yours truly over on I Love Farm Weddings! Emily runs this super cute blog that I was immediately in love with the first time I saw it. We connected throught Making Things Happen- I love how Lara and MTH movement bonds people in such a unique way.

 

I had so much fun writing about how to incorporate feminine elegance into a rustic setting. This is essentially my style preference for weddings. In Traverse City we have a ton of beautiful, rustic settings for events that I just love! Wineries, barms, farms... my favorite. Down to earth and they lend to so many design styles. Check out my post here!

Here's a little teaser from my inspiration board...

Image by Jose Villa, Styling by Easton Events as seen on Once Wed

Thanks again for having me, Emily! :)