TO DO: Tuesday Wedding Aisle Decor

So many times Brides spend a ton of time (and lots of MONEY) on decorating their receptions.  We then get to the ceremony (arguably what the entire day was created for!) and there is little to no decor.  A well place flower arrangement at the front, some programs at the back and call it a day.  You know, I think your ceremony should be just as magical as the rest of the day… it is, after all, what the ENTIRE wedding is about!  MARRYING the man of your dreams!

I understand not wanting to spend an arm and a leg on decorating your aisle (wherever that might be) but a bit of well placed decor and a few pops of color can go a long way!

Take Ryan and Rachel, for example.  They were married at Talon Winery, here in Lexington.  Talon is a BEAUTIFUL location, yes, but they chose to use a few pops of color in the form of dangling flowers under the gazeebo and a few tucked into the shrubs.  They also hung old glass jars with bunches of daisies from shepherd’s hooks and lined the aisle with them along with piles of yellow and white flower petals.

But their wedding was outside… Mine is in a church!  No problem… you CAN be creative with pews!  I promise  One of our brides from last year, Kelsey, decorated her aisle with bunches of Kentucky wildflowers in baskets that hung from the pews.  It was soft, subtle, homey and made a big impact!

Or you can do something that requires NO florals at ALL.  Here are some simple ideas I found on Pinterest:

From : atwestend.com but could easily be hand crafted for very little money!

Or instead of expensive chair scarves and covers, order large rolls of ribbon in a single or multi colors and use them to spruce up the chairs at the ceremony / reception.

Idea from: United with love

Or maybe a cute vintage sign denoting the spots for the parents to sit at the wedding like these we found on Etsy:

However you choose to do it, DO put some thought into the aisle you will walk down toward your new life.  It will be the last things you see as a “single” lady and those moments should be just as beautiful as the rest of the wedding day!

Cool Spaces and Places: Events with Design Rustic handmade Wood tables

We really enjoyed getting to see some GREAT ideas at the Art of Entertaining this year. One of our FAVORITES was this rustic barn table from Events with Design.

Now… the coolest thing about this table is that Shannon (one of the owners) hand made these tables!!! Is he fabulous or WHAT?!

The tables are 5 ft squares and will seat 8 people.  They rent for $35 per table plus $100 setup fee.  BUT… you don’t even need LINENS!  These tables are beautifully constructed and would definitely make a statement at your reception or event.

For more information on renting these tables (or any of their other fabulous rental choices), call Carrie at 859.260.1456.

IMAGE COURTESY: Honey Heart Photography, Lexington

We also love that Events with Design has VINTAGE China available for rent.  Vintage is HOT for weddings this year.  I LOVE this particular pattern:

For more information on the other items they offer for rental visit their website: http://www.eventswithdesign.com/rentals/

The perfect grand EXIT! – A Vintage Rolls Royce from Thoroughbred Limo

Image courtesy: Thoroughbred Limo… find them on FACEBOOK

So maybe the hot pink Hummer limo isn’t your style but I cannot imagine ANY occasion in which this BEAUTIFUL 1962 Vintage Rolls Royce Silver Cloud II wouldn’t be perfect!  Just imagine… you just said your vows, had that long awaited and kiss and you run from the church through a cloud of bubbles into this gorgeous antique automobile!  I can see the photos now!  GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This particular vintage car was just recently added to the fleet at Thoroughbred Limousine.  Having worked with Thoroughbred MANY times throughout the years I highly recommend them for ALL your wedding transportation needs.  If a Rolls Royce isn’t quite your style or you need more room for your large wedding party they have PLENTY of Limos in various styles to suit your big day!  No matter what your style from Chrysler 300′s to Chargers to Hummer Limos they have it!  They even have the amazing Party Bus!!!!!  Let me tell you… I have BEEN inside this and it is pretty AWESOME!

For more information visit their website at: http://www.thoroughbredlimo.com/

or call (859) 273-3690 for more details!  Be sure to tell them at Schmidt Studio sent you!!

