lending a hand in the wedding biz

one of my favorite things about being in this crazy wedding world, are all the amazing people who make the wedding industry what it is... the vendors and professionals who strive to create the most incredibly memorable experience for their couples and clients, who go the extra mile because they love what they do, who do everything they can to make someone's "big day" success, their every day.

each and every one of them are driven entrepreneurs, pursuing a passion and not only making their clients dreams come true, but their own as well. yet, while they're out crusading for that picture perfect wedding, many times they haven't had the time to focus on themselves. and from a graphics and branding standpoint, consequently, i've had the pleasure of coming into the picture to help out for just those reasons.

before diving head first into the wedding biz, my design background was immersed in the corporate sphere. branding, corporate identity, publications, etc. and it's actually something i still do in addition to invitations and special events... just not as fun to blog about ;).  i had never considered blending the two sides of bamboo star studios, until i was talking to a wonderful local wedding coordinator (who has since become a very dear friend) meaghan schmaltz of weddings made splendid. i wish i had a before shot, but on our quest to update her brand with a touch of elegance, this is part of what we ended up with...

from there.. things have snowballed. the latest in the pipeline, a top to bottom revamp for the ever-amazing, and also very dear to my heart, brenda swann of swann soirees. a softer, warmer, more wedding-centric, wedding-friendly side of the brand. of all the items we're tackling, we got the first pieces off press recently - updated business cards for the girls in the swann squad! they turned out beautifully, and are now packed up and ready to head to their new homes this weekend. :)

but back to the heart of the matter... i've always loved to lend a hand whenever necessary. and in this case, with every opportunity or inquiry from my fellow wedding pros, i am not only humbled and honored by their trust, but also energized by the fact that i have a chance to make their lives easier, do it well, and most importantly, do it RIGHT.

fair winds to ye, jarma & justin!

AVAST!!! PIRATES!!! ;) remember these incredibly fun invitations? and how they were starting to take shape here?

well, me hearties, after getting aged and burned with a musket ball sized hole to boot, they've been set free to their eagerly awaiting bride and groom! .. and have SINCE made their way farther out to sea to the honored guests, sealed with blood red wax & stamped with the jolly roger!

i sat here for a solid while trying to write something clever in pirate-speak, but it wasn't doing the job (matey). so, in plain ol' english: jarma and justin, it was awesome getting to work with you on your invitation project! i had such a fantastical time with this :). thank you for planning outside the box, and letting me come along for the ride!

godspeed to ye both!!

rich & grace e-session!

so excited to share an absolutely adorable quick peek at one of our couple's engagement photo session with the incredibly awesome stan and jeannette of trailbrook photography! rich and grace are such an amazing pair, and these photos truly capture their exuberance, excitement and love of life and each other. check it out!

uuber excited and honored to be working with you guys! :) now, email me won't you? we need to finish your save-the-dates!!!

BridePOP Post #4: Making it Yours

** another post i'd just written for BridePOP went live this morning!! woohoo! and since the subject is something that i am REALLY passionate about when it comes to wedding planning (and from my perspective as a vendor, working with couples just as they are diving into things)... i wanted to share it all in its entirety here with you as well. enjoy! **

Everyone has their own opinion or advice on the best or most effective ways to plan your dream wedding. From your grandparents celebrating their 50th anniversary, to your best friend just married last week, everyone wants to give their two cents. These days, you can also easily find a lot of it on fantastic websites and blogs just like this one! And with the exploding DIY movement, many other resources have popped up, providing all kinds of incredible tips, tricks and ideas that can turn anyone into an aspiring Martha Stewart.

But one thing every bride-to-be must never lose sight of, is how to truly make your wedding your OWN. Trends aside, here are three things to ask yourself, to help point you in the right direction.

1. What inspires you? As you begin to make your own decisions in your planning process, dig into yourself, your relationship with your fiancee, your lives together and see what you find. None of that happened over night, or resulted from the latest, hottest fad of the hour. What is "it"? What drives you? What makes you who you are? Something makes you tick, and both of you tick together.

2. What is your story? Just like opinions and advice, everyone has one of these and they are all absolutely unique and amazing in their own way. You and your fiancee are coming from two different places, and are now about to make your own story as one. What was your life like before you met? What was it that brought you together? And how have things changed since? All stories worth telling, all utterly you.

3. Where are you going? The future always holds so much for everyone, regardless of how young or old we are. We all have our own goals, dreams and aspirations, which play a huge part in defining who we are as individuals. The same can be said for any committed relationship. Together, where do you want to be? What do you want for each other? How do you plan on getting there? You have your entire lives.. your future, ahead of you. Together. And this is the very start of all that amazingness to come.

A little soul searching does everyone a world of good every once in a while. And as a part of your wedding planning, it can provide a deeper, more meaningful direction than any trendy idea, or borrowed opinion ever could. Why not share all of it, and all of you, with your nearest and dearest for your big day?