Madison is this high five, airy beautiful bright soul who is one of the most lovely photographers to work with here in Charleston. Her energy is calm, easy, giddy and giggly, and her vibe comes through in her work and how comfortable her clients are in front of the camera.
Today we talked through her journey in launching her micro wedding photography and engagement business in the middle of a pandemic, and what she’s learning coming into this next year of business.
Read MoreToday I had the Barnett girls— Maddie and Beth Barnett, founders of Eat Me Cookie Co. on the podcast. If you don't know who these two humans are, buckle up. These sisters started a crude cookie company; they write vulgar and inappropriate things on cookie cakes for birthdays, bachelorette parties. You type it — they'll pipe it and ship it across the country to your old college roommate, bae, your old boss, your favorite Bachelor contestant…
Read MoreToday we’re featuring Blythe Hill — founder and lead designer of Hill & Co. Creative. Blythe is one part sweet, one part firecracker. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed harder than sitting at the dinner table with Blythe and her team during Taylor and Alyssa’s wedding listening to Blythe tell tales of the chronic balancing act between her roles as a mama, wife, and planner. She’s a favorite of ours!
Read MoreToday I had the pleasure of interviewing Laura Union, owner of Lux & Union, about the state of the union in her floral design business (yes, I said it, pun intended, and no, I’m not sorry about it.) and how she’s adapted to this COVID-19 wedding planning era, what trends she’s seen (and loved), and how she’s emotionally maneuvering these tumultuous times as a wedding professional.
Read MoreWe tagged the Gadsden House (like the good social media millennial wizards we are), our ridiculous story was reposted on The Gadsden House’s feed, and Cori’s amazing mom, Vickie, saw our idiotic exploit about the rainbows, and thought, “Cori and Anthony are goofballs, too, they would totally get along with these girls.'“
Y’all. Cori and Anthony have a legit — and I mean, LEGIT love story. It’s The Notebook status, I’m telling you.
Read MoreOur favorite freakin’ moment of all time? That time Taylor surprised Alyssa and sing to her for their first dance at The Farmhouse at Kiawah River.
Uh… yeah, that happened. The best part? Right before being introduced officially onto the dance floor, Alyssa looked at Taylor and said, “Don’t do anything crazy, okay?” In the weeks leading up to their wedding, Taylor kept playing off practicing for their first dance…little did Alyssa know what he had up his sleeve! He performed, “Dressed Up In White” by Cal and stole not only Alyssa’s heart in that moment, but also EVERY OTHER PERSON WITH EARS who witnessed this sweet, sweet moment.
Read MoreFrom processing the unknown (and TERRIFYING) territory of going through a divorce, leaving the Mormon religion, recreating yourself as a 50-something-year-old bombshell, Lisa Staff spills the tea today. A Hilton Head Island-based photographer and gazelle-of-a-human, Lisa shares her inner world: being a “shameless” self-promoter, an ENFJ, and ways she's finding the beauty in the uncomfortable spaces in life and how to continue moving forward despite the vultures and naysayers from the past.
Read MoreA tale of my Screamo/Post-Hardcore crush on Bert McCracken, growing up in a turbulent home environment, and my journey with self-mutilation. Today on the Ruby Hour Podcast.
!!! TRIGGER WARNING !!!! TRIGGER WARNING !!!! TRIGGER WARNING !!!! TRIGGER WARNING !!!! This episode references domestic violence, alcoholism, and self-mutilation/self-harm and includes some very graphic descriptions and intense sound-scoring that may be unsuitable for some listeners.
If this triggers you or is too close to home, I invite you to check out our many other episodes of The Ruby Hour Podcast. This episode is part of our new sound-scored intimate short-story sessions for this season of The Ruby Hour Podcast.
If you or someone you know struggles with self-harm, I encourage you to check out To Write Love On Her Arms’ Self Care Resources: https://twloha.com/self-care/ This is an amazing organization that helps people in their journey of self-harm. And please know you are never alone!
Read MoreToday I'm gonna tell you about the one secret fetish apparently a BUNCHA DUDES HAVE but apparently NO ONE TOLD ME while I've logged my time in the dating scene. I scientifically tested out this fetish on my partner and his surfer friend, so ya know, it's science.
That's not all I'm gonna tell you about. Today, I have Jenny Broe - that hot platinum blonde bombshell in that music video I sent you yesterday and founder of Dance Lab Charleston on THAAA RUBY HOUR *📣📣cue air horn pew pew pew *
“Infertility”: A Short Film By Ruby Riot Creatives depicting the inner lives of our fellow infertility sisters.
