Issue 04
THINE VENDORS THINE STORIES THINE WEDDINGS
TO INF INITY A N D B E YO N D 2022 feels like a breath of fresh air for so many reasons. For one, it's set to be one of the busiest wedding seasons in nearly two decades with vendors booking out incredibly quickly. After two long years of uncertainty things are starting to feel as though they are looking up for wedding businesses and couples alike. This issue we choose to focus on a more customized wedding experience. Within these pages you'll find our editorials full of fun add ons; everything from a vintage bathtub you can fill with just about anything (even yourself ), countless unique rental items, beautiful customized accessories and designs, boutique hotels, and even a live painting! Whether you're newly engaged or about to say I do, all us wedding industry folks are ready to embrace your vision to the fullest. Editor Juliana Jumper
Writer Riley Mortensen
Graphic Designer Michael Jumper
Cover & Back Cover Poetic Modern Art Collaboration
T hi ne Ven d ors | 3
venue Three Points, Skyline Rooftops coordination Fiore Events photography Juliana Noelle Jumper video Rushing Productions rentals Rustic Elegance Event Rental florals Blush and Blossoms Co. stationery & signage Little Yellow Leaf dessert Kate Smith Soiree cotton candy & glitter bombs Sugar + Sky vintage tub The Tipsy Tub live painting Courtney Kibby Designs dance instruction Redux Society bridal attire & accessories The One custom veils Veronica Couture tux Tip Top Tux
SKYLINE R O O F TO P S event venue | skylinerooftops.com
Skyline Rooftops offers four unique venues throughout urban Kansas City, each with beautiful skyline views. Ranging in size, Skyline Rooftop venues can accommodate events both large and small. With a flexible vendor policy, dedicated parking, and a generous rental period, Skyline Rooftops is sure to make your wedding day an experience to remember.
groom's accessories Ann-Marie Designs hair & makeup Naturally You Makeup Artistry models Brooklynn Meinke & Bryce Elder
T hi ne Ven d ors | 5
T hi ne Ven d ors | 7
Shelbie & Blaine “Watching Shelbie walk down the aisle towards me was the best moment of my life so far.” April 02, 2022
T hi ne Wed d ings | 11
venue The Pavilion Event Space planning As You Wish photography Kelsey Diane Photography florals Botanical Floral Design entertainment Fernando Productions catering Katie's Catering makeup Shanelise MUA colors
BOU TIQU E HOTEL ROU N D -U P unique spaces for your wedding day and wedding night
T hi ne S tori es | 13
With the rise of one-of-a-kind event spaces in Kansas City over the past few years, THINE took a few minutes to chat with some of our favorites about specifics and what sets them apart. While we found these spaces to each have their own differing personality, every venue centers around love for their couples and providing the best experience yet. Be on the lookout, Kansas City couples, your list of superb options may have just gotten a bit longer!
No Vacancy
Spenser Sight, Owner/Designer If you’re the couple searching for a perfectly cozy, extremely stylish, turn you over the keys for the weekend type set up to serve as the backdrop for your wedding day, look no further than No Vacancy. Tucked downtown on the corner of 18th and Wyandotte, this boutique option comes complete with eight studios, a common shared lounge and private courtyard access. Spenser Sight, the owner and designer behind No Vacancy, has taken the time to carefully hand-curate every studio, each with its own flare. Where did you get the idea for No Vacancy? It was really born out of the space. I bought the building in 2018. Most of the building made sense as retail and then this second story could have worked as offices or apartments, but I wanted to do something that was more community forward, community-oriented, so I put my house on Airbnb for a year and it went well, and… You put your personal house on Airbnb? Yep, with my girlfriend and my parents to test it out and make sure I wasn’t getting into something I didn’t want to be mixed up with, but it went swimmingly and scaling it up eight times really wasn’t that big of a leap because I already had systems in place. Can you talk a little bit about the design process for No Vacancy? It was really a matter of collecting pieces that I found
beautiful and unique and collecting them over the course of about a year. Once renovations were done, I brought all the pieces to the space and shuffled them around in the rooms until they felt right. It’s kind of ever changing. I’m always refining the space and bringing new furniture in and swapping it out and, you know, always bringing it to its fuller potential. Did you have a favorite part of the process? I just love sourcing. Just being on the hunt. It’s just always an adventure, and then styling those pieces together always brings me a lot of joy. What makes this an ideal space for weddings and elopements? The option to have sleeping quarters in addition to the venue, which I think is a unique offering. What separates this from other boutique hotels in Kansas City? The common area here. What we call the lounge. Guests who do the hotel buy-out option have unlimited and exclusive access to the lounge, so they can host as many events as they want, whether it’s rehearsal dinners, brunches, happy hours, etc. and they also get private access to the second story courtyard. What’s the capacity here? The space can accommodate 60, and sleep 17. Is there one studio in particular you like to give the couple? Studio three is definitely the fan favorite for couples. It’s a little bit bigger, it’s right on the corner, it’s got a lot of natural light and it’s got a wet bar in it, plus space for entertaining. Is there anything consistent as far as what type of couple books this space? Not really. I guess just a couple that has a discerning eye for design.
