Why We Love Them: Jarusha Brown Photography

We have had a lot of fun in the past few months since we started The Refinery Magazine. We have been to fabulous shoots with great people, been to events in unique Vancouver venues, and have gotten to know many amazing industry professionals that have been game changers for The Refinery, and all that we do.

One of those people is Jarusha Brown. 

Her consistently amazing work, friendly and caring nature, and attention to detail in every shot has made her a regular feature in both our first and second issues, as well as helped us with projects, shoots, and now will be helping us cover our big DIY night this friday! Jarusha is also a regular to Vancouver's wedding scene, capturing the love and emotion of several local couples, and we are excited to see what she comes up with for the remainder of the 2013 wedding season.

If you are planning on coming to our DIY night, be sure to put on your favourite party dress, and get ready to smile as Jarusha will be featured once more in the 3rd issue of The Refinery Magazine, with her photos from the evening!

We would love for you to meet our friend Jarusha and the other amazing vendors that are participating in our DIY night, and tickets are available online only at www.therefinerymag.com/events. Get them now, before they are gone!

- A. xoxo

P.S. Here are some of our favourite photos from Jarusha, as seen in The Refinery Magazine's 1st and 2nd issue!

WonderWeb: Bean Benson

Happy Wednesday, and with it brings one of our new favourite things: Bean Benson's Children's Photography. Bean is a good friend of ours, with her Husband mike and two beans Journey and Knox, and we were thrilled to see that she has now followed her heart and started setting up shop with her own named photography business.

We know the passion that Bean has for her own to darling kids, and we understand how perfectly fit Bean is for capturing the unique lives of children, and the adventures they lead. We look forward to following Bean on this new journey, as we have enjoyed watching the success of their lovely wedding resource website and social media platform, aptly named WedOverHeels. (also now a great place to host your wedding website!)

We wish Bean and her new venture the best of luck, and look forward to seeing more!

Picks of the Week: COLOUR lover

necklace - holst & lee // scarf - unknown // sandals - chic wish // pink clutch - Fab // mugs - ikea

WonderWeb: Mara Hoffman - Designer

I stumbled upon Mara Hoffman through my last WonderWeb post, about Free People - the online boho retailer. I have fallen in love with her casual yet elegant designs, and simply adore her easy going attitude towards fashion. Everything understated, ready to wear, but well thought out.

This post doesn't require a lot of thought, or a lot of words. Just enjoy some fashion, especially summer fashion, to send you into a weekend of fun!

TGIF!

- A. xoxo

Why We Love Them: Savoury City Catering

Throughout this process there have been many people who have helped us get to the place that we are today. We are proud of the work that we have produced, but none of it would have been possible without the assistance, and faith, of these amazing professionals. 

One of those that had faith in us, was Donna of Savoury City Catering. She went out on a limb for us, and dedicated a large staff for the majority of the day for us so that we could create some photography magic with Sweet Pea Photography behind the lens. (Lori was another that showed immense faith in us, and we are so incredibly grateful) During those many hours of creation, plating, preparing, and of course eating, we were treated to an amazing experience, shooting meals from the heart, right in the exact spot they were made: in the kitchen of Savoury City, surrounded by dedicated chefs, using their hands to create the perfect image. every. single. time. 

When going through the proofs from Lori, we were astonished. Literally every single photo was useable and it was tricky for us to even cut one frame from the many we made that day. Eventually we came to the perfect amount, as seen in The Refinery Magazine's First Issue (you can read here). We have come to love this editorial section as one of our all time favourites. 

We are thrilled to be working again with Donna over the next little bit. First up is our DIY Evening that we are producing at FATpaint in New West! It's going to be an evening of paint, but even better food. I promise. You can purchase your tickets here: www.therefinerymag.com/events. We are also incredibly excited to share another editorial spread with Savoury City posing once more as an important detail in a fantastic shoot with The Nickerson's Photography. We received the proofs last night, and once more we are facing a familiar problem! Their shoot will be in the third issue of The Refinery Magazine, due on August 15th, 2013.

Take a look through our 1st issue spread with Savoury City Catering below!

I went out to Savoury City's 10th Birthday party last night on the rooftop of the Vancouver Art Gallery. It is, of course, going to be another fabulous event, thanks to Savoury City's fantastic work and food creativity!

Much love to you SC <3 Looking forward to another 10 years!

- A. xoxo

Why We Love Them: All & Sundry Collective

Flowers. There isn't much one can say, other than the fact that they are beautiful. The breathe life into every space they inhabit. A kitchen table just suddenly so inviting, even with just one flower, or how a wedding bouquet is a summary of all that the bride loves: soft vs. edgy, romantic vs. whimsical - Flowers literally say it all.

