December 15, 2023 • 29 mins
Ever wondered how to ditch the cookie-cutter wedding and embrace your individuality? We've got the secrets thanks to our fabulous guest, "Pink Hair Jen" Sulak, the creative force behind Weirdo Weddings. Jen shares her journey of creating a unique brand that celebrates offbeat brides and rockstar weddings. She spills the beans to host, Kathy Piech-Lukas of Your Dream Day, about how to stay true to who you are. With her own podcast, Tattoos and Toddlers, she gives us a peek into her world of juggling parenting and running a successful business.
Then, brace yourselves as we delve into the brilliant, yet sometimes bizarre, world of unconventional and themed weddings. We share an enthralling account of a Renaissance / Goth wedding that will make your jaw drop and highlight the invaluable role of wedding planners in bringing such unique concepts to life. And if you're a Star Wars fan planning a wedding on May 4th, we'll help you turn this popular date into an unforgettable galactic celebration. From quirky weddings to preserving these special moments through photography, we've got it all covered. So, come join us as we celebrate individuality, creativity, and the timeless experiences that weddings offer.
To listen to more episodes visit www.yourdreamday.com
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jen Sulak (00:00):
We are making our own story as we go, as we go, as we
go, we are hoping that we'll go.
So we're ever after, ever after.
Kathy Piech-Lukas (00:30):
Hi, welcome to your Dream Day Podcast.
I'm your host, Kathy Piech-Lukas, and today we are talking
with Pink Hair Jen, who is alsoknown as Jen Sulak from Weirdo
Weddings photography, and todaywe're going to talk about that
wedding that not in the TiffanyBlue box wedding, the "out of
(00:51):
the box wedding, so thatunconventional wedding, that
rock star wedding, that rock androll bride, that offbeat bride,
the wedding that isn't going tobe that traditional wedding you
expect and this is what Jenspecializes in.
So, Jen, thank you so much forjoining us today.
Jen Sulak (01:13):
I am so excited I could be here with you, Kathy.
It's so much fun to be on thepodcast Yay.
Kathy Piech-Lukas (01:23):
Where did the name Pink Hair Jen come from?
Jen Sulak (01:26):
Oh, this is two different fun stories because
both of these brands WeirdoWeddings and Pink Hair Jen were
kind of born out of the same era.
It was.
You know, I spent a lot of timein lockdown, right, we were on
Zoom calls all the time.
We all discovered Clubhouse.
We were all in thereobsessively trying to connect
with people and haveconversations, and I got to tell
(01:49):
you that Weirdo Weddings cameout of that era of being locked
down and really, in a way, likeseeking out what I was going to
do with my photography businessduring 2020.
And so all I did was give it aname to people I was already
working with.
It was fantastic because in thefine art community, we all call
ourselves Weirdos and I waslike nobody's doing this in the
wedding industry.
(02:09):
So, guess what?
I am the Weirdo that's going toname myself and go right into
the wedding industry.
And that's exactly what I did.
Here I am three years later now, and the Pink Hair Jen part is
fantastic because when we werehosting these Clubhouse rooms in
the "Wedding Pros on ClubhouseClubhouse space, we had more
than one Jen.
So there's so many differentgents out there and even now,
(02:32):
like every time I'm in a Zoomcall.
There's like five gents.
So I just started telling youtell me Pink Hair, jen, because
I have pink hair.
Kathy Piech-Lukas (02:42):
It's good to say you were born in that era
where everybody was namedJennifer and Elizabeth.
Jen Sulak (02:47):
Was that your era?
Definitely in the 70s.
There was this big point in the70s where Jennifer was a very,
very popular name.
Kathy Piech-Lukas (02:55):
Yes, it was in my era too.
I remember in the first gradewe had two Jennifer's and two
Elizabeth's and yes.
That was the name in my era.
Nobody seemed to be Kathy orKathleen which is my given name.
My dad calls me Kathleen whenhe's scolding me, but that's it.
Jen Sulak (03:12):
Oh, my goodness, that's too fun.
So yeah, I mean that's just aquick backstory to the last 16
years of my life has brought mehere to Weirdo Weddings and
becoming Pink Hair Jen, as wellas an inspirational speaker.
So it's been so much fun toexplore and have this little
adventure here.
So thanks again for having meon today, because I love talking
(03:34):
weddings and I love thinkingabout thematic weddings too and
anything outside the box.
Kathy Piech-Lukas (03:40):
Well, and you have a podcast as well, don't
you?
Jen Sulak (03:42):
I do.
I started that as well as, ifwe don't have enough, I started
in it.
This is wedding related, thisis wedding pro related.
When I first had a kid.
Like you almost have like thisidentity crisis and you're like,
do I be a stay-at-home mom or aparent?
Do I still do my business?
(04:03):
And I was one of those peoplethat I always knew I wanted to
work, and so my tattoos andtoddlers podcast is literally
about how you're running abusiness and having a family and
also super fun tattoo stories.
Kathy Piech-Lukas (04:15):
Wow.
Anybody who can run a businessand be a mom.
I could never do it.
I could never do it.
I'm a professional aunt.
I specialize in spoiling.
Jen Sulak (04:25):
I was going to say.
We all have our own things thatwe run with, with our business,
and we have caretaking.
Sometimes we have elderlyparents, sometimes we have young
children, sometimes we areaunties and uncles.
I'm not going to discount thepet parenting, because I have
three gray cats now.
One is a senior citizen and Ihave two one-year-olds.
(04:46):
So it's like, oh gosh, you know, they are my children too.
So it's like they're your furbabies, they're my fur babies,
they keep me, they havepersonalities.
Both Kathy and I can relate onthe fact that our pets don't
leave us alone when we'reworking, and especially on the
podcast today, I locked all ofthe babies out.
Kathy Piech-Lukas (05:06):
Oh, my kitty cat, whose name is and I'm not
joking, her name is Luca Lukas.
Oh, Luca with a "C and then thelast name with a K yeah, same
thing, she.
She's my unpaid assistant andshe's on the other side of the
door so that we could recordthis podcast in peace, otherwise
you'd be hearing.
Jen Sulak (05:25):
Exactly, exactly, and I love this topic that we have
because it's like it's totallymy wheelhouse, and my passion
right now is just to really leaninto the things that I know
that I love, and I think aswedding pros, as the more we
bring out who we are, the morewe find the people that we want
to work with Isn't that fun?
Kathy Piech-Lukas (05:45):
Absolutely.
I totally agree with you onthat.
I mean, I, I have a very, veryspecific style when it comes to
my wedding planning.
I'm very bubbly, I'm a littlebit quirky, I'm definitely not
stuffy, and that is going to bea good fit for some people.
It's not going to be a good fitfor some people, and that's
(06:06):
okay.
