Posts tagged ‘weddings’

May 4th, 2011

Featured Vendor: Fleur

It’s turning into Chicago week here at Middle of the Map, with Jenn’s engagement session featured on Monday, and today a vendor spotlight on the wonderful Fleur.  I found their beautiful blog this past summer while searching for floral inspiration.  I was immediately obsessed, and true to floral nerd form, looked through every single post.  I began talking to owner Kelly via e-mails, and just last week got a chance to meet her in person.  Her enthusiasm is contagious, and her floral designs echo her vibrant and fun personality.

Fleur Inc. flower shop in Chicago.
photo via Lisa Predko

Where to find Fleur: website, blog, Twitter, Facebook

Beautiful white bouquet, peonies, ranunculus.

A Chicago native, Kelly was born and raised on the south west side.  Fleur opened 9 years ago in the adorable Logan Square neighborhood, and she currently lives in a Ukrainian Village about 15 minutes away from her shop.

 

Rustic bouquet, billy balls, scabiosa pods, cotton, acorns.

As a little girl, Kelly says she was surrounded by flowers.  Her mothers garden was a mystical place, and perfect for a little girl with an over active imagination.  She would sit under the apple tree and pretend she was a flower fairy that lived amongst the rose bushes.  When she was old enough she was given her own section of the garden where she grew mint, chamomile, peonies, and garden roses, and she collected magazine clippings of wildflowers and organically styled gardens.

Terrarium workshop at Fleur in Chicago.

Kelly decided to start her business at 22.  She says it was a bit of a leap into the unknown.  She’d grown tired of her job which had become corporate, and was no longer about design, “I missed the tangibility of design and was tired of just pushing papers around.  Honestly, I had no idea what I was doing other than I loved design.”

Orange freesia and button boutonniere.

When asked what she loves most about being a part of someones big day she responds: “I love that each wedding is so different and so customized.  Our clients are so creative and kind and keep me guessing and constantly striving for new ideas.  There is just no complaining when every day is filled with creativity and color.”

Centerpieces, pink, red, and white, peonies, and anemones.

Her words of advice for couples planning their wedding?  Come in with a basic idea, and really allow your vendors to share their visions.  Try as much as you can to not allow the stress to creep in, because the end result is going to be beautiful!

A big thank you to Kelly for sharing a little bit more about her business, and also for being such an awesome role model of a business woman in the wedding industry!

 

 

CategoryFeatured Vendor, Illinois | Comment5 Comments »

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March 30th, 2011

Featured Vendor: Anna Page Photography

When I first saw Anna Wheeler’s photo work I knew that her work would be a perfect fit for Middle of the Map.  Not only are her images beautiful, but her clients are cute, and the weddings she captures are unique and have so many special details.  Today I’d like to share a little bit more with you about her business Anna Page Photography.
Where to find her: Website, Facebook, Twitter
Anna lives in her hometown of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin(about 1 hour north of Madison and Milwaukee). She mainly shoots weddings in Milwaukee and Madison, but travelsall over the state and the country for weddings. She says she’s actually never shot a wedding in Fond du Lac yet!
When I asked how she became interested in taking photos she answered: “I’ve always loved photography. I yearned to get a Hasselblad when I was a teenager mainly just as a hobby. I never considered taking photos as a career. I love to create and direct, (I’m sort of a control freak!) and just love seeing my visions become a reality. Later in life I ended up not getting my Hasselblad, but a Nikon D70.”
She shot her first wedding when her husband’s friend was getting married and had no photographer.  She thought she’d offer to shoot their wedding for free and ended up really enjoying taking photos of people in love! (By the way, she did end up getting her Hasselblad last year).
Anna officially started her business in October of 2005 in Utah. She’s glad she got her start there because the industry is really competitive and it required her to push herself to do better and improve her skills.
I asked Anna what her favorite subject to photograph is and she says the bride: “The bride is always the most beautiful on her wedding day and she knows it.”
Other than brides and weddings, she’s inspired by photographing people in general.   She also enjoys taking pictures of: places with beautiful light and clean lines, and likes playing around with illustrative works, and lately has been interested in nude photography.

Anna loves weddings, and the fact that she can get paid to photograph them is a bonus. Her favorite part of her job is photographing the people and capturing emotions and moments that her clients can relive by looking back at their photos.

“It’s pretty neat to know that my work is hanging up on their walls in their homes.”

When asked what her advice would be for couples looking for a good wedding photographer Anna says do lots of research and obviously pick a few photographers with work that you love.  Try to meet with them, and check out their sample albums.  Ask lots of questions and read their contracts.  You want a photographer that you click with because they will be spending the entire day with you.

Thanks for taking the time to get to know Anna.  Please find more of her beautiful images on her photo blog: www.annapagephotography.com/blog.


CategoryEngagement, Featured Vendor | Comment1 Comment »

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March 29th, 2011

Announcing: A Free Photo Give-Away!

Yes you heard right, Justine Bursoni, will be giving away her lovely talents to one lucky couple.  We’re looking for indie, hand made, or vintage weddings.  The winner will receive these fabulous prizes:

  • 6 hours of free photography (with upgrade options available).
  • High resolution files on disk.
  • Custom processing.
  • An assistant photographers.
  • Online proofing.
  • Your wedding featured right here on Middle of the Map Weddings!

