Spoken Bride Vendors | Spotlight, Vol. 12

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Are you recently engaged and ready to book your wedding vendors? Newly married or attending a wedding, and in search of gifts that affirm the vocation to marriage?

We are proud to serve you through the Spoken Bride Vendor Guide, the first online resource for distinctively Catholic wedding vendors: hand-selected professionals from around the U.S. with not only an abundance of talent, but a reverence and passion for the sacrament of marriage that brings a uniquely personal, prayerful dimension to their client experiences.

From photographers and videographers who understand how to capture the most significant moments of your nuptial Mass, to coordinators who understand the needs of Catholic couples, artists whose jewelry, stationery, and prints become enduring keepsakes long after your wedding day, clinical and theological experts in the fields of fertility and relationships, and beyond, Spoken Bride Vendors view their work as a call and find deep joy in putting their talents at the service of the Lord.

What’s more, our vendors are truly engaging and fun. With a range of stories, hobbies, and devotions, it’s our privilege to share who they are and connect them with their ideal clients--you, faithful Catholic couples who are energized by working with like-minded, prayerful individuals. Each month, we’ll be introducing, or re-introducing, you to members of Spoken Bride’s vendor community, and we encourage you to learn more through their full vendor listings.

Our Vendors for This Month:

Madeleine Deighan Photography

Charlottesville, VA | Serving Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C. and available for travel

Madeleine Zinman’s career as a wedding photographer started casually with family and friends before she began taking on additional clients. She is inspired by beauty and desires to contribute something beautiful back to the world through her profession. “The wedding day is compiled of  many simple moments and small details.  With every wedding, I take each of these pieces, weave it into a story, and then return it to the couple and their families to remind them of the blessings and love surrounding them on this day and throughout their lives.  I can only hope that the talents given to me by God somehow bring others close to Christ and His Truth.”

Favorite food: A buttery rich steak with a good glass of red wine.  But also chocolate and mochi ice cream.

Favorite saints and devotions: I always felt called to motherhood, even at a young age, so when I was confirmed at sixteen, I chose St. Gianna as my patron. I have my own little litany of saints who have helped me throughout my life and whose intersession I ask for frequently. My favorite prayers are the Memorare and the prayer to St. Michael.

Favorite memory of your wedding day: My home parish was run by the Fraternity of Saint Peter, so we were married in the Tridentine Rite, right at the beginning of the ceremony. As we returned to our chairs at the front to begin the Mass, I distinctly recall feeling a wave of peace  and deep love rush over me. I looked at the man who had just become my husband and felt so at home, so strong in our relationship, now united with God. "This feels so right and full of goodness, this is where I am supposed to be," were the words that came to my mind. I sincerely believe that it was the graces of the Sacrament that were immediately available for us to draw upon, and I am so grateful that I had such a tangible experience with them. And since that day over three years ago, I have never lost that sense of abundant grace that is always there for those harder times that I struggle to be kind, patient, or apologize for wrongdoing.

Learn more about Madeleine Deighan Photography

 

Made Myers-Cook Photography

Dallas, Texas | Serving Pensacola, Florida; Dallas, Texas; Los Angeles, California; United Kingdom, and available for travel worldwide 

Madi Myers-Cook describes her business as “adventurous love story.” On the one hand, she seek to capture the adventure and love of a couple’s story on their wedding day through beautiful photography. On the other hand, she embarks in her own adventurous love story as she receives the Lord’s promises for her life through her relationships and her business. “I love how the Father has already written our love story and we get to wake up to the wonder of it every day!... I want to capture people the way the Father sees every couple--redeemed, beautiful, whole and absolutely in LOVE with each other.”

Favorite saints: The Holy Family, Saint John Paul II, Saint Mary Magdalene, Saint Agnes… the list could go on… 

Favorite thing about working on weddings: I love the small moments between Bride and Groom- the belly laughs, the tickle fights, the goosebumps. My other favorite part is just being friends with my couples!!! The connection and trust that friendship brings to photography allows everyone to be their complete, messy, beautiful, fully alive selves!

