Monday's Letters

Dear Mr. Hooker, your wallet was tucked safely in your pocket when we went to pick up pizza on Saturday afternoon, but it was nowhere to be found when we arrived back at the Suite. After a few hours of searching and a mild panic attack, we started to give up all hope of finding it... until a big red firetruck and three men in uniform appeared outside our door with a brown leather wallet in hand. Thank the Lord for observant Good Samaritans who like to eat lunch at Papa John's, too. 

Dear Hurricane Arthur, you had us a little worried when you showed up unexpectedly to our beach house on Thursday afternoon. Since you weren't a big fan of sunshine, we decided to spend the day indoors with a movie, a couple rounds of poker, and even a Jazzercise dance party (guys included!) You packed up while we were still asleep on Friday morning and left behind no evidence of your stay. Nice knowing you, pal!

Dear Kevin DeYoung, I was oh so happy to see your book Crazy Busy on my seat at the Gospel Coalition Women's Conference. I couldn't put it down on vacation last week - it was just what this crazy busy girl needed to read. Thank you for all of the tips and godly wisdom on how to simplify and focus on what matters most.

Dear Jake, my heart is so full after a week with some of our closest friends. I'm smiling just thinking about all 7 of us drinking coffee on the front porch each morning, sharing stories and cracking jokes. I soaked up our walks on the beach and late night games of poker and Things. And the girls and I especially loved beating you guys in a second round of putt-putt. I sure do hope this is the beginning of a tradition.

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Each Monday I write four letters: two letters to my husband and two random letters to whatever else is on my heart each week. What originally started as a fun way to record events and funny stories pleasantly developed into a weekly habit of practicing thankfulness. To see past letters, click here.

The Best Way to Simplify

Sometimes the best way to simplify is to take a week off, escape to the beach with some friends, and unplug. 

The blog may be a little less active this week, but here are some fun, helpful posts you may have missed:

• How to Start a Blog: My Story
• Tips for a Well-Designed Resume
• A Coffee Date with Annamarie Akins
• Festive July 4th Printables

And if you haven't already, be sure to sign up for the Elle & Company Newsletter (in the right sidebar). Our July Newsletter comes out next week!

Signing off until next Monday, but feel free to follow along on Instagram. Happy Tuesday!

Coffee Date with Annamarie Akins

Happy Friday, friends! I'm sitting at my gate, getting ready to board a plane to Orlando for the Gospel Coalition Conference. But before this whirlwind of a day takes off, I'm excited to introduce you to a beautiful, talented friend of mine, Annamarie Akins. This wedding photographer is one of my favorite people to follow along with. Not only do I love her stunning photos, but I really enjoy her sweet, kind heart. She's sincere, friendly, and easy to get to know. It's no wonder she's becoming more and more successful in her field! I think you'll really enjoy this Coffee Date today - it did my heart good already. All, meet Annamarie! 

What's in your coffee cup this morning?

I actually go to bed each night excited that I get to wake up and drink coffee... you could say I'm addicted! Ryan makes a big part of dark roast coffee in the morning before he leaves for work around 6 AM and always leaves enough for me to have a cup or two! I always enjoy it with coconut milk in one of my favorite anthro mugs. On my wish list though, is one of those Nespresso machines... Cappuccinos are my absolute favorite so I think it would be a fun investment!

Give us a glimpse into a "day in the life" of Annamarie.

Ohh this is tricky because I feel like my days are never the same... and I love that about what I do! I like routine in a lot of things, but I think TOO much structure can make life feel monotonous. My favorite days are the ones where I get up in time to have breakfast with Ryan and then do something non-business related before I start working like take Lexie on a walk and spend time in prayer! Then I normally head up to my little office and take care of things on the back end of my business, prep for a shoot or meet a new client, or get editing done with our cockapoo puppy, Lexie, curled up in my lap depending on the day! And I have to take regular breaks or else I get easily distracted... The Pomodoro Method has been my saving grace! Sometimes I get to have work days with one of my best friends who is also a photographer... that makes working from home much less lonely!