Crossroads Hotel
Sable Gladney, Catering Sales Manager Should you find yourself wanting a historical venue mixed with a posh neighborhood hangout, Crossroads Hotel might be just the right fit. Originally built in 1911 as the Pabst Blue Ribbon bottling warehouse, Crossroads Hotel was remodeled and reopened in 2018 and boasts an impressive 131 hotel rooms, two restaurants, a rooftop bar, an art gallery space, and, of course, several event spaces. What was once the office of famed Kansas City mob boss, Tom Pendergast, now hosts weddings of all shapes and sizes. What’s the capacity here? 150. How many weddings or elopements have you hosted here so far? Oh gosh, probably close to 100. If we’re including all the brides, grooms, wedding blocks, brunches and actual wedding couples that we’ve had come through though, probably 300-400. I usually have 3-4 couples every weekend. This year I think we have about 45 actual weddings, or
Crossroads Hotel by Juliana Noelle Jumper
we’re getting close to that number. That’s always the goal, at least one a week. Do you cap at all for the year? Not necessarily. It kind of depends on the scope of the event, but I do have dates still available for the fall season. I have a handful of Saturdays left, lots of Fridays and lots of Sundays. Because we’re open 24 hours a day and have the base of what you need, we can book pretty quickly. What’s the shortest turnaround time you can do then? For a cocktail reception, I can do two weeks. Honestly, I do have really short term bookings. For a wedding, I usually like to give three months, but I’m working on events for July, so it just depends on what the couple is looking for. What makes this an ideal space for weddings and elopements? I think that it’s unique in the way that we have the base of what you need and the ability to add on all of those extra special things, and because
T hi ne S tori es | 15
of the amount of spaces that we have on the property that can be utilized, you can really customize the flow of the event to make sense for what the couple does and doesn’t want. In addition to that, we are sort of three of your vendors all in one because we’re your space, we’re most of your equipment rental and we’re your food and beverage. Because of our ties to the community and all of the vendors around us, I do have a pretty big vendor base that I can make recommendations if need be, but we’re not restrictive in what vendors people can use. I also think that because our culinary team is on-site, we can really customize your bar and beverage and your food service to exactly what you want, whether that be a simple heavy appetizer station or a five course plated meal. What separates this from other boutique hotels in Kansas City? What I think is different about the Crossroads is that in addition to our event spaces and our rooms, we’re really a lifestyle hotel so we’re constantly generating new events, new ideas and new activations in our spaces to bring Kansas City to life. I think that it is a true picture of what it means to live in Kansas City and to enjoy time here. We have yoga every Saturday morning and run club every Tuesday night. We’re doing a whole Percheron concert series and really focusing on local artisans and local purveyors of whatever it might be, bringing them into the space and highlighting them to our hotel guests, locals and transient guests alike. When you’re booking your event here, you’re booking sort of a whole weekend experience rather than booking a venue to host an event. We can customize the weekend experience for your guests even further by incorporating a private yoga class, or incorporating a wine tasting the night before your event, or a noon jog the morning after your event. What type of couple gets married at the Crossroads Hotel? I think the aesthetic of the building is rustic, to a certain extent,
with modern finishes, so the moodiness of this building really lends itself to someone who’s wanting a cozy vibe to their event; however, while there’s a lot of architecture in all of our spaces, everything can truly be transformed with lighting and floral, so it’s not to discourage a light and airy feel to a wedding either. But I think in the initial picture of how you view the space, it’s really that comfortable warm feeling to the wedding. Are there any added bonuses you throw on for couples getting married here? We typically do champagne in the room, extended check out time, cozy bathrobes and slippers. During the planning process we make sure to do tastings of both food and bar services to enjoy time in our restaurant outlets. Anyone who’s staying on the property during a wedding weekend will also get a PBR when they check in. It also depends on the couple. Everyone’s a bit different, so if I know that I have a couple who really loves pizza, then sometimes a pizza gets sent up after the wedding, or a specific glass of wine, or floral. Again, each couple is different on what they say is important to them and I try to keep note of that so that on that weekend, there’s that little something special going up to their space.
