snap and chat with Wendy Joblon

Trish and I headed out to South Dartmouth last week to visit the ultra fab Wendy... wedding planner, small business owner, mother of two, wife of one... and over all very cool lady. We always love to photograph a wedding when Wendy has had a hand in the planning. She has the best taste!

In addition to being a planner- Wendy opened this adorable store Folia in South Dartmouth that carries custom invitations and all things monogrammed (gifts, personalized stationary etc.)

Isn't it adorable? I want to live here.

... and the inside too...




Wendy has been in this space for a year. She's open from 10-3 Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Saturday.
In the summer she'll be open until 4pm.



Why add invitations to an already successful planning business? "Wedding invites and planning go hand in hand because there is a theme to it. Many people start with the invitation. It's nice to have that input."

Here she is! Wendy is about to be on the other side of a wedding .... her son is getting married over Labor Day weekend in Colorado. Wendy says she does not want to be in charge of anything!!! She just want to go and have a great time- oh, and wear a gorgeous dress of course...The wedding is planned for 450 guests, and there will be 28 people in the wedding party- wow!

Wendy is so respected in our business. Whenever her name comes up in conversation- it's always a compliment about her great style or just how nice of a person she is. I was curious about how she started her business...

Turns out Wendy went to BU to become a teacher-she made it through but decided it just wasn't for her. She said it was so hard that she lost 25lbs the first year! Maybe I should take up teaching?...

Next, she became the catering secretary and coordinator at the Sheraton Tara in Raynham, but left to move to Dartmouth and get married. Next for Wendy... to baby boys that kept he buys for a while until she started to get a little cabin feverish at home.

She ended up getting a job selling boxes... "I didn't know anything about boxes but boy could I sell them!" No surprises here... Wendy is a knock out, I am sure those companies she was selling boxes too would have bought anything she came in with.

One day when she was getting a manicure, her manicurist asked if she could help her plan her daughter's Batmitzvah. Wendy accepted. She also worked for several years at Hawthorne CC booking, coordinating, and overseeing all things wedding.

Then she decided, "Hey- I should start my own business, and that was 14 year ago!"

Wendy is modeling some of the adorable things she carries in the store, like this terry cloth wrap, with monogram of course. How cute would this be as gift for bridesmaids?

We are suckers for personalized stationary too.

If you need invitations or a fun gift, a trip to South Dartmouth is so worth it, it's the cutest little village with good places for lunch. Also, because Wendy is a wedding planner too she often doles out a little free advice to her customers!

Wendy, it's always so nice to see you- thanks for the snap and chat. We'll be back in for some stationary!

You can contact Wendy through her website: www.wendyjoblon.com

Folia is located at 354 Elm Street in South Dartmouth

snap and chat with Semia

Although we've worked with Semia quite a few times a we've never actually met the lady behind the fantastic florals... she always seems to elude us. I got a brief glimpse of her in February at Karalyn and Erik's wedding... but not enough to satisfy my curiosity, so naturally a snap and chat was in order... Hey, wait a minute! Maybe she's trying to hide from us?!

How cute is this photo? Here's our first impression of Semia as she welcomes us into her store...

TA- DA! That's more like it!




Semia opened her shop in North Providence a few years ago... and they are constantly cooking up beautiful arrangements....



...and bouquets. Semia is REALLY busy, because she's a hard worker for one- and secondly the brides are insane for her because her work really stands out. It's young, and fresh, and sweet - just like Semia herself.


How would Semia define her style? "More is more! Abundant is my philosophy!"

I asked Semia if she felt brides were hesitant to try funkier designs... "It really depends on the bride, but I like to surprise people! For instance, when I did Karalyn's wedding I found something that I REALLY wanted to add to her table arrangements (the hanging crystals).

I called her and said, I've found this thing.. it's you, I know it's you... you have to have it! And, she trusted me.. and she LOVED it!"

It's that kind of inspiration, with a little bit of innovation and edge that sets Semia apart!

Semia adds..."I get two kinds of brides basically, the really edgy funky brides who aren't afraid and want things like black feathers in their bouquet- and then also the English garden traditional bride who wants her florals to look really rich. The best part is when someone really trusts you and doesn't need to know every color and shape, but they know what they generally want and want me to run with it! That's my favorite kind of bride."

Of course every bride wants to know that her florist is using the freshest flowers...

It doesn't get much fresher than growing them yourself does it? Semia's parents own a farm- and Semia has grown a cutting garden there since she was a teenager. Now, Semia's mom has taken over to help her- and in the summer they grow Dahlias, Sunlowers, and Peonies to name a few... as well as herbs which all make their way into Semia's creations.

