Today, I thought we’d take a little look at Heart Love Weddings, then and now. Or, rather, bWed Exclusive then, and Heart Love Weddings now. :)

bWed Exclusive had been in the works for a while, but officially took its name on January 1, 2010. The name was a play on words in two ways. bWed when said aloud was be wed, which is what we ultimately like to see couples be. Wed, that is. The B was also a lovely coincidental representation of my last name, which also begins with a B. Nine months after bWed took its name, it went live on the world wide web on September 1st. It looked a little like this:

(Ironic that the one and only screenshot I have saved of the old blog is previewing the new one. Ha!)

The first post I ever wrote for the blog was titled “The Katherine Heigl Happy Dance.” And I thought it was the bees knees. Looking back, it really was just okay. I am my own worst critic, I know. I’m happy though that I have this post to look back on. It reminds me of how far I’ve come, and how far I still have yet to go. I’m happy with the way my writing style has improved in the last year. I like to think it’s what every writer strives for: to write better than the day before. So that is what I do.

The lovely Adger of Sealed With Appeal designed all of bWed Exclusive’s collateral. Pretty notecards with matching opalescent envelopes (they sparkled) and  stickers with our signature letter B. My business cards were printed locally on heavy glossed paper; and the little purple swirl favor bags were a Michael’s find. It was totally fun and I loved every single piece.

I talked a bit ago about how I came to the realization that bWed Exclusive was just not me. Thus, my journey with Lara Casey and Emily Ley of Making Brands Happen began. Heart Love Weddings was born just a few weeks later. (Read more about our new name here.) And on July 20th, my wings were set free. Styled by Emily Ley and designed by Cathy Olson of Love-Inspired. It’s much more me, don’t you think?

Our new, fancy schmancy collateral was designed by the incredible Emily Ley. Beautiful notecards with matching opalescent envelopes (because I still dig all things sparkly) and über flashy letterpress business cards. Our signature heart stickers and pretty, pretty mailing labels (which look fabulous on our white mailing envelopes) were designed by Adger (Sealed With Appeal). The little favor bags were once again found at Michael’s. And the chocolate kisses are because, well, everyone loves chocolate! (What did you think went into those little favor bags anyway?)

We’ve come such a long way from a year ago. And I couldn’t be more excited for what’s ahead! I hope you’ve enjoyed our little trek down my memory lane! After this, bWed Exclusive is officially put to rest. There is nothing but Heart Love and Weddings in our future! :)

Happy Tuesday!

xoxo

*Photos of collateral taken by Karin Beauregard

Can you believe that one year ago yesterday we launched this lovely little blog of love stories? What a year it has been! My how things have changed…

We launched bWed Exclusive on September 1, 2010 to many a happy dance by yours truly. And while I was thrilled, overjoyed and ecstatic to be doing something I loved in an industry I loved equally as much, I was unfulfilled. Not a realization I came to easily or even right away.

In December, my parents gifted me the opportunity to attend Making Things Happen: Watercolor. It couldn’t have come at a better time. I felt like I was at a standstill with my business and fully believed this workshop would propel me forward and out of my rut. But Making Things Happen is as much about you as a professional as it is about you as a person. It’s about all the pieces of who you were then, who you are now, and who you will become. It’s about feeling the fear and doing things anyway.

via Making Things Happen

That weekend was magical. The women I shared that weekend with were inspirational. The two of them combined completely changed my life. As I boarded the plane headed for home, my eyes were wide open. Something I don’t do on takeoffs and landings because I HATE heights. But my eyes were open. So was my heart. They stayed that way for about a month. And then everything came crashing down. My website was stuck, my web designer/coder had left me high and dry. My business, my dream was crumbling. My heart was broken in more ways than one.

I called Emily Ley on a whim. I’d followed her blog for months before meeting her at Making Things Happen. She’d always inspired me. So I called her. She listened, she understood, she told me to take a really deep breath. She told me I was poised to take my blog to the next level, that I had everything I needed, but that my vision needed some fine tuning. She sent me information on Making Brands Happen, something she and Lara Casey had created from Making Things Happen.

I had to think about it. It was a big investment. It was a risk. It was a scary jump. But I did it anyway. Why? Because my dream deserves the best. And so do I.

For weeks and weeks I worked with Emily and Lara. We tore everything apart, started fresh, and built everything back up. bWed Exclusive became Heart Love Weddings within a week of my first phone call with Lara. (I breakdown the reasons behind the name in a post here.) And remember that unfulfilled feeling I said I hadn’t realized I had? This was the moment I realized that was what I had been feeling. The name driving my business, my dream, me; wasn’t me at all. But this… Heart Love Weddings… was.

