Punam Bean, New York CityVendor: PhotographerWebsite: Punam Bean PhotographyAbout Me: Punam Bean is an international destination wedding and portrait photographer based out of New York City. She loves animals, and particularly longs for the companionship of a bulldog, in addition to that of her ever loving Husband. She eats pizza for breakfast every single day, and spends too much money on dresses. In this, her first year of business, she's booked 30 weddings all around the world, in New York City, California, Jamaica, Venezuela and Nigeria. Her images have been described as emotional, whimsical and elegant.
Prior to the shoot, I only spoke with Sydney over the phone. Hiring your wedding photographer should be somewhat of an audition - not just for the photographer, but for the client, too. There are so many great photographers who get burnt out in this business. I refuse to be one of them, by booking too many weddings with too many clients that don’t fully appreciate and trust what I do. And that I so love what I do.
So I like to sit, get to know my potential clients/future friends. If I can’t meet them in person, which is quite often, then we will both just have to work extra hard to get across to each other who we are and what we want. It’s a date. We are beginning a relationship that hopefully will last a long time. It’s just as invigorating getting to know beautiful people in love, as it is making images of the love that they have for each other, their families, their animals and the world.
When Sydney and I spoke over the phone, we were exactly on the same page about everything. She and Jeremy live in San Francisco, and since they were unable to have the wedding in their hometown (it’ll be at a summer camp in upstate NY!), I really wanted to be able to shoot their engagement session there. I feel like I know what it’s like to be connected to each other, and to be connected to a place together. So, when I booked my Alaska wedding, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to do some vintage shopping in the Northwest and hop on down to San Francisco to capture these beautiful people in love, in their natural habitat. Looking through the photos, I couldn’t imagine having to do their session in New York City, without their amazing and beautiful dog, Kaili.
Sydney and Jeremy live in the gorgeous hills north of San Francisco and were very successful in convincing me to move there. As Husbone and I are considering a life of living bi-coastally, I think that when it happens (that is, probably winter 2010 - can’t wait!), we are very likely going to choose our new, sometime home among those same amazing, gorgeous, crazy California seaside hills. Seriously folks, it’s a done deal. Little did I know when I was so eager to leave home in my youth, that California would always hold a special place in my heart. And these East Coasters who transplanted there are a total picture of everything I love about that beautiful state, and the wonderful people (and animals!) who live there. And seriously, all you California photographers have it so friggin easy! Beautiful light, beautiful country. Sigh.
Princess Lasertron, OmahaVendor: Flowers made of felt, vintage buttons and other ephemeraWebsite: Princess LasertronAbout Me: I started Princess Lasertron in 2005 creating custom bouquets out of
felt, vintage buttons, and other ephemera. I give each bride an
heirloom-quality piece that will bring a personal dimension to their
wedding and everyday lives. What I love most is meeting and
collaborating with unique women whose weddings are a true
representation of them and their partners. As for me...I live
nocturnally, I'm an INTP, I play Dungeons and Dragons every other
Saturday, and I'm a perpetual student.
I’m so excited about this that it’s hard to know where to begin!
I’ve been working on these kits for about two months now, trying to make them absolutely perfect. I’m completely satisfied, and I’m so happy to finally launch these! They are a great alternative to one of my handmade bouquets for the bride on a budget, a sweet gift to keep tucked away for a crafty daughter or grandchild, or a fun project to do on a girls’ night in. The flower design can even be adapted to sew them onto a garment, or create brooches or hairpieces.
Kate Parker, New HampshireVendor: Wedding PlannerWebsite: Kate Parker WeddingsAbout Me: Kate Parker is the owner of Kate Parker Weddings, a wedding planning and floral and event design studio located on the Seacoast of NH. KPW specializes in simple and sophisticated weddings throughout New England and New York and also provides lighting services, paper products, custom out of town welcome baskets and music entertainment. Kate loves to work with as many details as possible- ribbon banding, monograms, favor tags etc to make each wedding unique and fabulous! She lives in Somersworth, NH with her husband Ryan, son Zachary, and chihuahua Lola. Although she doesn't have much free time, Kate loves to travel, read a good book, and entertain for close friends.
