Posts Tagged ‘Real Weddings Magazine Partner Profiles’

Welcome back to another installment of Real Weddings Magazine’s Partner Profiles! 

This week, we highlight the very gracious and talented Jan Straub from By the Gate Flowers – one of Jan’s gorgeous bridal bouquets appears on the current issue of Real Weddings Magazine — it’s the one that Jillian (far right) is holding! Love it! 

Take it away Miss Jan!

By The Gate Flowers

What sets you apart from your competition?   By The Gate Flowers is the 2009 Mountain Democrat Readers’ Choice award winner(editor’s note: and a perennial favorite in our Style Magazines’ Readers’ Choice Awards!). Artistic design,attention to details, and response to customers is foremost in mind. Designing flowers is an art form, similar to painting. A blank canvas transforms the beauty of nature and life. A wedding is truly the sustenance of life, adorned by the beauty of living nature.

If you weren’t in the wedding industry, what would you be doing? Painting nature and flowers.

Photo by Love at First Click, © Real Weddings Magazine.

Photo by True Love Photo, © Real Weddings Magazine.

 Photo by True Love Photo, © Real Weddings Magazine. 

Jan’s thoughts:  Is there anything more exciting or joyous than a future bride planning her perfect wedding? That’s why I love my job, feeling confident that I will have a happy bride and groom who will have received more than imagined in flowers without worrying that it will all come together.

My relationship with the bride is personal, attentive, and open. I’m not satisfied until my mind’s eye matches the bride’s. No matter the vision, theme, budget or style, the flowers will be a work of art beyond what is expected. My bride’s are relaxed and can attend to other details, knowing that I will bring to life a perfect floral wedding event.

What is the best advice that you can give to brides and grooms getting married today? Planning your wedding is suppose to be fun; live it up. Fun is free!

Find out more about Jan and her team at By the Gate Flowers for yourself. Call them at 530-622-7834.

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Welcome back to another installment of Real Weddings Magazine’s Partner Profiles! 

This week, we highlight the exceptionally gorgeous and crazy talented Raquel Siders from Image Provocateur and VIP-CAT Academy. We’ve had the privilege of working with Raquel, Arrvada and Jenifer from Image Provocateur and VIP-CAT Academy on several of our photo shoots, and they’re truly gifted artists. They always seem to know exactly what we’re wanting for our shoots – we think they’re mind-readers!  They’re also just pretty damn cool chicks! 

Here’s a little bit more about Raquel! 

Image Provocateur & VIP-CAT Academy

Tell us a little about your company?  Image Provocateur is the Bridal and Hair Specialists needed for every perfect wedding. Our brides receive full hair, makeup, false lashes and our unique three step water proofing system on location. Our Artists are specially trained to achieve the perfect look every time. 

When did you establish your business? VIP-CAT was launched in 2004, specializing in Bridal Hair & Makeup on Location. In 2007 VIP-CAT expanded into Image Provocateur a full-service Salon, keeping our main focus on our brides. 

What sets you apart from your competition?  All of our Makeup Artists are trained by myself, using my Copywrited Curriculum and the skills and techniques I have developed and implemented into VIP-CAT Academy. We are always striving to be the best, as perfection is our standard while staying on top of current styles and trends. 

Where do you find inspiration?  I have loved makeup and beauty since I can remember! As a young child I fell in love with makeup and art –  that love blossomed into working with brides and getting a chance to share their day and help make it special. 

When you opened shop, what was your promise to your customers? That we would bring out their inner beauty and create the flawless, perfect look they always wanted for their wedding day. And since our makeup and hair lasts up to 12 hours, they would not have to worry about anything but walking down the aisle. Let our professional makeup artists and hair specialists ease your mind. You have worried about everything else… leave your hair and makeup to us. 

Do you have any hidden talents?I have taken my creativity in makeup and I have started designing clothing. This year will see the launch of my clothing line, Black Cat Threads. This line is made from provocatively refurbished rock t’s and lingerie. It’s the way I am going green, with an edge! 