I get warm fuzzies every time I look at this. It’s a beautiful thing isn’t it?

Created by Emily Ley of Making Brands Happen

Emily and Lara are incredible. There is no other word to describe these two indescribable women. My journey with them was long, challenging, tiring, overwhelming, inspiring, joyful, happy-dance-happening, and at times frustrating. But it was so so so worth it. Every damn minute. They challenged and inspired me to do things I didn’t know I was capable of. They helped me realize that I am capable of all this and much, much more. Lara and Emily, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. Thank you for everything you did, your hard work, your endless emails and over the phone chats, your pep talks, your happy dances, and more. Thank you for driving me to be better, to reach for excellence and not perfection, and to do all of this with grace.

via Emily Ley

The weeks of blood, sweat, tears, brainstorming and dreaming were brought to life by the talented hands of Cathy Olson of Love Inspired. She took my ideas, my brainstorms, my crappy sketches, my dreams and created my new reality. She gave me the car to drive my content to the moon and beyond. You will never know how much it means to me. Thank you for all of your creativity, the endless drafts, the minor corrections, the pep talks, and every second of hard work you poured into this project.

You three took my heart and gave it wings. And there is nothing I believe in more than that. More than this.

On July 20, 2011, we launched Heart Love Weddings. It was everything I ever dreamed of and more. And there is no way I’m stopping now!

Photo by Gina Zeidler (Thank you for this freeing moment captured, G!)

From a book, I picked up in Watercolor, during the Making Things Happen intensive:

The Start of Something Good

The start to a better world, or a better life, or a better future is simply our belief that it is possible. The thoughts in these pages are inspiring and affirming, especially in difficult times. They remind us that self-confidence can work wonders, but mutual confidence can work miracles. Perhaps Tiffany Loren Rowe says it best: No matter what kind of challenge lies before you, “if somebody believes in you, and you believe in your dream, it can happen.”

And it can. If this is what one year brings… I can’t wait to see what comes of the next!

Happy Birthday bWed Exclusive Heart Love Weddings!

xoxo

So in case you haven’t noticed, there is a new author around these parts. I’m finally coming out from behind the scenes and sharing a little bit about myself. I’m Karin, Alexandra’s mom and biggest supporter, cheerleader, researcher and handy dandy assistant. Since we wanted to share a little about the heart behind Heart Love Weddings, here is my story.

{My Other Hat} My day job for the last almost 30 years has been working with my husband as a tax accountant and small business consultant. Yes, I work with my husband 24/7/365. He takes a lot of heat for it on the golf course. Not me. Don’t know why he does. When we married, we wanted to have a business where we could both be available for children when they arrived. When one did arrive, we shared the task of taking care of her and our day job. My heart just melts at all the things my husband had the opportunity to do. He did all the things that I couldn’t seem to do with her like grocery shop, take her on the BIG slide in the park, read stories with funny voices and bike rides. We did the working from home mom AND dad thing before it was in vogue.

{I Live to Organize} I love to be organized. I NEED to be organized. It is a battle sometimes and in certain areas. My husband is not. However, I think it works that way. I actually don’t think we’d get along very well if he was as obsessed with it as I am. I just know that it saves time, saves money, keeps me sane and prevents meltdowns. I really hate that some people think I am weird because I am neat and organized. Why is this a fault? I think they are just jealous. I am proud that on any given day and at any given time, I am not embarrassed for visitors to stop by my home.

{I am the Internet Queen} In our house, that is my name. Whatever did I do before the internet? Oh yeah, duh, the library or Barnes and Noble. I am a reader, a prober, knowledge sponge, researcher, and the queen of questions. As an only child, books were my best friends. I would go weekly to the library and would get 10 or more books. I passed that love of reading down to Alexandra, starting her in the womb. I have been known to read 2-3 books at a time – fiction, business, motivational, etc. The internet has opened so many opportunities to do research and read rather than having to run to the library. We joke in our house that I’ve been to the end of the internet a couple of times. I miss the library and on occasion will wander into my local one just to smell the old books and browse.

{Photography} I love to take pictures! My husband and I used to take a lot when we were first dating. We submitted to local competitions and won a few awards even. We also had a darkroom where we processed and printed black and white prints. Over the years, we got away from the artsy fartsy photos and concentrated on the baby and growing up years. Scrapbooking ensued. Now, I’ve gone back to taking more photos with an emphasis on creativity and learning more technique. With all the new technology, opportunities abound.

