Brandon & Kristen's Review ~ 7.30.2010

"Hiring Ashley was the best decision that we made for the wedding. Working with her is like having your best friend care about all your wedding details, never get tired of the little decisions, and help you think through whatever tricky situations may come up. She is thorough, responsive, and 100% professional. She even came to the ceremony dressed in the wedding colors (which was noticed by all of my bridesmaids) - a little thing, but showed the attention she paid to our wedding. She cared that our wedding was special for us. Her recommendations for vendors were spot on - always in our budget and amazingly professional. To top it off, we planned the wedding from 1700 miles away, a task that wouldn't have been accomplished without Ashley's help. She was always available for a call, text, or email. She called and followed up with all of our vendors for initial meetings and as the wedding date approached. In short, she is great." ~ Brandon and Kristen

7.30.2010 Wedding ~ All You Need Is Love

My first phone conversation with Kristen was simply amazing. The conversation was easy, the laughs were plenty, and I immediately knew we had a great bride-coordinator connection. She was looking for full coordination as she was living in Nebraska, but her family was from Salem so she wanted the wedding close to home. I enjoyed working so closely with Kristen the whole time. It was more like hanging out with a close friend than it was "working."

First the location. She gave me some ideas on what she was looking for in a venue, and my mind instantly thought of Beckenridge Vineyard. When we went to tour it for the first time, her expression was priceless. It was written all over her face that this was the perfect place for them. They booked their date right away! I always love, I mean LOVE, working with the staff at Beckenridge. They are always so attentive to their clients and their guests and families. Not only that, but their venue has amazing views, a groom's room complete with a foosball table, and great options for a "plan B" should the weather decide to change - it is Oregon after all!

The wedding day started out by Kristen and her ladies having their hair and makeup done by the wonderfully talented team of Face Body Beauty. I can't say enough wonderful things

about Jennifer and her staff! They looked stunning! When they arrived at Beckenridge, Denice from Distinctive Designs was arriving with the flowers, and I have never seen a bride get so excited about their flowers before. And for good reason - look at these stunning colors! Denise consistently goes above and beyond for her clients, and I love working with her!

The ceremony was amazing thanks to Johanna of An Event to Remember. She was their officiant and made a custom ceremony to reflect Kristen and Brandon. She takes so much time to really learn about her couples and it shows! Sue Hamilton of SHE Designs provided all of the rental items needed, and I was beyond impressed with the great quality! Since Kristen and Brandon are both from the academic world, I thought their idea for centerpieces was too cute: a stack of books, each being a different stack based on a different topic or theme. They also had statistics on love placed around each table with a small vase and single flower. It looked great and it was very unique and creative!

Right after the ceremony the guests enjoyed a cocktail hour with appetizers from Reed Catering - YUM! I was thrilled with Cora from Reed Catering and the passion she has for food. I heard nothing but great things about all the food that was served that evening. Northwest Mobile DJ kept the mood going throughout the night and ensured a great party for the reception. The cake? There was enough to feed twice the amount of guests, but it was SO amazing that there were literally only about five slices left! People were coming back for thirds (maybe even fourths)! Marion of Myriad Cake Design is one of the best in the industry, as apparent by the "disappearing cake" as we called it.

I loved listening to the speeches given - they were both heart-felt and funny. The whole evening flowed and the guests had a great time. They had guests travel from all over so they had a map with stickers so people could show how far they had traveled that day to be there - another creative and unique idea! You could feel all the love the guests had for Kristen and Brandon and they enjoyed celebrating every second of their day with them. You could see how much it meant to Kristen and Brandon that their loved ones had come to celebrate with them!

Throughout the day I had the pleasure of working alongside Maalaea and Ian of I and M Photography. Wow - are they superb! They have such an amazing eye for details, as you can see in all of these pictures, and I felt like we had worked together numerous times before. I would recommend them to anyone looking for a photographer! The first time you meet with them it's obvious they love what they do!

