Las Vegas Bridal Spectacular {An Award-winning Booth}

If you would have told me even three months ago that I would be doing my first bridal show this year; I probably would have graciously replied, “You’re Crazy”. But there I stood this past weekend at the Cashman Convention Center, amongst some of the most respected vendors in the biz and now, ‘fellow exhibitors’ of this year’s Bridal Spectacular 2013! I can’t even express the TLC and STRESS that went into the creation of this Award Winning exhibitors booth. You know the phrase about ‘it taking a village to raise a child’??? Well it could now be added, ‘…and an exhibitor’s booth for Maple Hill Photography’ LOL. As much as I hate admitting it, when it comes to crunch time, my Type A personality easily dominates any ‘free spirt’ my more laid back, artsy side posesses.  Given our last minute decision to exhibit, it literally took an All Crew On Deck approach to pull this one off! But in the end I don’t think any of us would have had it any other way 🙂 Michael, my husband, was more than amazing and willing to let me invest in this new endeavor. He also stained most of my wood walls even though some had to be finished in the triple digit heat! Ashley Thompson of 503 Couture was there every step of the way. Responding “YES!” and “NO WAY!” to all of my crazy ideas. I was so lucky that she had just restored the two dresser sets depicted below and we were able to use them in the booth!!! Also her hand painted frames were the perfect finishing touches! Brian Campbell of Real Pro Home Improvement is a respected carpenter and all around Handy-man here in Las Vegas. His idea for creating the walls for my booth and willingness to put it all together (and tear it down) was over the top amazing of him! Veronica of Nostalgia Resources was so generous to lend me the same chair I had rented from her in the engagement shoot we displayed above. If you are looking to add vintage props or accessories to your next event or photoshoot you really check out her rentals by clicking here: Nostalgia Resources. Of course, what’s a home without fresh flowers? Catherine of Layers of Lovely was so sweet to meet my last minute request for a bouquet using the color pallet of my booth and a few succulents to add a bit of that desert vibe to the mix! Oh and I loved the rustic box she displayed them in!

Thank you to the amazing team at Bridal Spectacular Debra, Laura, Ty and Barbra for putting on an amazing show! It was such an honor to be a part of this event. Can’t wait for January’s Expo!

And finally, my miracle story. I deliberately took a step back from my business this summer to wrap up some projects, refocus and rest. So even going into this new endeavor, funds were extremely limited from day one. After I had exhausted all of my available funds and favors, I was still left without flooring. I knew I could figure out a way to make it happen by asking mom and dad for a loan or booking some last minute mini-session but I decided to just turn it over to God. I’m not one to pray about little things like this but I literally went to bed Saturday night with the thought, “God if its important to you that I have flooring for my booth (because You know, its important to me) I trust that you are going to make it happen”. I woke up to an email the next morning from a lady in our church who wanted to know if I would be interested in trading photography services for her husband installing custom flooring in my home! I called her the next day and not only were we able to work out a trade for custom wood flooring for my booth but the exact shade of wood I had my heart set on! Francisco Da la Cruz with DLC Carpet was amazing to work with! His response time to my texts and calls throughout the experience was so professional. I was also amazed at how quickly he worked and the quality of the flooring he installed. God really does care about the desires of our hearts – even the silly little things too!

Even with such a talented crew I could have never made it happen without the funds to pull it off! I have to give a HUGE and special THANK YOU Mom&Dad, Janet Zak and the rest of my amazing clients for having faith in my talents and a desire to invest into professional photography!

 Oh and I almost forgot, thank you Alexie for all your help and bringing us lunch! 🙂

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