Dressed in a baby blue sundress, white sandals, and a delicate gold necklace, Lucy Cuneo embodies the aesthetic of her new blog on a sunny Tuesday afternoon under the moss at the College of Charleston.
An entrepreneur, Cuneo has a destination wedding photography business and also wears the hats of blogger, artist, wife and mother simultaneously.
“During my masters at art school, wedding photography wasn’t too popular but it is what I always wanted to do. To me, it is about capturing this moment when two people are so in love, and the most important people in their lives are gathered around them. The photographs are a reminder of the foundation they are building for a long life together and it is such a privilege to be invited to capture such important memories.”
On a recent warm fall day Cuneo was taking photographs for her Charleston-inspired blog. One couldn’t help but wonder, why the College of Charleston campus?
“When my husband and I came to Charleston three years ago, we only intended to stay four months. It’s a community that made us feel right at home. The college nestled within the city reminds me of what I value in my life and business – connection, creation, and sense of family.”
Cuneo says she also finds it important to cultivate a sense of balance while managing family and career. “Content creation takes a surprising amount of time, at least for me. I continually have to remind myself that it’s equally important to promote the pieces, and to focus on the business side, too.”
Thirteen months ago, Cuneo gave birth to her first child, and the couple’s life has never been the same. “It’s like every cliche come true. I am enamored with him.”
Of course, she says, “it’s hard finding the balance between creating new content, and wanting to play with him all the time. It’s in these moments strolling amongst the old buildings and gas-lit cobblestone streets that I find inspiration through a camera lens which then become the basis for my next project.”
Her continuously evolving online presence is not only a source of ideas, but also a source to purchase the products Cuneo promotes. In the future, she hopes to expand the voice beyond herself and to become more of a conscious business, working with responsibly sourced products and local businesses. Most importantly, however, Cuneo aims to be a role model for her children: “It was really scary for me to say I’m not going to just do wedding photography, I am going to branch out into other sectors where there is a chance I will fail. But I have always felt like I have a voice in multiple categories. I want to encourage my children to not have to feel like they have to choose, to feel like they can achieve anything. Like so many other people, in the process of trying to figure out what I love, I have been too hard on myself or too timid in exploring it. I want them to be able to say that their mother is someone who works hard but also maintains some balance, which is super challenging, but it is a very important example for them so I am committing to giving it a try.”
Lauren Vega is a junior from Huntington, West Virginia, studying arts management and international studies in the Honors College at the College of Charleston. She is also a National Merit Scholar, a scholar in the International Studies Program, and a 200-hour registered yoga teacher.
