Why Styled Shoots?

Know what's one of the cooler things of being a part of the wedding industry? According to makeup artist Hayley from Gulf Coast Glam House, it's getting to be a part of STYLED SHOOTS! Since I'm a DJ, I’ve always thought being a part of a styled shoot would be fun but I didn’t really see how I would fit practically. Hayley shares about how styled shoots are not just beneficial for brides who are wedding planning. They're also great for the wedding professionals that play a role in making each styled shoot come to life.

We also talk about where her happy place, how her business is like one of her children, what she was planning on doing in the realm of art BEFORE Gulf Coast Glam House, and all sorts of other interesting things!

If you haven't, yet, I'd greatly appreciate your review of the podcast. I may even include it in a future one! ;)

This Highlight Weddings & Events Podcast was edited and produced by DropHouse Voiceover Production Studio and Tony Tee Neto, Voiceover Artist & Audio Producer. For more info on branding elements, editing, and post-production services, visit http://drophouse.com.

The intro and outro used for this episode is Crush by https://audiohub.comLicense: CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Transcript

DJ Josh from Highlight Weddings & Events: This is Episode 11 of Make Your Wedding a Highlight. My name is DJ Josh from Highlight Weddings & Events. My guest today is Hayley Gurney from Gulf Coast Glam House.

Tony Tee Neto from DropHouse Voiceover Production Studio: If you’re getting ready to, or are already in the process of, planning your wedding, you’ve come to the right place. DJ Josh, owner of Highlight Weddings & Events, interviews other local 30A wedding pros to offer insight on how to make your wedding a highlight.

DJ Josh: Well, hello, everyone. Thanks for stopping by and checking out the podcast once again. Today I have an awesome guest. Her name is Hayley Gurney from Gulf Coast Glam House.

How are you doing today, Hayley?

Hayley Gurney: I’m doing great! How are you?

DJ Josh: I’m doing ok. The weather is pretty nice. It’s a beautiful Florida day. A little hotter than normal but it’s Florida. What are you gonna do?

Hayley: Yes. What are you gonna do?

Josh: So, I figured the first stop we should make on this podcast is just find out “Who is Hayley Gurney?” Would you mind telling the listeners a little bit more about yourself?

Hayley: Yeah. So, I’m Hayley. I grew up here along the Gulf Coast. I love it here. I’m never leaving. But I’m a coastal girl. I’ve been married for 12 years to my sweet husband and we have 3 kids. And then I’m also a makeup artist along the coast. And then I also travel. So I am just this creative, old soul that likes to have a good time.

DJ Josh: Ok. So, how did Gulf Coast Glam House come to be? What was kind of your trajectory getting to this point?

Hayley: Gulf Coast Glam House is like, I always say it’s like my fourth child. My sweet, little baby. That needs lots of attention.

DJ Josh: Oh. Yes they do.

Hayley: Yeah. So I have always been a super creative person, super artistic. I visualized growing up that I would do something in the arts. But I felt like that was something that seems a little more structured. I don’t know. Just coming out of high school, I envisioned becoming an architect or something along those lines. And, as time went on, I realized that maybe that wasn’t what worked for me and my dynamic as a mother and a wife. I just wanted to be home more. And, so, my husband. That creative bug had stuck with me, so I didn’t really. I dabbled around with different things and my husband had encouraged me to go to trade school. And I got licensed as a skin care professional. So I could do anything from skin care to waxing.

Anyway, none of that really interested me but when it came to make up, that brought a new passion that I really didn’t realize was there. Because I’m like a little surfer chick, so makeup wasn’t always something I wore in high school or even my early 20s. I don’t really wear it on my day to day life right now. I’m pretty clean faced. But, when I do it up I can do it up good. And so I just fell in love with this field.

And I really started off super small. I was doing makeup for girls out on Pensacola Beach who are doing advertising things whether it was for like a 5k run or anything really. And then I got into doing girls who were competing in fitness competitions and swimsuit. And that opened up a lot of avenues: getting to travel internationally and working with some really cool people. And, then there just became this moment where the light went off and I’m like, “You know what? I’m taking this leap. I’m opening this business. And, I’m going to really celebrate and create and do the things I’m passionate about and that I love.” And so, Gulf Coast Glam House, we just opened her little doors. Been here about eight and a half years.

DJ Josh: Cool. It’s very interesting that you transitioned from architecture to makeup. That’s a very wide leap because when I think of architecture I think of, and unfortunately this is very stereotypical but, men in suits putting together plans. And shifting to, which what I would consider would be more of a female-dominated sector. So, that’s really cool.

Hayley: So, the one thing that I think would probably be comparable between the two is being like, what is that word where everything is similar on both sides? Not abstract but what’s the opposite?

DJ Josh: Uh, concrete?

Hayley: No. I mean like on a face. Like I need the same as I do on the left as I do on my right.

DJ Josh: Oh! You’re talking about mirroring.

