Heidi Ryder Photography: The Blog » Southern California and Destination Wedding Photography

Several months ago I received an email that was so positive and encouraging that it made me smile from ear to ear. It was from Mekala at Tie That Binds, a wedding design studio that does the most amazing stationery products—everything from invitation suites to personalized labels and custom wedding favors. She even does photo book design! I’m telling you, there seems to be no limit to Mekala’s creativeness.

Some of my favorite of her items includes these cute candy bags for personalizing your wedding candy buffet, and these unbelievable love story books – can you just imagine using favorite shots from your engagement session for this wedding favor, accompanied by the story of your love?  I just wish I had known about Mekala and Tie That Binds when Chris and I got married!

But without a doubt, Mekala’s talent truly shines with her glorious invitation suites. This design is called “Garden Love” and I think it’s got a romantic and timeless feel to it:

And I adore this design, called “Our Lucky Day.” The colors are refreshing and vibrant and the design had a darling vintage quality that I just love.

When Mekala asked if she could use some of my photos in the Color Inspiration section of her website, I was thrilled and honored! She paired up my photos with her designs seamlessly and I love seeing my work matched up with her design elements. Here are a couple of screen shots, click either one below to see the whole set:

If you’re in the market for wonderful stationery products, wedding favors or photo books – or if you just enjoy looking at pretty things for inspiration, do yourself a favor and head over to Tie That Binds and take in all of Mekala’s beautiful designs.

I’ve never really thought of myself as an entrepreneur. In my mind entrepreneurs are men and women in business suits who do grand things with their time and money. They are Very Important People with ultra bright smiles and perfectly-coiffed hair.

Me? I spend my time taking pretty photos and hanging out with awesome people on their wedding day, then I sit in my office and edit those photographs by the light of the robot lamp on my desk and to the sounds of my iTunes playlist. Also, I’m often in my pajamas.

So, it’s a little surprising to me that a website for women entrepreneurs called Start Up Princess wanted to know about my business. I don’t wear business suits! My hair is usually a total mess! But, they didn’t care. And so it seems my idea of what an entrepreneur was is totally wrong (no surprise there) and I am in fact one!

All kidding aside, I have worked very hard to start this modest photography business of mine and to be recognized for it is very, very nice. I’ve received a lot of help and encouragement from my peers, friends and family and I’m hoping that someone who is thinking about starting their own business will read my interview and walk away with something that will encourage them to go for it!

You can read my interview here, and if you’re a woman entrepreneur I encourage you to poke around the rest of the site. There are some great articles and interviews to read and learn from!

Here’s a screen shot:

Janice and Edward couldn’t have picked a better day to get married. The weather was gorgeous — warm, but not too much so, with beautiful light for gorgeous photos. They also couldn’t have picked a better wedding venue. I had never heard of Happy Trails before, but I was pleasantly surprised to find this charming little area with a beautiful old tree and lush foliage. It was the perfect setting for such an intimate wedding. My friend Jenny of Alders Photography asked me to shoot this wedding with her and I’m so glad she did. It was an absolute pleasure to be a part of the day!

I got to hang out with Edward while he got ready while Jenny was on the other side of town capturing Janice’s morning. This was the first time I photographed a groom getting ready and I liked it. Definitely a bit more low key!

When we arrived at the venue I was thrilled to see all of the fantastic details that Janice and Edward had planned out. Everyone loves a good candy buffet and this one was candy for the eyes as much as it was for the taste buds!

You’re probably not going to believe it when I tell you this, but Janice’s mom made the cupcakes and the cake herself, and she’s not even a baker! They were so incredibly gorgeous — and very tasty, too!

Love these little moments between Janice and her dad just before he walked her down the aisle…

Both Janice and Edward were very emotional during the ceremony. It was very touching.