Talk about a personal touch!

Semia's favorite season for flowers? Spring! "I love the flowering branches and lilac, peony and hydrangea!"

I think Trish had the best question of the chat... where does the name Semia (Se-mee-ah) come from?

"It's a family name actually. It's Lebanese, from my father's side. It's a tradition in my father's family that if your first child is a girl, you name her Semia. There are quite a few Semia's in my family!"

And what does the name mean?

"It means a jewel or a treasure."

AWH....

Semia was a bride herself last year. Everyone was wowed by the beautiful photos of all her amazing flowers which appeared in the latest issue of Southern New England Weddings (pick up a copy!) I was curious about her experiences being on both sides of the bouquet!

"It took a week of solid designing to to it all. It was a labor of love- I wanted to work here every day leading up to the wedding. My fiancee kept asking me to please go easy... but I just said, you are going to lose this one hon! "

"I got engaged in January- and we set our date for May- so my wedding was planned in 5 months! I wanted a spring wedding and it was really important to me to use key pieces from my mother's yard. I used a vase of dogwood branches and a vase of white lilac to bring in a touch of home. I was picking flowers in my mother's yard two days before the wedding."

"Every table at my reception was different, they didn't have to fit a formula. I told my staff- this is what I want... and they just ran with it... and I got to be surprised!"

"I actually got to set up for 2 or 3 hours and then went right from the Glen Manor to my rehearsal! It was everything that I wanted. We filled every square inch, but if I could have added more floral I would! It was a dream come true."

So what's in store for Semia this year? Just working hard... and making the world a more beautiful place it seems... Trish and I are just so glad we finally got to sit down with Semia and make a new friend. She's a lot like us... passionate about her craft and serious about being a good business woman out in the world. It's reassuring to chat with her and realize that even though our product may be different our principals and practices are really similar.

The last thing I asked Semia was, what is the latest trend for brides? What are we going to be seeing out there?"

"Diamonds are the new shells!" she says laughing. (Semia introduced those fun over sized fake diamonds sprinkled over tables at the reception-see photo above).

Spoken like a true jewel!

snap and chat with Sofia of Design by Sofia

I keep hearing about Sofia... and seeing her beautiful designs everywhere... but she remained a mystery to us until we secured her for a snap and chat! We met at Starbucks, mainly because Sofia's office is covered in invitations in some stage of completion. Good idea considering someone who's name begins with (Tr) and ends in (ish) has been known on occasion to be a little less the coordinated. Better that we spill or tea at Starbucks than spill it on Sofia's production table!!!
Luckily, Sofia brought along some of her beautiful designs for us to photograph.

Each one of Sofia's designs is a custom Sofia original. They are also each hand assembled by her.

Here she is! The mystery girl! I didn't know anything about Sofia so it was fun to find out all about her passion for designing and beautiful papers and fonts.

Turns out that Sofia has a degree in business and finance and was working for an engineer while designing invitations for her friends and family in her spare time. She was a creative person busting to get out of a Type A occupation! Sofia started to get so busy with her side business that she was pulling all nighters to finish the orders that were pouring in. What's a girl to do? Why, quit her job of course! Sofia took a leap of faith and this will be her first full year in business for herself and so far so good!

I think it's a pretty cool combination to be a person who is precise and careful enough to cut and assemble all these invitations so that they are PERFECT, but also to be creative and free enough to design all of these pieces that are so ARTISTIC.

Sofia says that her brides are all women who have good taste and sense of style(here, here!) and understand how important it is to make a good first impression.

"The invitation says a lot about the event, you need to have your colors and theme nailed down first before choosing the invitation. I can design something in as little as 4 months... but ideally it's good to have six." says Sofia.

In addition to the invitation... how about a save the date, menu card, or table tent....

Sofia is working with planners in Houston, Maryland, and Florida in addition to Southern New England. She's gone national! Not bad for her first year in business!

What does she do when she's not busy whittling invitations? Hanging out with her two babies... Roxy and Titan. Maybe they can lick envelopes for her if she gets too tired!

Sofia, thanks so much for letting Trish and I get to know you! Although we don't get to see you out at the weddings, it will be fun to see your gorgeous work everywhere. I feel like now when I see it, I can say... "Oooh, that looks like a Sofia!"

check out Sofia's website: http://www.designbysofia.com/

snap! and chat with Barbara, owner of Glorious Affairs Catering

Trish and I have been big fans of Glorious Affairs for a long time... not only is the food amazing, but when we work with them at weddings, they just seem so darn happy! Often other caterers seem tired, frazzled and cranky- which is understandable considering the work they do is really hard! Not the staff at Glorious Affairs though... they are always smiling and having a good time. Service with a smile... nice.

