Meet the founder and editor in chief of Belle the Magazine, Alex. We adored her sweet personality and smart professionalism – and she was kind enough to share a spotlight interview with us! Get the inside scoop:
What is the name of your business?
Belle The Magazine | The Wedding Blog for The Sophisticated Bride
How long have you been in business?
I started in 2005 with a printed version of the magazine (which is no longer available) and in 2009 with the blog.
What do you do?
We’re a bridal blog that brings a a daily dose of chic wedding ideas to our readers. From stunning affairs and breath-taking gowns to round-ups of the best in weddings from around the web and everything in between, we create a carefully curated collection of advice, ideas and inspiration to help our visitors on the planning of their dream wedding.
Why did you start your business?
As most wedding bloggers, I started in the wedding industry as a bride looking for resources to create my own wedding. I saw a lack of a wedding resource that appeal to brides like me on my local market, that’s when I decide to create a print regional magazine, Belle The Magazine. The blog was born as a digital complement of the print version, but slowly the blog took over my time and resources. I quickly discover that my wedding ideas and advice appeal to a wider audience than just the local brides. And Belle The Magazine “The Wedding Blog for The Sophisticated Bride” established itself as a trusted, stylish and creative wedding planning resource amongs brides and wedding industry professionals alike.
What is unique about your business?
We bring our readers a daily dose of chic wedding ideas. Our readers are stylish engaged girls and we deliver a carefully curated collection of advice, ideas, resources and inspiration to help them create the wedding of their dreams.
Why did you decide to work with Doodle Dog?
A number of my blogging colleagues used Doodle Dog and I LOVED their designs. I wanted a designer that knew the wedding industry, who can create modern, stylish websites and who could understand my brand and my needs as a blogger. I wanted to evolve my brand and I needed someone to share and help me out on my journey, and Doodle Dog was the perfect match.
What’s your favorite part of your new look?
I love my header and the interactive galleries. A cleaner, but not boring look is something I was looking for a long time and I finally got it.
Tell us about your family.
I live in El Paso Texas with my husband and our three gorgeous boys + three adorable dogs. We’re very creative – my 3 children play musical instruments, music is highly encourage on our household. We are also very active, we love taking walks and bike rides, playing tennis, doing yoga or running the track.
I’m originally from Chihuahua, Mexico – so my parents and my huge extended family still live there. I moved to the United States 14 years ago to attend college, my brother followed my steps and now he lives in Atlanta, Georgia with his wife and kids.
Do you have any pets? What are their names?
I have 3 dogs. Our oldest is Jack, he is a chocolate lab and the sweetest and most loyal dog ever. Then comes Rocky, he is a boxer and his strong, yet fragile and extremely friendly. And finally we have Oreo a black Schnauzer that is full of energy, and probably hasn’t realized that he is a dog. We also have a fish-tang where we have had several types of fish, crabs, snails, etc – but Mr. Bubbles, a black goldfish has been with us the longest (around 4 years).
Where do you like to shop?
I’m not a huge shopper. I believe in spending your money on timeless pieces and save as much as possible on trends. My favorite store is Zara. But, there is no Zara in town, so I have to relay on my travels to shop there. I would like to say that here in town my usual shopping is a mix of H&M, Express and Forever 21, however you’ll find me at Michael Kors more often that I would like to admit.
Describe yourself and your style.
My style is classic and feminine with an edge. I’m a Libra, so I believe in balance – never too much, but never too little. My aesthetic philosophy consist of a clean canvas with statement accents. My go to look is black skinny jeans and a white blouse, then I accent it and mix it up with a statement necklaces or a colorful scarfs, killer shoes or a leather jacket and boots (it depends on the occasion). At my home you’ll find that neutral colors dominate and the accessories are eclectic in style and very colorful.
Where do you find inspiration?
Everywhere.: movies, people on the streets, books… Lover of all things pretty, I can’t help myself but to get inspired by every moment of life. I also follow closely many other wedding blogs – I would like to mention some, but there is SO many good ones out there I would not like to forget anyone. My fellow bloggers keep me in the loop of what’s happening in the wedding blog, as well as inspire me to create new and exciting content.
