Molly Thrasher talked with St. Louis Wedding News about The Magic House and how she enjoys working with brides.

How many guests can your facility accommodate?

The entire Magic House, both the original house and expansion-800 guests
Our other rooms offer a variety of capacities as well.

Are there any decorating restrictions?

There are not really any decorating restrictions, we are very flexible with how our guests want to decorate.  People usually try to go along with The Magic House’s innovative decorating scheme because they find it so interesting and unique.

What is included with the room rental?

With each room rental you will receive the use of our easels, standing microphone, wireless microphone, 2 2×6 tables, and podium.  We also have other equipment available to rent.

Who is on your list of approved caterers?

The Magic House has an approved caterers list, our caterers include: Amici’s Italian Restaurant, Blue Water Grill, Chevy’s Fresh Mex, LaChef Catering, McDonnell’s Marketplace, Patty Long Catering, Masterpiece Bar-B-Que Catering, Russo’s Gourmet Catering, The Butler’s Pantry, The Daily Bread Café, Villa Farotto, and Viviano’s Catering.  We also offer many approved rental companies as well.

What do you like best about working with brides?

Being a detailed person and a woman I realize how important the day is to her and her family, and I find great joy in knowing that I played a part in providing them with a day they she will remember for the rest of her life.  I also picture in my mind of what I would like my special day to be like and provide her with the same expectations.

What makes The Magic House stand out from the other reception facilities?

The Magic House offers a different kind of experience, the environment is so unique and original everyone will always remember where your event took place.  You will allow your guests the opportunity to escape from reality and enjoy the magical experience.

Contact Information:

Molly Thrasher
molly@magichouse.org
314.822.8900 ext. 20
516 S. Kirkwood Rd
St. Louis, MO 63122
www.magichouse.org

Color Touch photography a husband wife team tell us about their wedding photography business in St Louis.

How did you get into the photography business?

We both were photo junkies from the time we were small children. I (Dan) had an old 35mm camera my dad gave me and I shot as often as I could much to the protest of my family. Crystal got her first Kodak 110 instamatic camera as a very young girl and spent countless dollars on developing. Thank god for the free film with developing deal with Kroger’s stores in the 80’s.  We were married in April 2004 and we started shooting everything we could see. Friends, pets, flowers, anything! We eventually we bought some studio gear and started doing full blown portrait shoots with our friends and family. Demand for us started to grow and that blossomed into us starting our original portrait studio business called Party Portraits.  We started getting requests to shoot wedding for people and eventually, we realized we loved doing weddings so much, we focused our energies into making the most amazing photos we could for our brides and changed our name to Colortouch Photography.

How many weddings do you shoot a year?

Today, weddings are about 95% of our business. We try not to get burned out by only shooting 15-20 weddings a year. By limiting how many brides we take on, we are able to keep what we do fresh for us and our clients. Each and every one of our brides weddings are special and memorable to us and we feel that shows in our work.

What type of photography do you specialize in?

We do a what we call a hybrid style. Its heavily photojournalistic with awesome candids, and through in some stunning posed work. Some of most treasured photos are shot during a “posed” shot, but when they are relaxed and not expecting a picture to be taken. We strive to capture their true personalities and that’s a perfect opportunity.

What makes you stand out from the other wedding photographers?

We’ve been told that part of the experience of having us shoot for our brides is the experience of working with us. We think our favorite quote from a bride is when she described working with us. She said “It never a dull moment with you two!”  That’s because we just don’t put people in poses, snap a picture and move on. We interact with our bridal couples as friends. We get to know them and they get to know us. After an engagement session, it’s not uncommon for us to hang out with our couples for a cup of coffee or a glass of wine and just shoot the bull. Getting to know each other is key making the best photographs fro our clients and it doesn’t hurt that we make a LOT of new friends that way! We still talk to clients we’ve shot fro years ago!

What special services do you offer?

We are currently working on something big for our brides next year, but it’s all a bit hush-hush right now. All I can say is that it has something to do with the possibility of our brides getting a mini album of their wedding AT their reception to take on their honeymoon. (oops… I guess it’s not so hush-hush anymore now eh?)

What is the funniest moment you have seen while taking pictures at a wedding?

Gosh, we can’t recall any ONE moment. There’s quite a few!  I think one of our favorite’s was one where the bride and groom were cutting the cake and had their bridal party surrounding them. At the point when they would normally feed the cake to each other, things took a bit of a turn. Everyone knew the couple were the type to do the “messy” form of cake feeding, but this time, they took everyone by surprise… They took big hunks of cake started in on the bridal party instead messily shoving wads of cake into their mouths and faces! It pretty much degenerated into a bridal a food-fight after that.

