Featured Vendor of December - Honeysuckle Photography

<-----Meet Maggie of Honeysuckle Photography! I've worked with her a few times, and I can't say enough great things about her! I'm truly amazed with her talent to capture all the special moments of the day and the emotion between the couple and their families! Just take a look at some of my favorite pictures! I would have posted more pictures, but there are just too many that I love!
Here is some info about Maggie and Honeysuckle:

Introduction

"Hello, my name is Maggie. I have been passionate about art since I was too young to remember. I still have a soft spot in my heart for Thursdays. It was the day we had art class in elementary school. I have gone through many stages with my art from drawing and painting, to graphic design. In college, I finally found my true passion in photography. I started helping some college friends that were getting married and before I knew it, word had spread and I was running my own wedding photography business! That was back in 2004, and since then I have been fortunate enough to continue doing what I love in my life. I have photographed over 100 weddings and just when I think I have seen it all, I rediscover how diverse every couple is and how uniquely every wedding day unfolds. I love working with people and documenting such important moments in their lives. This truly is a dream job for me."



Style

"At Honeysuckle, we treat every wedding as a unique event. However your day unfolds, we will be there to document it, not to interfere with it. We want to show your love as it is. If you are silly, then we will capture your laughter. If you are emotional, then we will photograph your tears. Nobody fits into a formula. We work hard to get to know you as a couple so that when you see your photos, they look like your wedding as you lived it."

Investment & Travel

"All of our wedding packages come with an engagement shoot and a full day of wedding coverage with two photographers. We also include a disc of all the high resolution files in all of our wedding packages. Album options are also available." On an additional note, as Maggie and I have discussed numerous times, photographs capture the memories for you to reflect on for generations to come. This is one of the many reasons why I recommend Maggie! When you look back on these pictures, show your children and grandchildren, how awesome would it be to be able to remember, re-live, and re-feel all of those moments, emotions, and love!

"I absolutely love to travel and am open to going anywhere to photograph a wedding or any other project. Please don't hesitate to ask if you have a wedding planned outside of Portland, I would love to hear more about your plans!"

More than Weddings!

Maggie of Honeysuckle doesn't just do weddings! In addition to engagement shoots and weddings, she also does photography for models, family portraits, senior photos, birthdays, anniversary parties, proposals, maternity and newborns, you name it! As she said, this is truly her dream job and her passion for photography shows! Check out Honeysuckle's website! She books early, so contact her soon!

Photo of Maggie by Jessica Hill Photography with make-up by Jennifer Walker of Face Body Beauty

All other photos are by Honeysuckle Photography

Love Story: Anna & Matt

How They Met

"Two and a half years ago...I was so busy post-college with developing my career and fixing up my newly purchased condo, I was convinced that I did not need a man in my life. My friends accused me of being a serial dater, and I never considered more than a date or two with someone before getting bored.

Little did I know, around this time in Colorado, Matt was considering a big change in his life. He graduated from CU and wanted to get a job teaching somewhere new. He felt like he needed to explore and applied for jobs all over the country. Out of all those applications, Matt was hired to teach in Lincoln City, OR. He had never even been there! When he was ready to move, he contacted the school district and asked if there were any other teachers that needed a roommate. They put him in touch with Neil (who happened to be a good friend of mine from college and was dating one of my best friends, Ragan) and shortly afterward, Matt and Neil moved in together.

The next weekend, my friend Ragan went to the beach to visit Neil. She invited me to go, but I couldn't go for some reason...She then met Matt. On her way home she called me to tell me all about the weekend. Ragan told me all about this guy, Matt, and how hilarious he was. She talked about how perfect he would be for me and said that he was like my "puzzle piece." She tried to convince me to meet him, and told me all about his personality and handsome blue eyes. Ragan was convinced he was "the one" for me...I just laughed and said that I was "not interested."

Fast forward a few weeks: I was headed to an OSU football game with Ragan, where Neil was meeting us. Ragan had finally convinced me to meet Matt, and he was going to be there. Unbeknownst to me, Ragan and Neil had told Matt to give me a big hug when we met...They thought this would be hilarious because I am not a big fan of hugs with people I barely know. So, when we got to Corvallis, Matt came towards me with a huge grin on his face and arms outstretched. He greeted me with a big hug, and I pulled my arms away and uncomfortably mumbled something. It was so awful that he felt the need to explain how our friends told him to do it and he was just trying to be funny. I did not think it was very funny...and the day was off to a very awkward beginning.

