Indoor boudoir sessions require a little confidence and a nice big bed. Boudoir sessions outside? Well, that also requires some downright bravado (not to mention cute shoes)!
BEFORE YOU READ ON: This post contains tasteful images of a partially nude female body, and may not be work-safe. Readers under the age of 18 should obtain their parents’ permission.
Tuesday with the Pros is an ongoing blog series featuring experts in the wedding and event industry. Today’s authority is Youngsong, designer and owner of Wildflower Linen.
LI: Describe the role Wildflower Linen plays in the event industry!
Young: We are an innovative couture linen company, offering both rentals and sales. Wildflower is very trendy and designer-driven, so it’s not your ordinary white table linens.
LI: How did Wildflower Linen begin?
Young: Well, I was a clothing designer and senior instructor at the Parson School of Design, but I got burned out on the fashion design business—I didn’t want to deal with department stores anymore. So I retired! Shortly thereafter I got involved in a family wedding, and went looking for some inspiring linens for my niece, the bride. But what I was looking for simply was not there in the marketplace at the time, I kept finding old-fashioned satins instead of the high-quality silks I was used to. So I went out and made some chair covers for the wedding myself, out of dupioni silk. It wasn’t long before people were talking about me and I found myself being approached by planners and brides to design covers and other linens for their events. There was a lot of doubt, a lot of questions at first; “How are brides going to justify spending all this money just for linens? How are you going to wash them? How are you going to earn money from this kind of venture?” There was simply nothing else like Wildflower on the market when we began. But I used to be a teacher, and I wanted to educate people. I wanted them to know that they didn’t have to settle for horrible polyester fabrics for their grand event! After that there was no stopping me.
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LI: So Wildflower’s couture fabric quality is what sets it apart from other linen brands?
Young: Yes, and I think as a former fashion designer I have a strong sense for future trends that will eventually hit the market and impact our designs. So we like to think that we are trendsetters here at Wildflower Linen!
LI: What is your favorite aspect of being a linen designer?
Young: I like everything about designing fabrics. I also really love being part of something that is so special to my clients, like their wedding day. It’s like when I furnish a client with a beautiful linen I’m helping them sculpt their event’s atmosphere, and shape a highly valuable memory for them.
LI: What goes into the process of designing a fabric for a client?
Young: We look for complimentary color combinations, thread counts, and which fibers we can combine to produce the tones, textures, and the kind of sheen that the client is seeking. Right now we’re working with some handpainted looks, samples of which you’ll see in this year’s spring issue of Your Wedding Day magazine, due out sometime in the next month.
LI: Do you have a dream event that you’d love to design the linens for?
Young: Oh, yes. The annual Metropolitan Costume Institute Gala in New York! I would like to collaborate with any of the designers involved to produce a truly amazing linen for that event. Someday!
LI: Have you worked on any exciting projects so far this year?
Young: Yes, we designed the linens for the Hurt Locker after-party following the Academy Awards this year…that was fun!
LI: What would be your professional advice to help guide clients in selecting or envisioning their linens?
Young: When people come to Wildflower, we listen to them. We want to know what their dream wedding is all about. It helps us understand what they mean when they describe what they’re looking for…for example, if they were to say they just want “simple” look, I may not be sure what that means until I listen to them fully describe the event, and then I may come to realize that when the bride says “simple,” she really means “no patterns.” One-word descriptions can be very powerful, but also very inaccurate. So we encourage the client to tell us everything, and we encourage other vendors to really listen to them. That’s the best way to truly produce the kind of event the client has in mind, and even go far beyond their expectations and imagination, as well!
For more on Young and Wildflower Linen, visit:
Wildflower Linen’s website
Wildflower Linen’s blog
Wildflower Linen on Twitter
Wildflower Linen on Facebook
This image was featured on PostSecret this week. I thought it was interesting because I photographed some boudoir imagery for a young woman last week who mentioned that she didn’t want pictures showing off her body so much for her fiancé as much as she wanted them for herself. ”So when I am old and fat,” she said, “I can look back and remember what I really looked like when I was in my prime.”
Really, it’s so rare to find that kind of forward-thinking attitude among young people. It’s hard to understand what an “emotional investment” is when you’re still young enough not to have experienced the need for one. For example, if you are a young adult, you may not yet personally know anyone (close to you) who has died. Because of this, you may not TRULY understand how valuable photographs of this person will be to you someday.
Always make sure you have a lot of good imagery of the people you care about! You’ll thank your photographer later.
There’s so much about Kevin and Jessica that just makes you go, “what?” They’re unique, sarcastic, not afraid to be themselves, and of course…perfect for each other.
Venue: Tivoli Hacienda (Santa Ana, CA)
Flowers by This Old Garden Gallery
Entertainment by Luis Ayala at Your Special Night Entertainment
If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, etc. you’ve already caught a glimpse of Jessica’s fantastic purple shoes 
Their glasses crack me up. It’s like a “his” and “hers” version.
Groomsmen photo by Matt
Kevin: “I’d like a groomsmen photo where we’re all stepping out. You know, like the Troggs.” Heh, the TROGGS?!?! LOL. Musicians.
