West Michigan weddings

Giving Credit Where Credit is Due

0 · Oct 6, 2014 ·

I adore my photographer friends. The amount of artistic talent, stamina and imagination it takes in their profession is truly admirable. It is because of their camera knowledge and skill that my work is able to shine and I appreciate each and every one that works with me and shares pictures from events that we have worked together.

I also read several photography blogs on a somewhat regular basis. While I personally have no desire to be a photographer, I like to see their perspective of the wedding industry and always take note on how I can better myself as well. It is not uncommon for me though, as I’m skimming through their blogs to come across a post or comment about their work being either credited improperly or someone else using their work as their own. In addition, with the increasing popularity of Instagram (which is probably my very favorite social media), I often see rants about how important it is to credit their pictures on this platform as well.

While I feel that they have every right to get into a tizzy over this issue, I can’t help but want to cry out and share my side of the story. What about the other artist? Shouldn’t they be credited properly too? After all, it’s their bouquet in the picture, their dress, their makeup, their hairstyle or calligraphy… and the list can really go on and on.

I do everything I can to properly credit people’s work. I get a little upset when I see a picture of a really lovely floral arrangement that I’ve created captioned with only a photographer credit – which happened again just this morning as I was mindlessly scrolling through Instagram. And I personally struggle with calling the person out on it or not, especially when the caption on the photos is about how lovely the bouquet is. Why is the photographer always the main focus? Is it because their voice is so much stronger or is it something else.

So where do we draw the line? Should every picture we see on this grand old web be captioned with 20 different vendor credits? Or do we just pick the main one and people can dig for more? Why do I see so many photographer’s wedding posts stating the location of the wedding, but nothing else? I want to know who catered it, who her dress is by and who created that fabulous cake. This is our portfolio, our “word of mouth” marketing and how we make ourselves known throughout this world wide web. Shouldn’t we all give credit where credit is due?

Pictured above: me — fixing her veil and making sure her hair is perfect so Heather Cisler Photography has something gorgeous to photograph 🙂

Inspiring a Brand

0 · May 13, 2014 ·

I want a brand inspired by the beautiful things that surround me every day. I love natural elements and think that nature provides the best color palettes. But it’s not just nature that surrounds me, its family, love, my home and those who I hold dear.

I love walking into a venue or space and feeling completely overwhelmed with its beauty – it can be a bank, a ballroom or a walk in the park. Inspiration is everywhere. I have an extremely hard time defining my style because I love it all! And personal details make my heart go pitter patter.

I was asked to pick 3 words to either describe my brand or how I’d like my brand to be perceived. However, this has truly proven to be a difficult task. I adore garden inspired parties with relaxed blooms and casual elegance. But black tie affairs with lush gowns and overflowing florals get me pretty geeked as well. And if you want to talk unique venues in urban spaces or lofty environments, well I can dive right into that conversation too! Modern, retro, vintage, woodsy & natural and yet classic? I can’t pick!

I do however, have some design staples or rules that seem to always apply to my events.

Include a natural element. Even super modern and clean events should include something from nature, just to soften and add some realness to the space and prevent it from feeling too stark. Some examples might be natural wood, leafy greens or even flowers. Burlap, bamboo and other natural fibers are also great choices.

A touch of black will add depth to the space. While not everything in my portfolio has something black in it, I do think this a good rule of thumb to remember. It doesn’t have to be something big, it can be as simple as the writing on your menus, but just that slight touch will add a little edginess to the overall design.

A girl can never have too much sparkle. Or maybe you can – sometimes less truly is more. But either way, I like to incorporate something shiny into all of my designs, I just can’t help myself! I think the contrast sequins or glitter provide against a raw and natural birch bark is amazing! And glitz kind of makes me weak at the knees! Isn’t this why we adore chandeliers hanging in trees so much??

And I’m a little bit fancy. I don’t really care much for mundane and ordinary things. So I add a pop of fancy and unexpected. While I definitely love my tattered and torn blue jeans, collection of heels is pretty rocking too. The two combined just make me saw “wow”.

