I got the wonderful opportunity to correspond with Heather Sharpe, the Senior Editor of the Premiere Online Wedding Guide, Style Unveiled. They currently have the sites for Seattle and Portland up + running, with Los Angeles to launch APRIL 1st! That's right, my friends… no April fooling it! Mark your calendars! Their current blog called "the Lounge" in LA is already gaining full steam. I cannot wait to see what's in store for Los Angeles! See Heather's responses to my curiosity below!
What motivated the launch of Style Unveiled? What are your goals/mission?
As the Senior Editor of Style Unveiled, my goal is to bring a fresh face to the wedding industry by creating an inspiring virtual space for people from all facets of the industry, from veteran insiders to the first-time bride. I believe that building lasting relationships and helping others to facilitate connections are the bread and butter of what we all do in this field. One way that Style Unveiled achieves this is through locally-based blogs called The Lounge (Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles) that specifically target businesses and individuals within each city, helping people to connect with their local community. I love to celebrate the achievements of others, which is why I love being the Editor of a national chain of blogs. I am deeply passionate about this industry and work hard every day to come up with better and more creative ways to connect people. At the moment, Style Unveiled has a presence in a few West Coast cities, and it is our goal to make this an international venture.
Who conceptualized Style Unveiled?
Style Unveiled was founded by myself and a Seattle-based photographer.
Was Style Unveiled established out of necessity or passion?
Definitely passion! I couldn't imagine writing 30 different blog entries for 3 different blogs per month otherwise 
Building up this industry is what drives me. I feel that with Style Unveiled, we can help create a synergy with other local wedding professionals in each of the cities we open in.
Who is behind LA Style Unveiled? Seattle? Portland?
We have a team of 3 owners, 2 graphic designers, 2 SEO experts, and 2 photographers – and then I double as the Senior Editor and the blogger for Portland and LA. We all work together to run Style Unveiled which right now consists of all 3 cities. The other two owners and myself also work very hard at networking. Kimberly is our Seattle blogger and she does an amazing job at making sure our presence is known up north. Seattle was our first site and it is doing quite well
What can readers expect from LA Style Unveiled? What's in store for the readers?
Readers can expect to read about LA wedding information. Not once will you go on our site or our blog, The Lounge, and hear about another city or see a wedding that didn't happen in the LA area. We feel that this will give LA brides a place to call home while planning their wedding and that they can get excited about everything on our blog and our site, because it is something that is easily within their reach. Especially in this economy, it isn't always an option to fly a photographer in from New York for your wedding … we showcase the best LA photographers, LA coordinators, and Los Angeles resources so our brides can feel safe to plan like crazy with what we share. Our site is also very user friendly … everything is linked within the site. For instance, if we are talking about flowers on our blog, we'll link the word flowers to our vendor category 'blooms' so that brides can shop for a local florist right then and there. This makes planning less stressful.
How do you think LA will differ from the Seattle + Portland sites?
Simple The content, advice, trends, wedding professionals will all be LA based.
How do you think Style Unveiled differs from any other wedding resource site or blog (like Style Me Pretty, Bridal Bar, etc.)?
All fabulous blogs!! We are huge fans of Style Me Pretty, Junebug Weddings, etc … the main difference is that we stay local. I feel that although the national blogs are incredibly inspiring, sometimes it's hard for a bride to pinpoint what will work for her wedding. If an LA bride is looking for LA content, LA Style Unveiled is a guarantee for her. We hope to work closely with the national blogs, they are truly an inspiration to us and we are HUGE fans of Harmony Walton of the Bridal Bar … we feel that what she's doing is so amazing. In fact, she was a guest blogger on our site not long ago Another difference is that we are striving to be as eco-chic as possible. We have a page dedicated to cutting down on your carbon 'stiletto-print' which lists 101 ways to green your wedding. We also donate a portion of the profits to Conservation International.
What are you favorite wedding/style/inspiration websites/blogs?
Oh, where to begin? I love Style Me Pretty (who doesn't?) and I love Kiss The Groom, Elizabeth Messina's new blog. I also feel that you can never go wrong by visiting Martha Stewart Weddings site … always amazing advice there. I also love Green Wedding Shoes.
Do you plan on expanding? Or launching any other locations?
Definitely Our next city is San Francisco and beyond that our goal is to have a presence in each state.
What do you love the most about what you do? What do you think will draw people to Style Unveiled?
I have always loved to write … I feel incredibly lucky and fortunate to reach out to brides and wedding professionals on a national level. I also
love that I'm learning so much about these incredible cities! Researching the best honeymoon spots and what Vera Wang's new collection looks like is so much fun and very rewarding. I also love that I am helping brides on a broader level then when I was a Seattle-based wedding coordinator. I love to celebrate the achievements of others, and this online wedding style magazine allows me to do that every day It's a wonderful feeling.