Thank you to all the amazing vendors for helping Kristen and Brandon's wedding be so perfect and go so flawlessly. To Kristen and Brandon - thank you so much for your sweet message in your programs. It was my pleasure working for you and I wish you all the best that life has to offer! Congrats!

Marcus & Loni's Review ~ 7.17.2010

"Ashley was a godsend. From the very beginning she was always available to answer questions or give ideas. I loved that she always wanted my wedding to be the way I wanted. I never felt as if she was trying to push me into a decision and she always wanted to work with me to make sure I had the wedding that I always wanted. On the day of the wedding, if anything went wrong, and I'm sure it did, she never let on. She was flawless and my wedding would not have gone as well as it did if she wasn't there. Ashley is always friendly, always happy to see you, and always has an idea when you need one." - Loni

7.17.2010 Wedding ~ Fun and Fabulous in Philomath

Loni and Marcus were married back in July on the 17th. They had their reception at the amazing Philomath Scout Lodge in Philomath. Loni told me about this venue, one that has just started opening up to weddings and other events. It's an amazing space! I loved the fireplace, the high ceilings, the lobby area, everything! The pictures on their website don't do it justice - you just need to visit it!

Loni was such a sweet bride, I can't begin to tell you how much I enjoyed working with her! From day one, every time I saw an email from her I instantly smiled. Loni, Marcus, the wedding party, and her entire family were such a joy to work with! She was very easy going and the groom and wedding party were also fantastic! My assistants and I were constantly laughing and smiling along with everyone. The speeches from the two fathers brought tears to my eyes...they were so sweet and sentimental.

The lighting in the room, the candles, and sunset in the back window set a great mood for the reception. The cake was provided by Sweet Things Bakery, photography was from a family friend (Christy Turner), and the catering was provided by Olive Branch Catering out of Corvallis. They don't have a website, but their food is to die for. She only takes limited events, so if you're interested, let me know and I'll get you in touch with her! My mouth is seriously watering right now remembering how good the food was. She cuts every single piece of fruit herself...nothing is pre-packaged or frozen...everything is as fresh as it could possibly be and you can taste the difference!

The bride made all of the centerpieces, a very crafty DIY bride! The wedding party had a great time dancing, and I'm *hoping* to help Heather with her wedding next year (I LOVED her Love Story about how she was proposed to as well - Loni has a great group of friends)! Thank you Loni and Marcus (and Buddy and Branita) for allowing me to share in the memories! It was an honor!

Love Story: Lacey & Jace

The proposal:

"We both really enjoy Italian food, and we both love Olive Garden. It was December 10, 2009 (my 20th birthday). We had a huge snow storm the day before. In fact, all schools across Wisconsin (college, private, and public schools) had been shut down. Jace suggested we still take the hour and a half trip to Olive Garden, and that we still dress nicely. I didn't let the huge snow storm from the day before stop me either. I stuck it out and wore a dress...and froze! We got there safely, and the hostess took us to a tiny corner in Olive Garden. It was such a perfect setup as well. It was decorated as if it was a gazebo, the lights were dimmed, and it felt so peaceful. People were sporadically around us, but to me, it felt as if Jace and I were alone.

We ate our meal, and when we were done eating, the waitress asked if we wanted any dessert. He told me whatever I wanted to get was fine, it was my birthday. Of course I picked the chocolate cheesecake that just looked so delicious! The waitress left, and Jace excused himself to the bathroom. To me, this was normal. I figured he really did have to go to the bathroom. He came back and shortly after, our waitress had come back with the cheesecake and set it in front of me. She paused there, and I just stared at the beautiful cheesecake. I was so in awe of the drizzled chocolate that was zig zagged between the cheesecake and the plate that I hadn't even noticed the ring in the upper part by the crust. When I finally saw it, is when my memory went blur. I remember seeing Jace get up from his spot, and pull the ring out of the cake. Seeing him in his suit and tie, get down on one knee. I remember hearing a little bit of a shake to his voice, and when he asked me to marry him, I said yes! He put it on my finger, and in the background I hear a bunch of women go "awww..." I didn't even notice that the wall behind us, that had a cut out window in it, were a bunch of women who followed out waitress out to watch the proposal.

