Featured Vendor of December - Honeysuckle Photography

<-----Meet Maggie of Honeysuckle Photography! I've worked with her a few times, and I can't say enough great things about her! I'm truly amazed with her talent to capture all the special moments of the day and the emotion between the couple and their families! Just take a look at some of my favorite pictures! I would have posted more pictures, but there are just too many that I love!
Here is some info about Maggie and Honeysuckle:

Introduction

"Hello, my name is Maggie. I have been passionate about art since I was too young to remember. I still have a soft spot in my heart for Thursdays. It was the day we had art class in elementary school. I have gone through many stages with my art from drawing and painting, to graphic design. In college, I finally found my true passion in photography. I started helping some college friends that were getting married and before I knew it, word had spread and I was running my own wedding photography business! That was back in 2004, and since then I have been fortunate enough to continue doing what I love in my life. I have photographed over 100 weddings and just when I think I have seen it all, I rediscover how diverse every couple is and how uniquely every wedding day unfolds. I love working with people and documenting such important moments in their lives. This truly is a dream job for me."



Style

"At Honeysuckle, we treat every wedding as a unique event. However your day unfolds, we will be there to document it, not to interfere with it. We want to show your love as it is. If you are silly, then we will capture your laughter. If you are emotional, then we will photograph your tears. Nobody fits into a formula. We work hard to get to know you as a couple so that when you see your photos, they look like your wedding as you lived it."

Investment & Travel

"All of our wedding packages come with an engagement shoot and a full day of wedding coverage with two photographers. We also include a disc of all the high resolution files in all of our wedding packages. Album options are also available." On an additional note, as Maggie and I have discussed numerous times, photographs capture the memories for you to reflect on for generations to come. This is one of the many reasons why I recommend Maggie! When you look back on these pictures, show your children and grandchildren, how awesome would it be to be able to remember, re-live, and re-feel all of those moments, emotions, and love!

"I absolutely love to travel and am open to going anywhere to photograph a wedding or any other project. Please don't hesitate to ask if you have a wedding planned outside of Portland, I would love to hear more about your plans!"

More than Weddings!

Maggie of Honeysuckle doesn't just do weddings! In addition to engagement shoots and weddings, she also does photography for models, family portraits, senior photos, birthdays, anniversary parties, proposals, maternity and newborns, you name it! As she said, this is truly her dream job and her passion for photography shows! Check out Honeysuckle's website! She books early, so contact her soon!

Photo of Maggie by Jessica Hill Photography with make-up by Jennifer Walker of Face Body Beauty

All other photos are by Honeysuckle Photography

Love Story: Anna & Matt

How They Met

"Two and a half years ago...I was so busy post-college with developing my career and fixing up my newly purchased condo, I was convinced that I did not need a man in my life. My friends accused me of being a serial dater, and I never considered more than a date or two with someone before getting bored.

Little did I know, around this time in Colorado, Matt was considering a big change in his life. He graduated from CU and wanted to get a job teaching somewhere new. He felt like he needed to explore and applied for jobs all over the country. Out of all those applications, Matt was hired to teach in Lincoln City, OR. He had never even been there! When he was ready to move, he contacted the school district and asked if there were any other teachers that needed a roommate. They put him in touch with Neil (who happened to be a good friend of mine from college and was dating one of my best friends, Ragan) and shortly afterward, Matt and Neil moved in together.

The next weekend, my friend Ragan went to the beach to visit Neil. She invited me to go, but I couldn't go for some reason...She then met Matt. On her way home she called me to tell me all about the weekend. Ragan told me all about this guy, Matt, and how hilarious he was. She talked about how perfect he would be for me and said that he was like my "puzzle piece." She tried to convince me to meet him, and told me all about his personality and handsome blue eyes. Ragan was convinced he was "the one" for me...I just laughed and said that I was "not interested."

Fast forward a few weeks: I was headed to an OSU football game with Ragan, where Neil was meeting us. Ragan had finally convinced me to meet Matt, and he was going to be there. Unbeknownst to me, Ragan and Neil had told Matt to give me a big hug when we met...They thought this would be hilarious because I am not a big fan of hugs with people I barely know. So, when we got to Corvallis, Matt came towards me with a huge grin on his face and arms outstretched. He greeted me with a big hug, and I pulled my arms away and uncomfortably mumbled something. It was so awful that he felt the need to explain how our friends told him to do it and he was just trying to be funny. I did not think it was very funny...and the day was off to a very awkward beginning.

Well, as the day and the football game went on, Matt won me over. It wasn't long before he was cracking jokes and we were laughing back and forth at each other. Eventually I forgave the awkward first hug. He also had cookies and beer for tailgaiting, which helped too. :) There was something about Matt, and my heart was drawn to him. Every weekend after that we took turns driving back and forth from Lincoln City to Portland until he moved here a year later. We still laugh about our "how we met" story...and it turns out my friend was right, he is my "puzzle piece."