Here's Barbara- she's the lady behind the yummy food and happy staff. How does she do it?



Well, first of all- she has a lot of experience. Before she was the owner of GA, she was an employee. In fact, she's been with the company since she was 23 years old! You do the math- she just hit the big 4-0 mark. I think she doesn't look a day over 24 though!

In 2007 GA's previous owner asked Barbara if she'd like to buy the business and she's been running it ever since.

Barbara makes sure that each of her clients gets super personal attention. They only accept two events per day and Barbara makes sure she goes to each one. "You aren't handed off to someone else here. You are working with me... you have a question about the menu? You can call here and talk to the chef!"

And how about that staff? "There are quite a few people on our staff that have been with the company for ten years or more. Many of them are professionals who cater on the side for fun. We really are a family here, we are all friends and we have a good time. I never have to outsource for temporary help, which is a relief because I can't sleep at night if things aren't done right!" said Barbara.

Ditto- I have the most bizarre wedding related nightmares and toss and turn if I think something is not quite right. Ask Trish about her reoccurring wedding dreams sometime, they're really funny!

I asked Barbara to define her style... she answered "whimsical". I would agree. Her meeting room is a little bit Alice in Wonderland, English Country side, and Garden Party. It has a really cheery vibe.

Barbara is a full service caterer, if you need help finding other vendors she can help you with that. She also can supply all your rentals of linens, glassware and silverware.

I asked Barbara if she thought she attracted a certain type of client, "We definitely attract the smart, artsy, foodie type of bride. Chefs! We have gotten quite a few chefs recently!"

In addition to her space for meeting clients, Barbara operates the best little bistro! She has delicious meals packaged to go for the evenings when you want something special and don't want to cook. I can personally attest to the deliciousness of: the chicken salad, meatloaf, mac and cheese, butternut squash soup, and this out of the world desert that i can only describe as a gourmet twix bar! needless to say, I filled up when I was there and my family was pretty psyched that night!

MMMM, look at that mac and cheese.

Here I am asking Barbara the question that all foodies love to discuss... if you had to choose what would be your last meal?

She had a hard time choosing, so I settled for a list of a few of her favorites:

Cesar Salad, Chevre with fresh tomatoes with first press olive oil and cracked pepper, apple tostada, and tenderloin, and of course anything with a lot of garlic and basil!

Yum- nice choices. I am going to go with Lobster Salad on a grilled roll, sweet potato french fries, and a slice of peach pie with vanilla ice cream.

Speaking of Lobster...Barbara really tries to work with her clients to help them realize their wildest food fantasies! Would you love to serve Lobster to your guests, but maybe that's a little too outrageous for the budget? Barbara suggests Incorporating lobster in a salad or an hordeurve (I know I spelled that wrong, but spell check won't fix it) instead.

Barbara believes you should give your guests a little taste of everything! She loves to work with people from diverse cultures and traditions and has even incorporated family recipes into some of her events. She did a catered a wedding where the bride was from Greece and it was important to her to have her grandmothers stuffed grape leaves. They made a sign for the dish that said grandma Nonna's grape leaves.

Barbara says she want to "help you put your signature on your celebration." I like that quote, it's the little touches that make your wedding truly yours.

Barbara likes to say to her clients, "Let us wow you!" Well I am wowed- I love Barbara's philosophy and her passion about her business. She has a great sense of humor and a unique sense of style. If you want something different love personal attention and attention to detail you must call Barbara! Oh, and pick up some mac and cheese while you're there!

snap and chat with Mike Picard

Mike has been inviting us to come see his office and since he works out of his house, his home for some time now. Mike is like the hardest working guy I know. He is booked solid all year long! In the winter months when we are sitting around twiddling our thumbs, Mike is still shooting and editing- where are all these brides coming from? Apparently they cannot get enough of Mike! I have always been so impressed by what a popular guy he is- and how he never seems to get burnt out. He's always friendly, always positive and always enthusiastic about shooting weddings. Where does this enthusiasm come from? Is it something in the water in Cumberland? Maybe I should have asked him for a glass while we were there.

Anyway, because her works so hard... Mike's house/office is really beautiful and big (you could fit my house and Trish's house inside it I think). And, seriously if President Obama wanted to visit for the weekend the secret service could take the weekend off because the big gate you have to go through to get into the neighborhood could definitely keep out the terrorists... But not the Snap! Girls!!!! Ha Ha- watch out Mike because here we come!

The first thing I notice is Mike's editing station... How do you drive this thing?

