As promised, we are wrapping up the three-part “Big Scary Questions” series today, and I’m so excited to talk about how to build your referral network!

Do you have a cup of coffee in hand? Because we are about to dive head first into Part 1 of a three-week series on Big Scary Questions, and the first question is “How the heck do I even find clients?!” (Good morning! Did that wake you up?!)

Last week we talked about allowing yourself to take steps backwards in your business in order to strengthen yourself mentally, physically and emotionally for a giant leap forward. But taking time off from your business brings up some scary questions that you might also have if you are moving to a new city or venturing into a new business niche…and y’all, a few years ago I was actually was faced with ALL THREE of those business challenges at once. 

Last Monday, I briefly mentioned a particularly difficult phase of dream-chasing: the tear-streaked, anxiety-filled, doubt-fueled phase of not-enough-sleep.

I know, I really know—it’s a tough phase to be in. And there are probably many of you reading this right now who have thought recently “do I even want my dream badly enough to doing all of this!?”

I remember when Friday was the best day of the week. The anticipation of a full weekend of freedom ahead of you was almost like Christmas Eve, and it felt like Monday was ages away. 

But you know why I used to crave Fridays and dread Mondays? Because...

I remember the very first time I ever shot a wedding like it was yesterday. I was a second-shooter (basically an assistant photographer) for a well-known wedding photographer in Gainesville, FL back in 2010. I could barely sleep the night before, and I spent the whole wedding day with excited butterflies. I can still picture the room the bride and bridesmaids were getting ready in, because it was the first spot we shot in that day and I couldn't believe I was really there.

And then when it was all over, I spent the drive home on such a natural high that I felt almost dizzy. I called one of my best friends on the way home, shaking with excitement and just wanting to tell someone about it this FEELING I had stumbled upon...

A dear friend recently gave me some fantastic relationship advice that is SO beautifully simple, but it had just never occurred to me until she said it...

Client consultations are a given in my book, because how else would they know whether I was someone they wanted to spend their entire wedding day with?? Yes, that sometimes means I’m investing my time into someone who won’t ultimately book me, but my booking rate is absolutely higher for having put the time and attention into my couples from the first moment they contact me.

So, let’s talk about client consultations and there why, where, when and whats that make a wedding consultation go from formal encounter with a vendor to casual, comfortable coffee date with a new friend...

Have you ever noticed that the “end” of a romantic comedy is always the beginning of the actual relationship? You spend the entire movie watching the couple fall in love—you witness all the exciting moments that happen before the actual relationship even begins. You see the butterflies, the obstacles they overcome to be together, and then BAM—it ends with a first kiss, or a wedding, or some other big romantic event that signifies “making it.” 

Tonight's mini shoot with Amanda + Lance was pure Savannah loveliness. Sweeping oaks, a pretty braid, a couple in love, park benches and brick pathways...I didn't want it to end!! Pulaski Square is an absolutely dreamy location for photos, and I want more of you to have the chance to book a shoot here!

(Click through to book a Savannah mini shoot on Sept. 15 or Oct. 1, or a Gainesville mini shoot on Sept. 17!)