Beyond the Lens: Lauren McQuillan from Max & Dexter Event Design

I am SO excited to be sharing with you a new series while I'm out on maternity leave! I've asked some friends in the wedding and creative industry to write about a topic they're passionate about- whether that be tips helping brides while planning a wedding, what they've learned in their business, balancing life and owning a small business, plus so much more! Let me tell you- there's some amazing stuff coming up and I can't wait to share! 

Photo by Lindsey Hinkley

Guys! This is a GOOD one today! Lauren McQuillan, with Max & Dexter Event Design is speaking to Brides (and photographers, really!) about why you should consider hiring an event designer for your big day! I'll be honest, when I first heard about event designers, I totally thought this was something that only Brides with super big budgets did- but I'll be the first to admit I was SUPER wrong!

Lauren is amazing at what she does- she works hand-in-hand with her clients to create a unique vision and gorgeous day! I'm so excited to have her sharing with us today!! 

Why Hire an Event Designer?

As an event designer I assist my brides in so many ways that it's difficult to condense it into just a few paragraphs.  A consultation is usually the most efficient way to identify needs, wants, and dreams and determine how I can make these things a reality for my clients.  If you find yourself dreaming about a beautiful, branded, budget friendly event that celebrates your love but don't know how to make it a reality I'd love to take you out for coffee and help you bring that vision to life!  Otherwise, here are just a few ways that a designer can help you on your big day...

Photo by Katie Nesbitt Photography

Photo by Katie Nesbitt Photography

1. Conceptualization

Do you have a Pinterest board full of disjointed elements that you love with no idea how to bring them all together to be uniquely yours?  I can help!  I love to walk alongside a client in curating a wedding brand that feels so intimately theirs.  Detail photos should reflect the quirks and qualities that make you and your fiancé two of a kind.  Even if I do not participate in the wedding day at all, I am thrilled to help brides organize their thoughts into achievable, budget friendly concepts that they will cherish via their photo albums for decades to come. I am passionate about investing in home goods that play a roll in your day and then live in your house forever.  I love to shop for my brides and find practical, beautiful treasures that highlight a couple's love. 

Photo by Katie Barfield Photography

Photo by Sam Stroud

2. Set Up

Often DIY venues allow for set up early on the day of your wedding.  This can induce serious anxiety as you must then either do work or recruit others to work on your big day.  If you'd prefer to be sipping a mimosa in hair and makeup just before you walk down the aisle, then a designer can be incredibly valuable in ensuring that your set up is achieved to your aesthetic standards. Instead, use that time to get physically and mentally ready for the some of the most important moments of your life.  

Photo by Sam Stroud

Photo by Katie Barfield Photography

3. Tear Down

If you prefer that your family and friends have the freedom to celebrate the evening with you to the fullest, then outsource the responsibility of breakdown and hire a professional.  So many Mothers of the Bride are left to clean up and remove personal items and as a result, can't fully decompress throughout their daughter's wedding.  I love to assist a family by creating a detailed inventory, securing all items after your event, and delivering them to your door so that all you have to handle is your purse on the way out the door.  Wedding days are exhausting both physically and emotionally and the kindness of hiring out the late night clean up will allow your family and friends to truly enjoy you and your day.  

Photo by Katie Nesbitt Photography

Thank you for taking the time to read about how I can be of service to you.  I wish you the best of luck in your future planning and health and happiness in your marriage!  Cheers!

Lauren McQuillan

Max & Dexter Event Design

maxanddexter.com

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Ashley Eiban is a Wedding & Portrait Photographer based in Central Virginia. Serving the Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Richmond, and surrounding areas. Available for travel world-wide.  Ashley is passionate about cultivating genuine relationships built on mutual understanding, trust and lasting friendship.  

Currently booking a limited number of wedding and portrait sessions for 2018 and 2019.  Contact Ashley today for additional information!

Beyond the Lens: Wedding Florist || Foraged and Cut Flowers in Lynchburg, Virginia

I am SO excited to be sharing with you a new series while I'm out on maternity leave! I've asked some friends in the wedding and creative industry to write about a topic they're passionate about- whether that be tips helping brides while planning a wedding, what they've learned in their business, balancing life and owning a small business, plus so much more! Let me tell you- there's some amazing stuff coming up and I can't wait to share! 

