Vaudeville Photo Shoot

Every year we try to do at least one styled shoot - and 2011 was one BUSY year (our busiest yet) - so we partnered up with Bunn Salarzon to do a simple "mini" styled shoot! I loved going through the images (I especially loved the popcorn)! Melissa was the front runner for Stargazer Weddings on this one, and here is what she had to say about the shoot:

"Bunn Salarzon was amazing to work with. She was very clear about what she was looking for, which is great when working with a photographer. She had vision for the poses she took and had great communication with the models. The make-up artists from Viva La Glam were ideal. They were able to put together exactly what I had envisioned, which was the finger waves in the hair and dramatic make-up that was a modern twist to the theatrical vaudeville times.

The Governor Hotel was a great venue to work with and had amazing backdrops for the shoot. The shoot was specifically done in "The Library Room," and the exaggerated fireplace helped add to the dramatic feeling we were trying to capture.

One of my highlights was working with Jade Rose Designs for the hair piece - she gathered the information and vision that Bunn gave her and went with it. It ended up so beautiful and tied together the entire styling of the model. The flowers were provided by Denice of Distinctive Designs, who is always a pleasure to work with. We've worked with her numerous times, her quality is consistent, and our brides LOVE her! The photos, as you can see, turned out great! Thanks Bunn for the opportunity to work with you on this fun project!"

Mike & Crystal's Review ~ 5.7.2011

"Ashley with Stargazer Weddings was fantastic to work with! She guided me through the wedding planning process, kept me on track with my to-do list, answered every little question of mine, and made the planning process so much easier! She was professional, organized, and on top of every detail. Talking with her was like talking with an old friend. Knowing I had her there on the day of my wedding meant that my actual wedding day could be about my husband and me. It was a stress free day and I didn't have to worry about a thing knowing that Ashley was there to take care of any detail that came up. It was just awesome how smoothly the day went! It truly let me and my husband have the wedding day of our dreams and enjoy every moment of it. For that, Ashley's services were worth so much more than any amount of money we could have paid her. Thank you for everything Ashley!" ~ Crystal
Photo copyright of Lyfe Photography

5.7.2011 ~ Little Church, Big City

I am SO excited to finally share the details of this wedding! This couple was referred to us by a 2010 couple (remember Anna and Matt?) - and I can't thank them enough for sending Mike and Crystal our way - they were SO much fun to work with and their wedding is one of my favorites!

Mike and Crystal were married back in May at Brooks Hill Historic Church in Portland. Although this church was tiny, the setting was gorgeous and it made for a very sweet, intimate, and memorable ceremony. There were lots of open fields, cherry blossom trees, and other great spots to take pictures - and the weather (aka Oregon rain) held off so they got lots of amazing shots! This was my first opportunity to work with Amy and Eddie of Lyfe Photography - and they were wonderful (plus their photos speak of their talent)!

The beautiful dress was provided by The Bridal Gallery (the BEST place in the Willamette Valley to get your dress by the way). Angie at The Bridal Gallery truly loves what she does and will help you find the perfect dress on your budget, whatever that might be! They also recently won not one, not two, but FOUR awards for Oregon Bride Magazine's "Best of 2011."

The stunning flowers (and I mean stunning - look at that color) were provided by Gina of Bohemian Bouquets. She was also amazing to work with, and did a great job of setting up all the floral arrangements at both the ceremony and reception sites!

The officiant, Anthony The Wedding Judge, did a great job of working with them to write a ceremony just for them. My favorite part of the ceremony? Mike and Crystal wrote love letters to each other, but kept them sealed and secret and put them in a wooden box with a bottle of wine. Then they each took a nail, and nailed the box shut. The purpose behind this was to serve as a reminder why they married each other (if they ever needed a reminder) or they could open the bottle and read the letters at their 20 year wedding anniversary. I loved this idea!

