Tamara Menges Where Design and Lifestyle Meet
Winter/Spring 2014 Issue 3
Hi there! I can’t believe this is our third issue already! It has been amazing to watch God’s goodness this past year, with all the amazing couples and opportunites that have come our way. We give all the glory to Him and can’t wait to see what He has in store for us this year! This past year, Kason joined TMD (legally) when we became Tamara Menges Designs, LLC. He’s always been a huge part and my biggest support system, but now it’s offical, he’s the VP y’all! We are hoping our marriage and partnership is seen as a light for God’s goodness and pray it serves as our witness with our couples that we interact with, with vendors, and anyone else who may cross our path at any given time. We truly hope you enjoy our newest issue featuring some of our favorite events, weddings, and shoots! In His love,
Tamara and Kason
Jessica, Social Media Director. Jessica joined TMD after our relaunch in August. She is the one responsible for keeping our facebook and pinterest boards updated with all those pretty images of our work from our favorite photographers, and also writes some blog posts! Cover image by Christa Elyce Photography- See more from this shoot on Page 16
What’s inside y’all:
5 Tamara Menges Lifestyle 6 Real Life 8 Saira and Faizaan 12 Krista and Brice 16 Kate Spade Styled Shoot 20 Well Groomed 22 Alicia and Bryant 26 New Year’s Shoot 28 Radiant Orchid 30 Erin and Chris 34 Gratitude
Image by Ruth Eileen Photography
Have ya heard?! In our June issue we gave a sneak peek of our new branding, that was finalized by KD Creative Studio in August! Have you had a chance to peruse about on our new site?
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www.tamaramenges.com
Introducing:
As we are entering a new season of life and love, we have since become fond of the idea of featuring other topics on The Blog. We still love to feature our floral and weddings, but we also want to give our readers more. So a few weeks ago we introduced Tamara Menges Lifestyle. Same site, but each week we will be featuring some fun topics that everyone can find something they enjoy!
Currently on the blog weekly:
Fitness Wednesdays Fashion Fridays Coming Soon:
Marriage Monday
Returning Soon:
Transparent Tuesday Design Thursday
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Real Life: Marriage We certainly don’t have life figured out, nor do we even pretend to have marriage figured out. Each marriage is unique in it’s own way, just as God created each of us the same way individually. Each marriage has different struggles and different celebrations, but successful marriages have many things in common. Kason and I are actually working with some special people in the next few months to begin ministering with other couples. We will also be further discussing more marital topics when we begin “Marriage Monday” on The Blog. So for now here’s a little sneak peek of what’s to come!
God centered:
We fully embrace that God is who blesses our marriage, not us. God equips us with patience, grace, and love. He also provides safety for both us, and continues to provide and meet each of our needs. Therefore, we honor God by continually fighting against the world to ensure our marriage is a light for Him. We also pray together multiple times a day, and we are even reading the whole Bible together this year!
Communication:
In the past there were evenings when we would be both be home, and sit in front of the t.v. until bedtime and barely utter a word to each other. However, we broke that habit and now greet each other when we get home, pause whatever we are doing and discuss our days. Easy enough right?
Apology Accepted:
We say I’m sorry, a lot. Even if we didn’t really do anything wrong or to upset the other. And we do it immediately and sincerely. If one of us is irritated and says or acts in an unkind way, we recognize it and own it. It’s a hard habit to get into, but one that is ultra-important.
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Our Time: We have a new rule that we adopted, I think before Christmas. We have a table by our front door where we “turn our cell phones in” from 5-9 pm. We don’t check them, and instead we reconnect with each other after the work day.
No t.v.’s allowed:
We took our tv out of our bedroom. Oh man y’all. This one I never thought would happen. I had always wanted to, but I also really enjoyed snuggling in bed watching movies. However, in November when we didn’t watch t.v. at all, we realized that we could survive without it at bedtime. In doing this, our bedroom is serene and intimate and literally just about us.
We strive to outserve one another:
We enjoy serving each other. Whether it’s simply showing kindess to each other, or not raising our voices. I also enjoy literally serving him with dinner, and even folding his socks. Kason has also become much quicker at accomplishing honey-do’s when I ask. It’s all about gratitude and joy. Image by Christa Elyce Photography
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Real Wedding
Images by Morgan Lynn Photography
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Saira and Faizaan
April 5, 2013 With Natalie Dawley of Two Be Wed At Chateau Cocomar It started with a beautiful bride from New York CIty, an impeccable design from Two Be Wed, and an over-the-top venue in Houston and the stage was set for an incredible April wedding. Natalie invited us to collaborate for Saira and Faizaan’s French garden wedding and we are just thrilled with how Morgan Lynn’s images turned out! 9
Morgan Lynn Photography
Real Wedding Images by Archetype
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Krista and Brice March 30, 2013
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h my vintage purple ombre’d goodness! Krista and Brice tied the knot under a gorgeous tree on her family’s ranch overlooking a picturesque pasture full of grazing sheep! We had the pleasure of collaborating on every aspect of designing these stunning nuptials with our very good friends Terilyn and Koby of Archetype. Koby is actually Krista’s big brother so she completely trusted the three of us to give her a picture perfect fete that landed on the pages of The Knot Texas magazine!
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Inspired By:
kate spade Images by Christa Elyce Photography
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Kate Spade is a brand that is known world-wide so when our friends Natalie Dawley of Two Be Wed and Christa Neal of Christa Elyce Photography invited us to provide floral for a shoot inspired by Ms. Spade, you know we had to be a part! The rooftop of Hotel Icon in downtown Houston was our setting, and some other phenominal vendors were enlisted to pull this shoot off, a shoot I am pretty sure Kate Spade herself would love. Vendors: Christa Elyce Photography. Two Be Wed. Sugary and Chic Cake Boutique. Over The Top Linens. Hotel Icon. Gold Fox Paper.