Amy Serrago, of the band Nite-Time in NYC, agrees that if you can afford it, having both the band and a DJ is the best of both worlds!
A live band brings an air of excitement to any event. There is something about watching and listening to live people making music right in front of you that takes the whole experience up a notch, and your wedding is a once in a lifetime event. A professional event band should be able to cover all types of music, but this is an especially great choice if you are into rock, swing, Motown, alternative, and genres generally utilizing live instruments to create their sound. If your fiance proposed to you at a Bruce Springsteen concert, trust me, you’re band people.
Sabrina & Eunice Moyle, San Francisco, CAVendor: Invitations & StationeryWebsite: Hello! LuckyAbout Me: We (sisters Eunice and Sabrina Moyle) started Hello!Lucky in 2003 out of Eunice's garage with a hand-cranked Vandercook printing press. Since then we've created whimsical stationery and greeting card designs for almost every occasion, including wedding invitations, save the dates, thank you notes, and a line of hilarious sock monkey cards! We love crafting, flea marketing, fashion, travel, and all things paper. We're based San Francisco with a studio in London, so we're immersed in design trends from around the world!
Jessie Blum, New JerseyVendor: OfficiantWebsite: Eclectic UnionsAbout Me: I began writing & officiating wedding ceremonies in 2008, and love every single moment of it. It all started when my best friend asked me to officiate her Jewish/Lutheran/Pagan (but completely non-religious!) wedding - since then, I've found a love and passion for creating original wedding ceremonies that truly reflect the couples being married. Wedding ceremonies should be all about the bride & groom's love, relationship, and commitment, and I do my best to make sure everything is just perfect! I live in Northern New Jersey with my fiance and our two kitties, and, when I'm not meeting with my awesome couples or writing wedding ceremonies, I love to knit, obsessively check my email, and plan my own wedding (Oct 2010!).
If you’re not familiar with handfasting – it’s quite literally, “tying the knot.” Though “handfasting” is often used in Pagan circles as the term for the entire wedding ceremony, the handfasting I’m referring to is a unity ritual, often going after the ring vows and before the closing of the ceremony. The couple takes hands (like they’re shaking hands – right into right and left into left). Their hands are then wrapped with a cord, symbolizing the joining of their lives and hearts. Each wrap represents a step towards complete commitment to each other. At the end, the couple remains there, for a moment, and then the cord is removed before the end of the ceremony.
Laura Nadeau, New York CityVendor: Makep ArtistWebsite: Lo and Co.About Me: Laura (Lo) loves all brides all of the time, and nothing makes her happier than making another woman feel great! Laura was born and raised in rural Alaska among huskies, grizzly bears and way too much flannel! With stars in her eyes, Lo moved to New York to pursue acting and realized how makeup could help to create a character and transform an actor. Laura began to see how she could use this skill to transform women in their everyday life and thus her new passion was born - helping women feel confident and beautiful through makeup.
I am a big fan of engagement photos, and I often do the bride’s makeup for the shoot. Engagement photos are so important for many reasons.
Helps you become more comfortable in front of the camera: The more times you are photographed, the more at ease you will be. The best photos are when people are comfortable, happy and authentic. For all of those people who hate “posing” for photos or think they aren’t photogenic, a professional shoot can be completely different. Most photographers don’t want you to pose, they want you to be in the moment and interact with your partner. When you take a couple hundred photos with a pro you are likely to get a few good ones.
Builds a bond with the photographer: You will spend a good portion of your wedding day with your photographer, and this is a great opportunity to get to know how you work best together.
See how you photograph with makeup: While it isn’t necessary to wear the exact same makeup as you will on your wedding day, you can get a sense of how much the camera diffuses makeup. I recommend putting on more blush than you normally would, go for a slightly brighter lip and apply a thicker, darker eyeliner (on top lash line). Since the makeup is just for a photo shoot you don’t need to worry about what it looks like in real life. I guarantee you will be amazed how little makeup reads in photos.
You get to have fun with your honey: Wedding day photos are done on a tight schedule, in confining clothing, and with a lot of people watching you. Engagement photos are just about the two of you enjoying each other and showing why you fell in love in the first place. Make it a fun part of preparation!
