Joynoelle wedding gowns are literally one of a kind – draped on your body to fit your curves and your personality perfectly. See them in action from Michelle & Michael’s Intimate Minnesota Winter Wedding

• Intimate Winter Wedding in Minnesota {Michelle & Michael}
• Why I participate in the Independent Wedding Fair

I hope that if you are planning your wedding, you will consider coming to our next event Indyspire: the Independent Wedding Fair. This is a wedding fair unlike any other – we focus on providing a lot of information and answering questions. We view each other as colleges, not as competitors, and so the atmosphere is really laid back and conversation-heavy.

In case you haven’t been to other wedding fairs, here are some of the main differences you can expect from the Independent Wedding Fair:

Big Wedding Fairs	Independent Wedding Fair
Participants pay to play	Participants chosen for value, creativity, quality, and love of weddings.
Thousands of attend, leading to packed crowds	Attendance limited to 250 - atmosphere is laid back
Vendors use a hard sell to recoup high fair fees	Participants provide accurate information in a conversational way
Focus on quantity of vendors	Focus on quality of vendors

If you do want to attend, for a limited time you can sign up for the Independent Wedding Association monthly newsletter to receive tickets. I also have a comp tickets, so email me if you are excited to kickstart your wedding planning!

• Why I participate in the Independent Wedding Fair
• Something New: an Independent Wedding Fair

So, I am not really into wedding fairs – they just aren’t my ideal way of connecting with brides and grooms planning their wedding. That is why I am so excited about the Independent Wedding Fair – a member-run organization of local and creative wedding professionals.

Join us this Thursday, October 13 at Pinstripes in Edina for

• unlimited bowling
• ideas for boutonniere alternatives
• tips for building a great wedding lounge
• drink samples
• laid back atmosphere

I have a few tickets left to give away, otherwise they are $15 for 2 at the door or online at independentwedding.com

• Why I participate in the Independent Wedding Fair
• Independent Wedding Fair Updates

Most people only plan one wedding. That means that it is very difficult to learn from your mistakes, because by the time you realize that you should have spent more time on X, it is already done.

I believe that good wedding professionals are truly helpful people. We want to share our knowledge, we want to give you all the information you need to make the best decisions based on your budget and your vision. It makes good business sense, but it is also the humane thing to do.

I believe that money spent with local small businesses makes your wedding better, and makes your community better.

If you want to see what a different kind of wedding event is all about, check us out on Saturday, Feb 5. Leave a comment below for a chance to win a set of tickets to the event.

• Indyspire: The Independent Wedding Fair
• 3 more reasons to buy your tickets for Sunday’s Independent Wedding Fair

Sunday also witnessed the first ever “Not So Real Wedding”, featuring  a “not so real” bride and groom (who are actually already married) in a “not so real” ceremony and reception.

I cannot wait for the next Independent Wedding Fair in February at the Campus Club, and I wanted to thank all of the amazing members of the Independent Wedding Association that made it possible.

Twin Cities Wedding Photographer Sarah McGee for her support and photos (above), Katrina of Studio Laguna for Photography, flowers from Ashley Fox, Sassafras Gardens and Distinctly Debbie, clothes and styling from  Posh Bridal Couture and Brett Dorrian Artistry Studios. Amazing letterpress programs from Armato Designs, wedding ceremony by Rev Derek, music by Urthema String Quartet and Jason Price‘s jazz trio.

Food included a carousel themed cake from Jessica’s Cakes,  Chowgirls Killer Catering, Cocoa and Fig’s and Sweets Bakeshop

Wedding planner Elizabeth Anne and Stephanie from Table 6, dance instruction from Monica Mohn, styling and letterpress from Paperista, hair accessories from Posh | Rebel, event services and rentals from Festivities, DJay entertainment from Adagio, and photographers Sewell Photography and Jennifer Whalen Photography, and, of course, the Traveling Photobooth!

Thanks to the Varsity Theater for their amazing space and helping to make it all happen!

And, finally, thank you to the brides and grooms who joined us for this amazing event. It is my hope that the Independent Wedding Fair will continue to be a service for people planning their weddings in a practical and humane way.

• Something New: An Independent Wedding Fair for Minneapolis
• 3 more reasons to buy your tickets for Sunday’s Independent Wedding Fair

1. Live music from Cafe Accordion Orchestra, Urthema Quartet, and Jason Price Jazz Trio. Seriously, a great line up of local interesting live music that scales up (dancing the night away) or down (cocktail hour time) totally well, with very professional musicians at the helm to arrange things just right.
2. Food Samples from Chowgirls Killer Catering, Sweets Bakeshop, Cocoa & Fig, Jessica’s Cakes, and the Varsity Theater. French macarons *and* seasonal snacks at the same place!
3. The wedding pros are all really psyched. I have spent the last several days talking with almost all of them, and there is so much excitement out there about sharing a vision of a no-pressure environment. I mean, as much as brides and grooms don’t always dig the cattle call of huge fairs, it is a tough place for wedding vendors to be, too. Having a casual environment (see above!) is just going to be awesome.

Some tickets for the “Not So Real Wedding” are still available, and so are general fair tickets – see you on Sunday!