After the ceremony, the bride and groom headed to the city for some more pictures while the guests headed to Wilf's at the Portland Train Station for the reception. Wilf's offers a great space for receptions with great lighting and amazing food! Their staff (especially Candace) was on top of everything and it flowed so smoothly! As the guests arrived, they were welcomed by a seating chart board where they would find their name and a number, which corresponded with a table number. The tables weren't simply numbered 1-15....they were random numbers that had a special meaning for them and their relationship. Then, when the guest got to their specific table, there was a table number card with the story about that number on the back! The guests LOVED it, and they were all walking around to read all of the different stories.

The cake and all the mini cupcakes were provided by Sweetest Thing Cupcakes. They were very tasty - and the bride and groom had little take-out boxes for left over cupcakes so their guests could take them home...there wasn't a SINGLE cupcake left after the guests were gone! That shows you how yummy they were! One of my other favorite parts of this wedding was their cake topper. They had it custom made to represent their favorite college mascots. Mike went to OSU, so Benny the Beaver was the groom, and Crystal is a huge Boise State fan, so the lady version of Buster Bronco was the bride! It was made out of clay, so it will last a long time and they planned on making it a focal point in their living room.





There was LOTS of dancing at the reception, and there was even a limbo competition with two guests tying their ties together to make the "bar." The party went right up until it was time to go...and the transportation for the bride and groom? A pedi-cab!

I can't emphasize enough how much I loved working with Mike and Crystal and all the superb vendors that they chose to work with. I wish you two (and your adorable bunnies) all the best and a lifetime of happiness, laughter, and love!

All photos copyright of Lyfe Photography

1.22.2011 ~ New Year Nuptials

Back in January Kristin and Adam got married at Flinn Block Hall in Albany. This venue has amazing brick walls and a great staircase to utilize for photos during the winter months. The day started off a little rainy - but it cleared up just in time to grab some outside photos as well! I love it when Oregon weather decides to cooperate!

Kristin was an amazing DIY bride, and put together most of the details herself, including centerpieces, decor, and even the gorgeous flowers! She came up with lots of different designs for all the table centerpieces, ranging from lanterns and cranberries to wine corks and homemade picture frames. It all came together wonderfully, and the guests loved all the different centerpieces!

The bridal party was great to work with - and kept the laughs going all day. Music was provided by Zauner Mobile Entertainment (Chris is great to work with) and photography was by Willow of WillowBee Photography. And the cake? Well...there was no cake - they cut into Voodoo Doughnuts! They had their favorite kinds displayed on an adorable vintage table with candles and their champagne glasses. Friends of the family did all of the food - their presentation was amazing - and it all tasted great too! Especially the mini-eclairs and chocolate covered strawberries, those were a huge hit!

Kristin and Adam - thank you so much for having us be a part of your wedding - it was a great way to start off the 2011 year!

Carter & Tauni's Review ~ 9.11.2010

We originally thought we could plan our entire wedding ourselves. But as the day grew nearer we started to think that having a wedding planner handle things on the day of would be best. We attended an open house at the venue where we would be married. That is when we meet Ashley from Stargazer Weddings.

It became so evident on our wedding day that I didn't have a single worry in the world other than to enjoy our day, and have fun, and to be with people we love. We enjoyed our day SO much; and never once felt stressed. But I know that we felt this way because Ashley meticulously took care of all the details and fielded all the questions.

Hiring Ashley as our wedding coordinator was the best investment.... after all, you spent so much on your wedding. You better enjoy it to the fullest without any stress. :)

We met with Ashley to give her an idea of what we had in mind for our wedding. Our main hope was to have a relatively stress-free wedding day so that we could focus on our vows and enjoy the time we had with our guests.With Ashley as our planner, this goal was met.

The Planning

We emailed Ashley often to ask questions. Ashley also acted as the liaison between us and some of our vendors. Whenever we had a question for one of the vendors, Ashley contacted them and quickly got back to us with an answer. One of our friends helped out with the cake, and Ashley worked well with them her as well.

Ashley responded to all emails very promptly. (She is also available by phone.) We were in contact with her constantly throughout the last months of our planning. She kept us on track with what we needed to be working on. She is attentive, professional, open to feedback, and easy to work with.

