Season 1 Episode 4 | Entrepreneur in the DMV and Bride-to-Be
Engaged wedding copywriter Taylor Griffith, CEO of Lemon Tree Editorial in DC, joins us to talk about planning her wedding and starting her own business
SHOW NOTES
Today, we are dishing with bride-to-be, Taylor Griffith
HISTORY
How did you two meet?
Bumble. We both had been using dating apps for a little while (I was on Bumble and OkCupid, he was on Bumble and Tinder). Our first date was on Friday, December 29, 2017. We went out for ramen after work, and didn't want the date to end, so we then went to a coffee shop and had tea and dessert. Two days later we had our second date on New Year's Eve at the Kennedy Center, and shared our first kiss at midnight with balloons falling on our heads. To say it was dreamy is an understatement.
Taylor + David
What was the first thing you noticed about your partner?
What a planner he is! This is something we have in common. One of my favorite memories from our courtship is me calling my mom two days after I started chatting with David on Bumble... I told her, "Mom, I'm 98% sure I found my soulmate." She asked why, and I shared that he had planned our second date before we'd even gone on our first date, and the only person I know who would do something like that is me!
One of my favorite physical attributes of David's is his cleft chin, which is probably the first thing I noticed about him when I met him. It's so cute!
What is your favorite — and least favorite — thing about your significant other?
I have so many favorite things about David. He's a total planner, very practical, whip-smart and incredibly witty.
He's also very tidy, which is a double-edged sword and can be one of my least favorite things about him. He's so quick to clean up! It's a great thing, but can also be annoying if I left something out on purpose. I might leave my shoes out of the cubby because I'm planning on taking the dog or a walk in 30 minutes, or put my lunch on the counter so I can pack it in my bag and take it to work, or even leave spices on the counter while I'm cooking... in the blink of an eye, he'll have put all of those things away! It's a blessing and a curse.
Tell us about the proposal!
We got engaged on Friday, May 24, and I knew about the whole thing.
Within like two months of dating, we had said "I love you" and knew we wanted to get married. I was planning on moving back to the Charleston area, where we're getting hitched, to help my mom open a bakery. I even had that on my dating profile when I met David. But I pretty quickly knew that he was "the one" and had to face the reality that I'd be abandoning one plan in place of pursuing another dream. We sat down and wrote a 10-year-plan, which we still update and refer back to. It says that in 2017 we'd fall in love by midnight; in 2018 we'd move in together; in 2019 we'd get engaged and in 2020 we'd get married. By now you can tell that I'm a planner and a bit of a control freak...
We went engagement ring shopping in August 2017 and had the ring in-hand by October. I wore it around the house on the weekends sometimes. When New Years Even 2018 rolled around, I brought up the engagement conversation. "When can I have that beautiful ring you're pretending to 'hide' in the closet?" Every time I brought it up he'd joke that it was happening New Years Eve 2019. The weeks started to pass and soon Presidents Day Weekend came and a close friend of David's got engaged. Out of the blue, he came home from work that Monday and said he wanted to propose over Memorial Day Weekend because he liked the idea of having a three-day weekend to celebrate. I was elated and we started making plans. We made a reservation at a fancy restaurant for Friday night and I put on my work calendar that I would leave early so I could go get my nails done.
Fast forward to that day, and I got dressed up for work, left early to get my nails done, and on the walk home saw David out on the street walking our dog, Oliver. I came over to them and Oliver rushed into my lap, as he always does. David said Oliver had a present for me, and my ring was on his collar. David took it off and asked if I wanted to get married, I said yes, and we went inside to get ready for dinner.
Some people would say knowing about the proposal ahead of time ruins the surprise, but I'm grateful I knew. I was in a fantastic mood as the day got closer and closer, and even though I had a pretty bad day at work the day of the proposal, I knew what an exciting day it would be for me and wouldn't let anything get me down. We enjoyed plenty of time knowing the proposal was coming as just the two of us, like it was our little secret, and were really glad when we were finally able to share the news with our friends and family.
