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Category: Favorite Vendors | View all recent posts |
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Favorite Vendors Favorite Vendor Spotlight: Petal Pusher Florist |
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| I have had the opportunity to work with some of the most talented and personable vendors and wedding consultants in the wedding industry. I love to refer my clients to professionals I have worked with who I truly believe will do an amazing job for them. I have a blog post dedicated to my favorite vendors, but I wanted to also occasionally spotlight each of them more in depth.
Today, meet Tamara Noack and her team from Petal Pusher! As florists go, I work with these guys more than anyone else. They are true artists and are clearly passionate about what they do. Everything they create is drop-dead gorgeous. To see some of the fabulous weddings we've done together, click here. Tamara and her husband, Matt, head up the Petal Pusher team and their pup, Diamond often keeps the team company at their Avondale shop: |
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Favorite Vendors Favorite Vendor Spotlight: Serendipity Videography |
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| I have had the opportunity to work with some of the most talented and personable vendors and wedding consultants in the wedding industry. I love to refer my clients to professionals I have worked with who I truly believe will do an amazing job for them. I have a blog post dedicated to my favorite vendors, but I wanted to also occasionally spotlight each of them more in depth.
Today meet Taryn Bills of Serendipity Videography and her team! I have been working with these guys for years and they are AMAZING at what they do! So much so, that I don't even recommend another videographer. They are professional and are great at working as a team with photographers -- something I GREATLY value. Here's some Q & A to help us get to know Taryn, her husband and business partner Jeff, and the rest of the team better. Read her answers below each question: How long have you been in the wedding business? We have been in business for 6 years now. Whoa just saying that is crazy. The time has flown. What got you interested in being a videographer at weddings? The word "serendipity" means to find something great by accident and that's exactly how Serendipity came about. Six years ago Jeff was working in Television News as a Special Projects Videographer, Editor, and Producer and got the news that his department was being dissolved and that he would be going back into General Assignment News covering car accidents and fires. General Assignment News was like a prison sentence to Jeff... He had been there and done that. So he came home that night to break the news to me and on that same night my best friend called to say she was ENGAGED! She said "Ok so I really want Jeff to be a guest at my wedding but he's such a good videographer... Can he shoot my wedding film?" I shouted "YES!!!" For years I had been saying to Jeff that we should be doing weddings!! I am a girly girl who loves all things weddings and he's a storyteller -- it seemed like the perfect profession for us. Well here was our chance.... A few months later my best friend's wedding came and at the end of the night I looked at Jeff and said "So???? What did you think???" and he said "I LOVED it!!!" and I said "Good!!" because I had a name, a website designed and a business plan. I had been working behind the scenes for months building the infrastructure of Serendipity anticipating that Jeff was going to love it. And with that we were off and running. Six months later Jeff had left news and we NEVER looked back. Everything has come together for Serendipity in such a "serendipitous" way that we just know that this is our life path and what we both should be doing. Understandably, if a bride and groom were making a choice between hiring a videographer and having a friend video tape it, you would recommend the videography route. If you could give them only one reason to do so, what would it be? Wedding Cinematography is a hindsight purchase. Couples will not truly recognize it's value until the day after the wedding. If there is one reason to do it here it is.... The people who are at your wedding may not be with us 10 years from now. It is not often that you get EVERY person that you love in one room together. A Wedding Film helps you not only see the sights of the day but hear the sounds from the day. You will want to hear what your mom says to you on your wedding day when she helps you into your dress or the toast that your dad gives or your grandpa laughing with delight as he dances a jig on the dance floor. These are all memories that you will not get back and you will desperately want 10 years from now. What is your favorite thing about working weddings? My favorite thing about working weddings is seeing each couple's personal style conveyed at their event. I love seeing that if a couple loves travel that they bring that theme into their wedding in their centerpieces, or if the bride works in fashion she has a custom designed dress and the groom is wearing sneakers with spikes all over them. I appreciate and enjoy seeing who they are and what they are about uniquely displayed at their wedding. What would you say makes you different than other videographers out there? Serendipity is known for it's "storytelling style". With all of our cinematographers coming from the news business we are natural-born storytellers. We are all about telling the story of the day as it unfolds. We hand craft each and every film to tell a couple's unique story. Serendipity is storytelling unscripted. What type of clients do you typically find yourself working with? We find ourselves working with couples who are drawn to the stories we tell and therefore their story is always awesome. We have worked with couples who have had what appear to be the most chance