Romantic Michigan Wedding by Julie Harmsen Photography {Lindsey + Ryan}

One of the things I first told myself when I started my business, was never to forget how important it is to maintain solid relationships with my clients, long after fulfilling my role as their wedding planner. I tell my clients, that as much as they are making a financial investment in me and instilling an enormous amount of faith in my services, I too make an extremely large emotional investment in them; and do my best to find that tricky balance between wedding professional and wow-that-girl-with-the-clip-board-really-does-super-duper-care-about-us-as-people-and-not-just-clients. I want to be there for them physically, and mentally, and the bottom line is, I love my clients. More than anything, I want them to shine on their big day.

Lindsey and Ryan came into my life not too long ago when I was asked to help with their wedding. I told Linds in our first few emails that she'd be getting married the day after my birthday; and she wrote back "Awesome! I'm getting married on my birthday." And just like that I knew there was something about Linds, something that I knew I was going to love long after the last guest would go home the night of her wedding. I knew it then and I really know it now but Lindsey and Ryan, you both make me feel so incredibly lucky to do what I do. Your wedding was absolutely magical, the most perfect reflection of your love and it was an honour being a part of it. Thank you for believing in me, for being so kind and most of all, for being you.

To check out Lindsey and Ryan's big day, head over the the Wedding Chicks blog where the sweet Amy and Jocey are showing off all of the eye candy today (thank you so much, girls!) And I must add none of this would have been possible without the talent and hard work of Julie from Julie Harmsen Photography. I'm not sure if you remember my little shriek fest via Twitter when I found out I'd be working with Julie, but the good news is she's like 32074x as sweet in real life as she is in my imagination. Thanks Julie for the fabulous evening and stunning images. I can't wait to see you in just a few short weeks! 

Shall we start the day off with some fabulously "something blue" Badgley Mischka heels? Why, of course! 

Signature drink: Haterade. Recipe: Equal parts lemonade, vodka, and sprite. Garnished with a candy lemon slice. Yes please.

Lindsey's Dad, Buck (who may I add is such a sweet Dad and totally told Linds to just relax and let me do my job :) was a pilot back in the day. The stickers, pins and buttons in the vintage suitcase actually belonged to him during his career. And the vintage suitcases that were used to house the newlywed's cards belonged to Lindsey's Mom when she first went off to college (uhm I think I needed a uHaul to get myself off to college in one piece.) And all of the postcards in the top suitcase were ones that Ryan had sent to Lindsey over the many years of their long distance relationship. I know, major cuteness right here.

Linds and her Dad, Buck were so sweet with one another all day. I definitely had tears in my eyes when they walked down the aisle together. Lindsey and Ryan decided not to do a First Look (ohmygosh I can't believe I am saying this but I think I am starting to lean more in favor of the traditional 'walk down the aisle for a first look' version) and instead had an hour and a half cocktail hour to give them plenty of time for photos and mingling with their guests. They really got the best of both worlds.

Making it official. And swooning over those to die for bridesmaid's bouquets against charcoal gray bridesmaid's frocks.

Belle, the floral dog. She did so well! And that fur coat? Belonged to Lindsey's Grandmother. Sweet, right?

I love this next little series. The light that afternoon was absolutely perfect and Lindsey's veil (which was the same one her Mother wore on her own wedding day years ago) made for some stunning photos. Linds and Ryan please get this one photo made into a canvas because it is far too fab-u-lous for words! And if you don't I may have to. Which could be a tad awkward.

Pink nails. And a bouquet sent down from the flower Gods. It's official. I really may have to get a canvas myself.

After a little cocktail party it was on to le dinner. Have I told you how much I adore those brass chandeliers at the Kent Country Club? Here let me tell you. I love, like love those brass chandeliers. They're so vintage chic and gave the room that little extra va va voom for dinner time. I sort of secretly wished that guests could take em home as favors at the end of the night (and by guests I really only mean the wedding planner). Gail from GVL Floral did all the stunning arrangements and various centerpieces; as always she was a complete pleasure to work with. Guests also got to take home the pussy willow, ranunculus, and rose adorned arrangements at the end of the night which was a huge hit. Believe me. I was there and I saw people's faces light up when I said they were ready for a new home! One minor adorable detail too; in lieu of favors the newlyweds made a donation to the Humane Society and then named each one of their guests tables after dogs that are up for adoption; I giggled setting up the table names when I came across names like "Skittles" and "Topanga." A little Boy Meets World, anyone?