I mean, you want to find awedding professional who is
going to fit your not only yourbudget, but your style and your
personality, and when you'redoing an unconventional wedding,
you need to have a vendor teamthat understands how to help you
embrace that theme, becausereally that's what it is it's a
(06:26):
themed wedding.
When you have a themed wedding,you have to embrace every
little detail about it or itwon't work.
It's not even so much as 'well,we're going to do this one
thing like this.
' If you do one thing like thisand do everything else
traditional, that untraditionalpart just disappears.
Jen Sulak (06:45):
Yeah, and we're at this stage.
I think we're at a really goodstage in the wedding industry
right now where people arelearning how to educate
themselves on that.
They have some wiggle room ondecisions they can make on their
wedding day, and I think thatadds to this fuel of passion of
mine to make sure that couplesaren't just going by a 20 point
(07:06):
checklist that somebody made onthe internet I like to think
about.
Weddings do have a recipe tothem already, but you are
welcome to add and subtractthose things from your wedding
day.
And I think this is what'sbeautiful about my little hyper
niche I have going is that myclients they'll kind of run to
(07:27):
the courthouse and if they wantto do a theme there, they will.
Or if they want to dress inbrilliant fair garb and get
married in their backyard andhave gnomes and fairies
everywhere yes, those are mypeople too.
And then have the folks thatrent out the venues and they
have these ready to go venuepackages where everything is
(07:50):
already set up.
They just show up and they picktheir outfits, whatever they
want to wear, and they stay trueto themselves.
And I think this is what I'mhere for.
I'm here for helping somebodystay true to their wedding shape
, look, feel, theme, whatever itis, and I think, the
traditional.
I was telling Kathy when wefirst started this pre
(08:12):
conversation.
I said sometimes I get reverseculture shock now when I go to a
semi mostly traditional wedding.
This sounds terrible now, likeI am so used to not doing the
traditions that are expectedfrom a wedding, like a bouquet
toss or a garter toss, thingsthat you add into your wedding
day.
That to me now like why havethem?
(08:32):
I know there's a reason behindthem, but I'm always asking
questions now like why do wehave that?
It's okay to ask thosequestions.
If you want to do it, please go, go do it.
But it's just funny that I havesaid I've been such in the
unconventional space for so long.
I have to remember that.
Oh yeah, that's a traditionalthing.
I need to remember that.
Kathy Piech-Lukas (08:53):
One time I had probably the most memorable
out of the box, "out of theTiffany box wedding was a
Renaissance goth themed weddingand the bride really embraced
every little detail in thiswedding and it was gorgeous.
It photographed beautifully.
(09:13):
She had a black velvet dresswith the long flowing sleeves,
like you would see at theRenaissance Festival, and we had
a seamstress who actually didcostuming work for the
Renaissance Festival here inWilmington, cincinnati area it's
Wilmington's in betweenColumbus and Cincinnati and
(09:33):
Dayton and so she made her dressand then her veil was a silver
mesh and then she had that samesilver mesh inside the long
sleeves.
And then the bridesmaids allhad maroon dresses, same style,
very Renaissance, with the longsleeves, and for the ceremony
(09:54):
component of it they had it wasa Wiccans ceremony with a hand
fasting ritual that was done.
And then inside the reception(now the wedding was on
Halloween, so we had a candy bar, obviously!) but we also had
black linens, black chair covers, black magic roses, which are a
(10:14):
very, very dark, blood redcolor.
We had named all the tablenumbers after Harry Potter
characters and they were done inan old English font, and her
invitations same thing.
They were done in an oldEnglish font with wax seals.
But she embraced every littledetail and it worked because she
(10:37):
embraced every detail and theguests were just blown away with
the level of commitment to thetheme.
Jen Sulak (10:45):
And there's something I like talking about when I'm
talking about this particulartopic is do you get pushback
from everybody in your family oryour friends pushing back on
your themes and ideas?
And I like to think that weagain have this ability to
discuss our ideas and stick withthem, and I think what I'm also
(11:05):
hearing you say is it's justowning every detail that you've
brought to your wedding day andletting.
Obviously, there's a team ofpeople helping it all make it
happen.
And I was telling Kathy, I hadan experience where I was trying
to help a couple set up becausesomething happened with the set
up person wasn't able to showup, and I thought to myself as a
(11:27):
photographer y'all, I'm aphotographer, but I already know
that I'm more than that now,because when something is not
set up, I can't photograph it.
And if I can jump in and helpput it together, even if it
takes five or 10 minutes, then Ican feel confident that I have
something to photograph, becauseI work with so many clientele
(11:50):
that do not have the team behindthem.
And this is not.
This happens all the time.
These are real couples, y'allreal couples that they enlist
their family and friends to help.
But having a planner andcoordinator definitely makes a
difference when you're trying tomake sure everything is set up
on time.
And oh my gosh, can I tell youhow much I love timelines?
I was just talking abouttimelines today because so many
(12:14):
couples?
because they are all in theunconventional realm.
For me it doesn't mean theyalways have a timeline unless
they're very event-minded.
They won't have a timelineunless somebody gives them a
timeline, which I'm not aplanner, I will never be a
planner, but I've had to put ona planner hat every once in a
(12:35):
while to help guide the timeline, because if I don't, whatever
time they've hired me for,they're not gonna get these
specific images that they'reexpecting.
And it's something that I thinkwe take for granted with each
other, with other wedding pros,Like sometimes a photographer is
not just a photographer.
(12:56):
I'm emotionally supportingpeople.
I'm actually I helped puttogether an arch recently
because it just needed to getdone quickly, so we're racing
against time.
When it's an outdoor wedding andyou have sunlight, that's going
away and you have to just helpget it done, and so it's like I
feel like some of us take on somany different hats, whether we
(13:19):
realize it or not, and I don'tthink couples realize what's
happening behind the scenes,because if we're doing our job
right correct, Kathy they'reenjoying themselves and they're
not having to stress aboutcertain things that we would say
are stressors when we'rerunning the event.
So I feel like we've done a goodjob if they come back and say I
(13:41):
didn't know that was happeningand I was like, good, you didn't
need to know that was happening.
Because that's our job,exactly, and that's what
happened, regardless and not addstress to your day.
So I think we could probablyagree on that.
When any wedding, especiallythe thematic weddings, and we
have the pushback from familyand we have high emotions and we
have people wanting to do analternative ceremony that
(14:06):
they're having to send out ontheir invitations that, by the
way, if you disagree with ourbeliefs and our ceremony, we
would ask that you kindly notcome.
I mean, this is happening.
So couples are learning how tospeak up for themselves.
They're learning how to dotheir days their way, and that
makes me really excited.
Kathy Piech-Lukas (14:24):
One of my former assistants.
