Eat Dessert First!

Posted by Kelly Simants

Pastry Chef and Owner of Tart Bakery, Kristen Massad, says "Eat Dessert First"! I couldn't agree more! Especially when you step foot in their adorable vintage boutiques located on Lovers Lane in Dallas and in Plano at the Shops at Legacy. Whether you're looking for cupcakes, eclairs, wedding cakes, brownie pies, cannolis, or tarts, this is the place to indulge!

I recently enjoyed a cake tasting with one of my clients at the Dallas location, and can tell you that the Red Velvet cake layered with rich cream cheese and sweet cream icing just melts in your mouth. Yum!

The Plano location also has a separate space where you can host a party for up to 30 guests! It's an adorable room and would be great for a bridal shower, baby shower, tea party, or girls night out! Contact Stephanie at Tart Bakery for more info! stephanie@tartbakerydallas.com or call 972.673.0446.

Congratulations Anne & Eric!

Posted by Kelly Simants

A Wine Country Wedding...

Anne and Eric tied the knot on a beautiful fall day in the Northwest – by far, it was one of the prettiest and warmest days in September! Their reception was held at the gorgeous Willows Lodge in Woodinville, Washington which is located in the heart of wine country. (Side note - If you haven’t been to the Willows it’s worth a trip, whether it’s to visit the spa and treat yourself to a massage, or enjoy an overnight stay in one of their amazing suites with an oversized soaking tub!)

So many things stand out to me about this wedding, but the catering and the dancing were by far the most memorable to me – and I’m pretty sure to most of their guests!

Willows Lodge is known for their incredible cuisine, as the Chef from the Barking Frog Restaurant across the street provides the Catering. Anne and Eric selected a savory menu filled with appetizers like Kahlua Pulled Pork Sliders with Mango Salsa, Seven Spice Tuna Lollipops with Sweet Ginger Lime Glaze, and Uli Lamb Sausage in a Blanket with Fresh Three Seed Mustard…just to name a few! Dinner included Candied Bacon-Wrapped Beef Tenderloin with Caramelized Shallots and Blackened King Salmon with Blueberry Nectarine Chutney…to die for! As if that weren’t enough, on top of their delicious cake from Creme de la Creme, guests drooled over Tiramisu Petit Fours and Raspberry Ganache Tarts. Yum!

As for the dancing, well the images to follow speak for themselves. Guests were dancing all night long, literally! Anne and Eric wanted guests to help start the party before they sat down for dinner, so needless to say the party continued and didn’t stop until the night was over. Thanks to Greg Lowder who did an amazing job providing entertainment for the evening and keeping the energy level higher than ever!

Enjoy these images provided by Cheri Pearl Photography - what an amazingly talented artist she is! Thank you Cheri, you were a joy to work with!

Some fun detail shots...note the cute favors Anne & Eric made with cartoon images of them - they were mini mason jars filled with chocolate covered espresso beans. The perfect pick-me-up for guests to keep dancing! :)

Fabulous Vendors Anne & Eric Selected:

Ceremony Venue: Holy Innocents Church
Reception Venue & Caterer: Willows Lodge
DJ: Greg Lowder – Affairs to Remember
Florist: Aria Style
Gown: Kleinfeld Bridal
Hair and Makeup: Erin Skipley from Bellatrix Studio
Invitations: Village Copier Invites
Photographer: Cheri Pearl
Transportation: British Motor Coach
Cake: Crème de la Crème
Tuxes: The Tux Shop

Vessel -

Posted by Holly-Kate Foss

Simply stated "Liquid Elegence"! Vessel hosted a night for guests from the Wedding Industry and it was such a delight! I was greeted by their beverage artist, Jim Romdall, and he handcrafted a beverage for me. It was called "La Bicyclette" and it was delicious! We also enjoyed Truffled Potato Chips, Caprese, Charcuterie and Pulled Pork Sandwiches.

Vessel is one of downtown Seattles landmarks and located next to the 5th Avenue Theatre. A two-leveled modern and elegant bar, with so many things to offer any guest.

This would be a great location for any event and I would recommend stopping by and asking for any of their yummy cocktails! Kristen Kahlen was a great host to us and I would recommend reaching out to her with any questions about this location, her email is events@vesselseattle.com

Congratulations Keri & Gary!

Posted by Kelly Simants

What a blast it was planning Keri and Gary’s wedding – these two are about as fun loving and laid back as you get. Keri started planning her wedding while she was in nursing school - and while Gary was working in a demanding job, so they wanted a Wedding Planner to help them from start to finish and selected our Full Planning Package.

One of Keri and Gary’s favorite vendors they ended up selecting was the super fabulous Laurel McConnell, who has graciously provided these images. They had a ball at their engagement shoot (“Getting to Know You Session”) and instantly knew that Laurel was the perfect fit for the style of Photography and personality they were looking for!

Be sure to also check out Jenny Bowker as a makeup artist - she is so talented and great to work with!

