This is the first post in the series called One Day where I’ll be featuring couples who recently got married. They’ll share what they remember most, what stressed them out, and give some great advice! This week’s post is about Will and Jen. They were married September 25, 2009 in the great city of Chicago. They were engaged for 8 months and managed to pull off a $10,000 wedding while inviting 300 of their closest friends and family. Enjoy their tips, pictures, and inspiration board!

1. Now that it has been over 6 months since your wedding day, what do you remember most about the day? I remember being around all the people the meant the most in mine and my husband’s lives. I know it’s cliche, but you don’t notice or even care about any of those little details you cared about so much during planning – and honestly, your guests most likely don’t either.

2. What was the vision for your wedding day before you started planning? At first, I wanted a backyard wedding in a tent, very relaxed and outdoorsy feeling. I thought this would save me money – but in the end, it cost just as much as having a professional do it and stressed me out 5 times as much. Once I came back down to reality, it was just about making sure we found a place big enough to hold as many friends and family as possible.

3. What difficulties did you face while planning a wedding in Chicago? A budget wedding in Chicago is nearly impossible. I think we did manage it, but only because of some wonderful friends and family that helped us out. We had family friends play all the music, Allie Lehman helped with our beautiful invitations and programs, and Will’s family friend gave us a huge break on photography. We decided early on that we would rather have more people come than have a served meal, so we went with appetizers. You have to prioritize in the beginning, and stick to what’s important to you as a couple.

[From top to bottom: potential bridesmaids dress via J.Crew, decorative tree via theknot.com, rehearsal dinner clutch or bridesmaids' gift idea via Ziazia's Etsy shop, wedding program idea via theknot.com, ballet flats via J.Crew, and personalized note cards via Fubabee's Etsy shop]

4. What was your least favorite part of wedding planning? Budgeting! While it is one of the most important things to do for a wedding, nothing causes more stress and sleepless nights than money. But ultimately, I’m glad we couldn’t spend that much, because how much you spend doesn’t make your wedding a special day.

5. What was your favorite part of wedding planning? Does the honeymoon planning count?

6. How did Will (the groom) fit into the wedding planning process? Mostly, he didn’t have an opinion. He’s a musician, so the ceremony music was pretty important to him, but other than that – he took care of the honeymoon.

Will and Jen’s wedding photography by Meagan Lindsay Shuptar.

MEET is my Tuesday series where I am able to feature an artist, their work, and share a few thoughts from them personally! This week I’m excited to introduce Megan Cook! Megan is a twenty-two year old illustrator and graphic designer located in Indianapolis. I have always been a huge fan of her illustrated books and large collages & paintings. I can’t wait to see the work she will continue to produce! Enjoy meeting Megan!

01. At what point in your life did you know you’d be an artist? I’m not sure, but I fell in love with art in kindergarten. I had an art teacher who would make us popcorn to eat while we worked and would tell us stories about artists like Van Gogh and Georgia O’Keefe. She had a really profound impact on me.

02. Do you have another talents, passions, or hobbies? I really enjoy writing and reading the work of great writers. I have written a couple children’s stories and hope to continue my writing career alongside my design future. I have always loved stories and I think that is why I love art/design: everything has a story and you can choose to write it, or describe it visually.

03. Who has been the most encouraging person in your life? My husband and my parents.

04. What inspires you? I find inspiration in a lot of different places: through other artists’ work, through reading, and through pictures or memories.

05. What medium still intimidates you? 3D mediums are hard for me to tackle: I’m a 2D thinker.

06. What artistic trend do you dislike? I dislike the returning 80s trends and colors: too many gross colors and patterns put together in thoughtless ways — but that applies more to fashion design right now.

07. What has been your favorite piece of someone else’s art up until this point in your life? Tough question! I think I have lots of favorites. I really like George Braque’s collage work, and Paula Scher’s posters for the Public Theater’s New York Shakespeare Festival.

08. Do you create art full-time? If so- where and what has that experience been like? I have been doing art on the side right now, while searching for a way to do it full time. My experience in working other jobs that don’t literally relate to art has been an affirming one: the longer that I don’t work in the design world, the more I realize that it is what I want to do full-time.

