A fresh perspective

I hope you're as thrilled as I about new possibilities and a fresh perspective. It's hard to believe how much has changed since the launch of Pink & Honey, and with change comes growth. So after careful thought and consideration, I felt it best to say goodbye to my personal musings here on Alexandra's Joys, and hello to a fresh blog look and concept. I'd love for you to head on over and take a peek at...

Pink & Honey's new blog! 

With so much on the go with the business, I wanted to create and maintain a space where you can stay current on what I'm up to and be inspired as I am. Thank you for continuing to follow my ever evolving journey. xo

Rustic Ranch // An inspiration board

Pink & Honey had a busy but beautiful weekend. What a pleasure to style a rainy romantic ranch wedding for the most lovely of couples. It was a delight to work alongside such sweet, creative people and I just had to share the inspiration behind the styling and decor of their big day. 

Working with a color palette of ivory, dusty pink, slate blue and mustard yellow, I built this inspiration board to help us create a wedding that was rustic and vintage, simplistic and thoughtful. 

Check out a sneak peek from the real wedding here. I look forward to sharing more photos from the day soon. Congrats Chelsea & James! 

Clockwise from top left {1} Style Me Pretty {2} Style Me Pretty {3} source unknown {4} Style Me Pretty {5} Dreamy Whites  {6} Sixth Street Design School 

Humble beginnings

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It's been a busy month with two weddings, a major photo shoot, new client meetings, and prepping for a jaunt to the lake with my family. Pink & Honey is still on a learning journey and moments of doubt and confusion are inevitable. One of the biggest challenges seems to be educating about the role and value of an event stylist.

As a new and somewhat abstract field, there's a long way to go in best explaining and showcasing the value a stylist adds to a wedding or event. I've also found myself acting as a creative director on several projects and photo shoots. Again, a role that can be somewhat convoluted.

The pioneer of wedding styling, Joy Thigpen, explains it well: 

I see the role of Creative Director as keeper of the vision…responsible for setting the best possible course and eliciting the best work out of each team member involved in the project to serve the end goal. It is my job to bring everyone and everything together in an aesthetically pleasing, cohesive way.

Most of my styling work involves finding objects, combining them in ways that are interesting and appealing, and then arranging and tweaking them so that they look best for cameras, guests, and viewers alike.

It was relieving to read this passage and remind myself of what I'm doing and why. While attending Joy's styling workshop several months ago, we did an exercise that showed the skill it takes to make the ordinary extraordinary.

The simple project was shooting what Joy carries in her diaper bag for a feature on the sweet blog, On to Baby. It involved using what we had in the room and arranging the items from her bag to be photographed.

Nothing was pre-planned, just on the spot styling and shooting. It was incredible to see how beauty and interest can be created with the most simple of items, techniques and vision.

Here's how it happened...

Photo by Joey Kennedy 

Here's what happened...

Photo by Rylee Hitchner

There is typically so much planning behind good styling, but there is also a naturally possessed skill of being able to quickly create something incredible in a less than ideal environment or with the most humble of means. Such as a diaper bag full of mommy stuff.  

A true stylist or creative director is someone with the passion and ability to bring a beautiful vision, big or small, to life. 

Tonight I remind myself... from humble beginnings... 

See the full On to Baby post here. 

Old, Borrowed & Blue backdrop inspiration

To kick off wedding season, Genevieve Renee and I collaborated on an inspiration shoot to encourage brides to create something unique, personal and handmade for their wedding ceremony. We kept the backdrop inspiration sweet and simple, and landed on three original ideas that ended up representing something old, something borrowed and something blue.

The ‘something old’ backdrop arose from an idea to use the outside of an old church as the setting for a ceremony. For a modern yet whimsical twist, we added jumbo balloons adorned with mixed lace accents and anchored with white ceramic bookends.

The ‘something borrowed’ backdrop was inspired by the simplicity and beauty of nature. We borrowed tree branches straight from the forest floor and built an archway, securing the branches together with fishing line. We handcrafted faux flowers using post-consumer recycled cream-colored paper for an added charming touch.

And finally, the ‘something blue’ backdrop came from our attraction to stately patterns and colors. A bold fabric choice and a giant antique frame was all it took to create this unique focal point for a beautiful indoor or outdoor ceremony.

I loved designing and styling this shoot, plus... it was featured on the lovely blog, Wedding Obsession. Pink & Honey's first official published project! Hooray! Head on over to see more photos from the shoot. 