He was with me all throughcollege and then, the first year
of COVID, bless his heart.
He got the internship of alifetime with the Academy of
Country Music.
He was supposed to be helpingout with the awards show, but
when COVID happened he ended upstaying with me a little bit
longer, but ultimately he gothis big boy job.
(14:45):
So now he works as a marketingexecutive and he's doing very
well for himself, but he's he'sstill our unofficial dream boy.
He's already told me when hegets married 'I am doing a drag
queen themed wedding.
Everybody is coming in drag, Iwill be in drag, my boyfriend
will be in drag, or my fiancewill be in drag, my officiant
(15:06):
will be in drag,' and I'm like,'okay, I get to be your planner,
right?
'
Jen Sulak (15:13):
And you know that brings up another fun point,
Kathy, like as a wedding pro whoworks unconventional and quirky
and offbeat rock and roll typesof weddings, is that my clients
.
I can sit down with them andsay, can I wear what your theme
is?
That's awesome.
You are Halloween.
Can I take my Halloween ideainto my outfit, if you?
(15:35):
I was going to say theseRenaissance and Gothic and
Halloween themes for me, myclients, they're living this all
year long.
But obviously, depending onwhere you're located, October is
a pretty heavy month for all ofthe fun spooky things that we
all put together.
But, like I just love the factthat we can do that, we can run
with these things and my clients.
(15:57):
I'll talk to them ahead of timelike, okay, so we're having a
Renaissance Festival wedding,can I wear my Star Trek uniform
and look completely out of place?
Or is that too much?
And I'll get a yes or a no.
Or you know, if they're havinga certain color scheme, like I
found out the one I was tellingyou about earlier that had the
beautiful backyard wedding, theywere wearing these beautiful
(16:19):
purple tones and textures and itjust so happened I showed up in
the right color.
But normally I would say tellme what you're wearing so I can
kind of mimic the theme insteadof just doing a complete
blackout, right?
My clients love when I get toshow up creatively for them as
well, because technically Istill disappear into the
background, because it's adramatic wedding.
Kathy Piech-Lukas (16:42):
I know, I usually wear black at weddings
as well, and it's more.
The focus is not on me, it's onmy couple and the day is about
them.
It's not about me.
I wear sketchers on my feet, Ihave a black pantsuit with a
black jacket and a name tag andthat is my uniform and I scream
(17:03):
wedding planner, you know.
Going back to the offbeatweddings, you've had a few
featured weddings in some ofthese blogs, like Offbeat Bride,
Rock and Roll Bride.
Do you want to talk a littlebit about some of those?
Jen Sulak (17:20):
Yeah, I had the cover of Quirky, Quirky weddings
because when I was starting mynew brand part of part of
building it's not that I didn'talready have a ton of clientele
I could pull from, but I alsowanted to pull creatively and
help couples get expansive ontheir ideas for their wedding
days.
So I met my friend, LizzieGator, who has a homemade
(17:40):
electric chair, and I thought tomyself, "bride of Frankenstein.
And so we did a Bride ofFrankenstein thematic style
shoot and we had a blast puttingit together and it made the
cover of a magazine.
And it wasn't because we neededthat, necessarily the vanity
aspect of it but as wedding proswe're constantly thinking about
(18:01):
how can we build our resumeright, so people take us
seriously, that we're doing thisas a business and we're a voice
in this industry.
And so where Lizzie and ILizzie and I were at that time,
we needed to make a statementand we did it.
You know how, when you setgoals and you achieve them,
that's literally what it was.
I still can't believe ithappened because I'm like, oh my
(18:23):
God, that was a lot of hardwork and you know, omg, the
waiting and then putting ittogether and then picking their
photos and telling the story.
It's usually all on me, thephotographer, because of how I
work and because it was you know, I'll call it my production
that we all ended up having ahand in that.
It was so much work, so it wasnice to have that payoff right.
(18:45):
That goal was met and I couldthen talk to clients about, hey,
how do you feel about this foryour wedding, or would you take
elements of this for yourwedding?
And I've got to tell you, I amso impressed of how creative
people are, especially the nerdsout there -- us nerds.
We know exactly what we'renerdy about and we know if we
(19:06):
want to go to legit charactertones and colors and cosplays or
if we want to, like, make itsuper subtle, where only we know
what the nerdy elements are.
There's so many different funthings and especially when you
are planning, I say to couplesplanning your weddings, I start
saying just have a brainstorm,what are your loves, what are
(19:27):
your likes, what do you want todo with your wedding day, how do
you want to feel?
And so, yeah, the publicationswere a great way to show couples
and potential clients in myfuture what is possible for your
wedding day, and it just sohappens that it's.
These blogs are like a big deal.
Yeah, everybody needs a spaceto go to plan your wedding at
(19:48):
some point.
Like you want to have that wellof inspiration.
So big blogs like Offbeat(Bride), or Rock and Roll Bride,
big alternative I have to sayalternative because I have no
other you know, quirky,unconventional, all the
unconventional, like out of thebox.
People tend to go to theseplaces to find their out of the
(20:09):
box inspiration, to beencouraged to do their own out
of the box inspiration.
So, yeah, anytime I could getinto a publication, both in
mainstream and I'll call it theOff Broadway, the Broadway
versus Broadway world.
I was trying to get my name outthere in all of the worlds
because we all know a quirkyweirdo down the street that's
(20:29):
probably getting married andneeds somebody who understands
the quirky weirdness ofthemselves, which is who I am,
like I'm.
If it's not me, there's a fewother voices out there to the
understand your quirkiness and,and so that's kind of where I
went with all the publicationsis making sure that my niche, my
(20:49):
hyper niche of this little tinyspace in the wedding world, was
seen and heard, and I think Idid a great job.
Kathy Piech-Lukas (20:56):
Well, there is a very, very special date
happening in twenty twenty four.
You're right, you know what I'mtalking about, right?
Jen Sulak (21:06):
Yeah.
Kathy Piech-Lukas (21:07):
May the 4th Be with you.
May the May fourth be with youbecause it is a Saturday.
So it's on a Saturday, if youare listening.
May fourth is going to be anextremely popular date next year
, so if that's the weekendyou're looking for, make sure
that you book your vendors asearly as you can, because that
(21:27):
is a day that is a lot more.
Jen Sulak (21:29):
Star Wars nerds than you know out there that are
already probably booking Mayfourth.
And when I work the Renaissancefestivals, I usually don't
start getting bookings until acouple of months ahead of time,
so I'm used to last minutebookings for fairs.
But yeah, when it comes to whatI would call traditional or
more you know, more conventionalweddings, where you have a
venue that you've booked out forsix to eight hours and people
(21:53):
are booking a year in advancefor this kind of stuff.
