Internship Experience with LLW
Photo Credit: Seeking Films
Hi everyone, my name is Edna and I’ve been interning with LLW for about 7 months now. With my internship coming to an end, I have an opportunity to relive my experience and share it with you all! Maybe you are thinking about applying for this position or you’re an active LLW blog reader (which everyone should be) either way get ready to take a trip down memory lane!
Let me paint you a picture of what Louise was working with. I had little to no experience doing weddings; I actually helped my mom with hers when I was a sophomore in high school but that's it. I occasionally threw themed parties, girls nights, or just decorated the house for holidays. But I am a TIM student who needs two 400 hour internships to graduate and I do love design. I'd like to think I take direction pretty well, I am an over thinker (also known as “detail oriented”), and I love to learn all sorts of new skills.
Photo Credit: Stephen Ludwig Photography
I was so nervous in my interview because I’ve been following LLW on Instagram for about 2 years prior and I was kind of star struck when I walked in!! At the end of that interview, Louise asked me if I was able to work the next wedding to see if I was still interested after the long day. Of course I said yes and two weeks later I found myself at Paliku Gardens at 9am ready to take on the day.
My first wedding was a whirlpool of emotion. I was so excited but nervous because I wasn’t fully sure what was in store. At this point, I still didn’t know if I got the position so I wanted to be on my game and prove I could do the job. There was a lot of manual labor, adjusting and styling details such as a bar front, and raking. Personally, I have never had to rake a leaf in my life because I grew up without the seasons changing. I learned real quick when I had to rake all the confetti up after the first kiss! The day was so scheduled, everyone knew where they needed to be and what needed to be done but I was lost. Thankfully, the whole LLW team kindly answered my one million questions and were extremely welcoming and supportive. At the end of it, I was so overwhelmed because I couldn’t believe I got to be a part of something so beautiful. Yes- the day was long, sweaty, hard work, and I barely had time to pee but I was on a wedding HIGH! It was probably a mixture of exhaustion and excitement of Louise telling me I get to be a part of the team!
Photo Credit: Seeking Films
In the office, I started doing what felt like little tasks but drastically helped towards the end goal. I got to play around with creating graphic designs, pack and organize wedding decor, added clients into our systems, and built over 150 dinosaur seating chart key chains for two separate weddings one week apart (I literally thought my fingers were going to fall off, lol).
During my mid-internship review, Louise asked if there was anything specific I would be interested in learning more about. I am a very “go with the flow” person and I hadn’t really thought about specifics of what I wanted to do. I told her my top three were: florals, layouts, and marketing. After that, she POURED knowledge into my brain and I was here for it.
Photo Credit: June Cochran
As a small business owner, she is extremely busy- probably one of the busiest people I have ever encountered but she allocated time to teach me her skills and I’m eternally grateful. We would sit down together and she would walk me through how she designs a rental invoice for a venue, or what she looks for when creating blog posts. I quickly learned her aesthetic and goals for her brand and next thing I knew I was specializing in marketing. On wedding days, I get to be in charge of rentals and double checking everything is as the layout envisions. Occasionally, I get to play with flowers with Jayna and Louise when we have arranging days. I also didn’t mean to become a flower snob but I guess that comes with the job!
Fast forward 7 months and 400 logged hours later, I have learned so many new traits it shocks me that I can do certain things. I’m at my peak podcast listening (courtesy of Louise), I can name more plants than ever, and I’ve met some of the most joyful people in my life. I feel as if I have grown so much personally, professionally and mentally. Louise has shown tremendous leadership being patient, poised, and supportive. I can go on a tangent for hours about how much I loved interning at LLW but I’ll leave it at this- this internship will keep you busy, you’re going to have to be dedicated but it is the most rewarding experience.
If you’re interested in becoming an intern at Love Letter Weddings, click HERE to apply!