Hair and Make-up for Real Weddings Cover Model Sarah by Image Provocateur and VIP-CAT Academy. Dress from Diamond Bridal Gallery. Photo by True Love Photo. On location at The Citizen Hotel.

Hair and Make-up for Real Weddings Cover Model Sarah by Image Provocateur and VIP-CAT Academy. Dress from Miosa. Photo by True Love Photo. On location at The Citizen Hotel.

 Hair and Make-up for Real Weddings Cover Model Sarah by Image Provocateur and VIP-CAT Academy. Dress from Dreamnette Bridal. Flowers by Camino Flower Shop. Photo by True Love Photo. On location at The Citizen Hotel. 

Do you regularly blog? What’s your blog site?  Yes, our blog is updated every few days and can be viewed at: http://arrvadaimageprov.blogspot.com/ 

What’s your favorite local restaurant?  Wasabi on Greenback in Citrus Heights. I love their Fair Oaks Roll and the Lion King. 

What’s your favorite local charity?  I strongly support WEAVE. As a woman and a mother of a young woman, women escaping a violent environment hits close to home, and you can’t go wrong in supporting your gender and community. 

What is your favorite fun thing to do locally?  Well I have two. One, thrift store hunting for cool rock t’s & lingerie to convert into dresses for my clothing line. Two, heading out to Folsom at Negro Bar to be chased by the crazy ducks! 

Do you have secret vice or indulgence? What is it?  My secret indulgence isn’t too secret! I love wedding cake! Probably the real reason I got into the bridal industry! Love me some frosting! 

What are you most grateful for in life?  My family, especially my beautiful daughter Laurren and the chance to do what I love every day. 

What advice would you can give to brides and grooms getting married today?  Remember, this is a special day, enjoy it. It doesn’t matter if the sun isn’t shining, or the birds aren’t singing. What matters is you are going to have amazing hair and makeup and no one is going to look at anyone else! Enjoy your moment, you deserve to look like the Diva you are. 

Anything else you’d like to share with Real Weddings Magazine’s brides?  You are all beautiful and I am privileged to be able to work with so many of you on your special day. 

Find out more about Raquel and her team at Image Provocateur and VIP-CAT Academy for yourself. Call them at 916-474-5578. Also, check out their profile on Real Weddings Magazine! 

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Welcome back to another installment of Real Weddings Magazine’s Partner Profiles!

This week, we highlight the incomparable Sarah Maren Whitehead from Sarah Maren Photography. We’ve been fortunate to work with this amazingly talented woman and her team on several occasions, and she always makes it seem more like a day of fun, than a day of work and that, in and of itself, is a gift! 

And, congrats to Sarah and her wonderful husband Dustin on the arrival of their newest little one, Ben. He joins big sister Lauren in the Whitehead household!  The little guy arrived just last week! We cannot wait to see photos of little baby Ben!

Want to know more about Lauren and Ben’s mommy? Read on…

Sarah Maren Photography

Specialty:  Weddings and Portraits with style

When did you establish your business? Shot my first wedding at 18 in 1997, went full time in 2005.

What sets you apart from your competition?  I have REALLY cute hair… really… it’s taken almost 30 years to find the right hairstyle… and now I have! It makes me a better photographer!

Where do you find inspiration?  Everywhere! I actually find more inspiration from art forms other than photography. Having a degree in Art History, I’ve had to look at A LOT of art over the years and I find so much energy and inspiration from the art that is out there. I’m also deeply inspired by my couples and their own personal love stories. I’ve never had two that were exactly the same, which is why we’ve never photographed one couple like another. It’s different and beautiful in a new way every time.

When you opened shop, what was your promise to your customers?  To be there as a witness. That to me is the most important part of my job, to witness something so profound as two people merging their lives in front of their family and friends. The images we create with our clients become their memories, and that has always had a very profound effect on the way I photograph a wedding.

Do you have any hidden talents?  I LOVE to cook! My family are often guinea pigs, but hearing my three year old say, “Mama! You make the best dinners ever!” makes me feel like a good mom. :)

What color(s) gives you the most joy?  Pinks and purples are the colors I tend to personally gravitate toward… they just speak to me.

