Lindsay + Stu | Farmhouse Wedding

It had been a hit or miss September, and despite everyone's acknowledgement of the unpredictability of weather in the fall, I had my hopes up high. Linsday and Stu had an incredible country setting for their ceremony, and despite tents to cover guests, if the rain were to pour, then we'd be moving inside for an uncomfortable and quick reception/ ceremony room flip. I guess our many prayers payed off, because Stu and Lindsay's wedding turned out to be one of the most beautiful days in September. A tad windy, but beautiful none the less.

The emotions were high, the bridal party was STUNNING (seriously- have you seen a more beautiful bride in your life?), and the team of vendors were fab and worked hard to make this day as special as it was.

These incredible photos were taken by one of my new photographer crushes, Melissa Gidney. She is extremely talented so I suggest checking out her work! The cake was done by the fantastic team at Frostings in Langley, and the gorgeous decor by Jack and Jill. The centerpieces were a labour of love created by the bride and groom themselves (lucky girl- I could never get my hubby to do anything remotely crafty!), and DJ Jay Frost mixed some amazing tunes for the non-stop party.

This wedding will go down as one my favourites (as I am severely in LOVE with the vineyard shots). Congratulations Lindsay and Stu!

Loretta & David | LoveStory

Loretta ♥ David ... Highlights from Love Story Media on Vimeo.

Loretta and David's wedding fell on a beautiful, classic rainy Vancouver day at the end of May. When I woke up and saw the gloomy skies all around me, my heart sunk a bit. Although we had a "plan B" for their ceremony, I knew that Loretta really really wanted an outdoor ceremony on the lawn in front of the their Brock House reception venue. If it were to downpour, we'd be forced inside, which would have made for a very unhappy bride. Although the rain didn't stop, it was light enough to go to Plan C, which meant outdoor wedding ON, clear umbrellas UP. The rain, although inconvenient, made for an incredibly romantic day, and even provided the opening shots of their ring close up for this incredible highlight video, created by the ever talented Erik of LoveStory Media.

I'm a bit of internet addict, so prior to catching some shut eye, I lay in bed and checked my email on my phone. Erik's email appeared in my inbox and my heart began to flutter. That meant that Loretta and David's wedding video was up! Woot woot! I kind of feel like a kid on Christmas morning when I press play- and I guess that's very fitting, because truly, having a wedding video from Love Story Media is probably the best gift one could ever open. Eager and full of excitement, I watched it for the very first time on my iPhone laying in bed with my hubby right beside me. I couldn't stop gushing about the video, about all of Erik's videos, and how incredibly incredibly talented he was. I then went on to reflect on our wedding day and how heartbroken I was that I hadn't even thought of a videographer during my planning process (I was not a wedding pro until about 8 months after my own wedding day- so although my wedding day was beautiful, carefully planned out and full of intimate details, I lacked the knowledge and experience to know what really matters when it comes to capturing a wedding day.) My hubby went on to say " You really like this Erik guy, hey? A bit of a crush, have we?"... I laughed, because little does he know that the real cursh I have is on his videos. I fall in love with each highlight video like a teenage girl falls in love with the current heart throb de jour while watching movies like Twilight or High School Musical (who am I kidding? I'm not a teenager and I'm in love with Zac Efron and Robert Pattinson). All quips aside, if you haven't already done so, head over to the Love Story Media blog, and start watching some film reels and you'll know what I mean. I can watch them all again and again.

I'm sure I'll update again when the photographs are ready, but in the meantime enjoy! And congratulations again to Loretta and David!

Meet Hello Bella's Pretty New Face!

Well, if you haven't noticed by now, Hello Bella has had an Extreme Makeover, Logo Edition! Normally this wouldn't warrant a post or announcement, but for me, well, anything that involves de-pinkifying requires some sort of explanation! Yes, it's true- I am a pink girl through and through, and I'm sure my pinkness was extremely evident in my former branding and website design. So why the change? Well, I'd be lying if I said I've been happy with any of my previous logo designs. I wanted something that reflected myself, but also my business. The girly girl designs and scripty fonts were over the top cute, and oh so very me. But were they my business? Are my day to day activities all frilly and pink? The truth is, I do mostly weddings, and the majority of them are NOT pink weddings. I also do showers, birthdays, anniversaries, bat/bar mitzvahs, and pretty much any event that's an excuse to celebrate. The celebrations I design and plan are not geared towards only females, or only girly girls, and I really didn't want to pigeon hole Hello Bella into a single specific type of event service.

The new logo is simple, clean, and hopefully still pretty! I've kept touches of pink here and there, but have introduced a pretty teal blue green to the mix. My logo, which started over a year ago with a bird motif, now incorporates a sunburst or firework (you choose, whichever you like!). I figure regardless of your event, you're probably hoping for a gorgeous, sunny day, and what better way to represent this than a sunbust! Alternatively, it also reminds me of a firework, which to many is a symbol of celebration! Interestingly, and coincidentally, my first wedding last summer took place on an insanely crazy Vancouver day that resulted in the most wicked of sunsets and was topped off with an over the top display of fireworks during the Symphony of Fire. So see? It's only fitting.

Well enough with the long and dragged out explanation! Go check out my new website design for yourself (there may be little bugs but they will soon be worked out) at www.hellobella.com and while you're at it maybe fan me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter if you haven't already!

Thanks again to everyone (my amazing clients, vendors, family and friends) for your support and I hope you like the new look;)

xoxo