Well, as the day and the football game went on, Matt won me over. It wasn't long before he was cracking jokes and we were laughing back and forth at each other. Eventually I forgave the awkward first hug. He also had cookies and beer for tailgaiting, which helped too. :) There was something about Matt, and my heart was drawn to him. Every weekend after that we took turns driving back and forth from Lincoln City to Portland until he moved here a year later. We still laugh about our "how we met" story...and it turns out my friend was right, he is my "puzzle piece."

Photos by Honeysuckle Photography

A Father's Review ~ 10.11.2009

"Emilie (our daughter) and Jaime's wedding took place on October 11, 2009 and was a joyous occasion made stress free with the coordination and planning that Ashley provided. She set about her task with meticulous attention to detail, exceptional efficiency, and unfailing courtesy and charm. She presented us with a truly memorable and beautiful event that surpassed all expectations and left us with the sweetest memories of the day. We especially appreciated her energy and take charge attitude that resulted in many little issues getting resolved long before becoming large issues. My wife and I cannot adequately express our thanks to her for such a wonderful job." ~ Dave

Photo by Daniel James Productions

Jaime & Emilie's Review ~ 10.11.2009

"Ashley did a phenomenal job at our wedding! I was a DIY bride and figured I was only going to get married once so I wanted to add my own personal touch to every aspect possible. When I started planning our wedding I didn't think I'd need any help, but was I wrong! Our wedding day would have been a lot more stressful and much less organized if Ashley wouldn't have been coordinating. Ashley was a major contributor, actually the key contributor, to our wedding day being so wonderful! She set up our entire reception site and it was gorgeous! I had given her the centerpieces for the tables but hadn't really considered any decor for the actual venue. She was great, and even covered up an ugly painting with matching fabric and some extra centerpieces to make a gorgeous backdrop for our head table! She says she's all about the details...she's right and she nailed it!

I am so thankful to have had Ashley that day. I can't express enough gratitude for the wonderful job she did and how easy she made it for my husband and I. She was always so calm and collected; she was able to think quickly to find a resolve for whatever problem arose. Everyone was able to enjoy our beautiful reception thanks to Ashley's hard work and attention to detail! My parents could not stop raving the next day about how wonderful it was that they were able to dance, relax, and visit the night away.

Ashley is very talented and efficient. I highly recommend her for every bride regardless of your budget and the services you want. She is very flexible and is there to help with everything from booking vendors and putting everything together for you to simply being there "the day of" to make sure everything you planned runs smoothly. She works around what you want and pays attention to all the details. That's really what makes her shine in this business! Considering all of the people I worked with on our wedding, Ashley was the best!"

~Emilie

Photo by Daniel James Productions

10.11.2009 Wedding - Blissfully Bright

Emilie and Jaime were married on 10.11.2009 at her parent's house in Estacada. The bridal party was able to wait inside, while Cambrae and Daniel of Daniels James Productions took some great group pictures by taking advantage of the architecture of the home. They made their entrance from the wrap around porch, down the aisle that was lined with fresh flowers, to a great setting with tall trees as the backdrop. Emilie loves music and singing, so she had some of her guests and bridesmaids sing a beautiful rendition of "Ave Maria" during the ceremony. Throughout the whole day I could think of one word to describe the bride and groom: bliss! The way they looked at each other, or the expression on their faces when the other was mentioned, they were in pure bliss!

After the ceremony, the guests headed to McMenamin's Edgefield to enjoy it's historic setting. Emilie was a DIY (Do-It-Yourself) bride that had a lot of creative ideas! She hand wrote each guest's name on a glass photo coaster that corresponded to their seat, which they found by matching the mountain name to the mountain picture at each table. It was a unique way for table seating and the guests loved it! The beautiful and bright flowers were provided by Cindi of Lucinda Clares Floral Design. Cindi stayed and made sure all of the flowers were set up just as the bride wished, and her floral arrangements were gorgeous and perfect for a fall wedding!