Hotel Kansas City
Sarah Devault Beck, Director of Sales and Marketing When it comes to stunning classic features, modern notes, nostalgic moments and just the right amount of cool, we think of Hotel Kansas City. This Kansas City staple is seeking perfection every step of the way. From their farm to table ingredients to your choice of flawless interior spaces, couples who get married in this space will find no detail goes unnoticed. How many weddings or elopements have you hosted here so far? Close to 75. A lot. A lot of weekends we have two. The goal is to have two on Friday, two on Saturday and
two on Sunday. We’ve not done that, but we’ve had many weekends where we’ve had two on Saturday and one on Friday. And then, we have had a lot of, believe it or not, quite a few destination. We’re home to destination weddings of people whether it’s just a really good spot or someone grew up here, but doesn’t live here anymore. What’s the capacity here? Our largest [capacity] is 400. What separates this from other boutique hotels in Kansas City? The event space is like nothing you’ve ever seen. Every boutique hotel has a unique space, but this was the Kansas City Club prior to opening as a hotel or event space. This was made to host different food and beverage experiences. It took four years to build this building. It started in 1918, and it was opened in May 1922, so we are about to turn 100. There was no expense spared. This was the most luxurious building built in Kansas City during the roaring 20s. What’s your favorite part of helping plan the weddings? Seeing the room before the bride does. Seeing the vision brought to life, I mean, there’s some serious stuff. Just follow us on social media. What kind of couple gets married here? I would say it’s a couple that has a vision and wants a very upscale experience. A couple that wants perfection. Are there any vendors you work with exclusively? A couple can bring in whoever they want; however, I would say 99% of people, as soon as they sign the contract and are in the planning phase, they want to know what vendors we recommend. They know that we work with vendors all the time and usually the bride that’s here is not really a super strict budget bride, so they’re not
looking for price as much as they’re looking for experience, product and everything. Are there any added bonuses you throw on for couples getting married here? We give a complimentary King Loft Suite for two nights. That is a two-story; there’s a big huge staircase, a two-story lofted suite that has a half bath and a full bath, so plenty of space to get ready. We do complimentary cake cutting. We do a tasting. [Our tasting] is something that makes us very unique, I think. Every wedding that takes place here has a specific menu that is made for them based off of a flavor profile. As we’re going through the planning phase, we send a questionnaire and it’s got questions on it like ‘what are foods you like, what are foods you don’t like, are you an adventurous eater, do you like spicy food, give us your top five favorite restaurants, what things do you like there, and any food allergies?’ If the bride’s gluten free, we’ll make the entire meal gluten free, you know what I mean? Then [we create] the flavor profile, and the bride and groom, about three months out, because everything is based off of what is seasonal at the time, do a tasting. We don’t really have wedding menus because each bride and groom has a custom menu created for them and I know no one else does that. You get what you pay for. I have learned that over the years. Is there a favorite wedding or a favorite memory from any wedding that you’ve worked here over the past two years? I do have a client that was my first phone call when I started in February of 2020. The wedding has not happened yet; however, we’ve been planning this for it’ll be almost three years and she, this mother of the bride, has met with me and brought gifts for my children, gifts for me, we send each other Christmas cards and little recipes, so that’s just one of many examples of the bond that you make with your clients.
T hi ne S tori es | 17
21c Museum Hotel by Juliana Noelle Jumper
21c Museum Hotel Kansas City
Vanessa Heathcock, Event Sales Manager And, last but not least, if you’d like to get married in a true art gallery, 21c is the spot for you! Voted Conde Nast Traveler’s 2021 Reader’s Choice Awards number one hotel in the midwest, 21c is the perfect combination of thrilling cuisine, libations and gallery upon gallery of world class contemporary art. With locations all across the US, 21c Hotels make sure to highlight the history of each community they immerse themselves in, with Kansas City being no exception. 21c purchased and rehabilitated what was formerly the historic Savoy Hotel and Grill, built in 1888 and known as the oldest continuously operating hotel west of the Mississippi River until it was closed in 2016 for renovations. What makes this an ideal space for weddings and elopements? It’s a completely different space. I think it gives your guests a complete experience, not only with the culinary aspect to it, but you get to be in
