We had the good fortune of connecting with Jalonna Kearney-Rodgers and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jalonna, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
A few weeks before Covid began, my (now) husband proposed during the Super Bowl. At the onset of my planning process: everyone was in quarantine, and my job laid me off. I needed to find an outlet to relieve my increasing anxiety about the future. Like most brides, I thought the only way to plan my wedding was to outsource and purchase everything. Not only was I unable to find other small black owned businesses to patronize, but without steady income, it became increasingly difficult to justify spending money on our wedding. After talking with hubby, we decided to use my skills to “craft the wedding of our dreams”.
I handmade the stationary, save the dates, bridesmaids boxes, groomsmen gifts, wedding favors, welcome gifts, and a few custom decor pieces for our ceremony and reception spaces.
Once we were married, I took time to reflect on my experience. I truly enjoyed bringing my vision to life through my crafts and wasn’t ready to stop so I decided to officially launch Blue Room Bride. My main focus is designing and creating wedding and engagement-related products and content that make it easier for DIY brides to create the wedding items that reflect their personality and truly make the day special.
My mission is to teach DIY brides to create their own wedding items and decor using step-by-step tutorials and money-saving strategies.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I think something that sets me apart from other craft businesses is the fact that I was forced to plan my wedding on a very strict $15,000 budget since we had no income due to Covid. It was definitely not easy due to the overall state of the world, dealing with unprecedented times and trying to remain joyful and excited during my engagement. I overcame the challenges by utilizing YouTube University learning to embrace the flaws and imperfections of my handmade products. I want the world to know that black girls craft and weddings do not have to be expensive to be elegant or fun!

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.
I’m all about the new local Eat-Play-Live spaces so we would definitely visit Downtown Lawrenceville to hit up a Happy Hour and dinner at Strange Taco. We’d have to visit both Three Blind Mice and Philanthropy for weekend brunch. Yoga in the Park is a necessity and we obviously have to visit the Loganville Maker Studio to craft a little before she dips back home.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d like to dedicate my shoutout to my village: my husband, my parents, and my bridal party.

Website: Www.BlueRoomBride.com

Instagram: Instagram.com/BlueRoomBride

Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UC2dEgPgBcXIYL06uuMhrDag

Image Credits
Dandelion Weddings & Co.

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