Bellagala | Artist Newsletter March 2015 by Bellagala

Photo by Jeannine P.

Artist Newsletter MARCH 2015

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LETTER FROM MATT

If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. —African Proverb

s we inch closer to the beginning of the next “wedding season”, many of us find ourselves looking back at seasons past and reflecting. What makes certain seasons, certain years, stand out as being more successful over others?

If you’re like me, you’ll likely come to the conclusion that it has a lot to do with the connectivity you had to others. Great success is rarely attained, if ever, on our own merit, but rather it is the byproduct of the combined efforts of many. Whether it be side-byside efforts with others to deliver your service, or simply the support of others that are more behind the scenes, we ALL need others to help us get to where we want to go. And when we allow that, we have the opportunity to go farther than we could have ever gone on our own. With that in mind, I encourage all of you to start to think of ways that you can be more “connected” for the upcoming season. Have you met the new ladies on the sales team? What about calling on some of your co-contributors in the field? Often the folks that we can learn the most from are those that do the same thing we do. A different perspective can be very powerful, and could possibly lead you to your next big idea! So in the weeks ahead, be intentional, and connect with others in the company. A conversation with the sales team or even a post on the FB artist page could go a long way to your future success. Or perhaps your contribution to another could go along ways to their future success. Get connected! Stay connected!

Matt Rush Executive Director

STAYING CONNECTED

Improve your booking success SEVEN REASONS TO CONNECT WITH THE BELLAGALA SALES TEAM

Have you ever wondered how to increase your chances of getting booked more? Look no further! We’d like to exclusively invite you to come meet with us, the Sales Team. Here are our top seven reasons as to why you should take the next steps in connecting with us: 1.) The better we know you, the better we can represent you, your personality and your expertise. 2.) The more we know about you, the more we’re able to connect you with your ideal couple. 3.) It’s a great way to build relationships within the wedding industry. 4.) We’ll can give you an inside look at what couples are saying and wanting for their wedding day. 5.) Learn and improve your expertise by asking questions and receiving feedback from us. 6.) We like to have fun, and we want to meet you! 7.) Statistics show, those who meet with us have a greater chance of being booked more! So, what are you waiting for? We would love to meet you! Contact Matt at matt.rush@bellagala.com to setup a time to come in and chat with us. We look forward to meeting you soon!

Photo by Shinano K.

Around the Office

GET TO KNOW YOUR BELLAGALA OFFICE TEAM Hello! I’m Tara Lee, occasionally referred to as the girl with the hat! I flip through hundreds of images a day and enjoy seeing the details that make each couple’s wedding day so special to them. Outside of work, I like to spend my time hanging out with friends and finding fun things to do like going to the Minnesota Rollergirls’ bouts. I also love to bake, and I’m pretty into video games whether it’s socially with friends or playing in competitive tournaments. After finally catching up from last years workload, I can now say that I’m excited to see what the new year will bring for us here at Bellagala and to see all of the BG Artists in action! Tara L Post Production Lead 4

WHAT’S HAPPENING

Just the Facts

WE READ THE WEDDING REPORT’S QUARTERLY EDITION SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO Here are some noteworthy results from The Wedding Report Quarterly’s survey of 3,600 couples who either wed or planned their wedding throughout 2014. •

Average wedding cost went up 4.7% from 2013 to 2014 from $25,200 to $26,444. • • • •

65% of couples got married within 25 miles of their home.

In 2014, engagements were highest in the month of December.

The average length of engagement among couples was 16 months. 132 was the average number of guests per wedding among couples.

Photos by Ashley B.