{Betty Crocker} I do love to cook, it’s the planning that I hate. So many times I get so caught up in my work day that I don’t think ahead enough and then am faced with the dilemma of “What’s for dinner?” I really need to plan that better. You would think that since I like to plan everything else I would do that better, but no. Someday though.

{Paper Products} Yes, Alexandra and I both love paper. Office supplies, stationery, pens, pencils, etc. are my best friends. Right next to books.

{Bucket List} I want to take a letterpress class, a calligraphy class, and go zip lining. I want to travel and see the Grand Canyon, Hawaii, Victoria and British Columbia, Paris, England, Scotland and Norway. I will get there. One day.

{My Outlook on Life} I’d like to think I am a positive person. I believe in positive imagery and love to read motivational books. Norman Vincent Peale is one of my heros and “The Power of Positive Thinking” is one of my favorite books. I believe in prayer and in God. They are my rock when things go wrong and my joy when things go right. I try to express gratefulness and thankfulness every day even when I can’t see it.

{In 10 years,} I have a secret dream to take a workshop from one of the many super talented wedding photographers out there, sit at their knee and soak up as much as I possibly can. Guess it’s not a secret anymore, huh? I want to volunteer at a local hospital as a Baby Buddy and rock those sweet babies that are too little to go home yet. I’d be really good at that. I am so looking forward to grandchildren. :)

And because Heart Love Weddings is all about the love story, here is mine…

Ours is a little unique… aren’t they all? But here’s the thing… my husband never actually proposed! Didn’t say the words. Nada. It’s all a misunderstanding. Just kidding. Here’s how it goes… we met when I was 16. He was 23 almost 24. We were partners in a lifesaving class. The minute I saw him, cupid struck and I knew he was the one I would marry. Yes, really. For the next two years, I only knew what he was up to from his sister who I went to high school with. I never spoke to him, but found out that he almost proposed to some other girl during that time.

The summer I graduated from high school, we both worked at a local amusement park and on July 7th, 1977 (that’s 7/7/77), he asked me out on a date. My horoscope for that day said I would meet my true love. How very true it was. I wasn’t too sure that my parents would approve of me dating an older man so that summer, my “boyfriend” aged 4 years with each date so that they could get accustomed to his age.

Fast forward a few years to January 1980, and my husband faced a major surgery that he struggled with for many months. The decision weighed heavily on his mind to the point that two weeks before he had the surgery, we broke up. The surgery that he had was to intentionally break his jaw as the final step for aligning his teeth along with braces. This was the culmination of a four year process. I was very distraught and really wanted to know how he was doing in the hospital.  Despite the fact that we were technically broken up, I had to see him. After pacing for two days, I finally decided to go. What a sight when I walked in! I saw a man that looked like he’d been hit by a bus and wearing strained peas. (Yes, wearing.) But it was so good to see his face – what I could see of it. We hand signaled for a bit and I left, content that he was at least doing okay. He was in the hospital for 10 days and apparently had a lot of time to think.

I arrived home one evening and much to my surprise found his car in my parent’s driveway. I had NO idea why that would have been. I found everybody sitting around the kitchen table. My husband gesturing, my parents trying to understand. He pointed for me to sit down and close my eyes. Now just to clarify, my birthday is the day after Valentine’s Day, so I thought maybe he was giving me a card as a token of our friendship. He tapped me on the shoulder and I opened my eyes to, sure enough, find not one but two cards. First, a Valentine’s Day card, then a birthday card, and behind that a little box. Again, I had no idea what to think. None. I opened the box and there, nestled inside, was a ring. A diamond with two gemstones on either side. A ruby (for his birth month – July) and an amethyst (for my birth month – February). Now remember, he can’t say a word (his mouth was wired shut from the surgery) and so due to the uniqueness of the setting, my first words were, “Is this a friendship ring?”, popular in the late 70’s and early 80’s. He then shook his head no and I looked at him and said, “No, wait. Is this… are you sure?” With a twinkle in his eye, he nodded.

Here we are, 30 years later, married. Still under the assumption that his eyes and only his eyes, asked me to marry him. I think it’s safe to say I assumed correctly. ;)

Do we have something in common? Give me a shout in the comments below! Or on Twitter! I’m new and you can follow me here! I can’t wait to connect with you!

xoxo

Hello! I thought we’d take a little look around the Inspiration Studio today! Join me, won’t you? Just click this link (which will open the studio in a new window) and follow along with me!