What other hobbies do you enjoy?

Photography is more than a job for us it is one of our true passions and is our biggest hobby, we love cruising and seeing (and photographing) this great planet we live on.

What is your contact information if brides have more questions?

- Name - Dan or Crystal Schneider
- Email - info@colortouchphotography.com
- Telephone - 314-303-3618
- Address - 138 Linnview Drive  Saint Louis, MO  63129
- Website - www.colortouchphotography.com

How did get started making cakes?

My Grandmother decorated wedding cakes  in the 1940s and 50s. I was fascinated with decorating cakes, her tools and books. I learned how to decorate cakes and met my husband at my first bakery job. We were a perfect match and pursued our own wedding cake and bakery business.

What is your most popular cake flavor?

We don’t really have a single most  popular wedding cake flavor. We offer white cake, yellow, marble, chocolate, almond, carrot, red velvet, spice,with a selection of fillings like fudge, raspberry, strawberry, pineapple and lemon.It seems to be the most popular to have a variety of flavors for the brides to offer their guests.

What is your most unique cake you have made?

My most unique wedding cake would have to be my daughter’s. It was a castle cake designed by her soon to be husband, because she is his Princess-Bella.

What is your favorite part of being in the wedding cake business?

My favorite thing about being in the wedding cake industry is meeting with bride and grooms, and seeing how ideas combined with what we have to offer creates a totally unique cake that I couldn’t have dreamed up on my own.

Do you have any suggestions for couples who are looking for a bakery?

I suggest a bride and grooms investigate professional bakeries that they have had personal experience with or recommendations for. A bakery that they can count on for consistent quality of design, freshness, taste, and dependable service.

What is your contact information?

We can best assist customers over the phone so we can ask questions to get the specific information they need.

Kathy Helfer
314-837-6050
info@helferspastries.com
380 ST FERDINAND ST
OLD TOWN FLORISSANT, MO 63031
www.helferspastries.com

How did you get into the photography business?

Photography has always been my passion.  My mom gave me a camera on my 5th birthday and I was in everyones face from then on  When I was twelve, I wanted to be a photographer for Rolling Stone Magazine.  Wait, I still want to do that…  Really though, Annie Leibovitz was an inspiration to me at a young age.   I always enjoyed taking pictures of people more than anything else and decided to go for it with a photojournalism degree.   Wedding photography had never crossed my mind until I practically fell into it.  I was working with a product photography studio in Chicago and someone needed help with a wedding one day.  I fell in love with it and here I am.  I feel like it fell into place just as it should have though.

What type of photography do you specialize in?

With my background and personal style, I specialize in wedding photojournalism and what I call, wedding art.  Weddings take a long time and hard work to plan and I understand that usually every detail has been chosen for a reason.  I enjoy taking that day and making those moments and details a work of art to be hung on a wall

What makes you stand out from the other wedding photographers?

No photographer in any field is the same so we all stand out on our own.  Styles and personalities can be similar, but put those two photographers in one area and you’ll see completely different images.  I think it’s important for couples and photographers to be friends, have trust and respect for each other.  This is an important event in a couples relationship and the photographer is one of the only few people with you during the entire day.  I’m professional and unobtrusive but also personal.  I still choke up during some part of the day at almost every wedding even though I hide it behind the camera.  But, as an artisit, I get involved with my work

What special services do you offer?

All my services are special. =)  I love getting to know couples at the lifestyle engagement session taken outside.  The lifestyle post session is a blast for newlyweds.  But, mainly it’s weddings and childrens photography.  Creative album design is actually one of my favorite things to do also.

What is the funniest moment you have seen while taking pictures at a wedding?
Oh, man.  Right before the ceremony, a young ring bearer dropped his drawers to bare more than expected.  I guess it’s the natural instinct for a boy in a little tux.  It was more cute funny than hilarious.  You felt his pain.

What other hobbies do you enjoy?
I love to travel, read and cook.  I know that couldn’t be more common, but there it is.

What is your contact information if brides have more questions?

Heather Gregory, Shutter Happy Studios
314.898.5115
heather@shutterhappystudios.com
www.shutterhappystudios.com

Sarah’s Café & Bakery tells us why love working with brides and grooms in St Louis.

What is your most popular flavors?

