Between making babies happen, making brands happen, making things happen, making a magazine, a new house, new staff, shoots, consulting, travel and everything in between, there has been a whole lot happening since I last wrote here!  Hello, friends.  Hello, blog.  Nice to see you.  Sit a spell with me and I’ll quickly get you updated.

I was so honored (OK, really… I squealed and did some form of a really hilarious happy dance in getting the invite from R+ K!) and grateful to get the opportunity to speak on a branding panel at Engage!11 in San Diego recently.  Alongside my incredibly inspiring roomies Harmony Walton and Jasmine Star, I was so fired up to get to speak on a subject that fuels me beyond words… and to a group of professionals who inspires me to no end!  Full recap coming soon in my Engage!11 MegaPost, but I just had to say thank you again to the two women (and team) who gave me the remarkable gift to teach and learn and spend a week getting my heart and mind cracked wide open: Rebecca Grinnals and Kathyrn Arce.  If you know these two phenomenal women, you know what I mean!  There aren’t words large enough to express my gratitude.  This was my 6th Engage! and it just keeps getting better.  From the moment I got there, my mind started buzzing with new ideas that resulted in powerful changes taking place in our office since I’ve been back.  Big changes.  Remarkable advances.  And it’s just the beginning.  Thank you, Rebecca, Kathryn and all of the incredible professionals we shared that magical week with!  I wish I was going to be in Cayman for the next Engage!, but I will likely be in labor.  Literally, labor is the ONLY reason I would ever miss an Engage!  This video from Cloud Nine Creative says it all really…

Engage 11: Grand Del Mar // Wrap Film from Cloud Nine Creative on Vimeo.

Making Brands Happen makes my days light up!  Emily and I talk about 20 times a day and exchange an average of 80 emails every afternoon, making people’s authentic powerful creative brands come to life.  What started as an idea sketched out on a Delta barfbag somewhere over the Pacific on the way to Maui (really) to merge our two loves – design and branding -  turned into something we never dreamed possible!  We had no idea this would take off like it has with clients we adore more than words, but it just further confirms what I’ve always believed:  when you harness your core – your driving passion – nothing is impossible. 

The golden question in the SW office: How do we connect great vendors to the right brides to give them the experience of a lifetime on their big day?  My gut reaction answer is always: educate brides and build better businesses!  Great matchmaking and powerful experiences start at the core.  My mission is to change the wedding industry for the better from the inside out.  Building authentic, flourishing businesses gets me fired up! When a brand message is crystal clear, you attract the ideal clients who understand your true value.  When a company has built a remarkable client experience and brand culture based on that core brand message, fireworks happen!  That’s what I want for brides.  Fireworks!  The kind that are so brilliant and big that your parents didn’t want you to light them on your own when you were a kid.  Life-long memories and unforgettable experiences.  True authentic love to the power of infinity!   Oh, Heavens, don’t get me started!  I. love. this. work.  We’re now completely sold out for 2011 brand launches and have a waiting list for 2012 when I get back from maternity leave.  Get on the 2012 List.

I’ll be launching my own new branding soon that I can’t wait to share.  A little low-res iPhone peek at my new cards below.  Much more to come…

Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit, V4 aka Volume Four of Southern Weddings Magazine is set to be our biggest and best issue yet!  Heavens to Betsy, is it ever! We’re still accepting PRINT SUBMISSIONS for this issue, so jump on it and send us your best! Shoot season is in full swing for us and our office is abuzz with deliveries, prop styling, brainstorming sessions, sketches and swatches.  Our Art Director, Emily Ayer, and our divine team are making all sorts of Southern wedding goodness happen.  I’m so grateful for the women I work with.  Photo below from our Southern Weddings charity yard sale by Nancy Ray.

Y’all need to come visit our office one day to fully understand their awesomeness.   Come on over!  Seriously.  We have a full fridge of sweet tea and Cheerwine ready for you.  A little sneak peek at our new team shoot from Millie Holloman below.  Love you, ladies!

I know you want baby updates.  UPDATED: We’re having a GIRL!!! SO grateful to have my first maternity session with the lovely Nancy Ray this week.  More to come…

Travel time! I’ll be back to my hometown to speak at The Stationery Academy in August.  Very excited about this… except it’s the last speaking engagement I’m letting myself do for the year before this baby arrives.  I love to speak more than anything and have had to – sadly – turn down 14 wonderful opportunities this fall all over the world, including two in Ireland!  My dream!  I know God has designed this plan for a perfect reason, though.  Said reason is currently kicking my bellybutton : )

Aaaaand my favorite news besides baby…  Emily, Gina and I are headed out on the road for a very short Making Things Happen tour!  All of the past 27 cities have SOLD OUT, so we expect this to as well.  We purposely chose places that are easy to travel to so you can make it happen.  With le bebe on the way, this is the last tour I’ll be able to do for likely a good year or so.  We’re headed to Pensacola, Atlanta and New York in just a few short weeks.   We’re also hosting a big alum event in Florida!   I couldn’t be more excited. I love this work more than I currently love black cherry popsicles (that’s a lot of love, people!) and can’t wait to see everyone soon to make some big things happen.  Seats are already filling fast.  Register before July 1 for the early-bird rate while you still can.

A soon-to-be-attendee recently asked me if any of the MTH alum keep in touch.  I told her that I had to giggle a little at her question.  Why?  For a year and a half, we’ve been lucky enough to be a part of 29 private Facebook groups – one for each MTH class, one for a student class from UNC and one big group for all MTH alum that we just launched.  Oh my word, these groups buzz with activity – encouragement, collaboration, feedback, motivation, updates, etc., etc. – on a minute to minute basis.  I always wish I could give people a peek into these private groups.  They motivate me to no end!  Accountability and continuing guidance are a cornerstone to lasting success.  Many thanks to the powers of Facebook technology and to the 400+ alum who inspire all of us every single day.  We love y’all so very much!  Be sure to follow MTH2011 on Tumblr and Twitter for daily inspiration and read the post that started it all.

SCHOLARSHIP: So, in the continuing spirit of giving back through Making Things Happen, we are opening one scholarship for this final 2011 tour.  Leave a comment here telling us what you want to make happen in 2011 (and which city you would like to attend).  Why do you want this? What is your passion? Deadline to comment is JULY 4th at midnight. One scholarship seat will be announced that week!   Life is too short to play small.  So, spread the word and get on it.  We cannot wait to meet you soon!

OK, back to making all of this happen, friends. 

Blessings,

P.S. Happy 39th wedding anniversary, Mom and Dad! I love you!

P.P.S. Happy Father’s Day weekend, y’all! Join the Father of the Bride gushfest…

Welcome to The Challenge.  One month – or a week if you’re feeling extra fired up – to revolutionize your life and business.   Are you ready?   I’ve pulled out all the stops to give you all my top advice on how to make things happen.  If you are ready for big change, take The Challenge.  Take each step day by day.  By the end of this month you will be clear, fired up and so ready to make things happen!  Need some motivation?  I have a MEGA GIVEAWAY as incentive.  Read on and get movin’!

STEP 1: Download, write your three action items for the day, write tiny action steps under each, do them.

STEP 2: Next, clear more clutter in your environment and on your computer.  Work it!  Take no prisoners with that clutter!

STEP 3: Prepare for Greatness.  Set yourself up for success tomorrow, next week and next year.

STEP 4: Take a break! Active rest. Plan breaks in your day, week and month to get renewed and recharged to make things happen.

STEP 5: Leap!  Face your fear.

STEP 6: Encourage others.  Spread the love and you’ll get it right back.

STEP 7: Define and implement solid boundaries.

STEP 8: Celebrate your success and give thanks!

STEP 9: Define and DO what fires you up.

STEP 10: Don’t stop.  This is just the beginning.  God has worked intensely on my heart this last year.  I have worked hard to do the right work.  I’ve made a ton of mistakes along the way, but as my dear friend Michael always says, no mistakes; only lessons.  I’m so grateful for where my life is now from doing this work daily – de-cluttering, setting solid boundaries, giving it all, letting go, facing my fear and choosing to be remarkable – and I’m committed to just as much work in the year ahead.  Good work.  The right work.  My favorite quote as of late…  A year from now you will wish you had started today. - Karen Lamb.   I’m so glad I started a year ago.  My life is night and day from just 12 short months ago.