Linds really wanted the cake set up to feel much like a console table of family photos that you'd find in someones home. Wedding photos of parents, siblings and great grandparents from both Lindsey and Ryan's sides of the family, sat on either side of the three-tiered spice cake that sat atop an old vintage table. Did I tell you all how tasty that cake was? Oh no? Well it was tasty my friends. I can never ever resist a piece of wedding cake. Ever.

And because no wedding is complete without a stuffed owl (inside joke) and a surprise birthday cake (obviously).

I also owe a ginormous thank you and hug to Kara, my sweet assistant who helped orchestrate such an incredibly smooth event. She was on top of everything and anything when I needed her and I cannot express how much it meant to me to have her there working with me; I am crossing my fingers that this was only the first of many weddings working with Kara. Cause let's face it, are we not the best stand-in bridesmaids you've ever seen?

Head over here and here today to check out the rest of the photos and a complete vendor list from Lindsey and Ryan's big day! 

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Why Styled Shoots Won't Ever Fade Away

I find that one of the tough parts of having a blog and a business that work hand in hand is trying to justify your own way of doing things. One person may tweet this and one may blog that and all of a sudden you might stop in your tracks only to find yourself reevaluating your goals, your plan of action, your way of making things work for you. I know that as much as I believe whole heartedly in myself, as a newcomer to the industry I often find myself overwhelmed with the amount of learning I have yet to do. However there is one thing I am sure of.

One stat that has emerged from engage11 and really has me feeling slightly defeated is that "brides are not embracing styled shoots." (I do realize this is a convention for luxury brides which is a clientele I am not trying to reach out to). As someone who was once up to her eyeballs in endless amounts of 'inspirational' wedding photos during my engagement, I can see both sides of this discussion. For brides with tight budgets and limited resources it's defeating to see perfectly styled shoots knowing you'll never be able to create something as structured. And I totally get that a real wedding where a ceremony takes place and a union is made, where there's an actual guest list and a meal being served is extremely different logistically than say a styled shoot organized by a planner/florist/designer/photographer. I agree that no wedding vendor should ever advertise to potential clients that these shoots are in fact real weddings. Because well, they're not.

However. And this is a big however. When you go into business as a wedding stylist and coordinator or start a business venture with goals of styling events (i.e. designing the aesthetics of a wedding and making your design concept come to life on the big day), and you have yet to build a portfolio, have zero proof of your talents, haven't had the opportunity to showcase your abilities, or even worse, have actually booked clients but they haven't given you full reign to style their event to reflect your talents - then where is an aspiring wedding stylist to turn to? What about wedding stylists and coordinators who are trying to set forth new trends, trying to freshen up their portfolio, trying to work with new talent in the industry? What are they suppose to do? When I officially started Hey Gorgeous Events just eight months ago I had only my wedding photos for my portfolio. Which is great. But I knew I'd need something more to add to my portfolio to speak to brides.

Inspiration shoots are a lot of work. But speaking from a stylist's point of view, they are in my opinion one of the best ways to showcase the talents of various vendors and hands down, until you can lock in brides who trust your vision entirely, one of the only ways to have complete control over the creativity that goes into creating wedding-type portfolio images. And while there's no guests eating and drinking and celebrating at a styled shoot, there are still time constraints, unpredictable weather conditions, vendors who cancel last minute, scheduling conflicts, flowers, invitations, cake, decor, a venue, a photographer, a model, a gown, accessories, favors, a videographer involved (and the list goes on and on) that are just as real as they would be at a 'real wedding.' And that is why I 100% believe in styled shoots. And will continue to do them.