What song is the soundtrack to your business day (or at least to how you feel right now)?  “Don’t Stop Thinkin’ About Tomorrow” by Fleetwood Mac. Seriously, sometimes it is REALLY easy to get caught up on everything that is happening AT THIS SECOND, but tomorrow is another day and you have to keep focused on the good stuff, not the rubbish.

Cake, Cupcakes or Cookies?  Cupcakes for sure! I mean, I have a TATTOO of a cupcake on my foot for the love!

Facebook, Myspace, LinkedIn or Twitter?  Facebook and Twitter. I have accounts for Myspace and Linkedin, I just never use them. I prefer the ease of FB and Twitter. :)

What is your favorite flower?  I love dahlias and gladiolas.

Do you regularly blog? What’s your blog site?  My website (sarahmaren.com) IS a blog! To me it makes more sense as a photographer to show my clients what we JUST shot instead of something we shot months or years ago. My photography evolves all the time, and I love having my clients participate in that evolution as it’s happening.

Where is your favorite place to travel?  My sister and I went to NYC for the first time last year for a shoot and I LOVED IT! I honestly miss a city I spent 3 nights in. But there is just something so magic about New York. I can’t wait to get back.

What’s your favorite local restaurant?  We adore Crush 29 in Roseville. Their mushroom risotto is something I have dreams about!

What’s your favorite local charity?  We are big supporters of the arts programs in our local schools. We do everything we can to support an ongoing art education for children. I mean, where would I be if I hadn’t had access to a camera and teachers who were excited about my drive to create images?

If you weren’t in the wedding industry, what would you be doing?  I would probably be a fine art photographer or teacher of some kind. When I was in college the whole goal I had for myself was to teach Intro to Art classes at Jr. College. I think it’s something I still might end up doing someday.

What three things are you most grateful for in life?  My wonderful, amazing and so handsome husband Dustin, our wonderful little family we have made, and the ability to do what I love EVERY SINGLE DAY!

If you were to plan your own wedding, or re-do your wedding, what element would be most important to you? Obviously, it would be the photography. We didn’t have the best experience with our wedding photographer and it totally changed the way I work a wedding, the product I deliver to my client and the experience I want them to have. I want our clients to feel like their friends Sarah and Dustin are coming to their wedding, not their photographers who don’t care about them.

What is the best advice you can give to brides and grooms getting married today?  Spend your money where it MATTERS! No one will have that favor you put on their plates in 10 years, but they will have that picture of you on your wedding day.

Anything else you’d like to share with Real Weddings Magazine’s brides?  Remember to HAVE FUN on your wedding day! Surround yourself with vendors you love, and really take your wedding in. I remember standing in the middle of our wedding and thinking WOW! We did this! This is our wedding. Make sure you have a moment where you can just take it all in!

Find out more about Sarah for yourself. Call her at 916-335-4358 or visit her Web site at sarahmaren.com. Also, check out her profile on Real Weddings Magazine!

And, be sure to check out her featured real weddings on our web site and in the most recent issue of Real Weddings Magazine!

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Welcome back to another installment of Real Weddings Magazine’s Partner Profiles!

This week, we highlight one of the coolest and funniest (not to mention knowledgeable!) women we know…Darcie Swedelson from A Dazzling Day by Darcie. Take it away Miss Darcie!

A Dazzling Day…by Darcie, Wedding Planner

Specialty? The Dazzle in the details of planning the personality of a couple new beginnings

When did you establish your business? Long, long ago in my mind… I knew I wanted to plan events, and holidays were a way to achieve that even at a young age…so I evolved into a walking party with a plan!

What sets you apart from your competition? The personality is always the biggest difference… but experience in an industry with the lessons of the behind the scenes experience.

Where do you find inspiration? in colors and textures. Nature is my favorite and flowers are the jewels of my imagination.

When you opened shop, what was your promise to your customers? Imagination in details, details and clean laundry.

Do you have any hidden talents? No, they are all pretty much exposed to the world!… no secrets here.

