Today, I’m sharing my interview with Ashley Riddle, owner and beauty mastermind!  Not only is Ashley the sweetest person on the planet, but she is amazing when it comes to hair and make up and has a whole team of extremely talented artists that come to you on the big day!  I can’t wait for my hair and make up trial session.  I already have some ideas in mind…waterfall anyone??  I’ll let you guys think on that and share the interview now!

Q.  How did Up Do’s for I Do’s get it’s start?
A. Up-Do’s For I Do’s started in 2004 after I got engaged. I noticed the lack of on-site hair and makeup artists in the Baltimore/Annapolis area. I was currently working in a salon where I was 1 of 4 out of 50-something hair stylists that LOVED to do formal hairstyling.  I decided to put my cosmetology license to work in a different area other than a salon and expand even further into the wedding industry.

Q.  What makes Up Do’s for I Do’s unique?
A. All we do is weddings. We aren’t a full service salon juggling haircuts or color clients.  We specialize in wedding and formal hairstyles, long-lasting looks and natural yet photogenic makeup. We also try to give back to the earth while using sustainable and eco-friendly products and tools.   All of our artists train and educate themselves strictly on weddings. We have some of the best educators come to our studio to help us learn the best techniques to make sure our brides look flawless.

Q.  Do you have a favorite hairstyle for brides?  Why?
A. Right now we are loving the soft and romantic styles that look effortless but still require a professional to create. Loose waves and “messy” curls can easily be swept up into an up-do or left completely down.   We are also loving the continuing trend of flowers in the hair and often these styles are paired with a birdcage veil. We are loving these looks not only because they photograph well but the soft look keep the focus on the bride.

Q.  Are there any make up trends for weddings that you are seeing now?
A. Our favorite trend that we have seen over the past year is that most brides are opting for false lashes. There are so many options and we have one for each type of bride. We offer temporary lashes that last for the wedding day. They can be applied as a strip or individually. My personal favorite is the semi-permanent option. These lashes are applied with a medical grade glue and last from 4-6 weeks. This is perfect for the bride who still wants to have the lashes during her honeymoon.

We also love that brides are upgrading from traditional cream or powder foundation to airbrush. The difference is incredible and the results are priceless. The airbrush makeup technique is especially wonderful for brides who tend become oily quickly or for brides who are tying the knot outdoors on a humid day.

Q.  You have a wedding focused family, since your hubby has Beat 2 Beat DJs.  Did you both always love weddings?
A. Ironically enough we didn’t enter the wedding industry until we were engaged and married ourselves. We had a whole new appreciation for what a wedding day meant. It truly is the happiest day of your life and the vendors that a bride and groom hire can make the wedding day wonderful or disastrous. We want to offer customized service, personal attention to every detail and keep every element of what we do for our brides stress-free.

Q.  What is your favorite moment from your own wedding?  Or even a favorite picture?
This is tricky. There were so many wonderful moments that run through my head when I think of my own wedding day. It was waking up with my best friend Julie and sister Amanda in my hotel room, walking down the aisle with my Dad, literally jumping up and down at the altar as I was so excited to marry my soul mate, making a commitment to God and my new husband, the first kiss, taking photos on the Raven’s football field and dancing the night away with everyone who is so important to me.

At that meeting, we discussed a way to include our other child, Roxy (aka “the pug”) into our renewal ceremony. Roxy is adorable, but she also snorts, snarfs and barks when she is excited and I feel that having her at the renewal would be too much for this 9 year old girl. :) So, I’ve asked Liz and Ryan (aka Elizabeth Ryan Photography) to do a little photo shoot with the diva! You’ll have to wait and see how this gets incorporated into the ceremony, but needless to say, I know the photos will be adorable.

New vendor update! For the ceremony and cocktails, we will be having a string trio from Chesapeake Strings. While I was at the Chesapeake Bay Beach Club bridal show Chesapeake Strings was in the Tavern Ballroom playing. So, I got to listen to them for a few hours, playing everything from Pachelbel to the Beatles to Coldplay. Really, that’s a huge variety of music and it all sounded great!  So, check that off the list — deposit and contract in the mail!

Lastly, I’ve been having a wonderful time sharing ideas back and forth over Facebook and Pinterest with Sarah from Intrigue Design & Decor. So, I guess I’m also announcing that Intrigue will be designing the flowers for the renewal! Yay!! I’ve worked with Sarah and Melissa for years and we always collaborate so effortlessly. I’m happy to have them on board “the team”. Here are a few pictures that we’ve been passing back and forth:

I’m off to Disney World with the family next Wednesday, so there will be no blog post.  But, I’ll be back the following Wednesday with another interview with one of my vendors! Yay!   Have a great week!