Hayley: Yes. You know the word. I know the listeners know the word. They are probably yelling it but they’re like listening, driving, and they’re like “It’s this!” But I can’t think of the word. But also with the home, there’s structure to it. There’s structure to a face. But when I was looking at architecture, I actually wasn’t thinking about homes. I got accepted into the Fort Lauderdale Art Institute and they offered a yacht architectural program that I had been accepted.

DJ Josh: What?

Hayley: Yes! I wanted to design yachts!

DJ Josh: I’ve never heard of that. I’ve never heard of that before! It feels so random but it definitely makes sense because, obviously, someone has to design the yachts before you build them, so.

Hayley: So I had. I was in art class. I took all my electives. Well, I did P.E. too all the way through like some weird girl. But art I did any elective I could fill with some kind of art class as well. And we had a scout from the Art Institute come to our school. And they talked about the different programs. And when they brought up the yacht architecture, I was like “That!”

Well, I was really good at math, so a lot of times in the arts it’s ELA. Reading, History, and Art are all kind of combined. And then you have your Math, your sports. Because it’s kind of like combination but I excelled in math and art. So I felt like architecture was where it fell into place.

Now, long story looping back around to makeup. Structurally, it is kind of like a mathematical equation. To get from point A to point B, I have to do all these different things in the middle, in a sequence in order to create that look. And, so for my mathematical brain, I’m able to put an artistic flair to makeup but it’s very, I wish I knew the word. 

DJ Josh: You’re thinking like symmetry?

Hayley: Symmetry! Symmetrical. Yes. And so that’s how my brain works. It runs off creativity but I have to have some type of structure. Otherwise I would be all over the place.

DJ Josh: So you bring math into makeup. That’s a really cool concept.

Hayley: Yeah. my own little formula. It’s called the Gurney Theory. Just kidding.

DJ Josh: Better get that published, right?

Hayley: Yes. So that’s how this came about. It’s where I am and it’s where I love being. Just love like growing. Every time I turn around, I’m like, “Has Gulf Coast Glam House, have we reached our pinnacle? Are we about to face the point of becoming timeless? Is this where our time stamp is?” And it doesn’t. There’s something in this industry and it’s not just my business. But it is constantly and consistently evolving and growing. I just love it. Yeah. Every time I turn around, like, “Oh, here’s a new portion of this business I need to water and nurture because we’re about to grow another limb.” I really love it.

DJ Josh: Yeah. There is always something you can do to work on your business.

Hayley: Yeah. I just love it.

DJ Josh: Yeah. That’s awesome. So you went from architecture to makeup for advertising and fitness competitors and then weddings. So what excites you about being a part of the wedding event team.

Hayley: Oh, I love wedding and events. It’s just so magical. I offer services outside of weddings as well. Like, you know, my brides are now pregnant and they want to do maternity photos. I’m definitely doing makeup services for them, letting them feel beautiful in front of the camera that way. Working with local people whether they’re on small scale TV interviews or larger scale. But with a wedding, something that is presented that none of those other services really bring along with them is the emotion and the specialness that is revolved around that whole build up and that day.

It’s just something that’s very pure. And, getting to be there with someone on such a big day, a day that they will never forget. And just being able to devote an hour to them: putting my hands on them, letting them know I’m here for you, I’m going to bring the best service that I can for you. And really just giving them the opportunity to look in the mirror once we finish and feel so beautiful. It’s like magical. I really can’t explain it any other way. I really love the wedding industry.

With weddings primarily being on the weekends, throughout the week, that’s usually when photo shoots are. Because the things vendors I’m working with for these other jobs and other projects, they’re in the wedding industry as well, so they’re marking out their Saturdays, Sundays, sometimes Fridays for weddings. But throughout the week, we’re doing other projects.

But that Saturday rolls around and you’re like, Not only am I usually working with the bride but I’m usually working with her best friends. I’m working with her mom. So I’m getting to hear all the special things. And they’re reflecting on when they became friends as children or their sister relationship. You hear some of the sad stuff: that they’ve lost a family member, how they’re going to honor them. And I just get to be a fly on the wall, doing my job, and just being in this really sweet, special place. I really love it.

DJ Josh: And I think you’re in a unique perspective because you are there at the very beginning of the wedding day, so they may not be quite as stressed. Maybe? I don’t know. That’s not a world that I see. The world I see is everything from the ceremony on.

Hayley: Yes. You and I see two totally different perspectives.

DJ Josh: Absolutely.