I think that one of my favorite parts of the wedding was when Emilie surprised Jaime with an acappella version of "Oxygen" by Colbie Callait. It was breathtaking! She had been planning on this for months, and the look on her new husband's face was priceless. Jaime sure has a talented bride! I also wanted to share one of my favorite pictures: Emilie and Jaime with the horse she has had since she was a little girl. There were some amazing pictures! Congrats Emilie and Jaime!

Photos by Daniel James Productions

An All Star Review

"Ashley, the baby shower was amazing and far more than I ever would have expected. You truly are talented at what you do. Everything was perfect!"

~ Mommy-to-"bee"

An All Star Baby Shower

This baby shower all started with an invitation which was made by the amazing Ashley of AEL Design. The invitation included a small card for guests to write their "favorite baby tip" and matched the theme and colors of the baby's room, All-Star sports! I just love the little poem on the invitation, something that the mommy-to-be and I came up with together after looking around online:

Little boys come in all shapes and sizes,

Shy, adventurous, and full of surprises.

With misshapen halos and mischievous grins,

Small dirty faces, and sweet, sticky chins.

They explore and conquer, romp and run,

So full of spirit, and so full of fun.

At the shower, the guests had TWO cakes to enjoy! The first was a very tasty and moist chocolate cake covered with a perfectly sweet (but not too sweet) butter cream frosting, made by the talented Kalie of Kalie's Piece of Cake. The other cake was a diaper cake, which is a really fun and creative way to give those needed items such as diapers, receiving blankets, socks, mini shampoos and other bathroom items, shoes, or whatever else you can think of! This diaper cake was made by the creative Nicole of Stacks of Love, who also makes hand-scrolled name necklaces! Nicole doesn't just do diaper cakes, but also house-warming stacks, bridal shower stacks, or anything else you can think of! Check out her website for some great gift ideas!

We also came up with some fun party favor ideas for her guests, including custom stickers for mini Hershey chocolates, mini honey jars from the mommy to "bee," and even custom thank you cards that matched the sports theme! For the thank you cards, we had the guests write their name on the envelopes, and then the mommy-to-be picked one (face down) and they won a prize! Other games included a baby word scramble, guess the amount of candies in the baby bottle, and everyone that brought a package of diapers was entered into a drawing to win a prize!

Featured Venue of November - The Grand Ballroom and The Historic Grand Theater

At the last meeting of the Willamette Valley Wedding Professionals, we had the opportunity to meet at The Grand Ballroom & The Historic Grand Theater in Salem. It was my first time at the venue and I learned some information about it's history, pricing, and even got a tour at the end of the meeting. I was really impressed with the venue they have to offer for the price. The Theater has been recently renovated and can seat up to 380 guests. The theater style seating is arranged so that all of your guests can see the ceremony! It's only $550 to rent this room, and includes use of the theater, podium, lighting, and tables in the lobby and/or stage. For only an additional $100 you can use their equipment which includes an 18' x 24' movie screen, DVD player and projector, sound system, sound board, CD player, light board, microphones, and a sound technician to set up and run the equipment during your event. The theater is a large space, so it's easy to get creative and literally "set the stage" for your wedding ceremony!

As for the reception, it's just an easy elevator ride up to The Grand Ballroom! The ballroom seats up to 200 guests, plus 14 at a head table, and is set up perfectly for an indoor reception. It has separate areas for dining, food, and dancing. The large dance area has beautiful pecan wood floors, an art Deco fireplace, twinkle lights, paper lanterns, and a mirror ball in the center to tie it all together. Another plus about the ballroom is the neutral wall colors and window coverings, so it won't conflict with your wedding colors, no matter what they are! Some venues have a lot of restrictions and extra fees, but this venue is very open about the rules and prices. They allow you to use your caterer of choice, bring in food from a local store, or that you made yourself! Also, if there is no event the night/day before, they allow you to come and set up early for no additional charge! They also include the tables and chairs in their rental fee and do the custom set up according to your specifications.

