Last month, we kicked off our new Get to Know series by spotlighting our fabulous owner and creative director, Julie Bunkley. We hope Julie’s post – and the series overall – help our amazing clients and potential clients get to know our team a little better.

This week, we continue the series by introducing Alex Perry, virtual assistant to Invision planner Courtney Wolf – and technology extraordinaire! As a recent Invision bride, Alex brings a unique perspective to the team. It’s our pleasure to introduce you to Alex!

As a virtual executive assistant to Courtney, you truly dabble in a bit of everything! What motivates you to contribute to the Invision team and its mission?
Being a virtual assistant has been wonderful. I’ve loved getting to see the behind the scenes bits and pieces. I also LOVE getting thrown into new technology/apps/software, and I have thoroughly enjoyed playing around in those. I would say having been a bride, I know what I needed, wanted and expected from my planner, and I know how hard Courtney worked to ensure perfection. Anything I can do to help her deliver the same to all our brides makes my day-to-day tasks SO worth it.

You are a recent Invision bride! What was your favorite part of being a bride, and what has been your greatest surprise this side of the experience?
Oh gosh! My favorite part about being a bride…I’d have to say the constant feeling of celebration. I have the most amazing family, friends and now, husband! Throughout our entire 11-month engagement, not a day went by that I did not feel overwhelmed with love and joy. Wes and I are so loved and have so much support behind us. I’ve always felt that, but what I felt prior to getting engaged was just a fraction of it. We have so many incredible people in our lives, it honestly still gives me chills to think about how so many people went out of their way to send and show us their love. Being on this side has been eye opening in many ways! I’ve often told Courtney I loved how she made me feel like I was her only bride — that I was the only thing on her mind. Being on this side of it is amazing! There are SO many moving pieces and all the time – it never stops! It been really exciting now to be on the other side of it all and watch how Courtney, Julie and their entire team work together to design, produce and eventually execute the magic. They are the real deal!

How has your experience as an Invision bride helped in assisting current brides?
I know what was important to me as a bride, and I just want to help make that same process I received more easily attainable for the Invision team. Like I said, Courtney invested what felt like every minute of her day into MY big day, and I appreciated that more than I can say. I just try to handle each task the way I wanted all my tasks to be tackled. I try to pay close attention and not look over any tiny detail. Courtney works SO hard ALL the time, so I just focus on what I feel she needs on any given day. She’s great about assigning me specific tasks and since I’ve gotten to understand her workflow better, I am starting to anticipate her needs more so than in the past.

You and Courtney make a killer team. How do you complement each other?
This is a fun one! Courtney is seriously the best (sorry, but I don’t think I can say that too many times!). During my planning process, I could see our relationship evolving. She became someone I wanted to talk to everyday. So even if I didn’t have anything wedding related, I would just text her to see what was going on with her – and she did the same with me. Courtney is truly an incredible person; she is hardworking, motivated and simply true to who she is. These traits are what I want people to see in me, too! Working with someone that is a friend more than a “boss” or “coworker” has been super rewarding and fun. We talk pretty much all day everyday – and not all of it is work related. I think that’s why we work so well together – she has a true interest in my life, and I have a true interest in hers. She constantly is pushing me to be the best version of myself, in all aspects of my life, and I value that.

Describe your personal style and how it plays out in your work for Invision.
I tend to lean very classic in my own style, however, getting to see our clients’ personal styles in their own weddings has been super neat. Little details, pieces, colors or even flowers I would never have thought of—it’s fun seeing it all uniquely come together for each bride! I love getting to read through the notes for each of our weddings and get a feel of what I can look forward to during the planning process, as well as on a wedding day. With each new bride, I feel like what I look for changes — I get to take on a completely different “style” for each wedding and that, to me, is super fun.

As a virtual assistant, what does a typical day look like for you?
My days are busy! Wes and I have two dogs that seem to think they are my full-time job. I usually try to give them a little time in the morning and then I set out on my day. I look through my entire to-do list first thing and then piece together in my mind what seems to be most important and what needs to be tackled first. I have another job that’s also online and requires a lot of time. Invision has been amazing because when I get burned out on my other job, I just start in on my Invision tasks. It helps break up my day — I mean who doesn’t love looking through wedding pictures and ideas?! All in all, though, being a virtual assistant has been the best decision for me. I get to work from home, take care of the pups and I can break up my day according to what works for me—it has opened my eyes to the type of worker I am, and what I need to do my best.

What is your favorite wedding day tradition?
I am a true believer in the “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a sixpence in your shoe.” My something old was a pearl ring I got when I was younger. I had a couple of something news…my dress of course, as well as my earrings. I found them on one of my trips to New York for a dress fitting, and Wes gave me a tennis bracelet as my wedding gift! My something borrowed was very special, it was the eternity diamond necklace my brother had given his wife on their wedding day! My something blue was incorporated into my garter, and I had a sixpence my mom had hunted down for me in my shoe. It was also special. Acorns became a symbol we used over and over throughout our paper suite and wedding (there were even acorns in the groom and groomsmen’s boutonnieres!) and my mom found a sixpence with an acorn on it—it was perfect.

You and your husband now live in Mississippi. What do you most enjoy about marriage, and what are your favorite activities as a married couple?
Wes and I met in Oxford, so this town will always hold a special place in our hearts. So, to get to move back as newlyweds, it’s been great! I’d have to say my favorite thing about marriage is just having someone to come home to and talk about life with. We talk a lot—my mom always says, “You and Wes call each other more than anyone I know,” and we do! I want him to know everything that’s going on and he always wants to fill me in on every aspect of his work day. He’s on the road all day for work, so when he gets home all we want to do is cook and talk. He likes to grill, and I love cooking. So, when Wes gets home he starts to grill and then I prep the sides. Then we enjoy sitting on the porch while everything is going. After-dinner walks around our neighborhood with our pups are a must!

We’ve hear you’re super savvy when it comes to technology. What are some of the latest trends you’re in to?
Well I’m not sure about this one, ha! I’ve always had knack for learning how to use new things, and I love trying to figure out how things work. My phone is loaded up with the typical apps (SnapChat, Instagram, Pinterest), but I have a few random ones too that I got just to see what they are about and how they work! I also work for my family company, and one of my daily tasks is doing a newsletter. I get to use Photoshop for this and I’ve loved getting to find little shortcuts and really “creating order from disorder” using that software. Honestly though, my favorite thing (my parents won’t believe this) is going home and having my mom and dad both have a list of things going wrong in their tech world and me being able to figure all of them out. It is such a feeling of accomplishment for me — and it’s a win-win because it helps them get back to their “tech-social” world!

Thanks, Alex, for letting us into your world! We’re super-lucky to have you as a part of the team and look forward to working on more fun projects in the future. Stay tuned to our blog to meet more of us!

Thanks to Kelli + Daniel Taylor Photography for the gorgeous imagery in this post!