Hey APW!
I’m so glad to be here/so glad to be back! Meaning, I had the kind of ten day vacation that does truly refresh you on a soul level, and make you absolutely delighted to come back to home and your desk. We have a kid with sensory overwhelm issues, so the vacation wasn’t always easy… in fact there were moments when I thought I was going to throw myself into a wall. But all in all, ten days in Mexico (split between an all-inclusive resort with a Kid’s Club, and time at the beach) was just what the doctor ordered after one of the most challenging years of my life.
I’ve come back to work with a bunch of fresh ideas (and piles of brightly colored tulle), ready to work on any number of projects. You may see a few fewer articles on the front page from time to time this summer, while we cook up all sorts of new content ideas in the kitchen. And I’m suddenly really excited about those content ideas.
The first new thing is one we’ve been hard at work on for months, and we’re delighted to roll it out today: it’s called The L.O.V.E. Club (that’s League of Vendors Extraordinaire). It’s an incubator for the wedding vendor stars of tomorrow. The APW team knows what it’s like to be on both sides of the vendor equation. We know what it’s like looking for talented, kind vendors all while sticking to a budget, and we know a whole lot about being wedding pros trying to reach the right couples. We’ve decided to put all that info together in a wedding vendor incubator and mastermind program, to help launch small wedding businesses who are starting out. It’s frankly what I’ve loved about our vendor program since it’s inception almost a decade ago, and what we’ve always been best at… and I’m so excited to get to do it in a brand new, intensive format. (And rumor is, there will be very cool keychains to show that you’re in the club.) In The L.O.V.E. Club we’ll be teaching our mastermind members what they need to take their businesses to the next level, and in turn, hooking you all up with the wedding industry’s next generation of (likely womxn/Queer/POC-owned) rock star vendors. If this sounds like something you or a small business owner in your life wants in on, click here for all the info and to apply. We’ll be closing this round of applications on July 31, and we’re capping it to just 15 businesses, so get on that application right now.
Otherwise! Enjoy your open thread. I’ll be here sipping tequila and rocking my tan (no amount of sunscreen would protect my translucently clear skin). I was gone just long enough that I’m not even wishing I’m back at the beach… because it’s soaked into my pores.
xo
Meg
Around the Web with Jareesa
‘Blown Away’, ‘The Great British Bake Off’ and the Joys of Craft Based Reality TV
Hustlers looks like it’s gonna be amazing – check out the real story that inspired the movie
22 Side Hustles You Can Start, Like, Yesterday
Farai Chideya shares her story of three failed adoptions on her quest to motherhood
MEL Magazine has advice on how to correct people who mispronounce your name (this is something I’m an expert at!)
Everyone wants to Instagram the world’s most beautiful canyon. Should they?
Did you know that the BeautyBlender was invented on the set of Girlfriends?
New Coke Didn’t Fail. It Was Murdered.
This week’s life tip: you can hand wash your delicate clothes with a salad spinner!
