Today’s lovely guest in the Bloggers {Unveiled} series is the lovely and stylish Summer Watkins of Grey Likes Weddings! Summer is an absolute sweetheart and I’m so thrilled to have her visiting today for our weekly segment.

About the Blogger:

Under the guise of her nom de plume, GREY, stylist and curator, Summer Watkins compiles and blogs stylishly handsome finds for voracious lovers of the good and pretty. She’s an advocate for the proper treatment of details and is over the moon for fierce creativity, brave color palettes, and fashion inspired motifs.

Blogger {Unveiled}:

How did you get started in the wedding world?
In college, I stumbled upon a part-time job at Conroy’s Flowers. I ended up falling head-over-heels in love with flowers and learned how to put arrangements together. Friends started asking me to do flowers for their weddings, so after college, I spent the next decade doing freelance floral design as a side job.

What is your makeup staple?
I can’t live without my Lorac concealer. It brightens up my face, gets rid of any dark circles, and it’s got the best color and staying power of any concealer I’ve ever used. I also adore my Laura Mercier Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer. It keeps your makeup looking fresh all day!

What’s one thing that others don’t know about you?
I’ve got three really amazing sisters, each of whom is super talented, brilliant and absolutely hilarious. I feel so lucky that I ended up having them as siblings. It’s also a little known fact that I was once a college professor. I taught writing while I was in grad school, but it was one of the toughest jobs ever—grading papers was really tedious!

What’s one piece of advice you would give to others trying to get started with their own business?
Take it seriously. Starting a business isn’t about making money from a hobby. It’s really hard work and requires business savvy, dedication, and perseverance. Finding mentors and support is also really huge. You need to have people around you that can encourage you, bring you back to reality, keep you going, or reign you in. I’ve learned that you definitely can’t go it alone.

What is your favorite part about weddings?
It’s funny because I’m not married yet, so my perspective is completely from the observer’s point of view. But I love the idea that two families are becoming one. Each couple is bringing together their respective circles of friends and family. The idea is sometimes nerve wracking to me…what if Aunt Joan and cousin Bill don’t get along? But it’s such an amazing experience when you see people that are brought together because of a wedding. There is so much community and intimacy that results. It’s the reason I love the idea of having a small wedding—because that connection, not only between the bride and groom, but between this new “family” is so beautiful. Of course weddings are also the only excuse to bring together the best of fashion, music, food, and décor for a rocking party that’s meant to celebrate love. How can anything beat that?

What is your hobby outside of blogging {is there life outside blogging}?
I love to cook. I’m not a recipe kind of gal in the traditional sense. Usually if I want to make something new I’ll research lots of different recipes to see which techniques and ingredients I like. I end up picking and choosing my favorite elements from several recipes and make my own version. Forgoing an actual recipe makes it much easier to cook too. I’ll usually open a bottle of wine, turn on a pod cast, and really relax and be creative while I cook. There’s something so lovely about involving all of your senses in an activity. Cooking is really life giving—both metaphorically and literally.

To learn more about Summer, go here.  To see the entire lineup of lovely contributors to the Bloggers {Unveiled} series, click here and make sure to pop back in every Friday to get to know the people behind your favorite blogs!!

Happy Friday everyone!
~jacin