I was still in so much shock of what just happened, that I actually kept asking Jace, "Is this for real?! You serious?!" As I stared at my new gorgeous ring on my finger, I embraced him and started crying. All I could think about and say was "I'm engaged!" I called my parents to tell them the news, and my mom's response to me was "Congrats hunny, but we've known about this for awhile now. He asked your dad over Thanksgiving if he could marry you."

As deployment grew closer, and we now were a newly engaged couple, we began realizing more and more fears we had. But I felt I needed to tell him, and just as I told him before he left for basic training over 4 years ago, I needed to reassure him again. "I will wait for you, and I will be faithful to you, I love you."

Brad Paisley sings the words so perfectly, and although it's a song singing from the man to his woman, I feel like it takes the words right out my mouth. It reminds me of how much love I have had for Jace. When Jace left for basic training how I thought I loved him then, when he came back how much more I had loved him, on our 2 year anniversary...to even now our 4 year anniversary as we are apart."

'Now you're my whole life, now you're my whole world.

I just can't believe the way I feel about you,

We'll look back someday, at this moment that we're in

And I'll look at you and say

And I thought I loved you then.'

Marry You Me Inspiration Blog

Back in August the Marry You Me inspiration blog for "all things wedding, love, and sweetness" wrote about Stargazer Weddings and our contribution to the Click Chicks' 1st Annual Summer Lovin' Workshop! A lot of time went into putting together this workshop, and a lot of collaboration from numerous vendors made it successful! A few quotes from the review from Marry You Me about the two "themes" we did:

"This sweet little photo shoot has such a fresh palette of aqua blue, lemon yellow, and white. There are some great and inexpensive steal worthy tablescape ideas from this workshop...Loving this color combo so much!"

"I am loving the farm-meets-Victorian feel!"

Thank you Marry You Me for sharing our work for inspiration for future brides! If you're a bride looking for another website to check out tips, inspirations, and literally all things "wedding, love, and sweetness," check out Marry You Me!

Love Story: Sarah & Tyler

Our Story

"The first time I met Tyler was during my freshman year at Molalla High School. After Tyler graduated, we went our separate ways. Fate was on our side when we both ended up at Oregon State University a few years later. Tyler emailed me unexpectedly and mentioned that we should hang out sometime. As soon as we started hanging out, I knew that Tyler was going to be one of my best friends at OSU. The more time we spent together, I realized that our friendship was turning in to something more. It wasn't until we talked about our feelings for each other that we knew that there was no going back to just being friends. Our friendship that started our relationship became the foundation for the love that we share today. Every day that passes, I fall more in love with my best friend. We are so excited for our wedding and look forward to spending the rest of our lives together as husband and wife!

Photography by Laurin Thienes Photography

Click Chicks 1st Annual Summer Lovin' Workshop

On July 1st a group of amazing photographers got together for the 1st annual Summer Lovin' Workshop! I worked with Melanie Whitaker of Melanie Jade Photography to help put on this workshop/photoshoot for the Click Chicks. The Click Chicks are a group of all female photographers that get together monthly to go over lighting, techniques, tips and tricks, industry standards, pricing, upcoming trends, you name it! Members of the Click Chicks have price packages for any budget, so check out their site and I'm sure you'll find a photographer that fits your style!

I can't begin to tell you how much fun I had with helping coordinate and design this photo shoot! There were two different wedding themes, and LOTS of details for the photographers to capture (plus two great lookin' couples)! The pictures shown are only a small portion of the pictures that were taken...I think that there were at least 20 photographers! This photo shoot would not have been possible without the contributions of the following vendors:

Dresses - Angie of The Bridal Gallery

Hair & Makeup - Jennifer of Face Body Beauty

Tuxedos - Jim from the Salem Mr. Formal

Flowers - Denice of Distinctive Designs

Cake - Kalie of The Cake Shoppe

Linens & chairs - Shirley of Crossroads Fine Linens & Party Rentals

Hosting Photographer & Inspiration - Melanie of Melanie Jade Photography

I'd also like to thank the following photographers for giving me some of their photos to use! You rock! And of course, a big thank you to all of the Click Chicks for giving me the opportunity to work with you! I had SO much fun!

