Love Detailed is a resource for planning a beautiful wedding. Brides are taken through the Style Profile Quiz and are provided with a personalized package based upon their result. They can then shop for a curated selection of products put together by their talented team. I’m excited for you to meet the co-founders, Dana and Brooke!
What inspired you to start Love Detailed?
Brooke: Before I started Love Detailed, I was working in the wedding industry and noticed that planning a wedding was being dominated by digital inspiration overload, especially with the Pinterest craze. I realized that a platform didn’t yet exist that made it easy to turn those inspirations into reality, so I decided to build one myself. And here we are!
How would you explain Love Detailed in a few sentences?
Dana: Love Detailed is an online platform dedicated to changing the way today’s couple designs and shops for their wedding. We simplify this typically overwhelming process and bridge the gap between pins and reality through a style quiz, real life, shoppable “pin boards” designed by a top Los Angeles-based wedding planner, and a boutique of highly curated products. Our goal at Love Detailed is to make outfitting your wedding day easy, accessible, and streamlined.
What advice do you have for someone who wants to start her own business?
Dana: Focus on the goals you have set, but don’t be afraid to change them. No matter how big you’re dreaming, dreams can always become reality! Also, don’t compare yourself to other brands too much. The best part of having your own business is that you can be unique!
Brooke: If you’re passionate about it, go for it! Have a set business plan but also be willing to evolve.
What is a typical day like for you?
Dana: There isn’t one! Each day presents its own unique set of goals and challenges, and we have to be flexible enough and ready to address them every day. Something we can count on to stay the same is our coffee orders!
What are some of the best things, and on the flip side the most challenging things, about starting your own business?
Brooke: The best thing is that we are in complete control of our company, and we can go after new things every day to improve our business.
Dana: While it can be the best thing, being in charge of an entire business can also be the most challenging thing. We’re definitely kept on our toes!
What is your role at Love Detailed? What are your responsibilities?
Dana: Being a startup, we have our hands in everything! We are constantly working to expand our clientele and the services and solutions we provide for our clients. We are always looking for new opportunities with other businesses in all areas of the wedding industry, sprinkling our brand and style all around the wedding space. We work harder every single day to drive our business forward and make sure everything is getting done, while we learn and grow from new experiences and adventures.
How did your career path lead you to founding Love Detailed?
Brooke: My dad is an entrepreneur, and when I started working for his company when I was 16, I realized that I too have an entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for business. I transitioned into the wedding industry when I was 19 and started working for LA wedding planner Linda Howard. During that time, I was able to identify a gap in the industry and saw an opportunity to fill it. I went for it, and here we are!
Dana: In college, I helped start an accessory line which is still a thriving business today. I helped build it from the ground up and was able to learn so much about branding and sales strategies during that process. I have also worked as a small business consultant where I continued to learn about the ins and outs of what business owners need. However, I wasn’t completely satisfied creatively, so I was thrilled when my childhood friend Brooke asked me to consult for Love Detailed while it was still in its infancy. Because I fully believed in what Love Detailed was doing for the wedding space, I left my job in consulting and became a full-time partner of Brooke’s!
What is your best advice for brides who are planning their weddings?
Brooke: Remember that your wedding day, at its core, is a day about celebrating the commitment you and your partner have made for each other. Everything else comes second to that. That being said, your wedding should be all about reflecting who you both are, individually and as a couple!
Dana: I’d say, use Love Detailed as your go-to resource! Just kidding. But in all seriousness, remember to check in with yourself throughout the wedding planning process and ask yourself the question, “Is x-y-or-z really going to make me and my fiancé happy?” When everything is said and done, your wedding is about you as a couple, your families, and whoever else you wish to share the day with. Even the most well-thought-out and well- planned weddings will have imperfections. So know they’re coming and roll with the punches when they do.
What is one thing that you wish you had known when you were starting out your career?
Brooke: Just remember, it’s not a straight and narrow path. There are ups and downs and twists and turns. Don’t hold on too tightly to any expectations about how you think your career is going to go, because you’re in for some fun surprises!
What advice would you give to someone who is in the first five years of their career?
Dana: I’m still in that phase. I’ll get back to you in one year!
Brooke: I just met that milestone this year! Find a mentor, be a sponge, and learn as much as you can from him or her.
How would you define your personal style? What are a few staples?
Dana: When we’re in the office, anything goes! When I’m in client meetings, I stick to the classics: a black top, a pair of perfectly fitted jeans, and a Donni Charm scarf. I never forget about paying attention to details — Mint Polish’s “I Do” is the perfect pale pink, and a great blow-out always makes me feel polished and ready to take on the day.
Brooke: For me, it’s important to know my audience and make sure that I’m dressed appropriately. If I’m meeting with a business partner, I’m dressed differently than if I’m working hands-on with a florist for a brainstorming session. I personally believe you can elevate whatever you’re wearing with a great pair of shoes and an amazing handbag.
What is on your desk right now?
Brooke: MacBooks and notebooks take up the majority of our desk real estate; currently we are obsessed with SugarPaper products! And you’ll always see us taking notes with our favorite Le Pen pens. A rainbow of highlighters is close by and iced coffee is never far. Fresh flowers are a must-have. We alternate displaying our favorites: white roses for Dana and pink-toned peonies for Brooke. Our Voluspa candles keep us relaxed and happy. (Pink Citron is our favorite!)
What is a fun fact about you?
Dana: Laughably, we share our fun fact: Both of our favorite movies is Father of the Bride, Part II. We can recite the entire script, line by line. Also, we both practice writing our name compulsively and our favorite word to write is “Lauren” in cursive (we might be a little obsessed with Lauren Conrad). Random, huh?
Where do you turn for inspiration?
Brooke: Living in LA, we are inundated with inspiration every day. Whether it’s a new restaurant opening or a pop-up shop, we’re constantly drawing inspiration from the hustle-and-bustle lifestyle around us.
Who is your mentor?
Dana: Linda Howard is such a strong, successful woman and has been a great mentor and role model for us. She is an incredible wedding planner, but, more importantly, she is an amazing person who we continue to learn so much from. Even as one of the busiest people we know, she is always optimistic and manages to make time for her relationships.
What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
Dana: Relationships are everything! It doesn’t matter if you’re interacting with a CEO or an intern — aim to treat every single person you encounter with respect and kindness.
Thank you, Dana and Brooke!
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