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I f you've been following this blog for a while, you'll know I'm pretty serious about working out and JD...well my husband likes his workout to center around food. He'll do squats (on his way to the fridge) or ride his bike (to IHOP). Much to my delight and surprise JD took up swimming and he's been pretty dedicated. Most days you'll find him at the pool, so yesterday Polo and I decided to take a break and visit him.
Polo was feeling left out, so I snagged an extra pair of goggles and together we made quite the cheer squad. I'm sure JD loved every.last.minute of it... |
    
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Crestwood Inn Wedding : Lanier+Scott
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© Jasmine Star. This post cannot be republished without permission. Stealing makes me sad. |
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T he house was filled with such beautiful decor it gave the impression it was made from the forest in which it resided. The floor, the ceiling, the chandelier were made of various woods, like the trees that once were took pride in their final form. Lanier's mom glided across the living room with trays of food, or jewelry, or a bouquet of flowers, ensuring her daughter was well taken care of. Because, well, the house was a place of respite and would continue to be on the wedding day.
Their vacation home in Blowing Rock, North Carolina was a special place, but for two memories in particular. A few years ago, Lanier valiantly battled cancer and after being treated by amazing doctors at UNC (Go Tarheels!), she recuperated in her family's cabin. Surrounded by trees and the sounds of birds singing, Lanier promised God to live a beautiful life if she was granted time.
Not only was Lanier granted time, God brought someone special into her life. Once Scott and Lanier met, their lives flipped upside down. Together they inspired their friends and family to shine brightly and give generously, but it wasn't until Scott spent the weekend with her family in their vacation home that he realized Lanier was destined to become his wife.
The trees and the forest on their wedding day reached their arms toward heaven and swayed in delight as two beautiful souls promised each other eternity.
Lanier and Scott, I have no words. To adequately sum up everything you are, the beauty of your day, and the fun of your wedding would be impossible, but what I hope is that these photos document your unadulterated love. Thank you for making us feel like part of the family (your dad invited us for holiday dinners, so don't be surprised if we show up again soon!) and surrounding us in your amazing care. The world is so much better with you two in it. Much Love and Appreciation... j* |
| Lanier donned a stunning Ines Di Santo gown. She made personal customizations to it with her seamstress for a unique look and I think it was perfectly suited for her! And just look at this stunner of a ring... |
| Lanier and I tried conspiring to have her dog a part of the wedding, but her father wasn't having any of it...at least she was around for prep photos! |
| The day started at Lanier's family's vacation home in Blowing Rock, North Carolina and just one weekend in that glorious state and now I swear I have roots there. I'm trying to be Southern without appearing like I'm trying too hard, y'all. And, boom, I failed. |
| Lanier and her father have such a special relationship...it made me teary-eyed at some points. The ring she is wearing on her right hand was given to her by her father years ago as a promise to wait for the perfect man to become her husband...as a wedding surprise for Scott, she removed one of the diamonds and set it on the inside of his wedding ring. She stayed true to her promise to her father. |
The wedding and reception was held at Crestwood Inn and Resort in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. The wedding was supposed to outdoors, but it was pouring rain just hours before the ceremony...lo and behold, when the ceremony started, the sun peeked and made for an amazing background.
Just look how happy Lanier's dad is... |
| As they walked down the aisle, a choir sang and the sun burst from the clouds...like heaven itself was celebrating too! |
| Lanier and Scott carved out time for wedding photos and a moment to relax together and now I'm convinced every backdrop for North Carolina wedding photos is just perfect. Amen. |
| Oh, Lanier, just GO ON with your gorgeous self! |
| The details and the flow of the wedding day wouldn't have been possible without Ivy Robinson and her effortless coordination and design. She was the hardest working woman at the event and handled everything with such class...loved working with her! |
| The wedding was filled from top to bottom with so many flowers...it was like walking through the most stunning garden. Ever. Many thanks to John Lupton + Andrew Thomas for the stunning florals. |
| I don't even know where to begin to describe this wedding reception...suffice to say, it was so darn amazing I wanted to be a guest!!! The food, the music, the guests...everything was elegant, soul-filling, and perfect. |
| There aren't enough adjectives I could use to describe my love for The Party Crashers Band. They were flown in from Salt Lake City, Utah for this wedding and they were beyond. Beeeeyond. So much fun!! I couldn't help but shake along with them and they made the night extra amazing! |
| A perfect way to end a perfect day... |
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How to Get Client Feedback
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Dear Jasmine,
I love shooting weddings and feel like I pour my heart into my photos. When I send off the finished photos to the bride, I feel like I'm handing over a little piece of me. I get so excited to hear what the bride thinks... I wait, and wait... and wait.
Nothing.
Okay- so now to the actual question. Do you send a follow up survey? If so, other than "do you like the photos?", what kinds of questions would you ask?
Sincerely,
Feedback-less
Dear Feedback-less,
Firstly, I have to say you're not alone. As creatives, we look for affirmation from others, but--specifically--our clients because our work captured a moment in their lives. We're allowed to share in intimate moments and document a deeply personal time, so of course we desire feedback. But sometimes we don't get it. |
I think it has less to do with your clients' not liking your photos and more to do with their assumption you know they like them. After all, they hired you. Clients are attributing a large portion of their wedding budget to invest in your services, so naturally they'd assume you know they like your work. If they're sharing their wedding photos on Facebook or using one of your photos as their new profile pictures, then rest assured...they like them.
