Nikki Nuckols of Doodle Dog Advertising

Posted by Meaghan Cody

Today we wanted to feature one of our favorite wedding professionals here in Dallas. Nikki is the owner of Doodle Dog Advertising, and is so talented in what she does. She focuses on branding for wedding pros here in the Dallas area and all over the country, and she also designs fabulous invitations! She recently helped us design a logo for Thursday Therapy and we are just so in love. Nikki is so full of life and a complete joy to be around. We are super excited that we have the opportunity to work with this talented and fun girl!

We had the opportunity to ask Nikki a few questions about herself and her business…enjoy! 

•     How did you get started in the Advertising business, and specifically with weddings?  
I originally moved to Texas from Iowa to go to school for Advertising. I have always had a passion for design and for being an entrepreneur, so strategic marketing and advertising was the perfect fit for me. I started Doodle Dog about a month after graduating from college, while also working full time at various ad agencies as an art director and later as a marketing coordinator and web-master. After a couple years of working full time and trying to build Doodle Dog my sister asked me to make her wedding invitations, and as they say the rest was history. I found my niche and knew it was time to leave the agencies behind and take Doodle Dog to the next level. So I added wedding stationery to my repertoire and started working with brides on their invitation sets and wedding/event professionals to help them develop, grow and reinvent their businesses from their logos to their websites and everything in between. Each project is different and I LOVE working with people who are as passionate as I am, whether it’s about their own wedding or their business.

   •    What is your typical day like as a Designer for Doodle Dog?
Long. Fulfilling. Never boring. I wake up at 5:15 every morning, pack my husband’s lunch, eat my cereal and get to work. I start with checking my email and answering as many as possible before the phone starts ringing. Starting at about 9 I either have a phone meeting, Skype meeting or an in-person meeting with various business owners or brides. Around noon I grab my blue monster and Jalapeno Cheetos and get back to the projects. I work until about 5 then head to the gym, do a little reading on the StairMaster, back home to eat some dinner, and then finish up a few of the projects I’ve been working on all day and send out files for review. My day normally ends around 10:30 or so.

   •    What would you say makes your style or personality unique from other Designers?
I think what sets me apart is the strategy and thought that I put into each project. I feel like each brand should represent the client and how they want to be portrayed in their industry. I want to put a smile on their faces and make them confident enough that they love the work as much as I enjoyed working on it for them.

   •    Favorite tips or advice for the bride and grooms to be?
Make it your own. Don’t follow the trends or your friend’s advice, let your wedding day reflect you and your future husband.

   •    Favorite tips or advice for the business owners?
I give business owners the same advice as a bride or groom. The only way you will be truly happy and be content with your branding and website is if you make it your own. Stay away from trends and don’t involve too many people in the branding process.

   •    When you aren’t working, what are some of your favorite things to do?
Going to the movies. Eating Mexican food. Watching train wreck reality TV shows like Teen Mom and Jersey Shore. Taking a bubble bath while listening to Bob Marley. Visiting Iowa. Being with my family.

   •    What are some of your favorite venues in the DFW area, and why?
Well since I got married at the Filter Building, I have to mention it, but I think it takes a certain person to love the Filter Building and it has to be someone who wants to start with a blank canvas, and that was exactly what I was looking for. I also love ThirdSpace, it is an excellent place right in the middle of Main Street and Frances is great to work with!

Check out some of Nikki’s incredible work below:

    

Technorati Tags: invitation designer,dallas weddings,branding expert,doodle dog advertisting

We’re Featured on Style Me Pretty!

Posted by Kelly Simants

I am beyond giddy to finally be able to feature this photo shoot that we helped to style, along with a team of incredible Dallas vendors!  For those of you who know me, you know that I LOVE collaborating with others…this whole project was truly a group effort and couldn’t have been successful without each individual’s amazing contributions!  Our whole goal was to showcase a mock wedding for Style Me Pretty, one of our favorite wedding sites – and we decided to call it “Style Me Pretty Meets the South”.  Holly-Kate and I are members of their Little Black Book and are honored that they chose this photo shoot to be featured on their cover page today! Here are a few photos to get you started…with more to come in the next few weeks!  Be sure to check out Style Me Pretty’s feature to check out their gallery of our images. Enjoy!