 

Photography ~ Genevieve Renee Photographie | Styling ~ Pink & Honey  

Summer Indulgences // An inspiration board

Two weeks today marks Pink & Honey's first official wedding, styled from start to finish. Although the anticipation of a real live wedding day has me incredibly excited, I couldn't help but add another styled photo shoot to the mix beforehand. 

After a chance meeting in Banff at Business As An Artform, I have the pleasure of partnering with the admired and talented Gabe McClintock on an upcoming shoot I've named, Summer Indulgences. The inspiration behind this shoot is that of a fresh faced beauty enjoying nature, the newness of a season, delight in simple indulgences. Romantic, lush, dewy, natural. White and creamy neutrals, with pops of coral, peach, pinks and greens. 

We've got amazing talent lined up to create this shoot- a stunning model and the best hair, makeup and floral talents. It's going to be good. Can't wait to share the final images, but enjoy the Summer Indulgences inspiration board in the meantime... 

Clockwise from top left {1} Poppies & Posies  {2} Camille Styles  {3} Tec Petaja  {4} Casa de perrin  {5} Jose Villa 

~ flora & forest ~ inspired in nature ~

My weekend happened outdoors. Enjoying the sun, watching the blooms, breathing fresh air, working with flowers, being with new friends. We set out to create and excite, while consequently being overwhelmed with fresh inspiration ourselves. I can't wait to share more flora and forest soon, but for now, here's a pretty preview...  

Photography ~ Genevieve Renee Photographie | Styling ~ Pink & Honey  

Farmhouse Kitchen Sweets

Last week I had the pleasure of designing and styling a dessert table in partnership with Calgary's sweetest bakery, Crave Cookies & Cupcakes. They hosted the loveliest event in celebration of their little bite baking and custom dessert tables.

Drawing from Crave's homestyle approach, I created a concept called Farmhouse Kitchen Sweets, with hopes of conveying a down home, nostalgic aesthetic. Based on a clean color palette of crisp white, country blue, soft peach and rustic brown, I began by creating an inspiration board.

Clockwise from top left {1} A Glamorous Little Side Project  {2} REcipe {3} Style Me Pretty  

{4} White Flower Farmhouse {5} Kimberly Taylor Images 

From there, I collaborated with the Crave team to plan a menu of delicious cakes, cupcakes and baking they would create for the table. Here's what we came up with... 

It was a lovely evening of champagne, baking and mingling. Pink & Honey even landed their first media spotlight via Avenue Magazine's Style Stalker feature.  

A heartfelt thanks to the wonderful team at Crave for contacting me about this opportunity. I can't wait to partner again soon. If you need savvy styling, I'm your girl; if you need phenomenal sweets, Crave's your bakery. Trust me, those desserts taste as good as they look. 

Photography by Genevieve Renee

Southern special memories

Only a short while has passed since I was drinking freshly squeezed orange juice and eating grits in Georgia with a crew of beautifully talented creatives. Apart from wonderful memories, attending Joy Thigpen's wedding styling workshop in March greatly impacted the development of Pink & Honey, and my confidence as a stylist. The countryside was captivating, the food was comforting, the company was remarkable. Some of the best moments from the weekend were late night talks with new friends. About business, about art, about life, about wanting to create and share beauty through flowers, photos, weddings, fashion, and the likes.

The days were spent hearing from Joy about the ins and outs of event styling and creative direction. I filled my lovely Rifle notebook with notes about developing my own aesthetic, what makes a good image, staying inspired, executing photo shoots, styling tools I should carry with me and so on. We listened, we wrote, we consumed every inspirational word she spoke.

We also learned to create and style fresh flower bouquets. In a room filled with buckets of the loveliest blooms, we were tasked to find flowers and colors that moved us and hand tie a bouquet for photos. It was one amazing and challenging afternoon.

Georgia now holds a special spot in my heart as it's the place I truly came to embrace my passion and path. I've been blessed with the ability to recognize, appreciate, envision, and create beauty. It's what I'm meant to do and it's what I'm happy doing. I am thankful beyond words to have had this opportunity. Georgia will always be on my mind.

Photo credit {Rylee Hitchner - images 1, 2, 3, 7 & 8} {Joey Kennedy - images 4, 5, 6 & 9} 

Romantic Mystique // An inspiration board

Building an inspiration board has quickly become one of my favorite parts of the creative process in designing and styling an event. Partially because I see images in a completely different way since the styling workshop I attended in February. Joy spent several hours teaching us about what makes a good image and I can honestly say her basic principles improved my work tenfold.  