The second thing I notice is the lack of clutter. Mike's office is REALLY neat- I mean immaculate. Suddenly I feel embarrassed about my desk..

Here's Mike in action... he's demonstrating his all new "Glide Cam". Explain this to us lay mans terms Mike...

"The glide cam makes everyone and everything super glamorous and smooth- there's no herky jerky. It looks seamless, just like the movies."

In addition to the Glide Cam, last year Mike went all High Def. He's the only guy in the state producing Blu Ray DVD's for his clients. I wasn't sure why that was a big deal because I am technology-challenged... but Mike tells me that Blu Ray is 4 times the quality of a regular DVD. Wow! He showed us some examples and it was very impressive.

"It's better than your eyes!" Mike told us.

Here's Trish relaxing on Mike's sofa. Nice- I am working hard gathering info for this snap and chat while she just relaxes. What is the meaning of this?! I guess she figures she's already done her part because Mike says she really helped him out when he was first getting started by giving him some good advice about pricing. Trish is pretty good at giving advice I must admit.

So, I mentioned before that Mike is Mr. Popularity... what is going on here? How does he explain this?


"I get great brides, the girls that hire me are usually trendy and fashionable and technically savvy. I'm not cheap, but I'm not super expensive either. I pack a lot of value into my packages. You also get two high def cameras for the whole day and Blu Ray- I don't charge extra for that. I want everyone to have the best. If you hire me, you always get ME! I also bring an assistant. I have several assistants and they are women. They are about the same age as most of my brides. They are really enthusiastic and the my brides always really like them. it brings a nice balance for the team.


I'm easy to work with, I have a great repore with the other vendors. I don't try to redirect, I always go with the flow."


True that Mike!

Mike's been shooting weddings for over 14 years and figures that means roughly about 700 events!!




"The proof is in the pudding" as they say.... what a weird saying- but looks like a lot of the brides think that Mike is the best...

The awesomely talented florist Semia certainly does... I found this thank you note while snooping around Mike's desk when he left the room. (just kidding). Isn't this a great testimonial?

Here's Mike demonstrating some of his jazzy effects. Clearly Trish is impressed, she even got up off the couch for closer inspection. Mike has a "Filters Package" that you can add to your video if you'd like some fun effects on your wedding video too.

Mike is also really proud of his brand new website... it's fun and interactive to check it out click here.



We've known Mike all these years, but I never knew how he got into the wedding industry...

"My dad bought a video camera when I was 14 years old - from Lechemere! After he bought it he told me to read the directions and figure it out! I started videotaping everything for the family. When I was 22 or 23 my dad came home and said he saw this ad in the paper for videography classes at the local channel 8 cable station. I thought, 'oh boy here we go!' I'm thinking it's going to be a joke. It sort of was, there was this old fellow teaching all the other old guys how to turn their camera on...but he did give us an assignment.

I took video at my grandparents 60th anniversary party. I did my best to cut it and produce it with two VCR's in my bedroom. There was an old guy sitting next to me in class and he told me he thought it was fantastic. He gave me his nephews name, he owned a video production company. I went to see him to find out if he needed any help. He didn't need any help but he did let me tag along! He was shooting with two cameras on giant tripods with wheels and with televisions! It was the school of hard knocks, but he taught me all about composition and I did it all for free!

In 1994 I got married and I wanted a high end video of my wedding. I got to know the woman shooting the video for me and she asked if I would second shoot for her. I did that for four years. I booked 146 weddings in one year for her! She started to feel a little burned out, like she was all done. She also resisted the switch from VHS to digital. I ended up buying most of the contracts from her and starting my own business!"

Great story Mike!

Side note: We worked with Mike this weekend at the super fun wedding of Karalyn and Erik.

They'll be quite a few photos of Mike in action coming this way later this week on the blog. I also took a little video myself- thought it might be fun to turn the tables on Mike. This however backfired horribly on me. The band at the wedding forced me to sing the chorus from "Living on a Prayer" (yes of course I know the words- who doesn't?) with them and Mike was front and center for the whole horrible off key spectacle. I fully expect that he will EDIT that from the video he gives to Karalyn... right Mike?! How embarrassing.

You can reach Mike through is website:

www.mikepicardvideography.com

snap and chat with Courtney and Leah at New Leaf Studio

You may recall a few weeks back that I had a transformation myself from gruesome to gorgeous... well I guess Trish was feeling a little left out. She wanted to expose her makeup-less face and limp hairdo to the wedding world too! Why should I have all the fun? Her version of the story might seem more like I bullied her into this, but pay no attention to that- she's prone to exaggeration anyway. What better place for Trish to get a NEW LOOK... then the NEW LEAF Studio in beautiful Bristol RI.

