UNBRIDLED: My favorite wedding friends like...Dale Dees!

Dale Dees is not only my longest-running "wedding friendship," he's likely my longest friendship since moving to Orlando 9 years ago. I was roughly 17 months pregnant {okay, not really--but it felt like it!} and in desperate need of a hair stylist. I was also about to take some professional family photos, and needed to look, well, not so pregnant!

Dale’s work appears frequently in print and on television, where his hair and makeup designs have graced the covers of Itinerant Lifestyle, Industry, CREATE, PIZAZZ, BEAUTY WORLD, Winter Park Lifestyle and Orlando Leisure magazine. His styles have appeared nationally on “Whose Wedding is it Anyway?” and “The Daily Buzz” and "The Today Show" where he demonstrated a complete live on-camera makeover. He has also placed an impressive 1st place in the World Hair Olympics and now serves as Team USA's lead trainer.

Fresh out of cosmetology school, we've been the best of friends and professional partners ever since. We promised each other long ago: "wherever I go WE go..." I'm so pleased and proud to say that we've both upheld our respective end of the bargain. Oh, and I secretly love that he calls me his "boo..."

•Itching to work with: Beyonce
•Fashion Obsessions: Jeans.....I have one entire closet dedicated to my jean collection lol
•Beauty must-haves: a ceramic flat iron my pics.. chi and FHI heat in this Florida weather EVERYONE could benefit. fine -course...curly-straight
•Office/Work must haves: lol the first thing that came to mind was Hand Sanitizer. Then of course rice paper(powdered or non) for blotting excess midday oils lol sounds crazy but you will look refreshed all day and its quicker then reapplying make-up.
•Speed dialing: Best friend Heidi, Houlihans, and of course my boo
•Can’t get enough of: Music and Spirituality
•Jonesing to: arriving in Paris Oct. 16 it's all I think about!
•Current work project: Designing the next hair designs for the US world championship team
•Current personal project:deleting hundreds of read and unread emails. LOL! I know, it’s pretty bad…
•Necessary extravagance: laser hair removal! no pain no gain
•If I weren’t a hair stylist I would: be a professional singer
•In my bag: well...I never go anywhere without my lip balm and shears
•Recent discovery: Digital Titanium plated flatirons WOW sooooo amazing
•Craving: getting my hands on an A list celeb for ANY award show. oh, and chicken nachos from Houlihans lol

*Fun, fearless and frivolous flashbacks*

I'll never forget...

1) You sitting in my chair with your short pixie hair cut saying you needed to do something to make extra spending money ie "shopping"
money. Then coming back with a job at Disney as a guide at Pirates


2) Not long after being employed by Disney Lisa saying she wanted to become an event planner. The next thing I knew she was being featured in her first national magazine, and her first national television debut


3) You came to the old salon in Altamonte and the girls were asleep so you left them in the car supervised and well attended to. Well some lady said something smart about it and I thought you were gonna’ eat her alive!! And I certainly would have helped you!! Lol. Love u.

UNBRIDLED: My favorite wedding friends like...Amy Morelli!

This week I probed into the creative mind of colleague and friend, Amy Morelli.
Owner and Visionary for The 2u Collection, Amy Morelli conceptualizes and designs one-of-a-kind, exclusive custom invitation collections as well as specializing in Wedding & Boutique Advertising Design.
Amy and I have collaborated on many ideas, and my fresh logo and marketing collateral is all in great thanks to her. I ALWAYS feel sassy handing out my business cards, rack cards and marketing collateral confident in her designs and execution. Best yet, she’ll always give it you straight, people! I find Amy to be very ‘black and white” with no grey area; a very reliable characteristic when you need to trust someone with your vision.
Oh, and she’s pretty fun too…


• Itching to work with: Lee Forrest of Lee Forrest Design. He is fabulous and a friend, but we have yet to share an event! Would love to figure out how to incorporate live floral in my reception paper designs somehow.
• Fashion Obsessions: Newest Pair of Open-Toed Black Shoe Boots, were just purchased with the help of Miss Abby Liga—Need I say more, they are Fierce and I find myself planning my outfits just so I can just wear these shoes!
• Beauty must-haves: Currently it’s a headband. I’m growing the bangs out. Not fun!! But I’m making the most of it, and going with the gypsy look this summer. Crocheted headbands, over sized sunglasses!!
• Office/Work must haves: Colored Felt Tip Fine Point Pens…Love them, Makes boring admin tasks vibrant and bright!
• Speed dialing: 2 people. My husband of course, who has been supportive through the building of my dream, and gives me great objective business advice. And Abby Liga, I bounce creative ideas off of her, and she’ll always tell me the truth about my work!
• Can’t get enough of: Bubble Yum Gum! (any sour flavor) Sounds silly but there is nothing like snapping bubbles to the beat of my favorite tunes to get my creative juices flowing.
• Jonesing to: see Graceland! I think it would be fun to spend a long weekend in Memphis
• Current work project: a Secret Project with Susan Southerland and Kristy Chenell! Mum is the word! Love those ladies
• Current personal project: I need to get my butt back in shape, and I’ve been starting to swim laps… Also, I need to get my personal videos organized and edited!
• Necessary extravagance: my IPHONE…need I say more!
• If I weren’t a graphic designer, I would: Lead camping expeditions. My husband says it’s the hippie deep inside of me. I would miss all my girly things, but deep inside there is a bit of a country outdoorsy girl!
• In my bag: Lip Balm (Mint Bou Balm from Caribou Coffee- it’s a Michigan thing) Travel Baby Wipes (What?! Really I’m don’t have a baby) a compact and box of matches (again—why? Not too sure.) And of course those who know me will laugh—pieces of paper swatches I’ve collected here and there…I do have a problem
• Recent discovery: Metallic Linen Paper! It’s Metallic, It’s Linen, and it’s Amazing.
• Craving: my famous bloody-tini with blue cheese stuffed olives.. Yum.