The stylist in me doesn't spend months preparing for inspiration shoots and collaborating with 12 plus vendors with the mindset that my efforts are strictly for potential clients. Instead I create these opportunities for myself, and for the others who instill their faith in me to organize such endeavors, because I enjoy doing so. That and it's an amazing networking opportunity for all involved AND most importantly, these shoots allow us the freedom to showcase our work, talents and abilities. Which in turn ends up being both a benefit for us and a benefit for potential clients or brides who will forever as long as the industry exists, be on the look out for new inspiration. A win win for all.

I'd love to hear from both brides to be and stylists below! Please play nice.
Above photo by Beth Kaye, from my first inspiration shoot. That helped launch my business.

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My Office Redo {Part 3}

I have a confession for you guys. My office also known as Hey Gorg Headquarters (ha!) is pretty much done. Meaning I have an awesome new girl cave space to hang out in, do work in and if need be, have meetings with my brides in. I am currently waiting on a few more details to perfect the look and a custom framing order to come in but I have to say it's the cutest space in our entire apartment. I feel so at peace in my office and just love what the room represents to me. The cave will be getting her photos taken (yeah I referred to it as 'her') the first week of June so by the end of next month I should have some official photos to share with you. Here I thought I'd share the last little bit of progress I've made without giving away too much!

A few weeks ago Andrew tried to help me hang a white IKEA shelf on my pink wall. I really wanted the wall directly behind my desk to have a shelf and pretty print on it. However, due to how ghetto our apartment truly is, we found the wall bowed really deeply in the middle making it impossible to fasten the shelf onto the wall. So after I sulked for about two point five minutes I decided the shelf could call the gray wall home. See? Isn't my husband such a diligent girl cave helper outter?

So while husband worked on hanging the shelf, I got to work on unwrapping my newest office purchase; my two knock off acrylic cradle chairs from Overstock. I was pretty stoked to get these in the mail and couldn't wait to put them together. In my head they seemed like the perfect addition to my girl cave, providing a little bit of retro in an otherwise very feminine and soft space. They were $200.00 for the set and I thought they'd be great because I could clean them easily and if they needed to be moved, they were easy enough to put somewhere else.

But once they were set up, I wasn't really feeling them. They were too white against the rest of my furniture. And too plastic. And I hated how you could see through the base of them to where plugs and other things I would rather remain hidden would be (I am a cord snob and do my best to always hide them whenever I can). So while husband played with Yurchenko like a good Dad, I sat and tried super duper hard to make myself like these chairs because after all, they took a good hour to put together and no one likes having to return big purchases like this. I actually sat for about an hour stewing over my decision.

But I didn't like em. And couldn't make myself like em. So I rearranged the room. Switched the desk and lamp. Moved the bookcase. And tried to make the chairs work. I sat in the corner of the room trying to visualize everything together but yet again I was completely stumped on what to do; nothing seemed to work and nothing felt completely right. I didn't know where my tea cart would go now and I would still have the problem of my lamp cord being visible through the wire base of the chairs. My problem was starting to look like it wasn't a matter of where the chairs would go but rather, if the chairs should stay.

So any guesses what I did next? :) Can't wait for the big reveal so soon!

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Lindsey + Ryan {Wedding Teaser by Julie Harmsen Photography}

I woke up this morning with bloody blisters (not bloody like I'm trying to sound British or anything) but literally bloody cuts on my toes, a headache like I was hungover and a hot mess of a hair style only to find I had a huge smile plastered across my face. Then I opened my email to find this little gem of a photo below and all I could feel was a complete sense of happiness for being able to experience last night. I don't think a wedding could have run more flawlessly than Lindsey and Ryans. I have so much more to say about yesterday but for now, congratulations you two, on your new journey together, your new life and as we've come to call it, on starting ' the beginning.' It was an absolute honour to be a part of your big day; I'll never ever forget it.

And below I have for you a pretty little teaser shot straight from the lens of the rad Julie Harmsen. Have I told you how excited I was to be working with her? I cannot wait to blog the rest of this wedding when the photos are ready because I know you're going to just love em. Thanks Julie for being such an awesome chick and vendor to work with (and for eating cake with me :)

Enjoy your weekend everyone! I'm getting picked up in an hour for a surprise birthday trip somewhere; eeep!! xoxo

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My Office Redo {Part 2}

Happy Monday everyone. As promised here it is; Part 2 of my office redo efforts (you can catch Part 1 over here). And I've been getting in the ridiculous habit of calling my office the Hey Gorgeous Events headquarters that how much I'm digging this project so far. Yup, almost all 200 square feet of my space is given such a fancy name in my books. How in the world did I become ever so lame? Sigh. Anyway read on and see if you can spot the few changes and additions that have been made. A little I Spy if you will. It'll be fun.

