I got this idea back in the winter that I wanted to do a fashion shoot at The Taubman Museum. I have loved The Taubman and its contribution to Roanoke since its very inception and have been a big cheerleader, even when it seemed that no one had a nice thing to say about it. Now that it is here, I think everyone can see that this incredible structure is truly one of Roanoke’s most treasured buildings. And what a fantastic place to have a wedding and/or reception!

I had great plans to shoot from the exterior of the building as well as the inside, but May wasn’t exactly noted for cooperative outdoor weather. Sure enough, on the day I had scheduled the shoot we had sketchy weather forecasted. I thought we might have a window of opportunity during the time the shoot was planned, but as it turned out….nope. So, I was pretty much contained to the interior of the museum but that is a pretty wonderful place to shoot on its own.

Thanks to Wayne Spencer and Jane Godfrey at Amrhein’s Brides and Formals for helping me put this together. They have some of the most beautiful wedding dresses you will find and you cannot beat their service. My brides love them!

Also, many thanks to the folks at The Taubman for making this possible and putting up with us for a couple of hours one Thursday night. If you are planning a wedding, you must check out what they have available for an authentic and inspiring Downtown Roanoke event.

I met up with bridal consultant Elizabeth Stevens of That Wedding recently and we had a really nice chat about the wedding business and lots of things. Of course it started off about dogs because we’re both dog lovers and have our own beloved pooch at home to keep us company while we’re holding down the fort.

Getting that out of the way, we finally got down to talking about the wedding business. I showed her my albums and she showed me her impressively organized portfolio of EVERYTHING weddings. Then there was lots to talk regarding the various facets of the wedding business…. what’s new….. what’s old…..what’s hip….what’s not. She knows her stuff and comes with a long resume of working in the event industry, so I was all ears.

I’ve said this so many times and it is SO true, weddings do not just “happen”. Anyone who has ever planned one knows that they require a lot of work just to plan. I had a couple in here the other day who commented on how overwhelming it can be when you realize that you’re engaged and now the WORK begins. It’s a lot of fun of course, but there can be a lot of questions. I try to be as helpful as I can, what’s a good ceremony time for great lighting outdoors on your date, how much time should you plan for portraits, etc. But, there are so many other aspects of wedding planning that I have no real expertise in. It also blows my mind how often I have clients who are in the middle of another major life event and are trying to plan a wedding at the same time. Ever study for the bar, or graduate and begin a new job, or move across country and try to plan a wedding at the same time?

Then there’s the execution of the day. Keeping things on time. Making sure everyone knows what to do and providing gentle guidance when necessary! I will never forget a father of the bride calling me one Saturday evening as I was on the road returning from a wedding. He was VERY concerned about all these youngsters getting out of hand and not doing what they were supposed to do on the wedding date. He wanted advice. My advice…..hire someone to be in charge.

So, that’s what the bridal consultant can do for you. They’re a mediator when people aren’t getting along (happens!), they’re an adviser when you haven’t a clue, they’re the fashion consultant who’s up on all the trends, they’re a coordinator to help you line up vendors who match your style, and they’re the supervisor in the background (and up front when needed!) on the wedding day so you don’t have to sweat the details.

If you are in the market for a bridal consultant or think you may want one and just want some details, give Liz a call.

Elizabeth Stevens, Bridal Consultant
Member, Association of Bridal Consultants
That Wedding
phone: 540.520.2772
email: elizabeth@thatwedding.net