Blush Bridal Consultation Group

Meet the amazing Lauren & Lincoln…

Last week my 8 month old baby girl, Emma, and I spent a relaxing and fun afternoon with Lauren & Lincoln of Lauren Brooks Photography at their wonderful new studio…their home!  They recently decided to move their SE photography studio into their cozy 1920’s home on the north side of Portland.  What a delight it was to be one of the first to see it and I just know clients are going to feel very welcomed when they meet up with these two to discuss their big day.  Lauren & Lincoln are some of the sweetest and most gracious people you could ever meet.  I first met this amazing pair when we worked together at a fun and memorable wedding at Edgefield back in September of ‘08 and we are now not only colleagues but also pals.  I still recall sitting in the Meadow behind Blackberry Hall at Edgefield taking a short break during the dinner portion of the reception and instantly hitting it off with these two…they are so easy to be around and love to laugh and just have a good time!  At this point we were both engaged and in chatting about our own upcoming weddings we realized we had the same date!  Of course that led into all sorts of other wedding-related details and the rest is history.  These two have a style that is fresh and unique and an approach that truly reflects who they are and it shines through in a big way in their beautiful photographs.  Their focus at each wedding is to capture the natural flow of events throughout the day and to tell the story of each couple as their day unfolds.  They are the type of photographers who manage to capture every detail but are barely seen, something that most couples strive to achieve while selecting the perfect photographer…not always an easy mix of characteristics to find but these two balance it exceptionally.  I am always thrilled when I have the opportunity to spend time or work with this talented husband-wife team and I just know my clients will be smitten the moment they meet these two, both with their personalities and with their work.  The photos in this blog are from another wedding we worked on with Lauren & Lincoln last August up at the beautiful Stonehedge Gardens in Hood River.  It was my first wedding back after maternity leave and what a perfect way to hit the ground running!  The gorge is always a great place for a wedding but this place in particular is just magical with its serene and natural beauty to surround the couple and their guests, and August 15th was a very special day as Evelini & Andy tied the knot.  As professional wedding vendors, we could not ask for a nicer couple to work with and these vibrant photos really represent the joy and happiness of this day.  Weddings like this are what make our job (if you can even call it that) so incredible.  Thank you, Evelini & Andy, for allowing us to be a part of your truly memorable wedding day…it was an honor.  Lauren & Lincoln’s work has been featured in Portland Bride & Groom, Oregon Bride, Snippet & Ink and Style Me Pretty.  For more information on Lauren Brooks Photography please check out their website at www.laurenbphoto.com or their blog at www.laurenbphoto.com/blog.  As a special offer to our readers, Lauren Brooks Photography is offering 5% off any wedding photography package booked when mentioning this blog.  Thank you so much for your generosity Lauren & Lincoln, a wonderful lunch in your beautiful home and for some great laughs.  I can’t wait to do it again soon!

Contest winner for FREE wedding photography!

Last week we teamed up with Anne Nunn Photography and posted a contest where couples could enter their most touching and inspirational love stories in order to win free photography for their big day. Well, we’ve made a decision and wanted you to be the first to know! While it was a difficult one since we received a number of great entries, ultimately we decided that  Julie & Matt’s story really touched us so we’re excited to announce that they are the lucky winners and will receive FREE photography on their big day!! Here is their story for you to enjoy. Congrats on your engagement you two! We are very excited for you both and wish you all the best! Also, a huge thank you to Anne Nunn Photography for their most generous donation…we know Julie & Matt will LOVE their wedding photos thanks to you!!

Ours is a story of fate like none other.  Matt and I met 8 ½ years ago, through my sister Kelli and his friend Ben (who are now married to each other).  We instantly fell for each other, I remember thinking to myself, THIS is the man I am going to marry someday.  Matt is one of the most kind, gentle, strong, amazing people I know.  He loves me, even with all my flaws, and I love him despite his flaws as well.  Probably one of the neatest things about us is that I grew up on Cone Ave. in Eugene…just so happens that street was named after his grandpa, Ed Cone who use to be mayor of Eugene.  As soon as I found out his last name, I KNEW it was fate that we met.  Not to mention, we both grew up in families that are hard core Oregon State fans-hard to find in the Eugene area.  We have grown so much together as a couple in the past 8 ½ years and I know we will be together forever.  He waited almost 8 years to ask me to marry him, I guess he wanted to be sure J. I do a lot of work in the animal rescue world, I have been involved in it for the past 3 years, Matt has always been supportive of my volunteer work and has always been there for me when it got rough for me.   I went on a trip to Ohio to see my “puppy friends” and do some animal rescue work with the local high kill pound in Highland County .  I was gone for a week, and I guess he really missed me because when my flight got in at 12am, he was waiting there for me…all by himself with the most nervous look on his face.  I thought to myself “oh how cute he missed me” then he got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife.  Of course I said yes!  The ring that he presented me with was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.  The diamond in my ring was his grandpa’s diamond that he wore in his tie tack almost every day…I’m very glad that the ring has so much meaning behind it, I never got to meet his grandpa and I feel like I have a part of him with me every day now. Matt and I are getting married May 22, 2010 at Cone Chapel on the Willamette University campus in Salem, Oregon.  I have waited so long for this day and I know it’s going to be the most special and important day of our lives. It will be the day I get to marry my best friend.