First up, is my good friend, Natasha, who owns and is the head designer of Foraged and Cut Flowers here in Lynchburg, Virginia! Natasha was a DIY Bride who fell in love with floral design after doing her own wedding! She's since worked as a head floral wedding designer for several years, and even worked on a local flower farm.  Natasha is super passionate about supporting the American flower farmer and holds a 'field to vase' movement! Her work is absolutely stunning and I am constantly amazed at how she can take a brides vision to life! 

I'm so thrilled she is sharing all about things she's learned as a floral designer over the last 6 years! The florals you choose can really set the tone for your wedding day!

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Hey everyone! I’m exciting to be guest blogging for Ashley today. Isn’t she the best?! Let me start with saying that planning a wedding can be so stressful, right?! SO many decisions. After almost 6 years designing wedding florals I’ve talked to lots of brides & answered lots of questions. Here are a few of the conversations I’ve had.

Hopefully this will help make your flower planning a breeze!

1. Find a realistic budget for your vision. This is one of the first questions I ask a bride, “What is your budget?”. Most aren’t sure & that’s okay. Tell your designer your hopes & dreams & they can give you the reality of the cost. If you want bridal party, ceremony, & reception flowers you should expect to spend close to $2,000+.  If you need to find ways to cut your cost, consider a smaller bridal party, smaller table arrangements, or inviting fewer guests. It adds up fast!

2. Choose flowers in season. So many times brides tell me they MUST have peonies buuut the wedding’s in November when peonies are out of season. Flowers like dahlias, peonies, anemones, ranunculus, etc. are very expensive or just impossible to get out of season. If you’re set on an out of season bloom you have to be willing to pay the higher cost or change your wedding date.

3. Find your style. Take a look at your Pinterest board or wherever you’ve saved your flower inspiration. Do you have multiple styles? Try to narrow that down to just one or two. A florist can mix two styles together but combining 3 or 10 just doesn’t work.  When you get your pictures back from your photographer you’ll be happy that you carried a theme throughout your whole wedding.

4. Trust your florist. First, do your homework. Do you like their previous work, do they have experience, good reviews, & did you connect with them in your consultation? Hopefully your floral expert checks those boxes! Trust that they will carry out your vision or let them create a custom theme for you. Trust is so important in allowing you to enjoy the experience & let go of some of that stress. Unfortunately, sometimes things go wrong with the flower order & those dahlias come in bruised & shattered or there’s a natural disaster & they don’t come at all. It’s out of your designers control. When the petals hit the fan (see what I did there), a good designer can use different blooms to execute your wedding vision! ‘Damage control’ goes with every job title in the wedding industry.

5. It’s not more expensive because it’s a wedding. Flowers are a live product just like food. They fade quickly & must be used when fresh. And don’t forget, you’re not just paying for the flowers! Think of your floral arrangements as custom pieces of art. There’s a lot of labor involved. From the first email, to the consultation, & eventually designing for your big day, your designer has put in a lot of hours. Annnd let’s not forget the delivery, set up, & take down. That’s a lot of time y’all!

6. Don’t be afraid to step out of the box. Girls, have you seen all the blush going around the last few years??? It’s everywhere with no end in sight. Pinterest can be a good thing but it can also limit you. Blush is beautiful but don’t feel confined by what you’ve seen on Pinterest & in blogs. Lots of those pictures are styled shoots & not real life. Some of those flowers don’t even hold up out of water! If you’re favorite color is red, rock it! Make your wedding stand out!

7. DIY doesn’t work for everyone. It may seem like a good way to save money. It may even sound fun to make your own bouquets & centerpieces. But if you’re already stressed, leave it to the professional. DIY will add a lot of time &; stress to a day that should be enjoyable! Your wedding planning & wedding day should be so fun!! Take the time to enjoy it all & to relax! Let’s not have any DIY fails on your wedding day.

To all you brides (& grooms!) planning your big day, breath. A third of the things you think are super important your guest won’t even notice if you do them or not, another third you just have to do because it goes along with planning a big event (probably the biggest of your life!) & the last third will be a breeze if you choose the right vendors! 