Jessica and Chris got married at the Westin Hotel in Annapolis. We started working with Jessica months before the big day on her black and white pocket style invitation. She really knew exactly what she wanted, even at our first meeting, and we just rolled through the design process so easily. With a classic black pocket, black swirls patterned paper and a modern monogram design, their invitation really set the tone for this beautiful wedding. We also designed matching stationery for the big day, including menus, escort cards and table numbers too.

Hope you enjoy these amazing photos of our work and this beautiful couple too!









Venue :: Westin Annapolis Hotel
Flowers & Decor :: Intrigue Design & Decor
Stationery :: Allison Barnhill Designs
Hair and Make Up :: Behind the Veil, LLC
Photography :: Emily Chastain Photography

Q: Being in the industry, I love weddings, but I always want to know why others love weddings too!  Why do you?
A: I love LOVE! I really feel like I have the best job in the world. I get to bear witness to so much love and one of the most special and memorable days in a person’s life. The love of the couple, the love from their friends and families, it is just too amazing to describe. I get to wake up every day excited about what I do and there is nothing more inspiring than that!

Q: What is unique about Divine Transformation Wedding Officiants?
A: Our philosophy, which you can read at: http://www.divinetransformation.com/why-choose-us/ Also,All of my officiants go through an extensive training to become officiants. They don’t just get ordained online and show up for a wedding. They invest a lot of time into honing their skills and becoming the very best at what they do. We all share the same philosophy… our job is not to make a couple adhere to our belief systems. Our job is to create a highly personalized ceremony that is a reflection of that particular couples beliefs, desires, and wishes. We have been in business for nearly a decade and have been providing 5 star award-winning wedding services since our founding.

Q: Do you like when clients personalize their ceremonies?  Do you have any good stories of something a client has done to make the ceremony their own?
A: We encourage every client to personalize their ceremony with something that is meaningful for them.  I have so many really cool things that couples have done.  To name a few:  a box of memories that each person in the family came and put a gift in, a love letter ceremony, a lemon tree ceremony, their own special dance down the aisle with the bridal party.  I could go on and on.

Q: Are there any ceremony trends that you are seeing more of now?  Is the sand ceremony still popular?  Unity candles?  Something new?
A: Everyone loves having friends do readings and that hasn’t changed.  People are still choosing the sand ceremony and unity candles because they are now considered ‘classic’.  A lot more people are choosing to write their own vows and do things that incorporate guests and wedding party.  There seems to be a movement away from just the couple participating in the ceremony.  Often times family and guests are now participating in really cool ways.

Q: Do you have a favorite moment during a wedding?
A: The look on the faces of the couple as their eyes meet for the first time at the start of the ceremony.

Q: When you aren’t standing at the altar, what do you like to do with your time?
A: Anything with a spiritual/self-development focus.  I teach yoga and am also an energy worker.  I have a deep personal spiritual practice so I enjoy reading, meditating, spending time with loved ones, and spending time in nature.  When it is not prime wedding season I am often off on silent meditation retreats.  It’s pretty funny because when you think about it I alternate between speaking all the time to not speaking at all.   I believe in doing what you love, and I love a lot of things… too many to name here :)

Q: I just did this to Elizabeth Ryan Photography and I and now I’m asking you too…describe your business in five words.
A: Fun, Creative, Dependable, Open-Minded, Professional

Now, some of you know that I met Cynthia 10 years ago when I was planning my wedding…and she did my flowers!!! She is one of the sweetest gals on the planet, not to mention, she is just so freakin’ talented. Her “small shop” mentality means that each bride gets the PERFECT flowers and design for their big day. She loves vintage, feathers and rhinestones…likes to use unexpected flowers in amazing ways…and really, you can identify her work anywhere!

I love that she asked for me to be in her room this year and that we got to design a perfectly modern, nautical theme! We wanted the look to be clean and crisp – mostly white with pops of yellow and unexpected punches of cobalt blue. K&B Bridal was added to our room and came in with the great idea of incorporating the grey chevron print into the design and I just LOVE how it completed the design perfectly.

Hope you enjoy all of these photos from the day. Please note that the majority of these photos are from my phone camera…so not professional (unless noted). But,Kimberly Brooke Photography took lots of pro pics…and so did Mark from Hamilton Photography. Hope to share those too soon!!!

I think the best feeling of the day was watching so many brides take pictures of the table and of course, those adorable hanging mason jars with pinwheels!!! Thanks to all who came, saw and loved!!





