I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: I love collaborating with other vendors in the wedding industry! I recently had the opportunity to collaborate with Andrea of Andrea Woodlee Design (previously Andrea Haughey Design) for her re-branding photo session, and it was so much fun! Andrea is a graphic designer in the Eugene area, with such a talent for stationary and invitation suites. Andrea is out of town for her wedding right now, which is the reason for her re-brand. When she returns, she will officially re-launch her business as Andrea Woodlee Design, showcasing her new last name!

It was such a joy getting to know Andrea through planning her photoshoot, and getting to capture her overall vision for her brand. Andrea described her style as whimsical, eclectic, and unapologetically girly, which is such an accurate description of her brand and personality. I loved getting to capture these elements through her product images and headshots – and I loved getting to see our styles blend so effortlessly together!

Andrea started pursuing graphic design as a side hustle while studying interior design in college. At the time, she was learning the Adobe programs and had offered to create resumes for some friends. However, she said she didn’t really fall in love with graphic design until she studied architecture for a semester. “[Architecture] has a huge focus on graphic design and storytelling, right up my alley!”, she said. When she graduated from the University of Kentucky in 2016 and made the move to Oregon, Andrea found that graphic design was a great way to work remotely while looking for jobs. A few months after moving to Eugene, she started her first wedding suite and totally fell in love. “There was so much to learn, but I was hooked,” she said.

When asked what she likes most about graphic design, Andrea said she loves getting to connect with clients and explore their visions with them. “So many people have a vision for their event but they may not know how to execute it, so it often gets put to the side. I love being able to bring that vision to life for them!” Andrea said she especially loves working with wedding clients, because every wedding is so different. “I love to sneak little details and mementos [into the design]…Anything that makes the couple feel like, ‘yep, that’s so us!'”, she said.

Though Andrea has had the opportunity to work with a variety of brides and styles, she said her ideal couple is, above all, sentimental. “It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the wedding world and forget that this is a union of your love, something you’ll cherish forever,” she said.  “I always want to create totally unique suites that are tailored to the two I’m working with. And I want us all to have fun, and not take this process too seriously!”

With this in mind, she said favorite project so far was a 4-piece wedding suite for a traditional Hindu wedding in Miami. “From the ‘Mehendi and Mimosas’ invitation, to the 4-page program with each beautiful Hindu tradition, everything was so carefully thought out by the couple and I was thrilled to bring their vision to life,” she said.

As the youngest of three girls, Andrea’s family has had a huge influence on her life as a creative. “I come from a family of card senders, party planners, and all around hostess extraordinaires. It never felt weird or risky to pursue a creative field, because my family was always so supportive,” she said.  Andrea recently married her college sweetheart, who is also a creative. “We have very different ways of expressing our creativity and I’ve learned from him in so many way,” she said. Together, she and her husband parent a 15 pound orange tabby cat named Benjamin Linus. Though her business takes up a lot of her free time, she said she also loves to cook, read, garden.

We loved getting to work with Andrea to capture her branding session, and we are so excited  to share some of our favorite photos from the evening! Andrea is so fun to be around, and is so passionate about what she does. And like many vendors in the wedding industry, Andrea stresses the importance of working with small business owners. “It’s just me and the client creating this project, so it’s crucial to respect each other and form a solid connection,” she said. “There are so many sites that you can quickly place an order for whatever the project you’re working on, but going totally custom is all about enjoying the process.”

Finally, because I’m a fan of bulleted lists, here are some more fun facts about Andrea of Andrea Woodlee Design!

• Her favorite color is pink.
• She showed cats at the county fair growing up, and one year she won best of show!
• Her favorite food is all forms of pasta
• Her favorite drinks are red wine and water
• She loves to shop at thrift stores
• She’d love to travel to Egypt someday
• Her favorite musician is H.E.R.
• Her guilty pleasures are cookie dough and YouTube
• She is currently binge-watching Queer Eye
• She couldn’t live without a pen and paper. She loves to write everything down!

 

To learn more about Andrea and her services, be sure to visit her website at www.andreawoodleedesign.com .