If you want change, choose it.  Choose to be remarkable.  Start now.  Begin anywhere. [photos above: left Jory Cordy, right Gina Zeidler]

OK, who’s ready for a MEGA GIVEAWAY!?

TO ENTER: read The Challenge posts above and comment here on your progress as you go through each step.  Comment as much as you like.  The more the better to keep yourself accountable.  Even if you started The Challenge with me a couple weeks ago, get those comments in!  Weigh in on your progress with each step.   FIVE lucky Challenge-takers will win one of the following:

1. Wedding season is kicking into full swing and, as a result, I’ve gotten a TON of consulting inquiries lately.
Prize number 1 is a half-hour one-on-one branding/business coaching session with me to help you make things happen!

2. You’re going to need some killer headphones to get those office dance parties kickin’ (read the posts to know what I’m talking about) and I’m SO excited that the fine folks at Skullcandy have given me a pair of Holua Galaxie Earbuds to give away!  I just recently purchased these rockin’ wood earbuds myself and I can’t wait for one lucky reader to hear what these babies can do.  Thank you, Skullcandy!

3. You’ll have a TON to celebrate in this challenge and you’ll need some new tunes!  So, prize #3 is a $50 iTunes card!  Download my Making Things Happen playlist is here in the meantime.

4. These are my friends TJ and Brooke.  They are awesome and they make rad t-shirts and they’ve made a lot of things happen this year.

They have given me a stash of Walk in Love T’s like the one below that I wrote about. One lucky winner gets their very own! [photo below Gina Zeidler]

I love all of their T’s because of the message behind them and how crazy comfy they are.  [P.S. head over and donate to their store opening.  They are so deserving!]  Thanks TJ and Brooke!

5. Last but not least, the raddest bow tie from Buttered Toast that we featured in our last issue!  I WANT TO WIN MY OWN GIVEAWAY.

Knowing the results so many have had from The Challenge already, you’re all going to be winners for just starting this.   It doesn’t matter how much of The Challenge you complete, so get moving!  Just make sure you START, OK?  Begin anywhere.  Remember: progress, not perfection. Comment here and spread the word (twitter, facebook, smoke signals – get people involved)!   You never know who you will inspire in the process.   UPDATED: Challenge ends April 30. Make. it. happen!

Who’s in?!

CONGRATS to the randomly-chosen winners! EVERYONE won big here just for doing The Challenge! And remember – this is not just a one month stint. Keep up the great work! One-on-one branding/business coaching session winner: Anda Marie. SkullCandy Earbud winner: Jeremiah Daniel. Buttered Toast winner: Natalie Clamp. Walk in Love T winner: Jessica Goldschmidt. iTunes gift card winner: Judith Beverly. Congrats, everyone!

2011 is off to a flying start! I just finished a week of Making Things Happen. Tampa, Atlanta, Charlotte and New York rocked my world.  If you haven’t been keeping up with my personal Tumblr and the Making Things Happen Tumblr, jump on it!  2011 is already the best year of my life.

My personal process for 2011 Goal Setting and my 2011 Vision Board:

1. Evaluate what didn’t work in 2010

2. Define what did work

3. Get clear and write out your fears

4. Evaluate the people you surround yourself with, cultivate vision and create an inspiring environment to flourish in.

5. Define your driving purpose.

6. Making things happen: Act.

Vision is everything.  As a creative person, you have to see where you want to go clearly in order to step into the life you want.  Every image has significant meaning to me – they make me feel something and clarify the vision I have for this year.   I have been researching scripture to support each goal and, as I do this, my goals become more clarified.  Vision isn’t achieved in just 6 steps.  This is just the beginning.  I’m committed to doing the hard work every day to uncover my full potential.  2011, I am filling you with all the love, peace and joy my heart can muster.  I am listening.  I am leaping.  I am creating.  I am standing up for my heart.  I am giving till it hurts.  I am using my gifts to serve.  I am taking the narrow road.  I choose Love.  My mission in 2011: love God, serve people.

images: I’ve been collecting these for a while, so let me know if one of these is yours and I’ll link it.  The ones I remember: bridesmaids (Stacy Reeves), the redhead (Max Wanger), couple on the blanked (Erin Hearts Court) and the woman in the desert (Dewey Nicks).

The year ahead holds a lot of mystery for me.  I have been working to clear my calendar as much as possible to make room for more family, rest, focus on my marriage, friendships and further-solidifying our brands. This year I am committed to working hard on life, giving as much as possible and walking the walk.

The SOLD OUT Making Things Happen 2011 Tour with Natalie Norton and Gina Zeidler (and the very pregnant Emily Ley just on the Tampa stop) was a powerful catapult into 2011. We’re working on adding just one more city to accommodate our huge waiting list. More info.

In a couple weeks, we’re off to Vegas for WPPI where I have several fun things lined up including Making Things Happen Vegas…

The black-tie Airplanes and Blazers party …

Harmony Walton and I have teamed up for the ultimate business, branding and marketing intensive, The Total Package.  There are only a few seats left, so jump on it and get ready to rock your business in 2011!

March 18th of this year marks our five year wedding anniversary.  We actually got married in Vegas. Yes, Vegas. Ari and I still trying to decide what to do to celebrate.

At the end of May, I’ll be speaking at Engage!11 :: Grand Del Mar with Harmony and Jasmine Star.

I’m so honored to be asked to speak again – especially with these remarkable women.

Ari is speaking at a big radiology conference in DC in June.  I’m so proud of him and I’ll be joining him there to cheer him on.  I don’t know if people cheer at radiology conferences, but I’m going to give it a whirl!   June, July and August will be photo shoot and layout madness time for V4 (Volume 4 of Southern Weddings), which drops in September.  We’ll be taking on two new full time employees this summer, too! We’re growing and I’m so excited about adding to our wonderful team.

All of this may seem like a lot, but it’s almost a tenth of the travel I had in 2010.  Yes, there’s more to be planned, but that’s all for now. Learning how to say no and work hard to clear my schedule has been incredibly powerful for my life.  I’m so excited about what’s ahead and very happy with right now.  You can stay up to date with my 2011 Travel Calendar here and find me every day on my personal Tumblr and the Making Things Happen Tumblr.

OK, lots of winners to announce…  Congrats to the business book winners, Amy Worthington, Pam Parker and April Walker!  Email me your mailing address and I’ll get your books to you ASAP!

Big congrats to the Making Brands Happen winner, Kelly Sauer!  Email me and Emily and I will get your mini sessions scheduled.  Everyone else who entered… we had the HARDEST time picking just one person for this.  You all could make huge things happen with more powerful branding!  SO, if you reserve your brand with us by this Friday, we’re giving you a $200 credit toward your new brand!  Every single entry was deserving, so we want to help make this happen for you.  Our schedule is getting packed to the max, so book ASAP if you want your brand completed quickly.  Due to high demand and the great success of this for our clients, we’ve expanded to offer three levels of service to fit your needs.  Just email me for all the details.  We can’t wait to help take your business to the next level! The process and results from this work fire Emily and I up to no end!

Oh you know I can’t do a post without another giveaway.  The fine folks at Adorama, who I love and adore, have given me a FujiFilm Instax Mini to give away!  We’ve had so much fun with Instax on the Making Things Happen Tour.  AND!  BONUS! Harmony and I are giving away ONE SEAT to The Total Package. A rad camera + the best marketing, branding, PR and business insight = Happy 2011! If you aren’t able to come to The Total Package, we’ll split this prize into two. So, just tell me if you are only interested in the camera prize.

Leave a comment here telling me about your goals for 2011 AND Tweet, Blog or post on facebook about this giveaway and link to it. Just leave a note in your comment that you posted about it and you’re all set!  Giveaway ends next Friday.  What are you making happen this year?

UPDATED: Congrats to Total Package winner Meg Perotti and camera winner Josh Ulmer!

A year ago this week, I made a big announcement from Breckenridge, Colorado.  I never dreamed that some of the names I would read would be my future best friends. Or that I’d be seeing them again in just ten days to celebrate a pivotal, powerful, life-changing year. 2010 has been the best year of my life for more reasons than I can count.