And if we're talking "ideal" day in the life of Annamarie, it's waking up in a fun place for a shoot! This week I shot an Anniversary Celebration Session in NYC and it reminded me once again why I'm passionate about what I do... Getting to celebrate love and marriage with the couples I photograph in new and inspiring places is such a dream come true!

If you could travel anywhere to shoot a wedding, where would it be and why?

Italy! The south of France! Northern California! New York City! Jamaica! Is it really possible to pick just one? There are so many beautiful places! But honestly, I'm currently really loving the Georgia coast... Ryan's grandparents own a condo on St. Simon Island and we visited for the first time in March and are actually heading there again this weekend for our anniversary! Needless to say I fell head over heels in love with that place! The mossy oak trees...the gorgeous architecture...the southern hospitality...sigh... So somewhere along the Georgia coast around Savannah or the Golden Isles would be a dream!

I've also been learning to really love and appreciate weddings that are close to home... one of my favorite places to shoot is Charlottesville because it's such a gorgeous area and only about an hour from home! That means more weekend time to spend with Ryan and Lexie :). I'm a travel loving homebody... meaning that traveling and visiting new places brings me so much joy, but sometimes there's nothing better than being curled up on the couch with my little family watching a movie or reading a book!

Having your own business can be busy and stressful. How do you simplify?

This is a toughie but I think it's all about focus. I really believe that if you put your main focus on loving people and serving your clients as best you can then everything else will fall into place. It's easy to look at a mile long to-do list as a small business owner and feel overwhelmed. But if you choose to focus on doing the things that are going to make people feel most loved and taken care of then it's easier to discern what you should do first and that every little thing on there isn't really even important. There's a quote that goes something like "The secret to doing it all is to not actually do it all." I have to remind myself daily of what matters most so that I donn't get caught up in thinking that life is found in "more"...more stuff, more accomplishments, more shoots..."more" clouds our vision and weighs us down... Learning to say "no" to things changed my life! I truly believe it's better to do "less" really well because it allows you to enjoy it and gives you time to appreciate it!

You recently redesigned your website and your branding (and it is absolutely gorgeous!) What spurred you to change things up and how important is design to your business?

Thank you so much, Lauren! I think design is so important! To me, your mission and your brand go hand in hand. At my core, I love what I do because I love people and really believe in marriage and the power of capturing a couples love story! So, I wanted a brand that would reflect that and reach couples who love timeless, romantic, and refined style. Ohh don't you love that word, refined? There's something about it that goes deeper than what you see on the surface. Making the Robert Browning poem, "The best is yet to be..." a foundational element of the new brand and design was important to me because I knew I wanted to take my business in the direction of making Anniversary Celebration Sessions a focal point and it's exciting to see that playing out! As much as I love weddings, I'm even more passionate about the marriages that begin on a wedding day! For me to be the photographer I wanted to be, I wouldn't fit into the mold of my old website. I wanted a website that would share a powerful brand and story in an understated and sophisticated way! And my designer and friend, Krista, did such an incredible job of bringing it to life!

What's something you've been loving lately?

Veil shots. When a bride has a beautiful long veil on her wedding day I do an internal happy dance. The way a veil catches the light is so ethereal and I think they make portait time more dynamic! This might sound sill to any non-photogs reading this, but ohhh do I love a good veil!

And on another note, lately I've just been loving people and am so thankful for the ones that God has placed in my life... I've been overwhelmed by the joy that comes from really investing in relationships and caring about people for who they are at their core despite what they do for you in return... from the couples I work with, to the people in my small group, to other small business owners and wedding industry professionals... I think when you look at life with that perspective that loving people matters more than anything else, the race to do more or get ahead or feel defeated by the hard things fades... loving people is done best in the times when you choose to live slower and create the necessary margins in life to be giving of your time. One of my favorite authors, Ann Voskamp, writes "Your best necklace is always the arms of someone you love laced around your neck, and your greatest jewels are not what you buy but the relationships you spend your life on...".

