I am proud to announce the official launch of COURTNEY RUDICEL PHOTOGRAPHY (pronounced “rude-iss-sell”) and I am over the moon excited about it!! But, honestly, just four short months ago, I absolutely hated the thought of this.

I used to think “Rose Courts Photography” was unique and made me stand out among all the names in the industry. And mostly, I just didn’t think my name was “pretty” or sounded elegant or professional at all. But after sitting on the idea for a bit and styling up some graphics, I started to like the idea. And frankly, I was really tired of people addressing me as “Rose” (thinking my last name was ‘Courts’ ?)

Something about this launch feels SO freaking good. And since starting an education side, my name needed to be my brand. My students need to know their teacher by name. And as I write this, I really like the idea of MY NAME being known for something instead of “Rose Courts” which now seems so unprofessional. I just feel incredibly proud to put my name on this business that I have created over the years and look forward to “making a name” for myself and creating a legacy. 

LOADS AND LOADS OF GRATITUDE

I want to thank Sam, of The Lettering Grove, for working with me on creating a beautiful logo. Lord knows I am a perfectionist and wasn’t actually a huge fan of the ‘R’ and she even said “I’m the same way with a handful of letters, too,” but she was incredibly patient with me as we worked together to create a logo that was “me”: simple, clean and classic. Thank you, Sam, for your help when I had no idea what I wanted!

I want to thank Erica, of The Write Lens, for writing the most brilliant website copy for my new brand. She is an absolute magician with words. She translated all the random ideas and nonsense in my head and turned it into not only beautiful, poetic copy, but strategic copy to not only attract my ideal brides but connect with each and every one of the characteristics that I love about them. Thank you, Erica, for helping me all along the way throughout this launch. You went above and beyond all the way up to the launch date!

I want to thank Arielle Peters, a friend, mentor and huge inspiration in my business. I attended the AP Workshop this past March, and on day two, during a break, she casually said “I know this is going to be an unpopular opinion, but I truly believe your business name should be YOUR name.” I was absolutely against it. But as we talked, she was changing my thoughts on it. She said “it doesn’t matter what your name sounds like or if it’s pretty, it’s YOUR NAME.” She was absolutely right but I wasn’t completely sold on the idea yet. BUT before we even left that day, I did snag the courtneyrudicel.com domain name JUST IN CASE I did want to change. And after the incredible workshop, I had a new outlook for my business and after thinking on it, I felt a calling: ‘now is the time’.

I was starting to add education to my business and even before the workshop, creating graphics for Pinterest with a quote by me just wasn’t working out because no one knew my name, I was known as Rose Courts Photography. So throwing “Courtney Rudicel” on there made no sense. That was definitely frustrating. Plus, I wanted to send emails to my community FROM ME, Courtney Rudicel, and they would know who I was.

On the wedding side of the business, after learning from Arielle, I wanted to shift my brand and overall web presence to represent a more high-end, professional look to attract more of the couples I love to work with. It was time. Thank you, Arielle, for making that comment because I never would have never wanted to change the name. And thank you for always coaching me on ways to be a professional in my business to help me create a business that will give me a purposeful life for myself (and my future family).

I also want to thank my husband, Jacob, for hanging in there while I worked 8 days a week the past few months to get this done. He knows I love to work so that’s nothing new, but this was an undertaking that required a lot of extra hours to complete. On top of my full-time job, this stole time spent with him. So thank you, honey, for sticking it out, being patient with me, and turning down your action movies while I worked all day during your Sunday relaxation times.

I am unbelievably grateful for this little business I have created and look forward to where I’m going next! Thank you for being here to be a part of my launch! Here’s to a new season in this business!

CHECK OUT THE NEW SITE!

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Courtney is a Wedding Photographer in Indiana. Her specialty is joyful, timeless and playfully romantic wedding photography for classic and timeless couples and educating photographers on how to build a business that delivers an unforgettable client experience. Within Indiana, she serves Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, Carmel, Noblesville, Zionsville, Lafayette, Bloomington and South Bend. Areas in surrounding states that she serves: Columbus, Dayton, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, Ohio; Ann Arbor, Battle Creek and Grand Rapids, Michigan. She is available for destination weddings. Contact her for more detailed pricing.