The Inspiration Studio is your source for all things weddings… all things to whet your inspirational appetites… and the complete galleries of each of our real wedding features. The Studio is broken down into three, easy-to-use parts: search, pages, and tags.

{Search} Here, you can type in and search for any wedding related item or “tag” NOT already listed with the other tags below. For example, say you are looking for some boutonniere inspiration? Boutonnieres is not a tag found amongst the others. Simply because it can be found under the bigger category of florals. But, say you don’t want to browse the two dozen pages devoted to all floral arrangements? You don’t have to. Simply type “boutonnieres” into the search box and… voilá! Boutonnieres!

{Pages} If you want to be a little more casual with your search for inspiration, feel free to stroll through our many pages of wedding inspiration. It flows from past wedding features to current and new ones. Feel free to jump ahead, jump around, or even go in order. There’s lot of goodness to see and more added every week!

{Tags} For those of you not familiar with the techie side of blogs, all photos have tags. There are main tags (like the ones you see on the bottom half of the Inspiration Studio) and sub-tags (the ones you can search for). Our main tags are broken down into five categories: colors, details, styles, essentials, and venues. Each one is clickable and will allow you visual access to all photos tagged as such. For example, clicking on red will bring up all red inspired wedding photos.

{Up Close & Personal} If you want to see a photo, only bigger, simply click on the thumbnail to enlarge it.

{One More Thing} You may have noticed (and even clicked on) this little guy in one of our recent real wedding features like this one. This allows you to view the complete gallery for each of the weddings we feature in one place (see the photo below).

So, what do you think of our little Inspiration Studio? Have any questions, comments, or requests? We are always looking to make things better for you, so let us know in the comments below!

Happy Tuesday!

xoxo

Hi there! Since I’ve been writing and caring for the blog for almost a year now (the first 10 months as bWed Exclusive, now Heart Love Weddings), I thought it was high-time I shared a little bit about myself. I hope you’ll grab your favorite beverage of choice, and stick around for a bit to chat! I’d love to get to know you right back! :)

{I could live off of mac n’ cheese, sushi, and cupcakes.} Just not all at once. Yuck! When I was younger, I could eat my weight in Velveeta. I tried it just about a year ago and thought it was gross. Give me homemade, Kraft (the blue box), or Annie’s any day. I order Alaska Maki and Philadelphia rolls whenever I go for sushi. I then smother each piece with wasabi (clears the sinuses) and pickled ginger. Yum! As for cupcakes? Anytime. Anywhere. I’m there. Raspberry lemonade, Starbucks caramel frappuccinos, and Panera Bread iced green tea are my go-to drinks of choice. I am also a Fiji water snob. (Thanks Gina!)

{High Fructose Corn Syrup is my mortal enemy.} No, really. I’m allergic to corn (which is in EVERYTHING by the way), celery, carrots, peanuts, and almonds. It was a sad day when I said goodbye to popcorn, corn on the cob, and PB&J sandwiches. And while I’m no longer sick 24/7/365, I still miss them terribly. The smell of popcorn at the movie theaters has been known to make me tear up on occasion. And periodically I ask friends to enjoy a PB&J sandwich for me just so I can hear how insanely amazing it was.

{I have a serious addiction to office supplies.} Places like Staples, Office Max, Office Depot, even the office supply aisle in Target are like heaven on earth to me. I could spend hours and hours wandering the aisles, oohing and aahing over the pens, the paper, the paper clips, the post its… I can’t help it! There’s just so many and they’re always so stinkin’ cute!

{I am a neat freak.} Some say it’s wrong to be as organized as I am. But I can honestly find anything in my office in the amount of time it takes you to snap your fingers. I’m proud of that fact. The reason why I’m such a neat freak, not so much. My mom read a book to me as a young girl called Sally’s Room (by M.K. Brown). It was about a little girl with an incredibly (I mean astronomically) messy room. One day, the room got fed up with the mess and followed. her. to. school. My mom never once had to ask me to clean my room after that book as I was petrified it would actually happen. Follow me that is. To school.

{I have to put pen to paper.} I cannot write a post or anything really without writing it all out on paper first. It just doesn’t work for me otherwise. Believe me, I’ve tried. I guess I’m really a writer at heart. I love the feel of putting pen to paper. It’s probably why I’m always fully stocked on my favorite pens, notebooks, lined paper, and Moleskines. Which just fuels my office supply addiction. I’m shooting for a rainbow of Moleskines one of these days.

{Laundry vs. Vacuuming} I would rather do 100 loads of laundry every day than ever pick up a vacuum cleaner. Heck, I’ll do dishes every day and night if it means I didn’t have to go near the thing. I abhor vacuuming. I love doing laundry. I sense a compromise in my marriage some day.

