As many longtime readers know, the Southern Weddings Shop has grown faster than a freight train in Georgia! From just a few gold foil prints and the magazine a few years ago, to the bustling home of the Southern Weddings Planner, Wedding Day Journal, Marriage Certificate, and many more custom products we’ve created just for you, the need for a full-time SW gal to care for our customers and all the logistics became very apparent. Lucky for us, Jess Metcalf unexpectedly came into our lives at the perfect time, and we’re so excited to introduce her as our new Customer Delight and Shop Manager!
To help you get to know Jess a little more, we asked her to fill out the “getting to know you” interview that each of us have on our About pages. In her own words, here’s what you need to know about her!
Hometown: Maiden, NC
Birthday: September 19
What fires me up: Fresh flowers, handwritten letters, brunch, thoughtful book recommendations, big squeezes from old and new friends, encouraging others, front porch sitting on a sunny day
You would be surprised to know: That I’m terrified of heights, though I mask it pretty well on airplanes.
Claim to fame: I am an master Google-er :)
Favorite class I took in college: HIST 262: History of the Holocaust, taught by Dr. Browning. I know it sounds morbid, but Dr. Browning’s research is focused on the culture created by Nazi Germany during the Holocaust. His work is an insightful and revealing perspective into what drives people to buy into atrocities. Hearing him teach about a topic that he was so driven to understand, made the class extra appealing, even as the topic regarded one of humanity’s darkest hours.
How I came to work at Southern Weddings: I may have to borrow Emily’s “right place at the right time” answer for this! I’d known Lara for about a year when she asked me to help her current nanny so that she could focus solely on writing her next book. I turned her down (sorry Lara!) and instead took a full-time job in Customer Service and Social Media with a start-up in the Triangle. When my hours at new job unexpectedly shifted, I offered my assistance to Lara with Grace and Joshua. We had a few conversations about my newfound love for customer service, and she mentioned that the Southern Weddings team was looking for a Customer Delight and Shop Manager. A few whirlwind days of conversations, interviews, and prayer later, I officially joined the Southern Weddings team!
Favorite Southern Weddings editorial ever: This is such a hard question to answer! I’m going to have to say Sweet Corn Sweethearts from V6. My favorite color is yellow, and I love how it’s sprinkled throughout the whole shoot. More than that, I love that it tells the story of a couple who has so beautifully woven their families into their wedding day. From the location on the family’s dairy farm to the delicious meal served family-style on a long table, everything is centered around celebrating alongside the people whom you love. Oh, and I love corn on the cob :)
Best part of my job: Can I choose two things? Having the chance to work alongside women who embody every aspect of our mission with such warmth, grace, and hospitality, and interacting with all our wonderful readers through social media, emails, and phone calls!
Why I do what I do: I believe that marriage is not the end goal. There’s so much more to life, and relationships, than a wedding day. Southern Weddings encourages our readers to cultivate what matters in their current season–whether that’s dating well or focusing on planning a marriage that’s more beautiful than a wedding. I love that I have the opportunity to share that mission through a variety of different avenues while getting to know and caring for our customers!
What I do in my spare time: Reading, spending time with family and friends, browsing thrift stores, Facetiming my adorable niece, and eating at all the yummy restaurants in Durham.
The cause/organization/charity that most captures my heart: Love Does Orphanage in Nepal. Last year, I started sponsoring Sanju, who wants to be a helicopter pilot when she grows up! I love that this organization gives young girls a safe place to dream big and pursue their passions.
True love is: always choosing to see the best in another person.
Friends, please help us give Jess a big SW welcome in the comments below! You can also say hi and get to know her on Instagram.
P.S. Thanks so much to our Blue Ribbon Vendor Robyn Van Dyke for these photos!
Welcome Jess! Thank you for sharing so much about yourself and your journey to Southern Weddings. I can’t wait to see all that you do on this fun adventure. I took a class on the Holocaust in high school and it was my favorite class by far. It seems odd, especially when you are sharing with others, but there is so much to learn from that time in history and when you have a wonderful teacher, well, it just can’t be beat. Have you ever seen La vita e bella? If you haven’t, I would highly recommend it! I saw it in Italy when I studied abroad and the emotion of it has stayed with me to this day.