Photos by Honeysuckle Photography

A Father's Review ~ 10.11.2009

"Emilie (our daughter) and Jaime's wedding took place on October 11, 2009 and was a joyous occasion made stress free with the coordination and planning that Ashley provided. She set about her task with meticulous attention to detail, exceptional efficiency, and unfailing courtesy and charm. She presented us with a truly memorable and beautiful event that surpassed all expectations and left us with the sweetest memories of the day. We especially appreciated her energy and take charge attitude that resulted in many little issues getting resolved long before becoming large issues. My wife and I cannot adequately express our thanks to her for such a wonderful job." ~ Dave

Photo by Daniel James Productions

Jaime & Emilie's Review ~ 10.11.2009

"Ashley did a phenomenal job at our wedding! I was a DIY bride and figured I was only going to get married once so I wanted to add my own personal touch to every aspect possible. When I started planning our wedding I didn't think I'd need any help, but was I wrong! Our wedding day would have been a lot more stressful and much less organized if Ashley wouldn't have been coordinating. Ashley was a major contributor, actually the key contributor, to our wedding day being so wonderful! She set up our entire reception site and it was gorgeous! I had given her the centerpieces for the tables but hadn't really considered any decor for the actual venue. She was great, and even covered up an ugly painting with matching fabric and some extra centerpieces to make a gorgeous backdrop for our head table! She says she's all about the details...she's right and she nailed it!

I am so thankful to have had Ashley that day. I can't express enough gratitude for the wonderful job she did and how easy she made it for my husband and I. She was always so calm and collected; she was able to think quickly to find a resolve for whatever problem arose. Everyone was able to enjoy our beautiful reception thanks to Ashley's hard work and attention to detail! My parents could not stop raving the next day about how wonderful it was that they were able to dance, relax, and visit the night away.

Ashley is very talented and efficient. I highly recommend her for every bride regardless of your budget and the services you want. She is very flexible and is there to help with everything from booking vendors and putting everything together for you to simply being there "the day of" to make sure everything you planned runs smoothly. She works around what you want and pays attention to all the details. That's really what makes her shine in this business! Considering all of the people I worked with on our wedding, Ashley was the best!"

~Emilie

Photo by Daniel James Productions

10.11.2009 Wedding - Blissfully Bright

Emilie and Jaime were married on 10.11.2009 at her parent's house in Estacada. The bridal party was able to wait inside, while Cambrae and Daniel of Daniels James Productions took some great group pictures by taking advantage of the architecture of the home. They made their entrance from the wrap around porch, down the aisle that was lined with fresh flowers, to a great setting with tall trees as the backdrop. Emilie loves music and singing, so she had some of her guests and bridesmaids sing a beautiful rendition of "Ave Maria" during the ceremony. Throughout the whole day I could think of one word to describe the bride and groom: bliss! The way they looked at each other, or the expression on their faces when the other was mentioned, they were in pure bliss!

After the ceremony, the guests headed to McMenamin's Edgefield to enjoy it's historic setting. Emilie was a DIY (Do-It-Yourself) bride that had a lot of creative ideas! She hand wrote each guest's name on a glass photo coaster that corresponded to their seat, which they found by matching the mountain name to the mountain picture at each table. It was a unique way for table seating and the guests loved it! The beautiful and bright flowers were provided by Cindi of Lucinda Clares Floral Design. Cindi stayed and made sure all of the flowers were set up just as the bride wished, and her floral arrangements were gorgeous and perfect for a fall wedding!

I think that one of my favorite parts of the wedding was when Emilie surprised Jaime with an acappella version of "Oxygen" by Colbie Callait. It was breathtaking! She had been planning on this for months, and the look on her new husband's face was priceless. Jaime sure has a talented bride! I also wanted to share one of my favorite pictures: Emilie and Jaime with the horse she has had since she was a little girl. There were some amazing pictures! Congrats Emilie and Jaime!

Photos by Daniel James Productions

An All Star Review

"Ashley, the baby shower was amazing and far more than I ever would have expected. You truly are talented at what you do. Everything was perfect!"

~ Mommy-to-"bee"

An All Star Baby Shower

This baby shower all started with an invitation which was made by the amazing Ashley of AEL Design. The invitation included a small card for guests to write their "favorite baby tip" and matched the theme and colors of the baby's room, All-Star sports! I just love the little poem on the invitation, something that the mommy-to-be and I came up with together after looking around online:

Little boys come in all shapes and sizes,

Shy, adventurous, and full of surprises.

With misshapen halos and mischievous grins,

Small dirty faces, and sweet, sticky chins.

They explore and conquer, romp and run,

So full of spirit, and so full of fun.

At the shower, the guests had TWO cakes to enjoy! The first was a very tasty and moist chocolate cake covered with a perfectly sweet (but not too sweet) butter cream frosting, made by the talented Kalie of Kalie's Piece of Cake. The other cake was a diaper cake, which is a really fun and creative way to give those needed items such as diapers, receiving blankets, socks, mini shampoos and other bathroom items, shoes, or whatever else you can think of! This diaper cake was made by the creative Nicole of Stacks of Love, who also makes hand-scrolled name necklaces! Nicole doesn't just do diaper cakes, but also house-warming stacks, bridal shower stacks, or anything else you can think of! Check out her website for some great gift ideas!

We also came up with some fun party favor ideas for her guests, including custom stickers for mini Hershey chocolates, mini honey jars from the mommy to "bee," and even custom thank you cards that matched the sports theme! For the thank you cards, we had the guests write their name on the envelopes, and then the mommy-to-be picked one (face down) and they won a prize! Other games included a baby word scramble, guess the amount of candies in the baby bottle, and everyone that brought a package of diapers was entered into a drawing to win a prize!