Hayley: Because I get the bride ready and then I don’t even see her walk down the aisle. I always tell them I can not wait for the photos to come back. I’m like, “Someone share the sneak peek! Please!” I want to see what she looked like after walking down the aisle. So, there is stress in that room sometimes. So getting the opportunity to just be a person that is consistently at weddings to reassure them that, “Hey. This is ok. It’s going to be fine.” That’s really special because a lot of times, girls they’re only getting married, hopefully, once. Sometimes it might be their second time around or their third. But still, the amount of weddings you and I are going to it way exceeds even if someone got married five times or they’ve been a part of five weddings. You and I are a part of, there’s 52 weeks in a year. So we’re a part of lots and lots and lots of weddings. So just having the opportunity to say “Oh, you got garden roses instead of peonies or whatever. Listen. Nobody knows. Step back. Look how beautiful this is.” Just being able to be that calming force in the room. And, just reminding them, “This is ok. This is your day so let’s focus on you.” It’s really nice.

And, then just getting them the opportunity to make them feel extremely beautiful and extra confident is a reward in itself. Because I always, while doing girls makeup, will hand them the mirror throughout if we’re not in a get-ready room that has mirrors, and I’m like, “Check this. Do you like this? This is your face, so if you see something you don’t like you better tell me. Because I don’t want you to be like ‘Well, I gotta make this work now.’” I want you to be like, “Yes. I’m here!” So, that’s a really cool part about being involved with weddings and that get-ready morning. And listen to music. It’s just so nice.

DJ Josh: Yeah, that’s for me, being a wedding professional, your in a position to help either reduce stress by having already experienced something that’s going on and be able to make it so that the couple or the guest know something went wrong or is going wrong. Or have the grace and be able to reassure them that “Hey. This thing happened. But it’s ok. We’re taking care of it. You don’t have to worry.” So the couple and their guests can just continue and enjoy the wedding.

Hayley: Yeah. And I feel like you have such a cool piece in it because you are literally creating the entire vibe. That is so cool. I feel like you are able to look out around the crowd and you can kind of see how people are reacting. You know like feeding off of that.

DJ Josh: Oh, yeah. It’s like a conversation. Some of the hardest events that I’ve DJ’d, and this is more nightclub or nightlife type stuff, is when there’s nobody in the room or very few people or they’re not really there for the DJ. So, I’m kind of having to balance between, “Since there’s not that many people here I can kind of play what I want” but there’s not that same energy or dialogue where you play something and the crowd’s like “Oh, yeah!’ so you can feel the energy going back and forth. 

And with a wedding it’s so cool to be able to take what the couple’s tastes are but also factor in how their guests are responding to music as well and just kind of creating that perfect storm of an awesome environment and that kind of energy in the room. It’s really cool.

Hayley: Yeah. You’re like the heartbeat of the reception. That is so cool.

DJ Josh: So, how can a bride working with you make their experience a highlight? What are some things that they can do to help set you up for success?

Hayley: Yeah. So I feel like for it to be a highlight with Gulf Coast Glam House is definitely that we have, the bride and I, built a relationship before I walk in the doors on wedding day. And, even if we haven’t done a trial, we’ve been communicating over email, over phone. I’ve really kind of heard her conversate to me what her wants and wishes are and if she’s not so sure when it comes to make up. She might be a girl that “You know what, I don’t wear makeup at all but I want to feel beautiful.” So, just me saying “Well, tell me what your florals are like? Who is your dress designer? Are you wearing jewelry or are you not wearing jewelry?” I start to get these vibes from her like, “Oh, this is a boho hippie girl,” or “This is a girl from a really refined family and she wants a really timeless, traditional wedding.” Getting to know who she is as an individual.

That gives me the opportunity when I show up. I love music, so I think it’s so cool that I’m talking to you because your career is around music. But I’m usually looking for her fun bridesmaid. Who’s the silly one in the room? Who’s the one that really knows her and doesn’t care what people think about? And she’s usually the one where I’m like “Hey. Do y’all have a great ready playlist? We’re not about to work for the next six hours and not listen to some music.”

That is so weird. When it is quiet and we’re doing  makeup and you can hear someone crunching on pretzels. If half of your day is getting ready, we gotta have some kind of jams going. So if her fun little bridesmaid is like “No. We don’t have a playlist.” Then I’m like, “What do y’all listen to?” If they don’t really have, then I’ve got playlists. “These girls are young or these girls are my age, they’re in their thirties.” What are we about to put on Spotify? What are we about to put on Pandora? Get some music going. But I feel like if I know my bride in advance I can almost guarantee if she’s a Luke Bryan girl or if she’s a Fergalicious girl. Like I can just read it. So, just being like that. Being who I am as a person where I love to love on people.

I feel like, and I might be talking on a high horse but I hope I’m not, when these girls look back to their get-ready time, they’re like “I had so much fun. I was relaxed. I felt beautiful. I still look beautiful. I loved having Hayley in the room. I felt like she was an asset to my get-ready time on that portion of my day.” I feel like me just being me and making sure that the bride and her mom and everybody else who’s wanting makeup is absolutely happy, then I know when I leave I’ve done my job and I’ve also succeeded their expectations.

