Takeover Tuesday | Rob Greene | Square 8 Studio

To know Treasured Heart Events owner, Ashlee Kautz, is to love her. 

I’ve been running my company – Square 8 Studio – for nearly 15 years. Focusing on Photography, Branding, and Design, I’ve worked with recording artists, churches, fitness companies, record labels, global non-profits, business owners, brides, and families. And in those 15 years, I’ve never met someone who magnetizes the hearts of everyone she meets the way Ashlee does.

Brides. Wedding Vendors. Teenagers. Babies. Grandparents. Puppies. Everyone who spends even 5 minutes with TH’s spunky and charming leader walks away feeling like it was their heart that was “treasured”.

That’s why, whenever Ashlee shows up on my caller ID, I can’t wait to answer… I know an amazing adventure awaits, and I know I’ll walk away loved and better for taking part in it.

Not only have Ashlee and I struck up a remarkable friendship in recent years, but we’ve seen incredible alignment in our businesses’ vision and direction as well. Ashlee’s vision for leveraging a bride’s Big Day by giving 10% to missionary families resonated with me from the moment she first shared her heart for her company.

With Square 8, my dream from day 1 has been to create excellent art that enables excellent ministry. For years now, I’ve set aside a portion of everything I make through Square 8 to support missionary friends in England, Guatemala, and most recently Greece. I also offer significant discounts on our creative services to missionary friends whenever possible, knowing that the demands of global mission work often leave missionaries unable to afford top-quality creative services. When you book your portraits or wedding photography with me, you can count on your investment being reinvested around the world.

As my team has set goals for the coming years, we plan to take these efforts one step further, spending time on the ground with each of the families I support whenever we’re not shooting weddings, serving alongside them and offering our creative services for free while we’re with them. The beauty of photography and graphic design is that after your wedding is over, I can edit your wedding photos from just about anywhere in the world… all I need is electricity and Internet, and we’ll be able to stay in touch from just about anywhere!

Our mission-based focus is a big part of why we are so proud to be a TH Partner Vendor! I’ll never forget the moment in 2015 when Ashlee first told me about her dream to start a wedding company that puts supporting missionaries at the core and forefront of her business model. Not only because it was such a brilliant idea, but because it was instantly obvious to me that Ashlee is the perfect person to lead such an endeavor.

I’ve worked multiple weddings and events now with Ashlee, and our friendship has allowed us to lead multiple youth events and mission trips together. With our overlapping clientele, she’s also joined me on several of my photo shoots. In each of these environments, one of the things that has always fascinated me about Ashlee is this: few people can pull off being as detail-oriented as Ash is while maintaining a genuine, heartfelt love for people… yet she never fails to overwhelmingly succeed at both. You never have to worry about even the tiniest of details being executed to perfection with Ashlee, and you never have to worry about whether or not you are deeply loved by her. How many people can say that about their wedding coordinator?! I’ve watched Ashlee pull together breathtaking event designs with almost zero budget. I’ve witnessed her diffuse wedding-day tensions among wedding parties and family members within moments of walking in a room. And I’ve been there with Ashlee, weeks after the Big Day, when a bride sends a text to check in or say thanks one more time, simply because of the remarkable relationship they’ve built while working together.

I can’t imagine what could be more desirable for you as a bride… to rest and enjoy your season of engagement, knowing you’re in capable and gifted hands, while also feeling the warmth of knowing the woman organizing the intricacies of your most special day cares more about your heart than your business. This unique balance has defined Ashlee as a person for as long as I’ve known her, it defines the kind of experience her company brings to each and every event they coordinate, and it’s why there’s no one Square 8 Studio loves partnering with more!