But I gotta tell you I've beenlooking forward to May the
fourth being on a Saturday again, because it's been in the
middle of the week and noteverybody can do May third or
May four, May fifth -- Yep, getmarried on Cinco de Mayo instead
.
Kathy Piech-Lukas (22:10):
I do have a groom that is walking down the
aisle in Star Wars attire on Mayfourth.
Jen Sulak (22:18):
What kind of attire, I must know.
Is it a stormtrooper, DarthVader or Luke?
Kathy Piech-Lukas (22:28):
Yeah, I love it With the mask.
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Kathy Piech-Lukas (22:35):
It's gonna be hard to kiss the bride with the
mask on, so I have a feelingit's probably gonna come off.
Jen Sulak (22:40):
I love that and you know, that's another one of
those things that comes up fromtime to time when you're talking
costumes and cosplay.
A lot of people get the whenthey get the pushback from their
family and friends.
It's usually that kind of stufflike no, you can't well wear
elf ears because what are yougonna think in your photos?
Or you know what's grandmagonna think, or you know stuff
(23:00):
like that.
Like me, I'm like, if you're,if your elf ears are removable,
just take them off for some ofthe photos.
Kathy Piech-Lukas (23:09):
Exactly it goes back to, every couple is
different and every couple'sdefinition of a dream wedding is
not the same, and you have toplan your wedding like you're
going to look back at it 20years from now and go 'that
wedding was so much fun.
' I am so glad we did everythingthe way that we did it.
(23:30):
And people say weddings aretimeless.
To me, that's timeless too.
It's not just about the dress,it's about the experience being
timeless as well.
Jen Sulak (23:42):
Also, you have to understand as well, like
everyone listening, thatphotography is one of the
handfuls of things that are leftover besides your brain
memories.
So if you don't have photos andthat was my mistake as a new
couple and trying to figure outhow to do my own wedding I knew
I wanted photography, but Ididn't know the depths until I
(24:05):
don't know, like 10 years later,I was like that's what I would
have wanted.
I would have wanted to hire aphotographer to capture my
entire day.
No matter how weird, no matterhow silly all the photos came
back, I would have wanted theentire day captured, and I think
that's something to think aboutas you're planning currently,
because this is the dream dayplanning pot, that podcast.
(24:25):
The photography is one of thethings that is left over at the
end of it.
So hire somebody that you canhang out with all day long, that
gets you, that delivers theimages that you want.
Not every style is the same asthe same with your wedding.
Not every style of photographyis the same.
Not every photographer reallydigs your alternative quirkiness
(24:47):
.
I've had people get really sadbecause they didn't find me
sooner, because they were likeif only I would have met you a
year ago and I said I know I'mhere, but I'm just trying to get
out Into the world.
Some people know that I'm here,but I also want to say that
there's nothing wrong withplanning a vow renewal, because
how many people did we knowafter covid go ahead and plan
(25:10):
that big vow renewal, or therenewing of their vows in
general, and make it a big partybecause of what we all went
through together?
Kathy Piech-Lukas (25:18):
I think that it changed all of that because I
think people appreciategathering now yeah, because I
know I do why you just couldn't.
And you know I think as awedding professional, I treasure
the job that I get to dobecause I love Bringing ideas to
(25:39):
life and watching people enjoythe joy from that and there's
nothing, there's nothing better,and I felt like that was taken
away from vendors during covid.
It was taken away from couples.
It was taken away from thevendors that serve them, and I
think we're all just so glad tobe back doing what we love and,
(25:59):
you know, bringing joy intopeople's lives.
Jen Sulak (26:02):
Absolutely.
I hundred percent agree on that, because that's just.
I love the joy that I'm seeingmore and more and more and, yes,
we, many of us, still havethose bad days that rise up and
we have a lot of things in theworld happening, but I also know
that when we find that joy inbetween these pockets of you
know pain and sorrow, this isthe kind of stuff that I really
get excited about, because thisis life, this is how life is
(26:24):
designed.
We're supposed to have all ofthese things, and I really just
think that we can't hold on tojoy every single moment of every
single day, but find it whenyou can and grab on to it and
give it a big hug.
Kathy Piech-Lukas (26:36):
Oh, squeeze, squeeze, squeeze.
You feel my hug.
Jen Sulak (26:41):
Yes, and you know.
Enjoy your wedding day, learnhow to enjoy your day without
being stressed.
And then, even after yourwedding, you have a marriage to
get into.
Y'all Like, don't forget aboutthe marriage part.
Like, as much effort you'reputting into your wedding, don't
forget about your marriage to.
It's amazing.
Enjoy the rest of your livestogether.
Kathy Piech-Lukas (27:01):
The marriage is the fun part.
That's what I think I'veenjoyed.
I mean we're (my husband and Iare) celebrating 20 years being
married next year and I'veenjoyed.
I mean we've had our ups anddowns and curveballs and highs
and lows and I can't imaginedoing it with anybody else.
Jen Sulak (27:19):
Same, I'm at 18 years and I did.
I set up a val renewal where heproposed to me Talk about
getting photography in.
Making it count is that heproposed to me at Kid Craddock
in the morning, a local radio TVmorning show.
And then I set up a vow renewalso we could enjoy 18 years
together on the air and Justhave that moment of.
(27:44):
I spent a lot of my life beforeI became a photographer working
the nine to five and this isbefore clubhouse y'all -- You're
listening to your radio morningshow.
How much more you know audiocan you like I'm listening to
the radio shows before videostreaming all of that stuff.
And to have these faces andplaces and this goes for any
couples planning their weddings,anything that's special to you,
(28:06):
get it captured, get itMomentized, whatever you want to
call it.
But yeah, this year I just Imade it extra special and
celebrated our 18 years at theradio station and had photos
made and I was like that was thequickest in and out of my life,
did a cute little vow renewaland everything was amazing.
Kathy Piech-Lukas (28:25):
Jen, I'm so excited for you.
How can people find you?
Jen Sulak (28:28):
Well, so you can still surf me on all of the
social media apps.
Currently I'm under WeirdoWeddings if you want to see all
my weirdness and kind of likeand you're not everything is
going to be thematic, but it isgoing to be.
Those internal and externalweirdos find me no matter what.
So I'm always going to show theweddings that I work and the
people that I work with and Italk about their details and
(28:50):
their ideas and and even my ownpersonal ideas.
So you'll find me everywhere onweirdo weddings.
And then if you want to see mymore, you know, somewhat tame
side, you can go to Pink LightImages.
What's your name?
My bright pink hair?
Let's, let's the cat out of thebag.
Let's just say that you knowNow.
I just love what I do and Ilove photographing moments
(29:13):
because I've been doing it mywhole life, like living moments
my whole life, and just alwayswanting to not just have it in
my head but also have itsomewhere I could see it, even a
print or a digital or something.