• Why I participate in the Independent Wedding Fair
• November Independent Wedding Fair at Varsity Theater Minneapolis

It is important to me to be surrounded by colleagues the share my love of weddings, and to be associated with other wedding professionals who are creative and spirited. In a creative field like mine, it is very easy to critique things – my own photography, fellow wedding photographers, the wedding profession – but it is much harder to build something new. Which is why I am so proud of the Independent Wedding Association, and the creative people who are a part of it with me.

Join us as we celebrate in the Independent Wedding Fair, Sunday November 14 at the Varsity Theater.

• Indyspire: The Independent Wedding Fair
• Why I participate in the Independent Wedding Fair

Learn more about the Independent Wedding Fair at SomethingNewEvent.com or IndependentWedding.com.

Photo Details:
Styling: Paperista
Makeup & Hair: Brett Dorrian Artistry Studios
Dress & Tux: Posh Bridal Couture
Flowers: Just Bloomed
Hair piece: Posh | Rebel
Photographer: Becca Dilley Photography

• November Independent Wedding Fair at Varsity Theater Minneapolis
• Independent Wedding Fair photo shoot sneak peek

• Something New: An Independent Wedding Fair for Minneapolis
• Indyspire: The Independent Wedding Fair

I was so lucky to be involved with the independent wedding fair. The fair was a low-key and informative event featuring 23 amazing local wedding professionals talking about what they do.

The wedding vendors that participated are very passionate folks. When you love what you do, it is wonderful to be able to talk with people about it, and the relaxed atmosphere of the FIVE event center mixed with the awesome vendors made for some great conversations with brides and grooms. It didn’t hurt that Jessica’s Cakes and Sweets bakeshop made impressive displays of their gorgeously edible creations.

It was a pleasure to finally meet Katrina from Studio Laguna Photography, and also spend some time with Krista from Never Miss A Moment. I had already met the amazing Maribeth from Red Ribbon Studio a few times, and her work on the design and marketing for the fair was tremendous. And, of course, my good friends Sarah from Sarah McGee Photography and Jennie of Sewell Photography are always a pleasure to spend time with.

If you are still looking for music for your wedding, I can recommend without reservation Urthema Quartet, who perform an amazing array of things from traditionally “wedding” pieces (Pachabels Cannon) to Jazz and pop, to their own compositions. Also, Radio K (University of Minnesota’s student radio) played an ecclectic mix of music on the first floor.

I was able to join in the discussion panel about planning your wedding timeline, and then moderating the panels on how to style your wedding and getting the most bang for your buck.

Special thanks to Kate from KNG Sommers Photography for many of the photos!

The amazing Fesitivities showcased many of their outstanding linens on the second floor tables.

Clockwise from top left – Sweets Bakeshop display, Jessica’s cakes amazing decorated cake, Liebling designs necklace, Sweets bakeshop made a splash at the opening of the fair, the Traveling Photobooth in action!

The panel discussions were wonderful – this one featured Antoinette from Paperista, Jen from JWP Jewelry Design, Maribeth from Red Ribbon Studios, and Jackie from Just Bloomed flowers as well as Jules from Knit-N-Jules (not pictured) and moderated by yours truly.

Jessica herself in front of the wonderful display of Jessica’s cakes, Le’event planning, Armato designs, and Sweets bakeshop mini-desserts.

And the whole group, including Distinctly Debbie flowers, Diana’s floral affairs, Chowgirls Killer catering, :

• Independent Wedding Fair Updates
• November Independent Wedding Fair at Varsity Theater Minneapolis

The wedding vendors that participated (there were 23 of us), are really passionate folks. When you love what you do, it is wonderful to be able to talk with people about it, and the relaxed atmosphere of the FIVE event center mixed with the awesome vendors made for some great conversations with brides and grooms. It didn’t hurt that Jessica’s Cakes and Sweets bakeshop made impressive displays of their gorgeously edible creations.

It was a pleasure to finally meet Katrina from Studio Laguna Photography, and also spend some time with Krista from Never Miss A Moment. I had already met the amazing Maribeth from Red Ribbon Studio a few times, and her work on the design and marketing for the fair was tremendous. And, of course, my good friends Sarah from Sarah McGee Photography and Jennie of Sewell Photography are always a pleasure to spend time with.

If you are still looking for music for your wedding, I can recommend without reservation Urthema Quartet, who perform an amazing array of things from traditionally “wedding” pieces (Pachabels Cannon) to Jazz and pop, to their own compositions. Also, Radio K (University of Minnesota’s student radio) played an ecclectic mix of music on the first floor.

I loved joining in the discussion panel about planning your wedding timeline – I love sharing tips I have picked up over the years about logistics and timing, and the other panels had equally informative tips and insights. There were a ton of other amazing vendors, and I plant to add another post when I get all the photos in.

**this post is part of “dollars for comments” drive – Becca Dilley will donate $1 for each comment on her website between January 18, 2010 and February 14, 2010 to Doctors without Borders to support their Haiti relief efforts.

• November Independent Wedding Fair at Varsity Theater Minneapolis
• Independent Wedding Fair at Five Event Center in Uptown