I know what you're thinking though. "But Rhi, not much has changed since your last office redo post!" and to be fair, you're right. Not a whole lot has. I am however trying to keep things somewhat a surprise since I am hoping to have a photog come over to snap some photos of my new space and me in that new space for the new changes I have stored over here. Muahaha. I'm so sneaky sneaky right? Once everything is in place and cleaned up I just know my little office will be equal parts cozy, inspirational and representative of me and my business - three things that were uber important to me before setting out on this revamp endeavor. The walls are 95% finished and the pink wall behind my desk is so adorable and even more perfect that I could have ever imagined. On Sunday, Apb's mom came over to help me fix up the creases where the ceiling meets the walls and I did my best to set up my new book case, put together my new lamp base, and get things organized and in order. So far it is starting to look like something. Something to call my own. And check out that new vintage blue tea cart. I am obsessed with it. And love where it currently sits. Can't wait to show you all the little details!

Don't be too taken aback now by how good I look when I paint.

Some of the things I still need to get are chairs (or one chair) for a sitting area, a small side table, my rhino head from Z Gallerie, a lamp shade for my new lamp, some photos framed for the pink wall, a shelf hung on the pink wall, one last chunk of wall painted (the wall behind the door you can see in the above photo to the left), a mirror for my walk in closest, a trash bucket, and perhaps a carpet for over in my sitting area. Any recommendations for a cheap place to buy pretty chairs or a cheap rug? Do you think a rug would be too busy?

What do you guys think so far? Be honest :) Xo

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My Office Redo {Part 1}

This my friends, is a little awkward. Showing you photos of our little unfurnished, undecorated and rather dingy apartment that is. I feel sort of naked and the photos? Well they just ain't pretty. And I just said ain't. Ew, Rhi. Ew. I gave a little shout out on Twitter asking you guys if you wanted some progress pictures of my attempts to make my first office serve as an inspirational work space and the results sort of blew me away; seems you guys wanna watch this little baby morph into something pretty just as much as I do. Let's go!

This doozie of a room is my office. It's supposed to be the 'master' bedroom in our 1,000 square foot apartment but the layout is tres crappy. There's a bathroom door in one wall which you can see above, an entry door on another, a closet door on a third (where I am standing to take the above photo) and a window on the fourth wall which is off to the right. Our large queen size bed would have had to go under the window had we of decided to make it our master. No thanks. Also, the 'spare' bedroom has bay windows. Which Apb and I love having in our bedroom. So the master has become my girl cave. Three cheers for girl caves everywhere!

Now let me inform you a little on the joys of renting (as if you didn't know). I can't wallpaper anything (sad face), the carpet breaks my heart with it's ugliness (this girl wants hardwood) the doors are dark nasty faux wood (I despise them) and the list goes on. I do realize things could be way worse but I have a weakness for pretty surroundings. So this little project to spruce up my space has become a task of clever design and thinking a bit outside the box; two important qualities of any successful stylist, no? First up: we have the paint. And the painter I hired on contract. Aka my husband. I picked a Martha Stewart gray called Nimbus Cloud for three walls and a Behr pink called First Waltz for the accent wall behind my desk. P.S. I'm not normally as messy as the photo shows. Promise.

The door to my closest directly above, I am hoping to remove and replace with something a bit more neutral like perhaps a curtain or even nothing at all since my closest is fairly organized and my wardrobe is in my opinion a mixture of fun patterns and colours. The desk and chair are both from World Market and my milk glass vase filled with fresh tullies is vintage. And yes indeed that is a pile of approximately 23 Hershey Kisses wrappers from the deliciousness I ate today. Thanks for noticing my chocolate addiction.

