Last month I had the opportunity to participate in a very small, exclusive bridal show called Love In Yeg. The organizers, Amy and Sidd, did a great job of creating an atmosphere where we were able to have a lot of one-on-one time with couples planning their weddings. That was the best part. It wasn't hurried or hectic, it was relaxed and spacious and I had time to have a real conversation with each person who stopped by to meet me.
The part I didn't expect was the effort they put in to make sure the vendors had a positive experience with each other. From a private vendor social where we could get to know each other in advance, to champagne after all the attendees left, it was a lovely way to meet some new people who love weddings just as much as I do!
What better way to pay that positive energy forward than to feature some of the creative people I got to work with that day?!
Tickled Floral
Tickled Floral is a vendor I met at a wedding last September. I was so impressed with her bouquets I asked her to collaborate with me on my booth for Love in Yeg. She created all the floral arrangements in the photos above and did a wonderful job combining outdoor boreal forest elements with the soft, elegant look I wanted to create. I can't say enough nice things about Wendy's work!
Cofee Jockey
Coffee Jockey is a DJ and Espresso service offered by Sarah & Skylar, a husband and wife team. They have extensive knowledge of fine coffee, a beautiful espresso machine, and spend a great deal of time creating a custom playlist for your tastes. The picture above shows Skylar in his comfort zone. He was our DJ whe Neil and I got married in 2015 and he did an amazing job putting together a playlist that met my obscure requests and kept everyone on the dance floor all night!
Therese Lopez
Therese Lopez Florals is one of those vendors that stopped me in my tracks when I walked past her booth! Although I had never met her before I had to ask if I could photograph her flowers. She was bubbly and inviting, and I got the impression right away that she must be a delight to work with! She had all sorts of creative little projects on display, like the fresh flower comb in the photo above, flower crowns, boutineers made from the tiniest little flowers, and overhead arrangements in copper geometric himmelis. I'm so happy I got to meet Therese!
Wedding Design by Anika
My old friend Anika Loewen has recently popped back into my life with her graphic design business Wedding Design by Anika. Every time I see her latest designs I am blown away by how elegant and unique they are. She does things with paper cutouts that I've never seen before! She can turn paper into lace, art deco geometric shapes, frames, pretty much anything. Visit her website and I'm sure you will be impressed!
Two Buds Floral
Margaret-Ann has the best tag line, "Flowers by nature, art by design." I love how that encapsulates what she does with flowers. This is the second time I've had the honour of photographing one of her floral canopies. Check out what she did with moss and some chalkboard paint to display her show-day giveaway! Two Buds was right across from me at the show and I have to say she definitely knows how to have fun. Her and Anika were dancing and laughing, and lifted the energy in our vendor corner all day long!
New Relationships
Something really exciting that happened for me that day was the ladies from Studio 96 stopping by my booth! They took some of my samples and contacted me later to invite me into their roster of vendors that they use for their in-house curated weddings. As a bride, you can book with Studio 96 and they will plan your whole event from top to tail. I'm really looking forward to collaborating with them in the future, and I can't wait to shoot some images in their unique space!
But what about the couples I met that day?
I love the conversations that start when I photograph rings. Everyone has a story about their ring that tells me a little bit about their relationship and what this commitment means to them, so I offered every bride-to-be a free image of her engagement ring. Here are some of the pictures I took that day. Each one is a little glimpse into the different people I got to chat with at Love in Yeg.
Coming Next...
In May I get to photograph Sammy and her fiancé, the winners of the door prize raffle. I am SO EXCITED to create these two the engagement collection we have been planning together.
Lastly, a shoutout to the two who made it all happen!
Photo by FO Photography
Amy & Sidd have already been mentioned a couple times here, but what you might not know is that they are also wedding vendors! Their company Everly Invitations is Amy's graphic design brand. She creates custom invitations, wedding stationary, basically anything you need to check 'wedding invitations' off your list. I'm sending a big shout out to them for bringing this group of vendors together in such a welcoming way. I can't wait to see how this community grows into next year's event!