a really historic space amongst art that’s very provocative. I find a lot of people when they attend events look at the art and it sparks their interest, and I often see them going over to read about it. I also think the location. Then you’ve got the whole element of the galleries that are very light, but The Savoy space which is very moody. I just think it’s a really unique space. What’s the capacity here? The largest wedding I have upcoming is about 125. What separates this from other boutique hotels in Kansas City? Well, I think because we’re an art gallery. It’s like having your event at the Nelson-Atkins Museum, or something. We’re an art gallery and we’re always changing. Our main exhibit changes out typically every 8-10 months, but then we also have art on floors and then we have this really great video room. Basically, everything is always evolving and changing. I also think the culture of 21c, like the brand and what they’re about. We’re a member of the Mid-America LGBT Chamber
of Commerce and we make it very well known that we’re open to any kind of style of wedding and supportive of the community, which I think is what the whole culture of 21c is about. If you had to explain what 21c is about then, what would you say? Well, their idea was they collected all this beautiful, beautiful contemporary art and they wanted a place to put it where people could see it and go get this really wonderful food and cuisine and these super unique cocktails and walk around and be amongst the art. And of course, the art is covered and protected, but it’s meant to be a place where you walk around with your glass of wine and you are basically one with the art. What kind of couple gets married here? I would say it’s couples that are more artistic and open and want something different. We get a lot of couples who have been to The Savoy and loved it and then when they see the galleries they’re like, “I didn’t even know this gem was here,” and vice versa. Do you have any exclusive vendors you work with or can a couple bring in anybody? We have preferred vendors that
we recommend, so right off the bat, even in the beginning stages of planning, I ask them if they like our recommendations. If they do hire their own vendor, we just want to make sure that they’re licensed if they need to be. I gather all of those details. I connect with their vendors, for instance, a big one is rental companies. I'll definitely connect with the rental company and make sure they know we do not assemble their equipment. We accommodate where we can, but I try to be forthcoming so there are no miscommunications. Do you have a favorite wedding or a favorite memory from a wedding you’ve worked here? Oh, that’s hard. I feel honestly like all the couples I’ve worked with are extremely cool. Very nice, very respectable of your time and just easy to work with. I did have a wedding this past October that they were absolutely lovely. They had a ceremony for about 65, ceremony, reception, room block and their breakfast here.
T hi ne S tori es | 19
ribbon Shy Myrtle venue 21c Museum Hotel photography Juliana Noelle Jumper rentals Good Stuff China acrylic pedestals & linens Ultrapom florals The Cottage Rose stationery The Authentic Hand
SH Y M Y RTL E ribbon | @shymyrtle
Shy Myrtle is a luxury ribbon shop containing thousands of color and material options perfect for every wedding day detail. Shy Myrtle’s collection adds luxury and refinement to any tablescape design, stationery suite, wedding attire, or even to wrap those 'oh so important' thank you gifts. With countless uses and numerous designs, Shy Myrtle ribbon adds a special touch of elegance to any wedding day detail.
dessert Classic Cakes gown Gown Gallery custom headpiece Veronica Couture hair & makeup Hello Lovely model Rhea Pettiford
T hi ne Ven d ors | 21
T hi ne Ven d ors | 23
Brianna & Tanner “My favorite aspects of our wedding day were the moments we sat aside for Tanner and I to share together.” November 6, 2021
venue The Bardot planning As You Wish photography Ashley Ice Photography video Her Third Eye Productions rentals Ultrapom china Good Stuff China florals Solstice Floral Studio signage Script Your Event stationery Yellow Brick Graphics cake Water to Wheat Cakery catering Garozzo's entertainment Elite Events transportation Showtime Transportation gown Gown Gallery veil & gloves Veronica Couture jewelry Ann-Marie Designs tux Generations Tux hair & makeup Shanelise MUA
T hi ne Wed d ings | 27
colors
photography Juliana Noelle Jumper venue Kansas City Club video Rushing Productions rentals Good Stuff China linens Ultrapom florals Solstice Floral Studio stationery Ellipsis Design Co. cake Classic Cakes cotton candy Sugar + Sky
JU L IA NA NO EL LE J U M P E R photography | juliananoellejumper.com
Juliana Noelle Jumper is a wedding and event photographer with a contemporary fine art style. Perfect for the unconventional or nontraditional couple, Juliana Noelle Jumper is constantly searching for unique, elegant, and somewhat brooding perspectives when capturing your wedding day.
gown True Society custom veil Veronica Couture jewelry Ann-Marie Designs model Rachel Eames
T hi ne Ven d ors | 29
T hi ne Ven d ors | 31
W EDDI NG STOR I E S 101 the details of each vendor’s day paints a picture of not only a cheerful celebration, but a lesson or two they’d like to pass on.
