About Sasha

Sasha Vasilyuk is the founder of wedding PR agency I Do PR. A former cultural journalist, her writing on arts, business and travel has appeared in Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle and Newsweek.

I Do PR Spring 2014 Internship

Posted on December 20, 2013 by Sasha

Hours: 16 hrs a week

Start date: Jan. 13, 2014

Duration: Spring 2014 semester with potential to be extended through summer

I Do PR is a full service public relations agency for the wedding industry, headquartered in New York City. We have an immediate opening for the Spring 2014 internship with the potential for the right candidate to be extended to Summer 2014.

We’re looking for a bright, creative, enthusiastic PR intern eager to learn in a hands-on, small agency environment. The ideal candidate will have previous PR internship or academic experience as well as passion for weddings, design, fashion and photography.

Duties

– PR: creating pitches and drafting press releases

– Writing: company blog posts and editorial guest blog posts for blogs
– Social Media: strategically managing Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram accounts
– Research: from editor contacts, potential clients, industry trends

– Images: collecting and processing press placement images for clients
– Creating and updating client placement reports

Qualifications

– Positive, can do attitude of a true go getter
– Stellar communication skills and perfect grammar
– Great attention to detail and a knack for staying organized
– Understanding of social media (Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram)
– Experience with Photoshop or other image-processing software

– Passion for the bridal industry
Perks

Besides a rare opportunity to learn all the essential PR skills and get to know the bridal industry from the inside, the internship with I Do PR offers the following perks:

– Flexible schedule and a mix of working from home and our Union Square office

– Small monthly transportation stipend

– Lunches and fun outings to trunk shows, fashion shows and other events

To apply, email us:

– Cover letter describing why you’re seeking a career in public relations and what makes you excited about the bridal industry

– 1-3 relevant writing samples (PR pitches, blog posts, academic papers)

– Links to your relevant LinkedIn, Twitter or Pinterest accounts

We’re Hiring!

Posted on September 20, 2013 by Sasha

I Do PR is looking for a bright, motivated and highly organized Public Relations Account Coordinator to join our team in New York City! This part-time position is ideal for someone looking to get their hands dirty at a boutique agency, work with creative clients and learn more about the riveting and quickly changing bridal industry. If you’re looking to develop deep, lasting relationships, this position will allow you to work closely with the principal as well as meet amazingly talented editors. Plus, you’ll get to brag that your job consists of looking at pretty wedding pictures all day! For the right candidate, this position has an opportunity to become full-time within several months.

Duties will include:

– Manage day-to-day client activities, including research, evaluation and implementation of strategic pitching, paying careful attention to deadlines and client records.

– Create effective, well-written pitches that are tailored to specific publications

– Follow up with editors and clients to insure smooth, timely communication

– Answer editor requests with immediacy and accuracy by sending images or shipping samples when necessary

– Track resulting coverage, collect and process placement images

– Ghostwrite and edit clients’ quotes, bio and guest blog posts

– Send thank you emails to editors

– Monitor and promote clients’ social media

– Update clients’ monthly placement reports

– Keep an up-to-date editor database

– Occasional blogging and editing

We expect you to be ahead of the stories and trends by reading all bridal publications and other relevant media as well as interacting with editors through social media.

You have:

– Bachelor’s degree in communication, literature or marketing

– Previous internship or work experience in public relations

– Passion for the bridal industry

– Stellar communication skills: pleasant phone manner and perfect grammar

– Great attention to detail and a knack for staying organized

– Deep understanding and experience in social media (Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest)

– Positive, can-do attitude of a true go-getter

– Experience with Photoshop or other image-processing software

– Drive to succeed

How to apply:

Before applying, please learn more about our company and clients for a better understanding of the focus of I Do PR. Please email us your resume, links to your relevant LinkedIn, Twitter or Pinterest accounts, and a cover letter where you explain why you believe you’ll succeed as a PR account coordinator and what makes you excited about working in the bridal industry.

