Spoken Bride Vendors | Spotlight, Vol. 2
/We are proud to serve you through the Spoken Bride Vendor Guide, the first online resource for distinctively Catholic wedding vendors: hand-selected professionals from around the U.S. with not only an abundance of talent, but a reverence and passion for the sacrament of marriage that brings a uniquely personal, prayerful dimension to their client experiences.
What’s more, our vendors are truly engaging and fun. With a range of stories, hobbies, and devotions, it’s our privilege to share who they are and connect them with their ideal clients--you, faithful Catholic couples who are energized by working with like-minded, prayerful individuals. Each month, we’ll be introducing, or re-introducing, you to members of Spoken Bride’s vendor community, and we encourage you to learn more through their full vendor listings.
Our featured May Vendors (click to jump)
Extended Hands
Stationery & Hand Lettering; Columbus, Ohio and serving the continental U.S.
The mission of Extended Hands is “to create invitations that are tailored to witness the beauty of the Catholic sacraments.” Owner Shea Santho, a professional graphic designer, uses rich materials to reflect the significance of her clients’ occasions, loves hearing her couples’ dating and proposal stories, and prays for them throughout their engagement.
Shea shares, “it’s an invitation that seeks the communion of others to share with them in a sacred sacrament! It’s an invitation that will bring others home to the Church, in front of Jesus in the Eucharist! Whether [wedding] guests are practicing Catholics, fallen-away Catholics, or have never even stepped inside a Catholic Church before, a couple’s wedding day--and ultimately their marriage--is a witness to the Catholic faith. The invitation is the first glimpse their guests will see that makes a statement in itself, on what the sacrament of marriage means to them.”
Favorite movie: One of my favorites would have to be Little Women. My sister and I grew up as competitive figure skaters and performed to the soundtrack, and it has become a tradition for us to watch the movie with our mom the weekend before Christmas Eve and wrap presents together.
Favorite wedding-day memory: I find myself replaying moments of the day in my mind all the time: meeting my husband at the altar, saying our vows, when the priest prayed over us for the nuptial blessing and again at the final blessing, walking down the aisle as a married couple for the very first time, walking out of the church with family and friends cheering in celebration. So many precious moments.
Go-to prayer: I have always had a special devotion to Our Lady, particularly Our Lady of Medjugorje. I love praying the rosary. My favorite rosary mystery has always been the first joyful mystery, the Annunciation. I love so many prayers, but my favorite prayer would probably be the Hail Mary. I love the words because they are the words the angel spoke to Our Lady at the Annunciation and Elizabeth’s words at the Visitation. Three Hail Mary’s and the Memorare are often my on the spot, go-to prayers.
Kelli Seeley Photography
Photography; Sacramento, California
A self-described lover of film and fine art, and of people and love stories, Kelli took her first photography class at 14 years old. She began second-shooting weddings after her college graduation, and launched her own business the following year, shooting fine art-style images on film and digital with a timeless sensibility. As a wife and mother, Kelli views her God-given talent as a part of her life’s call, understanding the graces that flow from balance and rightly ordered priorities: “My Catholic faith is the #1 priority in my life. From that understanding, I believe I am called first to my vocation to my own marriage and as a mother to my children. I also feel God has called me to be a photographer, so by his grace and the support of my family, I am able to pursue and run my business. I pray before every shoot, and I pray before responding to wedding inquiries that God’s will will be done. My desire is to do his will in all things, so I completely surrender my business to him.”
I’m inspired by: love, family, truth and beauty. I am inspired by the imperfections of life here on earth because they unite us in our humanity. I am inspired by authentic emotion and freezing a moment with my camera so it can be remembered forever.
Favorite foods: Pizza, salad, and burritos. And you can never have enough avocados on all of those things!
Love means...Sacrifice. Helping your beloved get to heaven. Willing the good of the other. Discovering [your spouse’s] love language and doing little things to show them care and affection.
Evan Kristiansen Photography
Photography; Boston, Massachusetts and Greater New England; available for travel.
With 15 years’ photography experience, including 6 years of shooting weddings, Evan is a seasoned pro who consistently discovers a sense of comfort and fast friendship with his Catholic clients--through communication and a shared faith, he finds they share common goals and boundaries with their photography and is inspired by their witness: “[I find] hope in the institution of marriage, the church, and in God that they display when they're at the altar on their wedding day. It is nothing short of miraculous, and stands in stark contrast to the culture around them...You don't meet a lot of cynics at weddings. I think this is because people subconsciously recognize the universal good of marriage, and what it represents. I think it's wonderfully "countercultural" to commit to someone for life.” Evan loves working with Catholic couples, making it his mission “to provide my clients with a wedding photographer that doesn't just know wedding photography, but also knows the Mass, and God.”
On my bucket list: I'd love to do the Camino, I'd like to get married (God willing!), and I'd like to run an Iron Man triathlon (I've got a half coming up!).
Favorite place I’ve traveled: I love traveling back to my home country of Norway. I grew up there as a kid, and there's something that just feels...homey about it. It's also one of the most beautiful countries on earth. It's worth going just for the hiking!
Also, when I visited Assisi last year it was one of the best experiences of my spiritual life thus far, and I would love to spend more time in rural Italy.
Favorite saints: My confirmation saint is St. Olav (Olaf) the Holy, of Norway. I have devotions to St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Albert the Great, and St. Augustine--I pray for their intercession regularly.
Visual Rose Productions
Videography; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C.; available for travel.
A self-taught videographer with more than 5 years’ experience, Visual Rose founder Nick DeRose--a husband and a father of three--understands and reveres the bond of faith he shares with his Catholic clients. “There is just something special filming those kind of weddings,” he says. “It just makes everything super authentic. The way the relationship was formed and how [the bride and groom] go about the wedding day allows me to film it such a beautiful way.” Fittingly, Nick describes his work as “authentic, simple, and joyful,” knowing wedding videography becomes more and more of a gift over time: on sharing a couple’s highlight video with them for the first time, Nick says, “[I love] giving them something to cherish as a keepsake they can show their future kids as they grow their family.”
I’m most inspired by: Prayer and being around my family. My wife and I have three kids; seeing them and their joy is very inspirational to me. Beautiful music is also very important and is always a huge inspiration.
Favorite saints: Mary and Joseph.
Love means...an act of the will. Giving yourself to one another regardless of how you feel.
