Seattle and Aislinn Designs

Back in August my boyfriend, Chris and I had the pleasure of visiting Seattle for the first time.  It is a beautiful, laid back city.  Notorious for it's rainy days, we were lucky to have only one in the 8 days we were there.  We did a lot of touristy things like visit The Space Needle, Chihuly Glass Museum, Pike Place Market, and the Experience Music Project, but we spent most of our time exploring Seattle's unique neighborhoods.  Seattle has some of the best vintage shops I have visited.

A friend of mine, Gillian moved to Vashon Island right outside of Seattle from Cincinnati a few years ago.  I decided to give her a call to catch up while I was nearby. The island is about a 30 minute drive/Ferry ride from downtown.  I have never been on a full size ferry, so that in itself was an awesome adventure for me.  Gillian, who is a jewelry designer, lives in a house she and her fiance Nick are rehabbing on the island.  Nick built  her an amazing work studio surrounded by trees in the backyard.  It is a dreamy space.  The island is very secluded.  At one point it was so quiet it was scary.

I am absolutely in love with Gillian's jewelry.  Under her company name Aislinn Designs, she makes rings out of wood she finds on the island.   She showed me a little bit of her process while I visited.  Every piece is unique and made with Gillian's love.  She can personalize the rings by engraving the inside.  She also makes gorgeous sea glass necklaces and earrings.  Below are a few images I grabbed (with permission) from Gillian's Facebook page.

Visit Gillian's website Aislinn Designs and her Etsy store for more images and info about custom orders.

See more images I took while in Seattle over at Love and Wander where they are featured.

Gillian not only uses materials that are native to her surroundings, she also pulls inspiration from the island and water surrounding it.  Above are sea glass necklaces and below are her moon boat earrings. The inside of Gillian's work space.

A few images I captured of Nick and Gillian. 

This is our view from the Ferry.This was on the island.  It was late August, everything was so green and lush. We ended the day with a sunset picnic. More images of Seattle featured here .

Styled Shoot at Bakersfield OTR

I had the amazing opportunity to collaborate with some of my favorite people for this styled shoot at Bakersfield in Over the Rhine.  We wanted to do something unique and fun.  Marti, of Marti's Floral Design styled the shoot and had this to say about it...Off the beaten path, not the typical love. Not the typical bride. That was our inspiration of this. Focusing on the love. Even if it is not the one that everyone sees as being normal. The casual wedding taken past the mason jars. We found so much inspiration in the casualness of a quickie wedding and how stylish it could still be. Bohemian meets Masculinity. We wanted to show that both could still be present in a wedding. Something to reflect both of them. Lace and leather. Guns and flowers. Not everything has to be typical for a wedding. Make it reflect the couple that you are and not a formality. Caroline and Jesse are the perfect image of the couple today. Off the beaten path, showing the love, and forgoing the typical wedding.

Location: Bakersfield OTR Flowers and Styling:  Marti's Floral Design  Invitation/Menu Design: Erica Keuter Designs Make up:  Cinci Makeup Wardrobe: Sloan Boutique Hair: Colleen Herman

Backyard Wedding Package Cincinnati Wedding Photographer

Sometimes I get emails from people who are having a creative, homegrown wedding I know I would be a perfect fit for, but my price does not fit within their budget.  It breaks my heart when this happens.  Because I never want to turn down the opportunity to photograph a wedding where I get to really use my creativity, and because I understand that sometimes great wedding photography is not affordable for couples on a tight budget,  I have decided I want to provide a package that is designed for creative couples who are having a Backyard/Homegrown/DIY wedding.  It is designed for couples who  might not be able to afford a full day of wedding photography.

Here's the deal...

This package is for weddings that take place at home, at a friend's home, in a park, on a farm, on a boat, or any other unique  location.  Destination weddings are included, but travel fees will apply.  This is only eligible for weddings with less than 100 guests.