Having a wedding in Oregon can be tricky with the weather...and when you're planning a wedding you can never guarantee "nice weather." It might rain, be really hot, or even windy. Well, with the ballroom neither of those will ruin your plans! It's an indoor venue and has really good air conditioning, so you'll be sure to keep all your guests comfortable no matter the weather! If it is nice weather and you're looking for some nice outdoor pictures as well, there are numerous parks close by. The ballroom rents for $2,150 on Saturdays and $1,950 on Fridays. This includes a $150 refundable cleaning/damage deposit. They are presently having a promotion for $200 off your 2009 or 2010 event for the ballroom! This is not valid for events already booked or weekday events (applies to Friday, Saturday, and Sunday events only). You can contact The Grand Ballroom and The Historic Grand Theater at 503.362.9185 or email them at Events@GrandBallroom.info. They are located at 187 High Street NE in Salem. Stop by soon to check it out and reserve your date!

Photos provided by The Grand Ballroom and The Historic Grand Theater

Raul & Michelle's Review ~ 10.18.2009

"At first I thought I could do the whole wedding alone, thinking I came this far why hire on someone else to make my dream day come true. I found Ashley on craigslist, she is truly wonderful!

My wedding day turned out amazing. I was able to sit back and relax and take everything in while she did everything."

Photo by Sky Blue Iris Event Photography

10.18.2009 Wedding - Red Romance

Raul and Michelle were married at the Red Lion Hotel in Salem on October 18, 2009. Being an inside wedding, they met the photographer earlier in the day to take some outside photos as well. It was raining in the morning, but cleared up in time for pictures and it was nice weather the rest of the day. Both Raul and Michelle were very ready to get married! Michelle could not stop laughing, smiling, and admiring her soon to be husband.

During the ceremony Raul and Michelle placed a single rose in the front row to represent loved ones that could not be there that day. It was very touching and the families really appreciated the gesture. At the reception the guests enjoyed a beautiful cake and Raul's son danced (and sung) to all the music playing. He, along with his two new sisters, were the life of the party on the dance floor!

The red colors really set the mood for a romantic wedding, as did the floating candles in the centerpieces. Being close to Halloween, and being big fans of skulls, the bride and groom incorporated them into the theme of their wedding. They had little skull rings for the guests, and the kids just went crazy for them! Michelle was a DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Bride and she put a lot of effort into making this wedding personal and fun for their families and guests. She glued all of the ribbons onto the centerpieces, made each wedding favor, and made "M" and "G" monograms for the entry door, just to name a few. Congrats Raul and Michelle (and your precious kids)!

Photos by Sky Blue Iris Event Photography

Featured Vendor - Jennifer of Face Body Beauty

Jennifer is truly an artist. She can make you look and feel as radiant and beautiful as you should on your wedding day. She offers on-site professional makeup artistry and hair design for weddings, photoshoots, and special events. Jennifer is a MAC Pro artist with over 8 years of experience as a professional makeup artist. She also works with other fine lines such as Nars, Cargo, Stilla, The Balm, and many others!

Check out her website and check out some of her beautiful clients! Jennifer, the owner of Face Body Beauty, has been honored with the Bride's Choice Award for Professional Makeup Artistry from the Wedding Wire network which includes weddingwire.com and marthastewartweddings.com.

She serves the Portland, Salem, and surrounding areas, but is willing to travel!

She provides on-site makeup and/or hair design for: weddings, boudoir shoots, engagement shoots/parties, rehearsal dinners, special occasions (anniversaries, dances, reunions), fashion photoshoots, makeup lessons, makeovers, bachelorette parties, you name it! I've worked with Jennifer on a few different occasions and she is such a pleasure to work with! She is fun, energetic, and extremely talented. I highly recommend her!









Photo by Jessica Hill Photography

8.1.2009 Wedding ~ Summer Sunset

Matt and Ashley were married a few months ago on August 1, 2009. Before I tell you about the wedding, I have to start with telling you about their invitations. AEL Design made all of the invitations and programs to suit the couple and what they were looking for. The colors, the design, everything about them fit the couple and the wedding perfectly. AEL Design truly has an eye for what looks good and can really put onto paper what her clients are looking for. I can honestly say this is by far one of my favorite invitation sets!