Our most popular wedding cake flavor has to be our almond cake with our homemade buttercream filling.  It is our play on the classic white wedding cake.  And for the chocolate lovers, our double chocolate cake with two layers of chocolate mousse and one layer of raspberry cream is decadent.  Our fall clients have been loving our pumpkin spice cake with cream cheese filling.

What is your  number one goal when working with brides and grooms?

Our number one goal is to consult with our clients to create a custom wedding cake that represents their own personal style.

What do you love most about working with brides?

We love being a part of our clients special day.  One of the first things that our clients see when they walk in their reception is the wedding cake.  We want them to be blown away.

What is the best advice you can give to brides when they are looking for a wedding cake?

They best advice we can give brides is to always taste the cake before booking a bakery.  Also, to make sure that the bakery that you choose reflects the style of cake you have in mind.

What makes your bakery stand out from others?

Our cake is what makes us stand out.  Our wedding cakes that are iced in buttercream have such a smooth appearance, that people often mistake them for rolled fondant. All of our tiers have 4 layers of cake and 3 layers of filling, and are 5″ tall.  We limit our amount of weddings per day, so that our team of designers can take their time to make each of our custom wedding cakes just right.

What is your contact information?

Sarah’s Cafe and Bakery
Wedding Cake Coordinator
Erica Siebels
sarahscafe@sbcglobal.net
636-226-8388
505 Strecker Road
Wildwood, MO 63011
www.sarahscafestl.com

Derek Cadzow owner of Love and Life Photography tells St Louis Wedding News about his best outdoor wedding adventure!

How did you get started in the photography business?

My father was a photojournalist, so that got me interested in photography as a youngster.   That interest led me to college for a Journalism degree/photojournalist minor and I went into public relations photography from there.   I’ve also shot for sports magazines, lifestyle magazines, corporations, and advertising groups.  I was turned on to wedding photography by a friend in North Carolina about 2004 — he’d been doing it for years and showed me the ropes.  I found that I really enjoyed it and I have taken it up full-time.

What type of photography do you specialize in?

I’m not sure that I have a specialty.   I do color as well as black and white, photojournalistic as well as traditional, pure images as well as special effects.   If anything, I like the kind of image that captures the emotion of the moment as well as the look — so, if anything, I suppose capturing that emotional moment would be a specialty.  In addition, I’ve had a lot of clients tell me that they like the color that I manage to get out of the images.

What makes you stand out from the other wedding photographers?

I often hear about photographers that don’t show up for meetings on time and don’t respect clients’ time adequately.  I think that with my business background I have firm customer values when dealing with clients:  service, promptness, responsiveness, responsibility.  Those values are core to my business and I try very hard to provide excellent customer service.

What special services do you offer?

We offer full-day coverage, a host of album products, hi-resolution files on DVD, slide shows set to music on DVD suitable for showing on your TV set.

What is the funniest moment you have seen while taking pictures at a wedding?

It wasn’t so much a moment as about three hours of fun!   I was shooting an outdoor wedding in West Virginia for some outdoorsy friends of mine and, after the ceremony, they announced that we were all scheduled to go down the upper AND lower parts of the New River in whitewater river rafts!
They loaded my camera gear in drybags and put me and another rookie paddler in a three-person raft with the minister — the only experienced rafter among us.   The idea was for us to paddle fast and get to the first set of rapids, disembark, set up the cameras, shoot everyone going through the rapids, pack up again, paddle like crazy to get to the next rapids before anyone else, and then repeat the process all over again.
There were at least five sets of rapids and I got a lot exercise that day.   However, we got some great images for Laura and Terry and everyone had a great time and a very unique wedding celebration.

What other hobbies do you enjoy?

At the moment, the rest of my time is taken up with settling in to our new home.  My wife and I are busy organizing our nest and finding places for everything.  It’s the first time we’ve lived in-town and we are thoroughly enjoying it!

What is your contact information if brides have more questions?

- Name:  Derek Cadzow
- Email:  derek@loveandlifephotography.com
- Telephone:  919-414-2922
- Address:  2647 Wyoming St. St. Louis
- Website: http://www.loveandlifephotography.com

Brenda Allen shares with St Louis Wedding News how she got started in the business of baking cookies.

How did you get your start in the cookie business?

I have been making these cookies for gifts and family holidays, and parties for many years & now I am so thrilled that I get to share my Grandmother’s cookies with so many people.  The best part is always the response to my cookie collections!!  I put a lot of love into making each cookie collection, just like when I was a kids making them for family with Grandma.  They are just so good to eat and people love the way that I can make them so personalized for their intended recipients.  You can’t get that from corporate cookie makers – but you can from my kitchen!