But I just love what I do and Ilove meeting quirky couples.
Kathy Piech-Lukas (29:27):
Well, we've loved having you on here, Jen.
Thank you so much.
Thank you for tuning into YourDream Day Podcast.
dreamdaypodcast.
com or yourdreamday.
com if you want more informationabout Your Dream Day.
If you're thinking that maybeyou need a little help planning
your wedding, visit us at yourdream day.
com.
This is Kathy Piech-Lukas,Please subscribe to our podcast
and happy planning!
We are making our own story as we go, as we go, as we
go, we are hoping that we'll go.
So we're ever after, ever after.
Kathy Piech-Lukas (00:30):
Hi, welcome to your Dream Day Podcast.
I'm your host, Kathy Piech-Lukas, and today we are talking
with Pink Hair Jen, who is alsoknown as Jen Sulak from Weirdo
Weddings photography, and todaywe're going to talk about that
wedding that not in the TiffanyBlue box wedding, the "out of
(00:51):
the box wedding, so thatunconventional wedding, that
rock star wedding, that rock androll bride, that offbeat bride,
the wedding that isn't going tobe that traditional wedding you
expect and this is what Jenspecializes in.
So, Jen, thank you so much forjoining us today.
Jen Sulak (01:13):
I am so excited I could be here with you, Kathy.
It's so much fun to be on thepodcast Yay.
Kathy Piech-Lukas (01:23):
Where did the name Pink Hair Jen come from?
Jen Sulak (01:26):
Oh, this is two different fun stories because
both of these brands WeirdoWeddings and Pink Hair Jen were
kind of born out of the same era.
It was.
You know, I spent a lot of timein lockdown, right, we were on
Zoom calls all the time.
We all discovered Clubhouse.
We were all in thereobsessively trying to connect
with people and haveconversations, and I got to tell
(01:49):
you that Weirdo Weddings cameout of that era of being locked
down and really, in a way, likeseeking out what I was going to
do with my photography businessduring 2020.
And so all I did was give it aname to people I was already
working with.
It was fantastic because in thefine art community, we all call
ourselves Weirdos and I waslike nobody's doing this in the
wedding industry.
(02:09):
So, guess what?
I am the Weirdo that's going toname myself and go right into
the wedding industry.
And that's exactly what I did.
Here I am three years later now, and the Pink Hair Jen part is
fantastic because when we werehosting these Clubhouse rooms in
the "Wedding Pros on ClubhouseClubhouse space, we had more
than one Jen.
So there's so many differentgents out there and even now,
(02:32):
like every time I'm in a Zoomcall.
There's like five gents.
So I just started telling youtell me Pink Hair, jen, because
I have pink hair.
Kathy Piech-Lukas (02:42):
It's good to say you were born in that era
where everybody was namedJennifer and Elizabeth.
Jen Sulak (02:47):
Was that your era?
Definitely in the 70s.
There was this big point in the70s where Jennifer was a very,
very popular name.
Kathy Piech-Lukas (02:55):
Yes, it was in my era too.
I remember in the first gradewe had two Jennifer's and two
Elizabeth's and yes.
That was the name in my era.
Nobody seemed to be Kathy orKathleen which is my given name.
My dad calls me Kathleen whenhe's scolding me, but that's it.
Jen Sulak (03:12):
Oh, my goodness, that's too fun.
So yeah, I mean that's just aquick backstory to the last 16
years of my life has brought mehere to Weirdo Weddings and
becoming Pink Hair Jen, as wellas an inspirational speaker.
So it's been so much fun toexplore and have this little
adventure here.
So thanks again for having meon today, because I love talking
(03:34):
weddings and I love thinkingabout thematic weddings too and
anything outside the box.
Kathy Piech-Lukas (03:40):
Well, and you have a podcast as well, don't
you?
Jen Sulak (03:42):
I do.
I started that as well as, ifwe don't have enough, I started
in it.
This is wedding related, thisis wedding pro related.
When I first had a kid.
Like you almost have like thisidentity crisis and you're like,
do I be a stay-at-home mom or aparent?
Do I still do my business?
(04:03):
And I was one of those peoplethat I always knew I wanted to
work, and so my tattoos andtoddlers podcast is literally
about how you're running abusiness and having a family and
also super fun tattoo stories.
Kathy Piech-Lukas (04:15):
Wow.
Anybody who can run a businessand be a mom.
I could never do it.
I could never do it.
I'm a professional aunt.
I specialize in spoiling.
Jen Sulak (04:25):
I was going to say.
We all have our own things thatwe run with, with our business,
and we have caretaking.
Sometimes we have elderlyparents, sometimes we have young
children, sometimes we areaunties and uncles.
I'm not going to discount thepet parenting, because I have
three gray cats now.
One is a senior citizen and Ihave two one-year-olds.
(04:46):
So it's like, oh gosh, you know, they are my children too.
So it's like they're your furbabies, they're my fur babies,
they keep me, they havepersonalities.
Both Kathy and I can relate onthe fact that our pets don't
leave us alone when we'reworking, and especially on the
podcast today, I locked all ofthe babies out.
Kathy Piech-Lukas (05:06):
Oh, my kitty cat, whose name is and I'm not
joking, her name is Luca Lukas.
Oh, Luca with a "C and then thelast name with a K yeah, same
thing, she.
She's my unpaid assistant andshe's on the other side of the
door so that we could recordthis podcast in peace, otherwise
you'd be hearing.
Jen Sulak (05:25):
Exactly, exactly, and I love this topic that we have
because it's like it's totallymy wheelhouse, and my passion
right now is just to really leaninto the things that I know
that I love, and I think aswedding pros, as the more we
bring out who we are, the morewe find the people that we want
to work with Isn't that fun?
Kathy Piech-Lukas (05:45):
Absolutely.
I totally agree with you onthat.
I mean, I, I have a very, veryspecific style when it comes to
my wedding planning.
I'm very bubbly, I'm a littlebit quirky, I'm definitely not
stuffy, and that is going to bea good fit for some people.
It's not going to be a good fitfor some people, and that's
(06:06):
okay.
I mean, you want to find awedding professional who is
going to fit your not only yourbudget, but your style and your
personality, and when you'redoing an unconventional wedding,
you need to have a vendor teamthat understands how to help you
embrace that theme, becausereally that's what it is it's a
(06:26):
themed wedding.
When you have a themed wedding,you have to embrace every
little detail about it or itwon't work.
It's not even so much as 'well,we're going to do this one
thing like this.
' If you do one thing like thisand do everything else
traditional, that untraditionalpart just disappears.
Jen Sulak (06:45):
Yeah, and we're at this stage.
