For us, one of the greatest joys of being a part of this community is meeting the many talented and diverse people we are privileged to meet each day. In our fast paced and hectic world, it is hard to slow down and get to know your “neighbors.” So, we thought, “What better way to have members get to know one another than to have them speak to each other?” I honestly have to say this is one of our favorite features on the blog!

The one thing we all have in common, on the surface, is our passion for weddings. However, we know there is  so much more to you than just weddings and that is exactly what we intend to find out! Like I said before, we …OK I am nosy.

So in our second installment of Tweet-à-Tête, I am happy to introduce to you two amazing ladies who you may think are quite different but they are actually similar in many ways. Meet Lena of the blog La Petite Coquin and Rhiannon of Hey Gorgeous Events and Hey Gorgeous blog. Did you know one of these ladies is a trained vocalist and the other a trained gymnast? Can you guess who?

Now that I’ve told you a little bit about these ladies, I’ll let them take center stage {oh, don’t forget to hover over the images}…

How did you get started blogging and when?

Lena: After a night of Style Me Pretty browsing and constant wedding chatter, my roommate said, “Just start a blog, you crazy person!” Within the hour, I had a name, a website and a basic understanding of Blogger, and my hundreds of file folders finally had real purpose!

Rhi: I started blogging back in February 2009, when I was fresh out of school, jobless and living in Chicago with my fiancé. Since I was on a Canadian Visa that only allowed me to work for 9 months within my field of study (journalism, probably the worst field to break into) it was impossible for me to find a job. Starting a blog seemed like a logical way to kill some time while I job-hunted and my fiancé worked his new grown up job. Funny enough, the blog started out as a baking blog since I had been thinking how cool it would be to own my own bakery one day. That never happened; and all those baked goods really packed on the pounds.

Lena: Can I see the baking posts?

Rhi: I just deleted the very first post, but the first seven or so posts are recipes! I was too embarrassed to keep them up, so…

What inspires you?

Lena: I find my greatest inspiration in the past: weddings and debutante balls from the 1950s and 60s, soda shops, Norman Rockwell illustrations and anything the historical society in my hometown would approve of. Today’s take on retro is also inspiring: Kate Spade, Mad Men, Matchbook Magazine and my beloved Pushing Daisies all make for delicious inspiration based on the classics!

Rhi: I am constantly inspired by soft and romantic colour palettes, pops of colours paired together with neutrals, old school details that are new enough to remain timeless, confetti, stripes and polka dots, lace lace lace, a little sparkle, a lot of white; I crave this crazy balance between simplicity and detail. My style is hard to define in words but so easy to define aesthetically.

Favorite wedding bloggers?

Rhi: I absolutely love The Knotty Bride. She’s so real and honest and says things no one else says; that’s what sets a blog apart and that’s what keeps people coming back for more. I also have a soft spot for Kathryn at Snippet and Ink (she’s so sweet and genuine) and of course, I adore SMP and a Practical Wedding (I always joke that if these last two mentioned blogs were to hook up and have a baby I’d hope it would be my blog.

Lena: Way to steal my answers! I have a big crush on Knotty Alison-no one cracks me up quite like she can, and with Bambino always featured at the bottom of her posts, it’s a must read. Of course, Snippet & Ink, Style Me Pretty, and Southern Weddings are dreamy, but the best thing about the world of wedding blogs is that there are so many talented girls out there who post amazing things every day! I read more than 150 blogs on a daily basis (and you can forget about my day of catch up on Saturday when I try to read everything), and every one brings something special to the table.

We’ve all suffered from it from time to time: what do you do to get past a creative/blogger’s block?

Lena: I don’t fall victim to blogger’s block very often, but I will admit I have a strategy. Everything I want to blog about is in a folder on my desktop; I pick a photo or two that inspire me, and then create a week’s worth of posts, including a gorgeous pair of shoes for Tuesday, a real wedding that goes live on Wednesday and Friday’s cocktail recipe. Knowing what each week “requires” makes it easier to put together a complete week, and using color and theme makes all the posts feel cohesive and organized. It’s kind of like creating an inspiration board, but I separate each element so that my readers can really enjoy and consider every detail.

Rhi: I make lists or go back and reread old posts or comments to get a feel for what people like to read over on my blog. But I think because I have been blogging for so long, I often find myself muttering to myself throughout the day “I should blog about this,” or “This would be a rad blog topic.” I am so often inspired by my daily life, work and relationships that it’s hard to get sidetracked by creative blocks. Sometimes taking a day or two away from the laptop helps too.