And just for fun, please share s story or two about sweet Lexie :)

It's so crazy to think back on times before Lexie the Cockapoo... she adds so much joy to my life! I love having her as a snuggle buddy and companion during the day when I'm working from home alone... We are some of those crazy people who personify their pet and say what we think she's thinking for her... she just has so much personality! Her favorite thing to do right now is run to the mail slot as the postman is sticking the mail through and grab it from his hand... then she growls and shakes it around like she is trying to make sure it's not alive. She hasn't ripped up anything too important besides a new J. Crew catalogue last week... We should probably discourage her from doing this before she rips up anything that's actually important!

Be sure to follow along with Annamarie on her blog, Instagram, and Facebook! 

Tips for a Well-Designed Resume

Good design can set you apart from competitors, especially when you're applying for a job. 

Interviews are all about first impressions. In a short window of time, you're expected to put your best foot forward and prove to the person behind the desk that you're the best candidate for the job. You've probably put a lot of thought into what you're wearing, you've rehearsed common interview questions in your head over and over again, you've researched the company and have questions at the ready. You may have even fine-tuned the content of your resume. 

But how much thought did you put into the design of your resume?

According to studies, hiring recruiters only look at an individual resume between 6-15 seconds. A well-organized, visually pleasing resume is a great way to make a strong first impression. Everyone appreciates good design, including your interviewer.

The good news is that you don't have to be a graphic designer to have a well-designed resume. Here are some easy tips to help your resume stand apart from the rest!

Disregard the silly filler text. This post is about resume design. Resume content is a whole different blog post!

Use simple fonts

There are two categories for fonts: serif and sans-serif. Times New Roman and Cambria are serif fonts; they have a small line on the end of each point in a letter. Arial and Calibri are sans-serif fonts; they are usually rounder and do not contain serifs (like the font for this blog post). 

Why is this important? Serif fonts look fine at larger point sizes, but as you reduce the size, they become harder to read. Serifs are not good to use in the body text of your resume. Use a sans-serif instead to attract a reader's eye to the content.

It's also wise to abstain from using several different fonts when designing your resume. The more fonts you use, the more cluttered it will become. You want the design to add to your resume, not distract an interviewer from the important information on the page. As a rule of thumb, use no more than two fonts - one for headers, one for body text.

White space is a great thing

Spacing is an important visual cue, as well as a resting place for the eyes. It separates sections, creates hierarchy, and directs our eyes around the page. 

There are a few important things to keep in mind when you're spacing out your resume:

• Keep the header and its content grouped together. Anyone should be able to glance at a section header and understand it belongs with the bullets below.
• Don't use uniform spacing throughout the entire document. Instead, create visual hierarchy by using less space between section title and content and more space between individual sections.
• Use discernment on how much content you're adding to your resume. Remember when I said that too many fonts can make your resume look cluttered? Too much information can make your resume look cluttered, too. While I'm no expert in telling you which details you should include on the document, I can tell you that cramming as much text as possible onto a page is never visually appealing. 

Write in bullet points, not paragraphs

The point of your resume is to give your interviewer a brief overview of your qualifications and experience. If the average time an hiring recruiter spends looking at a resume is 5-16 seconds, chances are that they will glaze right over large chunks of text because they don't stand out. Catch their eye by listing your accomplishments in bullet points.

Don't skimp on the paper

After putting so much effort into the design of your resume, the last thing you want to do is print it out on thin, boring copy paper. Help your resume stand out from other interviewees by using heavier stock paper (personally, I love the texture and quality of linen paper). Good materials are just as important as the designs themselves.

If you're going to put time and effort into your appearance for an interview, shouldn't you invest some time into the appearance of your resume? Depending on the position you're applying for, your interviewer may even see your resume before they have the chance to meet you. It's important that your resume is a good reflection of who you are, both in content and design.

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And good news for Library Subscribers! I've added 3 new editable resume templates to your collection of printables:

Are you an Elle & Company Library member? Subscribe today!

How to Start a Blog: My Story

I've been sweetly surprised by the number of inquiries I've received from other ladies about how to start a blog. And while I certainly don't have all the answers, I do have some tips and advice to share from my own blogging experience. It's no secret that I'm passionate about blogging, and if it's something you're interested in, too, then this new series is for you!

But before I dig in to all of the good stuff - purpose, content, platforms, design - I'm giving you a little background on how I got here. 