Nancy @ Nancy Liu Chin Designs, San FranciscoVendor: FloristWebsite: Nancy Liu Chin DesignsAbout Me: A San Francisco native, Nancy graduated from the University of California - Berkeley's Haas Business School where she studied finance and marketing. Beyond running her floral studio, Nancy is a huge fan of Top Chef, loves to travel to exotic locations, is an avid reader of contemporary fiction and considers herself on Team Edward (Twilight fan!), entertains friends in her loft style home in San Francisco's SOMA neighborhood, and can be found at SF Giant's home games. Nancy and her husband, Kevin are a dynamic pair and can be frequently seen walking their white Bichon Frisee, Chin Chin around the city and lounging at cafes sipping Italian sodas.
Here are the results form the last poll I did on my blog. Our question was: For a 100 guest wedding, what should the average floral budget be?
Under $1000 (34%)
Between $1000 - $3000 (30%)
Between $3000 - $6000 (20%)
10% of total Wedding Costs (15%)
Flowers are important, so skies the limit! (3%)
This was one of the most interesting polls that I’ve had on my blog, so I decided to do some shopping. I went to cyberspace to see what $1000 would get me. The results are fascinating:
Wiley Valentine, CaliforniaVendor: Invitations and Paper ProductsWebsite: Wiley ValentineAbout Me: Wiley Valentine is named for our artistic grandmothers, Mary Wiley and Norma Jean Valentine. Our company is 4 years old and growing strong. We specialize in invitations, stationery, and all sorts of paper delights. We love the forest, vintage books, thunder storms, butterflies, fairy tales and the smell of rain. We strive to think of our environment first when creating our paper products, and only use 100% recycled or 100% cotton papers.
Another new launch at the stationery show was this custom printed envelope liner option. We are so excited to be offering this! I really think it adds that extra something special to the invitations. They are all custom printed and some even include the couple’s monogram! See below for some examples including Nouveau Love, Foster and Bohemian Sophisticate.
Melody Brandon, Long Beach, CAVendor: BakerWebsite: Sweet and Saucy ShopAbout Me: Sweet & Saucy Shop is a dessert studio that specializes in cakes, cookies, and cupcakes, as well as many other goodies that taste as good as they look. Our new bakery storefront will be up and running within the next two months!
Between baking, decorating, client calls, tastings, working on the store, and employee training I am barely finding time to sleep (which is my #1 priority if you know me!). Within the last 6 days, I think I pulled three 15-20 hour days, and the rest were at least 12 hours…talk about exhaustion! I do have to say that I’m so thankful for my new assistant Louisa! She helped me out so much this past week, and I am so excited to have her on my team!
Well enough about me and my aches and pains, let’s get to the good stuff…desserts! This post is going to be a schmorgasboard of wonderful delights! This first photo is from a girlfriend’s recent 25th birthday party. When she called me to see if I could make the cake, of course I said yes! I wanted to do more of a homespun look for the cake and used a simple fresh flower to decorate it.
Amelia & Justin Lyon, Orange CountyVendor: PhotographerWebsite: Amelia Lyon PhotographyAbout Me: Hi, I am Amelia. I like to dance and sing my heart out in the car. My family has been in the wedding industry for 3 generations. Being the first photographer in the family, it has given me a unique perspective on how to keep things fresh and fun! Hello, I am Justin. I like to play Ping-Pong, and I too like to dance. Being a film and TV producer by trade, I am obsessed with finding the story that every image has to tell. Collectively we are wedding, portrait and music photographers. Now that we've started to tell you our story, why don't you let us capture yours?
Nicole + Rich decided to tie the knot in Newport Beach at the Balboa Inn. We never really noticed this quaint hotel facing the ocean, but immediately fell in love with its romantic and intimate setting. What made the day even better was working with Nicole + Rich, they were so easy to photograph and ever since their engagement session we were happily looking forward to the wedding day!
We set up a first glance for Nicole + Rich and it was the perfect way to kick off such a rad day!
Within the last 6 days, I think I pulled three 15-20 hour days, and the rest were at least 12 hours…talk about exhaustion! I do have to say that I’m so thankful for my new assistant Louisa! She helped me out so much this past week, and I am so excited to have her on my team!