{I am directionally challenged.} As my dad so eloquently put it, “I can’t find my way out of a paper bag.” I’m not really that bad… or maybe its just that I’ve gotten better. I still don’t go anywhere without the GPS though. Her name is Izzie. And now that I’ve become accustomed to reading street signs, following highway signs, and recognizing landmarks, Izzie and I argue constantly. She has this inherent ability to always take you on the scenic route. I don’t do scenic routes.

{I saw my dream wedding when I was six years old.} And I remember every detail. The bride wore a strapless gown and no shoes. (You try walking on the beach in high heels. Impossible.) The groom wore a white button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Surrounded by only close friends and family, they said their vows in a heart made of seashells and candles. And as the sun set, the groom took his new bride by the hand. He led her right into the waves, spun her once, dipped her back, and kissed her like he would for the next fifty years. My heart still does somersaults thinking about it today.

{I have the sweetest, cutest, bestest pups in the world.} While we’ve had five family dogs in my lifetime so far, I remember three of them the best. Nike (named after the Goddess of Victory, not the shoe) came to us on a plane from Virginia when she was just a couple months old. She was known for opening slider doors, locking my dad out of the house, and burping (I’m serious). She’s the cutie pie giving me kisses in the photo below and she is very dearly missed. Zeva (named after the kick-butt lead female in NCIS) is Mommy’s girl. She is completely and 100% attached to my mom. She thinks she’s a lapdog and hates people food. She honestly spits out whatever we give her. It’s quite humorous. Last, but certainly not least, is the newest member of the family, Piper! She’s honestly the sweetest pup in the entire world. Even if she does have an issue with bladder control… She adores anything that squeaks (although the best toy is honestly a plastic cup or bottle) and LOVES to check herself out in the mirror.

{In 10 years,} I hope I’ll be married to the love of my life (having had my dream wedding on the beautiful South Seas Island Resort). We will have one beautiful, healthy baby with thoughts of a second one on the way. I want to live in a house with a big front porch so I can have the porch swing I’ve always wanted, a hammock in the backyard, and a cute little pup to chase around. I’ll be working hard at the job I dreamed about, made happen, and love to pieces; this one. In a nutshell though, I want to be happy, healthy, and in love. That’s all. Simple is beautiful, for me.

Remember, I want to get to know you too! So, introduce yourself in the comments below!

xoxo

All photos by Gina Zeidler

Photo of Piper by me

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet.”

William Shakespeare

You might be wondering why Heart Love Weddings? It’s quite simple really… and can be broken down into three equal parts.

{Heart} The heart is me. I am the heart of Heart Love Weddings. It started as a nickname from the girls in my Making Things Happen: Watercolor class. They were able to see in just a few hours what I should have realized years and years ago. I am all heart. I put my heart and soul into everything I do. And I always wear my heart on my sleeve. I even have a pair of pave heart stud earrings that the girls at MTH believe represent me perfectly. They were right. Sparkly hearts have my name all over them. :)

When I got started on my journey with Making Brands Happen with Lara Casey and Emily Ley, I expressed wanting to put even more of me (and my heart) into my work and the blog than I had ever done before. While everything I do for the blog comes from my heart, I will, from time to time, post little heart to hearts or love notes from me to you on a variety of topics. It’ll be fabulous and so much fun, you’ll see!

{Love} Here at Heart Love Weddings we are all about love stories. I have always been a sucker for romance and love. Each of our features are detailed accounts of the couple’s love story and how they wove that love into the details of their wedding day. We love that our readers all get involved with the story. We love that our readers are inspired to spend time with the couple, get to know them rather than just scanning the beautiful photos for the next great inspiration. Not only have we been touched and a difference has been made in our lives, but our couples have expressed the same as well. One bride even said, “I knew we had a love story, but it was even better after you wrote it.” In our pages you will find true love, laughter, and happily ever after.

{Weddings} What can I say? I love weddings! I have ever since I saw my first one when I was six years old. I remember every detail down to the seashell and candlelit heart the bride and groom stood in to say their vows on the beach, to the way the groom dipped his bride in the waves to the delight of their photographer, guests, and me. I absolutely adore weddings and everything about them.

And that’s how Heart Love Weddings came to be! For someone who is generally too excited to keep secrets for very long, let me tell you, this was the hardest of all to keep. I’m so happy that I finally got to share it with all of you! :)

Happy Tuesday!

xoxo