Love means: I'm learning that love is, of course, willing to the good of the other. Even more, I'm learning love is an act freely chosen that encourages the other's freedom. Love destroys the ego, the pride, the boxes we try to put other people into and encourages the other's freedom. That's the journey I'm walking through right now. 

Learn more about Madi Myers-Cook Photography

 

Chari Films

Bronx, New York | Serving New York City, New Jersey, Connecticut 

Justo Diaz was raised in a Catholic home, but developed an intimate and personal relationship with Christ as a young adult. He prayed, a simple prayer: “how would you like for me to serve you, Jesus?” Through joyful memories and a spirit of courage, God called Justo to quit his fulltime job and pursue videography full-time.  His mission is to share the truth of the Catholic faith and to evangelize through his videos. “ My Catholic faith allows me to be vulnerable with my clients, my brothers and sisters in Christ, who are about to embark on a new journey together. It allows me to always begin and end our conversations with prayer, calling upon the Holy Spirit to remain with us as we discuss all of the plans for a given wedding. It helps us to remain in the same Spirit and allows for us to trust in the Spirit to guide every conversation with my clients.” 

Three things on your bucket list:

1. Do the "El Camino" pilgrimage in Spain.

2. Go to Jerusalem to visit the Holy Land.

3. Create a Christian featured film. 

My favorite thing about working on weddings: To witness to the devout Catholic couple who have chosen to come together to live for the Lord. It brings me much hope to witness new couples who desire to live out their faith together and begin their own domestic church with their new union. Being able to film the biggest decision of their lives vocationally speaking and provide them with a memory of their special day that they can forever cherish brings me much joy.

Favorite books, movies, and music: I love to read anything written by Dr. Scott Hahn. My favorite movies have to be anything involving superheroes from all the Marvel movies to the DC Universe superheroes. My favorite Christian band is United Pursuit & Shane and Shane. 

https://www.spokenbride.com/vendor-pages/chari-films-weddings

Learn more about Chari Films

 

Sarah Wirth Photography

Oregon | Serving Oregon, Arizona, and throughout the United States 

Sarah Wirth is a wife and mother who aspires to create and build authentic relationships through her photography business. With this in mind, she has an eye for the real and meaningful moments of the wedding day, “the moments which create the foundation of marriages.” She recalls a favorite photo from her own wedding day and hopes to capture similar moments for her couples. “It was a simple photo, but one that captured my favorite moment from the day: the unique time we had as a newlywed couple to ask the Blessed Mother to watch over our marriage and begin this new stage centered on faith.” 

Favorite part about working on weddings: Hands down the joy of the couple on their wedding day! It is contagious and inspiring to see a joyful couple just beginning their marriage, and  to witness the love and support of family and friends. I feel like each wedding I shoot I get to relive my own wedding day, and am reminded of our own vows and commitment we made to one another. 

Favorite place traveled: That's a really tough question, and so hard to choose...probably Florence because I spent several months there studying and it became a second home for me. But a close second would be Spain while walking the Camino! 

Favorite memory of your wedding day: My favorite memory from our wedding day was the few moments in our ceremony where we gave flowers and said a prayer before the Blessed Mother. My husband had  surprised me and written a prayer for us to read at that point in the mass, and it was so special to have the little time together to pray and be alone just a few minutes after saying our vows. We have that prayer framed in our living room now, and hope to continue praying it together as a family throughout the years! 

Learn more about Sarah Wirth Photography

Vendor Week 2020 | Vendors Share: First Steps, Priorities, + Working With Non-Catholic Vendors

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As you book your wedding vendors and plan your wedding-day timeline and events, take advantage of your vendors’ expertise! As pros in their respective fields, your vendors are a valuable source of information and assistance with time management. 