T hi ne S tori es | 33
Juliana Jumper, Juliana Noelle Jumper Photography Juliana Noelle Jumper is a destination wedding photographer based in Kansas City. Jumper’s moody style takes an editorial approach in capturing each wedding day by creating careful composition of moments both large and small. When did your husband propose? It was early February 2016, but we kind of just sat on planning for a few months. We spent a year planning almost exactly to the date of our wedding in April of the next year. How would you describe the overall vibe or theme? What were your colors? It was when 'minimalist chic' was really popular, but we put a more turn of the century vintage twist on it. There were a lot of antique aspects that were very intentional and very well-curated. A lot of brass candlesticks, drippy candles, stuff like that. I borrowed a lot of my mom’s knick knacks and family heirlooms to incorporate into our table decor. Our colors were dove gray, light blue, cream, and sage as I remember it. Walk me through your wedding day: Wow. I don’t really even remember. I got up. I was with my mom. I know I wasn’t with Michael. I think I was just with her, but we didn’t have to go and get ready until like 4pm or 5pm, so I took a nap and ate Taco Bueno at some point. It was not that exciting. I didn’t have a bridal party so I wasn’t rounding a bunch of people up. The night before though, at the rehearsal dinner, it poured down rain the entire time. I remember feeling stressed out about the weather and how cold it was going to be. I think maybe I got my nails done, but that also might have been the day before. I know I ate Taco Bueno and I know I took a nap; those are the two definites. I went around 4pm or 5pm and got my hair and makeup done. Then
I went to the venue and got ready and got married. It was not anything like the days I usually photograph. Talk to me about the photography aspect of your wedding: I wasn’t a photographer at the time. I didn’t even know that I wanted to do wedding photography. This was really my first introduction into the wedding world and all I knew was that I hated everything; therefore, the photography aspect was incredibly difficult. I knew that I was drawn to a darker style, but I had a very, very strict budget that I had to stay within. We did get someone I adored and the photos are absolutely beautiful. She had a more true to life, saturated style that feels much more classic than my own. I wanted something a little bit more editorial, but it just didn't work out with the region, and that style just wasn’t as prevalent at the time as it is now. We actually had our photographer travel from Fayetteville to Tulsa for the wedding. She wasn’t even local. I think I looked at probably 600+ photographers within four different states trying to find someone who fit the bill. I looked at so many, you don’t even understand. I was so picky. We ended up booking her for a mere six hours the day of the wedding, and then two hours the next day for an additional portrait session. Didn’t you shoot your first wedding that same year? I did. My first wedding was September 2017. Five months later, I shot a friend’s wedding in Minnesota in her family's greenhouse. It was kind of a fluke that happened. What kinds of flowers did you have? We actually didn't have a wedding party so I could have a larger floral budget. My bouquet was insane. It was huge and it had a gigantic pink king protea in it. I also had garden roses, a lot of greenery, blue thistle, and anemone.
For me, getting married in Spring, a big part of the wedding was having fresh floral and being able to afford it. We ended up with my huge bouquet and a floor floral install that was a semi-circle of foliage on the stage. What kind of cake did you have? That’s a great question. I know the groom’s cake was red velvet. Honestly, I don’t really know. I think it was vanilla with a strawberry ribbon through it, but I’m not 100 percent on that. I remember everyone liked it! Did you do first dances? We did do first dances and it was super anticlimactic. We were supposed to waltz and we got off count because of a dip in the dance floor. We could never get back on step so we ended up slow dancing to a super quick paced waltz. I was so embarrassed. The first dance was a massive flop. What traditions did you throw out as far as the reception and such? I did a bouquet toss, but not a garter. We didn’t really have a grand entrance to the reception. We didn’t have a DJ. I had my mom walk me down the aisle instead of my dad, and also insisted on doing first dances with both of them. And the whole wedding party, we threw that out obviously. We basically just wanted a dinner party. What are some of your favorite memories from the day? My mom and dad are divorced, and there’s several kids of the same age on either side of the family who had never met. Watching them interact was hysterically funny. My cousin from one side during the father-daughter dance was like “Who’s that man she’s dancing with? Who even is that?!” and my niece from the other side was like “That’s her dad, duh.” That same niece also decided she had married one of my twin cousins from the other side of my family who she danced with all night. They were just really funny interacting. I also loved our cake topper. It was two cats. We had five cats at the time, and that was a
whole big part of us as a couple. There were little cat features hidden throughout the wedding. Our guests and vendors got into it as well. Our photographer came in wearing cat patterned sneakers and my niece wore really cute cat ears to the reception. My good friend gifted us a painting she made of all our cats. But probably my favorite memories with Michael were the next day when we did our portrait session, and then we got to open our presents and stuff because at the actual wedding I was super anxious. I didn’t eat at my wedding, I couldn't eat. I was not used to being the center of attention at that point. It made me super uncomfortable. Now that you’ve been in the wedding world for a while, how have you seen them change since your wedding? That’s a really hard comparison because a lot of the weddings I shoot have a much larger budget than the wedding that I had. A lot more focus is put on guest experience now, I feel like. I feel like my wedding was much, much more simple, but here again, part of it was that I had to stick to my budget. If I were to be throwing the same wedding today, I probably would prioritize things differently, like I might get a dessert bar in lieu of a cake. I would definitely prioritize the DJ. I also had two gowns neither of which was particularly comfortable. I’m never doing that again. It’s definitely more guest oriented and all these fun add-ons weren’t nearly as popular. Also a more editorial style photography-wise. The style that I was looking for, exists now. It also should be pointed out that I got married in a different town. Regionally it’s a lot different in Tulsa, OK, which you really wouldn’t think it would be that different since it’s only four hours from here, but it is. It’s much more traditional and has a more southern feel than Kansas City weddings. Any advice you would give to anyone planning a wedding? My advice is to have a 'day after' session if you’re worried about your portraits because that massively simplified our timeline. It’s not something you see a
T hi ne Ven d ors | 35
lot. It allows you to shoot at a place that you normally wouldn’t have. I wanted to get married in a greenhouse, and we just could
not work out the logistics of it, so we ended up shooting the next day at a greenhouse and, of course, those are the photos I love.