Fabulous Vendor Team:

• Floral/Design - Debby Jewesson with Branching Out Events
• Children’s Photography - Michelle Parks with Elle Parks Photography
• Paper goods and accessories - Jennifer Claire of Memento Designs
• Models – Jennifer and Ty (Jennifer is the owner of Memento Designs)
• Venue/Catering - Megan Chumlea at The Aldredge House and Food Glorious Food
• China, Glassware, and Silverware - Jami with POSH Couture Rentals
• Lighting - Cory from Cocktails & Caviar
• Cake - Kristin from TART Pastry Boutique
• Wedding Planner – Sweet Pea Events

Here are a few photos from the amazingly talented Hansel Dobbs (by the way, this was HIS original idea!! Thank you Hansel for asking us to participate!):

View Full Album

And, here are some ridiculously cute pics of the kiddos!  Their personalities just made the shoot! :)

View Full Album

Look for more to come soon! :)

Technorati Tags: Style Me Pretty Shoot,Dallas Wedding Planner,Dallas Wedding Pros,Vintage Outdoor Wedding,Shabby Chic Wedding,Vintage Cameras,Vintage Hair Accessories

Vendor Spotlight – Amy Karp Photography

By Kelly Simants

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)!

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!) :)

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

 

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.

 

Ryan Li Jeff Langhammer of DFW Wedding Videographer and Celina Gomez

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.

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

Dallas Vendor Spotlight - Soulbox Productions

One of my favorite aspects of being a Wedding Planner is that I'm able to meet with some incredibly talented and fun vendors. I recently had the chance to meet up with Dave and Corbin Baxter of Soulbox Productions (pictured above), a husband and wife videography team in Dallas. I love it when I meet with people and have an instant connection - that's how I felt with Dave and Corbin! We sat and talked about the wedding industry, our businesses, and got to know each other and before we knew it 2 hours had passed! They are both super down to earth, and are extremely passionate about what they do. Not to mention, their film making capabilities are unparalleled - they are one of the few to offer Super 8 film to create that unique vintage look. I had an opportunity to ask them the following questions about their business so you could get to know them a little bit better - enjoy!

1. How did you get started in the Videography business, and specifically with weddings?
Corbin and I started capturing weddings after filming and producing our first feature length film, Beyond Doors, in 2001. We quit our “corporate jobs” and started filming weddings fulltime in 2004.

2. What is your typical day like as a Wedding Videographer on the day of the wedding, and also on a non-wedding day?
On a wedding day, our coverage is typically 8 hours, which includes 2 hours of pre ceremony, ceremony and up to a 4 hour reception. We film every wedding, whether it’s a Super 8mm Full Film or Digital Coverage with two cinematographers, which allows Corbin and me to work together the majority of the time. We are extremely lucky that the majority of our clients have Professional Wedding Planners, which makes our day so much easier. A non-wedding day we’re in front of our computers editing and replying to inquiries. Corbin and I pride ourselves on the quality of our wedding films (the real magic happens in post production, which is anywhere from 40-60 hours) and our customer service. We reply to all our inquiries within 24 hours.

3. What would you say makes your style or personality unique from other Videographers?
We offer Super 8mm as a highlight or a Full Film wedding. Capturing a wedding in super 8 is incredibly freeing creatively, and it also provides our brides with a completely unique Wedding Film. We also provide Bonus Features (add-ons) that know one else offers. The most popular is the Honeymoon Highlight. We provide the bride and groom with a one-time use, portable video camera to take on their honeymoon. We then create a Honeymoon Highlight by also incorporating their photos, which allows our brides and grooms to have their honeymoon conveniently on their Wedding DVD.