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Ashley Eiban is a Wedding & Portrait Photographer based in Central Virginia. Serving the Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Richmond, and surrounding areas. Available for travel world-wide.  Ashley is passionate about cultivating genuine relationships built on mutual understanding, trust and lasting friendship.  

Currently booking a limited number of wedding and portrait sessions for 2018 and 2019.  Contact Ashley today for additional information!

Staunton, Virginia Church Wedding || Central Virginia Wedding Photographer

It's difficult to even know where to start for this sweet wedding! Ryan & Rachel were seriously super sweet, and their gorgeous Fall wedding day was so perfect! The leaves were just starting to change colors, I was so excited to find a few spots perfect for photos with those golden yellows and oranges! All of their friends and family were so sweet, loving, and excited for these two! I love being at a wedding and feeling like a part of the family by the time I go home! 

Ryan and Rachel chose to do a "no peek" instead of a first look, and it was so sweet. They held hands around the corner and prayed together before walking down the aisle.  For our bride and groom portraits, these two walked through a field, through some trees, and even across the street to the rows of corn! I love when couples trust me and are up for anything and everything! And their photos turned out so well because of it! 

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Ashley Eiban is a wedding and portrait photographer based in Central Virginia. Serving Staunton, Richmond, Charlottesville, Bedford, Lynchburg, Farmville, Roanoke, and surrounding areas.  Available for travel world-wide.  Currently booking a limited number of weddings for 2017.  Contact me today for additional information! 

Weekend Update || And that's a wrap for my 2016 Wedding Season!

Guys. This weekend wrapped up my 2016 Wedding Season! My 12th wedding in a row through the Fall weekends, and wedding #25 for 2016! I am so thankful I had a cut off at 25 this year, it really helped me ensure each of my brides got the full wedding experience and my full attention!  This weekend was so much fun and the epitome of balance between family and work balance! I was so thankful to be able to join Emmie and her class for a "play date at the park" on Saturday morning, and spend Sunday with my family talking about our dreams and the future! 

Saturday's wedding was so gorgeous! The temps last week ranged from 86 degrees and dropped down to the 40s over the weekend! We've been waiting for these Fall temps all year, so having them for my last wedding was amazing! We bundled up and enjoyed the day at The Craddock Terry Hotel & Event Center! This couple was so sweet, had such a special no-peek moment before the wedding, cried through their vows, and the reception dances! So basically, this couple made ME cry all day!! 

I cannot wait to share more from their big day this week!!! 

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Ashley Eiban is a wedding & portrait photographer based in Central Virginia. Serving couples in Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Farmville, Bedford, Richmond, Roanoke, and surrounding areas.  Available for travel world-wide.  Currently booking a limited number of weddings for 2017! Contact us today for additional information! 

Blue Ridge Mountain Wedding || Lynchburg, Virginia Wedding Photographer

When I dream of a gorgeous backyard wedding, THIS is exactly what I dream of! A backyard on a mountaintop, overlooking the entire city of Lynchburg, surrounded by gorgeous greenery, friends and family! Such a beautiful day from start to finish! Barrett & Isabelle's wedding was gorgeous! They got married at their childhood home nestled in Lynchburg, Virginia with THE most amazing views of the city that you've ever seen! 

One of the things that Isabelle loves most about Barrett is that he can always make her laugh- and goodness could you tell on their wedding day.  They were both so happy and carefree, it was such a blast! 

Thanks so all the amazing vendors that helped so much with this gorgeous wedding! 

Hair: Carol at Classic Hair & Tan in Lynchburg, Virginia 

Florist: Meg Laughon 

Venue: Basten family home

Bridal Gown: Celebration Bridal in Lynchburg, Virginia 

Bridesmaids Dresses: Celebration Bridal

Band: Dragonfly in Central Virginia

Catering: Avenue Foods in Lynchburg, Virginia

Cake: Kissed Cupcakes

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Ashley Eiban is a wedding and portrait photographer based in Central Virginia.  Serving Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Richmond, Roanoke, Farmville, Winchester, Hampton Roads, and surrounding areas.  Available for travel world wide.  

Ashley is passionate about serving her couples, creating genuine relationships built on mutual understanding, trust and lasting friendship.  Currently booking a limited number of weddings and portraits for 2016 and 2017.  Contact us today for additional information!