Tops in Lexington TOP WEDDINGS… 2nd year in a row!:)

Yes… so we’re pretty proud to be featured, for the second year in a row, as one of Kentucky’s TOP Weddings in the TopsinLex.  This is such a fabulous publication and we are always proud to be a part of it!  Check out our work… Kristen and Alan were the featured wedding for their “Book” Themed reception!  It was VERY beautiful and totally personal!  I loved it.  Definitely one of the more uniquely beautiful weddings I have ever seen!

Location was the gorgeous Talon Winery.

The florals were amazing by Suzi Hjorth of Magnolia Floral Design.

Cake by the awesome Martine of Martine’s Pastries.

Wedding Planning by Jackie Lee of Every Last Detail.

View the COMPLETE ISSUE HERE

Not to mention our amazing ad with another of our fabulous couples, Maureen and Chad (wedding pics to come!)

Join us at Simply Love Studio to celebrate the Royal Wedding of William and Kate

So yes, I am a self-proclaimed, guru of weddings.  I love weddings of all shapes, sizes and creeds but to hear that there will be a ROYAL wedding is something that truly peaks my interest.  Seeing as how I am 6 months younger (almost exactly!) than Prince William, I was not alive for the marriage of Princess Diana and Prince Charles, but I have always been fascinated.  Being a wedding photographer, and having a daughter of my own I thought it would be a nice memory for her if we celebrated.  But where?  Surely the great city of Lexington will be celebrating this historic occasion?!

ENTER: Simply Love Studio

“A Formal Affair” Royal Wedding Brunch

to celebrate the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Katherine Middleton

128 N. Broadway Lexington, KY. 40507

Invitation courtesy: www.privilegedclub.com

This is where Kyleigh and I will be celebrating the Royal Wedding and we would like to invite each of you to come along.  Even if you cannot stay, feel free to stop by and say hello!

We have been speculating and anticipating the pageantry of the day and I am sure the the Royal Family, William and Cate will not disappoint!   Do you know I actually had a dream last night that I was PHOTOGRAPHING the Royal Wedding and that Troy was in the PERFECT spot but that there were 15 other photographers who were trying to edge me out of mine!  I guess it would be an appropriate dream for a wedding photographer eh?  Alas, I will NOT be photographing this wedding but I will be happy to celebrate the wedding of more than 25 Princess Brides this year!!   To all my brides: may each of your wedding days be as magical and memorable as tomorrow will be for Will and Cate!

See you tomorrow at Simply Love!

Cool things to do with your wedding photos… (custom photo ornaments by MPIX)

Other than make them into wallpaper and plaster your walls with them… I know that many people get their wedding DVDs back and their photos sit there for an undisclosed amount of time TRAPPED by that shiny silver casing!  But WHAT is one to do with your wedding photos after they are captured?  Yes…. traditionally you have a wedding book (or album..) maybe even a canvas on the wall.  BUT… there is a whole world of possibilities for those fabulous photos so I am going to hopefully chronicle some cool ideas for you to take full advantage of that wedding DVD that you paid for

The holidays are coming and I know that many people are already thinking toward gift giving!  Yes you can give your mom a traditional framed print for her home OR you can give her this:

I mean is that cute or WHAT?  I am already digging for my photos to make my mother a whole holiday TREE full of our family!  Can you imagine presenting your mom with a unique and creative christmas gift that makes all of your siblings jealous?  What about printing several of these with members of your family, you, your siblings’ families, grandparents even and put them on a small decorative tree for mom to keep in her kitchen or office… Now THERE is a gift that keeps on giving!!!

Be sure to go to MPIX.com, check out their cool designs and order some for the ones you love!!!

