As a guest you walk into the gorgeous ballroom and see the breathtaking centerpieces and gorgeous teal lights shining on the walls. Everything is so beautiful and elegant, but behind the scenes their is a chaotic and competitive battle mounting. As a photographer it is our job to get the photos at all costs. The DJ and wedding planner have their own agendas that have the same urgency and strict time line. We are all pulling in opposite directions and sometimes it can get ugly.
The really good ones...the vendors who are really passionate about their work know how to work as a team. They realize that they were hired by two people who desperately want to have the most amazing, fairy tale evening. It's not about the photographer as an individual, but the entire evening. Therefore as a DJ, photographer or wedding planner you realize that in order to really help that fairy evening evolve you need to bend and work with those vendors that are at hand.

Ryan Hein of Perfect Memory DJ Service was one person who truly understood that. He knows that as a photographer our greatest need is to spend time with the bride and groom and allow the create freedom to capture the images we need. Ryan, made sure that we had that. Some how...as if he was in control of magic...he was able to give us our time, kept the party going while the bride and groom were gone and found a way to create an incredible flow throughout the evening. I wasn't used to the attention, "Hey guys, are you ready to do that garter our do you need more time getting decoration shots?" I looked at him and couldn't understand why he would want to bend his time line for us...no one else has done that. A DJ who actually cared about my work and didn't want to sabatage it by cutting us off short. And then he returned to check on us about the lighting and then about getting more time with the bride and groom. Are you serious? Were you sent from heaven?

As the three of us started to clean up our gear and pack we started to discuss weddings and it became very clear that Ryan is at a whole different level. He cares so deeply about his work...or better yet...his craft, that it pours into everyone else that he works with. He ensures that his clients get every song that they ask for and that the evening is built around them. He is an extraordinary person and a DJ that deserves credit.

So, if you are planning a wedding and need a DJ who will ensure that you have the atmosphere that you are looking for then please call Ryan Hein. We have since become friends and I would love to work with him in the future. He just makes our job so much easier!!!!

Ryan Hein with Perfect Memory Specialty Events
www.PerfectMemoryDJ.com
503.830.6025





Portland Oregon wedding photographers

I blame it on the sugar. Just the smallest taste and my head starts to pound. I can feel every vein throbbing and my chest starts to tighten. I love sweets though. It's a sad story really.

That's why I struggled so much as I listened to Cheren talk about her wedding cake. "Oh, Amy you have got to try my cake! Its to die for. Trust me, it isn't a typical cake." She must have told me 4 times how great her cake was. So, as the party cooled down and guests started to exit through the large double doors I walked over to the cake table. I stared at the slices of cakes and weighed the options of headaches to one amazing piece of cake. Cheren gave me a look of wide eyed approval and excitement and I knew what I had to do. I took a bite and immediately looked at Cheren. It was out of this world! Buttery, not too sugary, lots of flavor, light and super moist. Ah, it was amazing. I sacrificed heart ache...literally...to have a slice and it was completely worth it. I spent the next few minutes gooshing over the cake with Cheren. LeCookie Monkey has a special flavor called "humingbird." It's a basically a crazy twist on a carrot cake, add pineapple, coconut and bunch of other yummy goodies. It was the flavor that everyone talked about and ran out in the first 10 minutes.

Eddie and I come across a lot of vendors who are all great at what they do. But, when we come across a company that does things this good then we just have to get involved. We want to share these companies with you! So, I want to tell you to check out LeCookie Monkey Cakes & Sweets. You will not only find the most amazing things in all categories sweet, but you will meet the goofiest, fun loving and wonderful person on the planet. If it wasn't for her amazing cakes, I would support her just because SHE is that great!!!

LeCookie Monkey
Amber Darrington
503-544-5041
Amber@LeCookieMonkey.com
www.LeCookieMonkey.com


Again....it's not just the best cake I have ever had or a great personality...look at the cake....it's gorgeous.



Their signature cookie.



Amber on the left and her lovely assistant Jaime.



Two great gals.



Portland Oregon Wedding Photographers

I have always been a tomboy my whole life. I was never into dolls or dressing up in glamorous outfits and prancing around the house. As I grew older I found that I was more comfortable being in my softball uniform covered in dirt and dark as all get out from the hot summer sun. I thought it was cool that I was so different from the other girls in school. I would spend my afternoons at the river, bare foot and donning a nice pair of cut off corduroy shorts. Nice huh.
Midway through college I moved up to Portland Oregon where I got my first big girl job at an apartment complex. The job was amazing, paid really well, but forced me to jump into the unfamiliar world of fashion. My coworker helped me pick out some skirts and heels and taught me how to be a lady. She would gently guide me into the professional world which I am still eternally thankful for.
To this day I still don't know what to do with myself. I only own 2 shades of eye shadow and I only truly know one of them. So, in a lot of ways makeup artists are really interesting to me. They act just like a painter. I have been doing art my entire life and have painted lots of portraits. They lay down the foundation of color, add shadow to create structure and depth. They work the colors to expose the beauty in the image/ face and then add mascara to create that final touch of contrast to make the masterpiece really come together.
I first met Karen while photographing Jessica & Matt's wedding in Portland Oregon. She was vigilantly working on a bridesmaids makeup when I walked in. The first thing that I noticed is that she had a drawing that she created from the practice meeting. I was so impressed. I hadn't seen that before and immediately started to look at her in new light. Her approach was very different and very professional. Her work was beautiful. I can't believe that she was able to work on so many woman and do such an amazing job. I have since worked with her on another wedding and she did amazing job then too. I will be adding her to our preferred vendors list for sure and would recommend her to anyone.

We first met Maggie back in October when we were shooting Jackie & Scott's wedding. It didn't take much to realize that Maggie's Buns did things a lot different from other caterers. Take first the display. Brightly colored glass plates and bowls artistically display the food, brightly colored flowers, fall leaves, and branches gave the table a warm autumn feel to match the theme of the wedding. I remember how upset she was that she didn't have time to finish the display...and all I think was "Wow!!" Everything was so beautiful to the eye and then we tasted it. Coming from a family of professional chefs I really appreciate the combination of complimentary flavors to make an amazing dish and Maggie nailed it. I knew at that moment that I would do anything to feature her business on our blog. I then met Maggie and saw that she treated Jackie as though she was her very own daughter insisting on taking care of her every need. THAT's the way it should be. If you live in the Portland, Oregon area and are looking for a great caterer I would highly recommend Maggie's Buns.


I love that they decided to add these brightly colored flowers to their dishes just to add a little something extra.









Jackie & Scott just so happen to get married just down the road from Maggie's Buns store front. So we skipped over there to get a few pictures next to their brightly colored wall. This wall is a small example of the eclectic and fun atmosphere of Maggie's Buns.



Maggies' Buns is located at:
2007 21st Ave.
Forest Grove, OR 97116
503.992.2231
MaggiesBuns@Gmail.com
MaggiesBuns.com

Occasionally we come across companies that do such a good job that we just can't help but spread the word about their great service. Recently we met a DJ that did just that. Brad & Serena Silverstein of A Affordable DJ worked as an amazing team to make sure that the wedding was a blast from start to finish. Besides playing the perfect tunes to keep the party alive they stepped in as the wedding planner to make sure that the bride & groom had nothing to worry about. They ran through the procession walk, helped organize the toasts, and entertained the kids when needed. They did an exceptional job and did more than they needed to. A Affordable DJ is located out of Seattle and provides all sorts of planning tools to make sure that your wedding day goes smoothly.
To contact Brad & Serena...
http://www.aaffordabledj.us/
aaffordabledj@hotmail.com
(253) 495-9026