*Fun, fearless and frivolous flashbacks*

1. First bit of face time. Lunch at Infusion Tea House.. Realized we shared so many of the same philosophies, attitudes about business and love of fashion. I knew we’d hit it off and be not only have a business relationship but a friendship also.

2. First Bride we shared! Miss Robyn; where I was lucky enough to be a guest and a vendor. It was a great experience bouncing ideas off of you, developing the stationery concepts together, and of course seeing you in action day of!

3. Martinis with you and Miss Abby Liga on Park Avenue just after your speaking engagement in BFE…! I discovered Pink! Was your angry music, as it is also mine!

UNBRIDLED: My favorite wedding friends like...Eric Larson!

This week you will be able to better acquaint yourself with the insanely talented Eric Larson. He and his lovely wife Jen Sens are amazing photographers and own their photography and portraiture business, Jensen Larson Photography,that I have had the great opportunity to work with on some very beautiful weddings. And, as no surprise, we have managed to have some crazy-fun in the process!

Jennifer Sens and Eric Larson specialize in location photography for portraiture, golf, travel and limited wedding commissions. Their imagery is recognized for its intimacy, honesty and sophistication. They are based seasonally in Florida and Colorado. By working as a team they multiply their experience and talent. Jen and Eric have the knowledge gained from a combined 30 years working behind the camera and have photographed everything from the world’s smallest dog to the great wall of China.

I love these two professionally and personally; I think you will too…

• Itching to work with: In our wedding photography, I’m hoping to work with more Colorado couples as we starting service there seasonally. I’d love to work for Garden and Gun Magazine and I’m itching to photograph golfer Rocco Mediate.
• Fashion Obsessions: Hugo Boss shirts always fit my long arms and are tailored around the middle. Just because you have a big wingspan, doesn’t mean you should have to wear a tent.
• Beauty must-haves: My cousin Jill at Nube Nove salon in Thornton park cuts my hair. I know it’s time to go in when Jen tells me I’m starting to look like a “professional video game player.”
• Office/Work must haves: Pandora Internet radio keeps us sane. We also love our Nespresso machine. Our lovebird Mango keeps us company and we try to keep her off the keyboard, which she loves to rip keys off of.
• Speed dialing: My beautiful bride and business partner Jen Sens.
• Can’t get enough of: Jason Lytle’s new album Yours Truly, the Commuter. • Jonesing to: Get started on our backpacking adventure in the Beartooth Mountains of Montana next week. Hopefully the snow will melt a bit so that the 30-mile trail we want to do is open.
• Current work project: We just did a marketing shoot for Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and we hope to do more for that new client. I am also working on getting our stock photography archive key-worded and online.
• Current personal project: Working on my ribs. I love grilling on our patio when we are in Florida and I’m looking forward to using the Pits and Spits smoker we have access to in Colorado.
• Necessary extravagance: The Ravenous Pig in Winter Park. I love taking family and friends there. We also can’t get enough of the super-fresh Heart of Christmas Farm eggs sold at the Audubon Park Community Market. They are sort of expensive (for eggs) but so fresh the yolks are orange.
• If I weren’t a photographer I would:do something else creative with a tangible result- it might involve making furniture or food.
• In my bag: At the moment my bag holds a Canon film camera loaded with black and white, a Canon digital camera, three prime lenses, my inhaler, my Whitelines notebook, my phone and my Aviators.
• Recent discovery: El Coqui Mexicano off Bumby. It’s a tiny BYOB place serving some serious Mofongo.
• Craving: Fat Tire beer. I indulge my serious “beertooth” in the summer when we are able to sample Colorado’s finest.

