1. What non living thing could you not survive a day without?
I love to make lists. At this moment I can count no less than 6 lists lying in my immediate sight. It is not that I am unorganized, but that I HAVE TO BE ORGANIZED.
2. How did you meet your husband?
We joke that we met in a bar, which is technically true. We met at 3rd and Lindsley in downtown Nashville to watch a mutual friend play music. The friend felt we were destined for each other and introduced us. I was totally not interested. We were married 3 years to the day and our friend agreed to play for the reception.
3. Do you have any pets?
We have a quirky golden retriever mix that we got the day after Christmas from a local no kill shelter. She was in this shell for about 8 months where she was non-responsive to anything. Since then she has slowly broken out of her shell and is the most amazing dog you will never meet. She is super shy around anyone other than us and crawls back into that shell at the slightest hint of a stranger. We named her Annie after the bacteria Anthrax.
4. Wait..why did you name her Annie, again?
I graduated with a degree in biology, and a passion for studying infectious diseases. I know it might sound weird to some, but I really love science. I was blessed to work several jobs since graduating that allowed me to follow this passion, meet amazing people, and work with some pretty nasty pathogens. To pay tribute we named Annie after the select agent Bacillus Anthracis or Anthrax. We call her Annie as not to freak people out too much.
5. How did you go from working in a lab to creating THE HULA HOOPING BRIDE?
I LOVE weddings! When my husband and I got engaged...ok, before my husband and I got engaged, I started planning, creating, and collecting things for the big day. I made all the candles, collected a bunch of blue mason jars, and so much more. It was so much fun, and I got to do it with the help of all my amazing girlfriends. After my wedding I was left with the surplus of candles, mason jars, and all the decorations that did not make the final cut. Adding that to the fact that our grant budget was cut, and my job was suddenly non existent I opened shop. I like to think when a door shuts you get out the sledgehammer and make your own window.
6. Why did you choose the name THE HULA HOOPING BRIDE?
A sweet friend and I were taking these amazing hooping courses around the time of my wedding. We loved it so much we even made our own hoops. When my wedding arrived, she brought her hoop for the reception. The logo is a photo of me hooping at the wedding in my gown. Everyone had so much fun. I even taught the lady who owns the venue how to hoop. It really helped to bring people out of their shell and cut loose.
7. Did you ever expect you would be doing something creative?
Honestly no but I have always loved working with my hands. I think I might have learned how to embroider before I learned how to write. I do remember my former boss complaining to me that I was too creative for research on multiple occasions. In hindsight, I think he was seriously upset. Although I am still not sure what that means, I took it as a compliment.
8. What do you want most from your business?
I want people to love what I make. I never want my products to be second best. And I want to enjoye doing it.