Because I can just go in and do beautiful makeup and leave. But when I’m thinking about the whole picture and what I can do to make sure that whole time then I feel like that’s the kind of character you have to have where these girls are going to tell their girlfriends. “You HAVE to have Hayley.” And I feel that is a highlight to their day. A lot of times I get thank you letters in the mail where I look back and they bring up things like “Thank you for singing the song with me or doing whatever,” and I’m like “I forgot we did that. But we did! We did sing because we were in this moment and being silly.” But it does make me feel good and I feel like that is a highlight that we offer. Because I’m just being me. I’m just being genuine and that’s what I try to be.

DJ Josh: Well, I mean if you are genuine, people can tell between the difference between like if you’re trying to act a certain way or if you’re behaving how you just would naturally. And I think most people will appreciate the fact that you are who you are and aren’t trying to put on a mask or some kind of persona.

We were talking offline earlier and you mentioned that you hav some experience doing styled shoots is that correct?

Hayley: Yeah. So, what’s super cool about styled shoots. I love styled shoots is that it’s something I can communicate with to vendors all day long because I encourage them so much. But for a bride, I feel that something these girls can really relish in and really gain from is go look on these vendors that you might be interested in. And you come across images. And sometimes you can’t tell these are styled shoots. Sometimes they look so much like a wedding, which is the goal. We’re trying to recreate weddings. But we’re not doing it for the purpose that “Oh, we didn’t get the shot from this recent wedding we worked.”

What we’re doing is vendors can come together in a tight-knit area. We might notice there’s a trend change or there’s a style change or someone might say “I created this new floral arbor and I’d really like to showcase it to brides that this is something they can have at their wedding.” This isn’t something that you’re going to find on Pinterest. Or if they do find it on Pinterest, the only one available is in LA.

So when we get this saturated group of vendors in a small area. These brides, not only looking at these beautiful images where we know we’ve gotten all the shots, but they’re also seeing, “Oh, my gosh! I love how that girl’s makeup looks.” Recently, there was a styled shoot that I am obsessed over where the florist created a fainting bow tie kind of thing out of florals for this man to wear where you would put a bow tie. And it was so creative and so beautiful. And, I’m like “This is a trend that I can see kind of happening with the more earthy and hippie brides and grooms.” A lot of times we’re covering girls in florals but why couldn’t we put florals on a man and keep his masculinity intact? You know there’s people who are just earthy who love the outdoors and love hiking and that’s who they are as individuals. So just throw some florals on him that’s not just your basic boutonniere. That was something that came from a styled shoot that can inspire a bride. Where, all of a sudden, that bride’s like, “I love what the florist did. That’s the florist I wanted.” It cross promotes local vendors.

And, then there’s also the thing where these vendors got together and collaborated so well. This was such a beautiful melting pot of creativity. “These are the people I want for my wedding day.” And so a lot of times I have brides reach out to me after we do styled shoots, after we’re cross promoting and sharing and saying, “I saw the work that you recently did with such and such and that’s the exact makeup I want!” Or when girls come to their trials they’re showing me, “I love this makeup.” I’m like “Ok. Let’s create it.” Because we’ve created an inspiration that has taken you away from Pinterest, taken you away from a global scope of Instagram, and showing you that these looks and these ideas, this is realistic. And it’s obtainable and you can work with us and we’re not too good for you and not too far from you. We’re right here. And it really helps, not only our local brides, because there’s a lot of word of mouth through local. But because we live in such a beautiful area, we have so many destination brides and grooms so when they are searching hashtags like 30aweddings, seasideweddings, pensacolabeachweddings, and they’re seeing this use of names, these are the people they want. I love styled shoots.

And, on a vendor end, if there’s any other vendors listening, if you haven’t been a part of a styled shoot and if you’re curious how they work, I highly recommend. There is no vending service where I don’t think you can be a part of it. I know you and I talked about it because you DJ, but if we really wanted to highlight beautiful reception and how it looks. We can create an emotion and showcase that. Having you within styled shoots is totally doable. You know, working with people who do uplighting and table settings. Brides need to see that because we don’t realize within our craft and creativity how we create this in a language that some people don’t know that language. So, to show them visually, all of a sudden they’re like “Yes. This is what I want and that’s who I want. And I love how they did this.”

Also with styled shoots, we’re also linking up with videographers. So not only are they seeing these things where they have been created with just photography but also videography, so they’re hearing the music. They’re seeing what it’s like outside. It is so cool and it’s just a fun thing to be a part of. And you have to be willing to bring your creativity to the table and not expect anything back. We’re all just coming together as creatives saying like, it could be me saying “I wanna try these new makeup trends that seem a little different.” But, because we don’t have a client sitting in the chair paying, I just want to convey this and show what it’s like. Same with florals or anything. People are getting that opportunity to really showcase their skills, what they’re working on that they’ve refined. It’s just so cool. I really encourage vendors in our industry to do it more.