meetings, and ended up falling in love. What is your favorite part of the wedding day? Our favorite part of the wedding day is by far the first look. It is such an intimate and tender moment. To see a couple look at each other for the first time that day is just such an incredible moment. That one moment says so much about a couple and to be there to document that is a true gift. Are there any other fun-facts that we should really know about you that contribute even more to your coolness? Fun facts.... When Jeff was in Television News he won 12 Emmy's for his Videography and Editing. He covered stories like the ValuJet Plane Crash in Florida where he almost got his arm bitten off by an alligator while they were in the swamp covering the scene of the crash. I was a competitive high school cheerleader who was 5th in the nation in Individual Crowdleading at Nationals. Taryn is one talented girl. With skills like that it is no wonder she runs Serendipity! I just love these guys! Click here to check out their website and some of their amazing videos!! |
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Favorite Vendors Favorite Vendor Spotlight: Victoria Canada |
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| I have had the opportunity to work with some of the most talented and personable vendors and wedding consultants in the wedding industry. I love to refer my clients to professionals I have worked with who I truly believe will do an amazing job for them. I have a blog post dedicated to my favorite vendors, but I wanted to also occasionally spotlight each of them more in depth.
Today meet Victoria Canada of Victoria Canada Weddings and Events and her team! From L to R: Lauren, Kaytie, Kate, Brennan, Victoria, Brenda & Kailee. Could they BE any cuter? I have been working with these guys for years and they are AMAZING! If you hire this team to plan and coordinate your day, you know no detail will be missed. I'm shooting a wedding that they are coordinating this weekend and I can't wait. The details are going to be over the top and I know everyone will be in good hands. Here's some Q & A to help us get to know Victoria better. Read her answers below each question: There are a million and 2 reasons to hire a wedding consultant. If you could only give one to a bride & groom, what would it be? I think that a good coordinator will be honest with you and will help you avoid common mistakes. We have tons of ways to streamline the planning process. But most importantly in the end it comes down to this -- do you really want to be the one working at your wedding? If you have spent a ton of time with details and have a specific vision, then you need someone to implement it. We can help create your vision if you are "creatively challenged" or if you have a vision, we can take it to the next level. How long have you been in business? It has been TEN YEARS! OMG -- I AM NOT 25 ANYMORE! :) What got you interested in working in the wedding industry? Back in the day, in college, I worked for an event planner. Then my friends starting getting married and I would help them with organizing. Organizing makes me happy! I moved to Arizona and helped friends here. It snowballed and I realized I could actually do what I love for a job! What type of clients do you find yourself most working with? I find myself working with clients that want a well run, well designed event that is unique to their taste and budget. We tend to work with people who realize we truly can deliver the wedding of their dreams. We have worked with everyone from doctors to firefighters to baseball players to rocket scientists! We love a challenge! What is the #1 quality you possess that makes you uniquely suited for wedding consulting? Hmmm, well, I think there might be a few but if I would pick the one that I hear over and over, it is that I am pleasant and easy to work with. That is not to say that I am a pushover -- I do have my opinions and a backbone. It does mean that in stressful situations, you are not going to see me running around yelling "the sky is falling!" We find the best solution and do it with a smile and sometimes a joke. :) Reason #2 is my creativity. I know you only asked for one but...I love to create an event. That seems to be the most "glamorous" part of the job but it is a small portion of what we do. I usually am drawing something out for our clients and I love to create something that is unique and well conceptualized. What is your favorite part of the wedding planning process? I love establishing relationships with clients. When I find out what is truly important to them, that helps me with the best part of the job -- including that one little gem that really personalizes their wedding. It does not have to be pricey but with a little effort, organization, and thinking beyond the norm, I am able to come up with some of my best ideas to help make a wedding unique and personal. What is your favorite part of the wedding day? Hands down, my favorite part of the day is the Dad's toast to his daughter. I have a daughter, Ella, who will be seven soon and I always think, Scott is going to be a mess when he has to walk her down the aisle. I love listening to the toast from the Dad and I have remembered many of them for years! How did you get to be so cool that you are now included on Melissa Jill's Favorite Vendor List? (everyone's going to want to know) :) How lucky am I that I sat next to you at an Association of Bridal Consultants meeting 7 years ago? I still remember your brochure with your red ribbon tied around it. I hope I always live up to your expectations of being "cool". I truly love working with you and respect you and your talent. I also love that you respect our efforts to enable you to do the best possible job for your clients. That is the true "cool" thing -- we work well together. Other things that you like about me and make me "MJ cool" -- I like to eat your cookies, I love to read too and share book recommendations, I know you can't eat cheese even though I still weep for that loss, and finally I think I am funny. Sometimes, I may be the only one, but you still get my humor. Finally -- I love that you shine an amazing spotlight on my passion to do my personal best at what I do -- wife, mother, friend, planner and designer. Awww...what a great memory Victoria! I feel so blessed that I met YOU 7 years ago -- Has it really been that long!? Thanks for your friendship and for being amazing at what you do!! |