A month before the wedding, we handed all vendor contact information over to Ashley and she took it from there. She confirmed with them all and made sure that all details were taken care of. We didn’t have to worry about the vendors from then on.

We thought that we would be really busy the week before the wedding, but since Ashley was taking care of all of the details, we didn’t have anything else to do besides enjoy time with our guests who were arriving from out-of-town.

The Day of the Wedding

Ashley created a Timeline for the day of the wedding. we had a copy of the Timeline, but didn’t look at it at all. Ashley and her team took care of all of the logistics, everything ran smoothly, and I was able to enjoy the day without thinking about vendors, details, or timing. I was able to focus on my vows and enjoy the company of my friends and family.

Overall, without Ashley, our wedding planning process and wedding day would have been very different and, I imagine, much more stressful. Hiring Ashley was the best decision we made and the best money we spent. My wife and I would recommend Ashley and Stargazer Weddings to anyone!

9.11.2010 ~ Generous Hearts

A year ago (yes, a year ago - needless to say I'm a little behind in my blogging) Tauni and Carter got married at Beckenridge Vineyard in Dallas. This is one of my favorite venues, and I love every opportunity we get to work out there. The staff is amazing, views are spectacular, and it offers a very intimate setting for your wedding. One of the things that I loved most about this couple was, well, everything! They had such a "zest" for life, found the positive in everything, and were just so happy to get married they were always smiling and laughing. Plus, Carter is a great guy and was involved with every step of the process!

Photography was by CK Photography, both live music and DJ'ing was provided by DW Duo, catering was by Wild Pear, and flowers were provided by Distinctive Designs. I've had the pleasure of working with Denice of Distinctive Designs numerous times, and I love her work - and so do our clients! This was the first time I had the pleasure of working with the other vendors, and they were great! Celia of CK Photography was always right where the action was so she didn't miss a shot, Dawn from DW Duo kept the energy going all night, and the food from Wild Pear was superb! Overall this was an amazing group of vendors to work with and everything came together wonderfully for the couple.


Okay, time to talk details - and there were a lot! The couple made stands out of wine bottles (filled with rice) to hold the name of each table, and each table name was after a winery - they looked great! They also made programs for there ceremony, which had different sayings on the front, and everyone was asking everyone else what their's said. Here are some examples: "Love one another and you will be happy. It's as simple and as difficult as that." "You know it's love when you want to keep holding hands even after you're sweaty." "The quality of your life is the quality of your relationships." Once the ceremony was over - it was time to get the party started. What a better way to do that than having the bridal party dance down the aisle! The music starts, everyone pulled out and put on their sunglasses, and danced down the aisle. It was a very fun, memorable moment that set the mood for the rest of the evening.

There were candles everywhere, setting a very romantic mood. And for dessert? Well there was cake of course - but there was also a great dessert buffet including cheesecake with lots of topping choices! I know I've mentioned how much I loved this couple already - but another reason was their extremely generous hearts. Instead of doing wedding favors for the guests, they made a donation to one of their favorite charities. Also, instead of registering for gifts, they asked their guests to make a donation to a charity in lieu of a gift. Tauni and Carter, you are both beautiful, amazing people and I am so blessed to have met you and shared in your wedding day with you!

Tyler & Sarah's Review ~ 8.28.2010

"Ashley was my wedding planner and I absolutely do not know what I would have done without her. When we first met, I had already done quite a bit of the planning myself - I just thought I needed help putting it all together and handling the vendors. She managed the entire day beautifully, and we simply could not have been free to enjoy our wedding without all her hard work. She was there for everything! As a bonus, she recommended our DJ, who was excellent. Our guests are still commenting about how much fun they had at our wedding and how smoothly everything went. Ashley was so easy to work with and really went the extra mile to make sure everything was just as we wanted it to be and saw to it that we didn't have to stress about anything the weekend of our wedding."

Photography by LT Photography

8.28.2010 Wedding ~ Log House Love

Sarah and Tyler have known each other since Sarah was a Freshman in high school! Sarah and Tyler were married at the gorgeous Log House Gardens in Keizer (hard to believe this was almost 9 months ago)! The site for the ceremony is stunning - and they built the facility for weddings, so everything flows wonderfully! This was our first time working with the Log House Gardens - and Lanora will go to any length necessary to make sure your day if perfect and she truly loves all of her clients - and it shows in her ever-present smile, positive attitude, and genuine personality.