DJ Josh: Yeah, I’ve never either been approached or considered being a part of a styled shoot. Because it’s like “Oh. Well, it’s more photos, so I guess it feels like I’m kind of in a weird, odd, “How do I fit?” kind of space but I would totally be down for being a part of one. Even if it’s just to provide the soundtrack for while the shoot is going. Because I think that would be kind of cool. Just to accent the vibe. It would be the same kind of thing where you’re doing makeup where there’s no music versus having music as the soundtrack or the background so.

Hayley: Music is so needed. But I think within showcasing your craft because people I feel like with anything, like with me with makeup  a lot of times people are like “Oh, my cousin’s best friend’s little sister, she’s going to do my makeup. She’s really good on Instagram.” And there’s this stigma: if a girl can do really good makeup on herself then she can do really good makeup on anybody else. That’s not necessarily true. She doesn’t know other skin tones. She doesn’t know other lip shapes. She doesn’t know how to put eyelashes on someone else.

Same as DJing. Showcasing that. People might be like “Are all DJs like this one experience I had? Do they all dress like this?” Really showcasing who you are as an individual within the industry. People love that. They want to see what we can offer and what we offer is so cool. I love having the opportunity. Kind of like I love being a mother and showing off my kids on Facebook and Instagram. Kind of like how I said earlier that Gulf Coast Glam House is my fourth baby. I just love having the opportunity without getting something in return, like a payment or whatever, but just being like “Here’s my baby. Look how beautiful.” Same with you. “Here’s my soundtrack,” or “Here’s my jams. Check this out.” I think it’s doable.

There’s so many outside of the box things we’ve done with styled shoots. We did something where we worked with Ballet Pensacola and all the models that we used were in their point shoes in the middle of Palafox in bridal gowns. It was beautiful. And then we got the little children because we did it around Christmas time. It was the Nutcracker dancers. We got the little children, they dressed in their nutcracker outfits, and they held up their swords that they do at the Saenger Theater. They’re theatrical swords that are bigger than life to show off on stage. But they did a sword ceremony like they do in the military where the Marines or Navy will cross their swords and the bride and groom walk under. These little children have swords in a nutcracker outfit and our ballerina in a bridal gown with her point shoes. There’s so much outside of the box stuff that go into a styled shoot but it’s just to create pure inspiration for a bride, for another vendor. If I can inspire another vendor to say, “Oh, I want to try this.” It’s just I love it. It’s just fun like the fun part of life.

DJ Josh: So you were saying that one of the things that’s cool about styled shoots is it allows you to showcase new ideas and new trends. Have you noticed any new trends that are starting to come in?

Hayley: Yes! So right now with makeup. When I first started and was really focused on wedding makeup, a lot of it. Instagram had really started having this huge wave of makeup being a big platform on Instagram. And so it was heavy contouring, really beautiful eyeliner like winged eyes. Now, we’re in this trend where we’re calling it “No makeup makeup.” Where even if skin is blemished, we’re making sure the skin still looks like skin. It still has the texture of skin. There’s not this coverage that’s so heavy where you can tell it’s beautiful flawless makeup but it looks more like a beautiful flawless person and making sure the skin looks really warm and glowing like it’s been outside. And the liner has gotten a lot lighter but the lashes have gotten bigger.

And so it’s more so of this really beautiful, clean, fresh skin versus 5-6 years ago where it was full coverage skin and you weren’t seeing freckles. You weren’t seeing spots. We’re still brightening under the eye if there’s a dark circle. If there’s a zit, we are covering it but it’s covering it in a way where you don’t know there’s coverage. Where it just looks like these girls, kind of like that “woke up like this” where girls are taking these pictures and they’re trying to make themselves look absolutely beautiful but look like they woke up like that? Like that’s how they wake up. That’s kind of the trend in wedding. Like “just got dressed like this.” This is me. This is my face.

DJ Josh: Well, that reminds me, there’s the freckle filter, right? On Instagram?

Hayley: Yes.

DJ Josh: That’s so cool.

Hayley: Yeah, the sky’s the limit. I’ve never done faux freckles. I mean, my face has a ton of freckles. But I have seen girls do them and they look beautiful. They look like my freckles. And I’m like, “Get it, girl.”

DJ Josh: Alright, so let’s shift gears a little bit and talk about your experience with COVID-19.

Hayley: Yeah. Oh, corona. I hate corona. So, I feel like come mid-March through early June, a lot of those brides for me, I ended up having 19 cancellations or reschedules and since then I’ve had a couple of more that started. October brides are starting to slowly shift their dates. But I don’t want this podcast to discourage girls if they are getting married in October or August or even July.

You have to take this pandemic however you feel like day by day. Let today worry about it itself and focus on those stresses and then let tomorrow come. You know what I mean? Because we don’t. Every day is always changing. Every time I turn around, it’s like mask, no mask, no mask, mask. And I’m like, “What?” And you and I were  communicating before. Recently, my county and then the surrounding counties did a mask mandate and started going back into that Phase 1 kind of section or pulling off of phase 2. Oh, we were talking about how we’re on a similar vendor platform on Facebook where vendors can go on and ask questions and ask for referrals or whatever. And I got on there because I was like, “I am not doing half-face wedding makeup. It’s not fair for these brides! Ok. We’ll just do your face from your cheekbones up.”

