Welcome!

The first of many.

Starting the first sentence of my very first blog post has been looming over this empty page for weeks. How intimate do I want to be? How much is too much when you own an emotionally personal business? Could giving insight into who I am, including my faults, steer clients away? Do clients only want to see sunshine and rainbows? After many questioning prayers, I decided to let all of you into each raw emotion I feel, triumphs and lessons learned. I want to share the things that have led me to this point in life. I want to share the obstacles I face as a business owner and human. 

I am so many things. I am: Christian, wife, daughter, sister, friend, business owner, and dog mom. I love iced vanilla lattes (basic, I know), spaghetti, being a wife, my dogs Whaler and Belle, Kris Jenner, shopping, warm weather, hot yoga, cheesy wedding music, reading, writing, quality time, and deep conversations. My love language is words of affirmation but I think the way I love others is through acts of service and gifts. Interesting, I know. It’s normally the same as our own love language. I am the oldest of 3 girls and I love being a big sister. I was the social butterfly and troublemaker growing up. I’m not making so much trouble these days, but social butterfly still applies. My mom loves to tell me how it will come back to bite me when my husband and I have kids. I fear she is right. 

I was born in Tampa, Florida where I lived for a short while. I grew up moving around for my dad’s job until fifth grade where I lived in Alabama all the way through college. I consider myself to be an Alabama girl. I have lived in Florida, Texas, Maryland, Alabama, Tennessee, and Georgia. My husband Austin and I met in college at the University of Alabama while taking summer classes together. He came into my life  when I was least expecting it and pursued me relentlessly and respectfully, as any man should. He pursues me still today and I am forever thankful for him. Marriage can be work but it is the MOST rewarding thing I have ever done.

I am a dreamer who romanticizes each part of life to a fault. I dive head first into all of my dreams with relentless confidence. Austin has always supported any dream I’ve had and does everything he can to help me succeed. He balances out my caffeine-fueled crazy with a gentle steady hand. God knew what he was doing bringing Austin to me. We love spending time on our family boat on the coast, traveling together, watching stand up comedy, sharing a good bottle of wine, and church in bed on Sundays. Our Cockalier Whaler and our Brittany Belle are spoiled rotten. As any dog should be. We live in Marietta, Georgia and love our little life here.

I started in the bridal industry when I was 15 years old. I worked at a bridal shop in Birmingham, Alabama where I slowly worked my way up. The owner mentored me and always believed in me. My freshman year of college she promoted me to management and made me a buyer for the store. She taught me how to be a leader no matter my age. I had about 30 employees under me and worked full time while being in school full time. I traveled all over the United States and attended fashion shows to buy the best dresses for our brides, debutantes, pageant competitors, and prom girls. I graduated from the University of Alabama with a bachelor degree in English and minors in Creative Writing and Criminal Justice. Classes were a break for me from the real world. Writing poetry and attending classes that were more like a book club than class made me feel so at home.

After college I moved to Nashville Tennessee and started a corporate job. I felt the need to leave the bridal store to see what else the world had to offer me. I hated it. Structured days, cold calls, talking about technology. Nothing about it had a creative outlet. I desperately missed brides and the wedding industry. I ended up moving to Atlanta, GA where Austin was living. We had been doing distance. Soon after I moved, Austin proposed. Shelby Elaine was born soon after (this story could be, and probably will be, a blog entry in itself). Then, a short time later, Elaine Mode by Shelby Elaine launched. My love for weddings, shopping, buying, and fashion combined.

I would describe my style as calm and monotone with a trendy flare. I love a good blazer, neutral colors, and timeless looks. Throwing a blazer over anything with a pair of chunky heels, or a kitten heel is my go-to. I love bright or dark lipstick colors. Have you ever done your makeup and feel like something is missing so you just add more? I suggest adding a lip color and then see how you feel. I believe appearance is important and is a reflection of yourself. Having manicured nails (mine are normally red), a fashionable outfit, and well groomed hair is an absolute must. Something about it all makes you stand a little taller. Speaking of taller, I am 5’1 and wear heels most of the time. I may or may not have been referred to by a groomsman one time as “the short scary planner.” The whole wedding party shared a lot of laughs over this. I don’t mess around when it comes to my client’s wedding day! 

There are so many more layers to unpack about who I am. I don’t know exactly where this blog will take us. We will talk about weddings, life, relationships, fashion, mental health, and whatever else I feel like God is leading me to discuss. Here you will find the good, bad, sad, happy, angry, humorous, embarrassing, raw, faithful, hopeful, disappointing, and revealing moments. Above all, you’ll find love at the core. Because the greatest of these is love. 

With love, 

Shelby