Interview with Sharaya Mauck Photography

It has been a PLEASURE to work with Sharaya Mauck, a WONDERFUL wedding photographer who captures the emotion and compassion in every photo. Sharaya's biggest regret is not having the candid, meaningful, and expressive shots of her own wedding with her beloved husband, Kyle. As a result, Sharaya's career changed from wanting to be a Sea World trainer as a child to a passionate wedding photographer, in order to give each wedding couple the opportunity to relive their wedding through captured moments. Entering into her 4^th year of wedding photography, Sharaya has plenty of stories and advice to share about herself and her experiences:

Could you share something fun, funky, and personal about you?
Fun: Growing up, I lived in Southern California and was in Synchronized swimming and absolutely loved it! I wanted so badly to be a trainer at Sea World and do tricks off of dolphins and Shamu!
Funky: I am named after the 80's song by Amy Grant: Sharayah
Personal: I love the Lord and only look to Him for everything! I have been married for almost 5 1/2 years to Kyle and we have a little dog named Nikon!  I am very driven, motivated and competitive. 

Funny Wedding story:
At one of my weddings this year, the Bride was kidding but said to her bridesmaid: "Stop making that face, you look ugly". The bridesmaid totally lost it and cried for a good 20 minutes! 

Three things brides should consider when selecting a photographer:
1. Do you love and see the value in the work that they offer?
2. Do you get along with the photographer and feel comfortable with them?
3. Do they offer great customer service?

Favorite elements to shoot at a wedding:
My favorite part of the wedding day is capturing the bride and groom together. What an amazing opportunity to capture a couple  the day that they are most in love and starting out their new lives together! I also love photographing all of the details. Every Bride puts so much thought and creativity into the design and details of their wedding day and I love seeing all the different details that every wedding offers. 

 

Benifits of Having a Christmas Wedding

Why not advance the most joyful holiday season into a commemorative occasion of faith, hope, and love! There are many advances in having a Christmas wedding, including décor, finances, and convenience. Many facilities or vendors will usually have a great deal of Christmas décor and holiday arrangements already provided. The natural beauty involved in Christmas also provides inexpensive or free aesthetic elements, such as snow, pine trees, and holiday spirit. Christmas time is an off-season for vendors, which means that more vendors and facilities are available and affordable. Family and friends also tend to come home for the holidays, which presents a perfect opportunity for them to attend the wedding without planning an extra trip. 

Christmas Wedding Feature

Kimberly Kay Photography captured a  beautiful Christmas wedding in Sisters, Oregon. 

What a wedding winter wonderland! With the natural beauty of the snow and vibrant landscape, the simplest decorations made this wedding picture perfect. Eco-posh found this beautiful Christmas wedding through friends from Portland, Oregon. The bride and groom, Brittany and Cameron, took advantage of the natural surroundings in Eastern Oregon and added seasonal ornamentation with personal artwork, a rustic cake, blankets for guests, and winter accessories. Kimberly Kay had no trouble photographing a featured Christmas wedding. More pictures to follow.

"Deck the Halls" with sustainability in mind

Christmas is my favorite time of year! Celebrating the most important man who ever lived, faith, love, gift giving and holiday cheer with family and good company... can you blame anyone for the intense love of this season? I challenge you to unleash your inner green diva and deck your halls with sustainability in mind. Enjoy the 10 tips below that will help you add a “Green” spin to your holiday festivities.

1. LED Christmas Lights

   Did you know that there are LED Christmas string lights! Use LED Christmas lights to save 80-90% more energy; or in comparison, 140 LED lights are equivalent to 1 single incandescent bulb. They are more durable, burn brighter, and provide a safer environment by releasing less heat.

   

2. Vintage mementos

   Vintage mementos provide easily attainable decorating solutions by using products you already have. Fill empty jars with candies, old ornaments, or candles. Use ribbon to wrap a pillow, candle, and hang a picture. An old wooden sled wrapped in garland or ribbon is the perfect adornment to a front porch, and using old tree toppers provide great mantle showcases! Hang new and old Christmas cards and photos. You can always reuse decorations and household items in alternative ways for new holiday flare!

   
   

3. Recycled wrapping paper

Beautiful wrapping paper isn't always brand new! There are many companies, such as Green Field Paper Company, that create wonderful designs with recycled paper. You can also preserve and reuse your favorite paper for gift wrapping or decorating ideas! Use wrapping paper strands as gift bag “fluffers” and gift tags, or sew together for colorful garlands.

    4. Reusable tote gift bags

Instead of purchasing new wrapping paper, buy an affordable tote bag to use as gift bags so that you or your recipient can reuse it again!

    5. Family photo décor, Whole punch the corner, place them in album to use again and again

Nothing is more amusing to look at than old family photos. Hole punch the corners of holiday photos and store them in an album to hang every year as Christmas ornaments or photo garlands. You can add to your collection of memories and décor over time. 

    6. Recycled news paper décor, DIY Kids will love

Recycled newspaper provides excellent holiday crafting for the kids and family. Homemade snowflakes, garlands, ornaments, and garlands are the perfect solution to diminishing your newspaper supply. Take paint and stamps to create a fun and personalized wrapping paper for gifts.

   7. Eco-Friendly Gift Giving

There are endless possibilities to give sustainably. Buy locally so that you can support your local vendors and the community. Search for designers and brands that utilize sustainable methods or recycled elements: Lily Bloom creates beautiful handbags, wallets, and accessories with recycled plastic; and Tara St. James uses organic cotton, hand-dyed fabrics, and no-waste methods to create the sports brand Covet. Homemade gifts such as artwork or your favorite holiday recipe are both personal and eco-friendly ideas.

   8. Decorate you home with natural décor

Use fruit and natural elements to provide Christmas accents in your home. Fill jars or bowls of oranges, lemons and limes for table center pieces. Search for pine cones, twigs, berries and greenery from your yard to create garlands, bouquets, and wreaths. Popcorn is always a fun craft for Christmas tree ornamentation as well!

   9. Eco-friendly Holiday cards

Send your holiday cheer and greetings through personal evites to save paper. Although, if you love sending and receiving postage, select your holiday cards from companies that use recycled paper, such as tinyprints.com.

  10. Alternative Tree

Rather than cutting down a tree every year, there are wonderful alternatives and more eco-friendly tree ideas. You can purchase an all-natural wood tree which can be stored and reassembled every year. However, if you love having the traditional real Christmas tree, you can either rent, decorate a house plant, or buy a potted tree which lasts longer than the holiday season.

Overall tip… Use what you have , but if you’re in the market for something new, stay within the Christmas colors and “Green it.” There are endless ideas that spread the holiday spirit in both meaning and practicality.

Cards of Wood

What can leave a more “green” notion than sending a card made out of 100% natural wood! Companies, such as Cards of Wood, Sustainable Cards, and Curio Cards are now expanding their business philosophy into worldwide sustainable methods by creating wood veneer invitations, business cards, post cards, envelopes, and large prints. Not only do the products create memorable impressions with fun prints and photos on wood veneer, but they are biodegradable, chemical free, and show the wood's unique character on each individual card. The “green” message doesn't always have to be spoken, but can be sent through words miles away.