So here's some knowledge for your Tuesday, Joy's simple breakdown of what makes a good image: 

{1} good lighting 

{2} elegance & simplicity  

{3} a clear message 

{4} consistent color palette 

{5} strong composition

{6} flattering angles  

{7} interesting content 

{8} attention to detail  

With that in mind, here's an inspiration board I curated recently for a potential client. I chose a color palette of white, rose, amber and sage, with the aim to relay a vintage, chic, romantic, feminine and celebratory aesthetic. 

Clockwise from left {1} Adore Vintage {2} Pottery Barn {3} Style Me Pretty {4} What Katie Ate {5} The Gilded Bee

Pink & Honey Girl: Carey Shaw Photography

Miss Carey Shaw will always hold a special place in my heart as she happens to be the one who captured my wedding so beautifully. The moment I experienced her eye for the interesting and witnessed her passion for her craft, I knew she was the one for our big day.

Carey is a breath of fresh talent based in Saskatchewan. You'd be lucky enough to call her your wedding photog and I'm now lucky enough to call her a friend. Today she shares with us some insight into her world and work...

When and why did you start to pursue photography? 

I took my first photography class when I was about 13, it was a pinhole photography class and we made our own cameras out of cardboard and developed the images. I loved it. LOVED IT. And pretty much didn't stop learning about photography after that. I kept taking darkroom classes at the community arts centre throughout high school, and then moved to Calgary to study at The Alberta College of Art and Design. I am really happy that when I was in in school it was about the history, process, science and the art. Nothing was digital. I still try to hold true to what I have learned in my work today.

What do you love most about your job? 

The people. I love building relationships with my clients and learning about who they are and their personal histories. I find that knowing them more always makes for a better photograph. When I feel like I have accomplished that, I am satisfied with what I have created. I think that is why editorial photography is my first love, you are totally thrown into someones' story and need to find a respectful way to portray it through a series of images.

Tell us what's next for you? Any fun projects in the works? 

I'm just going to keep on keep'n on. I have recently left a job at an gallery to do freelance full time, and hope to find myself in the studio and shooting more creatives and personal work. There is one specific project that I do have on the go. The blog, Not Nowhere, is a collaboration with Danielle Tuchelt who is a Saskatchewan based graphic designer, and will hopefully lend a hand on showcasing the creative work of regional photographers and designers. There aren't too many resources for us in Saskatchewan, so we are hoping to fill a bit of a void.

How do stay inspired and creative? 

I look at everything. I look at magazines, blogs, videos, different kinds of light and how it falls, spaces, people, mannerisms, movies, and I look at other art and photography. Everything. I also really enjoy odd spaces. For instance, I am writing this from a random room at the Hidden Hilten Motel in Shaunavon, Saskatchewan.

What advice would you give to brides to get the most from their wedding photos? 

Invest in engagement photos. They are like a little trial run before the big day. From engagement sessions I can asses how comfortable the bride and groom are in front of a camera and with me, their aesthetic and style, and the kind of couple they are. Knowing all these things help so much in shooting a wedding, and producing the final images.

If you weren't a photographer, what would you be doing? 

When I was little I wanted to be a paleontologist. I don't think I could swing that anymore. Probably still something art related - photo editor, curator, art history or photography educator.

How would you describe your personal and home decor style? I had no idea how to answer this, so I had to ask my best friend. She said, 'contemporary art school'. At the time I was wearing a Harvard t-shirt, dark skinnies, a cardigan, monogrammed necklace and tall boots. Pretty much my everyday outfit. I also have a large selection of dresses that I pull out for days that I have a skip in my step. I would say my decor style is similar. Mid-century, with a lot of wood pieces and an ever growing collection of art.

Where can you be found on a Saturday afternoon? 

Probably shooting a wedding! If not, then I'd be taking advantage of a day off and hopefully enjoying a good coffee and chat with friends and then a lazy evening watching Die Hard. (Yes, Die Hard!)

All images by Carey Shaw 

Let's launch Pink & Honey!

Looking back on my first post about starting a business, I encouraged you to save the date. Well, it's time to throw confetti and eat cake, because the party is officially getting started! With styled shoots in the works, vintage inventory growing, industry partnerships forming, and most importantly, real weddings on the horizon, it felt time to celebrate.