A risky blog post led to a 20 city tour led to over 400 new friendships that have brought me to today:  humbled, grateful, in awe of how God can change a life in such a short time.  We traveled to 20 cities this year to challenge people to conquer fear and harness their true potential.  Never in a million years would I have guessed the result.  I can’t take credit for what the MTH Alumni have accomplished since this first began 12 months ago.  They genuinely lived what I said: Feel the fear and do it anyway.   The feedback and the community support has blown me away.

One of the biggest factors in all of this success has been the community and fierce accountability from the MTH alum. The support I see every single day from past attendees is just phenomenal. There aren’t words big enough to describe what these people have done for each other to help one another conquer fear and make really big things happen in their lives and in business.

There have been countless late night phone calls, group Skype chats to offer encouragement, weekly meet-ups, a thousand encouraging texts, uplifting emails (I know all of this because I’ve been a recipient myself!), facebook groups that are active by the hour, Twitter messages to encourage and support, many tears, frustrations, hurdles, triumphs, and remarkable advances.

Want a peek inside the tour?  I made a new montage/video thing really fast.  I’ve only made one other montage/video thing in my life.  You have full permission to berate my montage/video thing skills.  I’m awesome at jumping moguls on skis and making muffins, so it all evens out.  Watch carefully for some new faces towards the end.  I know it moves fast, so get that espresso brewing!

Making Things Happen 2011 from lara casey on Vimeo.

It is with so much excitement and gratitude that I announce the first part of Making Things Happen 2011!  We will be visiting five major airport hubs this January for easy travel:  Tampa, Charlotte, Atlanta, Las Vegas (WPPI) and New York City!  We are looking for one more city to add to the tour, so please leave a comment and let us know where you’d like us to come.  Spread the word, because we need at least 10 people per city to make it happen.

The 2010 Tour completely SOLD OUT, so this one is sure to as well.   I wish I could visit more cities, but with my packed schedule – and a commitment to not be on an airplane so much in the new year – I can’t pack any more in.  So, jump on these places!  We purposely chose places that are easy to travel to so you can make it happen.

This workshop is not for the faint of heart, but for creatives who really want to change, grow, and harness their full potential in the new year. Are you ready to Make Things Happen?  Pull the trigger now, while there are seats.

Need help to make it happen?  Leave a comment here telling me what you want to make happen in 2011 (and which city you would like to attend).  Why do you want this? What is your passion? One scholarship seat will be announced January 1st!   I’m so excited about the upcoming year and can’t wait to kick it off with you! Life is too short to play small. PLEASE NOTE: The only cities offered for 2011 so far are Tampa, Charlotte, Atlanta, Las Vegas and New York. We are open to suggestion on one more city to visit.

My mentor list: my pastor, best friends, Ari and – among several others – my friend, Jeremy Cowart.  I love learning from his actions: creativity, humility, integrity, humor, passion for his family and an insatiable drive to leave the world be a better place than when he found it.  Voices of Haiti and Help Portrait are just two of his many ventures that started as “crazy” ideas in the middle of the night and turned into international movements. Jeremy never ceases to inspire. Help Portrait is December 4. Get involved in something powerful this holiday season:

I’ve loved getting to know him over the last two years since we first met when he was passing through NC on the road with Britney Spears.

We were so blessed to have Jeremy shoot our V2 cover and an eight page spread that I still can’t get over.

It was incredible to watch him work.

…and see the final product come to life.

Stunning. At our V2 launch party I also discovered something many of you may not know about Mr. Cowart: he is an insanely good breakdancer. No, really. Do not challenge this guy. He will win.

I’m not even a photographer, and I’ve never been so excited about this opportunity to learn what makes him tick. LifeFinder, Jeremy’s new educational DVD, is about to launch and he has given me two copies to give away! But first, the inside scoop from the man himself:

Why did you create LifeFinder? For 5 years now, ever since I started, I’ve been asked by so many people “Can I come on a shoot and watch you do your thing?”. I’ve always had to turn them down due to the complicated logistics involved. I wanted to finally put something out there to help people out.  My mission is to get people thinking about Photography again. I’m getting a little weary hearing people lose focus on the work itself. I mean, yes marketing is important. Social media is important, branding, logos, websites, etc.. But make sure your work is good first! It seems like this message is getting lost. I want to help people re-focus on creating amazing images.

If you could boil those 4 hours of footage down to your best advice for photographers and creatives in once sentence, what would it be? Well, in vein of the title, “LifeFinder“, I’d tell creatives to go find their passion and truly pursue it with everything they have. Life is too short to be doing something you’re not in love with. This may sound like a generic answer but it’s true. I get so sad when I see people investing 8-10 hours a day into something they’re not interested in. I was there once too. But I took the risk. I jumped. And I’ve never regretted it for one second.

What has been your most memorable experience as an artist? Gosh, these questions are TOUGH!! Well done. My first initial reaction to this question is my “Voices of Haiti” project. I’ve never experienced every emotion at once. That’s what Haiti was for me. I was in culture-shock, devastated, grieving, hopeful, joyful (for brief moments), worried, frightened, disgusted, you name it. It was a very, very surreal experience.

Which image is your favorite that you have created recently and why? Well, on that same note, I’d have to say this image from Haiti. (And hey, it’s a wedding photo! How appropriate :) It’s possibly the most powerful photo I’ve taken and it has nothing to do with me. I mean, for this young couple to stand there just days after the earthquake, amongst their destroyed church behind them (where they were supposed to get married that day), their home destroyed, their relatives missing and to send a message that says “Love Conquers All??? Are you kidding me? Whew. This photo gives me chills to this day.

What’s next? 2011 will continue my scattered ways of pursuing multiple things at once. I want to develop some iPhone apps. I want to hit the reset button on my photography career. I want to do a lot more fine art. I want to get started on a book idea that’s been on the backburner. I’d like to pursue a new idea with Help-Portrait. And most importantly I want to get in as much time with my family as possible. You know, just a few things haha.

See more of Jeremy’s work, follow him on Twitter and catch a glimpse of LifeFinder yourself:

LifeFinder DVD Trailer from Jeremy Cowart on Vimeo.

Thank you so much, Jeremy, for being such an encouragement to me and so many others. Life is definitely too short not to harness the passion we were created to share. Thank you for doing just that!

To win one of two copies of LifeFinder before it is released on December 14th, leave a comment telling us what inspires your creativity. What gets you fired up?

**UPDATED** WINNERS (chosen at random): Zachary Long and Carl Spring Photo. Please email me to claim your DVD’s! Thank you to everyone who entered! Such inspiration!

I’m excited to announce my partnership with Emily Ley Creative that marries effective, authentic, powerful visual branding with clear, purposeful, dynamic strategy: Making Brands Happen.  Emily and I saw a great need for creatives to be able to have a seamless, simple way to bring brilliant ideas and unique brands to life.  This partnership has been a long time coming and the second all the pieces aligned it was like fireworks. There are so many options out there, but none of them encompassed everything our clients needed …and got it done in an efficient time frame   …and for a fee that allows you to make it happen with confidence. Making Brands Happen is the answer.

We’re only taking 6 clients per month and we’re just about full for the next three months. So, jump on it if you want a new brand or a rebrand for 2011. Reserve your spot now before we are all booked.  The process is easy, fast and we’ve made it affordable with flexible payment plans because money is one of the biggest things that holds people back from making more of it!.  The results will blow you out of the water! 

The process begins with an in-depth review and strategy development sessions. Then, ELC comes in to develop and design a visual identity – including a new color palette, logo, fonts, patterns, graphic elements and collateral to tie your identity together. Just a few sessions – and four short weeks – later, you have a seriously strong, transformed brand and marketing strategy, as well as all of your design files and a Style Guide to carry your visual identity consistently across multiple platforms.