Melanie of Melanie Jade Photography

Brittany of 5th and 59th Photography

Ashley of Ashley Sturm Photography

Tara of Tara Francis Photography

Anne of Anne Adams Photography

The Thread - Oregon Wedding Professionals

I wanted to share a little bit about an amazing group called The Thread! Back in January of 2009 a group of wedding professionals decided to form The Thread, and I was honored to be asked to join in 2010! Every vendor in this group has a passion for weddings and are dedicated to providing the best possible service for their customers. We are currently working on offering a more comprehensive website that not only provides links to all of the vendors, but an active blog with all of the vendors contributing - offering you invaluable advice, tips, and knowledge of weddings! We recently had a 4 week seminar to help answer your questions. These sessions included topics such as planning and budgeting, choosing your venue, bridal shops, choosing your videographer, choosing your photographer, hair and makeup, and more! They were recorded and are available on the website! Whether you're looking for only one vendor or still needing them all, I would highly recommend the members of The Thread!

Photo by Encore! Photography

Steven & Jenn's Review ~ 5.15.2010

"Ashley did such a wonderful job and we were thrilled to have her at every turn. Thanks for all of your hard work and attention to detail. She made me feel so comfortable on the big day! I was stressed waking up early to all the things that had to happen, but when she showed up 5 minutes early and knew exactly what to do and how to do it, well I visibly relaxed and was able to start to really enjoy. I told my mom 'I am so happy that Ashley is in charge now!' In the beginning my family was not sure why I was hiring a coordinator, saying 'everything is already done,' but at the end of the wedding all said we could not have done it without her and her services were worth every penny and more!" ~ Jenn

Photo by Fritz Photo

5.15.2010 Wedding - Surprises, Starbucks, & Smiles

I don't even know where to begin with Jenn and Steven and their wedding...It's couples like them that truly make me love what I do! Let's start off with a little bit of the couple's history. They knew each other back in high school, went their separate ways for numerous years (+/-20 years actually), and then found each other and fell in love instantly! I'm amazed at their story and how true love knows no amount of time and confirms my belief in everyone finding their soul mate! Jenn was such a pleasure to work with through every step of the way, and being apart of her joy and excitement during the planning process was an honor! She was very organized and chose AMAZING vendors, none of which I had had the pleasure of working with before their wedding!

When it was time for Jenn and Steven to see each other for the first time, he had a little white box with a red bow. He had it hidden behind his back until she was by his side, and then he had her open it. He surprised her with a BEAUTIFUL pair of diamond earrings! She was just glowing with smiles!

They got married at the very charming Bethany Bible Church in Portland with the reception being held at the Claremont Golf Course just a few miles down the road. They are huge Starbucks fans, so they had to stop by and grab their favorite drinks (yes, in the suit and wedding dress) before arriving at the reception. The food and bartending services were provided by Claeys Catering, and the food was superb! They were so easy to work with, were always prepared for the next "event" of the wedding, and all of the guests were raving about how wonderful the food, presentation, and drinks were! I would highly recommend them if you're still looking for a caterer! The beautiful flowers were provided by Diana of Flowers by Diana, bride's hair and make-up was by Austie Eckley, and the cake was by Wrightberry's Custom Wedding Cake Designs.

Last (and definitely not least) is the photographer, Fritz Photo. I can't say enough amazing things about them! They had an eye for detail, truly captured all of the special moments, and were great to work with! We were always on the same page, they were always prepared for the next "event" at the wedding, and were just a joy to work with! When I originally contacted them about getting some pictures for the website and blog...I think there was about 60+ (and that was even narrowing it down)! It was hard, but I got it down to about 25, but please check out their website for more of the amazing pictures from Jenn and Steven's wedding and all their other clients!