*Fun, fearless and frivolous flashbacks*
{Share 3 personal memories between you and I}

1. That meeting we had with that horrible couple that you eventually had to”fire” stands out in my mind. They seemed to be A) not in love and B) really annoying. The groom wanted to talk about the cameras he owned and the bride wanted us to quote her on a gigantic wall print of herself. When her fiancé suggested it be of the two of them, she said, only half joking, “Why would I want to look at you every day?”
2. That time Jen confused you and the Ritz-Carlton’s Jennifer Sharpe during a wedding. Not only do you ladies look sort of similar but you were dressed almost exactly the same that day!
3. When you talked the Winter Park Police out of shutting that wedding down early. I would love to know what you said to them.


Thanks, Eric! I think I'm going to buy you one of those Fat Tires beers soon, and tell you exactly what I said to those Winter Park Police!!

UNBRIDLED: My favorite wedding friends like...Kristy Chenell!

As promised, my new blog-series "Unbridled" officially launches with my first guest/friend, Kristy Chenell.
I have thoroughly enjoyed all of these wedding industry Q&A's and in-depth interviews.
Let's get to the nitty-gritty questions "E Events" style, shall we...?

I know Kristy Chenell as an energetic leader, salesperson, entrepreneur and friend. Most of us know what a consummate professional she is. For those of you who don't, {and who are you??} Kristy is a Wedding Business Consultant and owner of Couture Consulting by Chenell, and one of the leading experts in the wedding industry. She speaks and hosts intimate wedding business workshops around the country, focusing on the importance of brand recognition and protection in relation to all aspects of business: marketing, sales, customer experience, and financial acumen.
Kristy’s experience ranges from Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings to The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company where she was one of six people in the country to sit on The Ritz-Carlton Corporate Wedding Advisory Board. She was intricately involved with both corporations wedding websites and understands the significance of highly regarded branded weddings.


Now I want us all to know the REAL Kristy...
Here 'ya go:


• Itching to work with: You again :)

• Fashion Obsessions: Ruffles, Bows, and Pearls. Bet you couldn’t guess that one.

• Beauty must-haves: Sunscreen and Lip Gloss

• Office/Work must haves: my Dalmatian, Ellie, at my feet, a lit candle, and an old piece of crumply paper that reads:

“I only surround myself with people who can do the impossible.”
by Elizabeth Arden (has travelled to many offices with me!)

• Speed dialing: Scott, my husband. Seriously…what would I do without him?

• Can’t get enough of: Twilight…well, I should say Edward. I recently asked Scott if he thinks he could get his hair to do that. Yum!

• Jonesing to: go back to Europe. No computer, no cell phone, no communication except for thinking we’re ordering steak when it’s really cow brains.

• Current work project:
The Wedding Summit: Orlando! A very intimate, hands-on wedding business workshop – www.theweddingsummit.com. You walk away with a clear brand and how to use it to your EVERY advantage out there! An investment not to be overlooked.

Oh, and writing a book with the Executive Chef of The Ritz-Carlton,
Denver. Website and blog to be revealed soon!

• Current personal project: Learning to mountain bike – on really big mountains – Yikes.

• Necessary extravagance: Fresh food. Organic dairy and meat products.

• If I weren’t a consultant I would: be a professional waterskiier. Oh, yeah – that’s making the big bucks.

• In my bag: Orbitz vanilla mint, bobby pins, cherry lip gloss, and a power bar – sometimes the wallet is in there and sometimes its not. I switch purses quite a bit and have a slight tendency to forget that little detail :). That’s not good as I get carded everywhere.

• Recent discovery: That life is not about how many outfits hang in your closet, how fancy your car is, or how big your diamond is. It’s about making the pictures that hang on your wall…not buying them.

Oh, and that if you fly Southwest and need to change your flight, as long as there is no difference in price they only charge you $2.50 – no matter the day or time!

• Craving: lavender chocolate. It’s romantic and relaxing. OK, time for me to speed dial Scott… :)

*Fun, fearless and frivolous flashbacks*
{Please share 3 personal memories between you and I}
1. Looking at each other right before taking the stage at Down the Aisle: Orlando and knowing we were about to make it one of the best nights of our lives.
2. Screaming on the phone with you when we found out Austin Scarlett wanted to work with us.
3. The moment I saw you in Denver. It was like a piece of home had arrived and you brought tears to my eyes. I was so excited to work with you again. What an intricate role you have had in my endeavors and I am so grateful to know you.

"UNBRIDLED"...Getting to know my favorite wedding friends!

I'm starting a new, fun series on the "In My Shoes" blog. I've seen and read some really great and creative interviews that are insightful, but I really wanted to take a light-hearted approach.
I want my blog guests to fill in the blanks in accordance with my thought-provoking questions...

NOT! I'll offer quick biographies of my guests as many of you may know the business side of the persona. I want you all to get a glimpse of the "real" persona, and what really makes them tick...

First guest...coming shortly--!