Some notes on branding: Your “brand” is the combination of your visual identity and your client experience. Most people think that having a great looking website, slick business cards and a few color-coordinated collateral items means you have a great brand. While those things are key, they are just your first impression. A great visual identity creates attraction, trust, and gets your foot in the door. An extraordinary client experience and brand culture create lasting powerful success. A great brand has a heart, integrity, purpose and consistency. A great brand anticipates desires and always OVERdelivers to the client. A great brand doesn’t sell you a product; it sells you a way of life. Would your ideal client want to live your current brand’s way of life? Is every aspect of your identity – website, business cards, social media, blog format, collateral, email correspondence, watermark, packaging, workflow, voicemail greeting – building up your brand, or are you just getting by? That’s what I’m here for – to help you evaluate where you are now and where you need to be to make big things happen in your business. Once we target the heart of your brand, what makes you tick and what will help your ideal client see your ultimate value, Emily steps in to create a visual identity that really sings. It’s pretty simple. Brand experience + brand image = powerful branding.

Whether you know exactly what you want or you are just in the first stages with a new idea… whether new to the business with loads of questions or a seasoned pro that needs a branding facelift… whether photographer, planner, writer, designer, stationer, or any creative professional… let us know what you are thinking and we will help you fill in the missing pieces.  Just remember – all big ideas start somewhere.  No matter what path you choose, you just have to start.  ‘A year from now you will wish you had started today.’ Life is too short to play small.  Your dreams are too powerful to just think about them.  Act!  You never know where that leap of faith will take you.  All you have to do now is take that baby step to BEGIN.

Remove the word trying from your vocabulary.  You’re either doing it or you aren’t. – Ralph Marston No more excuses.  You have a choice to be remarkable.  We look forward to making it happen for you.

LC

To kick off this new year ahead (only 37 days left in 2010 – wow!), we’re giving away a mini Making Brands Happen package.  One session with me to dig deep into where your brand needs to go and one session with Emily to develop your brand board.  Start 2011 with a bang!  Leave a comment here telling us why you want this and what you want to make happen in 2011. Ends January 7th.

UPDATED to add: Congratulations to our winner! Due to the success of Making Brands Happen for our clients, we now offer three different levels of service. All the details: Making Brands Happen.

30 days, 30 planes, 30,000+ miles and I came home alive.  Alive as in AWAKE.   The Making Things Happen Tour – (preceded by travel to Salt Lake City, Palm Beach, New York, St. Lucia, Atlanta, Barbados, Trinidad, and Miami) took us from Raleigh to Houston to Phoenix to San Francisco to Los Angeles to Maui and back again.  It rocked my core.  My experiences gave me fierce clarity that I never thought I’d find.  You can read our complete daily adventures on the MTH Tumblr page, but I’ve pulled a few highlights for you here from my journey with two incredible women and 100+ new great friends.  “Friends” is a mild word for what these people are to me.  Everyone I have met in the last two weeks is family now – a deep part of my heart.  There were rivers of tears, triumphs, and bold moves toward joy and wholeness.   It was the best two weeks of my life so far and it keeps getting better!  The adventure continues in our daily lives back at home (and on our Tumblr page) every day.

November 4: Houston. I want to know Christ. I want to be rested. I want to find joy in simplicity. Joy in breath, running, laughter and letting go.  A year from now, you will wish you had started today. Today could be the day. The day it all begins. Begin anywhere.  lc  [video]

November 5: I am praying for Haiti. I am ready to face my fears. For once, I know exactly what they are today. A text message I never thought I’d get this morning has me feeling all sorts of things. I surrender all. A song from that won’t leave me: I give it all away… so You can use me.

November 5: ‘Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world…’

November 5: Houston. April, Jenae, Debra, Elizabeth, Amber, Angela, Cynthia, Danielle, Emily, Lauren, Judith, Lisa, Lara, Carrie, Caroline, Jenny – Yesterday was just the beginning. Today, now, in this moment you have the choice to be remarkable. Give yourself license to dream bigger, as you did together just hours ago. Make the choice to be remarkable. Life is just too short to settle for anything less than the greatness – giving, loving, creating – that you were created for. xo Lara, Emily and Gina

November 6: Houston Airport.  I am immersed. The last time I was in Phoenix was when Ari came home from deployment. He encourages me to love, to give, to forgive. Time to do something about what I uncovered yesterday. Thank you, new friends. I’m so grateful for yesterday. Time to act.  lc

November 6: ‘The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.’

November 6: Phoenix is warm so we dove in.  147 photos.

November 7: I am refreshed. Sermon on forgiveness kicked me this morning. ‘Bless those who persecute you.’ I am so ready to take some big risks. Risk is the stuff real life is made of. Let’s do this Phoenix. lc

November 7: I want new. Ari said to me this morning, “So, I was reading pre-natal ultrasounds today and I was thinking I wish one was yours.” My heart melted. Being around Emily makes me excited about that. One day. For now, I want new life. I want to live what has been so clearly laid out for me with abandon. I don’t want to ignore it anymore. I want so badly to break through, to stop fearing the greatness inside of me. I want so badly to just. let. go. Currently listening to All Things New | Watermark. ‘Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old had gone, the new has come.’ 2 Cor 5:17

November 7: I want to take a big huge bite out of life right now. ‘For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.’ – 2 Timothy 1:7 My heart is so full from today. I wanted to freeze time. Thank you, new friends, for the real, raw, honest, unabashed love. You make me want to own my life without fear. Feel the fear and do it anyway. Risk big. Run fast. Love deeply. Do not sell yourself short. EVER. You’ve got this. There is no fear in love. You are powerful beyond measure. lc

November 7: Phoenix. Erika, Jen, Carlee, Tiesha, Heidi, Kara, Heather, Wendy, Melissa and Leah: Don’t ever forget those tears. You flooded the desert and sprouted new wings just hours ago. It’s just the beginning. Now it’s time to act. You owe this to yourself and everyone around you. Walk the plank. When you get to the edge, there are friends waiting for you in the water. Baby steps. Bold steps. Then leap!  [video]

November 8: I am useless when I’m tired. I need sleep and/or Pinkberry. Meditating on: ‘Come to me all you who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest.’ Matt 11:28 When I’m spent, I focus on gratitude. So grateful that Ari is meeting me in LA on Thursday and cannot wait for dinner with my sister Kathy on Friday and spending the weekend with my grandma in Irvine before I leave for MTH Maui on Monday. Family is good for the soul. So grateful for the women who have changed my heart in the last four days. So grateful for the women I work with. Miss you KTW and EAA. So grateful for change. God is good. Time to fly. Time to rest. lc

November 8: San Francisco. I want to bathe in mayo. My skin is so dry from Phoenix, y’all. Then I want someone to walk all over my back and a cold shower. And the sugar in Emily’s purse. I need a Mentos moment.

November 8: Making a Chinese feast happen.

November 9: Good morning San Francisco. Today you have a choice: stay comfortable (aka stuck) or step out of your comfort zone and make things happen. Open, accept, give, act, forgive and choose to be the remarkable you that you KNOW you are. Don’t waste another gorgeous full day. Life is too short to wait for tomorrow. Start the wheels turning. Tiny steps build to big momentum and create new life. Make it happen. lc

November 9: San Francisco.  ‘I don’t want to be stuck anymore.’  Geomyra, Caitlin, Marin, Briana, Jen, Sarah, Ashley, Melissa: you are powerful beyond measure.  ‘Life is too short to do something that you hate all day long.’  Life is too short.  You are unstuck, my beautiful radiant udderly beautiful friends.  Make it happen.  We’re all together in this. [video]

November 9: Your friend is your needs answered. He is your field which you sow with love and reap with thanksgiving. And he is your board and your fireside. For you come to him with your hunger, and you seek him for peace. When your friend speaks his mind you fear not the “nay” in your own mind, nor do you withhold the “ay”. And when he is silent your heart ceases not to listen to his heart; For without words, in friendship, all thoughts, all desires, all expectations are born and shared, with joy that is unacclaimed. When you part from your friend, you grieve not; For that which you love most in him may be clearer in his absence, as the mountain to the climber is clearer from the plain. And let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit. For love that seeks aught but the disclosure of its own mystery is not love but a net cast forth: and only the unprofitable is caught.  And let your best be for your friend that you should seek him with hours to kill? Seek him always with hours to live. For it is his to fill your need, but not your emptiness. And in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed. – Khalil Gibran