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Favorite Vendors Favorite Vendor Spotlight: Piece of Cake Desserts |
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| I have had the opportunity to work with some of the most talented and personable vendors and wedding consultants in the wedding industry. I love to refer my clients to professionals I have worked with who I truly believe will do an amazing job for them. I have a blog post dedicated to my favorite vendors, but I wanted to also occasionally spotlight each of them more in depth.
Today meet Amy & Kevin Kossman of Piece of Cake Desserts. I eat wedding cake A LOT. I like to think of myself as a connoisseur of sorts in the I've-eaten-a-piece-of-cake-at-nearly-every-wedding-I've-photographed kind of way. Making wedding cakes beautiful is an art. They are sculptures really. Everyone wants their cake to be beautiful and make a statement. It's one thing to make a cake beautiful. But to make it beautiful AND tasty - that's the challenge. Most wedding cakes I encounter are beautiful. Fewer are tasty. When I tasted my first piece of cake from Piece of Cake I HAD to find out who made it. Ever since I have been recommending them. Seriously best tasting cake I've ever had. Since then I've had their cake a few more times and each time, without knowing ahead of time who made it, I can tell after tasting it. And now I'm drooling. Here's some Q & A to help us get to know Amy and Kevin better. Read their answers (coming from Amy) below each question: How long have you been in business? Piece of Cake Desserts has been in business for the last 10 years, during that time we have focused 90% of our business on weddings which has allowed us to become very specialized in the art of creating wedding cakes. What got you interested in designing wedding cakes? Like most aspiring cake decorators, it began as a hobby for me. It just so happened that even though I never really found myself artistically inclined, when I picked up a pastry bag, I was an artist. Who knew? I could pipe intricate details and paint on cakes - are you kidding? I've even been able to amp up my drawing skills to sketch out sample designs for brides that don't leave them running in the opposite direction. :) What sets you apart from other cake designers in the wedding industry? There are so many wonderfully talented cake artists in the valley, and it's always so exciting for us to see what other artists in our field are creating. I think what sets us apart from other companies is the commitment to not taking ourselves too seriously. Thanks to the humor on our FAQ page, and some of our asinine Facebook updates, we seem to attract couples who have a wonderful sense of humor which makes our job just that much more fun. What should a bride and groom look for and consider at a tasting before deciding on a cake or cake designer? Choosing a cake designer is a very important decision for a bride and groom, after all, the cake is still such a focal point for the wedding reception, especially now that cake designs have evolved so much within the last 10 years. A couple should make sure that the vibe they get from their cake designer feels right. Not only should they feel comfortable with their skill level, they should also feel confident in the company itself. After all they will be one of the many puzzle pieces that fit together to help their big day go smoothly. What do you want all brides and grooms to know more than anything? More than anything couples should know that as long as they've selected great vendors for their wedding, the overwhelming majority of the time, their wedding is going to go smoothly and everyone is going to have a great time. If something does go wrong, they are probably going to have a funny story to tell the kids :). Either way, try not to stress too much! If you could only eat one type of wedding cake for the rest of your life, what would it be and why? I am a chocolate fan no doubt - love chocolate anything and everything: brownies, cakes, cookies - but I'm not going to lie, I am in love with our almond infusion with almond cream cheese cake. I definitely could eat just that cake for the rest of my life. But I don't have to eat just one do I? What is the most unique cake you've ever designed? Although we have designed many unique cakes over the years, the one that seems to get the most publicity so to speak is always our signature inverted cake. This one comes in many shapes and styles and no matter how it's decorated, either traditional or modern, people love that cake! Are there any other fun-facts that we should really know about you that would contribute even more to your coolness? For us, it actually doesn't get much cooler than doing what we do for a living. I mean our job is cake...that's right, cake! It doesn't hurt that we get to make amazing cakes for the best brides in Arizona. Life is good! Thanks Kevin and Amy! So fun to get to know you more! Click here to go to the Piece of Cake Desserts website! |
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Favorite Vendors Favorite Vendor Spotlight: Scott Swanson |
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| I have had the opportunity to work with some of the most talented and personable vendors and wedding consultants in the wedding industry. I love to refer my clients to professionals I have worked with who I truly believe will do an amazing job for them. I have a blog post dedicated to my favorite vendors, but I wanted to also occasionally spotlight each of them more in depth.