What color(s) gives you the most joy?  Purple has always been my favorite color…even when I was in my teens… SO glad it is the new, trendy color this season for weddings!

What song is the soundtrack to your business day (or at least to how you feel right now)? TOO many… but I love Beyonce and Boogie Shoes by KC and the Sunshine band!

Cake, Cupcakes or Cookies?  all of the above I do not discriminate against sweets…

What is your favorite flower? I love every flower… but my longest favorite is the gladiola. They bring back a lot of childhood memories.

Do you regularly blog? What’s your blog site?  NOT yet.. shhhhhh.

Where is your favorite place to travel?  Everywhere… I love to get in and go. Then I can’t wait to get home!

If you weren’t in the wedding industry, what would you be doing?  Well, I owned a florist…and I owned a wedding publication. So even selling advertising and being a florist, I still worked with wedding pros and brides. It certainly would not be a CHEF!

What three things are you most grateful for in life?  Learning to be thankful at a very young age. Learning to love myself finally. And, of course the people that love me!

If you were to plan your own wedding, or re-do your wedding, what element would be most important to you? ME! and GLEN!

What is the best advice you can give to brides and grooms getting married today? Plan your priorities together… not on the spot with a wedding professional!

Find out more about Darcie for yourself. Call her at 530-676-3796 or visit her Web site at adazzlingday.com. Also, check out her profile on Real Weddings Magazine!

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Welcome back to another installment of Real Weddings Magazine’s Partner Profiles!

This week, we highlight one very cool chic, Jackie Willard from Jacqueline Photography. Over the past few years, we’ve been lucky enough to feature some of this extremely talented photographer’s work in the pages of Real Weddings Magazine! And now, you’ll get to know her and her work a little bit better too. Take it away Miss Jackie!

Jacqueline Photography

When did you establish your business?  2006

What sets you apart from your competition?  My friendly and goofy personality and my modern style.

Where do you find inspiration?  From love. I love photographing couples in love, they inspire me to capture their emotions in a natural, romantic way.

When you opened shop, what was your promise to your customers?  Quality and a friendly experience

Do you have any hidden talents?  Well if I told you it wouldn’t be hidden anymore.

What color gives you the most joy?  Blue

What song is the soundtrack to your business day (or at least to how you feel right now)?  Jack Johnson “Better Together”

Cake, Cupcakes or Cookies?  Cookies for sure!

What is your favorite flower?  Hibiscus

Do you regularly blog? If so, what’s your blog site? I try to blog as much as possible. www.jacquelinephotographyblog.net

Where is your favorite place to travel? Anywhere away from home!  But if I had to choose I’d say either Lake Tahoe for snowboarding or Hawaii

What’s your favorite local restaurant?  Cheesecake Factory…cheesecake makes everything better!

What’s your favorite local charity?  SPCA, I have the biggest soft spot for animals and would adopt them all if my husband would let me!

If you weren’t in the wedding industry, what would you be doing?  Most likely something that has to do with savings animals.

What three things are you most grateful for in life?  My family, my husband and my friends. Without them I wouldn’t be where I am today.

If you were to plan your own wedding, or re-do your wedding, what element would be most important to you?  The photography OF COURSE!

What is the best advice you can give to brides and grooms getting married today?  The day is all about you, so don’t let anyone discourage you from doing what you want and don’t be afraid to steer away from tradition and incorporate your own personality into your wedding.

Anything else you’d like to share with Real Weddings Magazine’s brides?  Hire a professional photographer! You may have friends who are amateurs that offer to photograph your wedding, but please do yourself a favor and hire a professional. You will be so glad you did!

Find out more about Jackie and Jacqueline Photography for yourself. Call her at 916-390-2228 or visit her Web site at jacquelinephotography.net. Also, check out her profile on Real Weddings Magazine!

And, be sure to check out her currently featured real weddings from Real Weddings Magazine:

Jennifer & James – from the Summer/Fall 2010 Real Weddings Magazine

Danielle & Jesse – from the Summer/Fall 2010 Real Weddings Magazine

And even more can be found at Real Weddings Magazine’s Web site!

All photos by Jacqueline Photography.

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