The reception was a total blast...people were up dancing and they even did the locomotion song with a people train! Jenn and Steven's families were honestly one of the best sets of families I've ever had the privilege of working with. I was actually sad when the wedding was over because I thought about probably not seeing them again! They were so warm and loving and shared in all of the happiness with Jenn and Steven that day.

There were lots of small details that Jenn had for the reception, from little bags of pink M&M's (using their family crystal dishes), custom napkins, fun custom "perfect match" matches, personalized votive candles through the whole reception, and it all came together so beautifully!

To Jenn and Steven - thank you so much for allowing me to share this experience with you! I am blessed to have you as clients and I wish you a lifetime of endless love and laughs! I'd also like to thank my new and amazing co-coordinator, Trish. You were a huge asset to have and I look forward to working on many more weddings together in the future!

Photos by Fritz Photo

3.20.2010 Wedding - Made for Each Other

Ashly and Jake got married a few months ago at Chinook Winds Casino in Lincoln City. The casino offers great packages that include decor, cake, catering, you name it! The bride looked stunning, and it was amazing to watch Jake's face as he saw her for the first time as she walked down the aisle. Ashly and Jake had framed pictures of both sets of their parents by their guest book, which was a very sentimental touch that the parents and guests loved! They also hand-signed each individual program that was carefully set on each chair for the ceremony. They even had a special chair painted, decorated, and set aside for a family member that was only able to attend in spirit. The bride's bouquet was preserved with real flowers (so it will look the same as it did on the wedding day for years and years to come), and the flowers were a perfect match to the wedding colors!

Ashly's maid of honor made cards that matched the theme and color of the wedding for guests to write words of wisdom and nice thoughts for the bride and groom. It was such a thoughtful idea, and the guests had a great time filling them out for the new Mr. and Mrs.! There was a plated dinner (made by the talented in-house caterer) which was followed by a tasty cake by Cherished Moments, Inc. which also provides flowers, invitations, help with formal wear, and numerous other things! The cake had numerous flavored layers, and had amazing detail! Another part of the package at Chinook Winds Casino includes a glass-blown ball specially made for the couple to remember their wedding by. It was beautiful!

I think one of my favorite parts of the wedding was the very heartfelt speeches made by both fathers. They both talked about how Ashly and Jake were made for each other and how blessed they felt to have each of them join their families. I loved working with Ashly and Jake and sharing in all of their joy. Congrats you two!

Photos by Sally of Pink Caterpillar Photography

Love Story: Loni & Marcus

The Ring

"Marcus had come over to my apartment for dinner. Sometime during dinner he realized he was carrying the ring with him. He had just come from his grandmother's house and she had just given it to him. He wasn't ready to propose yet, so he quickly looked for a place to hide the ring. I had just moved into my apartment, so he found one of my moving boxes and put the ring in there.

Now, flash-forward a few weeks...I was looking for a cord I needed for my printer when I opened a box in my living room and found a little gray box. I picked it up and went to ask Marcus if he knew what it was. One look at his face and I knew exactly what it was, and that I wasn't supposed to see it yet. I threw the box at him and ran into the bathroom, refusing to come out until he had put the ring somewhere where I wouldn't see it. I had to wait about a month after that because he wanted to ask my Dad. I felt bad for ruining his surprise, but I was also really excited and it all eventually all worked out!"

Love Story: Kristen & Brandon

How They Met

"We met at a professional conference in California - not somewhere you would consider being a 'romantic' location - about 3 years ago. I was in my last year of graduate school with a job in Nebraska on the Horizon. Brandon was in the middle of graduate school in Seattle. We were introduced by a mutual friend early during the conference, but didn't really talk at length until the last night of the meeting. Late that night, Brandon asked me for my e-mail address. He contacted me shortly after the conference, and we have been together, flying across the the country to see each other, since then!"




Photos by I and M Photo