Hi there!

Anybody who's been around these parts with any sort of frequency over the last year knows I took wedding planning real seriously. I never really had those sleepless nights or breakdowns you often hear about, partially because I've been dreaming about a wedding my entire life, and partially because I hired the best vendors to help me out. Calling them vendors is a little reductive, because they're all truly wonderful people and artists, but you get the idea. I'm going to share every vendor we worked with here on the blog, because I want to spread the proverbial love!

Let's do this.

The Foundation ::

These are the obvious, big ticket vendors we hired right away. Together, like super heroes, they built the foundation for a wonderful wedding weekend.

Melissa McNeeley, Wedding Planner:: Book her now. NOW. Before she gets too busy and has no time for non-famous people. Because I have a background in planning and am generally just an organized human, my parents (who sponsored the wedding, I like to say) were all - we're not paying for a planner, you don't need one. WRONG. You need one. What I needed, was Melissa. I had insanely pinned her page years ago and was biding my time to book her. Best money I ever spent. I cannot say enough good things about Melissa. She is sharp, savvy, and knows her shit. She will help you make decisions and will guide you when she thinks (knows) you're making the wrong decision, but will never come right out and say it. She will solve every problem that arises on the day of the wedding and you will be none-the-wiser. She will wear a vintage Geoffrey Beene dress to your wedding and you will want to be her best friend.

Ashley Caroline, Photographer :: Another one to snatch up because she is skyrocketing and you will be left in the dust if you don't hop on board now! Ashley and I have now worked together for years (oh, and we were also childhood best friends, it's casual), but nothing could have prepared me for working with her on my own wedding day. I spent the entire morning of my wedding calm as a little cucumber. Didn't cry once. When Ashley showed up? Waterfall tears. She's just wonderful. She cares so much about your wedding. She will take pictures that snatch the breath right out of your chest, and she will capture moments you didn't know existed. She will capture the moments in between the moments! She's gold. Another thing to note quickly about Ashley: she lets you and your spouse be authentic and true with each other. During our first look, there were a solid 5 minutes when I forgot she was there. She let us have our moment in quiet, and only guided us when we needed it. Hearing her reassuring voice as she captured portraits was so helpful. We honestly had a blast taking pictures with her. I kind of love her, if you can't tell.

Lastly about photography! Almost always, your photographer will have a 2nd shooter on hand to help capture the day. I asked Ashley if my good friend Julia Elizabeth could second (by the way it's not typical to request a second shooter, your photographer will select someone on their own), even though Julia has her own thriving photography business. She was so wonderful, and it was so nice having her alongside Ashley for the day!

Janssen Powers, Videographer :: A friend introduced me to Janssen's work over a year ago, and I made a mental note that I would hire him whenever Raven and I got married. Janssen brings a super chill, laid back Seattle vibe to the day. He's like a fly on the wall while he's shooting, but rest assured he captures everything. Easy to work with and just about the friendliest person ever.

Jakkelyn Iris, Florist:: Jakki's work is so exceptionally beautiful, and she understood right away what my vision was for the day. She had amazing ideas that never would have occurred to me. When I mentioned tiny bouquets, she was all about it; the result was unreal.

Rob Goodmonson, DJ :: Raven and I have known Rob for years, so he was the natural choice when we decided to hire a DJ for our wedding. He's great at all the nitty gritty stuff (when everyone should enter, how to pronounce names, when's the cake cutting, etc), but seriously, he's the best DJ ever. I'm not being hyperbolic. He knows how to bring everyone to the dance floor and make them stay there. He will play everything you want and nothing you don't want; he knows his shit. So super easy to work with, I can't say enough great things about him.

Happy Menocal, Crest and Invitation Suite :: Here's a more detailed post about working with Happy, and I think you all can tell we're so pleased with the result of her work. She's also just super nice and down to earth (even though she's busy designing for celebs and having her work published in Vogue). When 2 months out I emailed her studio in a panic (we wanted them to do the hand lettering on some signage for us), they managed to squeeze me in despite an insanely busy production schedule.

Patti Murphy, Paper Goods Design :: You all know how much I love Patti, she designed LRW's logo! And she hooked us UP for the wedding. She helped us source paper for our invitation suite, designed our favors, menus, and ceremony programs AND printed all of our paper goods. She worked quickly and had amazing ideas when I approached her scratching my head. She's so sweet and incredibly talented.

Jennifer Lynn, Hair :: I've known Jenn my entire life, and that's not an exaggeration. We used to take dance together growing up (she was my partner during a dance to 'We Go Together' from Grease). She's a flourishing photographer now, but she also does hair and make-up. When I approached her, I knew it was a long shot because she lives in Quebec (but visits CT frequently), but she graciously said she'd love to be a part of the day. It was so nice having her there to catch up, but also her relaxed nature made it easy for me to communicate any adjustments I wanted to make to my hair (of which there were few). AND! She put HERBS in all of my bridesmaids' hair. HERBS!! She's a creative, beautiful spirit, and I love her to pieces.

Jennie Fresa, Beauty :: Jennie Fresa is a heavy hitter in the make-up world, and aside from just generally knowing her shit, she's all about natural, organic, cruelty-free beauty. Check and check, obviously I knew I was going to book her from the start. Tricia, who is part of her team, did the most beautiful job on my bridal party (and the moms!). Everyone looked like the most beautiful version of themselves. She was prompt, knowledgeable, and I'll be honest, she even covered up a couple gross zits I had on my back (and if that isn't professional, I don't know what is). She is also sweet as pie.

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WHEW okay, so this is just the beginning...more to come next week. Hit me up if you have questions.

xoxo,

photo by Ashley Caroline.