Hello and welcome! My name is Anne Lindeman, the creator, editor and designer of this site, Clever Wedding Ideas. I want to start off by saying I was never the girl that dreamed about her wedding. After attending numerous weddings over my life, I felt they were all cookie-cutter and had this traditional set of procedures that HAD to be followed. With the explosion of Pinterest, I immediately fell in love with the process of planning a personalized wedding. I adore diversity, cultural ceremonies, regional traditions and creative themes and that is what really inspires me to want to inspire you. Show me a couple in love and I will find the beauty in it. One misconception a lot of couples get caught up in is the belief that their wedding day is the most important day in their lives. While I don’t argue with the fact that it is special, I think more importantly it marks the day of a new chapter in your life.
There will be many milestones and achievements in your future, have fun with this planning process and know that you have the ability to customize this amazing day for you and your partner. My goal is to inspire you to dream outside the box and create a one of a kind wedding that will ease the pressure of planning and leave a lasting impression for years to come.
Professional Background
My professional background consists of an eclectic rainbow of interests starting with an undergrad degree in film, a masters in business and where I am today as a wedding blogger. For the past 13 years I’ve worked in the glamorous world of paper (I hope you are picking up on my sarcasm), yes, exactly like The Office’s Dunder Mifflin. While this career has been wonderful and allowed me to raise a child and put a roof over my head, it has always lacked in the department of creativity. About five years ago, to fulfill my need to create, I entered the independent filmmaking scene as a producer and have found some minor success with the distribution of three different films. To see some of the projects I’ve worked on, you can check out my IMDB profile HERE. When Derek and I were engaged I found the wedding planning process to be quite fun. I didn’t want the ride to end so I’m continuing the wedding inspiration through this site and newest baby, Clever Wedding Ideas.
What Others Have To Say…
Anne is fun, unique and inspired. She has a wonderful eye for detail and design. Working with her is great fun!
Kylene Cleaver, Leave It To Me Photography
I loved working with Anne and Derek. I really appreciated their relaxed, down-to-earth, and fun approach to the interview for Clever Cake Tour – North Jersey Edition. Their genuine interest in helping couples find the best vendors and inspirations will surely make Clever Wedding Ideas the best resource around.
Denise Smith, My Daughters Cakes
Working with Anne and her beautiful site has been an awesome experience. Anne is dedicated and punctual, always creating content that exceeds expectations. It is evident how invested she is in Clever Wedding Ideas, as the site radiates originality and creativity!
Angelica Permiakov, BrideClick
Anne is wonderful to work with and really knows how to create a wedding worth remembering!
Mike Allebach, Allebach Photography
My First Love
I think this is a good place to share my backstory. I was a teen mom, you know, before it was actually cool and sensationalized on TV. I had Deanna when I was 15 years old and have been a single mom almost her whole life. I worked my way through high school, college and even earned my Masters degree all while holding down a job or two at a time. I’ve always put her needs first and made it my goal to give her the best life possible. Sometimes I’m asked if I regret having her so young. Honestly, I have no regrets. Essentially growing up together, we have a special bond that is unlike most mother-daughter relationships. I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and my struggles and experiences as a young mother have shaped me into the person I am today.
My Forever Love
When I was in my early 20’s I had my heart broken by someone who I thought I would spend the rest of my life with. I believe myself to be a very strong person, but it truly broke me. It was absolutely the saddest and most difficult time of my life. I became bitter and angry and really thought I could never love or be loved that way again. So I spent six years alone, at first because I didn’t want to be with anyone else and later because I didn’t know how to open up to anyone else – until I met my husband Derek. There is a line from the film Vanilla Sky that has always stayed with me,
“Just remember, the sweet is never as sweet without the sour, and I know the sour,” and it’s totally true. Challenging times build character, makes you strong and truly allows you to appreciate all the good you have in your life. I’m glad I experienced all those challenging times because it led me to true happiness. Derek showed me how to love and trust again. I’m a better wife, mother, and friend because of him and for that I’m forever grateful. If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone. Check out our magic gardens wedding HERE.
Food & Travel
With the exception of my vibrant tattoos and signature red lipstick, traveling and food are two of my biggest passions. My absolute favorite thing to do is explore a new place and find where the locals go for delicious cuisine. Mountainous regions are where I feel most at home, but tropical beaches are also high on my list and successfully fill my need to wanderlust. Lucky for me, Derek shares the same adventurous ambitions, which makes him the BEST traveling companion! We love traveling so much that we spent our entire honeymoon trekking across America by car exploring places we’ve always wanted to visit. It was truly an amazing experience!