Fabulous Vendors Keri & Gary Selected:

Ceremony & Reception Venue: Bell Harbor
DJ: DJ Leslie with Seattle Parties
Florist: Loves Me Flowers
Gown: I Do Bridal
Hair: Gilt Edge Society
Makeup: Jenny Bowker Makeup
Photographer: Laurel McConnell Photography
Transportation: British Motor Coach
Cake: ML’s Cakes
Getting Ready Suite: Grand Hyatt Seattle
Rings: EE Robbins
Wedding Night Hotel: Hotel Andra
Rehearsal Dinner Venue: Ivars
Officiant: Reverend James Kubal-Komoto
Travel Agent: Top Dawg Travel

Texas Wedding Photographer Spotlight - J. May Photography

Posted by Kelly Simants

When you meet Jen Mabray of J. May Photography, you might feel like you're "insta friends" like I did! Jen has the warmest personality and truly is passionate about weddings and Photography! She got her start in Design, then moved into Photography about 10 years ago. When asked what she enjoys most about weddings, she said it's her interaction with her clients. She loves being behind the camera, playing, having fun, and even crying with the couple....yes, she admits "I am a sap". :)

Her style is fun, eclectic, and photo-journalistic. She said when clients don't feel the pressure of a camera, they are allowed to play and forget that she is even there. Jen is a "not in your face" camera person as she typically shoots 30 feet away from the couple so they can relax while she captures the moment.

Jen's albums are all highly customized with her own designs. She is currently working on a super cool vintage album for one of her clients who wanted a really unique album design.

Outside of work, Jen is a big music person and loves hanging out with friends and family. Check out Jen's blog too, for more of her fabulous work!

Enjoy these images from Jen's portfolio...

Unique Videography

Posted by Kelly Simants

Sarah + Nathan Highlights from Casey Warren on Vimeo.

Are you looking for an awesome videographer to capture your big day? If so, check out the work of Danielle and Casey from Mind Castle Studios. They provided me with this incredible highlights video from Sarah and Nathan's wedding this past summer. Sarah wanted a video that would be classic and timeless, yet at the same time feature some unique vintage editing that would reflect the style of their wedding which had a romantic, modern-vintage feel. Danielle and Casey specialize in working with Super 8 film and editing with that super cool vintage look and feel, so they were the perfect fit for Sarah and Nathan! The full video will have more of the vintage editing than this highlights video has, but I at least wanted to give a sneak peek of their work. Mind Castle is just wonderful to work with, and we had a blast on the wedding day - thanks Danielle and Casey for sharing your talented work with us!

Congratulations Jen & Gavin!

Posted by Kelly Simants

I love hearing about the creative ways our clients get engaged, and this is one of my favorite stories! Jennifer’s absolute favorite holiday is the Fourth of July because she loves fireworks, so it was only appropriate that Gavin proposed to her over the Fourth of July weekend! They were at a family member’s home on Bainbridge Island, Washington overlooking Puget Sound, when Gavin told Jen he had a surprise for her. He led her down to the waterfront where there were two chairs set up on the beach, and told her he had a private fireworks display just for her. He then spent the next half hour launching beautiful fireworks for her, and after the grand finale, he popped out the champagne and he was down on one knee asking Jen to marry him!

Fast forward exactly one year later, and it’s their wedding day…you guessed it – July 4th! The couple selected The Bell Harbor rooftop for their ceremony which is just breathtaking as it overlooks the downtown Seattle cityscape, Olympic Mountains and Elliot Bay. The reception was held across the street at the World Trade Center and was simply perfect for all of their guests to soak in the wonderful fireworks displays on the Seattle waterfront! Jen is originally a Dallas native and they currently live in California, so all of the many out of town guests enjoyed this spectacular Seattle setting. Jen and Gavin - thanks so much for allowing us to be part of your special day. We had a blast working with you!

The talented Joey of John & Joseph Photography captured these amazing images from this special holiday wedding celebration.

This was Jen and Gavin's first look at the Grand Hyatt Seattle in front of the Onyx Wall, which made for a really cool background!

The Wedding Party - note the red, white and blue hues starting to emerge in these photos...very Fourth of July but with a modern twist as Jen chose pool blue and cherry red as her colors.

Instead of a traditional Ring Bearers Pillows, the boys carried these sweet ceramic bowls from an Etsy artist, Paloma's Nest, that were personalized for Jen and Gavin's special day.

Ceremony on the Rooftop at Bell Harbor with the Space Needle in the backround. Perfect setting for all of their out of town guests!

Kendra from Loves Me Flowers provided the exquisite floral arrangements. I loved these rustic trees which were accented by small clutches of deep red and pink Dahlias blossoms and hanging strands of crystals. A puddle of deep red Rose petals formed around the base of each tree and also down the aisle.

Reception tables were decorated with these beautiful submerged cherry blossom branches with a floating candle on top.

Delicious cupcakes from Cupcake Royale!

Celebrating their new marriage, and the Fourth of July!

This photo below was taken inside of the World Trade Center, and Joey from John & Joseph Photography caught this amazing shot with the fireworks in the reflection of the windows!

Fabulous Vendors Jen and Gavin Selected:

Ceremony Venue: The Rooftop at Bell Harbor
Reception Venue & Caterer: The World Trade Center
DJ: Emerald City Productions
Florist: Loves Me Flowers
Hair and Makeup: Erin Skipley from Bellatrix Studio
Photographer: John & Joseph Photography
Transportation: British Motor Coach
Cupcakes: Cupcake Royale
Getting Ready Suite & Wedding Night Hotel: Grand Hyatt Seattle
Rehearsal Dinner Venue: Lake Union Café
Officiant: Reverend Ray Van Winkle