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Part 1: This Sweet Season

Calling my last semester of college "chaotic" is an understatement. I had 20+ projects to design for my senior portfolio, 18 credit hours to complete before graduation, a part-time job at State Farm, 5 aerobics classes to teach each week, babysitting jobs each weekend, and oh yeah! a ring on my left hand and a fall wedding to plan. What in the world was I thinking? Pure craziness. 

When I had some spare moments, I started reading blogs of all kinds - lifestyle blogs, food blogs, fitness blogs, design blogs. Their stories, advice, and how-to's drew me in, and I enjoyed getting to know the ladies behind the blogs. As I followed along with their posts, I considered starting my own blog. Between all of the activities that were filling up my planner, I certainly had a lot to write about. So I started a little blog called This Sweet Season to document college graduation and all of the fun events leading up to our wedding. 

I formed an account on Blogger, prettied up a basic template with fun fonts and colors, and began writing. I remember feeling so nervous hitting "publish" on those first posts and even more nervous to advertise my new blog on social media. But the response was pleasantly surprising - a handful of people were actually following along with me!

I would blog a couple times a week, adding photos and recaps of fun events - bridal showers, moving into our Cottage, starting my first "big girl" job. I didn't really have a long-term goal at the time, and I was clueless to what blogging would become. It was purely just for fun (which is how I wish every blog would start!)

Part 2: Sharing my designs 

I never shared much of my design work in those early posts. After 4 years of art projects and class critiques in college, I took a much needed vacation from anything design-related. But inevitably, I picked up my sketchbook again and began sharing designs and doodles on the blog. Even then, I didn't consider that my blog would ever become design focused; it was just another facet of my life that I wanted to share. 

My readers (still mostly friends and family) were positive and encouraging about the design work that I posted, so I started designing free monthly printables to share with them. Around Christmastime I designed a couple monogram art prints as gifts and that's when I had an idea to open up a print shop on Etsy. I used the blog to promote the shop, which I also named This Sweet Season.

Before I knew it, blog followers were asking me to design custom projects - wedding invitations, custom art prints, shower invitations, birth announcements. The blog evolved from a place for me to recap life events to a place where I could share about my life and my latest design work. My readership grew, and for the first time I was able to envision what my blog could look like long-term. 

Part 3: A clean slate and a fresh start

Fast forward one year to last October. Jake and I knew that we would be moving to Charlotte in January so he could pursue seminary. The blog was doing well but I felt like I had hit a wall. The name This Sweet Season didn't feel fitting for what I was trying to achieve with my blog any longer, and while I enjoyed the print shop on Etsy, I had an itch to switch things up a little. Sometimes you just need a clean slate and a fresh start.

The type-A in me has always longed to combine my design eye with my love of organization, so I decided to design a planner. And not just any planner, but a planner that could be tailored to all kinds of ladies - students, professionals, and mamas alike. So I switched the name to Elle & Company (the meaning behind that name is explained in an upcoming post), created the Daybook Planner and all of the inserts, invested in headshots and product photography, and spent a couple months designing the new branding and a website. I launched Elle & Company five days after we moved to Charlotte. 

I wanted to continue to showcase my design work on the blog and share about my life, but I also wanted it to be a place that encouraged community. I began networking with other ladies in similar fields and featuring them on the blog for Coffee Dates. I carried over successful blog series from This Sweet Season, the most popular one being Monday's Letters. And I began to blog on a consistent basis - one post each weekday. 

Part 4: Continuing to grow

And that brings us to the present. Since the launch of this new space 5 months ago, the blog has continued to grow and change. My readership has increased over time, I've begun to find my niche and my audience, and I've learned a lot about blogging in the process (both what to do and maybe even more importantly, what not to do). 

What started out as a fun way to record life events has evolved into a space that's allowed me to get passionate about design again, showcase my design work, share snapshots of my life, meet new friends, and (hopefully) inspire others in the process.

Although I'm by no means a "blogging expert," I'm excited to share with you the things that I do know about this ever-changing blog world. And I'm even more excited to see how this series will help you along the way!

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I want to hear your story! Do you have a blog that you would like to grow or are you considering starting a blog? What topics would be most helpful for you in this new series?