This position offers flexible hours, competitive salary, and a mix of telecommuting and on site work in New York City.

I Do PR welcomes Weddingstar

Posted on September 15, 2013 by Sasha

This summer, we were very excited to welcome Weddingstar Inc. to the I Do PR team! Weddingstar is one of the world’s leading designers of wedding favors, décor, cake toppers and invitations.

Based in Canada, Weddingstar has been providing brides worldwide with accessories that reflect their personal style. From their specialty cake toppers to unique wishing wells, Weddingstar offers over 3000 items, making them a retail leader in the wedding industry.

With such a great variety of products, we have enjoyed working with U.S. bridal publications on spreading the word about Weddingstar. Here are some recent highlights:

In its Fall 2013 issue, The Knot chose the “A Promise Made” jewelry box as an editor’s must-have:

Superstar wedding planner David Tutera featured Weddingstar’s adorable cupcake jars on his blog, It’s a Brides Life:

Wedding Wire included Weddingstar’s Mini Suitcase Wishing Well as one of the hottest wedding details from the 2013 National Stationery Show:

Four Seasons Magazine featured Weddingstar’s sand ceremony shadow box as a great beach wedding detail:

In their August/September 2013 Issue, The Wedding Connection featured Weddingstar’s vintage lace hand fans as a rustic wedding essential:

Spring 2013 Bridal Week Rocks New York

Posted on May 30, 2013 by Sasha

For us, Bridal Week is one of the most exciting times of the year as we get to attend top bridal designers’ fashion shows, meet new vendors and old luminaries at bridal trade shows and hang out with our favorite bridal magazine editors.

Here is an inside look at the highlights of our experience at the Spring Bridal Week 2013 in New York:

Attending Monique Lhuillier’s fashion show was so exciting! As I sat among the editors of Inside Weddings and The Knot, I watched the models flow down the runway in the most beautiful gowns from her Spring 2014 collection. The photo above features Monique taking a well-deserved bow, for her dresses were so elegant, chic and romantic that it’s no wonder they’re a coveted item on every bride’s list.

Check out Monique Lhuillier’s Spring 2014 Collection.

(Sasha Vasilyuk, Vanessa Motley, Ilana Stern)

Attending Theia’s fashion show to preview Theia’s White Collection for Spring 2014 was another highlight of Bridal Week. This was a much more intimate experience as only about 30 guests – most of them editors we work with on a daily basis – are allowed for previews. I attended the show with Ilana and Vanessa from Weddington Way and was one of the few lucky guests who didn’t have to snap pictures while taking notes while tweeting. Phew, I don’t know how they do it!

Another highlight was meeting Randy Fenoli of Say Yes to the Dress at the New York International Bridal Week trade show. I knew I had perfected my Bridal Week look when I noticed we were matching in the same shade of purple!

After meeting Randy, a couple of brands caught my eye at the trade show:

The photo above features Sarah Oliver, the woman behind these beautiful handbags. This was Sarah’s first bridal market as she just launched her bridal collection, featuring hand-knit purses made with sparkling yarn and beautiful designs perfect for brides and bridesmaids. And they have a unique story behind their creation as they’re made by seniors from one of elderly homes in the San Francisco Bay Area.

(Source: Glamour)

I couldn’t help but notice the vibrant colors and cool designs of the Chromatic gallerie shoes featured at the trade show. These shoes comes in all kinds of colors and styles, so I think they will do very well with bridesmaids.

Although Bridal Week is an endless sea of white, we cannot forget about our best friend: the little black dress. In the photo above, I am wearing Blythe dress in black from Kirribilla’s Fall 2013 collection. This dress got so many compliments during bridal market week that I was considering keeping it in New York 🙂 If you’re looking for the perfect LBD, check out the adorable dresses from Kirribilla!

