Well, I went back to Spruce during the lunch hour on Valentine’s day, and man-oh-man were they swamped! Surprisingly, there weren’t lines of men at the counter as I had imagined (there were a few, but not hoards), but the store was overwhelmed with getting all of the deliveries out for the day — which makes sense now that I think about it. I had never pondered the coordination of sending out orders by a) time needed and b) geographic location and the puzzle that may be! Amy, the owner, explained that the lines of men I was expecting would probably arrive around 4:30 as they tend to pick up flowers after work.

I wish I could have gone back to the store then to shoot that, but my own man had a Valentine’s dinner surprise for me, so I didn’t make it back. Below are the photos I got during the lunch hour though. Man, what a lovely shop!

I’ve always wanted to do a photo essay on a local florist getting ready for the boom that is Valentine’s day, so I called up Amy over at Spruce this year. I love this flower shop — the design of  the store is impeccable, as is all of the logo work and even the address numbers above the door. As a designer, I really appreciate these small details.

But what I love most about her shop (besides the scent) is all of the air plants and succulents she offers. I’ve never been much of a flower girl, but I love a good arrangement/bouquet that is made up of more unusual things such as artichokes, kale, air plants and succulents. So Spruce was the perfect match for me!

Below are images from the staff getting the shop ready today. I also got to eavesdrop as Amy was doing a wedding consultation, and ladies? This woman knows her stuff. If you’re looking for a florist with a unique eye, check this shop out.

So January is a pretty slow month for weddings, but it allows me to shoot my *other* passion: local music. Lucky for me, the dead of winter is when a lot of new, local bands start playing more frequently since the larger touring bands are avoiding our frozen tundra like the plague.

It’s pretty rare for a concert photographer to also love shooting weddings, but I think it’s because my real passion lies in capturing emotion and mood — and both weddings and performances afford me this opportunity many times over. These photos are from the Current’s birthday party on Saturday night at First Avenue. That evening featured music from Haley Bonar, Sims, the Suicide Commandos and Poliça. Sims and Poliça are among my faves, so that was super fun!

So! Did you make it to the Found Event? Wow, was that a great time or what!? I don’t know about you guys, but I met a ton of great people that night. And man, anybody else still feeling guilty about all those delicious treats from Cocoa & Fig? Here are some photos from the evening.

Well hello there! I just wrapped up this December wedding, which was fun because the light and accessories are so different in these colder months (hello fur wraps!), but sadly it did not snow. I dream of the wedding that is surrounded by large, fluffy snow-globesque flakes. But I guess I’ll have to wait another year for that one.

Anyway, Katie and Nate were married at Bethlehem Lutheran Church with their reception at Silverlake nature center. Both were gorgeous venues and it was an amazing day. {Leslie}