Planning a 2022 Wedding? READ THIS!

Planning a 2022 Wedding? READ THIS!

You've gotten engaged, and are planning for a 2022 wedding. First of all, congrats! πŸŽ‰ Second of all, I get it. The pandemic has taught us that nothing is secure, and so planning for 2022 makes a lot of sense. And, since you are planning a wedding for 2022, you can just sit back and relax now, right?

Nope.

I want to give you some kind guidance to start securing your vendors NOW. Here's why:

Hopefully, 2022 will be our first full and "normal" wedding season after the pandemic. However, for vendors, it is likely that the 2022 wedding season will be more packed than a traditional pre-pandemic wedding season. There are a few reasons why this may be likely to happen...

Smart Alice Wedding Education: 5 Tips to Help You Hire Your Wedding Photographer

Smart Alice Wedding Education: 5 Tips to Help You Hire Your Wedding Photographer

In a world full of Pinterest checklists and advice from literally everywhere, it’s often easy to get overwhelmed and β€œlist happy” when you are planning a wedding - especially when you are considering who to hire as your wedding photographer. Believe me, I know. Wanna know how? I hoarded checklists from The Knot and WeddingWire like it was my job when I was getting married in 2013. And, I was also the bride who gave my photographer a color-coded spreadsheet of my wedding day timeline. Who did I think I was? Amy Santiago…?

Love in the Time of COVID-19: Updated April 18, 2020

Love in the Time of COVID-19: Updated April 18, 2020

I sent the following email out to all of my current clients yesterday - March 16, 2020. Of course, all of this information is subject to change, but for now, this is where my sweet little business is at.

The Heart of 2019

The Heart of 2019

2019 was beautiful, sacred, heart-filling, soul-nourishing, and just all around GOOD.

Here are my faves from the year, in no particular order.

Some aren’t perfect, and I love them for that.

Some only got 40 likes on Instagram - and I love them even more…

I Can Still Feel Her Hand Reaching Back from the Front Passenger Seat: Free Wedding Giveaway 2019

I Can Still Feel Her Hand Reaching Back from the Front Passenger Seat: Free Wedding Giveaway 2019

We learn so much from the people that raise us.

I learned the most from my Mum - my best friend, confidante, rescuer, best hugger, mommy. One of the biggest lessons she taught me was that when you have nothing material to give, you can still give your heart, and that is one of the biggest and best gifts you could give to anyone…

Need Ideas For How To Ask Your Friends To Be In Your Wedding? Look No Further!

Need Ideas For How To Ask Your Friends To Be In Your Wedding? Look No Further!

As a wedding photographer, I’m always keeping my eyes peeled for resources for my clientfriends - whether they’re timeline hacks, vendor recommendations, or ideas for asking friends to be a part of a wedding party (like the gift box featured in this post!), I’m all over it.

Coming across these customizable gift boxes to ask your people to be a part of your big day was so wonderful. And, I have to say, I am super happy and excited to review this for you…

Giving Your Heart: Free Wedding Photography Coverage (and a little something extra!)

Giving Your Heart: Free Wedding Photography Coverage (and a little something extra!)

We learn so much from the people that raise us.

I learned the most from my Mum - my best friend, confidante, rescuer, best hugger, mommy. One of the biggest lessons she taught me was that when you have nothing material to give, you can still give your heart, and that is one of the biggest and best gifts you could give to anyone…

Client Gifts

Client Gifts

One of my very favorite things is spoiling my couples. I love to give tangible gifts (and I'm pretty sure my sweet couples love to receive them), so it really is a win-win. :)

The Top Eight Things I Learned in Business in 2016

The Top Eight Things I Learned in Business in 2016

If you follow my Instagram, you were able to count down my top 31 favorite moments of 2016. Some had to do with my business, some had to do with my personal life - almost all of them had to do with connection.

Connection is so much. In life. And in business. I'm a firm believer that genuine connection with others should be a priority in business. 2016 has taught me this well...

How to Plan a Styled Shoot, Part 3: As You Learn, We All Learn

How to Plan a Styled Shoot, Part 3: As You Learn, We All Learn

Okay. Now that you've been all up in my brain with my scaredy-cat feelings and my type-A planning tendencies, I'm sure you'd love to know the ups and downs of working on my recent styled shoot. Below are things that went REALLY WELL, as well as things that I could have done better. As Ben Sassosays, As you improve, we all improve. Community over competition, friends. :)

How to Plan a Styled Shoot, Part 2: Let's Get to It!

How to Plan a Styled Shoot, Part 2: Let's Get to It!

So, now that you've read about how scared I was to do a styled shoot, I'm positive that you want to learn how to create your own! 

Come on, I know you do. Remember: FEEL THE FEAR. You'll be so proud once you're done.

How to Plan a Styled Shoot, Part 1: Feel the Fear

How to Plan a Styled Shoot, Part 1: Feel the Fear

I wrote styled shoot across the top of the page, and made categories within the list that I knew I could populate - hair, makeup, cake, invitation design, accessories. Within this list, I also had a few categories that I knew I needed to find - venue (v important), gowns, florals. My heart literally started beating hard and fast when I finished my list, I was that excited. But I was also nervous - what if I got my people on board, and couldn't pull together the rest?

Sweet Alice

I get a lot of emails addressed to Alice. My name is actually Erica - surprise! Lol.

Animals have long been a love of mine - especially sweet kittens. I just adore them. I think they are the cutest, dearest, most adorable things. I love puppies too, but kitties hold a special place in my heart. Whenever I see kittens, I feel like my eyes turn into huge hearts - just like the emoji. All I want is cats and cats and cats. And I know that makes me sound just a little crazy. 

When I first started this business, I named it Erica Scott McGrath Photography - my maiden name. Also, a mouthful. After moving to New York, I knew my name would change, and spent a good amount of time thinking about whether or not I would change the name of my business. I loved, loved, loved my maiden name, but was also unsure as to whether or not I wanted to keep this name as a part of the business. 

A year after graduating college I had adopted the most adorable baby kitten, and named her Alice. She was the cutest and sweetest kitty - all she wanted was to snuggle and spend time with me. She was very friendly, purred easily, and rarely scratched. She had a great personality; I loved having her as my roommate. It was obviously a natural progression to name my business after her.

When I registered my business in New York, the clerk asked me how I named my business. I told him the story above. And he said to me, "Must be some cat!" Haha, he was right.

Sweet Alice of Sweet Alice Photography