Today meet my favorite officiant, Scott Swanson. I've worked with a lot of really great officiants. And if some of you are reading this--I love you too! But I have a special place in my heart for Scott. I'm COMPLETELY biased on this one. Scott and I have been friends for over 10 years, we've worked together and he's currently my pastor. But if you think he's on my FVL (favorite vendor list) just because of these things you would be wrong. I've seen Scott officiate a number of weddings and he really stands out in an awesome way. He's SO genuine and shows true care for the couples he marries--customizing each ceremony with personal touches that highlight the couple's personalities and love for one another. And he is completely free-of-cheese. He is in a no-cheese-zone. His ceremonies are non-cheesy. He's also got the gift of projection. You can almost do without the microphones with this guy--his voice carries. But I digress. Ok--I interviewed Scott so we could all get to know him better. His answers are listed under the questions below: How long have you been officiating weddings? I think I officiated my first wedding in 2003. What first got you interested in officiating weddings? Already being a pastor, it was a natural fit for me. My initial interest was born out of my love for people, desire to serve/help them and interest in trying something new! Besides officiating weddings, what else do you do with your time? As I mentioned I'm a pastor. So I spend time reading, writing, leading, teaching and caring for people. I try to make it to the gym 3 times a week and often am successful at it! The rest of my time is spent with my beautiful wife and 4 boys (3 of my own and our current foster boy). So...my days are full of working, putting a fake tattoo on an arm, corralling, playing, putting someone in time-out while saying, "you can't say those words, hurt people, or be disrespectful like that" and giving lots of baths! After all that, it's time to watch LOST. Melissa here again. Just wanted to interject a photo of Scott's cute family and also say that while Scott was alluding to putting fake tattoos on his boys' arms, he has a real tattoo on his! I wish I had a photo of it. But basically there is one word on each of his biceps (picture him showing you his guns). It says "Love" "Wins." Pretty cool. |
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| Back to the interview--
What type of clients/weddings do you most find yourself working with? Well I hope I'm not shooting myself in the foot by saying this. I mostly work with younger couples getting married -those in their 20's & 30's. The reason for this is obvious -I'm in my thirties and have a very relational, personal approach that connects well with them. What do you enjoy most about being a part of other people's big days? I really enjoy meeting people, getting to know them and helping them plan their wedding. But my favorite part is performing their ceremony. I love speaking meaningful words about the depth of their love. I love leading them in bringing their lives together as one. I love watching them try to pour sand so carefully, only to have it dump all over the table. What do you feel like sets you apart from other officiants? As I mentioned before, being a younger officiant sets me apart as well as my laid-back personality. I talk with passion and conviction because I believe in what I'm saying. I don't just stand and read off the page. I keep my personality while I'm performing the ceremony. I've been told all these things make me unique. If you could give one piece of advice to couples on their wedding day, what would it be? It is said couples spend countless hours preparing for their wedding day but very little time preparing for their marriage. My advice is to do both. Are there any other fun-facts that we should really know about you that would contribute even more to your coolness? Yes, though I have never shared this publicly. I'm only saying this to make this blog post yet another "Melissa Special"...I'm a ninja. Thanks Scott--very enlightening :). To see Scott's website--click here! |
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