(Vanessa Motley, Charanna Alexander, Nadia D, Sasha Vasilyuk, Ilana Stern)

The bridal market week is so hectic that it was nice to let loose with my favorite ladies: (left to right) Vanessa Motley, who heads marketing for Weddington Way; Charanna Alexander, editor of Black Bride; Nadia of Nadia D Photography; me; and Ilana Stern, the founder of Weddington Way.

Bridal Week Spring 2013 was one of the most intense and fun weeks in my career. While my schedule was filled to capacity with meetings, events and shows, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Looking forward to Bridal Week Round 2 in October!

Blogger’s gorgeous wedding leads to multiple press features

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Sasha

When Amanda, the founder of popular wedding blog 100 Layer Cake, contacted me about her upcoming nuptials, I knew that several of I Do PR clients would be more than happy to help make her dream wedding come true.

Amanda & Tim’s wedding, which took place in Southern California in 2012, was featured not only on 100 Layer Cake, but also in the Real Weddings issue of Martha Stewart Weddings magazine that came out this month. So it’s with double pleasure that we’re sharing the photos from this stunning wedding featuring several of our clients.

Martha Stewart Weddings features Amanda's real wedding

Weddington Way provided the adorable flower girl dress to Amanda’s little helper, seen walking down the aisle in the photo above.

The bride looked gorgeous in the big morganite and rose gold sparkler from the Lyra Collection by Yael Designs:

locket on bouquet | 100 Layer Cake

Amanda celebrated with her besties, dresses in different patterns of white and black, including a striped Lucy by Kirribilla.

black and white bridesmaids dresses | 100 Layer Cake

For the reception, beautifully decorated with a black, white and gold theme, Amanda changed into the sequin number and donned diamond drop earrings by Yael Designs:

Amanda and Tim's wedding | 100 Layer Cake

For more photos from the wedding of Amanda & Tim, check out 100 Layer Cake or Martha Stewart Weddings blog.

Martha Stewart’s Wedding Party, New York

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Sasha

Being based in New York City means having access to incredible bridal shows like the recent Martha Stewart’s Wedding Party, hosted at Gotham Hall by Martha Stewart Weddings magazine and Wedding Library in late January.

Martha Stewart's Wedding Party, New York The highlight for me was meeting Style Me Pretty founder Abby Larson, who has already been collaborating with our client Weddington Way, editorial director of Martha Stewart Weddings Darcy Miller, and blogger and wedding stylist Jackie Weppner, who runs Merci New York.

After an interesting discussion by these industry luminaries on wedding details and etiquette, I really enjoyed a bit of perspective on the big day from the queen of cakes Sylvia Weinstock who said, “The ultimate wedding tip I can give is that it’s not about the party, it’s about who you marry.” Ms. Weinstock just celebrated her 64th wedding anniversary. So I’d definitely trust her on that 🙂

We also enjoyed meeting the crew behind Kleinfeld Paper, a recently launched line of wedding stationery:

Fueling the party was an overwhelming amount of desserts (it is Martha Stewart, after all…). Taking the cake, if you will, were creative, tasty and gorgeous looking cookies by New York-based One Girl Cookies and Eleni’s:

I also came across the wedding scrapbook of Darcy Miller, which had an adorable section about the state of the world on the day of her wedding. It included a newspaper clipping from that day as well as facts from who was the president to fashion fads of the time. What a cute idea to capture that slice of time, right?

Valentine’s Day madness in the wedding world

Posted on February 23, 2013 by Sasha

In the world of wedding publishing, Valentine’s Day is Thanksgiving, New Year’s and Fourth of July combined. It feels like the world just explodes unto itself, showering everyone with hearts, diamonds and candy. For our clients, it means a busy, busy period that takes a lot of planning ahead, but bears a lot of fruit.

