Summer is by far our busiest season at Southern Weddings, and I don’t know how we would stay afloat without the help of our summer intern! Erin joined us all the way from Princeton University this season, and we have been so impressed by her dedication to our team and our mission. We are SO grateful for her help this summer and are delighted that she agreed to share a bit of her experience with y’all! -Lisa
While packing my bags in late May, I imagined myself spending my summer days swooning over heartfelt real wedding interviews and ogling gorgeous tulle gowns online. I definitely got my fill of pretty wedding details, but the experience was about much more than the pretty. I learned so much, and truly had the best time. I will miss the bright SW office, saying hello to Gracie and Rhiannon (her nanny) in the morning, and especially the ladies who have so blessed my summer with their knowledge, kindness, and powerful mission.
When I applied for Southern Weddings’ summer editorial internship, I thought that my tasks and duties would be mostly editorial, with a chance to dabble in the other SW projects. The internship turned out to be way more than editing, as I got the opportunity to stick my nose into every aspect of the business, from helping at photo shoots, pinning magazine ideas and sponsor images, emailing thank you notes to vendors, and packing shop products. My days were spent creating Blue Ribbon Vendor profiles, editing blog posts and V7 real wedding interviews, and even getting a chance to write for the blog and magazine.
I think part of the reason I had so many different tasks and assignments was because I really embraced flexibility while in the office. I opened myself up to learning and doing anything SW-related, which allowed the SW ladies to focus on the important things and let me try out a myriad of activities. My favorite day of my internship was our photo shoot day at the end of July! I loved meeting our reader models, working with vendors, and observing everything. I tried to help out in any way I could, including picking up lunches for our vendors and models and holding the groom’s jacket and boutonniere between shots.
Now that my internship is almost over, I can say that it wasn’t just an editorial internship; it was an opportunity to learn and help out in every aspect of a small business, and I came to love all of the tasks I did, no matter how mundane they seemed.
One thing that surprised me on my first day of work was how quiet the office was! While the SW ladies have weekly team meetings and smaller one-on-one meetings with each other throughout the day, for the majority of the time, the only sound is laptop keys clacking. At first, I felt awkward breaking the silence, but slowly, I grew more confident. As long as I took the initiative to ask, there was always something I could do that made the lives of the SW ladies easier, like packing shop orders to help Morgan or editing a blog post so that Emily and Lisa could focus on brainstorming for V7.
Another thing that surprised me about the SW team is how different their tasks are! It had never dawned on me that to make the incredible blog and magazine happen, there are about a million different things to do, and each SW lady plays a crucial role in bringing the whole thing together. While Emily emails with V7 real wedding vendors and Lisa writes blog posts, Nicole works on graphics for an upcoming project, Morgan packs shop products, and Lara manages the business. One of the most important things I learned from the internship was that being in the office wasn’t just about what I wanted; it was about serving the SW team in any way I could, so that they could use their time to spread SW’s mission to as many people as possible. I came to realize that my tasks were meaningful, because by having shop products ready to ship or having a post edited and ready to go up on the blog, I helped the SW ladies do their jobs better and focus their time on truly meaningful projects.
A Southern Weddings selfie!
I think that’s the most important thing that I take away from this internship: the ladies at SW, and the wedding industry in general, aren’t just about pretty wedding details and fluffy romantic stories. These people run businesses that are strong and full of potential to grow even larger; they are powerful and inspire many others to reach for their own creative business goals. They share weddings with others because weddings are full of love and strength; they showcase not only the beautiful things that make life prettier, but also the love and purpose that give life its meaning. I had the chance to meet and talk to many wedding professionals through my internship at SW, and I have so much respect for the wedding industry because of this amazing opportunity.
This internship has inspired me to one day work with weddings in any way that I can, but even if life doesn’t lead me into the wedding industry, I look forward to reading the SW blog, buying the print edition each year, and following along as the SW ladies continue to do amazing things. And maybe having my own wedding featured in V15!
Southern Weddings reserves the right to delete comments which contain profanity or personal attacks or seek to promote a business unrelated to the post. And remember: a good attitude is like kudzu – it spreads. We love hearing your kind thoughts!