Inside the Michelle Elaine Office

Last year I was introduced to Twah Dougherty and we instantly connected! So sitting down for lunch we decided that we just had to do a photo shoot together [we actually did a couple!] I had expressed this strong vision to showcase where I actually work everyday. Living as an entrepreneur, in Brooklyn nonetheless, it is totally normal to have just a home office. I always go to my clients in order to convenience them, and their busy schedules. Being next door to Manhattan and Queens I easily can rent an office space, if needed, nearby any of my couples at anytime. From day one I have always wanted my couples to feel extremely catered to, so if I can rent an office space nearby their work or apartment I would so much rather do that for them!

Circling back though, couples do want to know where I work … am I just at my kitchen table everyday, in my bed … well, sometimes! But I have a really cozy space, now in Brooklyn, that I love to be in everyday – it’s where I am creative, and make all of the wedding magic happen! Some days it’s not quite as perfectly curated/set-up but we can pretend like it always is 🙂

So enjoy a peak inside! And some fun little anecdotes …

Of course Chippy is with me, when is he NOT with me?! When I have meetings outside of the office [unless a client requests – yes couples have asked me to bring him!] then I leave him home.

There are many things on my desk that actually have some meaning :

• This Jackie O. book is one of my most prized possessions – I’ve had it since 2010, just before I started MEW. I was working a high end silent auction dinner when I was still in catering sales. I had spotted the book instantly. I’ve always loved Jackie O. because of her iconic fashion and timeless style. I watched the bidding go up towards $300 and there was no chance I could spend that on a book. I was a some-what recent college grad, struggling to figure out my career, so $300 on a book just wasn’t going to happen. One of my boss’s friends overheard me saying that I wish I could’ve gotten it … and at the end of the night, when I thought it had went to someone else, they came to my office with the book and I freaked out! Inspiration that has stayed with me for years.
• Those amazing binoculars are from an Ines Di Santo show that she had a few years ago at a location in Columbus Circle. For once I was thrilled to sit towards the back because you got these binoculars in order to see all of the beautiful designs coming down the runway! Ines is also one of my all time favorite designers, her shows will leave you speechless.

• That glass box in the top right hand corner is actually the card box from our wedding! I loved our card box so much, and I knew in buying it for our special day that it would be something I could use for other things in our life. Every time I look at it I feel happy and it brings me back to that magical day, which is a great feeling to have as I plan for my couples everyday!
• Also, that pink/sequined fabric that is wrapped up and sitting in my desk organizer is also from our wedding. It was my favorite pillow case for our lounge area. I use it to cover my laptop and it’s always a conversation starter when I take my laptop out at a meeting because people want to know where I got it from.

• Those scissors that look like the Eiffel Tower were a gift to my office years ago from my sister. I traveled to Paris in 2008 for college in order to gain a deeper study and international perspective into fashion – clearly where all of my inspiration comes from. I completely fell in love with everything the city had to offer, it had so much character, was quaint and beautiful. I loved sitting by the water with wine and baguettes, or an outdoor cafe for lunch after class. Certainly plan to go back one of these days …

It’s certainly not an everyday occasion for me to have beautiful fresh flowers at my desk but I am extremely grateful for amazing vendor friends like Designs By Ahn who made sure I had some extra beauty for my office shoot … they know my style, these coordinated perfectly!

If you notice, there are no shelves, boxes … no “clutter” anywhere. When I first started Michelle Elaine Weddings I had a huge desk with tons of shelves, side tables that held even more paperwork, folders, etc. and I always felt overwhelmed with so much “stuff” constantly surrounding me.

When we left my apartment in Astoria and John & I got our first place together in Sunnyside I got rid of the bulk, scaled down and made sure my desk had only the daily essentials. With technology, everything is really just on my laptop, there is no need for a pile of papers or junk. I have always been an organized neat freak but my work space actually showcases that now. As my company, and of course myself have grown, so has everything around me – and always for the better!

Back to this little furry nugget … who thinks it’s his office some days [who am I kidding, he thinks he owns everything, everyday!] … but that’s fine, although it’s too bad he can’t respond to emails 😉

Animals definitely bring something calm to the day in and day out … I love that I can have Chippy right here with me everyday.

Laughing because I know things don’t always look this way, and yes there are plenty of days I’m sitting at this beautiful desk in my pajamas and no makeup. So a huge thank you to the team at Beautini for making me look just as amazing as my office!

And there are plenty of days [when I am dressed up] where the heels are off and I am curling up in my chair finishing up work, sometimes swapping to my phone to respond to emails and texts from couples and vendors. I’m not entirely sure why I do that but something about being off the laptop and switching to my phone makes me feel like the day is almost done, and the workload is lighter.

I hope you enjoyed your tour of my workspace! Especially now with everyone working from home, maybe I’ve provided some helpful inspiration. MEW will be 9 years in October so I’ve had quite some time to perfect my home office!

OXO – Michelle Elaine