What types wedding cookies designs do you offer?

Wedding cookies are always so much fun for me to create.  There isn’t one cookie design that is more unique than another.   I have designs that are tuxes & gowns, layered cakes, bells, churches, monograms, silhouettes, etc.   It is more about what the bride wants to express to all of those who surround her.

What is most important to you when making wedding cookies?

What is most important is that each wedding collection is as  unique as each couple, and it is meant to be that way. The “perfect favor” to one wedding, may not be perfect to another, they are just incomparable.  Every wedding that I do(be it a shower, guest favors, honeymoon treats, or centerpiece bride & groom cookies), is very personal to me.

How are you different than other cookie companies?

It starts with a phone call.  I try to get a feel for the brides vision.  From there we set up a free consultation with samples that I have created based on the information gathered – colors, shapes, sized, dates, etc. Each wedding is very personal & unique and my cookies need to be perfect for each event – as if it were my own.  That is the way that I look at it. Weddings are a symphony of chaos.  The bride and groom do not always get the time to express their gratitude to each and every person that has come to share their day; so if I can help them share a piece of delicious gratitude with their guests, you can bet it will be a perfect creation that will speak volumes of appreciation from their hearts– and not just plastic bells & bubbles!

How far in advance should brides book with you?

Booking for all cookie orders is simple – just an email or a phone call.  We can schedule our consultation for samples and then from there I ask for a minimum of 4 weeks for collections larger than 100 pieces.  I never want to overbook myself because each order needs to be perfect.  If they do not pass my inspection, they will not go out the door.  There is far too much family integrity involved in these cookies to deliver anything less!

Cookie Mama is a passion, and I promise to deliver your every expectation. These cookies are truly the best homemade Iced Sugar Cookies that you have every had!

Brenda Allen

http://stlcookiemama.com/Home.htm

Michelle Ross owner of Under Grace Photo tells St Louis Wedding News about how she traded in her paint brush for camera!

How did you get into the photography business?

A nice comfy job illustrating books or  magazine stories was a bit too elusive for me after graduation, so I did at home what I had done to pay the bills in college: work in a local photo lab. This was around the emergence of affordable digital photography in 2000. Being a second generation computer nerd, I was thrilled when I was able to make art with a camera instead of spending weeks waiting for paint to dry. I have a bit of a patience problem in that aspect.  Like many before and after me, my photography hobby quickly became a profession as friends of friends asked after my services. Soon people I had never met were contacting me to shoot events. When the schedule of my hobby started interfering my work at the photo lab, I knew it was time to change careers.  I wouldn’t have done it if I hadn’t had a gentle push in the terms of a bunged up shoulder from the lab job! It’s funny how God uses something unpleasant to lead you to something pleasant. So here I am!

What type of photography do you specialize in?

I specialize in Weddings and Documentary Child Portraiture.

What makes you stand out from the other wedding photographers?

That’s a funny question, because Saint Louis has such a rich reservoir of talent in this area. I’d say my strengths are expedient delivery of digital products (web galleries, blog, album design), ingenuity with locations, and a quirky personality. My brides tend to be tech-savvy, hilariously genuine, and unafraid to be ridiculous.

What special services do you offer?

Sessions: Wedding Day, Day After, Engagement, Boudoir, Dress Trash, etc,
Products: I offer coffeetable albums, leather albums, online album design within a week of the wedding date, stages of hand-painted canvas prints and of course hi-res files.

What is the funniest moment you have seen while taking pictures at a wedding?

Just a few weeks ago Allison and Ryan + entourage were riding around Downtown in a wedding bus with a broken air conditioner. It was, oh, around 95 degrees that day. When the bridesmaids started melting into liquid pools of taffetta someone suggested going to Ted Drewes for the famous Free Wedding Day ice cream. Yay! A half hour later the entire wedding party was enjoying sweet, sweet frozen Ted Drewes- except for Allison. She’s lactose intolerant.  I thought that was incredibly sweet and funny at the same time.

What other hobbies do you enjoy?

I like to be a mom.  I like reading classic novels and drinking Earl Grey Tea on a fall day. I enjoy standing in the rain on a warm summer’s day. I enjoy jeering at the winter ice outside my window while wrapped in a blanket and watching bad sci fi movies and MSTK3000. I love Mario Kart , Rock Band and Wii Cooking Mama all year round.