So I kind of had this mild panic where I shared it and other vendors were like “Well, shoot. We don’t know. What are the rules?” Someone really divulged in and was able to break down more of the regulation. Because what my city had posted on facebook, what I had screenshot and shared, was just a very broad like “Masks are required in public areas.” And all these different things. But then one of my friends she was like, “No. If you’re eating, they’re not required. If you’re getting a service, whether it’s a facial or waxing, they’re not required.” And I was like, “Well, makeup falls under that.” They’re getting service. I’m not doing half-faced brides. These poor girls. And then I was like, “If they’re getting married in the city limits in the event space and masks are required, do they wear their masks during nuptials? How does this work?” But from what I gathered, I think they’re able to be maskless. I don’t know.

Every day is day by day. So I don’t want to discourage anybody. I think letting people know that we really are all in this together. What’s been so heart warming to me, though, is I have these poor brides. I’m working solely with the bride. I don’t really have any contact with the groom. Is that if they’ve had to reschedule or they’ve had to cancel, I’m getting messages saying, “Hey. I’m really sorry to inform you and it breaks my heart about not being able to work with you and I apologize.” I’m like “Please do not apologize. You can’t handle this. This is out of your control. Do not fret.” I’ve been trying to be as accommodating as I possibly can with them. My services and what I can do or if they need to reschedule or just decide. Because the brides are not only considering what the bride and the groom are going to do but they also have to consider all of their guests. And, so some girls have been pushing later dates in the year and some of them like “Nope. We’re not doing this. We’re getting eloped.” So, in those situations, I’ve been like “Well, if you’re deciding you want to get eloped and want to get your photos taken, I’ll be happy to do your bridal makeup on a Tuesday if I need to. How can I help you?”

It’s been very interesting having to think outside the box. But it’s really shined a light like, “How can I be a better person to help these people?” Because they’re just equally as stressed as me. And I feel like it’s going to come back tenfold to us who are kind and who are really putting others in perspective. It’s just been weird. It’s been weird being like like “Will I pay my bills? Will I not? What is going on here?” But I’m  ready for it to just call it a day and retire. Go on with your bad self corona, we are done.

DJ Josh: How has it impacted your personal, family life?

Hayley: Oh, it’s so weird. I feel like because of weddings I’m gone the entire weekend and my husband, his career, he’s a Monday through Friday guy at home in the afternoons. He also coaches football. And so normally, they would be doing summer training right now

DJ Josh: Oh, yeah! That’s right!

Hayley: So they’re not. And in the fall when wedding season picks back up. I feel like you would assume, being in a beach town, our wedding season would be primarily dominant during the summer and I think because it’s so hot my fall and my spring are always the busiest for me.

Josh: Same here.

Hayley: So, during football season, my son plays football, my daughter cheers. Then, we have  a toddler who lives at the field with my husband. He’s like an assistant coach. I don’t see them Monday through Friday. I feel like. It’s just kind of touch and go. How can mom cook? How can mom help do homework. And, then Saturday when they’re at the field, I’m at weddings all day. So usually Sunday afternoons is when we really chisel out time. 

Since COVID, I’ve kind of been relishing in these moments to be able to wake up on a saturday and be like “So, what do I do today because, um,  I’m not working?” So it’s been really weird. Like I really enjoy being home with the kids a lot more. I really enjoy soaking in weekends with my husband. But my brain is so programmed to wake up early on Saturdays that I’ll be up and just want to look.

So, usually at weddings, I wake up really early and the first thing I do is I always put whatever venue I’m going to in my map. So from my house, it’s going to take me 56 minutes to get there. I know on the way, I’m going to stop and get a Starbuck, so let’s add in 10 more minutes. I just have my ritual. Cuz then it tells me how much time I have to get ready, so if I hit my snooze i’m like “So, I gotta get ready in like this amount of time.” So waking up early on Saturdays and not doing that weird regimen of how I have to hustle and bustle out the door. It is beyond bizarre to me. I wake up and I feel guilty. I still have to lay in bed. I guess so. It’s so weird. So it’s just been a weird shift. And I’m so ready for a schedule. I’m so ready to get back in a routine. So I’m just praying that some scientist figures some kind of something.

Josh: Yeah. It’s been weird for me as well. Basically, I didn’t have a wedding after the first weekend of March. But it’s been good. I’ve been able to actually work on and do stuff that I should probably have been doing all along. But it’s kind of one of those things where, “Oh, I’m busy with doing day to day things, so I can’t deal with that right now!”  So I’ve been able to organize my music and work on processes and stuff like that in the business. But it has been nice to be able to spend more time with my wife, Rhoda, and our cat.