The girls at New Leaf are the best. We've actually photographed 3 New Leaf weddings, including the lady behind the whole operation, Amy. In addition to Amy we photographed the lovely Courtney last year... she is also starring in our snap-umentary. Quite a few years back I also photographed Melanie, she's a stylist at New Leaf too! I just love that there seems to be an endless supply of pretty, fashionable, sweet women at New Leaf to photograph!

Okay everyone... here she is! What!?

Trish wanted to go for a 1920's kind of look... she always says she should have been born in that era. Courtney thought some soft curls would be just the ticket, so here she is going to work on Trish.

New Leaf offers full service wedding packages that include a hair and makeup trial, mani and pedi and wedding day hair and makeup. Courtney is the lady to contact. You should contact her about six months before your event, but closer to the wedding day is okay too.

Courtney says the best way to approach deciding on your look is to come to her with photos with ideas and inspirations and a picture of your dress because neckline is very important when deciding on a style for your hair.

Then, she'll play around with your hair until she starts to achieve a look that you are excited about. "The trend is definitely toward soft and natural especially in this area. We are so close to the water, brides love that undone look instead of an overly polished one." says Courtney.

Here's a big question... Do you grow your hair out for the wedding?

Courtney's thoughts on that? "If you want to wear it down, yes definitely grow it out. If it's short and you want to wear it up, don't worry because we can always create an updo with shorter hair, you'd be surprised!"

So where's a good place to get inspiration for your wedding hair?

"Everyone brings in photos from the knot, it's the best place to get ideas for wedding hair!"

I asked Courtney if people bring in photos of celebrities...

"Bridesmaids definitely bring in pics

of celebrities. We encourage them to bring photos too- we want the bridesmaids

to feel pretty! They always feel like they can't say something about their hair

but we definitely want them too! Our number one piece of advice is to bring in photos

because then there's no miscommunication."

Courtney let us in on a little bit of New Leaf news... apparently they are looking to create

a bridal room in the lower part of their building. They are going to make it super girly, a

place where the bridal party can have privacy and drink mimosas!

MMM, sign me up for that.

...and sign me up for this too. How deluxe is this pedicure station? Can't you picture yourself

sitting their with your girlfriends reading celebrity gossip and sipping on some herbal tea?

I am so relaxed just thinking about it that I may need to lay down and take a nap.

...Oh, I almost forgot about Trish! Next we hand her off to the capable hands of makeup artist

Leah. Courtney says that Leah is a magical genius and can totally recreate any face in a photograph. Leah, I'll take the Charlize Theron special please...




Courtney says that another thing about Leah is, "Brides love Leah because she never argues with them, she really listens."

Leah says, "This is the year of the Glam! Don't be afraid, try something a little different... you
should wow everybody! Wearing a lot of makeup does not equal wearing a mask on your face."

Here's where the girls teach me something new! Apparently they are the only salon in the area to carry HD makeup. What's that you ask? It's a high definition makeup created for television and photography. How you might wonder... well, it has a special pigment in it that adapts to any lighting situation so you look your best in any light. Now that's cool- plus it's eco-friendly!



Trish approves...

With her face completed... it's back into Courtney's chair to finish styling her locks.

The nice thing about coming to New Leaf is that everyone in the bridal party can be

glammed up at the same time.

Courtney's going to hate this photo... but I am putting it in anyway. We like to tease her

about her serious "styling" face. One of my favorite pictures from Courtney's wedding was a shot of her in her veil styling her mother in law with a can of hairspray in one hand and this same look on her face. Beauty is serious business.

This shot is closer to what she usually looks like!

"I never get tired of doing bridal hair, we always get the nicest clients. My favorite

moment is when a girl sees herself in the mirror and says, I've never looked like this before! I love it! That's the best compliment" says Courtney.

I'm beginning to think being so gorgeous is probably going to go to Trish's head. I bet she's going to be a real diva the rest of the day.

Another tip from Courtney... "Don't be late! The vibe is delicate. Stress and tension are usually running high anyway. Being late puts a really negative vibe on what should be a fun experience for everyone, especially the bride!"

Wow- it looks like the girls have achieved 1920's glam to me. This may be my all time favorite picture of Trish. You can feel that she is feeling good about herself in this photo and that is the most important thing on your wedding day too. If you feel gorgeous, you'll look gorgeous. That's a photography fact and it's better than any lens we could pull out of our bag of tricks.

Call Courtney and Leah at New Leaf, unless of course you prefer Trish's before photo. Ha ha!

http://www.newleafhairstudio.com/

401.254.9333