Monday, November 23, 2009

Yellow Wedding Details and Inspiration Board

Posted by Kelly Simants

We’ve been creating inspiration boards based on Pantone 2010 Colors for Spring…next up is “Aurora Yellow”.  To help me pull this board together, I enlisted a few of my amazingly talented Wedding Photographer colleagues.  All of the yellow detail shots in this inspiration board below are from real weddings these Photographers have captured.  Thank you so much to Cesar, Tanya, Whitney, and Ariel for providing me with these beautiful images! You all rock! :)

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From left to right (above): Cesar and Tanya of Perez Photography, Whitney of Whitney Elizabeth Photographer, and Ariel Nay Nebeker of Mew

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Row 1: Tablescape and boutonniere photos by Perez Photography, flower clutch photo by Whitney Elizabeth Photography

Row 2: Aisle petal photo by Whitney Elizabeth, shoes and program photos by Perez Photography

Row 3: Place card photo by Whitney Elizabeth, save-the-date and program photos by Mew

Row 4: Cake photo by Whitney Elizabeth, Bride with bridesmaids photo by Perez Photography

Enjoy!

Friday, November 20, 2009

Decor Ideas for Your Thanksgiving Table

By Kelly Simants

I can hardly believe that Thanksgiving is right around the corner! If you’re like me and the holidays snuck up on you, you may still be looking for that perfect decor to entertain your guests. Here are some fun ideas for decorating your table, as well as some yummy recipes for cocktails and desserts…Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle, anyone?

Love this amber + gold tablescape idea from HGTV – they’ve combined natural elements with some sparkles…stunning!

Some of the natural elements they incorporated into the tablescape…

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Adorable place card ideas from Apron Strings Aflutter

 

Laughter in the Rain

This cocktail is called “Laughter in the Rain” – yuummm!  I thought it was appropriate for this grey, rainy day in Dallas. :) Thank you Martha Stewart! Here is the recipe.

Last but not least, Paula Deen’s “Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle”…I may just have to try making this over the weekend!

Enjoy!

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Vendor Spotlight – Amy Karp Photography

By Kelly Simants

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Amy Karp is one of those people who genuinely lights up a room…with her bright smile and positive energy, her joie de vivre is contagious! One thing I love most about Amy is her willingness to help others.  She is constantly volunteering to lend a hand, especially with her incredible photography skills.  A few weeks ago on Twitter, I announced plans to host an informal networking group I kicked-off here in Dallas called “Thursday Therapy”.  It’s a place for all Wedding Pros to get together for happy hour to talk shop, meet new vendors, and come together as a wedding community and collaborate.  Amy immediately offered to bring her camera and capture some images for our group so we could blog about it and spread the word so other vendors can find out about it.  This month we met at the new Nylo Hotel in Las Colinas and it was so much fun! Lauren Fouke is their wonderful Catering Manager who hosted the space for us. If you’re looking for a hip and swanky venue, definitely check out Nylo!  Following are Amy’s images she graciously took for us (be sure to scroll down after the Thursday Therapy images to read more about Amy and see a few of her favorite pics)!

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Top left: Stacy Reeves of Stacy Reeves Photography and Jason Gulledge/Top Right: Catie Ronquillo of Catie Ronquillo Photography and Deanie Yuska of Deanie Michele Events/Middle:  Deanie Tuska, Kelly Simants of Sweet Pea Events and Celina Gomez of Captivating Simplicity/Bottom Row: Stacy Reeves, Kelly Simants, and Lottie of Couture Events by Lottie (Stacy just gave Lottie one of her ridiculously cute and clever handkerchief business cards and Amy captured Lottie’s reaction perfectly!) :)

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Top Row:  Natalia Zamarippa of Natalia Z Photography and Sheila Hannus of Sheila Hannus Photography               Bottom Row:  Jason Gulledge and Jared Rey of Jared Rey Photography

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The section of the Nylo’s lounge we were in was called “The Library” – highly recommend it for a fun group setting!  They had tons of games including classics like Connect 4, Rubik’s Cube, and even a sweet pool table.

