Lara Casey

Editor-in-Chief

How did you find yourself at SW?

Read the short version here.

Awards, most interesting honor, important accomplishments/milestones?

Here's the official bio: Lara is originally from Pensacola, Florida where she owns Bliss Event Group, a wedding and event firm handling all aspects of event production. Lara graduated with honors from Carnegie Mellon University and studied art and design at Yale University. Lara is a member of Mensa, a National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts Scholar, and an avid fitness buff. Mrs. Casey has a wide array of successes including having been a celebrity personal trainer in Manhattan, a contributor to Shape Magazine. Lara is currently Publisher of Southern Weddings Magazine, and has been featured in numerous wedding and event publications including The Knot Weddings. She is a Certified Bridal Consultant through the Association of Bridal Consultants. Lara is thrilled to have been an integral part of celebrity event firm Corridan and Company in Santa Barbara and florist to the stars Mark's Garden. Lara's husband, Navy Flight Surgeon Lt. Ari Isaacson MD, just returned from serving our country in Iraq. The couple now lives in Chapel Hill, NC and spends lots of time gardening, working out, and doing charity work through the Navy.

What are your favorite flowers?

Lily of the valley, freesia, crocus and any fragrant garden rose. I literally always stop and smell the roses. I come from a family of florists... great grandmother, grandmother and my mother is an avid gardener.

What is your day like?

In a few words it is extremely busy but rewarding controlled chaos. I wake at about 7 and roll over to check my crackberry (I am trying to break myself of this addiction). I look for my cat, Abby the Tabby, and give her some love then get myself ready to work out. Working out clears my mind and gives me a few minutes to jam out to my music. I either bike the trails around Meadowmont where I live or lift weights. Then I quickly shower and eat breakfast before heading to my office to meet the girls. The rest of the day deserves a reality show. If anyone knows a producer in Chapel Hill, we have some hilarious footage waiting for you. All day we laugh, work work work and laugh some more. I usually have 5ish phone meetings while I multitask dozens of emails and questions in the morning and the girls work together on projects while I'm on the phone. Around 4 we take a walk somewhere to get out of the office and get fresh air. Then, we come back and do team training. Right now we are working through Release Your Brilliance. Team dynamics and education are so important to me. Once a month we take a fun outing... like to get pedi's or massages. I think we should do it twice this month with how hard everyone is working to get this blogsite and print edition finished!

You would be surprised to know I am certified in 8 yoga styles. Yoga helped me be a better dancer in college, so I got hooked.

I am committed to bringing out the best in the people around me.

What do you enjoy about working at SW?

Loaded question. This is my dream job, my dream team, the whole nine yards! It's hard work and long hours, but the payoff is the connections we make with our readers and industry friends and the growth I see in our team every day. A favorite story I remind Kirstin of is in her first weeks of working with us, I made her call Michelle Rago for an interview. She was shaking, but she rocked it and has been soaring ever since. Baby steps don't exist here... we like to just dive in!

What are your favorite wedding memories?

My own wedding. Ari and I got married in Vegas. I remember looking at him in his whites and just knowing I was on the brink of something wonderful. Now almost three years later and several big moves, life changes and deployment in between, the work of marriage proves more rewarding every day.

Favorite non-wedding blogs/sites:

If you know me, you know I love good food and great photography. Those two are perfectly married in these favorite blogs of mine: Canelle et Vanille and La Tartine Gourmande.

Favorite magazines/books/publications:

Wired, The NY Times, The Bible and currently reading Seth Godin's Tribes.

Favorite restaurants?

My mother is a trained French chef, so I love Daniel Boulud's Daniel and the Boulud Brasserie at The Wynn in Las Vegas. (turn on your sound and click on those links!) My husband and I had a very romantic date at Daniel in NY when we first started dating. He was in the city visiting friends and I wrote him a cryptic note telling him to show up at 60 East 50^th Street in a nice suit. He thought I had gotten him show tickets to something for his birthday, but he walked in, the maître d showed him to his table and there I was! It was a magical moment. So, when we got engaged the first place we thought of to have our wedding dinner was the Boulud Brasserie at The Wynn. We're going back there to celebrate our three year anniversary in a few days. Another favorite: Larkspur in Vail. We took my mother there for her birthday last year and we're spending New Year's there this year. Fabulous décor and phenomenal food!

Favorite foods?

If we are what we eat, I will turn into a Luna Bar one day. With my busy days, it's all I have time to eat between meetings. I eat every two hours or so, so it's always a Luna Bar and string cheese. At dinner, my fav is brown rice sushi from Harris Teeter and Breyers. Oh, and I have been using Jay Robb protein powder for almost ten years. I mix it with my cereal in the morning. Jay Robb and I have a longer relationship together than my husband and I. He's jealous.

God changed my life

What I love about ____ that they may not know:

Leah: she volunteers all of her free time to help others AND work is for Covenant Hospice when she isn't doing Bliss/SW stuff, so she is always helping people. Spend a moment with Leah and you will feel grounded.
Laura: I LOVE Laura's sense of humor. She always makes me feel happy about life. She is the gal you want to have a slumber party with. I could trust her with anything too... she is such a hard worker and fast learner. Oh, and we have the same name, red hair and we both have orange cats. What's not to love?
Rachel: she keeps us on our toes. Rachel's creative spirit is completely contagious. You can't help but feel that same spark when you are around her.
Kirstin: I feel like we were separated at birth. She knows this, but I am so thankful to have her in my life. Thinking about the path that led us to where we are now once again confirms my belief in a much higher power. And I wish I had her amazing hair! Wow, I feel so blessed to know these women and get to laugh with them every day!

Do you collect anything?

I don't collect anything, but Kirstin says I collect the bills and lots of emails. ha

What is your dream vacation spot?

Anywhere I can ski a long run. I love Breckenridge, Vail, and Beaver Creek. Just give me a few black diamonds and I am in Heaven.

Hidden talents?

I'm a trained singer, dancer, and actress. I wish I had more time to do all three... they are my secret loves. I also paint. I went to the Corcorran School of Art when I was very very young and then studied painting and graphic design at Yale. My dad always wanted me to be an artist, so I was always doing something creative. Oh and I can cook like nobody's business. No recipes required.

Hilarious sister/brother or family memories?

When my brother and I were little, we would camp out on my bedroom floor on Christmas Eve and wait till everyone went to sleep. Then we would hunt for the Christmas presents. We were bad. But we had fun.
My mom sings to our cats and dances at random moments. I used to be embarrassed by her joy, but now I find myself doing the same things. OK, I haven't started singing to my cat. Yet. I love my mom.
My dad wears this hilarious reindeer headband hat thing at Christmas, I wear a big red jumpsuit with my name on it and my brother just looks at us like he doesn't know us.

In the words of Oprah... "Here's what I know for sure..."

That I am on the right path.