We had the good fortune of connecting with Christen Griffis and Audrey Herrera and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Christen and Audrey, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Audrey: “Risks are scary, but without risk there is no reward. I would not be Co-owner of Bride Meets Glam without taking that risk. Risks have played a huge part in my career, but I owe my success to those risks and I’ve met many great people who have helped me along my career. Overcoming your fear to do something or meet someone new can open and has opened many doors for my career. I think it’s always good to take those chances and see where your journey can take you. The alternative is scarier to me: being complacent and never learning or doing anything better. I’d much rather take the risk!”

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Christen: “I think what most excites me about doing wedding hair is the fact that I get to be such a huge part of someone’s special day. As a creative it doesn’t matter that some Saturday mornings we wake up at 5 or 6a.m. to be on site and starting hair and makeup at 7a.m. What matters is: I get to be creative for a few hours and make people feel beautiful! I’ve been in the hair industry for 13 years now and I love it more every day. I’m the daughter and granddaughter of two very talented hair stylists, so my journey in the beauty industry started at a very young age. I loved growing up in their salons, but my real passion was art. I love drawing and painting, so being able to translate that into a creative career like hair design has filled my life with purpose and happiness. After earning my cosmetology diploma I worked at North West Salon in Jasper, Georgia for five years and then decided I wanted to complete my bachelor’s degree. I then moved to Woodstock, Georgia and worked at Salon Gloss for a few years while I completed my Bachelor of Science degree in Communication. This was not an easy time in my life, but it showed me what I was truly capable of and I met some amazing people along the way. After graduation I moved back to Jasper and started again at North West Salon, where I work today. During the week I have an amazing clientele and on weekends I get to travel to beautiful wedding venues to do hair – I’m so blessed I get to do what I love. Along the way I’ve learned that college degrees can absolutely heighten your awareness, broaden your mindset and open doors of opportunity. However, if you wake up every morning with anxiety or dread going into work, is it really worth trading years of your life in misery versus doing something you genuinely enjoy? I think that’s where Audrey and I can agree: we are so lucky to have jobs we love and to have the opportunity to make people feel beautiful every day.”

Audrey: “I started my career in the beauty industry ten years ago and not long after Christen, I also started at North West Salon. We’ve been doing weddings together ever since and I think we make the perfect duo. She and I both do wedding hair, but I mainly focus on makeup. A few years into my career I had an amazing opportunity to intern with Meredith Boyd – the extremely talented and preferred hair and makeup artist of the Miss America pageant and owner of Meredith Boyd Cosmetics. For over three years I served as Meredith’s hair and makeup assistant at multiple Miss America pageants, Miss USA pageants, and on TV sets of the Jeff Foxworthy Biography, along with Larry the Cable Guy and Ron White. My internship with Meredith was truly the most inspiring and pivotal point in my career. Most importantly, she taught me to go after my dreams and execute them, and that’s one of the best things I’ve learned along the way. What Christen and I have built is special: we not only have friendship, but we also share a professional respect for each other. We compliment each other in a way that makes a business flow easily and a wedding day go smoothly. We’re perfectionists and our purpose is to deliver on-site beauty professionals to your wedding venue, eliminating stress and wasted travel time on wedding days. It’s truly an honor to work with brides on such a special day – we really are blessed to do what we do!”

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Jasper, Georgia is hometown for both of us. Some people drive through Jasper in the fall to get to Blue Ridge or the Apple Festival, but only the lucky ones stop by our small town. Over the years Jasper has grown into a charming mountain town with multiple wineries, restaurants and boutiques. Personally, we love the Mule House, our local restaurant for yummy food and cocktails with outside seating on Main Street, along with Lollidrops, the local ice cream and candy shop. Fainting Goat Winery is just a short drive from Main Street up Burnt Mountain Road, with gorgeous mountain views. The Woodbridge Inn and I Love New York Pizza are other local favorites for food and libations, along with 61 Main and Pendley Creek Brewery. Check out our little Main Street in Jasper – you won’t be disappointed!

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?
Brooke Watson! She is not only a friend, but also a very talented business lady and photographer who absolutely deserves a shoutout. Brooke shot our initial branding photos for Bride Meets Glam and she did a fabulous job. On the same note though, she’s an incredible wedding photographer and we love her work. You can find more on her business Instagram: @styledandsnapped, or her personal/blog Instagram: @brookeinthelook (Brooke Pualani Haukea Hanna).

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bridemeetsglam/

Image Credits
All images can be found with their applicable photographer credit on our Instagram. Those include: @hillaryleahphotography @jaimepryorphoto @mintwoodphotoco @intotheembers.photo @taylor.gaddyphotos

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