Shoutout Atlanta
Hi Lindsey, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Since I can remember, I was fascinated with photography and event planning. Every birthday I had, I was so excited to plan. Every holiday was decked out. It was in my blood to go all out and I always found a reason to throw a party. My camera was always attached to my hand taking pictures of whatever I could. In high school, I started taking photography classes and my love continued to grow. In my early 20’s I worked for a large event company in Atlanta that expanded my marketing, advertising and promoting skills. I would coordinate, plan and execute around 20 events a month. The first wedding I planned was my very own, 7 years ago. I planned and coordinated from out of state start to finish. What started out as a hobby was evolving into a career. So, with the 13 years of experience, I knew I wanted my own business. I knew I did not want to go back to a corporate job. I didn’t want to miss out on my kid’s childhood working 9-5. It just wasn’t for me. Event planning and photography was truly what my heart was calling for and needed to fulfill my soul. Everyone has a story that should be told whether that’s through a photograph or an event! I specialize in family photography. I want nothing more than a real connection and unposed moments to shine through a photograph. I am passionate as I am committed to making sure to create an event that represents someone’s life. I started Haylan Events. Haylan is the combination of my two son’s name’s. They pushed me to do what I love, they pushed me to take my camera back out, dust it off and capture all their milestones. They pushed me to take the leap and do what I truly love to do, events and photography. I knew I needed to show them that they are capable of doing whatever they put their minds to.
What should our readers know about your business?
I specialize in family photography, which includes maternity, fresh 48, newborn, milestone and birthday sessions. I am very interactive with my families. I am always up for playing Spiderman, letting kids be kids with airplane rides with dad, tons of kisses from mom, piggy back rides and of course tons of dance parties along the way. I want the unscripted moments and the uninhibited laughter between a family!
I specialize in weddings, birthday parties and day-of coordination with my main focus on detail and client budget. I provide full to partial planning, budgets, logistics, designs and more. I build connections with my couples and families to get to know them more on a personal level. I want nothing more than to have their special day come to life and represent who they truly are. I provide constant zoom meetings, emails, telephone calls and texts to ensure them I am by their side, supporting them every step of the way or just to say hi!
I started my mobile wagon last year, 2019, to offer and serve my clients more of an experience. Our mobile wagon is small, on wheels and can even fit into a home. It offers a variety of catering options to make an event one of a kind. We want to bring the fun to you! Some unique options we offer are, ice cream bars which is our most popular option, s’mores bar, hot cocoa bars, champagne bars, candy bars, Acai bowls, donut bars and trail mix bars. We are constantly changing our options to best serve our clients, as we are very unique. We definitely strive to customize our treats and decor to make one heck of an event to remember. We cater weddings, birthdays, fundraisers, baby/bridal showers, corporate events and even weekend get togethers.
Owning and operating a business comes with a lot of learning, building connections, changing, growing and adapting quickly. There’s always something to improve on, always! You are never done learning and you will make many mistakes along the way. I have learned there is never enough time in the day, so you have to prioritize your time and energy where it needs to go. Seasons come and go so embrace the ride, it’s one heck of an amazing journey!
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Atlanta is full of life and there is always something to do. We would definitely go to the Sundial Restaurant to see the city life in action. We would grab dinner and drinks, sit back and relax as the top of the building turns. We will enjoy the Atlanta skyline, watch the sunset and the night life come alive in a full circle, right below us. Depending on the time of the year, I would make sure to stop in Helen for their Oktoberfest and dance down their historic German streets. Of course, have lunch on the river at Cafe International. We would most definitely be ordering their delicious reuben! Dahlonega is another favorite spot of mine. We would take a tour to some of the amazing wineries that they have to offer, my favorite being Montaluce! Their wineries are so breathtaking- it’s the perfect spot for a wedding! I would make sure we did a couple of hikes, as north Georgia has some beautiful ones. One of my favorites is Minnehaha falls. It’s also the perfect spot for an elopement! We would then move North West to Cloudland Canyon. We would obviously take tons of pictures, explore the canyons, swim beneath the waterfalls and end the night in one of their yurts.
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My family is my biggest supporter, my cheerleaders. They have allowed me to take a huge risk to follow my heart. They always believe in me and continue to push me to do better. My husband Justin, my two sons Hayden and Rylan and my mom Frances. I would not be where I am today without their continuous love and support. I can’t forget about the powerful and amazing circle of vendors who I work very closely with. I am thankful for each and every one and their friendships that help me grow and serve my clients even better.