What is your contact information if brides have more questions?

- Name: Michelle Ross
- Email: michelle@undergracephoto.com
- Telephone: 636-699-8576
- Address: Saint Charles
- Website: http://www.undergracephoto.com
- Blog: http://www.undergracephoto.com/news

How did you get into the wedding cake business?

We evolved. We started with donuts in 1995 and started adding items in the bakery line such as muffins, danish and cookies. As we grew, we needed a bigger store and moved our location. With the new room, we started doing birthday cakes and within a year, we hired a complete bakery department and began doing wedding cakes.

What is your most popular wedding cake flavor?

There are no most popular flavors anymore. It depends on the couple and what they like. The more traditional flavors are the most popular such as; white, yellow, marble and chocolate. I’ve had requests for carrot cake, red velvet and cheese cake (to name a few), but for the most part, the traditional flavors are still the main group.

Tell us about your most unique wedding cake you ever made and what made it so unique?

We entered a cake decorating contest a few years ago. The categories were: Best Wedding Cake Design, Most Contemporary Design and Most Creative Design. Our design won the Best Wedding Cake Design and Most Contemporary Design. The cake was a combination of patterns on each tier using rhinestones to make up the design. No one had used the rhinestones before but the “bling” was getting very popular, like cake jewelry, so we decided to come up with something that was completely bling. I will attach a photo of that cake. We put it on a turning stand which threw sparkles everywhere as it turned. The brides were blown away, it was spectacular.

What is your favorite thing about being in the wedding cake industry?

Designing new looks and dealing with the brides. They need so much direction when they begin the journey of their dream wedding and it’s fun to be there for them. As I listen to their ideas of what they have in mind, I design their look on the cake. It very cool to see their vision come to life.

What tips would you offer a bride who is searching for a wedding cake vendor?

Always sample the cake each vendor has to offer. Pretty much every bakery has good decorators but the taste of the cake is what they want to be excellent. Ask other brides where they got their cake and if they were happy with the cake and the service. When shopping for price, make sure to compare design to design and size to size. If one bakery gives a price for a cake that will serve 200 guests, write down the size to make sure each bakery is telling them the same size. Design is what drives the cost so if you are price shopping, make sure you get the price of the design. One design may be $300 in a certain size and the same size with a different design could be $600.

Do you offer any other services?

We also carry a large line of invitations, programs, thank you cards, save the date cards, etc. We have a person that sits down with the brides to help them find the right line to fit their needs. The personal service is needed to insure the bride can see exactly what she is getting. A lot of places will offer 50% off if you buy something from them but they don’t offer the personal service to make sure the bride gets what she had in mind. There are colors, fonts and sizes that make the difference in what the bride thinks she is getting and what she will actually get. In all aspects of selecting the right product, since most brides have never planned a complete wedding, personal contact with a qualified vendor in each field is most important.
We also have a person on staff that does beautiful silk flower arrangements. We offer the entire bridal party arrangements, bouquets, boutonnieres and all the trimmings. We also rent center piece arrangements and complete decoration of the banquet facility.

What is your contact information if brides have more questions?

-Name: Linda Day
-Email: onlyheavenscent@aol.com
-Telephone: 636 332-6435
-Address: 1133 Bryan Road, O’Fallon, MO. 63366
-Website: www.heavenscentbakery.com

How did you get into the photography business?

I knew I had some natural talent, enjoyed photography and was looking to start my own business so I did.

What type of photography do you specialize in?

Weddings, weddings, and weddings.

What makes you stand out from the other wedding photographers?

We are consistent on a high level of quality and always stand behind our work.  Unfortunately, that makes us stand out from the general crowd.

What special services do you offer?

We generally manually correct all our images - most studios do not.  We offer a wider variety of services and products than any other wedding studio in St. Louis.

What is the funniest moment you have seen while taking pictures at a wedding?

Three weeks ago I backed up into the church fountain at a wedding and fell into it.  I even took a shot of the couple as I was falling.  Turned out.

What other hobbies do you enjoy?

I read and love gardening, walking, biking, kayaking, family and quite contemplation of life.  I wish I had more time for these things.

How can brides reach you for more information?

Guillermo Gomez
St. Louis Color, Inc.
9909 Clayton Road, Suite LL10
(about seven blocks East of Plaza Frontenac)
www.journalisticstyle.com
stlclr@swbell.net
314-997-1505
800-725-6520

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