This Valentine’s Day season, we’re excited to share these great placements:

Brides.com featured pink and red bridesmaid dresses by Weddington Way and Kirribilla:

Brides.com publishes red dresses by Kirribilla and Weddington Way, February 2013

Black Bride features a DIY Valentine’s Day gift by Benign Objects:

Black Bride features Benign Objects

Glamour announced the launch of Kirribilla‘s little white dress collection on Weddington Way:

Glamour announces launch of Kirribilla's little white dress collection, February 2013

Brides.com featured more than a dozen engagement rings by Yael Designs in its slideshows on pink rings, heart-shaped rings and rings under $10,000:

Brides.com publishes pink engagement rings by Yael Designs, February 2013

Huffington Post included Weddington Way in its story on best new wedding websites:

Huffington Post includes Weddington Way in story on wedding websites, February 2013

Lovesick Expo rocks New York wedding scene

Posted on January 19, 2013 by Sasha

There is perhaps no better way to start off our company’s move to New York City than by attending a local wedding show. Especially if it’s The Lovesick Expo, a unique wedding showcase held in the heart of hipster-land Williamsburg.

Held for the 3rd year in a row, the Lovesick Expo bills itself as “an elite array of local talent, unique wedding ideas, hand-crafted, and eco-friendly goods, appealing to indie-minded couples.”

And I’d say it certainly lives up to its reputation. Compared to traditional wedding shows, Lovesick Expo was a well-curated intimate event for couples that have a unique sense of style and want to find wedding vendors to match their vision. We met a lot of unique vendors, some based right around the corner, others visiting all the way from Philadelphia.

I met our friends from Bonobos who launched a unique partnership with Weddington Way to help rescue the bridal party from the fashion gutter.

There were many florists at the show, but we especially liked this display by Foxglove, Brooklyn-based floral design studio that specializes in locally sourced flowers (including those from New York state!)

Eco-friendly florist Lovesick

Another Brooklyn-based floral designer who stood out was Jen Hyde from Off Cut Brooklyn, a true craft artist who works not only with flowers but also makes ties!

Although, as in all wedding shows, there was a large percentage of New York photographers, the one that stood out from the crowd was Brae Howard Photography because of her unique DIY booth display. Brae explained that she printed out her work on sheets of cotton using SpoonFlower.com and pinned them onto a large burlap sheet.

We also met the folks from the Green Bride Guide, whose business card was attached to a plantable wildflower heart that’s one of the wedding favors they carry, and tried delicious duck appetizer from Betty Brooklyn Catering Company.

But the biggest surprise was meeting Vinny DePonto, a Brooklyn-based magician! Heading his cleverly-named company Now You See Him, Vinny travels around the country entertaining wedding guests with fun, non-kitschy magic tricks. For the right wedding, I think it’s a really fun idea!

All in all, Lovesick Expo’s quirky, stylish vendor showcase was a delightful way to celebrate I Do PR’s move to New York City’s. We’re very excited to attend more interesting shows and discover other talented New York wedding vendors.

Martha Stewart Weddings features Kirribilla dress

Posted on January 9, 2013 by Sasha

The newest issue of Martha Stewart Weddings is out and we’re very excited to share this story on the pink palette that features a gorgeous light pink Olivia dress by Kirribilla!

In the words of MSW editor Carrie Goldberg, “That Kirribilla bow dress literally made that story – it was what gave me the idea to want to shoot the girls from nose to knee!”

2012_Dec_MSWcover

Best wedding PR hits of 2012

Posted on January 3, 2013 by Sasha

2012 has been an exciting year for all our wedding PR clients as they received attention from the top wedding blogs and magazines. Here are some of our favorite press features of the year:

I. Yael Designs in Inside Weddings, June 2012 issue

II. Benign Objects in Town & Country Weddings, September 2012 issue

Kirribilla in You & Your Wedding, September 2012 issue

IV. Hatch My House in Los Angeles Times, September 2012

V. Choco Studio in Wedding Nouveau, August 2012 issue

V. Weddington Way on The Knot, December 2012

VII. Nadia D Photography on Style Me Pretty, April 2012

I Do PR

wedding public relations firm

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