Tag: chandelier

It’s been nearly six years, but I still remember the day Seattle Met first asked me to style a shoot for their magazine.  I was blown away that they were interested in featuring me, and I was proud to have my work printed in a magazine; such a dream come true.  I was excited (and really nervous) to prepare that fall inspired shoot- I hardly even slept the night before.  But, I nailed it  (at least I think I did…) and then anxiously waited for the issue to hit the stands. It was such a sweet feeling of victory and success seeing my published work. That was my first magazine photo shoot, and it was a really big deal to me.Over the years, I have been blessed with more opportunities to contribute to other publications, including national features in Brides, The Knot, and Martha Stewart.  Although I am so thankful for those opportunities to have national exposure, there still is nothing quite like getting called by the ladies of Seattle Met when they ask if I want to contribute to the next issue.Seattle Met started their publication around the same time I started my business. We were new together.  When other publications wouldn’t even give me the time of day, Seattle Met took me under their wings and provided opportunity upon opportunity to contribute to their pages.  The exposure they gave me grew my business by leaps and bounds and they directly played a part in our success today.Although I no longer get as nervous and anxious for a shoot as I did that first time, I still get just as excited to collaborate with Seattle Met, and I impatiently wait for the new issue to hit the stands. Being featured with them is an honor and will always be a big deal.

Make sure to pick up their current issue to see our French inspired shoot, and check back on our blog later this week for more images of the details of this shoot.

One of the many joys in marriage that I’ve found is embracing my husband’s talents and the ways that he is different than me. My series ‘How to Marry a Wedding Planner’ provides snapshots of the amusement and delight I find in my marriage with a wedding planner.Steve’s twenties were spent very differently than mine. I love hearing the stories of elegant dinner parties he threw in college; and when he shows me the various décor pieces he bought in his late teens and early twenties, I can’t help but chuckle a little bit. Seriously, what college guy spends his money on fancy linens for dinner parties and high-end home décor?

I guess it worked out well for me though, the girl who spent her money at Forever 21, on hair dye and nights out with friends.

When we met, I was 25 years old and living in a quirky sixth floor walk up apartment in NYC, spending over half my monthly salary on rent. I was starting to feel like a grown up, making purchases on home furnishings (from IKEA, obviously). I vividly remember feeling like I had officially entered adulthood when I brought home a teeny tiny yellow potted orchid from a street fair on the Upper East Side. Grown-ups have orchids, I thought. Look at me, spending money on things to make my home pretty. That orchid was like a rite of passage. I was a grown up. Or so I thought. Then I married a wedding designer who opened up my world to a beautiful lifestyle. A year and a half into our marriage, we decided to make the move to Seattle from Bellingham, Wash. We had a short window of opportunity before the peak of wedding season hit, so we decided to go for it this past April. In moving, we traded in a 950 sq. foot 2-bedroom condo + commercial studio space in Bellingham for a 663 sq. foot 1-bedroom apartment in Seattle. Just a little downsize, but I’ve always liked small spaces. After we signed the lease, we visited the vacant apartment a few times together to brainstorm how we’d like to use the space. We wanted the 663 sq. feet to be a place we could work, entertain, host client meetings, relax and rest, have friends over and feel like a home. We sat on the wood floor of the empty apartment for awhile, realizing how small of a space it actually was and thought long and hard about if it’d be weird not having a big couch in the living room, but a table instead. We opted for the table. Given his career, aesthetic and love for design, it’s a given that Steve takes the lead on decorating our home. He has such a natural innate talent for decorating and can select pieces from flea markets, Restoration Hardware, Goodwill, Target and Anthropologie and put them together in a way that’s both cohesive and eclectic. On any given day, our home could be scattered with grey pumpkins from the flower market, be filled with freshly spray-painted trees, or be rearranged in some new furniture configuration. That’s what’s neat about being married to a designer, our home is a palette for creativity and design, and I love that.But what I love most about our place is that it feels cozy and like a private hideaway just for the two of us. Whenever one of us bakes anything, the yummy smells seem to stick around forever since the place is so small. And it really is small. Let’s just say that Steve and I live and work together in very close quarters. Sometimes when we’re rushing to get ready in the morning and both of us are in the bathroom, one slight misstep could easily result in a shaved off eyebrow or a severe burn by my curling wand. But, I love our 663 sq. feet and think it’s the perfect place for us. And check back soon for the recipe for these peanut butter cookies Steve made.  They seriously are the best you’ll ever have.

photo credit: Matthew Land Studios

When Jamie joined the business, I felt it was important to change things around so everything felt like ‘ours’ and not just ‘mine’.   So, in addition to changing the name, the logo and the website, and I knew it was time to change the location.

The past 5 years I have been working out of a studio that I was very proud of; it was my first professional space and it helped me grow my business to what it had become. I loved the garage roll-up doors that opened onto the courtyard, the beautiful hardwood floors and the professional edge it gave me. I never thought I would want another space.

Then we moved the design production studio to Carriage Hill Farm, and I couldn’t be happier with our decision.  It is one of the most peaceful places I have ever been, and for the first time in years I feel a whole new inspiration come over me and an excitement for designing. It is located near many of the farms where our flowers grow, and positioned in a central location so we can have easy access to all of the wedding venues we work at.   I absolutely love our new site.

We made some macarons and a cake, put together some flowers (not to mention picking the coldest day of the year) and invited Belathee  Photography  out to the farm to shoot these photos so we could give you a glimpse into our world.

And, I have to say this…  What’s even better than the farm itself are the people who own it. Lynne and Gerald Baron define the term ‘power-couple’.  Lynne is a gifted designer and Gerald is a brilliant businessman and artist.  Their home and property is like a museum of beauty.

What makes them even more special to me is the impact that Lynne has had on my life.  Ten years ago, when I was still in college, Lynne hired me to design and construct her daughter’s wedding gown.  Why she took a chance on someone with very little experience I’ll never know, but what she did was take me under her wing and introduce me to the world of event design and the people I needed to know to get my business started. She offered her garage for me to work in, her keen eye for detail, and the encouragement to keep going even when I was discouraged.  She inspired me to design and to bring personality into each event. Our business would likely not be where it is today if I had never met Lynne, and I am forever grateful.