We asked Spoken Bride vendors to share their best, tried and true tips for working with your vendors--either Catholic or non-Catholic--from your first days of engagement and on through your wedding day. Here, their responses:

What first steps can newly engaged couples take as they look into wedding vendors?

Set clear boundaries. I recommend that everyone involved in planning the wedding--bride, groom, and parents--create a personal list of three priorities for the wedding and three things that are not a big deal. Then, compare. Have a conversation with everyone and create a master priority list. This will help guide your decision-making, as well as your budget. to make decisions. 

Online budget creators are a great tool. Once you have your master priority list, [you’re empowered to] create a budget that reflects your personal priorities, not just industry standards. Together, your priority list and budget will help you narrow down the big selection of vendors. -  Savanna Faulkner, Saving the Date (Wedding Coordination)

 This is quite simple, but so crucial: find a resource that lists potential categories of all the wedding vendors you could possibly need. This will help you to nix the vendors you might not want and then hone your list to those that are non-negotiable. From there, you can play with what’s within your budget for the extra niceties, like a photobooth or décor. -Nia Husk, Prolific Services (NFP Instruction and Fertility Education)

Talk with friends and family who have recently gotten married. For instance, if you are looking for a photographer, ask the couple about their experience, and ask for the link to their entire wedding gallery. With these vendors, as well as others you’re considering, ask yourselves: Do they share my same style + wedding vision in their work? Is creating an authentic relationship with clients a priority for their business? Do they reflect love in their work?

Also, ask your venue if they have a list of preferred vendors whom they enjoy working with; those who take amazing care of their couples and provide a fabulous product. And before booking anyone, meet with them in person first! Make sure you vibe together and that they are a fit both creatively and personality wise. - Michelle and Brandon Horn, Horn Photography & Design

What’s distinctive about what Catholic vendors can offer their clients?

Prayers! As I sew a wedding quilt, I always pray for the recipients-:for peace during their wedding preparations, for grace on their wedding day, and for strength in marriage. I also ask the couple (or the gift-giver!) if there are other intentions they would like me to specifically pray for. - Kathleen Wills Causapin, Handmaid Home (Custom wedding quilts)

Choosing practicing Catholic photographers means you will have photographers who know, understand and value the sacredness of the Mass. They will know when and where they can move in the church for the best photos without ever being seen or disrupting the liturgy. Also, a side perk, is that practicing Catholic vendors tend to know most of the priest and staff in the diocese, as they work with them often and see them at mass. The same holds true for Catholic wedding planners and florists - Michelle and Brandon Horn, Horn Photography & Design

My business is relationship-based (which I love!), and I think most Catholic vendors have a similar business model. When your vendor has a relationship-based business and is someone with similar values to you--and your styles jive on top of that!--I think a deeper amount of trust is built more easily. This trust is important when you're investing with so many different vendors for a very important day! 

 Also, as a Catholic vendor, I pray for my clients during their engagement and during the week of the wedding as I’m designing their wedding flowers. Having extra prayers from those who are helping execute your special day is awesome. - Ashley Krupp, Ashley Eileen Floral Design

I always pray for my couples leading up to their wedding day, and keep them in my intentions long after). It's helpful to have vendors who understand the Mass, and know how to be respectful during the ceremony. All in all, I think catholic vendors can help ease some of the stress, and give you a sense of peace as you prep for the sacrament! - Sarah Wirth, Sarah Wirth Photography

Prayer! Whether the day-of or the months leading up to your wedding, the power of prayer that a fellow Catholic can offer you is awesome. Knowing you can ask for that prayer and share that beautiful aspect with your vendors is so cool! I love being able to tell my Catholic clients I am praying for their relationship from day one. - Lauren Noa, Lauren Emily Photography

What are your favorite ways to help couples incorporate their faith into their wedding day?

