Emily Ayer

What’s your story?

When I discovered the world of wedding blogs, Southern Weddings was constantly being linked to, even though it was relatively new. I clicked on over and fell in love with the lush, original, totally gorgeous weddings being featured. Once I found out SW was connected to Bliss, applying for a job was a done deal. And lucky me – I’m now in Chapel Hill living out my dream!

OK, give us the CV. Awards, most interesting honor, important accomplishments/milestones?

My most stuffy honor was being inducted into Wheaton’s chapter of Phi Beta Kappa as a junior. To this day, however, I’m still proud of being voted “Best Dressed” in my sixth grade yearbook. I can clearly remember laboring over my choice of outfit for the superlative photo shoot (in case you’re curious, I ended up wearing purple velvet overalls over a purple-and-white striped shirt).

What are your favorite flowers?

I love ranunculus, parrot tulips, garden roses, peonies, and gardenias – anything lush and layered.

You would be surprised to know

I have been an Irish step dancer for more than 12 years.

I am committed to my family. They are, quite simply, amazing.

What do you enjoy about working at SW?

Every day is a learning experience. It’s exhilarating and overwhelming at once, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

What are your favorite wedding memories?

When I was in elementary school, long, long before the movie Wedding Crashers came out, my Mom and I used to sneak into the balcony at our church and watch ceremonies unfold. That’s how I fell in love with weddings – as you can see, it’s been a long time coming!

Favorite non-wedding blogs/sites:

I love The NY Times, Etsy, Anthropologie, J. Crew, and NieNie.

Favorite restaurants?

At home in Connecticut it’s Northern Indian – my boyfriend and I go there so often they send our order to the kitchen when we walk in the door!

Favorite foods?

If you couldn’t guess, anything Indian tops the list. I also love whole wheat bagels with strawberry cream cheese, all varieties of stuffing, and – my ultimate weakness – Kraft macaroni and cheese.

God changed changes my life. Every day.

Name some fun, random factoids about yourself.

I can wiggle my ears. I taught myself to roll my r’s in seventh grade Spanish class. My best friend’s name is also Emily – she was named after me.

What I love about ____ that they may not know:

Lara: This one’s easy: Lara is the one who believed in me enough to make me a part of the Southern Weddings team. How could I not love her?

Whitney: Whitney is kind, cheerful, and funny. I love that her personality shines through her Twitter account.

Katharine: Katharine is new, too. I love that we get to figure things out together! She’s also super sweet.

What is your dream vacation spot?

The Greek Isles – though I would be content with anywhere in Europe, as I’ve never been.

In the words of Oprah… “Here’s what I know for sure…”

That confidence, persistence, and kindness will get me where I want to go.