November 9: Today I had this picture in my mind of running on the beach. Running hard, fast, pushing. Breaking through. I’ve been carrying a deep pain by myself. Until today when I realized God is bigger than any pain I have. God has this. I cried. I sobbed. The well sprang up as I envisioned myself running on the beach, free from the past, fully present in the NOW. I’ll be in Maui in a week and I. Will. Run. Strong, hard, fast. I will break through. I will not settle for anything less. Thank you, friends, for believing in me. Thank you, God, for clarity. Thank you. lc

November 10: Just one week ago we started in Houston then off to Phoenix, San Francisco and now here we are in Los Angeles – exhausted in the best way and fired up like never before. More clarity was uncovered in one week than an entire year. I’m so excited for the women I’m with, how my marriage has already grown from this work opening me and for all that is ahead. This is just the beginning. I’m so crazy behind on work from being on this trip, but I’m suddenly grateful that my inbox resembles tangled spaghetti. My eyes are clearer, my heart is new and I’m coming at life from a perspective I’ve never had. I’m so grateful for this work and how all things are made new when we just let go – when we fully surrender. When we drop in. When we get real, face our shadows and see that we are enough – right now in this moment. I am enough. I am full, clear, free and I can do the hard things today. I can send the difficult emails, have the challenging conversations and I can feel this fear and act on it. As I picture every set of eyes I’ve looked into in the last seven days, I know I’m not alone. Life is too short to go through the motions. Life is too short to wait another day – another hour – to accept the fact that I’ve changed. Life is too short to play small. Let’s do this, friends. Watercolor, Dallas, Seattle, Los Angeles, Chicago, Minneapolis, DC, New York, Atlanta, Nashville, Chapel Hill, UNC, Salt Lake City, Houston, Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles and everyone who has been a part of this Making Things Happen journey – whether you’ve been to the intensive yet or not – let’s DO THIS. Today is the only day we have. Strike the match in your life. It’s so time. Everything is going to be alright. I’m ALL in. Are you? lc

November 10: Los Angeles.  I want to run out of this hotel and straight into my husband’s arms. I can’t wait till he gets here tomorrow night. My intense sense memory kicked in the moment we landed in Los Angeles and got my heart all tangled. I did not see it coming. I like to be in control of my feelings. God instantly took me out of my comfort zone. Living here for three years, so many visits as a child to see family, work, Navy life, growing up, relationships and memories of my last trip here – staying at this same hotel, grandmother in the hospital, exhausted from too much travel, heart completely torn apart – instinctively made me want to run. Sprint. But, I’m here. Gina and Emily listen so well. Praying at dinner with them gave my heart courage. I’m feeling this fear. It’s not fun but it’s time to rewrite this memory in my body. I am so grateful that God makes all things new. All I have to do is let go and let God. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Cor 5:17

November 11: I am feeling all sorts of on fire today. Dealing with pain, facing fear and giving it up to God is where it’s at. So grateful to wake up energized, clear, ready to live life with all five senses. I am humbled and thankful beyond words for all of the inspiring friends we’ve met this week and will meet today. I am so grateful for this work and to witness people grow and break through. My eyes are wide open. My heart is so full. I’m ready to break out some hula moves with Em, Gina, Fred and Jory on Monday. For now, let’s do this, Los Angeles!

November 11: Make things happen, Los Angeles.  She believed she could, so she did.

November 11: Los Angeles. What a powerful, honest, life-changing day. Skip – the best guy in LA – Kate, Samantha, Katie, Helena, Elizabeth, Carissa, Melissa, Eve, Meghan, Amber, Tami, Carrie, Sharon, Katie and Kat – you are at the top of a rollercoaster that’s about to get awesome. All hands up!

November 12: I am so excited to be in LA with the man I love on a day that makes my heart sing. My grandpa Cecil – who left for Heaven 7 years ago today – was the most influential person in my life. He taught me who Jesus is. He lived a humble life – at one time selling flour and Bibles to farmers. He was a man of God, passionate beyond words to preach the good news. Father, farmer, tomato and eggplant lover, thick Alabama drawl, song leader, preacher and my grampa. He baptized me in our pool when I was old enough to listen and understand what it meant to be loved just as I am. Grandpa, I miss you, but you are always here. Every day. You are in my heart with the Christ you introduced me to so long ago.

I was just at lunch in West LA with Ari and my mother in law and I couldn’t help but tear up – and look up – when the waiter brought out grandpa’s favorite… boiled peanuts. Amazing. So grateful that grandpa Cecil lived the life he lived. Tonight I’ll have dinner with the sister I hadn’t seen since I was 8. Late tonight I’ll play in the city with the two women below who have opened my heart wide. Tomorrow we’ll spend the day with Cecil’s beautiful bride – Grandma Bunny. God is good. Today, I stand in awe. lc

November 12: Dinner with my half-sister, Kathy, who my dad hadn’t seen in almost 20 years until recently.  An email to Dad: Just letting you know I’m hanging out with Kathy and John this Friday. Ari is flying out and meeting me in LA and we’re all having dinner on Friday at a place she said she took you. I’m so excited! Then we’re headed to grandmas. I just wanted to say that I’m so happy you pushed through and tried for so long to be close with them despite their initial resistance. It was so worth it and I’m grateful to have more family. I just wanted to say thank you. Love you! It was one of the most memorable nights of my life.  God is so good to bring us together.  I love you, Kathy.  Thank you for making us, dad.  All that heart ache was worth it to get us to today.  I love you.

Grandma Bunny from lara casey on Vimeo.

November 13: We all visited Grandma Bunny in Irvine. Such a special day.

At 92, she is who I want to be when I grow up.  Heart explosions!

November 13: Gina photographed Ari and I.  More heart explosions.  I’m so grateful for how our love has grown.  The greatest work of my life thus far has been on my marriage.  The photos from today day are my favorites ever.  Thank you, G!

November 14: Church in Irvine with Gina, Em, B man and Grandma Bunny. Lots of grateful tears as we sang Amazing Grace and reflected on the last week. It has been a powerful time in our hearts. ‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears released.’  I don’t think I will ever forget watching Emily – full with new life in her tummy – walk down the church aisle to take communion.  We were all so humbled and floored by God’s work in our lives.  That night we all had dinner with my aunt, uncle and cousin in Laguna Beach.  It was a magical weekend, but it left my heart torn in ways I didn’t expect.

November 15: Back in Los Angeles.  I am in the hotel lobby waiting to see great friends – Harmony Walton and Steven Taylor. I am joyful yet nervous to write this. I feel happy – and at the same time – broken. Like my good friend Jen said to me, broken is a good place to be. Hard, but it means there is clarity and strength on the other side. For the first time in her 92 years, my grandmother showed her age. Amidst great laughs and some good conversation this weekend, she was oddly difficult and senile. It was hard for me to cope with. I felt angry and not like myself. It showed me how weak I am and, like Gina said below, how much I need God to direct my steps. I didn’t want to talk about it or deal with it, but the second we got to our hotel last night the tears bubbled up. It’s funny how tears start as one thing and, when we let go, they flow for so many others. I cried about loss and lots of hurt endured this year, my own weakness, being overwhelmed with so much work from traveling so much, exhaustion, missing my parents, open family wounds that Ari and I had to heal this weekend and I cried for grandma. Ari hugged me and wiped away my tears. This tour has been wonderful in more ways than I can describe, but honestly I am in need of stillness and rest. I have so much joy in my heart to give. I need the peace that passes all understanding. Time to make rest happen. Boarding a plane to Maui soon. I can’t wait to feel the ocean lapping over me. Stepping off that plane to smell the plumeria in the air will be a turning point for me. I’m ready to take that deep breath in. Currently listening to Captivated // Watermark.

