New Year, New Brand

When I started this company I knew a few things:

1. I loved event planning

2. My favorite morning, noon, and night activity was scrolling through Style Me Pretty 

3. I loved to write

4. Everyone's love story was personal and their wedding could reflect that too

So with that, we purchased a domain, hopped on Wordpress and I started blogging, researching, and instagram-ing. Looking back on my first instagram post makes me giggle. When I posted that first picture, wrote that first blog post, I didn't have a grand plan. I knew I had to start somewhere and I knew my professional experience in marketing and event planning was pointing me in some sort of direction.... right?

It's funny looking back on all the little bits that lead me to where I currently find myself. If I hadn't worked for a marketing agency that made my blood boil on a regular basis, I never would have met Micah Kvidt, and never would have attended a bridal show where he was a vendor, we wouldn't have grabbed dinner afterward and brainstormed this company's first name. I never would have launched an instagram and wouldn't have met Lauren Louise Photography and styled a shoot with her. Without Lauren, I wouldn't have met with my first bride Vanessa, who allowed me to plan with her for a year and hone my own craft. All it took was one wedding to know I was on the right track and could really make something more from this little dream I had. 

You know you truly love and believe in something when you're willing to attend networking events. Ok they aren't that bad, but selling your brand, your passion, your skill set, and essentially YOURSELF- is never easy. But what it did do, was force me to reflect on who I was professionally and creatively. Force me to think about who I wanted to be and what I wanted this business to become. If I didn't stick my neck out there I never would have met some of my closest friends, who at first were business connections and people I admired via instagram or through wedding blogs- because yes, we're all creepers like that. This industry is a lot of things, but the best part is feeling embraced by a community full of creatives, each with a unique vision, and finding ways to collaborate together.  

We celebrated a lot this past year. We planned 6 weddings, as well as our own, had our work featured on Brit + Co, Wedding Party App, and Floridian Social, quit corporate cubical life to become a part of the Social House team,  became a functioning and growing rental company, even added floral design to our list of services. Seeing it in writing is pretty weird. I should probably write things down more often, it makes those days that are riddled with self-doubt worth it. 

Creating a brand and owning your own business is not an easy feat. It is an incredibly personal journey, and one that no amount of marketing/brand-building experience could have prepared me for. I loved Jenny Does Weddings, but I'm even more excited to jump into our next adventure. It is a brand that we have been planning for about five months now, and one that we feel reflects where we want to go. I want to design weddings and special events, not just plan them. I want to offer unique pieces that give a nod to the past, while remaining very much in the modern present. I want to offer not just couples, but groups, individuals, and companies experiences that feel personal and curated with intention.

I'm a Florida girl married to a Florida boy (I know we are unicorns), we both have ties to New England and the east coast, and will always be naturally drawn to a coastal aesthetic composed of shades of blue, rich greens, and natural wood tones - so why fight it? I was raised in homes that were filled with pieces from other eras and cylinders full of seashells, I was making my way around antique shows and dirt road flea markets in a stroller, my stepdad introduced me to modern design in a classic pink-tiled-bathroom 1950s home, and when it came time to fill my first apartment with furniture I was handed a tapered leg coffee table- one of my Grandma and Grandpa's first big purchases for their first home. These memories, homes, and pieces have and will always influence what I love and what inspires me. 

Thank you for reading my century-long journal post and welcome to Port + Palm Co.  

photography | Lauren Louise Photography

LOGO DESIGN | ELENA SCHEINER