Like mentioned above behind me will be my pink accent wall. I picked the wall colours to match my branding and because well, I love em and they continually leave me happy and inspired. Behind me will be a white shelf on the pink wall, filled with various sized frames and canvases of the shoots and weddings I have done. In the corner where you see my husband painting, will be my client area with a seating section, throw rug, side table and cubed IKEA bookcase (I don't care what you say they are affordable and great for organizing tons of your stuff). I have a fun collection of cake stands I am hoping to show off too and a few other quirky plans for making this office pretty cozy so stay tuned for more progress posts! Thoughts so far? Xo

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Lindsey + Ryan {E-Session by Julie Harmsen Photography}

There's a sweetness about Lindsey that's hard to miss when you first meet her. She has an aura about her that makes you feel at ease. She's beautiful. She's clever. And witty. And so warm and friendly all at the same time. When we met for our initial consult a few weeks ago, I got back into my car after our venue tour and coffee date only to feel like I had just said goodbye to a girlfriend. And that's exactly what I love so much about my job. Is meeting people like Lindsey who I instantly connect with and can't help but adore.

But perhaps that's why Ryan fell head over heels in love with Lindsey during their senior year of high school. They started as friends, meeting for the first time during a photo session prior to a homecoming dance. But Lindsey knew it was more than that. She knew she'd be Ryan's girlfriend before the end of dinner that night. And coming from a girl who knows what she wants, she was right. That friendship turned into a relationship and that relationship turned into love and Lindsey and Ryan went from high school love birds to two individuals destined to live happily ever after. Because years later through two undergraduate degrees, one graduate degree, two semesters abroad and three years of law school, they're ready to say I Do in front of 100 of their closest friends and family members.

Lindsey and Ryan will be getting married on May 20th (the bride's 26th birthday!) at Kent Country Club in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Adorned with vintage fixtures, brass chandeliers, grand stone fireplaces and the most intimate of surroundings, the venue is the perfect fit to Lindsey's vision. Her colour palette of soft oranges, corals, muted yellows, ivories and grays and the flowers - oh my, the flowers! - which will be ranunuclus, roses and hydrangeas have my heart beating a gazillion beats per minute in admiration and excitement. Ryan, we've only chatted via email but I can't even tell you how excited I am to be a part of your big day. And Linds, you had me at ranunculus. You are going to be such a beautiful bride.

Here are some of the photos from their engagement session shot by the talented Julie Harmsen who will also be photographing their wedding. I am over the moon excited to be working with you, Julie and can't wait to meet. I have to add too, that Linds is a special education teacher so the chalkboards were the perfect little prop to their session and made for quite the cute Save the Date. Enjoy! xo

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Valentines Day Inspiration Shoot Recap

In case you missed it yesterday Style Me Pretty featured our Valentines Day Inspiration Shoot. Here's a little more about the shoot...

Michelle Ellen Lee from Papertalk Press designed and printed all of the paper products which included a letterpress invitation suite, belly band, custom lined envelopes, menu, escort cards, table numbers, drink signs and sugar cookie favour tags. I worked with Michelle to create our own wedding paper products and cannot say enough about her level of professionalism and of course, her incredible talent. Michelle married her hubby last summer in the most glamorous yellow-hued wedding, so she gets it. Brides want and deserve the best. Michelle will give it to you.

{the paper products} 

all paper: Papertalk Press

ribbon, lace and pearls: Fabricland

glass bottles: IKEA

I originally had my heart set on finding a vintage tea cart for the drink station. Yet the one I ended up finding was a bright blue and very large. I was granted permission to spray paint the cart but in the dead of December after we'd been hit with a snowstorm, spray painting is the last thing I wanted to do (not to mention I had to load up the white table, frame and everything else in one car load). Thankfully my sweet neighbors lent me this lovely silver hall table that worked perfectly. The goal was to design a simple vignette that was vintage-inspired, pretty and functional. I really loved this component of the shoot and think on this scale, it's perfect for a dinner or cocktail party. 

