Category Archives: wedding planning

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Vendor Profile: Nicole Mae Paper Design

July 3, 2008 – 11:57 pm

I’m so excited for Nicole.  She’s taken that big leap between moving on from her day job to opening her invitation design company full time.  I first met Nicole last year when they invited me to document their gorgeous Woodinville wedding (see her gorgeous mug here!).  Of course, she had top notch invite and program design-she had designed them herself.  We actually went to the Art Institute together, but never crossed paths, although I recognized some of her guests at the wedding as old classmates.  Actually, they recognized me… and after 7 years I couldn’t believe how quickly they picked me out!  Nicole has been designing ever since those old school days, but still loved her job as a photo director at Macy’s, and she was torn between both careers.  She finally decided to take the leap, and she is making a splash.  Check out this gorgeous design of hers, I love the shade of green ;)

 

 

Love how she incorporated her client’s personal proposal story into the design of this one:

And for her own, she even included little stickers for guests to choose from to put on their calendars to mark the date:

Take a look around at her site- and if you’re in the industry, you’ll be seeing a lot of her in the next few months as she makes the rounds and introduces herself at all the hip happy hours!  Stay tuned for her blog too, she’s itching to write!!  Luck Nicole!!  www.nmpaperdesign.com

By Laurel | Tagged , | Comments (2)

The Surprise Proposal: Andrea & Carlos

April 19, 2008 – 3:24 pm

Here’s the story as Andrea thinks it is: she’s flying from New York, where she lives, to Seattle, where she grew up, for her mother’s retirement party. Her boyfriend Carlos really wants to go, as he loves loves loves her family, but he just can’t tear himself away from work. So Andrea and her mom are to arrive at 6 at the Columbia Tower in downtown Seattle before the dinner starts. And woah, there’s a photographer there who wants to take her mom’s picture for the newsletter. And then her mom has to go give a quick interview, but none of the family is there yet, so Andrea has to wait in this nice little private dining room to the side while mom is being interviewed and the larger room is being set up. And this weird photographer sure is bossy, trying to keep her in the room by herself… What could be taking the family so long to park the car??!!

Here’s the story as Carlos knows it, and what is really going on: He wants to propose to his girlfriend, who he just thinks is the bees knees. For months, he and her family has been lying like crazy to get Andrea to fly across the country so that he can propose to her in her home town. He flew to Seattle right before she did, nearly running into her at the airport since his flight was delayed, and was lucky enough to be able to stay with Andrea’s sister while taking care of all the final details. He has the whole Columbia Tower staff in on it- there is even a sign at the entrance to the Tower Club that states what ballroom the “United Airlines Retirement Dinner” is in! With months of careful planning, and a whole lotta nervousness, Carlos finally enters the room.

Andrea is quite confused about the whole thing- first to see her boyfriend there. Then, that he’s proposing to her during her mom’s retirement dinner. Then, that there is no retirement dinner and the family really isn’t looking for parking, and finally, that yes, she got all dressed up just for this. There is no dinner, no retirement even. Just a guy asking his girl to marry him, holding a stunning and sparkling marquis diamond ring, what she’s always dreamed of.

Here’s a slide show of the moments leading up to the big one, a mini impromptu engagement session right afterward when they’re still all aglow with happiness, and finally, the brunch with the whole fam the next morning.

Thank you Carlos and Andrea, so so much, for letting me document this incredible moment for you. It was so exciting being in on the big secret and watching the events unfold, especially Andrea’s confusion at it all. And I’ll never forget what you said, Andrea, when Carlos pulled out your ring, “Where DID you get THAT?!”

Because, alas, Andrea does work at Tiffany’s, so she KNOWS rings ;)

By Laurel | Also posted in engagements | Tagged , , , | Comments (9)

Trash The Dress: “Leavin’ Las Vegas” style!

March 22, 2008 – 8:16 pm

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I looooove the desert. If you know me well enough, you know that it reminds me of where I grew up. So when I heard about this Leavin’ Las Vegas shoot the last day of the WPPI conference, I was so in.

The folks that put a name to the Trash the Dress trend (you know, the fun day after sessions that we can have after your wedding, where we can do stuff and try things that we normally wouldn’t on the wedding day??) and people from Don’t Box Us In planned a day of fashion models and real brides in Nevada’s Red Rocks Canyon. We got to shoot alongside photographers such as Mark Eric, Jason Domingues, Tana Huffman, Sofie Louca from Amorphia Photography, John Michael Cooper, Mike Fulton from Tri Coast Photography, David Beckstead, and Anne Ruthmann.

Here is a video documenting the Leavin’ Las Vegas Shootout from Patrick Moreau and our cinematography friends at Still Motion.

We had such a great time (me and at least nine others from Seattle). Not only did we take home some awesome images, but we also got some fancy sunburn patterns, scratches from the cactuses (Gerald wins that contest, he sat on it just like in the old Warner Bros. cartoons!), lil miss hottie Jenna from JFK Photography modeled among the pros, and more fun memories from Vegas!

So… you current and former brides of mine, give me a jingle and we can plan some Day After shoots of our own in and around Seattle! Or heck, I’m up for a road trip to the desert if you are!!

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By Laurel | Also posted in new products, travel | Tagged , , , , | Comments (1)

Come Visit Me at Semiahmoo!

February 8, 2008 – 10:57 am

Bridal fairs really aren’t my bag. They’re overwhelming, noisy, kinda cheesey, and by the end of the day you swear you will never attend another one again. On the other hand, there is a rising number of smaller boutique bridal fairs popping up that are more intimate, fun, and most importantly, only a couple of hours long :)

So when I was invited to join them for the Fifth Annual Bridal Fair up at Semiahmoo Resort for their intimate gathering, I was excited! Semiahmoo Resort has been voted Best Destination Wedding Venue by the readers of Seattle Bride Magazine repeatedly, and is a beautiful place for some r&r. On the beach of cute little Canadian border town of Blaine, Washington, Semiahmoo Resort has a golf course and a spa, and a variety of rooms, docks, and patios to have your ceremony. I had the pleasure to photograph Carrie and Adam’s super fun wedding there this last summer, and loved every minute of it!

The bridal fair is next Sunday the 17th of February, so if you’re even remotely considering a destination wedding, or a local wedding if you’re in the North end of the state, come by and visit us! It’s only a couple of hours from Seattle, after all, and afterward, you can cross the border (don’t forget your passport) and go shopping at White Rock. Kelly and I will be there all day (in fact, we’ll be heading up Saturday to stay as guests and really experience what the resort has to offer!), and we’d love to chat with you in between the site tours, fashion show, and tastings! They prefer if you RSVP so that they can plan their goody bags, so do it and come visit!!

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By Laurel | Tagged , , | Comments (0)