THE dress.

{This is the first part in a series of posts about our wedding!}

{We were married on Friday, September 21st, 2012}

There is a story about my wedding dress.
This dress was not the one I had originally bought.
The dress I originally bought was at a sample sale about a year before the wedding. It is beautiful and the price was so right but as the months grew closer to the wedding I couldn't help but think maybe it wasn't “me” enough.

{All photographs by Michelle Girard Photography} 

The thoughts were so nagging and I would see other people’s recent wedding photos and think, “Ohhhh but her dress is so “her.”’ Finally, my sister and I decided we had to at least go look at other dresses. She made an appointment for us at a boutique bridal shop in our hometown of Agawam, Bancroft Bridals.

{Michelle Girard Photography}

To say the experience was a world of difference from David’s Bridal (which we had also tried before) is an understatement. David’s Bridal felt like a cattle call, the dressing rooms were like small coffins and the dresses were, well, the exact same that everyone else had. If you know me, you know, I want something different, that no one else would walk out in.

{Michelle Girard Photography}

I explained what I was looking for at Bancroft Bridal and I was assisted by the owner, Tara. She was so incredibly nice and helpful. She made us feel so special (thanks Tara!). We picked out a bunch of dresses to try and there was one last one that was in another dressing room that she brought in last minute and both my sister and I immediately said “Ohhhh!”

{Michelle Girard Photography}

The dress was a dream. It was romantic, pretty, modern, full of whimsical ruffles, princess-like and figure flattering. It was THE dress.

{Michelle Girard Photography}

I put it on and our eyes lit up. Finally, I had found the dress that was meant for me. And truly, everyone kept telling me how “me” it was. Jackpot!

{Michelle Girard Photography}

It was such a fun dress to wear, it moved so beautifully when I walked and when I spun around the ruffles floated along with me like a cloud. It was so fluffy and romantic. If I could wear the dress everyday forever, I would.

And aren't the shoes just amazing?? All GLITTER! I loved them and still love them. I need a place to wear them again!

{Michelle Girard Photography}

The dress was obviously just one part of our wonderful wedding day. Stay tuned for more posts about getting ready, the ceremony, the reception and all the beautiful pictures and memories!

Surveys!

Hey guys! I prepared 2 surveys I would love your help with! They are each 10 questions and should only take you a few minutes each! Here are the links:

{Part 1} Click here to take survey

{Part 2} Click here to take survey

The results will help me specify more of my goals for next year and learning more about all of you!

Thank you in advance so very much!! :)

So how does it all work?!

When I first started The Love, Mich Collection, my customers were my friends and family. Those lovely gems still are my favorite customers and biggest cheerleaders and supporters. Because they were already part of my life, they knew "what" LoveMich was and "how" it worked.

I am so lucky to have a continuously expanding audience and I thought I would share some behind-the-scenes details for the newbies!

Let's start from the beginning...I can picture these questions swirling in minds when they are first introduced to LoveMich so lets break them down.

"How do I see what you have for sale?"
The Love, Mich Collection is an online boutique shop. The items available for sale can be found here.

"But I want to see things in person..."
I do a few local events every year. Sometimes they are craft fairs, sometimes they are at salons, and this year I started the first of an annual open house. (well open front yard haha) You can always find info about local events on my Facebook Page! Generally I'm not able to do individual meet-ups to order things. I wish I could! I am employed full time along with this business so to maximize production and keep things fresh, my time is best spent in the studio! :) Please still love me.

*Note - I will meet-up with local BRIDES though! Usually at a local Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts! Shoot me an email if you are interested :) michelle (at) ilovemich (dot) com

"But really...I really want to see in person..."
If you are local, a good solution to that is - host a purse party! Chances are your girlfriends would love an excuse to get together and why not add some shopping to that? Email me for details michelle (at) ilovemich (dot) com

"Can I pick up my order instead of shipping?"
I prefer to ship all orders because this is usually the quickest way to get your goodies to you!:)

"So what happens when I order something from your online store?"
{I will walk you through visually - because that is super fun...} You, fine lady, click away in my shop and decide, O.M.G. yes I must have this zippy pouch. Click, Click, Click, you have walked yourself through Etsy's super easy checkout system and purchased! I check my email and ding! New purchase! I print out your order, walk into the sewing room/office/studio and take your item off the shelf/out of the drawer. I package up orders usually twice a week so it goes to the "to be shipped" pile. Then, it’s packaged up and off to the post office I (or Mr. LoveMich) goes! {this is for ready-to-ship items ONLY}

"Can you make me something that isn't in your online shop?"
The general answer to this is no. Sometimes people will request something like "this bag but smaller." I would so love to be able to accommodate all of those requests! But until LoveMich employs several seamstresses, the reality is, there just isn’t enough time in the day. Sorry! Please don't be upset, I'm giving you a virtual hug! :) And don't worry my sweet friend, I am constantly designing new items so feel free to send along your ideas and they may end up as one of the products! :)

So originally in this blog post I was also going to talk about "Design Your Own" and custom orders...but I'm going to wait on that for now for various reasons. Expect a follow up post about those. :)

- A New Year -

Isn’t there something so wonderful about starting fresh with a new year?

A new you.

A new outlook.

A new appreciation.

{the photo is my own. taken on our vermont honeymoon!}

This year I am going in prepared. I have already started my list of goals for 2013 and how I intend to achieve them. I’ve also set a focus word for each month next year and mocked up a general schedule of productions, events, and new designs for 2013.

It is ambitious but it is supposed to be.

My main business goal is growth. {Doesn’t every business want that??} But I also have many personal goals for 2013. The first of that is being present mentally and physically. Often times we get so wrapped up in working and tackling our to-do lists that we forget life is still moving along and we’re missing it.

In 2013 I will be more present. I will be in the moment and engaged when I am with my husband, family, and friends. I will create memories intentionally.

I’m not sure how exactly I’ll do this yet but it will certainly involve taking time “off” of Love-Mich. To do that, I’ll need more help and I am perfectly fine with that! What is the point of working so hard if you don’t take time to reflect and enjoy the fruits of your labor?

What are you goals for 2013? Business and/or personal?