It’s been awhile since we have given you a little behind-the-scenes, and now that we have transitioned into Wedding Collective, we found it only fitting to introduce ourselves.
We’re the ladies behind the scenes helping our New Mexico wedding community foster connections, dream big, and create the best weddings yet. As a team, we work in a charming little space nestled in the North Valley where we feel right at home – at least we should since it is quite literally a house. If you’ve ever dropped by for a meeting or just to say hello, you know that we’re not kidding when we say “unconventional office space”!
To give you a better idea of what each of us do here at Wedding Collective, we’ve written a bit about ourselves. We hope you enjoy getting to know us + our individually quirky personalities. Brace yourselves – we’re actually really cool.
Meet Shauna
Founder, CEO, Fearless Leader
Carissa + Ben Photography 
Hello, Shauna Pointer here! I am the founder and CEO of Wedding Collective New Mexico, formerly Perfect Wedding Guide. When I am not in the office, I am spending time with my adorable family going on adventures or playing board games.
I chose “CHALLENGE” as my word for 2020 because I want to challenge myself to learn new things; challenge myself to embrace unending change with courage; challenge our status quo as a company; challenge our team members to push themselves to achieve great things, and challenge the wedding community to love more, love harder, and never give up.
Traveling with my family is my absolute favorite thing to do, because of all of the unique experiences we have together along the way – like sleigh rides!
Meet Jenna
Creative Director, Crafty Queen, Dog-Lover
Carissa + Ben Photography 
Hey guys Jenna here, Wedding Collective’s Creative Director!
At the start of the year, each of our team members chose a challenge or focus word for the year. My word is “CONFIDENCE”. When asked at the beginning of 2020 what word we would choose for ourselves, my hand was the first to shoot up (sounds confident already, haha). I knew that my word had to be confidence. It’s something I need to work on both personally and professionally.
Words of affirmation is not my love language so I’ve discovered my confidence can’t come from others telling me I did a good job or complimenting my work. That just makes me blush lol I know I have all the confidence I need but in those tough moments I need to remind myself of that. We all know our minds battle against us sometimes though, who’s with me?
So this year, its all about the little victories for me. Stepping out of my comfort zone and really pushing myself so I can feel those “I’ve got this” moments. It will help me be a better co-worker, leader, friend, wife, believer, and resource for our friendors. Let’s do this 2020!
Meet Jennifer
Social Media Maven, Super Mom, #HairGoals
Carissa + Ben Photography 
Jasper K Photography
Hey guys! This is Jenn, Wedding Collective‘s Social Media Maven.
At the beginning of the year, each of our team members chose a challenge or focus word for the year. I chose “BALANCE“. I want my focus in 2020 to be on creating a balance in my life+work, a balanced (+engaging) experience for our followers in terms of content, and a balanced following of creatives, entrepreneurs, engaged couples, and all the movers+shakers+doers.
The hardest challenge for me will be the life+work balance. I think it can be SO easy to lose track of yourself within your work. There is always one more email, one more project, one more issue to fix, and the list goes on and on and on. I get so busy with being busy that I forget the importance of balance.
Only if you are able to strike a balance between all the significant facets of life, will you have the courage to go ahead and chase bigger goals. In order to provide the best balanced experience for our followers (plus the balance that my family needs), I also need to focus on my own balance. So the next time you get an email from me past “normal business hours”, remind me about balance.
Meet Imyraly
Client Experience Guru, Proposal-Planner, Country Girl
“Be fearless in pursuit of what sets your soul on fire.”
-Jennifer Lee
Carissa + Ben Photography 
Sarah Lotus Photography
Hi, lovelies! Imyraly Garcia, Wedding Collective‘s Client Experience Guru here. Formerly Imyraly Corral, Office Assistant. My last name has since changed because I recently got married to my sweetheart, yay! My job title has also changed. This year is all about out with the old, in with the new! LOL.
When I was first asked what my word for the year is, I said, “determined” because this year I am determined more than ever to pursue my passion and everything I always wanted to do but never did, out of fear of what others would say and the overarching fear of failure. That’s when I quickly realized that my word for the year should reflect me stepping out of fear and being, “FEARLESS“!
This year I started my very own proposal planning business called Marry Me Sweetly and I dove into the acting world. Although I have a daily mind battle of whether I am cut out for the business or the acting world, going after my dreams has never felt more right.
The best part of 2020 was marrying the love of life! We had a How I Met Your Mother themed ceremony, hence the yellow umbrella, because we are the real-life Lily and Marshall. At least we’d like to think so.
Meet Alissia
Brand Ambassador, Social Butterfly, Thai-Food-Lover
Carissa + Ben Photography 
Hi, friends! It’s ya girl Alissia here, Wedding Collective’s Brand Ambassador! You’ve probably seen my face on our stories, or around town dropping off guides.
Our team chose a word for the year and my word is intent. For 2020, I want to focus on living my life with “INTENT“, and hopefully make a habit of doing so. I want to be able to take control of my life, and not let it control me. This means being mindful of how I spend my time (and with whom I spend it, because that MATTERS, my friends).
I tend to always be looking toward the future (big time dreamer over here, people), and if I am living with more intention, I can truly live in the moment and appreciate the journey instead of trying to reach the destination. So, this year I am trying to slow down and appreciate everything that life has to offer—good or bad. And honestly, I’ve realized that not every “bad” situation actually has to be bad. It just depends on how you let it impact you.
Meet Kayleigh
Content Writer, Storyteller, Snack-Lover
“You don’t just wake up and become the butterfly. Growth is a process.”
– Rupi Kaur
Carissa + Ben Photography 
Hi lovelies! I’m Kayleigh, the Content Writer for Wedding Collective. I chose the word “GROWTH” because, first of all, I am the newest addition to the team, so I hope to grow a lot in my experience writing all about the wedding community! I also have a goal to make this year my most transformational yet, for myself, my passions and my health.
Growing and learning go hand in hand, and I strive to always be learning. I get so busy thinking about the future and what it holds that I forget to live in the moment and remind myself that I will grow into whoever and wherever I am meant to be. I can’t wait to take on the rest of 2020 with the growing wedding community!
I chose a recent photo of me with my family at my college graduation because it was a huge step in my growing process and I couldn’t have done it without my support system. #AdultLife here I come!
________________________________________________________________
Wedding Collective is more than just a magazine, we’re a community, and because of this, we spend everyday showcasing New Mexico infused content to inspire. Whether this means creating blog posts to showcase local vendors, or hosting wedding shows for engaged couples, we’re here to help you!