November 16: Woke up with the Maui sun with two women who make me want to be my best me, in a place I never dreamed I’d visit, about to do the work that makes my heart sing. I am so proud of Emily and Gina for the power they’ve owned in their lives in the last ten days and the authenticity they have uncovered. I’m so fired up by a long conversation we had on our five hour flight last night…

I’m also really grateful to spend time with Fred and Jory here to renew our friendships. I just can’t believe we are here…

Changed from ten days ago. I almost can’t let myself enjoy this. Sometimes I hold onto moments so tightly so I can’t feel them. It’s just too much clarity and, if I let it wash over me, I know it would change me. My honest [irrational] thought: I don’t want to let go of the pain. I catch myself feeling like I deserve to carry this burden on my heart, as if I don’t deserve forgiveness or joy. I know full well that isn’t true, but that plays in my head for a moment as I gaze out at this ocean, recounting the last year. ‘Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate, it is that we are powerful beyond measure.’…

How did I get here to this place in my life? Why? What do you want me to do today, Lord? I’m open. Currently listening to the song that won’t leave me: Mutemath // Odds. And now… to act on the little grain of truth I discovered in San Francisco. I’m ready to run on this beach, hard and fast, and just let go. I’m ready to break through. Here goes… lc

November 17: I have been in full on dance party mode since I woke up at 6am. As we go through this process, peeling back the layers of fear day by day, feeling the fear wash over me, I have started to find a new clarity. Clarity breeds action and acting on fear – breaking through – brings immeasurable joy. But, it first takes getting real with yourself, putting the fear out there, surrendering to it and letting whatever emotions come up wash through you. It takes dropping in and seeing yourself as whole, no matter where you are, no matter what ‘mistakes’ you have made. There are no mistakes, only lessons. It takes brutal authenticity. Brutal because sometimes it means you aren’t pretty or perfect or right. I am so grateful. More than ever. God is so good and my heart is so full. So much to celebrate today, starting with the 91 new friends I have made in the last 10 days. 91 because one of them is me. Dance party ON! lc

November 18: Maui changed my life forever.  Friends, you are powerful beyond measure.  I will never forget this day.  God is so good.

November 18: Came back to the room to discover a note tucked in my laptop that changed my heart. A river of grateful tears. Just hit purchase on my life.

November 19: Last day in Maui, reflecting on 14 days of Making Things Happen.  My heart has never been so full!

November 19: Emily and Gina, I never imagined in these 10,000 miles we’ve traveled together that you would become part of me. Genuinely part of me. Me that I never thought I’d see again – or for the first time. I love you more than my heart can express, but you already know the depth of that. I feel it from you too – unabashed, authentic, real, new love. Thank you. See that thank you written on this Maui sky, because words will never hold my gratitude in the magnitude I feel it.

Through big belly laughs, baby kicks, grateful tears, bittersweet sadness, intense fear that we pushed through together, enough adventure to keep my heart happy for a lifetime, and the hope in things unseen – the hope and faith in Christ that we were gifted by unending grace – I have seen you and in-turn seen myself. Broken and whole in Him.

The change I’ve seen in you leaves me speechless. Do not play small. Ever. You have this. The authentic, whole you has this. Gina, dance it out and feel your immeasurable beauty. Emily, be still and know. You aren’t leaving for another 10 hours and I’m already so sad this day has to end. So many memories in these 14 powerful days ingrained on my heart.

No matter where we are in the world, we are together. IT’S JUST THE BEGINNING. No goodbyes. Go and do. All my heart, Lara

And today: There is only one word big enough to explain what we experienced in these two weeks: God.  God worked in my heart, in Emily and Gina’s hearts and in all of the 110+ people that we had the pure joy of knowing on this journey.  I couldn’t be more full of gratitude this Thanksgiving for all that was, is, and is to come.  Thank you, Gina, Em, and everyone who is a part of my life for making me look UP.

Many thanks to Gina for most of the images you see here.  To see all of the photographs from the whole tour, click here.

A year ago today, I took a big risk and wrote this blog post. Hitting publish on that post – feeling the fear and doing it anyway – is why I’m here today. Maui marked my 20th city doing the Making Things Happen intensive.  So grateful for that leap of faith.

Happy Thanksgiving.  Go and do. (Thank you, brilliant Natalie, for that!)

Love,

[a very happy, grateful, joyful] Lara

P.S. Want to make things happen in 2011?  Join us for the last 2010 Tour stop in Watercolor (we just opened 5 more seats for those of you who just can’t wait!) OR leave a comment here telling us where you want us to go next. Here’s to a brilliant new year!

Hello from NY Bridal Market! It’s been a whirlwind few weeks for me – from press proofing the new issue of Southern Weddings to Katharine’s wedding at Harvard to Salt Lake City for WedSmith and kicking off the MTH Tour to launching V3 and jetting off to The Breakers, I haven’t slowed down much. And now, here I am in my NYC hotel room catching a quick break from the runway to bring you this special post about a very exciting week at Engage! This was my fifth Engage! conference and second time as a speaker.  Pinch me!  I feel so honored to speak and even more elated to attend.  I wrote a post on my daily Tumblr on the way there about preparing for Engage and how much this conference means to me. Rebecca Grinnals, Kathryn Arce and their incredible crew have created a genuine shift in the wedding world with this conference.  I’m just so grateful to know them and for their constant encouragement.  Emily joined me this time for an unforgettable week on Palm Beach at the Breakers Hotel.  You can read Emily’s recaps of all the festivities here:  Day 1, Day 2, Day 3.  Since she covered all the speakers and fabulous goodies, I’m going to tell you a little more about what made this Engage! so special for me.  I’ve been known to write a Mega Post or 4 (Past recaps: Engage08 :: Celebration, Engage09 :: Cayman MegaPost!, Engage09 :: Encore Las Vegas, Engage!10 :: Grand Cayman), so this time I put together a little something special with my friends Lori and Matt of I Do Films and Stevi Savage from Avery House.  I was super sick the whole week of Engage!10 Breakers, but the atmosphere made me forget.  (Hence the puffy eyes and lack o’ voice in what you are about to view.)  Enjoy, y’all!

Southern Weddings Magazine from I Do Films on Vimeo.

A few highlights from this magical week:

V3 makes its debut!

There was so much going on at Engage – great friends, so much learning, new friends, stunning scenery – (and I was perhaps taking a lot of Sudafed to keep the sniffles away) that I didn’t have much time for the big launch to sink in.  I’m still not sure it really has.  I haven’t been home for more than a few days since the beginning of October! In the brief free moments I had, it was wonderful to reflect on all the hard work Katharine, Emily and I put into V3. I’m so happy with the heart of what we created together.

Day one kicked off with a great welcome session led by my roomie, Harmony Walton of the Bridal Bar, Ali Phillips of Engaging Events by Ali, Lienne Stevens of Think Splendid Communications, and Donna VonBruening of DBV Photographers — all six-time attendees sharing their accumulated wisdom as to how to get the most from the conference.  We broke into small groups to get to know each other better.  I was happy to help get the crowd excited and lead one of the groups.

Below with the beautiful Kathryn Arce. I don’t know how she and Rebecca outdo themselves every time!  Seriously, can you start selling whatever magic potion you two use!?

With Emily and Ceci Johnson of CECI New York

The adorable swag bags packed with goodies from The Artcraft Company, Ashley Brooke Designs, Blue Magpie, CECI New York, Checkerboard, Christopher Confero, Engaging Concepts, Fuz, Gifts for the Good Life, GO! Tie the Knot kit, Laura Hooper Calligraphy, liveBooks, Louella Press, Mindy Weiss for Two’s Company, Momental Designs, OPI, Personal Wine, Ring Finger Studio, Sandals Resorts Flip Outs, Savannah Wedding Professionals, Simply You Creations, Superfine Bakery, The Breakers, The Sugar Suite, TullaBelles, WED by Caroline Long, and Wedding Cake Pedestals.

Whew! My favorite surprise was the lovely sketches done by my good friend Kristy Rice from Momental Designs.

Kristy is such a genuine, giving soul and a fabulous artist.  I was so honored to be captured by her brush!  Thank you so much, Kristy!  You inspire me daily with your warmth and passion.

A little peek at my bed at The Breakers.  I love the wave bedspread and pretty much everything in our room. I wanted to take it all home.

Walking the pink carpet with Emily, Todd of todd.events, Randy Fenoli, Laurie Arons, and my bud, Jeff from The Breakers.  Loving Emily’s outfit from Florida-based designer, Caroline Long.

Below :: Cortnie Purdy of Canvas and Canopy Events, my roomie Harmony Walton of The Bridal Bar and Lindsay Pitt of TOAST Events who has a gorgeous spread in V3!

I am very grateful for the gentleman below, Chris Confero.  He has been a close friend and support since we met at the first Making Things Happen conference in Watercolor.  We enjoyed a fabulous “box lunch” in boxes designed by Smock and DK Designs.  So fun!

