A few weeks ago y’all learned what it’s like to be the Southern Weddings’ Art Director, but I can tell you that life in the Southern Weddings office is a bit different for me than my sweet counterparts. Namely, because I’m not usually in the Southern Weddings office. Sit a spell with me as I walk you through a typical day for Southern Weddings’ Ad Director!
To set the scene, let’s take a look at my workspace:
This is what my “desk” looks like most mornings: clean, organized and ready for the day. However, I should add that my desk changes based on where I am in the USA – sometimes it’s a coffee table, sometimes it’s a kitchen table, and sometimes it’s a picnic table.
And this is what my “desk” looks like by the end of the day. A complete hot mess! Nicole and I share of a love of Post-it notes, but as you can see, mine sometimes get out of control!
3:15am Yes, you read that right! As many of you know, my husband plays minor league baseball, which sometimes means getting up at an absurd hour of the night to “wake up” and pick him up at the field after a long road trip and bus ride back from who-knows-where!
8:50 I try to only drink water, but after a crazy early wakeup call, a little Monster Rehab is much needed! At least I’m keeping it Southern – a Rehab is like an Arnold Palmer with way too much energy! Yes, I actually have to step through a whole boatload of baseballs in my daily routine – they’re seriously everywhere!
9:00 I sit down at my nice and clean desk and prepare for the day. I keep everything organized with my Emily Ley notepads. This one is my favorite – it helps me break down my giant list into more manageable steps.
9:10 I open my email client, and it’s flooded with gorgeous gowns, sparkly baubles and sweet notes from our advertisers. I love days like this!
10:30 Since I work remotely most of the time, I Skype into our team meetings. Let’s just say the background of my “office” always entertains my fellow SW ladies. From random baseball players trying to chat, to my bedroom wall (yes, there’s a monogram there!), to a bloody Nolan Ryan photo (yikes!), the options are always entertaining!
Can you see me in the background? :)
11:30 After gushing over the gorgeous gown options we have for our cover shoot, and narrowing down the perfect bling to accompany said gown, we break from our meeting. I organize my crazy gobbledygook meeting notes into a more legible list, and get started working on V5 prep. Currently, I’m tracking down the perfect cover shoot gown — and requesting diamond rings. FUN!
1:00 I pause for a quick lunch, usually Chipotle or an omelet. After, I head out to drop BDK off at the ballpark for his day to start.
1:30 Back to work. Today I’m working on a proposal for some really awesome new advertisers. I love creating custom campaigns to help our clients grow their businesses and connect with our sweet brides.
3:00 I prepare to write a Real Wedding intro by swooning over the stunning details, then sniffling over the sweet proposal story, then deciding where to start. I’m pretty sure Emily assigns me the prettiest ones! By the way, on a typical day, I’ve already exchanged 15-30 emails with Emily at this point.
4:00 Back to emails to finish up the day. I’m very type A, so leaving a full inbox is not an option for me! BUT, I do love when my inbox is full of newly engaged readers – I get way too excited for them!
5:00 I start wrapping up my day, making sure I let Emily know text for my posts are ready for edit. I email Nicole some lovely V5 ads for editorial review, and I Hey Tell gown options with Lara (one of my favorite things to do ever!).
5:45 I close down my computer and start getting ready to head to a baseball game. Outfit selection is very important and completely based on what will make me the least sweaty in this Southern summer heat and humidity.
I am so thankful that everyday is different and exciting – and I love working with such amazing ladies! From image sizing help, to graphic creation and email editing, Emily, Nicole, Kristin (who you’ll meet soon!), and Lara help me be able to do my best everyday.
Want more behind the scenes? Check out our “In the Office” posts here.
Marissa, your job sounds like so much fun! I love reading these “behind the scenes” looks and seeing all the joy that goes into my favorite magazine! The fact that y’all love your work so much shows constantly :)
Thanks for your sweet words, Lisa! I really do love the magazine, and we’re so luck to be able to have such great readers like you! xx
These are always my favorite types of posts! Love hearing about your day, M! Isn’t it amazing that when we went off to college, we never realized all the kinds of cool jobs that were out there and that we could be doing? I always thought I’d just work in HR. I have no idea why. Your day sounds so great (and much more organized than mine!)…fun to see a fellow work-from-home’er’s day! xx
Thanks for the sweet comment, C! Let’s just say this is a “typical” day! Some are not nearly as organized, and some are all around wild!! CANNOT wait to see you in, NYC! xx