Remember this shoot I put together last summer with Bradley James Photography? I tried to capture all of the above and while my style is in constant evolution, I think this does a pretty great job of telling my story.

The Romance Shoot

0 · Mar 12, 2014 ·

Dreaming of warmer weather and some romance? Ladies, I’ve teamed teamed up with some of Grand Rapids’ finest to make you feel amazing, pampered and pretty! Introducing “The Romance Shoot”.

Think whimsical romance, with soft colors and lots of texture in a gorgeous country landscape. Helena DeYoung will enhance your beauty with awesome hair and make-up, and Kellie Hetler will capture it with her amazing photography. Styling and props will be my responsibility with visions of draping curtains, a wrought iron bed, floral garlands and crowns all coming to life. Pictured is just a hint of what we have up our sleeves… although this is definitely the snowy version!

These sessions will take place in the warmth of May and are perfect for boudoir, maternity or anyone else who wants to feel pretty because after all, EVERY girl deserves to feel BEAUTIFUL!

Contact myself or Kellie for more details!

Focus on the Controllable

0 · Feb 21, 2014 ·

Life spins out of control pretty fast. Sometimes it seems like just stops and makes a complete 180 from where I thought it was initially headed. And the worst part? It’s completely out of my control!

There are so many factors and variables that I deal with on a day to day basis, that I really have no say in, that it can absolutely drive a person bonkers. Yup, I said it BONKERS!! Business and personal life included: the weather, my clients, no response from an email, that new event planner in town, the fact that it’s raining inside my house (yes, I’m still dealing with that!) I can’t take it anymore!!!!

Solution: focus on the controllable. It’s as simple as that. Why do we spend so much time stressing and worrying about things that we have absolutely, positively no power over?

So here we go, this is how it’s all going to relate:

In business:

I’m a business owner (if you were previously unaware of this, we have some catching up to do!). I cannot make brides choose certain packages or services. I cannot make them work with myself or any other vendor. I have no say in whether or not they even get married. I also cannot dictate how many others decide to set up shop and also become wedding planners in my market. There is no way to prevent them from snatching brides away from me, undercutting my pricing or even possessing more creative ability than I do.

What I can do is focus my marketing efforts towards to brides I want to attract. I can put my best foot forward and continue to live my dream and hope others will recognize and appreciate my talents. I can hand out lots of business cards and introduce myself to everyone I see.

In wedding planning:

Spoiler alert – something unexpected WILL happen at your wedding. Wedding planner or not, something will not go exactly as planned. It might be something minor, it might be a bigger deal. You cannot control the weather, your guests, traffic, illness and the hundreds of other variables that come into play.

However, you can hire a planner and professional vendors and try to cover all your bases. Make sure you have communicated your desires as much as possible. You can be aware of the weather report and have umbrellas on stand-by. Be smart about the vendors you hire, if they have horrible reviews or you don’t like them, you don’t have to work with them – even if they were recommended by a friend or relative.

In life:

Manage the manageable. Live one day, one moment at a time. Take nothing for granted. I don’t know if a hurricane is going to sweep through here tomorrow and blow my house down (with this crazy Michigan weather, it wouldn’t even surprise me!). But what I can do is prepare and make sure that I’m smart and I build my house of bricks, rather than straw. My dining room might be completely disheveled, but I can keep the rest of my house tidy, just to save a bit of sanity.

Here I go back to this old saying “Do what you can with what you have”. Make the best of the situations and resources you have right in front of you. I mean really, what more can you do? Oh, and take a deep breathe… one must not forget to breath and let life happen.

Have a great weekend! Weather permitting I’m skipping off to Traverse City to meet with a bride, yeehaw!!

PS – And to add a touch of romance, that lovely image up there was captured by Chelsea Seekell Photography for your viewing enjoyment. You can see the whole wedding here.

West Michigan weddings

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