Hey pals! Hope you had a great weekend. I watched snow fall and melt here in Columbus, Ohio and I can’t wait for the temperatures to reach the low 70′s this week! I have probably some of THE best links to share with you and even better posts coming your way this week. Also- I’d like to give a happy, happy birthday shout out to my mom! I wish I could be in Illinois to celebrate with her and give some hugs.

- Apartment Therapy shared a great article last week about how to work file cabinets into your decor. I hope to utilize this in our new place this summer.

- I love this project. Who says snail mail and family correspondence needs to be boring?

- An exclusive interview with Kate MccGwire. Her work is captivating.

- One of my favorite outfits yet.

- A great collection of logotypes along with some older branding.

- Getting [or just got] married?? Here’s a checklist that I used when I attempted to change my name. I was successful in all areas, but I still haven’t updated my passport!

- Two years ago when I started freelancing, this was a question that I often had. What should I include in my design contract?

- 33 letterpress business cards. Very beautiful.

IMAGE FOUND HERE.

I recently helped Jewel create her custom blog over at eatdrinkshoplove.com. This blog is a space where she can share all her favorite recipes, restaurants, stores, and bits of inspiration!

I’ll be starting a new series called One Day starting next Wednesday! I interact with so many engaged couples on a day to day basis and I thought it would be interesting to talk to women, who recently got married, about their wedding planning process. Each Wednesday, I will feature an specific couple that recently experienced the wedding planning process. I’ll be sharing their color scheme, the date they were married while focusing on the season, photographs, the wedding invitations, and tips & advice from the bride! Check back next week for a great post!

This week’s MEET features one of my favorite bands, Kopecky Family Band. Band member Kelsey Kopecky was sweet enough to participate in the interview after traveling back from SXSW where they were performing. I met Kelsey about four years ago in Nashville while she was attending Belmont University and I’ve always been a fan of her music. Kopecky Family Band consists of Kelsey Kopecky (Vocals/keys), Gabe Simon (Guitar/Vocals), Ben Kaufman (Violin), Corey Oxendine (Bass), David Krohn (Drums), Steven Holmes (Lead Guitar), Markus Midkiff (Cello). They are located in Nashville, Tennessee and you can listen to their music here or follow them on Twitter. Their new album “The Disaster” is out May 2010 but you can download a couple tracks off their site for free! Enjoy the interview and enjoy the beats.

01. At what point in your lives did you know you’d be musicians? We all come from all over the US and met at Belmont University in 2007. Our musical backgrounds vary.. but mostly we are classically trained music enthusiasts that love creating art. I personally, (Kelsey) knew I wanted to be a singer when I saw a Monterrey pop festival documentary of Janis Joplin performing “Ball and Chain” at my grandma’s house. Everything about her passion and messy honesty won me over.

02. Do you have another talents, passions, or hobbies? David enjoys a great record and the latest tech news. Kelsey likes rock climbing and origami, Gabe loves video games, Markus likes to play chess, Steven likes traveling to his birthplace in the Philippines, Corey likes meeting new people and native American culture, Ben likes to drink coffee in the morning and tell jokes.

03. Where has your encouragement come from? We all come from great families. On our tours we’ve had the privilege of visiting the home towns of almost all 7 members. Each home is warm and welcoming. I think the support of our families and encouragement to sharpen our craft as musicians is the reason we are able to do what we do.

04. What inspires you? Gabe is inspired by ALL THINGS VIDEO GAMES! He’s probably the most talented video game player I’ve ever seen. I like to watch him play. It’s pretty wild.

05. What has been you favorite piece of someone else’s art up until this point in your life? I know David, our drummer would probably say his record collection. David really cares about genuine artistry and the person behind the music. His favorite’s include Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Jack White, Bill Withers, Al Green, and of course The Beatles.

06. Is your music full-time? If so- what has that experience been like? Right now we are juggling school, part-time jobs and touring and recording. It’s definitely a struggle. The need to make music a priority in hopes of it being able to be a priority while paying your phone bill is a challenge. I think we do a good job of balancing it all. David is at Belmont finishing up his Music Business degree.. working part time at the Rock Climbing Gym. Kelsey is a Belmont graduate (Dec 08) and works at a hair salon called Fruition. Gabe is a student at Belmont studying Entrepreneurship. Corey is also a student studying Audio Engineering. Ben is a Marketing student at Belmont working part time at a sushi restaurant. Markus plays cello as a studio musician when possible and does valet parking. Steven is working at Urban Outfitters. We are busy kids who have made weekly practices a priority for 2 years.