Why live your wedding day only once?

That’s Focal Point Digital Media’s tagline and such a true statement.  Awww, the world of wedding video…if only every couple realized before their big day how very important hiring a professional videographer is to their overall wedding experience.  As a seasoned coordinator I’ve had the unfortunate experience of hearing many couples tell me after their wedding that they truly regret not taking the time to even consider video or simply eliminating it from their budget.  This always makes me incredibly sad since those memorable moments cannot be recaptured in any other way.  This of course is not meant to discount photography in the least, and I have yet to meet a couple who hasn’t had photography at the top of their list of priorities, but video adds a completely different element of emotion.  How else are the vows captured, and what about those wild and crazy toasts, or those very special father-daughter dances, the late night partying, and so much more.  The truth is that a great video is not a replacement, but rather the perfect supplement to even the most amazing photographs.  The two together fully capture a couple’s wedding day.  There are a number of talented videographers in the Portland area but very few specialize exclusively in weddings, and one of them is Focal Point Digital Media.  Ryan Chaney, who founded the business in 2004 and has been running it successfully ever since,  is not only a talented and creative artist, but an equally professional and just all-around nice guy.  Since opening his Salem-based business, Ryan and his team have filmed more than 170 weddings in and around Portland as well as other parts of Oregon, WA and CA, and already have several more on the books for 2010.  They are a full-time professional studio located in West Salem where they welcome and encourage couples to come in and view their work, and chat about the details of their big day!  Ryan is relaxed, friendly, easy-going and always open to fresh ideas and excited to create a masterpiece that is as unique as the couple themselves.  He is one of those vendors who really listens to what couples want and makes it his goal to provide just that.  Focal Point has an editing niche  known as cinematic short-form wedding video whereby Ryan sifts through hours and hours of raw footage and creates a tightly-edited movie-like main feature complete with custom soundtrack, tasteful effects and polished storyline.  There is a reason it takes a professional videographer several months for an outstanding video to be produced…literally hundreds of hours go into the editing process to ensure the final product is nothing short of perfect.  Over the years the Blush team has worked on numerous weddings with Ryan and his team and we are always thrilled to recommend them to our clients knowing that they are in the best of hands and will love watching their wedding day unfold time and again.  Here is a sample trailer from Kate & Mike’s wedding that we worked on with Focal Point in July of 2008…what a fun and memorable day it was!  As coordinators, we always recommend that couples take the time to meet with two to three professional videographers and see what they have to offer, even if they are adamant that they do not want a video or simply cannot afford it.  In reality, if a couple sees a video they love, they can usually find a way to squeeze it into the budget, even if it means paying for it over time, or postponing when it will be edited and complete.  The most important part is capturing the day!  Here is another sample from Kate & Mike’s big day as they made their get away from the Armory at Portland Center Stage to the Portland Art Museum.  I often hear couples say that they will never watch their wedding video but more than likely this view is a result of a friend or family member’s poor quality video they were forced to watch.  Unfortunately many times professional videographers fall into this category when in fact their level of quality is the opposite.  As a bride myself in 2008, I hired Ryan and his associate, Gary, to film my big day, and it was one of the best decisions I made surrounding my wedding.  My husband and I have watched our trailer, love story, and video numerous times and it always brings tears to our eyes…it’s nothing short of priceless.  Here is a small sample of my own wedding day that will surely bring a smile to your face…just one more testament to why video is an absolute necessity at any wedding.  Not surprisingly, Focal Point has won a number of awards over the years including the Creative Excellence Award from their industry trade group, WEVA, Oregon Bride Magazine’s Best Videographer for 2009, and most recently the 2010 Bride’s Choice Award Winner through Wedding Wire Network.  For more information about the services Ryan and the Focal Point team can offer you, check out their website at www.focalpointvideo.biz