Sarah and Tyler picked some amazing colors - hot pink and lime green! They look great together and she put a lot of effort into little details that really made the day special and memorable. I love DIY brides that add that "special touch" with personal details! She even had her shoes custom made to match the colors AND had initials out of jewels added to the bottom! Sarah looked absolutely stunning! Sarah had also made custom hangers for all of her

bridesmaids.

During the ceremony Sarah and Tyler planted a tree together, and the symbolism described with it was unique and touching. Lining the aisle were mason jars, tied with color-coordinating ribbons, and fresh cut flowers. They were beautiful! The bridal party was a total blast (I know I say this about a lot of bridal parties - but it's true)! Mic from NW Mobile DJ took care of all the sound and music - and I love working with him! He's a natural speaker, cues music perfectly on time, and can read a crowd to pick the next "perfect song."

The gorgeous, vibrant flowers were from Celebrations Florals - and they were amazing to work with! The tasty cake was made by His Bakery and catering was by McKillips Catering. I have to admit - it was some of the best BBQ I've ever had! Cody and his staff were great to work with, and I have loved recommending them to brides ever since this wedding! As a wedding favor, Sarah and Tyler had the BEST candy buffet I've seen yet! They had little take-out-boxes, lots of different glass containers, custom signs for each type of candy - and the guests LOVED it! Laurin Thienes provided the photography and he was hilarious! He kept everyone smiling and laughing the whole time, and I can't wait to work with him again! The thing I love the most about photographers is how their work speaks for itself. Just take a look at some of his pictures and how he captures the moment!

I loved working with Sarah and Tyler and both of their families throughout their wedding. Thank you so much for having us be a part of your day! Congrats again and I know your future is filled with nothing but blessings, love, and marriage to your best friend!

Photography by LT Photography

Love Story: Crystal & Mike

How They Met

We met in graduate school as both of us were studying to become physical therapists. We found ourselves frequently hanging out together during our second year of school. We looked for each other at gatherings, stayed at school to study, and even rode the light rail home together. Eventually fate took its course and we were paired together for a group project. After completing the first part of the project, we met up with Crystal's sister for dinner. Immediately after dinner, her sister commented that we were more than just friends. Mike's friend continually texted him that night asking questions about this new girl as we were supposed to be completing our project. A few days later, Crystal finally had the nerve to ask Mike over for the evening (to watch Grey's Anatomy of all shows)! Both of us were nervous as neither was sure how to make the first move. Luckily, Crystal's roommate who never, ever watched television decided that he all of a sudden had an interest in Grey's Anatomy. Crystal wondered if the night would be a lost cause as he joined them on the couch. After an hour of deliberation and knowing the time constraints due to the arrival of Crystal's other roommate, Mike finally had an opportunity once the roommate left the room. He leaned over to Crystal and it was then that they shared their first kiss. The rest is history and they are looking forward to spending the rest of their lives together.

The Proposal

As a "surprise," Mike took Crystal up to Seattle for a Mariners baseball game for their third anniversary. He knew this would be special to Crystal as she is a long time baseball fan. Though Crystal guessed where they were going, they enjoyed to be what turned out to be a sunny, but chilly, day at Safeco Field. After the game, they meandered around Seattle and had dinner near Pike's Place. Mike really surprised Crystal with a place to stay that night instead of having to drive back to Portland. While relaxing in the hotel room, Mike told Crystal that there was a present in the overnight bag. Crystal found a wrapped box and was very curious. Inside the box was a baseball with a special note, "turn to me." When Crystal turned around, she saw Mike with a ring. He told her how much he loved her and asked for her to marry him. Of course she said yes! Crystal couldn't imagine a better surprise to celebrate their anniversary! Crystal and Mike are very excited for their wedding day - which is near their fourth anniversary of dating!