photos by Grace Starr Photography
Spouse’s name? Michael
Where? Glass Chapel in Tulsa, OK
When did you get married? April 22, 2017
What time was your wedding? 7 p.m. or a little later. Right before sunset.
rentals Rustic Elegance Event Rental venue The Gatsby on Oak coordination 73 Productions photography Juliana Noelle Jumper video Rushing Productions florals Brittany Blooms stationery Alexis B. dessert Eclairs de la Lune bridal attire Stephanie's Bridal Boutique custom headpeice Veronica Couture
RUST IC EL EG A NC E E V E N T RE N TAL event rentals | rusticeleganceeventrental.com
Rustic Elegance Event Rental is a wedding rental and design company with an eclectic, creative vision. With a vast stock of hand selected vintage and vintage style items, Rustic Elegance creates beautiful custom tablescapes, lounge seating areas, and ceremony setups. Perfect for all couples looking to add a unique touch of individuality to their wedding celebration.
jewelry Coki Bijoux menswear Stephanie's Bridal Boutique hair & makeup Hello Lovely models Lauren Diec & Manny Shaffie
T hi ne Ven d ors | 37
W EDDI NG I N DUSTRY I NCLUSI V IT Y The Lumen Studios LGBTQ+ Inclusive Vendor List continues to grow and see success in Kansas City and beyond!
T hi ne S tori es | 41
Chelsie Lumen and the Lumen Studios are on a mission to help couples find more inclusive wedding options and help vendors be better allies. When Chelsie Lumen (they/she) got married, what was supposed to be one of the happiest days of their life quickly devolved into a heartbreaking affair. Lumen and their wife, Tori (they/she), had a terrible experience with a photographer that showed up to their wedding in sweatpants and Ugg boots, was difficult to communicate with, and delivered a meager 95 photos of their wedding day four months late. Lumen said the day was difficult for a number of reasons, but to have such a poor experience with their wedding photographer to top it all off was a terrible feeling. On the flip side, Lumen said their wedding video, which was done by a friend for free, and partially shot on his iPhone, turned out absolutely adorable and is their favorite snapshot of the day. After the wedding, one thing led to another and in May of 2017, Tori and Chelsie found themselves shooting a wedding video themselves together for their first client. Tori, a filmmaker since the age of 8, studied film in college, so the stretch wasn’t too bold. Chelsie, however, had spent little time with a video camera in hand, but decided to give it a shot anyway. Chelsie said the day went really well, and they’re immensely proud of that first video. From there, things took off and the two formed their wedding videography company The Lumen Studios. Fast forward a few years and Chelsie and Tori had moved to Kansas City just one day before the 2020 spring Covid lockdown. As the Lumens began to settle into their new home amongst the Covid restrictions and a wedding cancellation frenzy, Chelsie, who was at the time also working at Starbucks, received an early morning
text in autumn of 2020 that made their wedding day blues heart sink all over again. A friend had asked if Chelsie had seen a post circulating the Kansas City wedding scene. The post recounted a homophobic incident a queer couple had experienced with a local vendor when inquiring for their wedding. The couple, along with the original poster, who was a sister of one of the girls, were understandably extremely hurt and upset. Chelsie, who was still quite tired and on the way to work, hopped on their Instagram stories to talk about the post and then went to work as usual. When Lumen got off of their shift around noon, they opened Instagram to find an outpouring of love and support. Some people had even venmo’d them money to “have a coffee on them”, but Lumen, who was fortunately already quite happily caffeinated from work, decided to donate the money to the Trevor Project, and told their followers they’d be accepting donations for the next 24 hours. Lumen said over the next day, they raised $1,000. Lumen also said they started receiving multiple messages from venues, photographers, DJs, rental companies and beyond volunteering their services for little to no money to help the couple from the original post have the best wedding day ever. “There were so many people that showed up in my inbox wanting to help lessen that pain, or be supportive, or be a safe place to land,” Lumen said. “That’s sort of where the idea for the vendor list came into play.” Lumen started keeping track of the wedding professionals who had reached out, feeling they should be highlighted in some way, and blogged about the whole experience wanting to help others who might also be working through their feelings.
