An interview with wedding designer Joy Thigpen, Part 1

We have been so busy getting to know wedding vendors to share with you and this one is no different! Joy Thigpen specializes in creating beautiful moments. Officially she offers creative direction and styling services (among others!) through her Atlanta-based, namesake company and is also the creative director and co-editor for the online and print version of Once Wed. She has an impeccable eye for taste and the ability to pull all the elements together to create stunning weddings, evidenced by the pictures below! We had the pleasure of getting to know her and delve a little deeper into the mind of a wedding professional! Her weddings are regularly featured on one of our favorite wedding blogs, Style Me Pretty, (here and here). In her own words she like to make things "beautiful and interesting" while remaining the "keeper of the vision". We have divided the interviews into two parts, stay tuned later in the week for Part 2!You wear many different hats within the wedding industry; can you break them all down for us?Ha, I guess that's true. I just like it all! I started out as a photographer and then transitioned into styling and then creative direction. But its also true that sometimes I'm an editor, sometimes I do flowers, sometimes design dresses, decorate cakes....whatever needs to be done to accomplish the vision.Do you have a team of people you work with? Yes and no. There are definitely some go-to people that I love to work with but my team is handpicked for each project to be the best possible match.You're also a trained photographer, is this one of the most important elements of a wedding?For sure. The photographs really are the only way you'll remember so many pieces and moments of your wedding. They are what you will show your children and grandchildren.How does your role at Once Wed influence your creative direction consulting?Well, for better and for worse I see a lot of wedding everything because of Once Wed. (Not as much as Emily sees, but still...) I guess it makes me more informed and better opinionated on what works/what doesn't and what I like/don't like.How is your position different from wedding planner? I do all the right brain/aesthetic planning but I always work with another person who does all of the left brain/logistical planning.Check back later this week for Part 2!