About Face with Nicole Wagner

Meet Nicole Wagner, make up artist extraordinaire! She's one of the most sought after wedding make up artist in Portland. Lucky me (and my brides) have had the pleasure of working her. Read on to learn more about Nicole and what drives her. Then schedule your consultation and witness her magic.

CBL: How did you get started?

Nicole: I was born with an artistic talent and have been drawing faces since I was a little girl. I became interested in make up around age 15 and began working on my sisters faces, and their friends around 18. After I had my first daughter I decided to embrace my passion for make up as a freelance artist so I could stay home with her. I went to school and took Freelance fashion and bridal hair/make up program. I worked for MAC Cosmetics for a bit and then took off on my own. I've been working with brides for 4 years now and love every minute of it!

CBL: What inspires you?
Nicole: Hmm. Everything. Mostly Color. Color combinations, no matter how subtle or bold just thrill me. Make up is really about putting the right colors in the right places to bring out the most beautiful YOU!

CBL: What makes you different from the other make-up artists?

Nicole: I think every artist has something special to offer. I think I have a great eye for beauty and because I have a natural talent for drawing faces, I have just brought that talent to a 3D canvas. I am VERY reliable and I will respond quickly to all your emails and questions...when planning a wedding you want vendors who are on top of things and will make your life EASIER not harder. ;)

CBL: What advice do you have to offer brides looking for a make-up artist?

Nicole: Make sure you see images of their work and not just a few but LOTS. Anyone can provide 2 or 3 pictures of great make up...but are they consistent? Do they do great make up ALL the time? And make sure you see BRIDES.. .not just fashion or editorial because it's completely different.

CBL: Tell us an interesting fact about you.

Nicole: Well, I don't work on Sundays. I have a very strong faith and Sundays are a very important day to me. I made a promise 12 years ago when I got baptized that I would never work on Sundays. Though I get a lot of requests for Sunday weddings, I have never said yes.

To see more of Nicole's work visit: http://www.nicolewagnermakeup.com/

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Sophany & Chuck's Engagement

Sophany and Chuck took their engagement photos in and around Portland's eastside industrial area with cool and funky chic backdrops that compliment the couple's sense of style. Their 2-day wedding extravagaza includes a Cambodian/Thai ceremony at the parents' home and reception for 700 guests at Legin Restaurant in SE Portland. We're looking forward to turning an aged banquet room into a sophisticated chic event.

Photos courtesy of Kevin Meyers Photography

Lindsay + Ethan = Industrial Chic

Everything was in place nearly a year ahead of Lindsay and Ethan’s wedding date. We had worked to bring their contemporary wedding vision to reality. But there’s one element not even a wedding planner can control: the weather.

While Labor Day weekend in Portland is typically mild—and often even sunny—the same weekend in 2009 was a gloomy forecast of persistent rain and cooler temperatures. As the rain set in the week prior, it became evident that the back-up plan of using heaters and tents to make the outdoor rooftop space in the Pearl District work for the ceremony and reception was, well, drippy.

The next move was a bold element that a wedding planner can control: A new plan. This meant finding an entirely new venue within a week of the wedding date. By tapping into insider knowledge of non-traditional spaces in Portland’s Pearl District that would allow outside catering, we showed Lindsay and Ethan a stunning building that was negotiated with its property owners to rent out for the big day—which, by this time, was a mere two days away. Though the venue changed, the bride and groom’s delight and love of the space did not.

The Fitzgibbon Glass Building turned out to be the perfect combination of urban and unique that they went looking for during the initial planning. In fact, the top floor of this newly-remodeled building, an open industrial loft, made for stunning photos with a commanding view of the Fremont Bridge. The storm on the big day was insignificant as the bride, groom and guests basked in the indoor glow of the picture-perfect Fitzgibbon Glass Building.

Our luxe matte satin linens were complimented with rentals from The Party Pros. Guests bathed in the aroma of white oriental lily and curly willow arrangements designed by East West Floral Arts as they dined on scrumptious culinary feast by Simpatica, and danced the night away with Chad Dowling Productions.

Photos courtesy of FS Photography