Local Artist Spotlight: Caught Red Handed Band

I am often asked “who do you recommend for XX?”.  After having worked in the wedding industry in Lexington and Central Kentucky for many years now, I have to say, we have our favorites!  LOL  There are certain vendors that we are always excited to see and work with.  One of those is Caught Red Handed.  I was first acquainted with the band, Caught Red Handed, through their work with the Makenna Foundation’s Derby Eve Ball.  They stole my heart then, and I still maintain that they are one of the best, if not THE BEST, bands in the Kentucky region!  They can be found most nights as the cover band at Bogart’s (Crowne Plaza – Lexington).  I highly suggest that if you are considering a live band for your reception (* and you SHOULD … kudos to our favorite DJ’s but nothing gets a party started like a LIVE band! *) that you go on over to Bogart’s and take a listen.  If you do decide to book the guys be sure to tell them that the Schmidt’s sent you their way!

Booking information:

John A. Stinnett
(859) 223-4803
or
mail to: info@caughtredhandedband.com

Carol Lynn Originals & Events (A+ Florist!)

Because we have been in the wedding vendor community for several years now we find ourselves working with many of the same vendors over and over.  We have our favorites and we were TOTALLY stunned when we had the privilege of working with Ruth of Carol Lynn Originals this past weekend (Kimberlee & Denver’s wedding).

Not only were the flowers in stunning arrangement, the combination of flowers was something very unique and the quality was definitely nothing short of perfection.  Even after 5 -6 hours of wear and tear the bouquets were holding up well and showed no signs of wilting (even the hydrangeas and that is a tough thing to accomplish apparently) !  As a wedding photographer you learn to have a discerning eye.  You have tasted and seen the BEST and the worst.  I have shown up to weddings where the flowers were wilted before they even walked down the aisle!  It makes me so sad to see that happen KNOWING that there are some TRULY great florists in our area!

Add to that, the personal instruction that Ruth gave to the bridesmaids on proper placement of flowers when holding them, walking with them, standing with them and I truly have to say that we give two thumbs up to Carol Lynn Originals & Events and HOPE to see more of our couples choosing Ruth and her team VERY SOON!

Check out their work!

(YES those are CALLA lilies AND peonies in the SAME bouquet!  Is that cool or what?)

Be sure to give them a call at: 859.253.0545

Contact: Ruth Babcock, Carol Lynn Originals & Events, 645 E. Main Street, Lexington, Ky 40508, 859.253.0545

Thoroughbred Limo presents the Victoria Secret Pink Limo!!!

Looking for a fierce ride to go out on the town in Lex Vegas?  On Saturday night I got an up close and personal look at the newest addition to the Thoroughbred Limo Fleet… the Hummer H2 Victoria’s Secret Edition PINK Limo.   Thoroughbred has truly brought a bit of Hollywood and Vegas to Lexington!!!

This limo is truly WOW!!!!!  Fricking fabulous!!!!  The entire interior is pink and white and the whole thing just sparkles!  I was totally impressed!  It would be SO cool for a Sweet Sixteen, 21st Birthday or to transport your bachelorettes around town for your last night of freedom!!!  Be sure to give Thoroughbred a call and book soon for your big day.  I am SURE they are booking dates FAST!

Thoroughbred Limo

859.273.3690

Dresses and models courtesy: The Wedding Center Inc – Lexington.

Hair Courtesy:  Salon Plaza Lexington

Models from left – Nicole Adams, Nicole Blandford, Shelby Ryan Gregory

Brenda of Sugar Forest Cakes ROCKS!

I know that many of you are privy to the story of our daughter Kyleigh and her incredible journey to become healthy.  This Sunday we had her second birthday celebration which included and amazing cake from Brenda at the Sugar Forest.  I cannot tell you what a joy it is to work with Brenda.  She truly is not only an artist but a truly amazing person.  I always feel confident in recommending her to our clients.  I would eat a Brenda cake at every wedding I ever shot and I would be totally happy about it!

Kyleigh’s cake was an amazing three tiered masterpiece with white cake and raspberry filling.  This cake is by far the best cake I have ever eaten in my life!  Everyone who attended the party agreed that we give Brenda and the Sugar Forest two thumbs up!!!

So… to all my brides and grooms… CALL BRENDA!  She totally rocks!

Phone: 859-881-0887

Email: brenda@sugarforest.com