 

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Ryan Li Jeff Langhammer of DFW Wedding Videographer and Celina Gomez

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The yummy cheese station that Nylo so generously provided for us…yuuumm!

Looking forward to seeing you all next month! Date and place TBD but will send out the invite soon!  Please let me know if you’re a DFW Wedding Pro and would like to be added to the distribution list for future Thursday Therapy get togethers! 

Now, let’s turn back to Amy and learn a little bit more about her from a few questions I asked her…

1. How did you get started in the Photography business, and specifically with weddings?

I have been shooting for the past 12 years (eek!), but leading up to my own wedding in 2007 I started specializing in weddings. I often tell other photographers I shoot weddings and they applaud because they know how different it is from standard portraits or other forms for photography.

2. What is your typical day like as a Wedding Photographer on the day of the wedding, and also on a non-wedding day?

My wedding day rituals start way before the actual wedding day. On a typical wedding weekend it is all about checklists! They are crucial for me in order to make sure things run smoothly…batteries charged, cards formatted, bags packed with all the gear, copies of contracts, and venue locations just name a few things on my checklists. After shooting a few weddings in the beginning, I started to work my system and I still find things to tweak after each wedding.

Non-wedding days are filled with balancing being a Stay-at-Home Mom, Wife, and Photographer. I love being social so any chance I have to network with other people in the industry, I am all over it!

3. What would you say makes your style or personality unique from other Photographers?

I have a very wacky personality. I tend to bring that out in my clients. I can also bring the heat when saucy shots are needed. I love it when brides come to me and say they saw my images and saw something REAL in them. Being real is who I am. I am ME from the moment a bride meets me until I deliver her images.

4. Favorite tips or advice for the bride and grooms to be?

Choose your photographer wisely. Choose someone that best represents your style and desired images.

Have someone at your wedding to help you plan and keep things running smoothly (day-of planning is AVAILABLE!). When you don’t have someone to help with that, we have to do it. Let us focus on what we do best; getting you FABULOUS IMAGES!

Book your photographer well in advance. I am about to shoot a wedding for a bride that booked me a year and a half ago! There are only so many Saturdays in a year and they fill up quickly.

6. When you aren’t working, what are some of your favorite things to do?

I love spending time with my guys; Sammy, my 18month old and my husband, Jon. I have a busy workload, so when things slow down for a minute to take life in, I enjoy being with them. Jon will also tell you I have a love affair with my iPhone. It’s my portal to social networking!

7. What are some of your favorite venues in the DFW area, and why?

Favorite, favorite, favorite is the Dallas Museum of Art! I shot a wedding there and fell in love. I have been a member there for several years, but this year was the first time I was able to work a wedding there.

I love Party Off the Grid. It is a historic Dallas Power and Light Substation. It used to power the city streetlights. I was able to shoot there for the first time a few weeks ago and it is currently my favorite! It has rooftop access and overlooks the Dallas skyline. The different levels (3) allow you to get really creative with angles.

The McKinney Cotton Mill is also a fun favorite. I just love all the natural light streaming through the old rustic windows. They restored the building but left several wonderful details as they were.

Do you see a trend here? I love history!!

Thanks so much, Amy! Loved learning more about you! Now here are some of Amy’s favorites from her portfolio.

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Thanks again, Amy! Cheers to your continued success! :)

Monday, November 16, 2009

Violet and Grey Inspiration Board

By Kelly Simants

A few weeks ago we showcased the Pantone colors for Spring 2010 and featured a Pink Champagne and Gold inspiration board…now this week we’re using another one of the Pantone colors for Spring – Violet - which is going to be a huge hit, and we’re pairing it with grey. I have to say, that after thumbing through all sorts of images and websites to find my favorite images for this board, I think I might choose this color palette for my own wedding if I were to do it over! :) There were so many cool violet and grey options for jewelry, bridesmaids dresses, shoes, linens, you name it!  I just LOVE this color combo.  Enjoy!