If there's one thing I've learned over the last six months it's that you can't rush a business to success. I also didn't expect that this would be such an intense time of learning about myself. It's been challenging and strengthening, tiring and inspiring, overwhelming and exciting. But there continues to be blessings and signs that put me at peace that this is my path.

If you haven't yet, please take a peek at the Pink & Honey website. I'd love to know what you think!

There's still finishing touches, details to sort, and kinks to iron out, but I realized that perhaps it wasn't going to be me choosing when to officially launch. I can't say no to a lovely bride, with a beautiful vision! As a creative professional, my perfecting, refining, polishing ways need only apply to my work, the rest will be completed in time. Right now, I am thankful for and focused on the increasingly wonderful opportunities that continue to come my way. 

Aside from the website, there are plenty of other places to be inspired and keep in touch with Pink & Honey. Let's be social! You can find us on...

{Twitter} {Facebook} {Pinterest} 

Other than a festive Sips & Sweets party I'm hosting this weekend for close family and friends, I'm not sure what else a business launch requires. Perhaps just a raised glass of champagne and a sincere thank you to everyone who has journeyed with me so far. 

Brides and friends alike, it's time to toast the official launch of...  

Spring Blues // An inspiration board

Since returning from Georgia, it feels as though great opportunities can't stop coming my way. From the potential of new clients, creative partnerships and portfolio building plans, I am overwhelmed with thankfulness and hope with the coming of this next season. 

To keep the momentum going and creativity alive, I've challenged myself to look for artistic inspiration every day. My eyes have been open to beauty in nature, food, flowers, colors, textures, books, and photography. Building an inspiration board is the perfect creative exercise. 

For your viewing pleasure, here is a soft and fresh inspiration board featuring mellow tones of blue hues. My thoughts in combining these images were that of serenity, calmness, wishfulness and airiness. 

In my current season of life, I anticipate Spring being a time of enlightening, newness and growth. Much like how these images speak to me. 

Clockwise from top left {1} Mary Ruffle {2} Mary Ruffle {3} Style Me Pretty {4} Ruffled

Creative connections

A quick little post this afternoon to spread the love about a sweet website my new friend, Allison, launched today. Allison and I met at the Joy Thigpen workshop in Georgia and is one of several creative souls I had the delightful opportunity to get to know. 

To kick off her site, Allison asked if I would do a little Q&A about myself and Pink & Honey. Happily I obliged and took some time to reflect on her thoughtful questions. Head on over to check out her lovely new site, Enamored With. Congrats Allison! Can't wait to see many beautiful and inspirational things come from your heart and captured on your site.  

My view from the week

It's a great Friday to launch a new end-of-the-week post called, My view from the week. I love blogs that give a tidy recap of what they've posted throughout the week and for me, my Instagram photos nicely capture my visual travels from recent days gone by.

This week I returned from one of the most inspirational and special weekends of my life. There is so much to say about the wedding styling workshop I attended in Georgia, but truth is I've needed time to really process all that I learned. I'm excited to share my thoughts and experiences soon, but for now, here is a brief glance into my view from the week.

{1} A morning walk through the beautiful Serenbe, Georgia {2} My first hand tied floral bouquet {3} Custom calligraphy Moleskin gift from Joy Thigpen {4} Buckets of loose blooms ready for creative hands {5} The charming and delicious Blue Eyed Daisy Bakeshop {6} Shoes that took me there

Have a lovely weekend!

Georgia on my mind

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Bright and early Friday morning, I'm off to Serenbe, Georgia! I'll be spending the weekend learning wedding styling tips and tricks from the amazing, Joy Thigpen, among an intimate group of industry talent. Oh my! I can hardly wait. 

This wedding styling workshop is a huge blessing and comes in perfect timing. With two weddings and three styled shoots already in the works this Spring, I'm thrilled to kick things off with this incredible opportunity. 

Outfits organized, and notebook and SLR in hand, I'm ready and excited to learn, discover and be inspired. Check back soon for posts and photos from what's sure to be a wondrous adventure.  

Pink & Honey girl: Yuriko of Vintage Origami

The sun is shining and I'm excited to share the second gal in my monthly series featuring talented wedding professionals. In January, Blair was the featured photographer and this month I'm thrilled to introduce an old friend, Yuriko of Vintage Origami. 

Yuriko is kind and generous and beautifully talented. A wedding decor rental company is her perfect path. With a keen eye for style, Yuriko combines stunning vintage treasures to produce magical wedding environments and styled photo shoots. Here's a little more about Yuriko and her business... 

Why did you decide to start a vintage rental company and why the name, Vintage Origami? 

