Blush Bridal Consultation Group

Blush loves Honeysuckle Photography!

Katie & James…What a perfect way to kick off 2011! Just over two weeks ago we had the great pleasure and honor of helping Katie and James tie the knot.  When Katie contacted me in late October and told me they wanted to get married in January, I took a deep breath and said, ”sure, we can make that happen!”  After all, I was up for the challenge since it was winter and we had just one other wedding on the books, I knew I could focus my attention on helping pull this together for them in just two short months.  It wasn’t that they waited until the last minute to begin the planning that caused the brief 2 month period, James is in the Army and had recently found out he would be deployed in the spring and this was the only week they could take off to celebrate.  This made the decision to help them that much easier.  Plus it didn’t hurt that Katie was so sweet and I could just tell should would make a fun bride!  After learning they lived in Tennessee where James is stationed, but had a trip to Portland planned a week and a half later, I got right to work scheduling all of their appointments.  It could not have been a more enjoyable and smoother process and both Katie and her mother, Cory, kept on top of it, and made decisions in a timely fashion.  Katie and James envisioned an elegant but fun and relaxed atsmophere for their big day and just wanted to have a great time with friends and family that they don’t often see.  It was a most memorable evening at Hotel Vintage Plaza!  Congrats Katie and James…we wish you great joy in your new life together!  Thank you to all of the amazing and talented professionals who worked so hard to make this happen…you are some of Portland’s finest.  Speaking of great professionals, we’ve been very fortunate over the past several years to work with some amazing photographers in this city and one of those is Maggie Hudson of Honeysuckle Photography.  We’ve had the opportunity to work with Maggie and her team a number of times and it’s always a fantastic experience!  One of the weddings we worked on with Maggie was for Jennifer Walker of Face Body Beauty who is a mutual friend of ours and a talented local makeup artist.  She was married at the beautiful Bridal Veil Lakes in June of 2009.  Maggie did a phenomenal job with this wedding as there were many touching moments to capture and she didn’t miss one.  Maggie is super laid back and positive but completely on her “A” game at each and every wedding working hard to capture vibrant and animated photos that truly represent each couple’s unique day.  Don’t let her calm and cool demeanor fool you, however…she’s witty, sharp and always one step ahead.  She never misses that perfect shot and makes an extra effort to get to know each of her couples before their wedding so she is familiar with their style and personalities.  Even better, Maggie has a fantastic assistant, Brian, who works alongside her at every wedding so there is always a great mix of shots from spontaneous moments that happen during the getting ready process to those ever-important detail shots of the favors, cake and flowers, to the toasts and dances, Maggie & Brian cover all the bases flawlessly.  We can’t say enough great things about Honeysuckle and  just love working with them and highly recommend them to anyone looking for fun documentary style photographers to capture their wedding day!  For more samples of their work check out the Honeysuckle blog or visit their website at www.honey-photo.com  Thank you Maggie & Brian!

Why Do Wedding Planners Cost “So Much?”

My dear friend Cindy Rosen of Encore Events discovered this fantastic article and I just had to share it on my blog.  It’s something every bride and groom-to-be should read before they begin hiring their wedding professionals, and it’s one that applies to every type of professional in the bridal industry, be it photographers, florists, DJs, videographers, etc.  The author of the article, Shayna Walker, owner of Williamsburg Wedding Design, gives a matter-of-fact and realistic picture of why professional planners/coordinators charge what we do and the value of hiring a coordinator to help manage your big day.  This article is  well-written, humorous, and the best part is that it clears up the misconception about wedding planners reading the groom his vows through a microphone like “J Lo”.  Experienced wedding planners work hard physically and mentally for their clients and it’s reflected in the outcome of the wedding.  There is a lot to learn here and it will only take 10 minutes of your time!  Enjoy!

http://www.scribd.com/doc/45928065/Why-Do-Wedding-Planners-Cost-So-Much

A peek into 2011!

Just moments from the start of a new year I can’t help but reminisce about just how memorable and exciting  2010 has been.  This past summer marked our 9th wedding season and we continue to be blessed with the most amazing clients who make our jobs so much fun!  A tremendous thank you to each of you for choosing Blush to help create your most unique and special day…we are honored to have been a part of it.  To all our professional friends who work alongside us to make each wedding a success, thank you for your enthusiasm, support and dedication.  We could not do this without you!  This past year we had the pleasure of working at some of Oregon’s finest venues including the Portland Art Museum, Garden Vineyards, Youngberg Hill, World Trade Center, Hotel Vintage Plaza, Jenkins Estate, Rhododendron Garden, World Foresty Center, Oregon Historical Society, Edgefield, The Nines, and many more! 

Here is a sneak peek into the venues we’ll be at in the coming year!  We’re kicking off 2011 at the lovely and warm Hotel Vintage Plaza…a boutique hotel with exquisite cuisine and a fabulous staff makes this a great New Years Day site.  One week later we’re celebrating with an intimate wedding at the hip ClarkLewis.  In the spring we get to work at the very chic Urban Studio, a first for us so we’re pretty excited!  A few more of the fabulous venues on the calendar include McMenamins Grand Lodge, McMenamins Edgefield, Mission Mill, Oregon Golf Club, Youngberg Hill and Gorge Crest. 

We have some exciting changes to tell you about in the coming weeks and hope you’ll continue to stop by and see what’s happening with Blush!

Wishing all of you a safe and happy new year and all our best for 2011!

Amy, Erin, Sidarany & Susan