Claire de Lune Garter  a PETERENE ORIGINAL feathers and bling HOLLYWOOD

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 Choose Your Own Colors - Silk Slimline Clutch image Violet Necklace Faceted Glass Candle Holder, Graysummer eve image

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Click here to view larger imageSilverberry Guest Book

Row 1:  Bridal gown by Kenneth Pool (via Get Married’s website), Claire du Lune garter from Peterene Design, Shoes are “Shoe-Nami Metairie” – image by Studio Tran Photography

Row 2: Silk slim line clutch from Via Bella, “Spirited Away” bridesmaids dress by Anthropologie, The Carrie Necklace in Stormy by Erin Keys

Row 3: Faceted glass candle holder from West Elm, “Summer Eve” invitations by Michelle Loretta of mmm…paper, Men’s Necktie in Duchess Satin by Dessy

Row 4:  Flower topped fantasy cake from Martha Stewart Weddings, Glassware by Puccini – available at Z Gallerie, Silverberry guest book by Uber Art

Friday, November 13, 2009

“Sweet Success” Workshop for Aspiring Wedding Planners

Posted by Kelly Simants

We couldn’t be more thrilled to announce that our next “Sweet Success” workshop in Dallas for aspiring Wedding Planners will be held on Saturday, January 23, 2010.  Please visit www.sweetsuccess.eventbrite.com for more information and to register!

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Here are some images and testimonials from a few of our fabulous attendees at the last workshop:

Hope to see you there!

Friday, November 6, 2009

Carrie & John’s “Rock Hollywood” Wedding

Posted by Kelly Simants

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I met Carrie and John at The All Good Cafe (their reception venue) for our consultation, and we immediately hit it off! I felt like I had known both of them for years – they are two of the warmest, welcoming people I’ve worked with. And, they have such a fun, truly unique sense of style that they wanted reflected in their wedding – so they wanted everyone to walk in and say “Oh wow, that is SO Carrie and John”!

With that said, their overall design was based on an “Old School Rock n’ Roll and Old Hollywood Glam” concept. LOVED the challenge of creating a design with them that was Tiffany-esque and traditional, yet edgy at the same time! Carrie and John’s colors were tiffany blue and cherry red, mixed with touches of black damask and leopard print. Fun! Carrie had done a great job of securing most of her vendors by the time we met, so just needed a bit of help pulling the design elements together and making sure everything ran smoothly on the day-of her wedding…so they hired Sweet Pea Events to help with Month-Of Wedding Coordination.

Here are a few shots from their ceremony in The Sunken Gardens at The Dallas Arboretum – gorgeous venue! Thanks to Paul Dyer from Vim Studio for providing all of these incredible photos from the day!

Mami from Botanical Art Design created the most gorgeous bouquets and boutonnieres! I especially love the hand-made brooches she added to the bridesmaids bouquets!

carriejohnWED09_0045carriejohnWED09_0070carriejohnWED09_0006Carrie and John both are passionate about music (and in fact are talented musicians!) so "The Thin White Dukes" band pictured below was an extremely important priority for them to set the tone for the party. The All Good Cafe was a perfect venue for them, as it has both a vintage flair with red diner booths and eclectic with music posters and all sorts of goodies scattered around the room.

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Carrie bought fake lips for the wedding party at the end of the night just to be goofy and have fun…and her girls did say “Oh, that is SO Carrie!” :)

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The party wasn’t over when the reception ended at The All Good…Carrie & John changed into their after-party attire (love Carrie’s go-go dress and John’s retro shirt!) and left in a 1961 Cadillac from Dallas Dream Cars to head to The Mardi Gras for more music and dancing – so fun!

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Congrats Carrie and John! It was a blast working with you!

Fabulous Vendors Carrie & John Selected: