Beth & Andy were married on September 6th, 2009 at the Dearborn Inn. Beth had me send her bouquet in to CurlyArt after the wedding, and it was transformed into the gorgeous painting you see above!
I love how elegant and romantic the painting feels - much like how the final decor for the wedding day itself ended up. It truly reflects her personality!
Some detailed shots of the design work that goes into the paintings. Flowers used here include stephanotis, roses, and lisianthus.
I had the privilege of meeting Mary Dann at the 2008 Association of Bridal Consultants annual conference. She was a guest speaker at the event, and was also offering business coaching sessions one-on-one to interested planners.
I recognized that I could learn a great deal from someone who also began her career path in Psychology (which has helped me so many times in wedding planning!) and jumped at the opportunity!
Of course I was thrilled to hear that Mary Dann (pictured above) was releasing a new book at the beginning of this year, titled “Wedding Wisdom”. This book combines knowledge she has gained over her 18 years as a wedding planner and 10 years as a marriage and family therapist to help couples prepare for their wedding day both emotionally, practically, spiritually and joyously. I breezed through it in one sitting!
Photo below taken by Andrena Photography. All other photos taken from Mary Dann’s Website.
Not only does her book guide the bride and groom through physical, mental, spiritual and emotional balance; it also guides planners through interactions with their clients as well as general wedding wisdom for the planner to create as profitable an experience as possible for all people involved in the planning process.
It is a truly positive, uplifting and motivational book for any bride-to-be and every planner, coordinator and consultant in the industry!
I recently met with Amber and Elijah of Amber Hunt Photography, and they introduced me to an amazing artistic keepsake that Elijah is now creating for clients - intaglio prints! This heirloom-quality keepsake is a truly unique way to capture the essence of your wedding day in a centuries-old artistic medium. Amber loves “that we’re offering something that throws back to centuries past, before the days of photography.”
How does Elijah do it? Here is a description from their website: “I thought the etching process itself was grueling enough, but the inking is an hours-long endeavor. It’s fascinating to see how the ink must be “charged” and mixed with a small amount of clove oil to slow drying time, giving him more time to work.
After the plate is inked, the excess is wiped with a tarlatan. That alone is a lengthy and subjective process, as wiping too much causes you to lose detail, while not enough means there’s too much ink on the print. After the plate is wiped, the paper is placed on top and it’s run through a printing press. Then the inking/wiping process begins again. That’s why each print is unique, with variations in the inking.”
Shape Magazine just launched a new division of it’s website - www.shapebride.com! This site is dedicated to brides-to-be and their journey down the aisle from a health, beauty and well-being perspective. While you are out planning all the nuances of your wedding day, it’s easy to forget to take care of yourself! That is where Shape Bride comes in to help.
The Shape Bride site is divided into the following categories:
Carey & Jason were married on February 21st, 2009 at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit. Amanda Williams captured some amazing images from their day, one of which is pictured above. To see the original post from their wedding, click here.
Now that winter is coming to an end (ok, that might be wishful thinking!), TwoFoot Creative is seeking fabulous, motivated and professional individuals for our Spring/Summer internship program!
This is an unpaid position, and therefor the perfect fit for college students who need credit for work experience or who are looking to get into the wedding and event planning industry in the future. Candidates should also be highly organized individuals with strong attention to detail. You don’t need experience in the industry, but a desire to learn is a must!
The person(s) chosen for this position must be available to work weekends (mainly Fridays and Saturdays) from May 21st through the end of the summer. Locations will vary throughout the Metro Detroit area. The total time commitment including events will be 15-20 hours per week.
If you are interested in this position, please submit a cover letter and resume to ana@twofootcreative.com. Any questions should also be directed to that address. Please include any conflicts in availability due to planned vacations, weddings you might be attending, etc.
After a short winter hiatus, the Detroit Association of Bridal Consultants meetings have started up again! February’s meeting took place last Wednesday at the beautiful Royal Park Hotel in Rochester, MI. It was great to see so many familiar faces, as well as several new vendors and wedding planners that decided to join us!
Each ABC meeting includes an educational component, and this month there were four of us that spoke about our experience at the annual conference in Indianapolis back in November. TwoFoot Creative had the honor of speaking to the topic of networking, which is something I enjoy immensely! Other topics included reaching the status of Master Bridal Consultant, etiquette, branding, and vendor relationships.
The linens were provided by Affordable Elegance Chaircovers and Linens, who went through each table to discuss the price point as well as how they work with couples in the wedding planning process. Floral decor was provided by Dottie Ottman, who also serves as the Michigan president of ABC. Militello’s Bakery gave us an amazing torte wedding cake, and Mobile Exposures brought some entertainment along with their photo booth.
Hopefully March’s meeting is equally successful - if you are a wedding planner or wedding professional, mark your calendar for March 10th at Comerica Park!
Kristen & EJ were married on February 16th, 2008. They had one of the most personalized receptions I have ever seen - Kristen hand wrote personalized thank you’s to each guest at their place setting! It was absolutely gorgeous. They followed their Michigan wedding with a second celebration in France, which is where EJ is from. Congratulations on two years of marriage you two!
Happy Valentine’s Day! Today marks the start of a new series of blog posts I am starting, which will review some of my favorite books in the wedding planning industry. The first on my list is Colin Cowie’s “Wedding Chic”, published in 2008. All photographs in this post were taken from the book itself.
Colin Cowie encourages brides to use the photographs in his book as an inspiration toward their wedding day. “Use them as your guide, weed and filter through what’s right for you and what’s not. I hope this book will be a tool that allows you to use my energy, imagination and years of experience to help you create your own path down the aisle.”
Unlike many wedding books out there, “Wedding Chic” manages a wonderful blend of photographs and text. You do get an abundant amount of insider information on how to choose your bouquet, ceremony flowers and decor for example, but also a great deal of photographs to showcase exactly what Cowie is talking about.
Colin encourages brides and grooms to be to seek out a more unique venue for their celebration: “consider taking over a museum space, putting a canopy on a seaside bluff, or inviting your nearest and dearest to spend an entire weekend with you at some exciting destination…” Since TwoFoot Creative tends to attract couples that want a more unique wedding, I love that this book encourages thinking outside the box!
In addition to wonderful inspiration from the photographs and descriptions in “Wedding Chic”, Cowie also parts with great tips and tricks for planning the wedding of your dreams (and occasionally on doing so in a more budget-friendly manner). Some examples include:
Be honest with yourself and straightforward with your vendors as to what you like, what you don’t like, and what you are willing to pay.
Schedule a dress rehearsal where you set up a table with the linens and the plates, the glassware and the flatware, the flowers and the menu cards. Eat the food. Drink the wines.
Menus allow people to see what they’ll be served before a plate is placed in front of them, providing opportunity for them to express to the waiter any concerns, dietary restrictions or food allergies.
My final thoughts? “Wedding Chic” is one of my favorite books on planning a wedding, which is why I chose to start with it in this review series.
It inspires, which is often something that couples need to get going on their wedding day plans.
It provides options, which tend to be avoided at many venues in order to keep clients within their own packages.
Finally, it comforts, encouraging couples on their wedding day to “take a deep breath and let go of the million decisions you’ve had to make. It’s time to focus on one thing, and one thing only: the powerful joy of your wedding day.”
How long has Siesser Photography been around, and where are you located?
I started my company in 2004 while finishing my senior year of LSA at UofM Ann Arbor. All my housemates thought I was crazy because I invested so much time into photography that year, and not enough into my degree. Turns out the Philosophy/English major isn’t too practical.
How did the company get started?
It’s funny actually - when I went of to college in 2001 my parents bought me a Point and Shoot digital camera so that I could share my time at college with them. It was a way for them to experience it with me, and also to find out what the 30k a year was going towards! While I did photograph all my adventures I actually found that I really enjoyed photographing other things: computer keyboards, mouses, pens… Back in those days computers were slow so you had to find ways to spend your time while Word booted up! Around my Sophomore year one of my good friends started photographing weddings. I was really blown away by his images. If you were to ask me at that time what wedding images should look like I would have said: “Well you need a bride and groom at the front of a church with all their family standing around formally.” His images were totally different. They were full of life, natural, and spontaneous. Around that time another one of my friends was studying journalism and she had this huge Nikon camera. I was really impressed with that as well. I’d say between the two of them I knew that I wanted to explore imagery more, and so I just started studying it on my own. I would study images, read books at the bookstore, read online forums and just loved it. I was obsessed. Eventually I built a website to show off my work, and to my surprise people wanted to hire me!
What is the most important question that couples you meet with forget to ask - and how would you answer it?
Q.Can we see your work from a whole wedding? A.Yes!
So many wedding photography businesses out there have a lot of great portfolio images but when it gets down to what they are producing week in and week out it doesn’t look the same at all. I think my work every weekend is special and unique. I want to show couples I produce all the time and that is a big deal.
Do you work alone at weddings, or do you bring a second shooter?
Always two photographers. This is a big deal especially during the ceremony. It’s great to be able to have someone capturing the processional while I am able to be in back with the father and the bride. I also love to get that sweeping panorama shot of the bride and her dad coming down the aisle from behind, as well a close up of the groom’s face. I can do that while the other photographer captures the bride and her dad’s expressions walking down the aisle. There’s usually so much emotion there and it’s critical to get the shot.
How far in advance do you typically book a wedding?
I typically book about 8 months in advance.
What other types of photography do you offer that might be of interest?
I am really interested in shooting film and large format fine art photography. I really just dabble in this but you can check my blog for the latest updates. I also run another company that shoots Super 8 wedding films - IN Films. If you are bride that should definitely be of interest! I am honestly amazed at the raving reviews we get from 100% of our clients.
What are some of your favorite locations to shoot?
Downtown anywhere. Detroit is great but any urban-y area is always the best! Even lighting, big backdrops, etc.
What makes a location less desirable for a photographer?
Terribly lit locations. While photographers can use flash, generally it just doesn’t look as good as natural light. This is one thing brides never really think about either: how well lit will my reception or ceremony be? This is huge not only for the photography to look good, but also so your guests can see whats going on.
What makes Siesser Photography different from other companies out there?
There a few things.
1. I only work with 20 or so brides a year so I think that alone makes me special from 80% of the studios in Detroit. I really like to get to know my clients, and can because there are so few of them.
2. I not only work with 7 different album companies that all rock (think custom tailered album) but also make tons of amazing custom prints (you’ve really got to come in to see them - there is no lab in the country that makes the things I do).
3. I am an obsessive perfectionist. I love for things to look good and really care about my work. You are guaranteed to get quality because it is important to me not only for my business sake but my personal soundness.
4. I think I am a fine art photojournalist. I think this is unique combination of qualities. I love beauty and the feel of images but I also like the real moments. My style is unique blend.
What is something that people would be surprised to know about you?
I love to Rock Climb. I travel all over the country to do it, and spend way too much time every week training and climbing.