I think we're at a really goodstage in the wedding industry
right now where people arelearning how to educate
themselves on that.
They have some wiggle room ondecisions they can make on their
wedding day, and I think thatadds to this fuel of passion of
mine to make sure that couplesaren't just going by a 20 point
(07:06):
checklist that somebody made onthe internet I like to think
about.
Weddings do have a recipe tothem already, but you are
welcome to add and subtractthose things from your wedding
day.
And I think this is what'sbeautiful about my little hyper
niche I have going is that myclients they'll kind of run to
(07:27):
the courthouse and if they wantto do a theme there, they will.
Or if they want to dress inbrilliant fair garb and get
married in their backyard andhave gnomes and fairies
everywhere yes, those are mypeople too.
And then have the folks thatrent out the venues and they
have these ready to go venuepackages where everything is
(07:50):
already set up.
They just show up and they picktheir outfits, whatever they
want to wear, and they stay trueto themselves.
And I think this is what I'mhere for.
I'm here for helping somebodystay true to their wedding shape
, look, feel, theme, whatever itis, and I think, the
traditional.
I was telling Kathy when wefirst started this pre
(08:12):
conversation.
I said sometimes I get reverseculture shock now when I go to a
semi mostly traditional wedding.
This sounds terrible now, likeI am so used to not doing the
traditions that are expectedfrom a wedding, like a bouquet
toss or a garter toss, thingsthat you add into your wedding
day.
That to me now like why havethem?
(08:32):
I know there's a reason behindthem, but I'm always asking
questions now like why do wehave that?
It's okay to ask thosequestions.
If you want to do it, please go, go do it.
But it's just funny that I havesaid I've been such in the
unconventional space for so long.
I have to remember that.
Oh yeah, that's a traditionalthing.
I need to remember that.
Kathy Piech-Lukas (08:53):
One time I had probably the most memorable
out of the box, "out of theTiffany box wedding was a
Renaissance goth themed weddingand the bride really embraced
every little detail in thiswedding and it was gorgeous.
It photographed beautifully.
(09:13):
She had a black velvet dresswith the long flowing sleeves,
like you would see at theRenaissance Festival, and we had
a seamstress who actually didcostuming work for the
Renaissance Festival here inWilmington, cincinnati area it's
Wilmington's in betweenColumbus and Cincinnati and
(09:33):
Dayton and so she made her dressand then her veil was a silver
mesh and then she had that samesilver mesh inside the long
sleeves.
And then the bridesmaids allhad maroon dresses, same style,
very Renaissance, with the longsleeves, and for the ceremony
(09:54):
component of it they had it wasa Wiccans ceremony with a hand
fasting ritual that was done.
And then inside the reception(now the wedding was on
Halloween, so we had a candy bar, obviously!) but we also had
black linens, black chair covers, black magic roses, which are a
(10:14):
very, very dark, blood redcolor.
We had named all the tablenumbers after Harry Potter
characters and they were done inan old English font, and her
invitations same thing.
They were done in an oldEnglish font with wax seals.
But she embraced every littledetail and it worked because she
(10:37):
embraced every detail and theguests were just blown away with
the level of commitment to thetheme.
Jen Sulak (10:45):
And there's something I like talking about when I'm
talking about this particulartopic is do you get pushback
from everybody in your family oryour friends pushing back on
your themes and ideas?
And I like to think that weagain have this ability to
discuss our ideas and stick withthem, and I think what I'm also
(11:05):
hearing you say is it's justowning every detail that you've
brought to your wedding day andletting.
Obviously, there's a team ofpeople helping it all make it
happen.
And I was telling Kathy, I hadan experience where I was trying
to help a couple set up becausesomething happened with the set
up person wasn't able to showup, and I thought to myself as a
(11:27):
photographer y'all, I'm aphotographer, but I already know
that I'm more than that now,because when something is not
set up, I can't photograph it.
And if I can jump in and helpput it together, even if it
takes five or 10 minutes, then Ican feel confident that I have
something to photograph, becauseI work with so many clientele
(11:50):
that do not have the team behindthem.
And this is not.
This happens all the time.
These are real couples, y'allreal couples that they enlist
their family and friends to help.
But having a planner andcoordinator definitely makes a
difference when you're trying tomake sure everything is set up
on time.
And oh my gosh, can I tell youhow much I love timelines?
I was just talking abouttimelines today because so many
(12:14):
couples?
because they are all in theunconventional realm.
For me it doesn't mean theyalways have a timeline unless
they're very event-minded.
They won't have a timelineunless somebody gives them a
timeline, which I'm not aplanner, I will never be a
planner, but I've had to put ona planner hat every once in a
(12:35):
while to help guide the timeline, because if I don't, whatever
time they've hired me for,they're not gonna get these
specific images that they'reexpecting.
And it's something that I thinkwe take for granted with each
other, with other wedding pros,Like sometimes a photographer is
not just a photographer.
(12:56):
I'm emotionally supportingpeople.
I'm actually I helped puttogether an arch recently
because it just needed to getdone quickly, so we're racing
against time.
When it's an outdoor wedding andyou have sunlight, that's going
away and you have to just helpget it done, and so it's like I
feel like some of us take on somany different hats, whether we
(13:19):
realize it or not, and I don'tthink couples realize what's
happening behind the scenes,because if we're doing our job
right correct, Kathy they'reenjoying themselves and they're
not having to stress aboutcertain things that we would say
are stressors when we'rerunning the event.
So I feel like we've done a goodjob if they come back and say I
(13:41):
didn't know that was happeningand I was like, good, you didn't
need to know that was happening.
Because that's our job,exactly, and that's what
happened, regardless and not addstress to your day.
So I think we could probablyagree on that.
When any wedding, especiallythe thematic weddings, and we
have the pushback from familyand we have high emotions and we
have people wanting to do analternative ceremony that
(14:06):
they're having to send out ontheir invitations that, by the
way, if you disagree with ourbeliefs and our ceremony, we
would ask that you kindly notcome.
I mean, this is happening.
So couples are learning how tospeak up for themselves.
They're learning how to dotheir days their way, and that
makes me really excited.
Kathy Piech-Lukas (14:24):
One of my former assistants.
He was with me all throughcollege and then, the first year
of COVID, bless his heart.
He got the internship of alifetime with the Academy of
Country Music.
He was supposed to be helpingout with the awards show, but
when COVID happened he ended upstaying with me a little bit
longer, but ultimately he gothis big boy job.
(14:45):
So now he works as a marketingexecutive and he's doing very
well for himself, but he's he'sstill our unofficial dream boy.
He's already told me when hegets married 'I am doing a drag
queen themed wedding.