If, however, you're looking for ways to have clients express their feelings, it's best to establish a relationship before the wedding. If your client interactions are largely transactional in nature (book a wedding, shoot an engagement session, shoot a wedding) without personal communication (send a hand-written note, surprise them with a gift, write on their Facebook wall, etc) then you can't really expect them to treat you any differently than other business interactions. To put it simply, when is the last time you sent a thank you note to the guy who cut your hair? In most clients' minds, you're doing what they hired you to do...regardless of how personal you feel it is.
To answer your question, no, I don't send a survey or any sort of post-wedding form for feedback. However, quite a few of my clients will send emails, notes, or gifts because along the course of our working relationship, we found ways to connect on a personal level. If you'd like feedback, I encourage you to find ways to care and connect with your clients throughout your working relationship. This will yield stronger communication and personal conversations that lead to written responses you desire.
Stay Fabulous,
j*
To read more Dear Jasmine posts, feel free to click HERE. |
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Friday Randomness : Star Trek
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I t's a thing we do. As we watch movie previews before the feature presentation, JD and I will hold up our hands and give it a thumbs up or a thumbs down. It's all very Ebert of us. Most often our thumbs are the inverse of each other (he prefers car chases and buildings that explode) because I--clearly--have better taste (I love subtitles and movies that make me cry). While recently at the theater, just after the Star Trek preview ended, our thumbs opposed each other. You don't want to see THAT, he incredulously asked.
Bless his heart. I wasn't sure which category he fell into at that moment... |
| Though he'd deny it, JD is the type of guy who'd wear this sweatshirt... |
| My husband is also the guy that'd pay extra to get a cup of coffee that looked like this... |
| This probably stems from the fact that he dreamt of sleeping in a bed like this as a kid... |
| Regardless of how strange my husband is at times, I love his geek streak and hope he'd be the type of dad to do this one day... |
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How to Get Interaction on a Facebook Fanpage
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Dear Jasmine,
I'm hoping you can help me with something... My business became an actual business after friends would see personal photos that I posted on Facebook. However, I'm starting to grow tired of the Facebook drama (I don't really care to know what "Sally" ate for breakfast) and want to stay away from using my personal page for... well, everything. I have a business page set-up, but I'm not sure how to get people to contact me through that versus my personal page. Does that make any sense? In a perfect world, I'd be able to only have a business page, but I'm not sure how to go about this. I guess what I'm unsure of is: 1. if I only use my business page, how will this directly impact potential clients from seeing my work and 2. how do I get my "friends" to only visit/post/contact me through my business page?
Thank you,
Facebook Fanpage Fanatic
Dear FFF,
To be honest, I don't care what Sally ate for breakfast either. However, the key with social media is using it to connect...so while I might not care about breakfast, I might care about what happened at breakfast. It's the small moments (In a perfect world, my favorite cereal would be comprised entirely of Lucky Charms marshmallows) and the idiosyncrasies (Cocoa Puffs are my version of making chocolate milk) that connect us more than a narration of your day (I am eating cereal). |
I try to make these connections on my Business Page and prefer to leave my Personal Page pretty quiet. I actually started the Business Page because Facebook limits how many friends a person can have. When I reached the limit, I opted for the Business Page and soon began to see the perks of people participating because they wanted to be there.
You said you wanted to have just a Business Page...that's entirely possible because you can transfer your FB friends and make them fans when you combine pages (here's how to make this happen).
So let's get directly to your questions...
1. "If I only use my business page, how will this directly impact potential clients from seeing my work?"
If you combine both your FB pages, your current friends will automatically become fans, so if they participate in status updates and comment on photos the same way they do on your personal page, there's still a good chance your work will pop up in their feeds and their friends' feeds (here's an article explaining the Facebook algorithm and how you get reach with your posts). However, in order to tag photos of your clients, you must be friends with them. This is the only reason I maintain separate pages...tagging clients is of the utmost importance to my business. |
2. "How do I get my "friends" to only visit/post/contact me through my business page?"
There's only so much you can control, so be sure to focus on things you can change, not the behavior of your friends. In light of this, I don't post status updates on my personal page and instead opt to update the business page. If that's where I want people talking, then that's where I need to start conversations. It's important to really focus on cultivating reasons for people to like your page, so if you're teetering between both spaces (writing the same status updates on both pages, uploading the same photos on both pages, etc), there's no reason for a "friend" to become a "fan".
Also, I tag my clients from my business page because that's what I want their friends to see...if their friends opt to click on my profile, it'll take them to my business page. And this is precisely what I want because the business page is an open profile with interaction, updates, and photos. Essentially, the business page is what I want to use as a marketing mechanism, so I need to be sure to invest my time in that space effectively. |
I hope this helps and I wish you all the best as you work your way through Sally's breakfast, Facebook, and finding the best fit for you.
Stay Fabulous,
j* |
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