Now for the wedding details! It was hot and humid, but these two didn't let that get in the way of enjoying their wedding! I don't think I ever saw them without a smile. The flowers were absolutely stunning and really "popped" against the black bridesmaid dresses. The large arbor was handmade by the groom himself, and was decorated with more amazing floral arrangements. The aisle was lined with lanterns and candles, which matched the centerpieces on all the tables. Ashley arrived to the aisle in a gorgeous classic Chevy, and walked down after the ring bearers showed the guests their "here comes the bride" signs. I just loved it!

Matt's family has been in the logging business for over 30 years, so I thought that their wedding favor of giving all their guests individual blue spruce starter trees to plant was such a good idea! The guests loved it too and were talking about what a unique idea it was. They also had the wedding on his family's property outside of Sweet Home. The site offered an amazing sunset and a spectacular view of the stars...just look at the picture below! Congrats Matt and Ashley!

Photos by Honeysuckle Photography

Visit the New Website!

The website is officially up and running! You can visit it at http://www.stargazerweddings.com/. There are lots of extras such as a "contact me" page, my schedule, faq's, a little more about me, and lots of pictures! Pictures are updated often as I get new clients and with each wedding, so keep checking back for more! There is also a link back to the Blog, Online Billpay, and the featured vendors and venues that I post monthly. If you have a person or place that you'd like to recommend, send me an email! I would love to meet them/visit the venue so I can pass along their info to future brides!

Featured Venue of September - BeckenRidge Vineyard

I had the pleasure of coordinating a wedding at BeckenRidge Vineyard, which is located 15 miles west of Salem in Dallas, Oregon. It was a beautiful venue with it's "majestic views and old world charm" and the staff was amazing to work with. Their facility is available for both indoor and outdoor events, and can accommodate groups up to 250 guests. They offer a full catering kitchen available to the caterer of your choice and numerous options for music (grand piano, built-in sound equipment for microphones, CD player, iPod, and mp3 players). Ivory and white table cloths are available for rent, in addition to a hand crafted metal arch available to add your own decorations to. BeckenRidge staff will arrange the tables and chairs provided with the rental of the facility to meet your needs. You may also bring in additional tables and chairs if needed. The main room (with a beautiful stone fireplace) seats 120 at round tables and if more space is needed, you can expand out onto the covered/open patio that overlooks the stunning vineyard. There is a private dressing area, hardwood floors, vaulted ceilings, and the building is fully ADA approved. Check out their website for more information and to see if your date is still available! You can also call them at 503.831.3652 or email them at info@beckenridge.com.

Photo by Encore! Photography

Matt & Ashley's Review ~ 8.1.2009

"I cannot thank Ashley enough for all that she did to make my wedding day incredible. From the moment she knew we were engaged, she started offering and suggesting information, contacts, vendors, ideas, help, moral support, etc. Time flew by and before we knew it, it was time for the rehearsal. Ashley was there to offer as little or as much help as needed. It's almost as if she can't help herself, and even without being asked, she knows exactly what needs to be done. At one point during the rehearsal my Mom said, 'Who is that girl in the polka dots? She is awesome!' Despite Ashley's busy weekend (her husband - the best man - graduated the morning of our wedding), she was there on our wedding day to help make the biggest day of our lives a success. If anything went wrong on our wedding day, we weren't aware of it! To us, it was PERFECT! Thanks to the contributions of many people, and one in particular, Ashley Lacer."

~ Ashley

Photo by Honeysuckle Photography

8.25.2007 Wedding Review

The following review is from Betsy, a close friend of the bride and groom, who helped them plan their wedding. I showed up a few hours early, just in case they needed some extra help getting things ready. I originally talked to Kim (the bride) about a review, but quickly realized that she didn't even know that I had stepped in to helped! It made me very happy that, to her, things went perfect and she was able to enjoy her day!

