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Taylor Tuesday is rolling…

The rumor is out, Brittany and Jacob are having a baby boy! The name is TBA.
You may remember this happy couple from their wedding just a little over 2 years ago.
These two are a joy to be around. They are easy going and pretty much just laugh the whole time. We didn’t have much luck with the serious poses, they just cracked each other up trying to be serious.

Here are a few of my favorites from their session in February…

Looking forward to photographing the birth of this little guy!

I just left the Studio and my partners Kris from Abbey Road Catering and Amy from Amy Cakes both had some new stuff cooked up. They are just ridiculously talented. I mean SERIOUSLY talented women in this industry. I just wanted to say that I am grateful to work beside them!

We just had a bride reschedule her wedding and now have an opening on May 21st. We will be offering a special discounted wedding package for that day if you are interested. Contact us for details!

I have had the opportunity to work with some of the most talented and personable vendors in the wedding industry. I love to refer my clients to professionals I have worked with who I truly believe will do a great job for them. I have a page in my bridal package dedicated to my favorite vendors, but I wanted to also occasionally spotlight each of them more in depth.

So, I was trying to think of an idea to say thank you to the vendors that talk me up and give me so much business and I came up with a couple of ideas. The first is to do a vendor spotlight and introduce them in an interview type way. I emailed a lot of them and they were all so thrilled to be featured on my blog so you will be seeing lots of different vendors in the future! I thought it would be helpful to see different wedding related things and really get to know the people behind the business.

I got to chat with the owner of Thunderbird Chapel today and we had a fabulous time! Cheryl and Ron Ponder own the lovely Thunderbird Chapel southeast of Norman. I photographed eight weddings there this year and have quite a few booked there this year as well. Here’s some Q & A to let everyone know Cheryl better and a couple of pics I took there this year.

Read her answers below each question:
How long have you been in business?
Our first wedding was Sept 30, 2005 so we’ve been open 3½ years. We worked our tails off the last three days before our first wedding and, luckily, we had the sweetest bride in the world that night. We had given everything a lot of thought but it was still obvious that we were making some things up as we went along and she was great. Thanks, Nicole.

What got you interested in starting your business?
Cheryl absolutely loves weddings and that was a good enough reason for me. It’s a great job in that you go to work and everyone is happy. You’re helping a couple set off on a wonderful journey together and it’s the most romantic event in anyone’s life. What could be better?

What are the best things to look for when deciding upon a location for your wedding?
We would say that a gorgeous setting is important as well as a staff with whom you feel comfortable and confident. At Thunderbird Chapel we’re also very flexible as far as what we allow you to do and our package is designed to allow you to customize it to the wedding that you have always wanted.

Where do you find your inspiration/creativity?
We try to let the bride paint us a picture with broad strokes and then we fill in the blanks with the details that will set the wedding apart. Some brides know exactly what they want so we just do it their way but some brides aren’t really sure so our creativity comes into play more.

What do you feel sets you apart from other locations in the industry?
The natural beauty of our location is the most visual difference. Guests just go on and on about how beautiful it is and I think that reflects well upon our bride’s taste. Vendors, comment upon how much they enjoy working here due to our organization and helpful staff.

Where did you have your own wedding? Would you still make the same choice now if you were getting married today?
We got married in a gorgeous outdoors setting in Houston in August. To avoid rain showers we had the wedding at 10 in the morning but the humidity was still pretty oppressive! We love the outdoor look so if there had been anything like Thunderbird Chapel back then we would have had it there so that weather wasn’t a concern.
THIS is an actual photo from Ron and Cheryls wedding! underneath the picture was this lovely little secret note from Ron to Cheryl… so sweet!

What do you enjoy most about working in the wedding industry?
There are few things more thrilling than watching the bride’s face as you swing the doors open for her entrance.

When meeting with brides who don’t know what they want, what is the biggest tip you find yourself giving them?
Follow your own desires. Don’t worry about what others think; make yourself happy.

What current trend in wedding industry do you most like personally?
Traditions have kind of been thrown out the window. That frees everything up so that a bride can do what she wants.

Any fun-facts that we should really know that would contribute even more to your awesomeness?
Our land where we built has been in our family since the 1889 land run so we are committed 110% to the success of the chapel. Cheryl and I have been happily married for over 30 years and we’re likewise committed totally to the success of that endeavor, also.