Everybody is coming in drag, Iwill be in drag, my boyfriend
will be in drag, or my fiancewill be in drag, my officiant
(15:06):
will be in drag,' and I'm like,'okay, I get to be your planner,
right?
'
Jen Sulak (15:13):
And you know that brings up another fun point,
Kathy, like as a wedding pro whoworks unconventional and quirky
and offbeat rock and roll typesof weddings, is that my clients
.
I can sit down with them andsay, can I wear what your theme
is?
That's awesome.
You are Halloween.
Can I take my Halloween ideainto my outfit, if you?
(15:35):
I was going to say theseRenaissance and Gothic and
Halloween themes for me, myclients, they're living this all
year long.
But obviously, depending onwhere you're located, October is
a pretty heavy month for all ofthe fun spooky things that we
all put together.
But, like I just love the factthat we can do that, we can run
with these things and my clients.
(15:57):
I'll talk to them ahead of timelike, okay, so we're having a
Renaissance Festival wedding,can I wear my Star Trek uniform
and look completely out of place?
Or is that too much?
And I'll get a yes or a no.
Or you know, if they're havinga certain color scheme, like I
found out the one I was tellingyou about earlier that had the
beautiful backyard wedding, theywere wearing these beautiful
(16:19):
purple tones and textures and itjust so happened I showed up in
the right color.
But normally I would say tellme what you're wearing so I can
kind of mimic the theme insteadof just doing a complete
blackout, right?
My clients love when I get toshow up creatively for them as
well, because technically Istill disappear into the
background, because it's adramatic wedding.
Kathy Piech-Lukas (16:42):
I know, I usually wear black at weddings
as well, and it's more.
The focus is not on me, it's onmy couple and the day is about
them.
It's not about me.
I wear sketchers on my feet, Ihave a black pantsuit with a
black jacket and a name tag andthat is my uniform and I scream
(17:03):
wedding planner, you know.
Going back to the offbeatweddings, you've had a few
featured weddings in some ofthese blogs, like Offbeat Bride,
Rock and Roll Bride.
Do you want to talk a littlebit about some of those?
Jen Sulak (17:20):
Yeah, I had the cover of Quirky, Quirky weddings
because when I was starting mynew brand part of part of
building it's not that I didn'talready have a ton of clientele
I could pull from, but I alsowanted to pull creatively and
help couples get expansive ontheir ideas for their wedding
days.
So I met my friend, LizzieGator, who has a homemade
(17:40):
electric chair, and I thought tomyself, "bride of Frankenstein.
And so we did a Bride ofFrankenstein thematic style
shoot and we had a blast puttingit together and it made the
cover of a magazine.
And it wasn't because we neededthat, necessarily the vanity
aspect of it but as wedding proswe're constantly thinking about
(18:01):
how can we build our resumeright, so people take us
seriously, that we're doing thisas a business and we're a voice
in this industry.
And so where Lizzie and ILizzie and I were at that time,
we needed to make a statementand we did it.
You know how, when you setgoals and you achieve them,
that's literally what it was.
I still can't believe ithappened because I'm like, oh my
(18:23):
God, that was a lot of hardwork and you know, omg, the
waiting and then putting ittogether and then picking their
photos and telling the story.
It's usually all on me, thephotographer, because of how I
work and because it was you know, I'll call it my production
that we all ended up having ahand in that.
It was so much work, so it wasnice to have that payoff right.
(18:45):
That goal was met and I couldthen talk to clients about, hey,
how do you feel about this foryour wedding, or would you take
elements of this for yourwedding?
And I've got to tell you, I amso impressed of how creative
people are, especially the nerdsout there -- us nerds.
We know exactly what we'renerdy about and we know if we
(19:06):
want to go to legit charactertones and colors and cosplays or
if we want to, like, make itsuper subtle, where only we know
what the nerdy elements are.
There's so many different funthings and especially when you
are planning, I say to couplesplanning your weddings, I start
saying just have a brainstorm,what are your loves, what are
(19:27):
your likes, what do you want todo with your wedding day, how do
you want to feel?
And so, yeah, the publicationswere a great way to show couples
and potential clients in myfuture what is possible for your
wedding day, and it just sohappens that it's.
These blogs are like a big deal.
Yeah, everybody needs a spaceto go to plan your wedding at
(19:48):
some point.
Like you want to have that wellof inspiration.
So big blogs like Offbeat(Bride), or Rock and Roll Bride,
big alternative I have to sayalternative because I have no
other you know, quirky,unconventional, all the
unconventional, like out of thebox.
People tend to go to theseplaces to find their out of the
(20:09):
box inspiration, to beencouraged to do their own out
of the box inspiration.
So, yeah, anytime I could getinto a publication, both in
mainstream and I'll call it theOff Broadway, the Broadway
versus Broadway world.
I was trying to get my name outthere in all of the worlds
because we all know a quirkyweirdo down the street that's
(20:29):
probably getting married andneeds somebody who understands
the quirky weirdness ofthemselves, which is who I am,
like I'm.
If it's not me, there's a fewother voices out there to the
understand your quirkiness and,and so that's kind of where I
went with all the publicationsis making sure that my niche, my
(20:49):
hyper niche of this little tinyspace in the wedding world, was
seen and heard, and I think Idid a great job.
Kathy Piech-Lukas (20:56):
Well, there is a very, very special date
happening in twenty twenty four.
You're right, you know what I'mtalking about, right?
Jen Sulak (21:06):
Yeah.
Kathy Piech-Lukas (21:07):
May the 4th Be with you.
May the May fourth be with youbecause it is a Saturday.
So it's on a Saturday, if youare listening.
May fourth is going to be anextremely popular date next year
, so if that's the weekendyou're looking for, make sure
that you book your vendors asearly as you can, because that
(21:27):
is a day that is a lot more.
Jen Sulak (21:29):
Star Wars nerds than you know out there that are
already probably booking Mayfourth.
And when I work the Renaissancefestivals, I usually don't
start getting bookings until acouple of months ahead of time,
so I'm used to last minutebookings for fairs.
But yeah, when it comes to whatI would call traditional or
more you know, more conventionalweddings, where you have a
venue that you've booked out forsix to eight hours and people
(21:53):
are booking a year in advancefor this kind of stuff.
But I gotta tell you I've beenlooking forward to May the
fourth being on a Saturday again, because it's been in the
middle of the week and noteverybody can do May third or
May four, May fifth -- Yep, getmarried on Cinco de Mayo instead
.
Kathy Piech-Lukas (22:10):
I do have a groom that is walking down the
aisle in Star Wars attire on Mayfourth.
Jen Sulak (22:18):
What kind of attire, I must know.
Is it a stormtrooper, DarthVader or Luke?
Kathy Piech-Lukas (22:28):
Yeah, I love it With the mask.
