Advertising for your small business can be overwhelming and intimidating. Where do you start? If you are in the wedding industry, you could spend money on Facebook ads, open a paid Wedding Wire account, or even participate in a bridal expo or run a giveaway! If you sell a product, you may be thinking that you need to pay for Google AdWords credits or send your product to influencers and hope they help you promote it. Those things are all great, and will definitely be effective, but since you are paying for it, you will need to weigh the cost of the advertising vs. the outcome (are you finding/booking clients?) Lately, I have been doing a lot of reflecting on my business sustainability, marketing, and how to attract brides that I really connect with! I kept going back to Instagram- I find some of the sweetest brides on Instagram that I just immediately love once we talk! More often than not, by the end of their consultation, I feel like we are old friends, and I (at least partially) attribute that to Instagram! By the time they send in their inquiries, the brides that find me on Instagram are connected to my business, familiar with the CIE brand, and know a little bit about my personal life too! I have never paid for business advertising (other than boosting a few Facebook posts), because I truly believe in taking advantage of one of the best FREE marketing tools out there right now: Instagram! I have booked over half of my weddings this year through brides finding me on Instagram, and because I’m such a believer in its effectiveness, I wanted to share a few tips on how to use this form of social media to reach your ideal client and advertise for your business!

Karen and Tim’s Albemarle Estate at Trump Winery fall wedding in Charlottesville, Virginia was an absolute dream!! I loved working with these two lovebirds to create their romantic red and dusty rose colored floral designs, and they had perfect early fall weather in the mountains for their intimate, elegant wedding. I had never been to the Albemarle Estate in Charlottesville, and it was quite a treat!! I loved working with a great team of vendors, including Tara Liebeck Photography, who captured all the beautiful moments throughout the day, and have listed the rest of the team below!! Enjoy this beautiful wedding! 🙂

I was so honored to provide some centerpieces for the recent Grand Opening Event of the Historic Post Office, in Hampton, Virginia! It is SUCH a gorgeous venue- perfect for a classic, romantic wedding, and it is also the host venue of our Beautiful Beginnings Wedding Giftaway, with Aaliyah and Shane getting married in March!! I am so excited for them!! 🙂 This venue has definitely captured the imagination of the amazing vendors that collaborated to bring this “mock wedding” to life, and I loved working alongside them, and meeting some new friends! Enjoy these photos of the floral centerpieces I designed, and check out ALL the vendors that participated, listed at the bottom of this post!

This dreamy Charlottesville, Virginia wedding was one of my FAVORITES this year!!! When Jessica and I first talked about her organic, gold-infused, candlelit, winter wedding at Early Mountain Vineyards near Charlottesville, I knew it was going to be absolutely breathtaking! Jessica was the sweetest bride to work with, and being an interior designer herself, has impeccable taste and an amazing vision for her wedding- I literally was counting the days until her gorgeous day!! She dreamt of a romantic soiree, with lots of lush greenery and pops of white flowers!! SWOON! To compliment that, I used anemones, white garden roses, veronica, ranunculus and a variety of greenery, including eucalyptus! This was such a wonderful way to end my 2016 wedding season, and I truly enjoyed every minute of their wedding, including working with an amazing vendor team! Enjoy these photos, taken by Audrey Rose Photography and scroll to the bottom to see the rest of the dream team that brought Jessica and John’s wedding to life!

Congratulations to all the couples that have become newly engaged over the holidays! This is such a FUN and EXCITING season of life, but I know as a past bride myself, it can also be stressful! Unless you have an event planning background, designing and executing a Pinterest-worthy wedding can be overwhelming, so I wanted to share a few tips with you today on what to tackle first (after you’re done celebrating of course!) The very best advice I can give is to first go get a manicure; lots of people are going to want to see your new bling!! 

With the end of the year rapidly approaching, I’ve been reflecting on my business and how it has changed and grown more in 2016. It’s natural to look back and notice things that I should’ve done differently and mistakes I’ve made along the way, but I’ve also realized that I have made several important investments in things that helped CIE continue to grow. I wanted to share a few things that I have used to propel my business forward, that I am certain will help your business grow more too!