For the sake of daylight, we set up a “First Look” so they could have a special moment to see each other before their ceremony.
I LOVED Jessica’s hairstyle
Kevin insisted on a tux with tails! Trendsetter.
Gotta love that pout.
Images by Matt
I love this image. It seems to capture their personalities as a couple so well.
Congrats, guys!
Coming soon!
Tuesday with the Pros is an ongoing blog series featuring experts in the wedding and event industry. Today’s authority is Jodi, disc jockey and “CEO of Fun” at Sight & Sound Events in Las Vegas, NV.
LI: How would you describe what you do?
Jodi: I see myself as a director. I know I’m the event DJ and primarily considered responsible for the music, but I’m also responsible for the flow of the party, and moving people along, and setting them up for photography. Nowadays everyone has an iPhone or a Walkman and can put 200 of the hottest hits on speakers for a raging bash, but an iPhone doesn’t have the same charisma and personality that a professional party director does. Imagine “American Idol” without Ryan Seacrest to keep things moving! What I like to do is tell the couple that we’re putting on a movie titled “Your Wedding Reception,” and they’re Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, and I’m Academy-award winning director Kathryn Bigelow, telling them where to stand, where to look, and what to do next…it may sound easy, but unless they’ve been to 100 weddings themselves, most couples don’t know what happens after they’ve finished cutting the cake or throwing the garter! It’s all up to the DJ!
LI: What is Sight & Sound Events?
Jodi: It’s a full-service event planning company with award-winning in-house DJ, photography, videography, event planning, live entertainment, etc. A client can come to us just for one service, like DJ, or multiple services like live entertainment, photography, and videography.
LI: How is Sight & Sound unique from other event planning companies?
Jodi: We are very hands-on; we offer ALL our clients personal design consultations with me, a head of the company, to ensure they are satisfied and confident with the service they’ll be receiving. We are all about organization and communication, and not so arrogant to think that even after 18 years we know it all. Every year we invest in attending national conferences and joining organizations to expand our knowledge of the changing technology and methodology for both videography and party services. 80% of a party’s success is dependent upon us, as entertainers…so we don’t take our job lightly!
LI: What started Sight & Sound?
Jodi: Well, back in the day I was living in New York and working in broadcast television at ABC with Regis and Kathy Lee. I met my husband Pat (now award-winning videographer and co-owner of Sight & Sound), during a trip to Los Angeles, where I also decided I liked the weather a bit more, and decided to move. At that time Pat was a DJ entertainer, and he brought me along as an assistant for a few jobs….little by little my duties began accumulating until I knew what he wanted to play before he even asked for it! So I caught on pretty quick and eventually we became a husband and wife DJ team. When Pat got the video bug, I started DJing exclusively so he could focus on event videography. So in a way, we flip-flopped: me from TV and video to DJ, and him from DJ to TV and video! Although to this day, Pat is still very involved with training our DJ staff!
LI: So what’s the best thing about DJing an event?
Jodi: Helping people to have a great time—really, I have the best job in the world. I get paid to help people have fun! And it’s not all about me, either; if my client wants the chicken dance, I’ll play the chicken dance, because it’s all about their good time. It makes the testimonials very rewarding.
LI: Who are most of your clientele?
Jodi: We do about half corporate events and half weddings. I will say that about 97% of our wedding clientele come from out of state, however. This is Las Vegas, after all! We are usually acknowledged as the preferred DJ service by the catering departments of many of the hotels around here.
LI: What would be a dream event to DJ?
Jodi: I think it would be so cool to DJ a corporate party with a “Dancing with the Stars” theme. Because then I could play some really different dance music, like salsa…and people would be there to dance, anyway! Honestly, I’m still a TV person at heart, and I would leap at the chance to DJ an after-party for something like “American Idol” or “SYTYCD.” Plus then I’d get a chance to dance with Max! I’m there!
LI: Do you have any tips for the many clients out there looking to save some money on their event entertainment?
Jodi: My number one tip is: DO NOT INVITE THE ENTIRE WORLD to your event! We can have a rockin’ party even if it’s just a few close friends and family members, and because the guest count is under control you won’t have to break the bank to get there—with fewer guests, you can better afford quality entertainment, and photography, and videography, and other event services.
LI: Do you have any exciting events coming up soon?
Jodi: I am looking forward to the NACE conference in Austin, TX. I get to network with planners and other high-end professionals and meet fun people and sample some good foods!
LI: What do YOU do (or where do you go) when you yourself want to party?
Jodi: You’d expect me to refer you to a local club or something, but honestly I enjoy traveling in my free time. Pat and I go to Southern California and hang out with friends there when we want to unwind and have a good time!
LI: What’s the best piece of advice you could impart to party-goers everywhere?
Jodi: Communicate! If you’re planning a party, it’s all about communication, so make sure you’re in close contact with your photographer, DJ, videographer, planner, florist…ALL your vendors. The more in the know everyone is, the more they’ll be working together for one singular goal—an awesome event!
For more on Jodi, Pat, and Sight & Sound, visit:
The Sight & Sound Events website
The Sight & Sound Events blog
Sight & Sound on Twitter
Jodi’s Twitter
Sight & Sound on Facebook
