We recently connected with Colleen Monroy and have shared our conversation below.

Colleen, appreciate you joining us today. One deeply underappreciated facet of entrepreneurship is the kind of crazy stuff we have to deal with as business owners. Sometimes it’s crazy positive sometimes it’s crazy negative, but crazy experiences unite entrepreneurs regardless of industry. Can you share a crazy story with our readers?

I photographed a wedding once where the entire event was drugged by a disgruntled stepdad. It made the news and everything that night. I was two years into my business and quite honestly, didn’t have the boundaries or backbone that I do now. I was willing to take any work that came to me, so long as I was paid. No amount of money is worth dealing with crazy I’ve since learned.

I remember it clearly: I had missed a call from an unknown number and as I was listening to the voicemail from the bride’s mom, I wondered if I should take it considering it was a referral from my former mother-in-law. That should have been an immediate no, but I was happy to take any gigs since I had only been in business two years. The wedding day comes, and my second photographer and I arrive at the groom’s getting ready suite. We do our normal greetings and I ask how everything is going. The groom lets out a “my mom is a b*#$&” He then tells us how there was a disagreement the night before about the cost of the food and she and the groom’s stepdad weren’t happy about the cost of the buffet. I guess it all got worked out because there was a BBQ buffet. We carry along and help keep the peace as much as possible. Ceremony, family formals, and romantics go off without a hitch and that’s when we break for dinner.

It’s in my contract that we must eat and take our break when the bride and groom are served their food that way the photography team does not miss any key moments during the day – a standard within the industry. My second photographer and I get our meals and sit down to decompress before the reception kicks off. When 20 minutes in, my second says she doesn’t feel good and it’s serious. I started feeling weird, too, but I also panicked trying to come up with a contingency plan. I speak with the bride’s mom, let her know what the deal is and we’re going to move forward as best as possible. That’s when everyone started dropping like flies. People are throwing up everywhere, laying down on the ground moaning and groaning. The bride and her mom actually had a panic attack in the bride’s suite and screamed “if I die, I want it known I think it was the stepdad!” I had no idea what to do with that information.

25 people ended up at the hospital that night, my second photographer being one of them, while the rest of us stayed in quarantine at the venue while the authorities processed the scene. I remember being confused and scared. and starving even though I had just had a full meal just a couple hours before. It had been hot that day, but we had been diligent about hydrating. After 4 hours, the authorities finally released us with no answers. The bride’s mom contacts me the next day and that’s when she told me everything: the groom’s stepdad had put THC laced with butane in the BBQ sauce at the buffet to frame the caterer and avoid paying the bill. The last I had heard was that he was going to jail and being charged with a minimum of 25 felonies.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Vogue & Farm was a recent rebrand after a monumental shift in my life. I’ve always been a horse/country girl that loves to get dressed up so that’s where the name came from. A little city and a little country all rolled into one. I’ve been a portrait photographer for seven years with a focus on families, seniors, and couples. My style of photography is true to life with a bright and bold feel. My clients become my family and being able to help them celebrate whatever reason brought them to me brings my heart so much joy.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I had been full time for only two years when I left my marriage. I was terrified for what that meant for my photography business because I completely changed everything in my life in one fell swoop. I thank God every day for the strength he gave me to face every day and show up for my clients even when I felt like staying in the fetal position for the rest of my life. I learned what it meant to show up for myself last year and what a blessing it is to have the community in which I created with my clients.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Being present on social media is the only way to get traction with your business – while that is true. Word of mouth will always be your best bet for getting clients. Keeping your current clients happy and engaged in other ways is how you get them to refer their friends and family to you.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.vogueandfarm.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/vogueandfarm
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/vogueandfarm