“Every time I read a story about a homophobic vendor, it hurts me too, as a queer person who experienced and had a crappy wedding and was so heartbroken by it,” Lumen said. Lumen said the vendor list was the one glimmer of hope through the entire incident. After the original blog post appeared, Lumen began to get more and more vendors asking to be added to the list. They eventually added a tab on their website dedicated to the list as it was easier to keep up with than a blog post. Lumen said the list has continued to grow and grow and they now have 26 or 27 states represented. Lumen said they try to mention the list on their Instagram stories once every few months to keep spreading the word. What’s different about Lumen’s list is that unlike several lists out on the internet currently, this list is completely free. Lumen has also made the criteria to appear on the list as accessible as possible, with free education on how to meet these criteria included. Lumen’s criteria includes the vendor having a gender inclusive website (little to no bride or groom language), being a proud ally with visible evidence of this on their website and social media, and having queer representation visible on your website and social media, if possible. Lumen said they often get messages from vendors worried they aren’t inclusive enough or doing enough to be included on the list, but Lumen is always happy to have conversations about ways to be inclusive, especially if they’re lacking photos or work directly with a queer couple. “I think having affirming elements on your website and social media will make up that gap if you don’t have the portfolio to support it,” Lumen said. “So things like having pronouns in your bio, asking for
pronouns on your contact form, having an inclusivity statement on your website or instagram bios, sharing queer vendors' work.” As the list continues to grow, Lumen hopes going forward to have representation from all 50 states and to see more variety in the types of vendors on the list, especially when it comes to venues. The Lumens, who recently relocated to New England, have a plethora of vendors from the Kansas and Missouri area and want to see just as many vendors from other states as time goes by. Lumen says it’s important to remember that vendors in the wedding industry are entrusted to celebrate love, the one thing that connects us all. “There’s so much goodness in that, and trying to take that goodness away from anybody for any reason is not ok,” Lumen said. Sadly, Lumen also mentioned the couple from the original post in 2020 have still not gotten married. Lumen said since the original incident, the couple hasn’t felt good about wedding planning and have been too scared to reach out to vendors again. As couples look for inclusive vendors, aside from visiting the list, Lumen says it’s important to find vendors you like, look for efforts to be inclusive on their website and social media, and ultimately, go with your gut. “Unfortunately, we ignored every red flag and every instinct we had about our photographer and it did blow up in our faces,” Lumen said. Lumen said one of the best feelings is when queer couples message her saying they found their vendors through the list. Lumens says they’ve had couples lean on the list for nearly their entire vendor line up, and it’s so nice to see the list start to have more success.
T hi ne S tori es | 43
Ultimately, Lumen says this experience really highlights the good in the Kansas City community, and although they’ve moved away, Kansas City will always have a place in their hearts. “We’ll always have so much love and respect for the Kansas City community because they stepped up for those two girls,” Lumen said. “The amount of
outpouring and love, support, and quite frankly, outrage even, was incredible.” If you are a vendor wanting to appear on the LGBTQ+ Vendor List or a couple looking for inclusive vendors, visit thelumenstudios.com for more information or email Chelsie with questions, comments or concerns at chelsie@thelumenstudios.com.