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Kathy Piech-Lukas (22:35):
It's gonna be hard to kiss the bride with the
mask on, so I have a feelingit's probably gonna come off.
Jen Sulak (22:40):
I love that and you know, that's another one of
those things that comes up fromtime to time when you're talking
costumes and cosplay.
A lot of people get the whenthey get the pushback from their
family and friends.
It's usually that kind of stufflike no, you can't well wear
elf ears because what are yougonna think in your photos?
Or you know what's grandmagonna think, or you know stuff
(23:00):
like that.
Like me, I'm like, if you're,if your elf ears are removable,
just take them off for some ofthe photos.
Kathy Piech-Lukas (23:09):
Exactly it goes back to, every couple is
different and every couple'sdefinition of a dream wedding is
not the same, and you have toplan your wedding like you're
going to look back at it 20years from now and go 'that
wedding was so much fun.
' I am so glad we did everythingthe way that we did it.
(23:30):
And people say weddings aretimeless.
To me, that's timeless too.
It's not just about the dress,it's about the experience being
timeless as well.
Jen Sulak (23:42):
Also, you have to understand as well, like
everyone listening, thatphotography is one of the
handfuls of things that are leftover besides your brain
memories.
So if you don't have photos andthat was my mistake as a new
couple and trying to figure outhow to do my own wedding I knew
I wanted photography, but Ididn't know the depths until I
(24:05):
don't know, like 10 years later,I was like that's what I would
have wanted.
I would have wanted to hire aphotographer to capture my
entire day.
No matter how weird, no matterhow silly all the photos came
back, I would have wanted theentire day captured, and I think
that's something to think aboutas you're planning currently,
because this is the dream dayplanning pot, that podcast.
(24:25):
The photography is one of thethings that is left over at the
end of it.
So hire somebody that you canhang out with all day long, that
gets you, that delivers theimages that you want.
Not every style is the same asthe same with your wedding.
Not every style of photographyis the same.
Not every photographer reallydigs your alternative quirkiness
(24:47):
.
I've had people get really sadbecause they didn't find me
sooner, because they were likeif only I would have met you a
year ago and I said I know I'mhere, but I'm just trying to get
out Into the world.
Some people know that I'm here,but I also want to say that
there's nothing wrong withplanning a vow renewal, because
how many people did we knowafter covid go ahead and plan
(25:10):
that big vow renewal, or therenewing of their vows in
general, and make it a big partybecause of what we all went
through together?
Kathy Piech-Lukas (25:18):
I think that it changed all of that because I
think people appreciategathering now yeah, because I
know I do why you just couldn't.
And you know I think as awedding professional, I treasure
the job that I get to dobecause I love Bringing ideas to
(25:39):
life and watching people enjoythe joy from that and there's
nothing, there's nothing better,and I felt like that was taken
away from vendors during covid.
It was taken away from couples.
It was taken away from thevendors that serve them, and I
think we're all just so glad tobe back doing what we love and,
(25:59):
you know, bringing joy intopeople's lives.
Jen Sulak (26:02):
Absolutely.
I hundred percent agree on that, because that's just.
I love the joy that I'm seeingmore and more and more and, yes,
we, many of us, still havethose bad days that rise up and
we have a lot of things in theworld happening, but I also know
that when we find that joy inbetween these pockets of you
know pain and sorrow, this isthe kind of stuff that I really
get excited about, because thisis life, this is how life is
(26:24):
designed.
We're supposed to have all ofthese things, and I really just
think that we can't hold on tojoy every single moment of every
single day, but find it whenyou can and grab on to it and
give it a big hug.
Kathy Piech-Lukas (26:36):
Oh, squeeze, squeeze, squeeze.
You feel my hug.
Jen Sulak (26:41):
Yes, and you know.
Enjoy your wedding day, learnhow to enjoy your day without
being stressed.
And then, even after yourwedding, you have a marriage to
get into.
Y'all Like, don't forget aboutthe marriage part.
Like, as much effort you'reputting into your wedding, don't
forget about your marriage to.
It's amazing.
Enjoy the rest of your livestogether.
Kathy Piech-Lukas (27:01):
The marriage is the fun part.
That's what I think I'veenjoyed.
I mean we're (my husband and Iare) celebrating 20 years being
married next year and I'veenjoyed.
I mean we've had our ups anddowns and curveballs and highs
and lows and I can't imaginedoing it with anybody else.
Jen Sulak (27:19):
Same, I'm at 18 years and I did.
I set up a val renewal where heproposed to me Talk about
getting photography in.
Making it count is that heproposed to me at Kid Craddock
in the morning, a local radio TVmorning show.
And then I set up a vow renewalso we could enjoy 18 years
together on the air and Justhave that moment of.
(27:44):
I spent a lot of my life beforeI became a photographer working
the nine to five and this isbefore clubhouse y'all -- You're
listening to your radio morningshow.
How much more you know audiocan you like I'm listening to
the radio shows before videostreaming all of that stuff.
And to have these faces andplaces and this goes for any
couples planning their weddings,anything that's special to you,
(28:06):
get it captured, get itMomentized, whatever you want to
call it.
But yeah, this year I just Imade it extra special and
celebrated our 18 years at theradio station and had photos
made and I was like that was thequickest in and out of my life,
did a cute little vow renewaland everything was amazing.
Kathy Piech-Lukas (28:25):
Jen, I'm so excited for you.
How can people find you?
Jen Sulak (28:28):
Well, so you can still surf me on all of the
social media apps.
Currently I'm under WeirdoWeddings if you want to see all
my weirdness and kind of likeand you're not everything is
going to be thematic, but it isgoing to be.
Those internal and externalweirdos find me no matter what.
So I'm always going to show theweddings that I work and the
people that I work with and Italk about their details and
(28:50):
their ideas and and even my ownpersonal ideas.
So you'll find me everywhere onweirdo weddings.
And then if you want to see mymore, you know, somewhat tame
side, you can go to Pink LightImages.
What's your name?
My bright pink hair?
Let's, let's the cat out of thebag.
Let's just say that you knowNow.
I just love what I do and Ilove photographing moments
(29:13):
because I've been doing it mywhole life, like living moments
my whole life, and just alwayswanting to not just have it in
my head but also have itsomewhere I could see it, even a
print or a digital or something.
But I just love what I do and Ilove meeting quirky couples.
Kathy Piech-Lukas (29:27):
Well, we've loved having you on here, Jen.
Thank you so much.
Thank you for tuning into YourDream Day Podcast.
dreamdaypodcast.
com or yourdreamday.
com if you want more informationabout Your Dream Day.
If you're thinking that maybeyou need a little help planning
your wedding, visit us at yourdream day.
com.
This is Kathy Piech-Lukas,Please subscribe to our podcast
and happy planning!
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