Weddings located outside of Illinois are welcome to apply, but couples must pay for travel costs (this excludes Milwaukee, St.Louis, and Indianapolis which are no additional charge).  You must be getting married in 2011, and submission dates already booked by Justine will not be considered (sorry!).

How do you enter?

Please e-mail the following information to justine@justinebursoni.com, and write the word “WIN” as the subject.  Let us know how your wedding will be unique, stylish, hand made, or creative.  Include the date and location of the ceremony, reception, after party, etc.  Send an inspiration board if you have one, or inspiration photos.  One or two snapshots of your adorable selves, and then one or two sentences about how you plan to make your day stand out from a traditional wedding.

Deadline for submissions is Friday April 15th, 2011 before 10:00 pm, so get them sent in!  The winning couple will be posted on Justine’s blog as well as Middle of the Map Weddings, Friday April 22nd.

Winners will be hand picked by Justine and myself, and we can’t wait to see everyones wonderful wedding inspiration!

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Interested in collaborating on a give-away, or promoting your business on Middle of the Map Weddings?  Please e-mail me to find out more!

CategoryUncategorized | Comment1 Comment »

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March 23rd, 2011

Featured Vendor: Classic Cakes

If I’m going to be honest one of my favorite parts about attending a wedding (other than the dancing) is the delicious cake.  And cakes are something that Andrea Adams-Britt of Classic Cakes knows a thing or two about.  Besides creating cakes that are beautiful, and modern, she also wins on taste.  Plus have you seen the new Spring/Summer issue of KC Weddings Magazine?  It features some of her delightful desserts.  Let’s find out a bit more about Andrea.

Where to find her: Website, Facebook

Andrea lives and works in Lee’s Summit, Missouri.  She says she started to become interested in baking early on, around age 6 or 7.  She learned quickly that you can make people really happy with food, and after 21 years in the cake business, pleasing people is still the reason she bakes.

Andrea started Classic Cakes in 2004.  In early 2001 as she was flipping through an issue of Martha Stewart Weddings, she found pictures of cakes the likes of which she’d never seen before.  She was inspired on the spot, and knew what she wanted to do for the rest of her life.

When asked where she gets her inspiration for designs, Andrea says she can pull ideas from a wall paper pattern, a print on a scarf, or the latest Crate and Barrel catalog.  Lately she’s been looking at vintage weddings from the 30′s and 40′s, for designs.  As far as taste inspiration goes, she relies on her own palette.  If she finds a favorite dessert, she tries to dissect the ingredients, and adapt them for a wedding cake.

I asked Andrea what her words of advice would be for a couple picking their wedding cake designer:

“Don’t follow trends, be unique. Do something that people will remember for years to come. You want the cake and flavors to be a show stopper! My biggest pet peeve is a baker spending so much time on the exterior of the cake and forgetting about the taste of the cake. People will not remember what the cake looked like, they will be remembering all the flavors of cake and what each tasted like. It is the smallest of things that make a memorable event.”

Her favorite part about working in the industry?  Being included in such a wonderful time in a families life.  As a wedding vendor she gets to be part of the joyful and loving feelings of the day.

Find out more about Andrea, or book her for your wedding: kcclassiccakes.com

CategoryCake | Comment1 Comment »

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March 16th, 2011

Featured Vendor: Cathy and David Photographers

When I first wrote to Cathy and David Photographers about being a part of Middle of the Map, they said they’d be happy to answer any questions, and that they were an “open book”. Their friendly and fun loving spirit shines through in their images, but they are also experts at capturing the quiet, romantic moments between a couple in love.  Here’s a little more info about this dynamic photography duo:

Where to find them: website, blog, Facebook

Cathy and David mainly work in and around the Chicago and Indianapolis are, but are open to traveling throughout the midwest, and nationwide.  They live with their cat, Charlie Anne (see her little ears), and love thinks like ethnic food, a good book, and will never grow out of playing video games.

They’ve both always had a love for photography, and took courses in college for fun.  Before their own wedding both were full time graphic designers.  While planning their own nuptials they realized they would get so much more fulfillment documenting the best day in someone’s life, and never turned back.  They officially started their business in 2007.

When I asked what their favorite subject to shoot other than weddings is, they said that weddings are their absolute favorite, but other than that they love photographing engaged couples, and also images from their impulse vacations they like to take every year.

They’ve been shooting weddings from the very beginning.  Their favorite part of being wedding photographers:

“We love being there for people on such an important day of their lives.  Being able to show them little moments throughout the day that they never would have noticed otherwise.”

When asked a few words of advice to couples picking their photographer they responded:

“Budget for your photography coverage, and extras seperately.  Starting prices can range from $2000 to well over $15,000.  Start with a minimum of 10-15% of your total budget for a photographer, and then depending on how much you value your photos go up from there.  Some brides have spent 90% of their budget on us.  Next budget for your extras…once you’ve figured out your budget you can start looking around and asking prices…if your first choice for photographer is booked for your date, ask them who they would recommend.  A lot of photographers network with each other, and are happy to refer you to someone else.”

Thanks so much to Cathy and David for sharing their insights, and beautiful work.  To see their complete portfolio, please check out their photo blog at: cathydavidphoto.com/blog

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