photo by Tia Nash Photography
photo by Caitlyn Cloud Photography
Tara & Payton “Payton and I come from very different backgrounds, and we also have very different friend groups, so the actual event was a really interesting mix of a lot of different kinds of people. People that wouldn't ordinarily come in contact with each other were able to find commonalities.” March 25, 2022
T hi ne Wed d ings | 47
venue The Bride & The Bauer coordination & decor Glitz by Brit photography Juliana Noelle Jumper florals Good Earth Floral Design Studio dessert Blue Thistle Cakes caterer KC Chef's Touch entertainment DJ Fresh gown True Society colors
M A K I NG A W EDDI NG G OW N an intimate look at one designer's process and inspiration behind the tulle and lace
T hi ne S tori es | 49
When it comes to dream jobs, fashion designer is always a chart topping choice. For fashion designer Marlon Costa, a senior designer at Essense of Australia, wedding gown designer is his dream job and reality all wrapped up in one. Costa, who studied at the Massachusetts School of Art and Design in the fashion program, says he “grew up between pins and needles,” with a father who was a tailor and a mother who was a hairdresser and makeup artist. Costa remembers having every fashion magazine you could think of in the house as a kid and even learning to read and trace his first patterns from those magazines. “I didn’t really choose to be a designer,” Costa said. “This kind of chose me. It happened to me.” Costa, who is originally from Brazil, has been in the fashion industry formally since the age of 18 when he got his first job designing evening wear. Since then he’s worked in swim wear, fitness, fastfashion, and everything in between, but none of them have held a candle to bridal. “There’s so much more significance to designing a wedding gown,” Costa said. “To a bride, it’s something she’s going to remember for the rest of her life, and sometimes generations after that.” So how long does a marvel like this take? Costa says to take a dress from a concept to an actual sample takes about a year. The process, he explained, begins by researching and conceptualizing. From there he sketches the idea and discusses it with his creative director. Together, they decide the direction to go with the design and begin working on a technical package. Next he works with the office in Australia to
develop the piece and technical designers for further refinement, and once the first sample is fully made and approved, it goes to other departments like the photo team to move it down the line to stores. That’s just the short version. Not to mention the challenges designing a full year in advance can bring about. As far as upcoming trends, Costa says sitting down to discuss trends is definitely not something that happens. Because of Essense of Australia’s presence as a prominent label in the bridal segment, sometimes they can’t help but set trends, or at the least popularize and spread them. When it comes to inspiration for his designs, Costa says he’s a little sponge. He stays plugged in to social media, pop culture, the runway, couture shows, the fashion of older eras, and much more. He also goes to stores to speak directly with brides and absorb as much information from them as he can. “I put all of this together in a big pan and I toss it and the ideas come to me,” Costa says. “There’s no formula for creativity, at least not for me. It’s very spontaneous and it can come at any moment from anywhere, but it’s crucial that you stay plugged into everything.” Understanding how people are behaving in culture and what’s happening to influence their tastes, needs and wants is extremely important when it comes to design, says Costa whose office is filled with sketches, laces, printed designs and mood boards. “No one buys a wedding gown the same way they buy a pair of jeans,” Costa continued. “When they’re shopping, they’re not really shopping for wedding gowns, they’re shopping for an emotion.” Costa says often brides come into a shop with a specific idea of what they might be looking
for, but often leave with something completely different, so it’s not exactly a rational decision, it’s very much about a feeling. “If a gown makes them feel beautiful, makes them feel like a bride, then that’s
what they’ll buy,” Costa said. “So just witnessing that is the most satisfying thing. It makes everything worth it for me.”
T hi ne S tori es | 51
I NSPI R I NG LOV E East of the Sun and West of the Moon In our Inspiring Love series, we create editorials inspired by classic stories of love. East of the Sun and West of the Moon is a Norwegian folktale in which a heroine rescues her betrothed, who is cursed to take the form of a bear by day, from a kingdom of trolls. Upon being reunited with her beloved they together defeat the trolls, break the curse, and are wed. East of the Sun and West of Moon has long been a tale of which we've discussed at THINE. When interpreting this tale into an editorial we wanted to bypass strictly
recounting the narrative and instead choose to focus on the heroine's journey through the forest in search of her partner's captors. By use of ethereal details, nontraditional floral installation, and lots of cotton candy in lieu of snow, we were able to create a series of vignettes that brought forth the feel of a forest right on the cusp of Spring. Much like the heroine, we selected bridal details that felt ethereal, earthly, and as though they could've been plucked straight from a fairytale.
T hi ne Ven d ors | 53
photography Juliana Noelle Jumper venue Kansas City Club video Rushing Productions rentals Good Stuff China linens Ultrapom florals Solstice Floral Studio stationery Ellipsis Design Co. cake Classic Cakes cotton candy Sugar + Sky gown True Society custom veil Veronica Couture jewelry Ann-Marie Designs model Rachel Eames
T hi ne S tori es | 55
Lydia & Johnathon “I will never forget the moment my dad turned around and for the third time in my life I saw him cry when he saw me in my dress. I will hold that memory forever in my heart.” August 28, 2021
T hi ne Wed d ings | 59
venue The Meadowlark Event Center photography Mallorie McBride Photography videography Anchored Media entertainment DJs by Design catering Las Gordas gown Vintage alterations The Artful Dressmaker hair Bella Marie Artistry colors