My favorite way is to encourage a First Prayer prior to the ceremony. This may be back-to-back or a shared Rosary. It is a wonderful moment to add to your day and takes little time to incorporate. - Sinikka Rohrer, Soul Creations Photography

Encouraging couples to provide a beautifully made and thorough Mass program. This is truly an easy opportunity to evangelize non-Catholic guests and encourage everyone to participate in the Mass through song, Liturgy of the Word, and Liturgy of the Eucharist. If you do a Rosary Lasso, washing of the feet for your spouse, blessing of coins, or present flowers to Mary and/or Joseph, you can add these devotions in and explain them in brief. - Nia Husk, Prolific Services (NFP Instruction and Fertility Education)

I love designing the bouquet for Mary that some couples present to her during Mass. I love her, my clients love her, and we all get to honor her on their wedding day with flowers! Oftentimes, I’ll incorporate rosaries or saint medals into a bride's bouquet. I've also had some couples ask for specific flowers tied to their favorite saint, e.g. lilies for St. Joseph and roses for St. Therese. For one of my brides, I was able to use a white rose named after St. John Paul II that I grew from my own garden! If you have a favorite saint, there might be a flower associated with him or her that you can use as a little way to ask for their [intercession]! - Ashley Krupp, Ashley Eileen Floral Design

Our favorite ways to help couples incorporate their faith into their wedding day is to offer times throughout the day that brings in the joy of what we practice as Catholics. For example, inviting couples to provide family religious items for detail shots, a First Prayer or First look right in the church (if allowed by the church), prayer with your bridal party, going to confession right before the Mass if your priest is available, and encouraging our couples to pray together during portraits.- Michelle and Brandon Horn, Horn Photography & Design

I recommend choosing something special related to your faith from your dating days and bringing to the wedding day.  I walked down the aisle with a pair of rosaries my now-husband gifted me while on a trip to Bosnia. I used that rosary every day to pray for our relationship.  After getting engaged, we chose St Padre Pio as our patron to guide us in our marriage. I also find it so special to buy, borrow or receive a piece of jewelry that depicts the Catholic faith, [as gifts between you and your spouse or with your bridal party].   

If there is an opportunity, I recommend that the bride and groom pray before the Tabernacle prior to the processional. In their prayer, they can offer that day up for the sanctity of marriages throughout the world and ask for all Holy Angels and Saints, including their patron saint,  to intercede for their marriage and all married couples always, who entered or will enter into the mystery of this sacrament. - Siggy Evertz, Bebeati Jewelry

How can couples respectfully educate non-Catholic vendors on the religious aspects of the wedding day?

If you choose a non-Catholic photographer, be sure to educate them on the order of the Mass. Often, I'll hear other photographers say that they think of Catholic Masses as being really long without much going on. They stop shooting because, to them, it's redundant. Or they might stay in one spot out of fear that they'll break the church's rules about where a photographer is allowed--some churches are really strict about photographers moving about, but most just want to make sure the photographer is respectful, won't be distracting, and will stay off the altar.  

If it's important to have the Mass documented, you'll need to explain these restrictions and allowances in detail. You might even ask the parish wedding coordinator to help take your photographer around at the rehearsal and identify a safe spot to shoot and where they should be for certain aspects of the ceremony. This can be a lot of information for a non-Catholic to absorb, so I'd suggest they go to the rehearsal and take notes on the program as a cheatsheet. - Claire Watson, Claire Watson Photography

If you are not working with a Catholic photographer, it is important that they know how long your wedding Mass will be and what it means to you as a couple. Assign a friend who knows his or her faith and way around a church and Mass to meet your photographer at the church so they can answer any questions your photographer may have regarding the Mass and what will take place. A non-catholic photographer might not know terms like sanctuary, kneelers, or sacristan. They may not know the order of the Mass, the importance of the consecration, or when you will be able to share your first kiss. Helping them know ahead of time will help your photographer capture the best photos possible.

And the biggest tip: this is your day to soak in all the sacrament of marriage has to offer. Feel the freedom to share your faith with all your vendors! Let them truly know what this day means for you. - Michelle and Brandon Horn, Horn Photography & Design