With my dear friends, Simon T Bailey and Jeff Fowler.  Love you both so much.

At the dessert reception with stunning Marcy Blum, Mel Barlow, Jeff from The Breakers, Emily and Harmony.

Like I said, read Emily’s recaps to fill in all the gorgeous gaps I’m missing: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3. There was so much goodness to enjoy! Fast forward to the closing night gala.  I have genuinely never been so wowed by an event.  WOW WOW WOW!

Can you believe this below!?  Emily said it best: “To say that The Breakers culinary and design staff pulled out all the stops is really not doing it justice.  When we entered the ballroom, there was a chandelier of hanging champagne glasses about twelve feet up in the air.  Oh yes, and there were waiters on STILTS waiting to cut one down for you!  I know this phrase is used a lot, but we all really couldn’t stop ooohing and aaaahing.”  It was extraordinary!

Below with Carol Poon from Bride and Bloom and Harmony.  SW!

Below with Marilyn from Inside Weddings and Christopher and Randy.

Below with Sharon Alexander of Sweet Sensations.  She makes the best red velvet cake on earth, y’all!

Below with Jeff from The Breakers, Cameron Keating from The Breakers, Edward Neary of Joseph Edwards Wedding Filmmakers, and gorgeous Miss Emily!

With Todd Fiscus, and Xoua Vang of Preston Bailey Designs.

Table 8! — Brian Callaway of Callaway Gable, Laura Hooper, Beth Helmstetter, Alexandra Rembac of Sterling Engagements, Leslie Maynor of Fantasy Frostings, Carol Poon, Harmony, and Vanessa Van Wieren of Alchemy Fine Events & Invitations

My favorite moment all night… a slow spin around the dance floor with Randy to “Embraceable You”.  He makes me love life more.

I’m not sure there is anyone who makes women feel more empowered than this man.  He makes everyone feel beautiful.

Two of my favorite men in weddings below: Anthony Luscia from Martha Stewart Weddings and Randy from Say Yes to the Dress.

And perhaps my favorite photograph… another slow spin around the dance floor with my friend, Jeff, who I met at Engage!09 :: Grand Cayman.  I feel so blessed to have such great friends in my life.  Thank you, Jeff, and the entire Breakers crew for making Engage!10 such an unforgettable experience!

Images courtesy of Avery House, DVB Photographers, Mel Barlow, my iPhone and my LX3.

If you’ve read any of my past recaps, you know how much going to this conference means to me. I attribute so much of our success and my personal growth to the roots Engage! has planted and to the friends I have met there. Rebecca and Kathryn, I am so grateful for all you do. Thank you for including me in the magic that is Engage! I am forever grateful!

For all the magic in action, watch these unbelievable edits from Cloud Nine Creative. Day 1:

Engage 10 {Day One} from Cloud Nine Creative on Vimeo.

Day 2:

Engage ‘10 {Day 2 + 3} from Cloud Nine Creative on Vimeo.

OK, dashing back to the runway y’all! Follow me on Twitter for all the bridal market goodness. Here are a few behind-the-scenes pics to tide you over before it all hits the blog!

Congrats to the bow tie giveaway winner, MiaMoreFoto. Email me to pic your bow! Up next, leave a comment telling me what you are most excited about in 2011 (yes, sir, it’s only 11 weeks away!) and win one of my travel essentials.

I’m about to embark on so much travel it makes my head spin and I couldn’t live without these. The amazing folks at Skullcandy, Red Envelope, SmartWater, Cliff Bars (Luna Bars), and Molton Brown are once again giving me one of each of the following to giveaway! So, tell me what excites you about 2011/what you want most in the new year!

I will admit, having 15 teams of wedding pros vying for our cover was a huge risk.  I am frequently fueled by my gut instinct and there were many moments I thought, I think my gut needs some Tums! We had no idea what these shoots would produce.  A great cover isn’t something that can be forced or perfectly calculated.  It just has a magic about it.  Our V2 cover, shot by genius Jeremy Cowart, was not at all what we had planned and turned out more stunning than we could have dreamed.  Jeremy found that rich warm barn wall and Adair kicked up her skirt… voila!  It’s like finding the perfect wedding dress.  You just know when it’s The One.

So, a major office dance party ensued the moment Joey + Jessica’s images came across my desk.  It was like a high-speed domino effect: I saw the shot, did a happy dance (really, I did), instantly got on the iMac and mocked up the cover, texted it to Emily, Whitney, Marissa, Katharine, my husband and my mom.  This was IT!!!

What we wanted: real, approachable, effortless, authentic and attainable.  You can read all about the inspiration here and grab a copy of V3 on newsstands or online for exclusive behind-the-scenes info.  We want to feature real brides and women who look like your best friend or the girl next door.  We steer clear from anyone too “model-y” or high fashion.  I want brides to genuinely connect with every page and for each image to make them feel more confident.  Paulina, our cover girl, was the perfect fit.  Her natural braid, barely-there make-up and genuine smile made me melt.  To FINALLY get to show this to you makes me nervous, grateful, excited and want to yell a huge YEEEHAAAW in the middle of this conference room!  As we say in the South, she’s a pretty as a red wagon full of speckled pups.

I had to just take a big leap of faith and trust that we were going to find the perfect face for V3.  The results, as you will see in the pages of the magazine, are phenomenal.  Not only did we get a gorgeous cover, but 15 stunning shoots packed to the brim with gorgeous goodness.  Wait till you see them all!  WOW!  Huge thanks to all of the photographers and wedding pros who worked so hard to make this our biggest and best issue yet!  We are so grateful for the gift of the amazing photographs that brides all over the world will drink in.  Thank you!

From Joey + Jessica: Our original inspiration for the Southern Weddings V3 cover shoot was to create a bride that was real and obtainable to viewers. There are so many lovely brides on the covers of numerous wedding magazines, but they don’t seem real or seem to speak to the modern, savvy, unique and often DIY bride. A lot of “real life” brides that we encounter want to be themselves on their wedding day, only a little bit more dressy. If a woman never wears her hair in an up-do, then she more then likely will not want to on her wedding day. We kept all of these things in mind, and created a summer bride that is casual, sexy and unique. For the overall look and feel of the shoot, we wanted to depict the classic Southern Summer, think Fried Green Tomatoes and The Notebook. Romantic summer picnic and sweet, flirty moments.

On the day of the photo shoot, the temperature was about 98 degrees without a cloud in sight. We set up a tent beside the wheat field for shade and styling and began shooting. Everything went smoothly! We had great assistants, models and a fabulous stylist we have worked with several times. We were shooting in a tall wheat field that was full of grasshoppers, beetles and worst of all, wolf spiders! There was no way of getting around seeing them, but they didn’t seem to be attracted to us, so we went about our business. The day was winding down, the sun was setting and we were shooting the last few frames on our lovely bride. After we had finished, we all were heading back through the tall wheat field we had been shooting in the entire day. Joey and I looked down to see that 6 wolf spiders the size of clementines underneath the top layer of organza on the Melissa Sweet gown! If this wasn’t bad enough, one of the spiders had a nasty looking egg sac attached to its back. Yuck….yuck yuck yuck! Thank goodness our lovely bride, Paulina, is a country girl at heart and didn’t freak out as we slowly flicked each spider out of the dress. Needless to say, we checked the dress about a thousand times before sending it back to the boutique. Hey, even wolf spiders can’t deny the allure of a Melissa Sweet gown. Thanks to the lovely ladies at Southern Weddings for giving us this awesome opportunity to create beautiful photographs for one lovely, uniquely Southern magazine!

A peek at the final product:

Tell me a little bit about you, what you shoot, where you are based, how long you have been shooting, etc? We are located in the great state of North Carolina.  We love Southern culture and are proud to be from the South, so we try to bring that to our photography.  We have the pleasure of working with various editorial/commercial clients and unique wedding clients around the country.  We have been working together for about six years now, but have only been in business with each other as Joey + Jessica since the beginning of 2010.

How did you two meet? We actually met each other in high school and shared art classes together.  We were both voted most artistic by our Senior class and began dating shortly after in college.  The rest is history!