How do you take your coffee?

Lena: I’m allergic to coffee (think elevated heart rate, shakes, anxiety-it’s not a pretty picture), so I drink tea, black with a little raw sugar. My parents visited us a few months ago and were shocked that we didn’t have a sugar bowl, so since then John and I have raw cubes sitting in a sweet Simon Pearce bowl on the counter! They make me think of my Mama, which I love.

Rhi:I like my coffee in the form of a Starbucks, grande iced vanilla latté, with light ice. And I never ever get it skinny. There’s just something so creamy about the non-skinny version; oh yeah that’s right. It’s the milk fat and sugary syrup. Mmmm.

Where do you blog from?

Lena: I blog everywhere. I do most of my writing and posting on the weekends, curled up in bed or our big leather club chair, or at the kitchen table, but I jot down ideas on the train into work, while I’m sipping a cocktail at my favorite bar and I do plenty of day-of edits at work, too!

Rhi: Uhm The Girl Cave. Obviously. But Starbucks comes into a close second, only because going to the Bucks forces me to brush my teeth, put on make up, get out of my Piglet pajamas…

PC or Mac girl?

Rhi: Mac all the way. And my iPhone is an extension of my hand. It’s a sickness.

Lena: I feel like I should copy and paste your answer; John will swat it away from me when we’re in bed and I’m still typing away!

Does your personal wardrobe reflect your style?

Lena: Good God, yes. My closet is full off black ballet flats, cigarette pants, crisp button downs and pearls-not a single one of my readers would be surprised by how I dress. I have to have a style crush on the brides whose weddings I feature-it’s just how I know the wedding is right for me!

Rhi: Oh yes absolutely. It’s so funny when people who know me in real life, see my blog because they say “This is so Rhi!” and similarly sometimes I’ll be shopping with a girlfriend and she will hold up a pink polka dot shirt with ruffles and lace on it and will yell across the store “Rhi, this was totally made for you.” And I have to laugh because sometimes (OK most of the time) they are absolutely right. I live in my black stretchies and flowy, pale pink, lacy, ruffly, romantic kinds of tops. But let me tell you I can rock a hawt dress, or jeans, a blazer and a tee. Promise.

 What’s one piece of advice you can lend to new bloggers?

Rhi: Always, always, always blog for the right reasons; meaning blogging is hard work. It’s a sacrifice and the number of people who have become overnight sensations with their blogs is slim. Blogging as a full time gig is very alluring to so many people (clearly, as the blogging world becomes more and more saturated every single day) but the truth is, it’s tough, it takes a lot of time, patience, hard work, thinking outside of the boat and most of all in my humble opinion, it takes passion. It’s not something for everyone. If you blog because you’re passionate about it or whatever it is you’re blogging about, then you can expect great things to happen and you can adjust your expectations accordingly.

Lena: Amen! I think the best blogs are the ones with a unique voice and a singular perspective. Find yours, and bring whatever it is you love to your readers.

Something your readers would be surprised to learn about you?

Lena: I no longer have bangs-I grew them out after my voice teacher insisted they had to go! I’m also not a lush, despite my copious cocktail posts. I just have a soft spot for a perfectly crafted cocktail. And maybe, after a really long week, I’m a lush.

Rhi: One of the downfalls to being so honest on my blog is there’s nothing left to share that’s interesting about me. Lena, help here please?

Lena: Rhi’s just embarrassed to share how fascinating she truly is. Some of the tamer things I learned during our 2 hour Skype chat? She loves Skinny Cow ice cream bars, although we both doubt the 100 calorie claims, has had her gorgeous Siamese cat since she was just a kid, and she’s got an impressively organized closet!

Biggest blogging moment?

Lena: Is yet to come! I’m working on a redesign that I can’t wait to share-I literally feel like bursting when I think about it!

Rhi: Probably having two features on Style Me Pretty in one week; my first inspiration shoot and my very own wedding back in February. That entire week felt like Christmas, my birthday and Halloween all rolled into 5 days. I also loved the day Abby Larsen AND her husband Tait commented on my post about Why Styled Shoots Will Never Fade Away. To know the best of the best read my blog is certainly humbling and rewarding!

Thank you ladies for allowing us to peek into your lovely lives!  XO

Credits {in order}: Rhiannon of Hey Gorgeous Events, The WB – Pushing Daisies, Lena of La Petite Coquin – Images of Lena, Rhiannon’s “Girl Cave” images- Jenna McKenzie Photography, Rhiannon’s wedding image- Amanda Wilcher Photography via Style Me Pretty