Hayley: Oh! You got a cat?

Josh: Yeah. I got a cat. We got a cat right around Valentine’s Day, which has actually been good because he has provided, especially when we were more on lock down, he provided Rhoda and I with a little bit of a distraction or attention that we kind of focus on him. Just kind of adapting to having him in the house. But it’s been nice.

So since we’ve talked about Hayley the business and wedding professional, do you mind if I ask you some questions about Hayley the person?

Hayley: No. Go ahead.

Josh: Ok. So, first question is do you have a secret happy place you like to go to?

Hayley: Yes. I do. So, like a physical place?

Josh: You can take this… These questions can be taken however you like to.

Hayley: Ok, so I have two places. So when we’re in normal-life schedule, when my kids are going to school Monday through Friday, whatever. I call them my secret days. It’s so funny. I don’t tell my kids because they’re such beach kids and I’ll tell my husband and then he gets jealous because he was at work. But I just have to go unwind at the Gulf. It could be winter time. I’m not something I have to swim. But just getting outside, soaking in some Vitamin D. That is the best secret, happy place. Since COVID, and since I’ve had my kids around and my husband around and we’ve all been on top of each other 24/7, those mornings that I was talking about when I wake up early on Saturdays. Usually, after a while I’ll peel myself out of bed. My kids are still sleeping. My husband’s still sleeping. And I paint. I started this canvas. I think it’s like 4 feet by 6 feet. It’s a big piece.

DJ Josh: Oh, wow!

Hayley: Yeah.

DJ Josh: That’s huge.

Hayley: Yes. So, little by little. I’m still working on the background. I haven’t even began the fun part of it. But, it’s a lot of florals and leaves in the back. So, even if I can just add a banana leaf. I’ve got this vision in my brain but I’ve just been taking my time, making sure I get the details down. I’m just photographing it little by little because the progress and it keeps me happy. I feel like, “Yes. I’ve accomplished something.” So that’s my COVID happy place. Because before COVID, I kind of hung up my paintbrushes for almost a decade just because I got caught up in the hustle and bustle. And, I’ve really been needing something creative and so I went and got that canvas and was like, “This feels so good.” Like I didn’t realize how much I missed you. So that’s my current happy place right now.

DJ Josh: Ok. What is something people would be surprised to find out?

Hayley: Hmmm. Something people would be surprised about. I feel like I’m such an open book. I’m a really good cook. I don’t know if people would be surprised by that but I recently started eating healthy again and definitely being a lot more active. So, I didn’t take on a specific diet. It’s not realistic with all these kids. I am just going to eat as much real food as possible. Nothing in a box. And so I really was a good cook before but that was like casseroles and southern food. You throw cheese on anything and it’s going to be good or better.

DJ Josh: Oh, yeah. Cheese and bacon.

Hayley: Yes! Being put up a challenge like “If I’m going to workout really hard and it’s going to kick my butt for 45 minutes and the whole time I feel like I’m dying, then I don’t want to waste that time on eating poorly.” So, being put up to the challenge of taking pasta out and let’s start using spaghetti squash and creating really healthy meals with real food is such a challenge. And I think people are surprised because when my brother and sister-in-law come over, we haven’t been socializing to the extent of friends really. But just when family comes over, they’re like, “Oh my gosh! The house smells so good.” And I’m like, “Don’t get too excited because this is just spaghetti squash.” And then they try it and they say, “That is so good!” So, I think people would be surprised because I’m surprising myself.

DJ Josh: Ok. What’s your go to, your favorite dish to make right now?

Hayley: Mmm! Ok. So, it’s really simple. I just take this. So before I was a pasta person, so I’ve become a big spaghetti squash person. I cook them to where you scrape a fork in it and it basically makes the texture of spaghetti. And scooping that out, I put shredded chicken that I bake and some lemon juice and some parsley with just a little bit of cream cheese. Cream cheese is good for you. It’s like savory and creamy and there’s a little bit of butter in there. But butter unsalted those are good fats for you. You need good fats in your life. And so just creating this kind of like Chicken Alfredo but it’s not. And, it’s healthy just reminds you of a carby meal.

But anyway, I mix it up together and I stuff it back into the shell of the spaghetti squash, like empty shell. Then I cover i with fresh shaved parmesan and more parsley and I bake it.

DJ Josh: Oh, that sounds amazing.

Hayley: And it’s like cheesy and gooey but then you don’t feel bad because you’re not getting all the carbs. Yeah, there’s this app where you can put in all your recipes where you’re like, “Yeah, I used a quarter stick of this or a cup of that.” And it creates a nutrition label for you so, you can just save it and I compared it one of these stuffed squashes with Olive Garden’s Chicken Alfredo and the carb content was like 98% different. Like I think these spaghetti squash recipes, a serving as four carbs. Where I can’t remember for sure but the Olive Garden Alfredo was like 98 carbs. Just too much.