A Day in the life of you consist of:
My day basically revolves around my kids, I take advantage of the time when they are in school to work, and it varies a lot from day to day. But, more or less it goes as follows: Wake up at 6:00am, eat a bowl of mini-wheats with strawberries and almond milk, get the kids breakfast, get them ready and take them to school, walking for 15 min, COFFEE time, blogging, pick up the kids from school, after school activities, they do homework while I do more blogging, if we have time do an outdoor activity, put the kids to bed and finally me-time.
Is there anything else you would like to mention?
Thank you Nikki for my beautiful site. It was a pleasure working with someone who is professional and reliable at all times!
www.bellethemagazine.com
915.355.6940
Get to know Juniper!
About your business:
How long have you been in business?12 years
What do you do? We are a full service flower shop specializing in daily deliveries for all occasions as well as providing flowers and other decor for weddings and events.
Why did you start your business? I started working in flower shops after graduating from college, decided I loved it but did not love working for other people so I opened my own shop.
What is unique about your business? We have great attention to detail and we put an artistic touch on all our arrangements. Whether creating hundreds of floral centerpieces for a corporate event or a single floral for the bathroom of a restaurant, all get the same amount of care. Our clients are equally important.
What is the process like to work with you? Be prepared for high energy and exuberance! I love the art of visualizing an event, hashing it out with the client and then drawing up sketches and design plans to translate my ideas. I want the process to be fun, not forced.
Why did you decide to work with Doodle Dog? Doodle Dog was recommended by a friend and colleague in the wedding industry. I was assured that even though we were in different states, DD would be the best choice and they most certainly were!
What’s your favorite part of your new look? I wanted a clear, concise way to showcase what we do. Flowers and events are such a visual business: the colors, textures, and design of what we do cannot be translated with words. I love the simple category layout where I can easily add new photos to keep the site current. AND I love our easy to use e-commerce page!
What advice would you give to someone considering a rebrand or relaunch? Gather all the random things (tangible or not) that you love and are inspired by. This will help create your overall design. Also, find other designs/brands that you love and ask yourself why you are drawn to them, the answers will lead you in the right direction. Also work with someone who understands your business and your customer base, this is key to bringing your new look to fruition.
Tell us about your family. I share my life with my husband Mike, our son Cash, and a little wiener dog named Guinness. We are a crazy family that loves art, nature, music and plain old goofing around!
What’s on your Playlist? I can listen to Nick Cave, Lady Gaga and Joni Mitchell all in the same hour!
Where do you like to shop? I am Jeckle and Hyde when it comes to shopping. I love it/I hate it! When I love it I shop locally at cute little boutiques in my hood.
Describe yourself and your style. I am a floral designer, mixed media artist and a writer. My style is slightly askew, casual, rocker. I need to be comfortable to accommodate standing all day, lifting heavy product and sometimes going up and down a ladder depending on what we are working on. I am a skinny jeans and studded belt, cowboy boot, slouch t-shirt kind of gal. Top it off with black eyeliner and a wide cuff bracelet and I’m ready to go!
Where do you find inspiration? I am inspired by all types of visual art, early mornings, black coffee, the beach, and oddly enough- wind. I love wind!
What is your web address? juniperflowers.com
Phone Number: 206-285-2700
Is there anything else you would like to mention? I must mention how wonderful it was to work with Doodle Dog. I had put off redoing my website for way too long because I felt it would be too hard to describe my vision to someone. But when I finally did, it was a simpatico relationship! They understood my needs, concerns and were great at problem solving. They were also great at tweaking small things that came up after the launch and I know they are still there for me if I need advice. They rock!
Love what you see? Stop by and take a look at the site here – and go ahead and become a member while you’re at it! Oh and if you really love it – be sure to sign up for their upcoming event in March (click on the Summit page) . We are so excited to announce that we’ll also be attending as a sponsor, as well as a session leader for attendees (we’ll tell you more about this as it gets closer). Hope to see you in Charleston!
And a peak a the new website!
MONDAY-FRIDAY 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM CST