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Well Groomed I love when we get the chance to work with the bride and the groom mainly because I enjoy seeing them work together, and including each other in the planning process. We chatted with a few of our grooms who were part of the planning process just as much as their blushing bride. What advice do you have for a newly engaged couple? Based on your own experience, would you advise the groom to get involved in the planning process? “Don't lose sight of the fact that they details are not as important as building a strong foundation for marriage, which is more than just a wedding day. Grooms should definitely get involved. Planning is more than just the bride's job and it is a great way to delve into an area that most women spend a lot of time thinking about. If you care about your bride then it is important to care about the things she cares about. Of course, at the end of the day it is all worth it� Image by Archetype
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Casey and Vanessa Johnson
What detail was the most important to you? "That the Gospel would be heard by our friends and families. We wanted more than anything for God to use our love and our special day for His glory. The decorations, flowers, food, and everything else was important, but the most beautiful detail of our wedding was something that did not cost us a penny!" Image by Jake Holt
Brad and Miranda Hadamik
What is your favorite memory of y’alls wedding day? “I had several special moments from our wedding but my favorite was “the first look”. Being able to see my bride for the first time in her dress was breathtaking and helped to ease the tension that I was feeling on our big day. That moment is something that I will remember for the rest of my life because it was just us on a day where there are so many people.”
Image by Archetype
Brandon and Courtney Siegmund 21
Real Wedding Images by Archetype
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Alicia + Bryant
What a sweet southern couple Alicia and Bryant are! Natalie knew we would hit it off when she referred them to us for floral! We suprised Alicia with “Juliet” David Austin Roses that we flew in from California specially for her maids to carry on her big day! And when she screamed “their perfect!” we knew we made the right call!
Gardens of Bammel Lane May 11, 2013 With Natalie Dawley of Two Be Wed
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RECENT PRESS:
Style Me Pretty
Images by Ruth Eileen Photography
We were tickled pink to receive an email from Ruthie, of Ruth Eileen Photography out of Boston to collaborate on a shoot with her for a New Year’s Day shoot for Style Me Pretty! What an amazing way to start 2014 y’all! Other vendors : Bourbon and Bloom Vinatge Rentals, Winifred Paper, Debrah Nadel, Something Beautiful Hair and Make-up, BHLDN, and Occasions Linens.
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PANTONE’S Color of the Year for 2014
Radiant Orchid Every year florists, wedding planners, furniture designers, and fashion designers are just a handful of the creatives who eagerly await the announcement of Pantone’s Color of the Year, this year just may be my favorite so far! We took our favorite blooms that all compliment the crowned color queen for 2014 and put together a few inspiration pieces!
Peony
Heather Calla Lily Ranunculus
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Spray Rose
Stock
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Real Wedding Images by Aislinn Kate Photography
Erin and Chris
November 16, 2013 Pensacola, Florida
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Oh my stars, this bride. Her mom. This wedding. Be still my southern heart, this day was full of love, the love that makes the world go ‘round. I have known Erin for quite some time, as she does the marketing for Brickhouse Bridal in The Woodlands, and her sweet husband is a professional golfer at Carlton Woods Country Club. We were thrilled when they invited TMD to come be part of their big day all the way in Pensacola, Florida! We enjoyed working with some amazing Florida vendors such as Aislinn Kate Photography and Chris D Scott Films to give Erin and Chris the perfect southern wedding. Monograms, homemade jams, and a historic church. It doesn’t get much more southern than that y’all! 31
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Kason, Words cannot express what you do for my heart, soul, and mind. I am so thankful that God wrote our stories to include each other that I cannot fully express with words or gratitude. You always believe in me and I know with my entire being that your number one priority is keeping me safe and providing for me in more ways that I can count. You are the butterflies that I still get when you look at me, you are the fire in my soul, you are my best friend, my partner, and the happiness in all that is me and surrounds me. I can’t wait to grow old with you.
In His love, Baby Nicole
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Image by Christa Elyce Photography
Well, thank you kindly Oh my stars! Another year to give God the glory in all He has blessed us with, and for that I so humbly grateful. Tamara Menges Designs wouldn’t be what it is today without some amazing people, I am so so grateful for each of y’all! Below is a special thanks so those who had an impact in this issue, on The Blog, and in our life. Jessica Tomes Christa and Brandon Neal Christa Elyce Photography The Film Company Two Be Wed Natalie Dawley Kari Mullen Jody Strohm Morgan Lynn Photography KD Creative Studio Jamie Scott Ella + Scott Caleb Marshall Allen Ayres- BellaFotografica World Gym Chateau Cocomar Saira and Faizaan Terilyn and Koby BrownArchetype Krista and Brice Evans Mr. and Mrs. Brown Casey and Vanessa Johnson
Brad and Miranda Hadamik Brandon and Courtney Siegmund Alicia and Bryant Palmerton Over The Top Linens Ruth Eileen Photography Style Me Pretty Ashley Tinsley- Broubon and Bloom Vintage Rentals Winifred Paper Deborah Nadel Something Beautiful Hair and Make-up Occasions Linens BHLDN Erin and Chris Good Mr. and Mrs. Byrne Aislinn Kate Photography Chris D Scott Films Lara Casey Southern Weddings Pursuit 31 ALL of our TMD couples!
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Make this year your best one yet!
Image by Ruth Eileen Photography