Last month, myself, Kelly Marie from Fleur, and Suzy from Lily Red Studio had the honor of hosting a fun industry baby shower for our dear friend, Joan from Five Grain Events. We decided on a Woodlands theme and Kelly and Suzy did an amazing job with the floral design and paper decor! I had a blast shooting all the fun details and an even better time hanging out with a group of awesome ladies. I can’t wait to meet little Baby “Five Grains” when he/she finally arrives!
Once again I had the pleasure of joining forces with two of my brilliantly creative friends, Kelly Marie Uss (from Fleur) and Suzy Rohan (from Lily Red Studio). This time we put our creative juices to work to participate in the Inspired Creations (glitter and glam themed) Contest hosted by Elizabeth Anne Designs and The Sweetest Occasion. I adore both of these blogs, so I considered it an honor to be able to take part in this contest! I must give a huge thanks to Salvage One (one of my absolute favorite Chicago venues) for allowing us to use their amazing space as a backdrop for our shoot. The exposed brink, wood beams, gorgeous chandeliers, vintage furniture and perfect glowing window light helped bring our ideas to life!
In the beginning stages of the planning process, we had decided we wanted to create something that was soft, warm, unique and easily replicable. An early brunch reception is a beautiful, relaxed, and often less expensive alternative to the huge, extravagant, evening reception. We wanted to add warmth and a vintage flair to the glitter and glam theme, while still maintaining an organic, natural presence. So we figured what better way to enjoy brunch than with mini pancakes, french toast kebabs and honey. One thing I love about both Kelly and Suzy is their ability to take a simple idea and transform it into something extravagant. And that is exactly what they did here! Suzy’s paper products and branding were a perfect complement to Kelly’s florals and table design. I could not have been happier with the way this turned out!
To read more about it and see additional images, check out the post on Elizabeth Anne Designs. And to make your own amazing paper designs, check out Suzy’s detailed DIY instructions. If you feel so inclined, please leave a comment on Elizabeth Anne Designs…it helps our chances of winning!
Last month, Hilary Schwartz of Estera Events hosted a beautifully designed holiday entertaining class in her fantastic new studio space. She had asked me to stop by to capture some of the evening’s details. I couldn’t resist posting some here! Hilary amazes me! She is an incredibly well organized and talented planner and is wildly creative as well. Not surprisingly, she has a background in both interior and floral design. She has a knack for gorgeous details!
The theme of the evening was, in Hilary’s own words, “Rustic Glam (I like a mix of rough and luxe, shiny and dull, you get the point…) and everything was designed to be easily recreated at home for a fun, festive Holiday party.” Read Hilary’s blog post to find out more about this class and possible similar opportunities in the future.
I recently had the opportunity to do a photo session with Joan Cinquegrani and Sara Balsom of Five Grain Events. I was introduced to Joan through a mutual acquaintance only a few moths ago. We met for coffee and hit it off immediately. To be honest, I feel like I have known Joan much longer than I have. She is absolutely fantastic!! Being somewhat newer business owners, it has been great to be able to meet regularly to bounce ideas around and encourage each other. Joan’s amazing ability to connect with people and juggle a million things at once, lends to her incredible talent as a planner! And Joan’s fun-loving, light-hearted approach to life is a perfect balance to her self-proclaimed, Type A work ethic.
Sara was recently brought on as a new associate coordinator with Five Grain Events. I met Sara for the first time on the day of this session. As expected, she is equally as fantastic. Her skills and wealth of knowledge of the wedding industry make her an incredible resource for any wedding. Check out this recent Five Grain blog post to find out more about Sara. I am so excited to work more with these two ladies in the future! Besides day-of and full wedding coordination, Five Grain Events has also recently started offering a new really cool service. Guys, you’ll want to pay attention to this one…Proposal Planning!
Here are a few photos from our session!
At the end of our session, Joan revealed the more playful side of her personality. I love that we were able to capture this!!
At the end of our session, Joan revealed the more playful side of her personality. I love that we were able to capture this!!
