Meet our vendors and find out why we're not your average wedding expo.
Valley Wed is a unique wedding show offering couples a handpicked selection of exceptional wedding pros in Western Mass. It's designed especially for couples that want to go their own way, but they don’t want to go it alone.
Meet Liz Washer, owner of Makeup Artistry by Liz,
offering on-location high-definition airbrush makeup. When did you start your business?
I started doing wedding makeup long before I officially started my business: eleven years ago, to be precise. I was known as a total makeup geek so I became the go-to for all my friends’ weddings, as well as girls’ nights, Halloween, etc. I would do anyone’s makeup if they would sit still long enough and I was also fond of photographing my own makeup (back before the term “selfie” was coined!), so I had a lot of opportunities to scrutinize how my work looked on camera.
My obsession lead to classes, workshops, lessons, assisting and a lot of travel and education in the name of beauty. Pretty soon I was building a portfolio and clients were finding me, and it quickly snowballed into a career. I officially launched in 2009 and haven’t looked back! Why do you do what you do?
I do what I do because makeup is my medium – it’s the art for which I have the most aptitude, passion, curiosity and excitement. I love faces (hey, who doesn’t?) and I love the process of enhancing the features in front of me. I especially love making people feel confident, empowered and ready to take on the world!
After your first meeting with a new client, what do you want them to leave knowing about you or how you work?
My bio, resume, and portfolio are all online (I have a wedding website as well as one that covers my commercial and editorial work), so I generally spend meetings listening and learning more about my clients: What are they imagining for their wedding day? How do they want to feel when they look in the mirror? What makes them feel their best? Do they have any funny pet stories to share? (That last one is unrelated to makeup but usually a good icebreaker!)
Unless we have previously met at an event like Valley Wed, I meet most of my brides for the very first time at their preview session, which is my chance to craft a look that will beautifully complement their unique style and wedding-day vision. It’s very important to me not to fall back on a cookie-cutter look that doesn’t suit the face (or the personality) I’m working with. I work very collaboratively with clients to help them look their best from every angle and in every medium (in person and on camera).
After the wedding, what would be the best compliment you could hear about your work?
I’ve been fortunate to receive some incredible feedback over the years (my online reviews are a testament to that). One comment that always makes me super happy is “I look beautiful – and I still look like myself!” This is clearly a relief for clients who have experienced unnecessarily heavy-handed makeovers in the past (and for their fiancés, who generally want to recognize the person they’re marrying!).
What would make you feel great knowing you had accomplished for your client?
Share one gem of advice…something every couple needs to know about planning a wedding or the big day itself.
My biggest suggestion for people planning weddings is to talk to the savviest and most trustworthy people you know: your recently married friends or family who not only looked amazing, but whose weddings seemingly went off without a hitch. Your photographer and videographer, who regularly see the results of makeup artistry in high resolution. Your wedding planner or venue coordinator, who have worked directly with many artists over the years and can tell you who will ensure that your day runs smoothly. You’ll learn a lot, and save yourself a lot of guesswork.
Show us two things you are really proud of…your best work or highest achievement professionally and something personal that makes you happy.
I’d have a terrible time choosing a top professional accomplishment – I’ve had the good fortune to work on some amazing jobs over the years - but this has been the lead image in my editorial portfolio since 2012, because I think it best captures who I am as a makeup artist and what I most love to do: clean beauty, glowing skin, and makeup that celebrates the face’s unique features (in this case, the model’s showstopping freckles!).
As for something personal, well, everyone who knows me knows that I am crazy about my dog, Edie. So here’s a portrait of her that was actually featured in a book about black dogs (particularly rescues).
P.S. - Edie loves meeting my brides as much as I do!
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Valley Wed is a curated style of wedding show; one that focuses on real relationships with the best wedding vendors the Pioneer Valley has to offer. We want to connect you with the top wedding professionals in Western Massachusetts to help you plan one of the most important days of your life.
You're not cookie cutter. Neither are we.
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At 9am each day, you are...
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Not your average wedding expo.
We don’t do cake-dives or gimmicks. Instead, Valley Wed offers a curated style of wedding show; one that focuses on real relationships with the best wedding vendors the Pioneer Valley has to offer. We want to connect couples with the top wedding professionals in Western Massachusetts to help them plan one of the most important days of their life.
We're so excited to have a fabulous group of vendors and sponsors participating in Valley Wed at Quonquont Farm on Sunday, November 1st. Whether your wedding is rustic or elegant, casual or classic, you’ll find bakers, photographers, DJs, event planners, musicians, officiants, florists, caterers and other highly skilled vendors for your Western Mass wedding.
We hope you'll follow the Valley Wed blog and find us on Facebook and Instagram as we announce more details and news about the event!
Get a behind the scenes look at our photo shoot with
Sandra Costello Photography & Makeup Artistry by Liz Washer
The final result by Sandra Costello Photography:
Valley Wed Blog
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