Just as a head’s up – I am heading to Indianapolis this morning to attend Eventology 2009 – a educational conference and gathering of some of the best and brightest wedding and event planners in the country.  I am looking so forward to meeting and learning from and with these ladies (and one gentlemen that I know of).

I will still have access to email from time to time but might be a touch slow on responses – please forgive any delays and I’ll return any non-urgent emails and phone calls on Friday when I am back.

I spent a lovely day yesterday learning all about the nuts and bolts of blogging from a true expert – Liene Stevens from Blue Orchid Designs and The Smart Planner.

We had a great turnout of about 20 wedding pros from Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, West Virginia and Kentucky.  The attendees included planners, photographers, videographers and a choreographer.  Watch for some great new blogs and amazing revamped blogs to come!

Liene is doing bootcamps all over the country this summer – very possibly in a city near you.  Whether you have a well established blog or just want to start one, the blogging bootcamp has something for everyone and I highly recommend it!

A special thanks to my co-hosts Kasey from Bliss, Julie from Blue Skies and Lisa from Red Gallery for all their help and to Liene for coming to the frigid north all the way from Arizona.

In the pictures above – picture credit to various iPhones and Twitpic:
1. Quenetta from Something Blue, Saundra from Planning Forever, Aletha from Pearls Events and Me!
2. The group during a breakout discussion session.
3. Liene – in my borrowed sweater – she’s from Arizona and was freezing!
4. Aletha, Kasey and Quenetta Twittering during a break. iPhone addicts – all of them!
5. Saundra and Liene – trouble and insight and intelligence in tiny packages.

I recently decided that it was time for new headshots – my old ones were taken way back in 2005 and didn’t really look like me so much anymore.  I was very excited when the lovely and talented Lisa from Red Gallery agreed to do them for me.  Normally, I really don’t like having pictures taken of me (I much prefer to be behind the scenes watching my brides and grooms get their pictures taken) but I knew I would be comfortable with Lisa behind the lens and that she would get some good shots.

Anyone who knows me at all knows that I don’t wear makeup.  The daily extent of my makeup routine consists of Burt’s Bees lip balm and maybe a touch of mascara when I am feeling really sassy.  Because of this simple fact, I knew I needed help with my makeup for the photo shot.

That is where the lovely and talented makeup artist MelissaRoshan comes in – I told her that the last time I had my makeup done by someone else I wound up looking like a cross between a clown (way too much blush) and *ahem* a lady of the night (way too much eyeliner).  She swore she is the queen of natural looking makeup and to trust her – I am certainly glad that I did!  She did an amazing job and for me to say that is a big deal – I never think makeup looks good on me but she even did some fun false lashes and still managed to make me look like myself.  Exactly what I was hoping for!

So, what do you think?  All my gushing aside, I love how my pictures turned out – they are very me which is kind of the whole point!  I absolutely recommend both Red Gallery and MelissaRoshan. Thanks again ladies, I love how they turned out!

As a side note, these pictures might be a shock to some people as until a few hours before this photo shoot my hair was extremely long – almost to my waist!  I was finally tired of wrangling all that hair every day and chopped it all off.  I am pleased to say that the ponytail that my stylist cut off was long enough (over 11″) to send to Locks of Love – love being able to contribute to a good cause and I love having shorter hair again!

You already know why you should blog.  We’ll show you how.

Blogging Bootcamp :: Columbus
presented by Liene Stevens of Blue Orchid Designs and The Smart Planner™

Who: Any wedding professional who wants to effectively leverage online media to grow their business
When: Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Time: 9 am – 4 pm
Where: The Studio at 2 South State Street
Cost: $150 per person

Since the launch of the Blue Orchid Blog in 2006, it has grown to include over 3000 unique daily visitors and is partially to credit for the launch of two new Blue Orchid Designs offices on the East Coast.  In the Blogging Bootcamp, Liene will share specific strategies and techniques she has personally used to grow the Blue Orchid Designs blog to where it is today.