Included is 6 hours of photography by me.  I will not have an assistant or second shooter.  Additional time, a second photographer, and an engagement session can be added to this package.  You will receive a high resolution disc of edited images.  The 2013 package price is $2000 and it is non negotiable.  Feel free to email me with any questions or if you would like more details nikita@nikitagross.com.

Natash and Hank's DIY farm wedding has been my inspiration for creating this package.  It was a true DIY wedding.   Their budget was around $5000.  Their wedding is still one of my favorites.  Family and friends helped with food and decor.  It was laid back and full of creativity.

See more of their wedding here on my blog.  Or here on Borrowed and Blue where they got a two part feature.

 

Love+Bash

Sunday was a proud day for me, I had a smile plastered on my face all day long.   I still cant believe Jen and I did it.  We came up with the idea for Love+Bash 6 months ago and Sunday we made it happen.  We couldn't have done it without the help of some of the most kick ass wedding vendors, hair stylists, make-up artists, stylists, and models in the city.   Our goal was for all of these creative people to showcase their work in a setting where the sky was the limit.  They took it to the moon!  I  am so thankful for all of the amazing people who helped us create such a spectacular event.  Everyone brought it and everyone should feel as proud as I do.  I also want to thank everyone who came.  It was great to meet so many new people and to also see so many of my clients and friends there.  I wasn't able to get very many pictures, I was so busy and my hands were shaking from nerves.  Luckily Andrew Ducker Photography was there to document the day for us.  Thanks Andrew!  Head over to the Love+Bash website to see his pictures.

The floral designers made these fabulous bouquets for the fashion show. Row One by: Inspired Floral Design and Marti's Floral Designs Row Two by: Yellow Canary Row Three by: Inspired Floral Design

The 70's Inspired table designed by Your Wedding by Jen, Inspired Floral Design, and Sweet Cakes, Ltd. Events.Katie of Inspired Floral Design made this dream catcher out of embroidery hoops and hemp string.Jen found these squirrel place card holders at a thrift store.  How perfect! These little guys were the stars of the show.  From the Kitschy table designed by Your Wedding by Jen, Marti's Floral Designs, and Five Dot Design.This was my display.  I brought in my record player and used records for my signage.Sweet Cakes Ltd. EventsLewis&Cruse Jewelry made from your wedding flowers.

Gowns by BeartieMy sister grabbed this picture of all of the vendors.

Mason Jars as Decor

They can be used as rustic vases, eclectic candle holders, unique glassware for your signature drink or as a great vessel for a DIY wedding favor.   I saw them at my local grocery store for less than $10 a case and they are always at the local thrift stores for next to nothing.   If you want to use antique mason jars Traders World Flea Market has an entire booth dedicated to them.  They add the perfect vintage touch to any wedding or event.

Look at all of these great ideas I found over at  Oh Lovely Day. Check out this awesome idea for Bloody Mary's.  I found this over at The Sweetest Occasion. See how to make these silhouettes here.

Brooch Bouqets, I Dig them!

I was first introduced to the brooch bouquet by one of my future bride's, Emily.  WOW!  What a great idea.  They are so beautiful and unique.  No more asking yourself what to do with your bouquet once the wedding is over.   This a piece of art you can keep in your house.  You can incorporate your something new,  something old, something borrowed , and something blue all in your bouquet by getting all of the women in the family to contribute a piece.  Why not make it an heirloom that gets passed down for generations?  If you plan it out early enough just think of all of the fun flea market adventures you can have in search of the perfect pieces. :)

Here are a few examples I found on the web.

These are by Fantasy Floral Designs. Photography credit:Alice Hu.

You find this bouquet here.

It is also very pretty to use both the brooches and a few flowers.

I  found a very good DIY tutorial on making your own brooch bouquet over at FantsyPantsWeddings.

A Little Taste of Heaven

Vintage style wedding dresses are so hot right now.  The ruffles, the lace, I just love how feminine and sweet they are.   Here are a couple I found on Wedding Inspirasi designed by  Temperlay London.  You can definitely see the vintage influences.   I found these gorgeous, vintage dresses on Etsy and A Vintage Wedding, most are well under $500.

Below is my Favorite!