WEDDING DETAILS
Wedding Date: November 14, 2020
Wedding Location: Charleston, South Carolina, at a historic downtown venue called Upstairs at Midtown
Approx. number of guests: 50
What are the top 5 things you're looking forward to at your wedding?
1. Our two-week honeymoon! Location TBD, but we're 100% sold on the two-week idea.
2. Getting dressed up for the big day.
3. Having all of our favorite people in one place. David's from Texas, I'm from Delaware, and our families are scattered across those two states + Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Pennsylvania and New York. I'm so excited to have everyone in one room!!
4. Making Taylor happy (that was David's contribution. What a suck up)
5. Eating Chinese food at the after party (another one of David's contributions)
Do you plan to participate in any family traditions, or incorporate any heirlooms into your wedding?
I'd classify our wedding as non-traditional. We're hosting a reverse cocktail hour where we welcome our guests to our party and join them for drinks. Then we'll be hosting the ceremony, where David and I are walking down the aisle together. We are not having a bridal party. We're also registering for a honeymoon fund rather than traditional gifts.
Tell us about the wedding planning process. Did you run into any obstacles? How did you overcome them?
It's been a fun process, but it hasn't been without its stressors. The guest list has been the biggest obstacle. In order to have the high-quality event we want and meet our $20,000 budget, we had to restrict the guest list to 50 people. That's 25 for each of us. After putting a few essential friends on the list, the rest of my 25 is taken by family... and still doesn't cover cousins. It's a really hard decision to have to make, whether to extend our budget by nearly $1,000 to accommodate everyone, or to have to tell loved ones that they can't be included on your special day. We're still working to resolve the issue, but I think the best solution is going to be adding the two cousins who live close and who I see the most, and telling everyone else that unfortunately, they won't be receiving an invitation.
Having divorced families has also been a slight obstacle. It's important to us that all of our parents feel included and special because this is an important occasion for all of us. As a result, though, we've got four phone calls every time a major decision happens and seven people's feelings to consider all the while.
What was the most important decision you made about your wedding?
We decided really early on that we wanted our wedding to be really authentic to us. Screw what's trendy — we wanted to focus on the things that are important to us and how we live our lives. We've built a lot of our life around the ideal of "quality over quantity," and I think our wedding really follows that style. As a result, we decided to host a smaller wedding with fewer guests in order to have a high-quality event with all of the niceties that are important to us.
Have something else to share?
I bought my wedding dress almost a year before I was even engaged. That one always shocks people — way more so than us buying the engagement ring together and so early. I went with a newlywed friend to a bridal consignment shop in Columbia, Maryland, to a $100 dress sale so she could buy a "trash the dress" dress. I tried on at least eight different dresses. when I put on the one I ended up buying and taking home, I knew it would be perfect for my style and figure. It also fit me perfectly! It seemed too good to be a coincidence, so I bought it then and there. For a while I was thinking about lying and telling everyone I bought the dress after the engagement but decided to come clean not too long after purchasing it. Much to my surprise, both my mom and my stepmom thought I was being incredibly shrewd and thought it was a great idea to buy the dress early and on sale.
Is there anything else you'd like us to know?
I have a few tips for couples trying to stick to a budget...
1. Spend money on the things that last. In our case, we spent a little more than originally budgeted on the engagement ring, but it's something I wear and we both see every day. In the end, that brings me more joy than having some other bells and whistles at the wedding reception.
2. Find up-and-coming vendors. Fair warning: this strategy takes a bit more work, but in my mind is totally worth it. It's a time vs money exchange, so if you don't have the money, you need to spend the time. When we first got engaged, I posted in a few online groups that we were willing to pose for free as models for new photographers looking to bolster their portfolios. I got three responses and while two of them were less-than-awesome, one photographer turned out to be insanely talented. Not only did we get free engagement photos to use on our wedding website and Save The Dates, but she got beautiful photos for her portfolio and booked one of her first wedding gigs!