Brittany and Allison at the Allison Barnhill Designs table
(photo by Ashley Riddle :: Up Do’s for I Do’s)

Q: I know you always tell me that most people don’t realize that Elizabeth Ryan Photography is a husband and wife team…not just a girl name Elizabeth Ryan, who is taking pictures.  So, do you feel a husband/wife team of wedding photographers gives you an advantage?  Why?

Liz: Having a passion is one thing, but being able to share that passion with someone you love is something completely different!  It takes the passion to a whole different level!  We are so incredibly blessed to have each other in our business to push ourselves to dream bigger than big and achieve our goals.  We are a little biased ;), but I can’t think of a better scenario than having a husband and wife team as your wedding photographers.  Having two photographers to document your wedding is a must, but having two photographers who work together for every single wedding that they shoot can be very powerful.  Not to mention, we make it a priority to get to know our couples on a more personal level to help them feel the most comfortable on their wedding day.  Being a husband and wife team who can relate to every emotion they are facing during this incredible time of their lives certainly makes us feel more connected with them and therefore better at what we do!

Q:  Favorite detail shot from a wedding…rings, paper, shoes, dress, table…which one is the best?  Liz? Ryan?  And, since detail shots are my favorite thing…please your favorite detail shot photo from one of your weddings!

Liz: Ahhh!  Details!!!  ;)  From our perspective, details are such an important way to bring the bride and groom’s personalities into their big day!  The colors, the paper choice for all of the stationery, the dress, the girl’s dresses, jewelry, the shoes!!… ;) … the table décor, the favors… the list goes on and on and we LOVE every single one of them.  However, for me, I tend to get most excited when I know a bride and groom has incorporated something completely unique to them into their day.  Between a special family heirloom on the bride’s bouquet, a meaningful quote inscribed inside of the rings, shoes adorned with a note from each bridesmaid, cuff links passed down from the groom’s great great grandfather, or perfume that was a gift from the bride’s grandmother…. these are the details I love to shoot.  They may not always be the most “glamorous” pictures, but they are certainly the ones that I know the bride and groom will hold close to their hearts from generation to generation to come.

Ryan: We absolutely LOVE when our couples have amazing details.  A Bride and Groom’s personalities show through so vividly in the details of their day.  In fact, details are so important to us, we make sure to show up extra early to make sure we have at least 30 minutes with just the details!  Without these pictures, details like the perfume the bride wore or the cufflinks the groom wore will surely be forgotten 20 years from now.  I think Liz said it best; the details that we truly love are the subtle details with the most important meaning.  However, I do have a thing for great shoes! =)

So our favorite detail image is probably one we captured by pure luck.  Our amazing bride Lauren had just finished putting on her Dress.  Liz came out into the hall wall to let me know to come back in and grab a few more shots before I went over to capture the groom getting ready.  As I walked in, Lauren was putting on her perfume “Grace”.  I quickly snapped a picture and was lucky to perfectly capture the moment.  I love the picture because the word Grace truly describes Lauren.  She was truly a graceful person inside and out.

Q:  You did this to me in your questions, so, describe Elizabeth Ryan Photography in 5 words!

Liz: Authentic, Lovers of Life, Dream-Believers, Passionate…

Ryan: That was 7 words, Liz =)  Authentic, Lovers, Passionate, Romantic, Dreamers

Q:  And, you are probably going to hate me for this.  Can you each take a self portrait picture and send it with your answers?  It could be off your i-phone or staged with something that describes you or just goofing around, but I want you to take a picture of yourself.  You always get to make others pose for you…now pose for me!!!! ;)

Only for you Allison ;) We have actually discovered that self-portraits are incredibly hard to take.  Setting the camera on a tripod, pressing the timer, and trying to look natural is not easy.  So instead we decided to jump inside our photo booth and have some fun.

I also must say that I couldn’t agree more with your last comment.  “You always get to make others pose for you…now pose for me!!!”  We know that for a lot of our couples, this is probably the first time they have truly been in front of a professional photographer.  In order to truly understand how our clients feel, we believe it is extremely important to be put in that same position.  This past year we did this three times and I would have to say that doing so has probably helped us grow as photographers more than anything else we have done.

You saw a few of these photos yesterday and I had to share this one, because I think it is just so sweet and really indicative of Liz and Ryan’s relationship.

Photo by Justin and Mary Marantz

And, I didn’t ask Liz and Ryan for any favorite photos they have taken, because I have SO many I wanted to share!   Thanks Liz and Ryan for enduring my endless questions and for being so honest with your answers!  Enjoy!