Throwing your diet regimen out the window when you're doubled over in unexpected pain.
Making weekend plans only to have your mood and emotional state knock you on your ass.
Dreading every time your Instagram feed refreshes and your next friend posts their Pinterest-ey "Coming 2021!" family pic or the next ultrasound of your acquaintance's baby— when the last ultrasound you went to the sonographer couldn't find your ovaries at all. "They've atrophied to nothing and are no longer detectable."
A tale of two moms with polar-opposite homes, first love in an evangelical/charismatic Christian culture, and the first time I ever morally betrayed myself. Today on the Ruby Hour Podcast.
Read MoreSEASON 2 BABY!! They say if you're scared to death, then you're doing it right. Last season, Pre-COVID-19 on #TheRubyHour podcast we talked surface level things, business as usual, career trajectories, all wrapped up in a pretty red heart-shaped bow. This season, we're taking it all off. I promise I will offend you, shock you, maybe even make you cry (like I did) as I get personal in sharing stories from my life, in addition to a sprinkling of interviews with a few hand-picked, brave souls who dare to come show their pink-bellied inner workings of their lives with me.
Read MoreHurricane Isaias brought the best Hurricane Swell the Washout @ Folly Beach has seen in the last 10 years yesterday August 3, 2020. Here’s the recap video of last nights sesh!!
Read MoreOkay let me tell you why this was the best wedding in the entire universe. I’ve got two names for you: Ali. And Quinn.
I don’t think we’ve filmed a more charismatic, sweet pair of human beings than these two. It was love at first phone call chatting with Quinn over a year ago. It’s almost rare these days we get to film two Charleston locals— but we had a home-court advantage working with this power couple.
Read MoreWelcome to the land of Micro-weddings. Nevermore relevant than this COVID-19 wedding era is the concept of planning a microwedding for your big day. So today I want to tell you the most heartbreaking and beautiful story of one of our all-time favorite clients-turned- lifelong-friends, the micro wedding celebration of Kelly and Dan at the Confederate Home and College with a reception to follow at High Cotton Restaurant in Downtown, Charleston SC.
Read MoreAre you an introvert finding yourself in an extroverted role in your job? This episode is for you! Erica Peper, founder of Peper Events, shares her journey on how to rock a luxury wedding planning service here in Charleston as an introvert. In this episode, Erica shares moving across the country, learning to make new friends as a grown-ass woman, and some practical ways she likes to recharge after a big extroverted wedding weekend.
Read MoreIf you’re in your feels, if you’ve got a bad attitude, if you feel stuck, lethargic, angry at the world, angry at yourself — today’s workout is your happy place. I spent all day Friday prepping my drone and camera gear, Saturday filmed all day outside with a heat index of 108 degrees, Sunday I logged 9 hours video editing. All this to say, this morning, I was tired, unmotivated, and the last thing I wanted to do was workout. I’d rather sulk, be in my fatigued, uncomfortable, angsty state emotionally, mentally, physically, rather than workout. I have no pep in my step this morning. I have no extra pizazz to offer. I don’t want to work out. I’m not “excited” to workout.
…Sound familiar? If you can relate - today’s workout was made just for you, my friend.
Read MoreIt's a gloomy, moody shadowy morning, and I don’t know about you, but there’s something about the dark parts of my soul that always ask to be seen on mornings like this. So we did it today.
We got emo today, y’all.
When you’re down in the dumps. When you’re creatively stumped. When you’re heartbroken. When you need to let the darker parts of yourself be seen — this is your practice.
Read MoreNo one gave us a manual on how to manuever this COVID-19 era. Coming home from an awesome weightlifting this morning, out of thin air, I'm hit with a wave of sadness. Maybe it's the new hormone therapy, maybe it's the solar system, maybe it's subconscious limiting beliefs surfacing. If you ever get caught off guard by sadness surfacing and anxiety attacks like I do, here's 5 things I do that for for me when I work through sad-spells or anxiety attacks.
Read MoreI'm sitting here, eating chocolate cake with sprinkles for breakfast, sobbing in between bites. The cake won't bring back my dear childhood friend Taylor's mom, Michelle, but the ritual soothes me. We all have those friends’ moms in our lives who love us as their own. Here’s a love letter to Michelle, a mom who blessed my life, and what she taught me about beauty.
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