3. Look beyond tradition for savings. In our case, we were looking at hotel rooms for the bridal suite but ended up going with an Airbnb. It's an adorable one-bedroom apartment that we'll have all to ourselves, and despite splurging on a ritzier Airbnb, our entire stay there still only cost the equivalent of one night in a fancy hotel suite. I also saved a boatload on my wedding gown by purchasing a (brand new) gown from a bridal consignment store. It cost $100.
How did you choose your wedding vendors?
Beyond price, I always look to see who owns the company and how they operate. I like to support diverse businesses, so I'm working really hard to ensure all of the vendors I hire are women or people of color (or both), small or startup, and are sustainable.
YOUR BUSINESS
How long have you been in business?
I've been a professional writer for 6 years, and have been a business owner for 1 year.
What areas do you serve?
Geographically, I'm not limited. But I do specialize in writing website copy for wedding pros
Why did you decide to start your own business?
I started my career in journalism and was a newspaper reporter for several years before becoming an SEO copywriter and then managing whole Content Marketing departments in the corporate world. Every time I got a new job I was always excited to be doing what I love — writing — and adding on new skills, but after the newness of it wore off I'd start to feel unhappy. I always felt like I was close to what I wanted to do, but just wasn't there yet. All the while, I freelanced on the side writing magazine articles, marketing copy and website copy.
I got the entrepreneurship itch in 2017 when I was prepared to quit my corporate job and move back in with my parents so I could open a bakery with my mom, who is an insanely talented pastry chef. We worked on that plan for about a year and I was in charge of the business operations, but only a few months before I was ready to move, I met David and knew that he was the one. Love wrecked our entire business plan. Almost a year after that, I was feeling bored and exhausted and frustrated, so I hired a career coach to help me figure out what I wanted to do. With her help, I realized that I love writing, and I love business, and that I should open my own writing business. So I did! I got a bunch of clients and started working, but quickly felt scatterbrained and burnt out. I took on so many clients all at once that were in totally different fields and needed totally different types of writing. I was listening to another podcast I love and was inspired to narrow down my focus, or "niche down" and started thinking about not what industry I should write about, but what industry had picked me. And then I realized it! All of my favorite clients were in the wedding industry and kept referring me to other wedding pros. It just felt natural. And then I got engaged! It all came together around the same time and felt like it was meant-to-be.
What's the coolest thing about owning your own business?
The opportunity to give my talents to the world. Think about it this way... every business exists to help someone. You might help someone by making them feel beautiful and confident on their special day, or capturing precious memories on film that otherwise might be lost. I help people by telling their stories — truly *seeing* who they are their gifts, and then putting that down on paper so they can, in turn, help the people they're meant to help. It's a wonderful cycle because, in my mind, I'm facilitating so much work that ultimately makes the world a better, happier place.
What challenges have you had to overcome?
Running a business is hard, man! Even for someone like me who obsessively reads books and listens to podcasts and takes webinars and talks to coaches. One of my very first clients, for example, was a web developer who I partnered with. He designed the websites and I wrote them. Despite being incredibly diligent and over-communicating, insisting on a signed contract between us, having all of his contact information, texting with him almost every day for 6 months — he ended up ghosting me and skipping out on paying a $700 invoice. He took down his website, got rid of his phone number, canceled his email. The man was a ghost. Fast forward a few weeks, I finally was able to track down his former assistant, who shared that his customers were refusing to pay him so he decided to shut the business down. To this day I have no idea whether or not this guy was screwing his customers over or they were screwing him over, but in the process, I also got screwed. I learned the lesson on that one really quick — when it comes to business, people need to earn your trust.
What advice could you offer to someone starting a business like yours?
I'm a "measure twice, cut once" kind of a person, so I highly recommend validating your hunches. If you think your idea would be a good business, go out there and test it. Work with some beta clients, do some market research, survey total strangers... it'll help you decide where you want to take your business and if it's really a business or just a hobby.
Also, it seems contradictory to running an online business, but I cannot overstate the importance of meeting people in person. I've found a huge amount of inspiration and camaraderie from joining groups like The Rising Tide Society and attending their in-person events.
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