My wedding and event rental business all started with this vintage tandem Schwinn bike that I had purchased while down in Texas. Half the work was convincing my husband I needed the bike and the other half was bringing it back to Canada. It's really rare to get your hands on a early 1970's tandem Schwinn here in Canada and I was enamoured with the bike. I kept saying to my husband, "other people to need to experience this bike, it's way too amazing to just sit in my garage unused." So one day it just dawned on me that I could offer it to others for use through a vintage wedding and event rental business. 

I was so close to calling the business, "Tandem Inspired" due to the original cause of my startup, but I settled on the name, "Vintage Origami". It speaks to my Japanese heritage and to my love for vintage items weathered with a story. Origami means the folding of paper. My business is directed towards brides and event planners who love the world of "Do-It-Yourself". I thought back to my wedding six years ago and remembered how I was always searching for cost effective ways and DIY projects to make my wedding unique, personal and affordable. With origami there is a number of layers and steps that you have to fold and crease to complete your project, the same goes with wedding and event planning. We just hope that our Vintage Origami rentals help reduce the number of steps for our clients to make it a smooth process when planning their event.

What do you love most about your job? 

While the hunt for amazing props is a very satisfying feeling, it doesn't compare with the experience of seeing a bride's first response to the decor at her wedding. I will often try to sneak the bride and groom into their reception room before the guests arrive so they can experience the finished product before their guests. Brides put so much love and energy into the little details of their wedding so when it all comes together on their big day it's magical to experience the response of the bride. That is what energizes me!

What are your favorite color palettes or decor schemes right now? 

I love this question! What's so great about vintage decor is that there doesn't have to be a precise colour palette as long as you keep the vintage theme consistent throughout the space. Subtle and soft neutral tones such as soft greens, blues, pinks and yellows can allow for variety and doesn't box you in when choosing your decor. Some of my most adored vintage props have the perfect patina of multiple coloured layers. As for decor schemes, right now I would have to say a travel theme. Maybe it's a bond that all globe trotters share, but I just love the use of old maps, globes and postcards. The decor can be made very personal as the story of the couple and their travel experiences can be told throughout the event with photos, personal maps and postcards they've collected along their journeys.

What advice do you have for brides collecting their own vintage pieces for their wedding or home? 

I always recommend brides incorporate their own heirlooms and antiques into their wedding -whether it's their grandma's vintage upholstered chair or if it's their grandparent's old wedding photo or lace doilies. As for the hunt when trying to collect your own vintage pieces - start small. It can get overwhelming as you browse the flea markets, thrift stores and antique shops. Choose just a few items you want to hunt for so it doesn't get overwhelming. Always chat with the vendors and shop owners to see if they have your particular items behind the counter or in their additional storage. Everyone has their particular interest when collecting so I bet if they don't have the item you are looking for they will certainly point you in the direction of who will. 

How do you stay inspired and creative? 

I think vintage inspired wedding websites are a great source for inspiration, but for me it's important to stay unique and original. It's a wonderful challenge for me and a creative outlet to simply browse the thrift stores and flea markets. I will see an item and think to myself, "I love this piece, now what can be made from it?" It keeps my creative juices flowing and that's how I came up with the idea of using spools I found at a flea market along with old metal church letters that I found at a Texas antique fair. To be able to reuse, recycle and revamp an item is a fun process and it's a great alternative from buying new factory made items. 

How would you describe your personal style as well as your home decor style? 

I am very eclectic with my personal fashion and home decor choices. I change from season to season and will shop for new pieces compliment my classic clothing items and furniture pieces. Maybe that's why my home has over seven different paint colours throughout it ! I'm not able to settle on a certain theme because I'm constantly exploring new avenues of decor. 

With my vintage home decor I mix different eras and play around with a variety of colour schemes. Since we are in the process of renovating our home here in Kelowna I've learned that I was more satisfied with my decor choices when I chose to take bigger risks in colour and texture. The colour matching machine at the paint store is your best friend. I took in lamps, pillows, colour chips and even my favourite cardigan to get the colours that invigorated and intrigued me. It's so much fun when you create your own paint colour and get to personally name it. I live with a feature wall in my living room that I call, "classic dijon". Have fun and don't be afraid to take risks. 

Thanks for sharing with us, Yuriko! Be sure to keep up with what's going on over at Vintage Origami and if you're planning your wedding or special event in the Okanagan, you know who your girl is. 

Photography by Yuriko Larson