Did you ever think you’d be on the cover of a national magazine? It has always been in our goals along with other editorial projects.  When the opportunity to create a cover for Southern Weddings V3 arose, we were more than excited to jump on board.  So, thank you Lara Casey!!

What was your reaction when you found out? We were really excited, and really proud of our team.  Although we were confident we would get the cover ( the power of positive thinking y’all! ), it was still a great, rewarding moment when the Southern Weddings ladies sent over a mock up of the cover. From Lara: We devised a very sneaky plan and did a live Skype call with them.  We had the whole office there to reveal the big news.  Too fun!

What were the models reactions? Our models for the shoot were Paulina and Rocky.  Paulina is new to modeling and was excited that she had already landed the cover of a national magazine.  Rocky was happy because his job was to hang out with a pretty girl all afternoon and now he’s in a national magazine… not a bad job if you ask us.

Who did you tell first? I think the first people we told were our parents. They were really happy for us and proud to see all of the hard work payed off.

Do you shoot all film? Yes, we shoot predominantly on film. For the tech geeks out there, we shoot with Nikon (35mm), Mamiya ( 120/220 ) and Calumet ( 4×5 ).  We shoot with Kodak, Fuji and Ilford films.

How did you feel about the shoot when you saw the images? We were very proud of ourselves and our team.  The photographs were exactly what we had in mind in our initial concept board and it was rewarding to see it all come to life.  Paulina made for the perfect V3 cover girl!

Which image from your shoot, besides the cover, do you love the most? The close up shot of Paulina with the peony in her hair.  Love that image and it was one of the last shots taken that day. It was such a real moment and has such a fresh, romantic quality to it.

How did you celebrate? We celebrated by going out to dinner with our family.  This is one of the many goals we have, so we wanted to acknowledge we obtained it and then use the excitement to tackle the next project.

What is your advice to other photographers when faced with opportunities like this?  Ie take a risk or live in fear? Definitely take the risk.  Anyone who is successful didn’t get there by playing it safe.  This industry is unbelievably competitive.  We are so young in the game, but we are hungry to crush our goals, make new goals and crush those too.  Some of the biggest, most important decisions in your life are often the scariest and most difficult to go after.  If it isn’t a little scary, it probably isn’t that important to you.  : )

Here’s a few questions for you Lara….

What was it like giving up the control of the cover image of Southern Weddings V3?  This is your baby here, and an incredible risk to take by giving this opportunity to photographers you’d never worked with. I am extremely very a lot so much buckets full wildly passionate about helping young artists develop their unique voice and realize their value.  So many people gave me huge opportunities when I just started – I still feel like I’m just starting – that changed me forever.  If I can give that gift to someone through my consulting work, Making Things Happen, publishing them, encouraging them, a simple conversation, or just by giving them the courtesy of an email reply, I am all IN!  I replied to every single cover submission and image submission that came to my desk for V3.  Worth all 1000-something emails.  I may be super busy at times, but if I’m given the chance to help someone harness their innate gifts, I’d work 24/7 and not get tired.  So, yes, it was a risk.  And, yes, 100% worth it!

Did you have a back up plan in the chance you didn’t receive a cover image that suited V3? A back-up plan usually becomes a full-time plan.  Don’t quote me on that in every situation, but when you really want something, you have to have faith that it is already taken care of and focus on making active steps to make it happen.

What’s next for you, what can we expect to see in 2011? I actually have very little confirmed on my calendar for 2011 (partly on purpose after the crazy schedule I’m about to endure till Christmas), which just means there’s something big I’m supposed to fill it with.  I pray to be open to whatever God wants for me and I am just happy right here in this moment.  It has been a crazy year.  If you’ve been reading my Tumblr, you’ve gotten a small peek into my daily life and the creation of this issue. I’m so grateful for every blessing.  Thank you, Joey + Jessica, all of the cover finalists, my radtastic team, all of the incredible friends I am celebrating with at Engage 10 today, and to everyone who has supported this magazine.  We’re small, y’all.  We don’t have a parent company or a high-rise office of a staff of more than I can count on my hand.  We’re just a few young Southern gals with a big dream.  Today, I’m reminded that anything is possible if your heart is in it.  Our hearts are definitely in V3.  There is love between every page.

What’s your favorite thing about V3? Well, besides the cover of course, I just cannot pick one favorite. There really was so much love put into this issue. So, I will share a clipping of one favorite page… our gratitude section. Today, I am very thankful.

xo

LC

P.S. Be sure to follow @LaraCaseyReps on twitter for Engage!10 conference highlights, @LaraCasey for all the Engage!10 fun, and @iloveswmag to watch our big V3 launch unfold!

A BIG day deserves a BIG GIVEAWAY!  I’m giving away 10 copies of V3 (give them to your friends, brides or someone who just needs some pretty on their desk!) with love notes from all of us and $50 iTunes!  To win one of these prizes, tweet a link to this post with the phrase “I love the @iloveswmag cover!” and/or leave a comment here with your twitter name and what makes you happiest in life! Easy!  It’s time to celebrate y’all!!!  So, what do y’all think of the cover?!

Oh, hello pretty blog.  I haven’t forgotten you.  I’ve been blogging almost daily on my Tumblr page instead.  But, I promise to start filling you up with goodness again as soon as we make some technical changes so I can blog from my iPhone.  Mobile blogging seems to work for me.  I can blog while waiting in the Whole Foods line, at the gym, in a boat, with a goat, in the rain, on a train, in a box, with a fox, I do love mobile blogging Sam I am.

OK ok I’m stalling.  I have been nervous to make this announcement because the decision was far from easy.  I even had to recruit the help of Emily, Gina, Marissa and the SW gals to help me choose a scholarship winner for the upcoming Making Things Happen Tour.  The entries were overwhelmingly inspiring and there honestly wasn’t one that was “better” than another.

I sat here with tears in my eyes, as did we all, reading through them.  Just know that no matter what, all of you who entered are destined for great things, regardless of if you attend MTH or not.  Just your words alone, and your ability to share so much of your true selves, shows your passion and your drive.  Thank you all for sharing your hearts!  Amazing!

Before you watch this video, we have a very exciting announcement. Three [amazing, inspiring, generous] MTH2010 Alumni have purchased seats for us to use as additional scholarships.  With all of the incredible entries, have decided to use those towards partial scholarships for several.

MTH2010 started in the spirit of paying it forward and we are just overjoyed to continue on this track!  So, if you are not the main scholarship winner, don’t fear.  You may be getting a phone call from us in the next 48 hours. So, check your email and check that voicemail tomorrow.  We can’t wait to meet you!

Without further ado…

OK ok… some more ado.  I made this montage/video thing really fast.  Busy day here.  I’ve never made a montage/video thing before.  You have full permission to berate my montage/video thing skills.  I’m awesome at jumping moguls on skis and making muffins, so it all evens out.  Watch carefully.  I know it moves fast, so get that espresso brewing! The scholarship announcement is somewhere in here… enjoy!

MAKING THINGS HAPPEN TOUR 2010 from lara casey on Vimeo.

For the record, we chose the winner on an even playing field.  We didn’t look at websites, videos or anything else before choosing a winner.  Seeing her video after she was chosen was just the cherry on top!  Congrats!! Post photos by Millie Holloman from our fun session with her in Wilmington. And the video song is from my favorite MuteMath album, Armistice. Love. That. Song.

P.S. Thank you to all who entered the FujiFilm Instax Mini giveaway from the last post.  If you want to be inspired… oh my goodness!  Read all of these comments.  Wow!  The winner, chosen at random, is Katrina! Email me to claim your prize.

P.S.S. SOOOO MUCH IS GOING ON RIGHT NOW!  I’ll be speaking at WedSmith in Salt Lake City next week, launching a magazine in 19 days and speaking at Engage the week we launch. Follow along with me via Twitter and Tumblr (for now).  I’ll be back to regularly scheduled LaraCasey.com programing very soon.

P.S.S.S. It’s fall.  Unreal.  Where did the time go!?  Tell me your favorite thing about fall and a random winner will get one of the bow ties from my collection.  [photo below left by Brett Arthur]

Many of these – from Southern Proper, Xoelle, The Cordial Churchman and Forage will be featured in V3.  Your choice.  Leave a comment below.