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Last weekend, two of our oldest friends, Jon and Sarah, got married at the beautiful Western Heritage Museum downtown. After the fantastic job that Minornite did with their engagement photos, I knew that the pro wedding shots would be to die for.
This was like the wedding I imagined for myself after watching Disney movies as a child. It was one for the storybooks, set in a private chateau in Le Grand Lucé, in the Loire Valley of France.
I feel so lucky that Cailen and Sean found me floating around the internets. It’s such a true blessing when I get to work with a couple so kind and loving. The relationship Cailen has with her siblings is enviable. Her brother had so much to say in his toast that he wrote her a book. Her little sister clung to her side as Cailen prepared for her right of passage. At one point, they lay on the bed, gazing at each other with marvel, saying I love you. I mean, wow. Just being around that kind of love is eye opening. And that’s to say nothing yet of Cailen and Sean.
I love my job because it is pure joy. I get to be around all these amazing people with amazing relationships, and I get to tell their amazing stories. Sean came to America from Ireland on a track scholarship. It was on college track that he met Cailen, and these years later they look at each other like they each are the luckiest people around.
Also, the Mayor of the town donated all the flowers for the wedding! How insanely awesome is that?? 
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This was my third time attending one of the fabulous Engage events visioned and designed by the super smart and kind Rebecca Grinnals and Kathryn Arce. I am a BIG fan of these two gals, to say the least. Razor sharp insight into the wedding industry, down to earth personalities and a passion like none I have seen before are just some of the qualities that make these two women so very praiseworthy. Engage is a haven for the luxury wedding professional, a breeding ground for big ideas and forward thinking. While each Engage event has differed from its predecessor, I can honestly say my business and my perspective on the wedding industry and my place within it has been completely transformed. Now listen, I am not saying that attending an Engage is a magic pill to fix any business, BUT I will say if you listen hard and engage mindfully, your attendance WILL be a transformative experience.
Held at the lush Encore Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Engage! 09: The Encore boasted a speaker list built by demand. Rebecca Grinnals, Kathryn Arce, Simon T. Bailey, Marcy Blum, Sean Low among others stood before an intimate yet talent packed room of attendees, captivating us with every word. I must mention also Tracey Kumer-Moore, from Your Las Vegas Wedding Concierge, who was instrumental in making Engage come to life in what she called “her city”. I had the pleasure of spending some time with Tracey and was so grateful for her insights and fabulous recommendations for thoroughly enjoying Las Vegas!
From left to right, Rebecca and Kathryn, Tracey, and Simon!
Mary and Bobby are planning a happy and homespun wedding on Mary’s family’s farm in a charming little town in Texas. Mary commissioned Betsy Dunlap to handletter the entire wedding invitation, RSVP, return address, as well as a few words for the map. Betsy’s lettering is perfect for this rustic barn wedding - organic and relaxed with loads of charm!
A week ago I bumped into a floral friend. As always, we were talking shop. We were both at the end of our busy season so to say that we looked a little “beaten down” was an understatement. Both of us had dark circles under our eyes, hair a little out of place, and shoulders sagging from feeling weary about the season ahead. Both lacked sleep. Tired. Yulp.
After spending some time chatting, she mentioned that after 20+ years in the wedding floral business, she was struggling with paying the bills. And that she didn’t have much to show for it. After seeing so many ups and downs, she said that this year was the worst.
If someone with her experience is still having trouble making ends meet after investing 20 years in this business, then what can we learn from this?
During these times, it’s hard to feel bullish (confident and upbeat). Given that my background is finance, I often seem to have a “bear” mentality when it comes to business and consumer confidence, though on a personal level, I think I’m more glass-half-full than the glass-half-empty type.
In business and when it comes to consumer confidence, I confess that I’m conservative and bearish all the way (a bear investor or analyst is one that is “accompanied by widespread fear and pessimism” as defined by Wikipedia. ). And because I am bearish, this is what I have to say to those who are thinking of starting a career as a floral designer or a florist (or more simply put - anyone just going into business for yourself).
2009 has been our year for shooting weddings in Northern California, from San Francisco to Napa Valley, its been fun mixing it up and in the midst of it all Justin and I have enjoyed traveling.
Stephanie + Sam were married on September 4th in San Francisco. They held their wedding ceremony at the Merchants Exchange Building and then held a beautiful reception in the Julia Morgan Ballroom inside of that same building. The first time we actually met Stephanie + Sam was the day before their wedding, when we toured their amazing venue together to get a feel for what the next day would be like. We were super excited after getting acquainted with Stephanie + Sam and could not wait for their wedding day to unfold!
I recently met with a couple who were interested in ways to incorporate their support of marriage equality in their wedding ceremony – so I turned to one of my favorite sources (the internet!) to find some good ideas for them. I am proud to live in a state that offers civil unions (it’s a big step in the right direction!).
Officiating at the civil union of Jess & Lorrie
My favorite suggestions came from this A Practical Wedding blog post. I really liked the idea of including a brief notice in your program:
Jessie and Dan believe that marriage is a universal human right, and look forward to the day that they can celebrate the joy and privilege of legal marriage with their LGBTQ friends and family.
Another suggestion that Meg had was, if you include a wine ceremony, to spill a few drops (kind of like at a Passover seder!) to suggest the sacrifices and sadness at the fact that our gay friends cannot have the same rights in marriage as we will.
I have been so excited to share this wedding with you. Thank you Karen of Karen Revelle Photography for sharing your gorgeous photos of the event! Courtney, the bride, is the talent behind hair and makeup company Flourish. The couple first of all is from Forks, Washington (for all you Twilight fans) and their love story begins on the school bus in second grade! (see below for the full story). The wedding took place in Port Angeles, and everything was DIY. This is a perfect example of how to make a gorgeous, romantic wedding on a shoestring budget. The bride dug up vintage mason jars, and milk jugs to use for the flower arrangements from the family attic. Using mostly local flowers, Courtney did all the flowers and bouquets herself! Wow! A real Hometown meets Uptown vibe!
Here are some of the questions I’ve received in my inbox in the last few weeks. Feel free to contact me any time through e-mail at meg@princesslasertron.com, twitter @lasertron (which is easiest for me), or by leaving a comment here!
Q: What are your favorite tools? (From Dirsta Paola)
A: I love using decorative fabric scissors–Fiskars makes some pretty good ones. When I work I also always use a felt needle book made by Jenn Maruska–it holds my needles, scissors, and threads and it’s perfect for traveling while I work. (I have to say, I wish I thought of these first! The little embroidered pictures are to DIE for!)
I also love pom pom makers for stress relief, the awesome camera tripod I got from my grandma, and my iPod Touch (totally replaced the phone for me).
Photography by Aubrey and Blake.
Celina and Josh had a short, sweet and intimate wedding at the Rockefeller Lodge in San Pablo. Aubrey and I were enamored by their touches of whimsy. Vintage cigar boxes filled with crayons, draw-able paper as table cloths; no surprise then to learn that Josh’s parents are impressive artists in their own right. That background surely was evident at the wedding. I have to admit that my favorites were the personalized monster finger puppets and toy robots! Celina and Josh have very sweet family’s and it was great fun to share their day. As parents, uncles, nieces, and nephews danced their feet sore I found myself wishing my family danced so hard and so well.
-Blake
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