{drink station}

table: borrowed from friend

straws: leftover from wedding

books: flea market finds

pink tumblers: the Goodwill

white frame: HomeSense

The flowers were gorgeous. I had envisioned lots of creams, pinks and reds but the amazing Lisa Collins of Sweet Woodruff spiced things up with muted greens and pale purples. Check out this dreamy bouquet. Could it be any more perfect, my goodness I loved how textured and feminine it turned out. Lisa is such a doll and thankfully, fresh talent to have in the industry. Can you believe we did all of the shoot's florals in less than $150.00? That's how incredible Lisa is. Get a hold of her fast if you need any type of floral design.

{the florals}

bouquet/centerpieces: Lisa Collins, Sweet Woodruff

vintage heart brooch: found via etsy

lace netted gloves: found via etsy

centerpiece jars: The Dollar Store

The Mrs and Mr wood letters were found at Michaels and then spray painted white. I tied them to the chairs with ribbon from Fabricland. Easy, cheap and super cute. The chairs are the ones provided by the Art Gallery for all functions.

The cake table. Sigh. I have such a sweet spot for cake. The set up I designed turned out exactly how I had envisioned it. Olivia from I Do Wedding Cakes is a pure sugar genius. Not only are her cakes works of art but I've never tasted anything quite as fabulous as her baked creations. I sent her an Inspiration Board and voila, this is what she came up with. Brilliant. Without a hesitation I recommend her and her business to anyone who needs delicious, gorgeous and affordable cakes and cupcakes.

{cake station}

cake: I Do Wedding Cakes

frame: borrowed from neighbor

love mugs: Anthropologie

pink fabric: Fabricland

white table rental: Marty Millionaire

The shoot was done at The Art Gallery of Hamilton which is one of the most unique places to get married at. The reception room is essentially one giant blank canvas with floor to ceiling windows; the natural light that streams through is heavenly divine. I have so many fabulous things to say about the Gallery but what really sets the venue apart from others is the courteous, helpful and kind staff. Picking a place that will make not only you and your significant other happy but that will cater to your guests and ensure a perfect event can be tricky. The AGH staff will make sure you're taken care of and will treat you like a friend, rather than just another bride or groom.

The sugar cookie favours were designed by yours truly and created by Sweetness Bakery in Burlington, Ontario. They tasted amazing and looked darling. The love banner was created by victorianstation via etsy and working with Linda was stressfree. Her products are the perfect mix of class and vintage and I adore the craftmenships that goes into her work.

The night before the shoot, the model I hired texted me saying she couldn't make the shoot. I was devastated and left scrambling to figure out what to do. I frantically called one of my best friends, Jody who had just gotten married last summer, still fit into her wedding gown, had the next day off of work and coincidentally is just as stunning as any model I've ever seen. What Jody did for me is a reminder of how grateful I am for our friendship. 

With no food in her belly she posed and posed all day long with no complaints, eagerly doing whatever it is Beth and I asked of her. She rocked it. And now I'm eagerly waiting a call form a model agency to sign her on :) She is truly one of the most fabulous chicks I know. Her make up was flawlessly done by Sarah Smith and her stunning hair was designed by Madeliane Griffin. Jody's hairpiece was created by Jennifer Wood of the always show-stopping, Mignonne Handmade. These chicks are the wedding dream team. So happy they were able to be a part of this!

{beauty, model and accessories}

make up: Sarah Smith

hair styling: Madelaine Griffin

model: Jody Mifsud

necklace/bracelet: The Art Gallery

brides earrings: ALDO accessories

gown: the brides own

brides hair piece: Mignonne Handmade

Last but not least, none of this would have been possible without the insane talent of Beth, who is the mastermind behind the camera. Beth and I instantly connected when we first spoke on the phone last November and now only three months later, I am honoured to call her a friend. She is talented, kind, beautiful, sweet; she gets it. She gets brides, knows how to make them look their best and knows a thing or two about love; which is in my opinion what weddings are really all about. Beth, I adore you. Thank you for everything! 

To all of the other vendors; thank you for your contributions and support. You are all so talented and incredible at what you do. To all of my readers, thank you for leaving comments on Style Me Pretty yesterday. As soon I saw familar names in the comments section tears began to stream down my cheeks. You're support has been beyond unbelievable. Thank you all, so much. I don't have the right words to realy express my gratitude. xo

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