07. Do you think you have a specific style? What is that style and do you see yourself evolving out of that anytime soon? Because of the wide array of influences that each of us has on an individual level, our music can’t help but have a somehow pleasant bipolar personality.  There are moments of intricate string movements that are outlined by moving drumbeats, vocal melodies that are both emotionally deep and catchy, tempos that challenge our classical brains to think…a little bit of everything. I like that our music has an element of intelligence and sass. It’s like a smart pop song that makes you want to listen closely. It’s constantly changing. Every practice we are writing a new song that is completely different than the last. But somehow the familiar “kopecky-ness” is in all of our songs.

It’s my first day back after a 7-day Twitter hiatus and I’m feeling refreshed and accomplished. Last week I finished the piece above for a past client. King Kong meets Elvis. I hope you all had a fabulous weekend! Here are some links to start off your week:

I’m currently working with five engaged couples to create their perfect wedding invitation set. I stumbled across these the other day and loved the size and richness of the colors. When you design wedding invitations, it’s always such a treat to work with a bride who picks such snazzy colors.

These are on my birthday wish list. Mark your calendars, people. May 9th!

I want this clock so that I can give it to my sister. It reminds me of her.

Two of the funniest videos I’ve ever seen. Seriously. Watch them BOTH.

A great article by Seth Godin. I couldn’t agree with him more.

I am stalking as well. It also inspired me to buy a huge canvas and paint again.

I’m a new fan of Alex Kopps. Found here.

…is my new favorite drink at Starbucks. Thanks to Kellyn Walker. What’s your favorite coffee beverage?

I’m excited to featured Aldan Shinault, a twenty-three year old designer originally from Illinois. Aldan and I went to high school together and we were able to reconnect this year. It’s so awesome to see how Aldan has grown as an artist. Enjoy looking at his work and reading some of his thoughts about life and art.

01. At what point in your life did you know you’d be an artist? I’ve loved drawing and have been more of a visually stimulated kinda guy since I was a little kid.  It runs through my veins, and thus my being an artist was never really a decision.

02.  Do you have other talents, passions, or hobbies? I have a passion for interior decorating and Ferrari automobiles.  As a hobby, I buy clothes.  Lots of clothes.  It’s becoming a problem.

03. Who has been the most encouraging person in your life? My mother has always been the most encouraging person in my life.  Since day one she has gently guided me, but has always given me enough room to make necessary mistakes.

04. What inspires you? Artistically, I’m inspired by:

• the complexity of God and Heaven
• geometry
• The Godfather part 2
• Louis XIV style furniture
• 1980s fashion
• alignment and symmetry
• palm trees
• the subjectivity of beauty

05. What medium still intimidates you? As far as intimidating mediums, I’ll have to stick with traditional film movie production.  I mean, I got my degree in that sh*t… but it kicked my ass through-and-through.  I don’t wanna be anywhere near a film camera ever again.

06. What artistic trend do you dislike? Pop art — simplistic approaches to appropriating images.  Just… unoriginal in every sense.  Andy Warhol is f*cking evil.

07. What has been you favorite piece of someone else’s art up until this point in your life? The photography of my buddy Kristina Bereolos.

08. Do you design full-time? If so- where and what has that experience been like? I used to design full-time when I lived in Chicago.  At present, I work at a private greenhouse / flower garden.  There I maintain orchids & roses, feed chameleons, and read.

09. Do you think you have a specific style? What is that style and do you see yourself evolving out of that anytime soon? I’d say my style is sexy, subtle, in-your-face, and smooth… all jumbled into one well sewn, highly detailed package.  I ain’t never gonna change!

I’m taking a break from Twitter and Facebook for the next seven days. Both have been wonderful ways to connect, learn and share but I need to take my extra time and learn things with my hands, talk to more friends face-to-face, and read text on actual paper. I think I’ll be able to focus more on the work that I have and I’ll be sharing all of my extra experiences throughout the week so feel free to check back!

(design by Fabien Barral)