Engagement Photos by Lyfe Photography

Love Story: Ruby & Ryan

Our Story - By Ruby

I first saw Ryan on my school bus as a kid. I didn't remember it until a few years ago when I realized he used to ride my school bus with another boy in my neighborhood. I actually met Ryan in high school. He was younger than me, but we were in the same art class. He sat across the room from me and was very loud. I noticed he had a big personality, enjoyed being the center of attention, and like flirting with the girls in my class. I made sure to make a point that it wasn't "easy" to get me attention - but of course, he already had it.

Eventually Ryan showed up at my group's table and suddenly began sitting with us every day. At first, I wasn't really sure why he wanted to sit with us, but quickly learned that he knew one of the guys at the table. We were the "funny" table and Ryan wanted to be apart of it, he was the perfect fit. After awhile I realized Ryan and I had a lot in common. We were both entertainers, we enjoyed making people laugh, and loved to have fun. Soon we were both getting into trouble for having too much fun! Before I knew it, my art teacher wanted to know what was going on (Mr. Beck was kind of a protective teacher). He asked, "is there anything going on with you and Ryan?" I laughed and explained we were "just friends."

That friendship continued for about a year and a half. After more than a year of just being friends and sharing some broken hearts we began to think of each other differently...

We discovered that what we were looking for all along was right under our nose. We began dating in high school and to our surprise, it continued and continued. Ryan and I tried to "see other people" but it never worked out. It was extremely hard for us to believe that we had found "the one" at such a young age. We went months apart not talking or seeing each other and the moment we were reunited, we rediscovered ourselves. Distance never changed how we felt about each other, it made us realize that we needed each other.

The truth is, Ryan and I have spent the past 12 years of our relationship loving each other and building memories. We've also spent some time learning from our mistakes. We've learned to be independent and to value one another's company. Overall, we've learned the true meaning of forgiveness, to embrace our differences, respect and support each other, to listen with compassion and love, and most importantly - to use a sense of humor.

The Proposal - By Ryan

The day of the proposal was a long time coming. I know "it's about time." But the path to getting there was much harder than I expected. I proposed to Ruby on August 3rd, but I had the ring for 5 months prior to that. Knowing that after a 10 year courtship it had to be the monumental display, I had several ideas and options. I thought of a trip to Vegas (since this is where I gave Ruby her promise ring). I considered a Detroit Lake proposal out on the boat at sunset. I even called a hot air balloon company but feared that Ruby would panic at the thought of being 1,000 feet up in the air with nothing but a wicker basket holding us up...

The initial conclusion was Detroit Lake - after all, we've had so many memorable moments out there. The ring was ready, safely secured in my fishing vest pocket, the timing was right...then...Manny (Ruby's brother) showed up and spoiled my plan. Ruby was excited to see her brother and I couldn't really see my picture perfect proposal going down with my soon to be brother in law looking over my shoulder.

Alas the day came that Ruby and I moved out of Amy and Ryan's 100-degree attic and into our new house in Beaverton. I had told Roobs that we would be engaged before we moved into our new house and yet here we were, the night of the move in, and I had still not found the right moment to pop the question.

So I said enough is enough - if I can't find the right mountain top or sunset, I will just follow my heart and let the rest just happen. I picked up a couple of our favorites (halibut for Ruby and NY steak for me) and headed home with flowers to celebrate our first night in our new house. The night was HOT and we ended up having a picnic on the living room floor. Candlelight, music, along with a bottle of champagne my mom had left for us to toast to our new nest, made the moment perfect. We dinned and celebrated a new chapter of our lives together.

The ring was in my pocket, bulging out and weighing me down as I nervously searched for the right moment. Ruby, slightly tipsy, asked me "why are you acting funny?" as she glanced down at my hand as it reached, yet again, into the left pocket. I smiled, dropped to one knee, and asked her to be my wife.

After several seconds of disbelief, Ruby removed the hands from her mouth, paused from saying "oh my gosh," and said YES!

*The top picture is of Ruby and Ryan from 2000! The engagement pictures are by Lisa Smith and Blake Brinker.*