Today, the spotlight is on Elizabeth and Ryan Bower from Elizabeth Ryan Photography. These two are the sweetest, most adorable and talented people you will find. I am so happy they will be capturing our big day and, after you read these answers, you will see why I adore them so!

Q: How many years have you two been married?  Liz, what was your favorite wedding day moment?  Ryan, can you share your favorite photo from your wedding day?

Liz: Ryan and I are coming upon our 5 Year Anniversary!  Wahoo!  We were married on June 16, 2007 in our hometown of Montoursville, PA.  It is funny, we were just talking about our wedding the other day with some friends and we were laughing at the “bloopers” from the day… like, when my dress got caught on a candelabra walking back down the aisle and knocked the candle over without me even knowing it and how a thunderstorm rolled in just in time for the ceremony (we were indoors thankfully) and rolled out just in time for our exit out of the church!  The “bloopers” are definitely funny to look back on, but I think my favorite moment from our wedding day was walking out of the church and being surrounded by all of our family and friend’s excited faces as they threw flower petals and blew bubbles in our direction! I remember holding Ryan’s hand extra tight and looking back on the photos reminds me of the HUGE smile we had on our faces!!!  Love that moment! ;)

Ryan: For our wedding, I must have been a nightmare to photograph.  The day before the wedding I decided to go play paintball with all my groomsmen.  On the last match of the day I managed to get hit square in the face in the one little spot that was not protected by my mask.  Well, needless to say, I ended up with a nice cut and bruise for the wedding.  Fortunately, Liz didn’t get too mad at me and she still said I do ;). My favorite series of wedding photos was also of us walking out of the church.  The rain had just stopped so the pavement was still wet, people were throwing flowers and blowing bubbles, it was just so much fun to be married!

Q: I often wonder if photographers were “born” that way or if there was a moment that made them want to capture life one snapshot at a time.  How did the love of photography blossom for you both?

Liz: If my first photo album (full of pictures of my Cabbage Patch Doll) says anything… you could say that I was born with a love of photography!  ;)  I always had a camera in my hand.  My mom had a 35mm film SLR camera that I used to play with a lot while growing up and I took a summer photography class in middle school.  I used to dream of owning a photography business, but often pushed that dream aside after being advised that “owning a photography business and having a family is difficult.”  In college, I saved up all my pennies to buy my first digital SLR and the rest is history!  ;)  I took a lot of pictures of Ryan (& the rest of the team too!) playing football at Bucknell.  When I was a junior in college, my cousin, Amy, got married and I followed her around all day taking pictures!  Then Amy had a baby and Ryan and I couldn’t get enough of capturing these incredible moments in their lives!

Ryan: My love of photography started while playing football and baseball in high school.  My dad would always bring his 35mm SLR camera to the games and take photos of our team in action.  It was so neat to see how an instant could be frozen in time with a simple click of a shutter.  As I went off to college and became an engineer, I craved an outlet to be creative.  It just so happen that there was a digital photography class being offered.  It also just so happened that Liz was taking that course as well ;) From that point on I couldn’t put the camera down.  For me, the ability to think technically (lighting, composition, depth of field) while also being creative is what truly drives my love for photography.  Plus having someone put their trust in you to capture some of life’s most important moments is one of the greatest feelings in the world.

Q: Weddings…if you are in the industry, you love them, but I always like to hear from other vendors why they like weddings…especially since you are photographers and can take pictures of any subject?

Liz: Ahhh!  This is such an amazing question!  To be honest, when we started Elizabeth Ryan Photography, we thought our niche was going to be kids and family photography.  Seriously, we had a whole business plan based off of that!  ;)  haha!  However, after our first wedding, our thinking completely changed!!!  There was something incredibly magical about playing such a crucial role in one of the (if not the) most important day in two people’s lives.  Going on our 4^th wedding season, we can’t get enough!  Over the last few years, it has become incredibly clear to us that weddings and engagements are our true passion.  Knowing that we have the ability to provide moments for couples to escape the everyday routine and focus on the beauty of their love is something that we cherish with our whole hearts!

More of this amazing interview with Elizabeth Ryan Photography tomorrow…see Liz and Ryan’s favorite detail shot from a wedding, along with some amazing self portraits!  Until tomorrow…check out these great shots of Liz and Ryan and Ryan’s notes about how these photos came to be!

From Ryan: Above are photos of us as models in Justin and Mary’s Walk Through a Wedding Workshop in San Francisco.  For this, we had to be a “model” bride and groom for an entire day and be photographed by 20 photographers! It was truly an amazing learning experience to be on the other side of the lens.  (Photos by Justin and Mary Marantz)

Photo by the amazing JLowe Photos