4. What are some of your favorite video highlights from your portfolio?

One of our favorites is our most recent Highlight from Christina and Clay’s Full Film Wedding:
http://www.soulboxproductions.com/blog/?page_id=41

5. Favorite tips or advice for the bride and grooms to be?
Hire a Professional Wedding Planner! Corbin and I got married 10 years ago, we were the first of our friends to get married and I so wish we would’ve had a wedding planner. Not only do they make everything easier on you and your friends and family (and vendors) day of, but you learn etiquette, budget planning and they are a wonderful resource for vendors beforehand.
And then hire a Professional Wedding Filmmaker. It’s astonishing to us that over 60% of weddings don’t have professional filmmakers as a part of the day. Your friend or Uncle Bob will not provide you near the quality of work: they won’t have a wireless mic to capture your vows, the knowledge of what to capture or how to work with your vendors. We have actually had clients that didn’t book us, contact us upset that they didn’t have a way to remember their wedding. Along with photography, your wedding film is the only way to relive your day.
We also tell our potential clients, if everything else is equal, always select the vendors that you connect with the best.

6. When you aren’t working, what are some of your favorite things to do?
Watch movies, listen to music, travel and work on our side-projects. We are currently developing board games. We have two working prototypes:
I Quit! – Beat Corporate America At It’s Own Game
I Know Why… The craziest, wackiest card game ever (which is a children’s card game that allows them to use their imagination while learning fun facts)
We are also developing a wedding/honeymoon card game, which is currently titled It Takes 2!

7. What are some of your favorite venues in the DFW area, and why?
* Royal Lane Baptist Church. They allow one of our cameras to be in the front without being seen. (Being unobtrusive is one of our main goals of the day.)
* United Methodist of Dallas is an extremely ornate and beautiful church.
* Arlington Hall is a wonderful location for both a ceremony and reception (we find that same location weddings make it so much easier for everyone).
* Hickory Street Annex is a recently new location for both ceremony and reception that has an amazing urban chic feel.

We also love destination weddings, which allow us to be inspired by locations we’ve never experienced before. Destination weddings also fit perfectly with the Super 8mm Full Film Coverage!

Thanks so much Dave and Corbin - looking forward to working with you!!

Adorable Bridesmaids Gift Idea!

Posted by Kelly Simants

Are you looking for a unique bridesmaids gift idea, or a super fun clutch for you to use on your wedding day? Check out an incredible store called Cahoots Handbags, which offers custom, hand-sewn, and virtually one-of-a-kind handbags. These bags are all made from vintage fabrics and unique buttons, in tiny quantities, so it's rare you'll see more than 3 or 4 of the same edition. If you have a certain color or design in mind, they can create your very own handbag edition! This is especially great if you would like the handbags or clutches to compliment your bridesmaids dresses, your wedding gown, etc. You could also give each of your bridesmaids a totally different style or color that reflects their own personality! The other amazing thing about these bags is they are all made with love by only two people, store owners Marsha and Paige.

Here are a few examples of their exquisite handbags:

I love these bridal clutches!

And, last but not least...my sweet bride from this past weekend generously gave me this beautiful handbag...notice it's pink and green to represent our Sweet Pea colors! :) Thanks Carrie! I LOVE it! We will be posting pictures from her gorgeous wedding shortly!
If you are in Texas, you can visit the Cahoots Handbags boutique Monday-Saturday from 10 am - 5 pm. They are located at 205 South Commerce, just off the courthouse square in Gainsville, TX. If you reside outside of Texas, you can purchase the bags online! Enjoy!

Custom Invitations, Announcements, & Stationery - The Event Messenger

If you are looking for custom invitations, thank you notes, escort cards, or anything paper related and are in the Dallas-Fort Worth area then you must meet Carrie Foiles of The Event Messenger! She creates one-of-a-kind, intricate invitations for weddings, baby showers, holiday parties, you name it - really anything that requires a celebration! Her work is simply gorgeous, and she is a ball of energy which is just contagious! Carrie is so much fun to work with and her clients are never disappointed.

Carrie is also passionate about being green and incorporating environmentally sound practices into her business model. The paper she sources has at least 10% post-consumer waste and most of the paper is more than 30% post-consumer waste. She also uses electronic invoicing, and her studio is a home based business with electricity powered by a green electric company. Check out her green resources page on her website for additional info!


Carrie is a huge supporter of women in business, and is active in the Junior League in Arlington and Mansfield Chamber of Commerce. Be sure to check out more images from Carrie's work on her website at The Event Messenger!

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.

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...