DJ Josh: Geez. Yeah that’s crazy. Have you tried using zucchini for noodles?

Hayley: The zoodles! We love them.

DJ Josh: Yes. The zoodler.

Hayley: It’s so funny! Yeah, I felt like when I was seeing people that were joking about, “COVID! I’m going to be gaining weight. Quarantine weight gain!” Kind of like your freshman 15. I was like, “I can not allow that to happen to myself because I just had a baby. This is not gonna be.” Well, I didn’t just have a baby. I have a two year old. But this is going to. Ain’t nobody got time for that.
So I started focusing on fitness. So then I’m going to focus on eating healthy, because I can only meal prep so much before I’m bored. So if I can just continue to be the person that loves cooking in the kitchen but doing it with healthy foods that’s more realistic for me. That seems like more of my natural habitat.

DJ Josh: Ok. What kind of workouts do you do?

Hayley: So I workout with a full draw initiative. And, during COVID, it is so cool. Because I get an email every night at midnight. So, last night if I had been awake at midnight, my phone would have pinged. I have my workout for the day. And when I get up, or whenever it is convenient for me, I do it. So, everyday is different. It’s a little crossfit. Because I can’t do such high impact with m knees. There’s like some day they’re called tabata.

DJ Josh: Yeah, it’s like a HIIT workout.

Hayley: HIIT workouts or like a EMOM. I LOVE those. Because my workouts come through this app called TrueCoach and then I have this Tabata timer. And, so it might be like, “Do 30 seconds of, all these workouts have weird names, Dead Bugs.” Wall Squats. Some days it’s “Time yourself to see how many sets you can do within this time.” So once my timer goes off, I’m down. And I’m like, “That feels so good. I did it!” This morning, I got up, did my workout, had a smoothie. I feel good. Now I’m talking with you. So, it’s just a good day.

But my husband, he goes to work in the morning, so he is doing the same program but his is geared for his body. My husband played college football. He’s all about strength. He gets an email that’s a little more high impact. He does his at home. He gets home from work, does his workout, and then he gets to eat something really good. Yeah. So that’s what we do. 

DJ Josh: I’ll send you my, I put out HIIT Mixes every week, probably like 9 or 10 so far. I’ll send you the spotify links. They’re an hour total with about a ten to 20 minute warmup and cool down. And the rest is high energy, dance, trap kind of music, so I’ll send those to you.

Do you have any final thoughts that you’d like to share with the listeners before we wrap this up?

Hayley: Yes. I think that if you are a listener who is a vendor, especially during COVID, don’t be discouraged. We are all going to overcome this. We are all going to have outside of the box thinking. We’re going to move forward. Don’t tell yourself, “This is the time to shut down my business. Or “This is the time to walk away. This is a sign.” It’s not a sign. It’s just a roadblock and there’s time in history where people have been affected with other things in the nation and the globe and they’ve pushed through, so don’t be discouraged.

And if you’re a bride who is planning their wedding. If you are thinking about having the mack daddy wedding and you want incredible vendors then definitely consider us on this phone call. All jokes aside. Definitely do your research on your vendors. Make sure that if you have high expectations and all your vendors can fulfill your wishes then really communicate your wishes with them so that they know what is expected. And then if you’re a bride who might not be planning something so extravagant but you’re thinking, or a groom, and you’re thinking “Well, I do have a list of ‘must’” and there’s some wants along the way I would go with your must and pick the vendors that will blow all your expectations away. And then let your wants kind of trickle in if they can fit in your budget. But it would be better to have a small team of really incredible people than a vast team of so so people because you wanted to save a buck here and there. So if your goal is to have really beautiful imagery and if there’s other things, like maybe makeup, where you’re like “I’ll do my own makeup” then really invest in your photographer. But if makeup is on your list, you can always go with this girl.

DJ Josh: Speaking of reaching out to you, what is the best way that people can get in touch with Hayley Gurney?

Hayley: So my best way, for me, is go to my Instagram, it’s @gulfcoast_glamhouse. And make sure first, look at my work. I want you to see beautiful things that are attracting you to wanting to work with me. You might love how I sound on this podcast all day long but then see the work and think, “Mmm. That’s not my style.” That’s ok. Go make sure visually you really like what you see. And if you do, shoot me an Instagram message. Then from there we will link up through email or whatever is convenient. But Instagram is the best initial way. I’m the most active on my Instagram, so that’s where you can go.

DJ Josh: Well, Hayley, thanks for stopping by. 

Hayley: Thanks for having me!

DJ Josh: Oh, my pleasure. This was a great conversation.

Hayley: It was fun.

DJ Josh: And for all you listeners out there, here’s to the couples that are planning their wedding and here’s to making those weddings a highlight.

Tony: Thanks for stopping by and checking out the podcast. If you like what you’ve heard, please subscribe and leave a review. It will help other couples just like you find it. For more resources, including our helpful blog, check highlightweddingsandevents.com. And make your wedding a highlight!