This workshop is open to all wedding professionals, not just wedding planners.  Space is limited and will be filled on a first come, first served basis so reserve your spot now!  Laptops are optional and lunch will be provided.

Topics covered will include:
*How to discover and leverage your blogging voice
*How to maximize your blogging ROI
*How to develop killer content – consistently
*How to set short term and long term goals for your blog
*How to effectively analyze your stats and blog traffic
*How to increase your readership and keep them coming back for more
*Specific strategies and techniques to use your blog to improve your main website’s SEO or “findability” on Google
*How to promote your brand through your blog’s design and content
*Maintaining professional boundaries while still being personable
*And more!

The Blogging Bootcamp will not be a class on blogging philosophy.  You already know that blogging is a good idea.  We’ll be showing you how to do it so that it is worth your time. No topic will be off the table, and any questions you may have will be fair game.

Click here to register!

This event would not be possible without the generous support of Emilie Duncan Event Planning, Bliss Events, Red Gallery Photography and Blue Skies Videography.

Emilie Duncan Event Planning’s brand new site is almost ready to launch – while we get everything up and running, you might not be able to access the main site at emilieduncan.com.

Also – while we do this, we might have some downtime in email as well so if you send us an email and we don’t get back to you ASAP, please accept our apologies and resend it!

Can’t wait to show you what we have been working on! Yay for new things!

Adding: Apparently the new site and old site are switching back and forth and will be for a few of days – sorry for any confusion!  It should be completely new by Friday!!

Observant folks have probably noticed that my name is spelled differently from most Emilys in the world.  In the wedding world there is another Emilie out there who is a total rock star.  Emilie Sommer is a jaw droppingly fabulous photographer from Maine and she is a do gooder too!  She founded the Pink Initiative to benefit breast cancer research.  Breast cancer is a cause that is close to my heart as my awesome Mom is a nearly 6 year survivor.

Emilie is giving away $5000 in wedding photography for the winner of the Campaign for Change raffle!  Tickets are $50 and as long as your wedding is in the continental US and before the end of 2012, you are eligible.

Great cause, great photos.  What more could you ask for?

2009 is going to be a big year with lots of fun things happening for Emilie Duncan Event Planning and I figured I would start things out with a revamped blog!  Welcome to the new blog!

Please update your bookmarks to reflect the blog address: www.emilieduncan.net or blog.emilieduncan.net.

Stay tuned for lots more new in the new year!

Happy 2009!

A great find for my fellow Twitter addicts:

Twitter Brand Index

Eleventy-thousand or so links to the official Twitter feeds of various newspapers, radio stations, TV channels, colleges, businesses, retailers, CEOs, non-profits orgs and lots more! Seriously, tons of Tweets to follow. I know I added at least 10 more feed this morning alone.

Enjoy!

I just got this email from Blue Skies Video – one of the top videography companies in Columbus and one of my favorites too!

Hi guys,

One our Blue Skies Video couples originally scheduled to get married for September 27, 2008 have broken up. If you or someone you know are getting married on Saturday, September 27, 2008 or Sunday, September 28, 2008, and are interested in wedding videography, please call or write as we will honor the payments the original couple has made to Blue Skies Video toward your wedding as a discount (i.e. take $400.00 off any Blue Skies Video package).

As FYI: our ceremony only coverage starts at $995; and ceremony & reception coverage starts at $1395. You would take $400 off these prices (or one of our other package prices).

Thank you and best regards,
~ Julie
_____________________
If you are getting married September 27 or 28 and still need a videographer this is a GREAT opportunity to work with one of the best in town at a reduced rate!

Visit their website here: Blue Skies Video Production

I think you could call this baby as advertising medium – shameless, I know but come on, how cute is that?

Yes, that is Ellie in her very own Emilie Duncan Event Planning onesie. Who needs billboards when you have baby!

Thanks to Alison from Grogan Studios for capturing Ellie at nine months.