"I had the privilege of helping Kim and Evan plan their wedding that they were holding at a private residence several summers ago. As with the best of plans -- several things went awry. Several big things -- all at the same time! Ashley was still a student at OSU at the time and one I knew, but didn't know very well. I only had to turn to her with pure panic in my eyes and day 'Help...?!! Please...!!?' and she instantly kicked into gear. She was a guest - but I was desperate for help. With a big smile on her face Ashley jumped right in and set about organizing, problem solving, soothing, nudging, suggesting...She did all the right things at the right time and did so without prompting. I was then free to work on getting the bride and groom down the aisle. It was as if we had been working together for several years. She just knew what to do to make sure the bride, groom, and guests enjoyed the wedding. I left the wedding happy for the newly married couple and deeply grateful for Ashley and her even and people management skills. She can arrange flowers, help fix tuxedo pants that were never altered, keep the food coming, keep the schedule and program on track, and she does it calmly, in heels, and with a big smile on her face."

~ Betsy

Photo by Powers Studios Photography

Military Discount

We would like to extend a 10% discount to all wedding couples (bride/groom) that are currently serving, or who have served, in the military.  Our team knows numerous people who have served in various branches over the past few decades, and we would like to honor them by recognizing dedicated military personnel.

We've always admired retail stores and businesses that offered special promotions and discounts to military families, and we want to do the same with Stargazer Weddings. This discount applies for service in any branch of the military (cannot be combined with any other discount or promotion, and only applies to the base contract amount).

We can't thank you enough for your dedication, service, and sacrifice.
Photo by Honeysuckle Photography

Featured Vendor of August - Wedding Cakes by Brooke Baker

I recently met with Brooke in Salem to see some photos and talk about her wedding cakes. She was great! She was super easy to talk to and absolutely loves what she does. She was so fun to talk to that we easily got distracted and started telling each other about how we both got started in our business, why we love it, etc. We probably could have talked for hours, but she was meeting some clients to work out the details for her next wedding cake!

She started making and decorating cakes back in 2002 when she was asked to make one for a family member. She loved it so much she's been doing it ever since! She recently has been taking on more clients and I can't wait to see more beautiful (and tasty) cakes from her in the future! Not only is she extremely talented, but she is extremely affordable as well! She offers cakes as low as $1.50 a serving! She mainly works out of the Salem/Keizer area, but delivery is available (additional fee) and is also very reasonably priced. I can't say enough good things about Brooke and her amazing talent. To see more or to contact Brooke about your big day, check out her blog at http://weddingcakesbybrookebaker.blogspot.com/!

Love Story: Michelle & Raul

The Proposal:

Raul and I had looked at different types of rings for about a week, and he would make hints that he had looked but haven't found the "one" yet. Once hitting up a few stores we walked into one and saw the ring set I just knew was the one. He knew right away that it was the ring I wanted (small yet perfect)!

A week or so later he texted me and asked for the sku numbers from the ring, but it still didn't click. I had no clue he was buying the rings that day and asking me to marry him that night. He got off work early and went to my moms house to ask her if it was okay for him to ask me. I still had no idea! Raul came home and asked me if I had our song on my IPOD. I said I did but could not figure out why he wanted to hear it so bad (our song is 'I will be there' by Steven Curtis Chapman). I turned the song on and we just talked a little bit about everything. He pulled me close for a hug and at that time was trying to free the ring from the box. He looked at me in the eyes and asked me if his heart would be pounding that hard the day he asked me to marry him. I kinda looked at him and said 'I guess so, what are we doing a trial run!?' Raul then got down on one knee and took my hand telling me he loved me and was ready to spend the rest of his life with me. He took the ring out and put it on my finger, and almost forgot to ask me to marry him!

It was a perfect moment in our lives! Now we are less than 2 months away from our wedding date!

Photo provided by Michelle, the bride to be! :)

A "Friendly" Review ~ 8.15.2009 Wedding

I had the pleasure of working with Holly, a close family friend of Margaret, at Charlie and Margaret's wedding in Bly on 8-15-2009. She helped me get the arch ready just as Margaret had envisioned as I tended to other tasks. The arch was made by hand by the groom and had the natural country look that matched the rest of the wedding.

"Troy, the girls, and I sure enjoyed meeting you and working with you! I just wanted to let you know again how much your coordinating efforts (with a smile on your face!) were appreciated. We were impressed with your commitment to the bride to try to make all of her wishes possible for a special wedding day! Your energetic, yet calming spirit, led to a wonderful day for all! Thanks again for all that you did! I know Margaret must appreciate you very much as well."

~ Holly Michaels