Last night I was shopping with friends, and was in one store where I happened to mention one of the Boudoir Marathons that I have worked on - the sales girl over heard, and asked me about them, stating that she was looking to do something different for her boyfriends birthday and was contemplating doing one of theses shoots. She asked me some questions, and asked me for my card! I don't know if she will ever follow up, but if she does, then the system works! Good old Word of Mouth!
At our last Boudoir Marathon, we had both the Hairdresser, and the best friend of one of the girls from the first Boudoir Marathon!! They had both mentioned how much Miss. S had been raving about the shoot, and the whole experience so much, that as soon as Melissa and I had announced a second marathon they were the first to sign up! I love that - referals are the ultimate in compliments!! It's one thing for someone to tell you they like your work, it's completely another to rave to all of their friends and family resulting in more people signing up!! It gives me the warm fuzzies :)
And truth be told, word of mouth is so very important in my line of work. Say you are getting married. And you have never been married before - so where do you start in your planning? You talk to your other married friends of course! "Oh - where did you end up getting your dress?" "Who did you use for your pictures?" "who did your catering?" And of course "Did you have your makeup done for your wedding? Who did it?" which is the best advertising I could ask for.
I currently have a wedding booked for next summer - the Bride is the sister of the Bride I did last winter! Word of mouth, I tell ya - it's fantastic!!
And it works in lots of things - personally before I do anything I do research. I read reviews, watch YouTube videos, and I talk to my circle of friends and see what they thought. These days it's very easy to be a savy consumer - all the information you could ever want on a product or service is right there at your finger tips, it's up to you to look for it (and honestly, why wouldn't you? A few minutes of googling can tell you exactly what you should look for, and what you should stay away from - saving you time and money in the future!).
That being said, when I stand behind a product or person, I rave about them. I send them testimonials they can put on their website, I tell my friends, I make sure that word of mouth works in their favor too.
So here is a small list of some of my favorite people and places!
Netbride
I found my wedding dress in a store in Edmonton, and then looked for it cheaper online - in store it was $650, online I got it for $383. My bridesmaid dresses were $200 in store, and $89 through Net Bride. I have told every bride, bridesmaid and graduate I have come across about this website!! It's family run, and everyone I dealt with there was so friendly and nice! They send you their price for your dress make and model number within 24 hours and even have a "live chat" feature so you can talk directly with their staff if you have questions about shipping, sizing or anything else you may want to know! Shipping was also very quick, and my dresses arrived 2 months prior to the set arrival date!!
A&D Photography
Abigail and Dave are some of my favorite people. Dave is actually one of my very good friends from my days back in Calgary, affectionately known as "One of my Boys". He is an awesome photographer, and an amazingly fun person to boot. He met Abby through a mutual friend and fell in love. Lucky for them, Abby is also an amazing photographer, and a kick ass person, so A&D photography was born. When Ben and I got married, I was concerned about my resort photographer, because I didn't have a choice - I just had to go with the photographer employed by the resort, so I messaged Dave. We decided to book a "post wedding shoot" in Canmore a couple months after the wedding, and spent the weekend with Abby and Dave taking beautiful photo's in the mountains, sipping yummy drinks, and splashing around on water slides - it was an awesome weekend, and I can't say enough about how great Dave and Abby are to work with! They had us laughing constantly!! They are both so down to earth, and so crazy in love with each other, that they know exactly which looks, and gestures they are looking for to capture the best photos. They are some of the best photographers Calgary has to offer. And if you don't believe me - the photo's speak for themselves:
Candy and Cream Boudoir
Okay, so you must have seen this one coming... My partner in crime, Melissa Raimondi - Boudoir Photographer extraordinaire! Now I don't want this to come off as a promo for me because my own company (SmudgeMakeup... shameless plug) works along side Candy and Cream for their Boudoir Marathons, so don't think of this as that - I just want to talk about Melissa as a photographer. I just can't say enough about how Pretty her work is!! Her shots capture so much beauty and elegance, and she brings out the very best in the ladies that are captured in front of her camera. Melissa is bubbly, and friendly, and when she tells you she's "so excited to meet you!!!" you can tell she's being honest! Melissa is so much fun, she's laid back, and always smiling, and makes every girl who visits her studio completely at ease! At the last marathon, I was in my makeup station working on the next girl, and I over heard behind the curtain during the shoot "I can't believe I'm so comfortable around you - I'm standing here in a thong and I don't even feel weird about it!" But enough about Melissa herself (because I could go on for hours), you HAVE to see her work!!:
Raimondi Photography
And just to throw this in here, Melissa does more than Boudoir, check out a couple of her baby and wedding shots too:
Carla's Waxing
"little house off whyte"
Unfortunately I don't have a website for this one (or the exact address), it was word of mouth for me, and I want to share it with you. Carla works out of a little house converted salon just off Whyte Ave by Bonnie Doon. Her prices are awesome ($26 for a full Brazilian wax), and she's fast (about 5 minutes for a full wax job). As a friend that I referred to her said upon getting her wax "Wow - you are like the waxing ninja!!" She does a good job, does it fast, and does it for cheap!! She once told me she does about 20-30 waxes a day and has been doing it for 20+ years... now that's experience! Call her to book an appointment! 780.497.2566
Lash Affair
I met Courtney through Melissa, and I'm so very glad I did. Courtney is an eye lash extension technician (do you call them technicians?), and I can honestly say, as a makeup artist, Courtney does the best work in eye lash extensions that I have ever seen. I have worked on several of her girls, and the lashes are full, and properly applied in such a way to get the most natural looks (staggering the different lengths to get the most natural effect). Courtney has a full studio in her basement, but will be opening up a commercial location in Spring 2012, and offers several choices of lashes, as well as Lash Dip coming soon! Plus she's super nice, and very easy to get along with!!
Sigma Beauty Brushes
My Pink Vanity
As someone who likes to change up their hair a lot, I was on the search for hair extensions that I could clip in to get a different look, and take out at the end of the night, and after reading a lot of reviews, and watching a lot of YouTube videos, I settled on My Pink Vanity. Lush Locks are some of the best quality hair extensions I have found, and their service is fantastic. The owner, Amy, not only responds to your questions right away, she also sends little gifts with your order and comes up with contests to give away curing irons, hair clips, earrings, hair products, lots of things!!
Okay.... I could really go on and on, but I think that is enough for now!! So if you find a product or service, and you like their style - tell a friend, tell lots of friends, share the wealth of information and spread the love!!
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