So when we were picking the floral artist for our big DIY event we knew that we had to pick the perfect person(s) to create something that fits perfectly with our theme, aesthetic and of course, our style. All & Sundry seemed to fit like a glove.

After meeting with Amy (at the Vancouver Wedding Industry Meetup - props once again for helping us out) only half of the creative force behind All & Sundry, with Kamelli based in Edmonton, we knew that we loved all that Amy exudes: casual, easy going, well thought out authenticity, which translates easily into florals. We asked Amy immediately on the spot if she would be interested, and forwarded her the info right away.

Immediately, after a bit of discussion, we knew we finally had a full team, with All & Sundry completing the list! Be sure to join us on our evening of fun, and check out their stunning work for yourself! Reserve your tickets here: www.therefinerymag.com/events

Here are a few shots from a series that All & Sundry has been working on with the Artful Desperado, in a floral art series.

Enjoy!

- A. xoxo

Credits

Styling: The Artful Desperado and All & Sundry

Photography: Tomasz Wagner

Why We Love Them: Confetti & Co.

As curators of unique wedding related content, both Madison and I search on a daily basis for local vendors for something that would be admired by our readers. But lets peddle back a bit first...

We are hosting an amazingly fun DIY night on June 21st, 2013, at FATpaint in New Westminster. We have a love affair with this super cute shop, and thought it would be a blast to work with Victoria and Brad, (sibling owners - too cute!) and host an evening of fun and DIY with their fab product! Fast forward to today, and we have a huge list of vendors who are coming together to create an amazing evening, including Confetti & Co.

We LOVE Amy's amazing balloons of various colours, and think that they will be a perfect fit for our DIY night's fun cocktail evening environment! With lots of bright colours to paint with, we wanted to mirror it in the decor, and what better way than with giant balloons!

Amy makes these gorgeous pieces of playful helium art for anyone to purchase, with the intent of bring a smile to someone's face. Here is a few shots from her recent campaign with Christie Graham Photography!

To purchase tickets to our DIY night, (Amy will be there!), please visit our website at www.therefinerymag.com/events

- A. xoxo

Get yo' tickets for our fancy DIY night!

Remember this? We'll we're doing it! On Friday June 21st, join us for a fun night of crafts, drinks, food and pretty things!

We're going to have some drinks, paint some items, chat with the pros at fat paint and peruse the delicious eats & treats by Savoury City and Macarons Chez Moi!

We're going to put on our party dresses and grab a cocktail, because Jarusha Brown will be there to capture the action!

We are so excited to spend the night at FATpaint! See you there!

Are you ready to buy your ticket? Head on over to www.therefinerymag.com/events

WonderWeb: Free People - Boho & Indie Clothing

Once in a while when I am surfing the web, and in particular the wedding web (checking out things like BHLDN, or SMP, or Ruffled - my fav), you happen to find something by fluke chance. Today I was on 100 Layer Cake, a fantastic modern/vintage inspired blog, and they had the coolest wedding gown in one of the submitted weddings. I just had to find out where it was from!

Here is the link to that wedding and that particular gown: http://www.100layercake.com/blog/2013/06/04/bohemian-art-deco-wedding-inspiration/

In the photo notes it mentions Mara Hoffman as the designer, from the online retailer Free People, it included the links. I clicked, and then my eyes were opened. This gorgeous online store automatically made me think of anthropologie, one of my other favs, except for the thoroughly Boho girl. With designs for summer currently on their front page, and with this recent bout of good weather, i just had to share a few snaps of my favourites!

Head on over and take a quick look for yourself!

- A. xoxo

June 21st is our DIY NIGHT: the first of many!

We are so excited to be hosting our very first DIY night (of many to come!). 

We've got some amazing vendors on board, from Savoury City - who will cookin' up some eats & treats, and bringing some creative cocktails to the table, to All & Sundry who will be creating some amazing floral decorations, Confetti & Co who will be providing some fun decor pieces, Trove Vintage Rentals who are making the space comfortable & stylish and then we've got Macarons Chez Moi - and trust us, Tiffany's Macarons are to die for! 

AND, we have our beloved Jarusha of Jarusha Brown Photography capturing the entire evening! 

We have extended our early bird special until June 10th - where you can get your fourth ticket for free! Bring your girlfriends, bring your bridal party, bring your hubby if you like!

Have you bought your tickets yet? If not, make sure you get them before they go!

www.therefinerymag.com/events