Steve & Jamie Moore have a really cool job, seriously, a really cool one. They are the duo behind Sinclair & Moore, a full-service event planning and design studio based out of Seattle. Not only do they make every couple’s dream of a perfect wedding a reality, they also make time to inspire and motivate readers with recipes, design tips, DIY, and behind the scenes on their blog. We were thrilled to take some time to get to know Steve & Jamie, and their story a little better.

How did you two meet?

Jamie was living in New York City, and her roommate hired Steve in Seattle to design her wedding there. Steve’s client/Jamie’s roommate insisted that we’d be perfect for each other and set us up on a weekend-long blind date.

Tell us a little more about the beginning of Steven Moore Designs and the transition to now Sinclair & Moore.

In 2005, Steven Moore Designs started off as a one man show offering full coordination, custom dresses, wedding cakes, décor and floral design. As Steve’s clientele increased, he realized he needed to focus the business and offer fewer services, so he chose to hone in on coordination and event design. Even with his scaled back business plan, the workload was too much for one person to handle. With Jamie in the picture, we’ve divided the company into two divisions – Jamie focuses on coordination and all the logistical details while Steve’s primary focus is on event design and the florals. We renamed the business to Sinclair & Moore to give Jamie equal partnership – Sinclair is her middle name.

Did you both grow up in creative homes and how did that influence what you do today?

Ironically, both of us grew up with mothers who made wedding cakes! Steve’s mother taught him the craft along with many of the other skills that he directly uses in the business today. She supported his artistic interests and created opportunities for him to develop his skill set.

What does a typical day look like for Sinclair & Moore?

We have two types of work days in our business – planning and production. Planning days start with an early morning visit to the gym, followed by answering emails, making phone calls and meeting with clients. We attend tastings, shop for inspiration, choose color palettes, and scour the Internet for visual examples to show our clients. Production days begin three days before a wedding. They include confirming with vendors, wedding rehearsals, putting out fires and calming nerves. This is also when we are prepping vases, cleaning flowers, building flower arrangements, packing up décor, sewing linens and tying favor boxes. Not a whole lot of sleeping happens on these days, and the gym visits come few and far between.

What inspires creativity in your day to day?

Every day is different with our source of creativity. We never know when inspiration is going to hit us. It’s all about keeping our eyes open and seeing the world around us and letting our experiences and what we encounter impact the projects we are currently working on. Sometimes the most random things lead to a great idea.

What’s the best part of working with your spouse?

Working together is amazing. There is no one that I trust more or would rather be around for hours on end. Because we are so in sync with each other, we are able to be efficient with our time and focus on our individual strengths. This maximizes our potential and offers our clients a wide skill set for planning their wedding. The other benefit to working together is that we’re always on the same schedule.

Any advice for creative couples wanting to start a business together?

Find the strengths in each person and give him or her the freedom and ownership to manage that part of the business, shaping it with their particular skill set. Avoid micromanaging each other and make sure to intentionally and clearly communicate. Protect your relationship and take time away from work without emails and phone calls; if you’re not careful it can consume all your time. It’s crucial to remember your relationship first and foremost.

Where do you see yourselves and Sinclair & Moore in 10 years?

Steve is a big dreamer and in addition to inspiring and designing weddings, we’d love to be inspiring beautiful, but non-pretentious lifestyles and encouraging healthy marriages. We’d love to develop a lifestyle product line someday, write a book, and who knows, maybe even have a TV show. Never hurts to dream big, right?