I feel like this post should begin with a drum-roll, so, just do me a favor and do a little drum-roll on your keyboard before you keep reading… (*insert wink emoji here) 

I have already shared a little bit about my heart and planning experience regarding this workshop but now it’s time to actually dig deep into the day itself. It’s also a chance for me to brag shamelessly on my incredible attendees and vendors who were absolutely amazing. 

We scheduled the workshop to be a two day event. The first night being a meet and greet dinner as an opportunity for the attendees to get to know one another on a personal level and shake off any anxieties they may have had before entering the classroom the next morning. 

Our dinner was hosted by my very own in-laws, Matt and Christy, who opened their home and prepared the most amazing home cooked meal for all of the attendees. We had Jessica Weaver, who owns and operates the Everything Delightful Traveling Photo Bus- a beautiful vintage VW Bus that has been designed to be a fully operational photo booth- sitting out in the driveway ready to break the ice among our mostly introverted selves by providing an opportunity for laughter and fun!  

We spent this time getting to know one another and I even brought out some images from my very first EVER engagement and wedding. It helped to let them know that hey- we all start somewhere and I definitely started off rough. 

The next morning we all woke up early. I arrived at The Pillars at 7:30 and began setting out the coffee, donuts, and swag bags in everyone’s seats. 8 am rolled around and soon we were finally beginning the first lesson of the AWP Workshop. One that I spent weeks writing and preparing for. We talked about Branding, Pricing for Profitability, Marketing, and Client Experience all before 11 a.m.! (Thank God for coffee!) In this segment we were all challenged to take some hard looks at our finances, websites, and personal growth & goals. 

The next session was focused on topics surrounding Workflow and Business Management in which we had an amazing guest speaker- Laura Neff- who so generously donated her time to teach us about workflow management and how to best utilize HoneyBook to get our time back. 

We broke for Lunch around 12:30 and we downtown to Bienville Square where we each took a turn getting headshots taken & then we went to The Mediterranean Grill for some killer lunch before heading back to The Pillars to dive into the Third Session. 

The Third Session was geared toward Vendor Relationships & Work-Life Balance. If you’re interested in getting a free download of our Work-Life Balance content, let me know! I’ll have an updated link ready to send out soon! 

Finally it was time to grab our gear and begin the styled shoot portion of the workshop. Here, I stepped back and allowed my attendees to have creative freedom while guiding and suggesting simple changes that I would make and explaining why. 

The shoot started in the Bridal Suite at The Pillars which is this gorgeous dusty/baby blue room that is pouring with natural light from a huge bay window. The room is home to a custom vintage blue couch with matching side chairs which obviously photographed beautifully! 

Chelsea Fowler and Alexandra Taylor, our make up and hair artists, gave our model, Veronica, the most stunning looks that truly completed the vibe for the whole shoot. I was blown away at the skill these ladies have! If you need someone for hair and make up– these are the girls you want. For real. 

While in the Bridal Suite, we walked through all of the prep stages of a wedding day. We photographed the dress, the details, the shoes, the hair and make up, the FLOWERS (holy moly at these flowers, y’all) … all of it. Then we shot a few bridal portraits and we took Veronica and her day of “hubby”, Yosef, outside to the courtyard where we worked in stations and photographed the beautiful pergola that Rachel Monk and Maranda Godwin designed and learned about the difference in Posing versus Prompting and how to achieve both in a natural and comfortable way. 

Once the sunset and we had to move indoors, we entered into the rooms along the bottom floor of The Pillars and we worked around shooting in low light and harsh white balance, aiming to provide a realistic scenario of a common struggle that photographers face on wedding day. 

In the end, we had such an amazing day. I was overwhelmed at the response the attendees had and how beautiful and seemless the day seemed to go despite my multiple panic attacks leading up to the day of. 

I want to thank each and every person who played a part, big or small, in making this workshop come to life. You are truly a blessing not only to me, but to every person that sat in that room last Saturday and each of their family members and children. You have all helped to leave a legacy that we can be proud of. 

VENDORS: 

Venue – The Pillars of Mobile
Workshop Lead- Abigail Wellinghurst Photography
Styling & Design – Jubilee Events & Design
Floral Design – Wildflower Wedding Co. 
Guest Speaker- Laura Neff
Gown – Bella Bridesmaids
Calligraphy – Scripts by Sarah
Make Up – Chelsea Fowler
Hair – Alexandra Taylor
Photo Bus – Everything Delightful Traveling Photo Booth
Meet & Greet Dinner – Christy Wellinghurst
Female Model: Veronica Ginn
Male Model: Yosef Aborady
T-Shirts- Strawberry Revolution

THANK YOU to our Sponsors- GOLIVEHQ ; HONEYBOOK ;Two Bright Lights; PIXIESET; Unposed by Love Is A Big Deal ; The Rising Tide Society