2015 Wedding Trends MORE INFORMATION FROM THE QUARTERLY REPORT

According to the report, all of the top trends for 2015 share a large commonality: “Tons of detail, and an investment in intricate accenting.” So, what are these top trends? Great Gatsby, Old Hollywood, and Nature Inspired. With every wedding also comes a color palette. The folks at The Wedding Report also have their hunches as to what the top three color trends will be for the year: Shades of Purple “Grape, Eggplant, Lavender, Lilac. Purple is a top color trend for this year, made even more in-demand by PANTONE®’s naming Marsala as their color of the year for 2015.” Monochromatic The top two color choices within this category were gray and classic white. Jewel Tones “If you think about it, The Great Gatsby and Old Hollywood did have a lot of jewelry flashing around, so the trend in colors could very well pull to a love for very valuable things.” 6

FROM THE EXPERTS

Connecting... it’s essential. I can say without doubt that connecting and creating assurance with your Client is essential in providing the best service possible to them in the planning stages of their wedding, their big day, and beyond. In my experience, there are a multitude of ways to do this: Ask questions and get to know your client. Asking questions like “How did you meet?”, helps me enter into their celebration and gives me a peek into how they relate to each other. However, if I just stopped there, it wouldn’t be complete, the client loves it and feels a connection when I respond to their story with enthusiastic joy, shock, or a “WOW”! The more you ask questions, the better you can fit your Client’s unique wants and needs to better serve them on their wedding day. Educate your clients along the way. For instance, I tell my clients how I photograph the reception. I tell them specifically what I shoot for details, family, specific moments, guests, the dance, and the bride & groom. Then I ask, “Does that sound good to you, or would you like me to spend more time focusing on your guests or one of the other aspects of your reception?” The open communication helps to prevent surprises later on, and people feel more confident about a service when they know the reasoning for why things are done. Why is communication important? The open communication helps to prevent surprises later on, and people feel more confident about a service when they know the reasoning for why things are done. In the end, we all know that happy brides and grooms take the time to give great reviews. They are also more likely to refer others back to you for the great services you have provided them. That, and a happy wife means a happy life! Kim V Studio Photographer | Part-time Sales

Welcome to the team, Gala T. - Disc Jockey Jamez S. - Disc Jockey Karon S. - Disc Jockey Marcus H. - Disc Jockey Michael M. - Disc Jockey Roshan N. - Disc Jockey Sam O. - Disc Jockey Ali K. - Associate Photographer Amber J. - Associate Photographer Anna B. - Echelon Photographer Kali L. - Associate Photographer Luke W. - Associate Videographer

weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re so excited to have you!

MARCH PICKS

Photo by Jeannine P.

Photo by Ashley B. | DJ Chris N.

Photo by Angeli H. | Floral by Jennifer F.

Photo by Shinano K. | Floral by Doris

Photo by Sarah M. | Hair by Lori S. | Makeup by Ashley H.

ARTIST CALL-OUTS

Word on the street is... ROGER S - ASSOCIATE PHOTOGRAPHER “Ben and I just wanted to thank you for the breathtaking engagement pictures! We received them and they are truly beautiful and capture our relationship so perfectly! We have gotten nothing but amazing feedback from our family and friends as well!” –Emily & Ben

ANDY A - STUDIO DJ “Andy was exceptional. He took the time to get to know us, walked us through the timeline of the day, ceremony and reception. He kept the reception moving, and kept the dance floor full all night long. We knew that Andy was the perfect DJ for us from our pre-wedding phone call, but when our photographer saw Andy at the reception and said, ‘Nice! You got Andy -- he’s a great DJ, you’ll really like him,’ we knew our wedding reception was gonna rock. And it did.” –Diana & Dan TODD - ASSOCIATE VIDEOGRAPHER “Todd was very easy to work with. He reached out and provided answers to all the questions we hadn’t even asked yet. The Bellagala profile allowed us to really explain what we were hoping to see in the final product of the video. Todd was also available to chat on the phone and answer any additional questions we had. The day of the event went well as the video team blended in well with the guests but were always filming.” –Lyndsie & Matthew JENNIFER F - ECHELON FLORALIST “Thank you so much for the beautiful flowers you provided for our wedding. We got so many compliments. The tall church/buffet table arrangements were stunning. The wreaths totally exceeded my expectations and the arrangement by the piano was simply perfection. The arrangements on top of the candelabras were exactly what I had in mind. I could not have been more pleased.” –Randy & Kevin

BELLAGALA 255 EAST 6TH STREET • ST. PAUL, MN 55101 651.227.1202 • BELLAGALA.COM