This Friday, stop, stare and marvel at the intricacy of the linocut and lithography work by 6 different artists.  The depths of these pieces range from abstract and architectural to mystic and whimsical.  To round out the whole theme of the show, there will be a poetry reading courtesy of Greenwood Lit Crawl.  Curated by ULS's very own, Elise Roberts.

Ever since Megan came in to introduce herself to me last year, I've been recommeding her whole-heartedly to anyone who wants a little help looking extra special on their wedding day. She's professional, sweet, GORGEOUS, and her portfolio was so impressive - I knew that brides would feel comfortable in her capable hands and be impressed with their transformations. I was excited to learn more about Megan. We've seen each other at so many industry events and are in fairly regular contact about business, so it was fun to learn more about her, her business Off-White Makeup and Beauty, and get some beauty tips!

The photography of Adrian Wyard and Kim Hood will show you their photographic interpretations of rolling hills and sweeping concrete walls.  Ansel Adams would be proud.  Curated by Zachary Sofia.  Part of the monthly Greenwood/Phinney art walk.

OUR DOORS ARE OPEN TO ALL!

Duos Catering, Shindig Events and Urban Light Studios are three gay-marriage-loving small businesses and are collaborating to throw a big ol' fundraiser/party here at Urban Light Studios on September 19th from 6-9pm to benefit Washington United for Marriage and the fight to approve Referendum 74.

Check out this great behind the scenes video of the recent D List magazine fashion shoot at ULS.  We can't wait to see the final shots - the issue comes out Sept. 15, so be sure to check out the D List website.

This month's art walk will "rack" your world!  Curators, Solace and Mat Savage, have teamed up with the Keep A Breast Foundation to help eradicate breast cancer by exposing young people to methods of prevention, early detection and support via these decked out casts.  The walls will be adorned with torso casts of the world's top female snowboarders and skiers, painted by Seattle's best artists.  You can't touch, but you can look all you want.   It's gonna be a boobiefull show ;)

I recently toured the beautiful downtown boutique hotel, Hotel Andra, and was pleasantly surprised by a few things:

1. It literally took me 15 minutes to get between Urban Light Studios and Hotel Ändra - a huge bonus when time is of the essense on your wedding day. Despite popular opinion, Greenwood is NOT a million miles away from downtown!

2. The rooms are well appointed and look super comfortable.

3. The hotel is attached to one of my favorite Tom Douglas joints, Lola.

4. They are incredibly accommodating and are willing to work with ULS brides, grooms and their families and friends - including generous discounts!

5. The building was constructed in same decade as ULS - built in the 1920's, it opened as Hotel Claremont in 1926.

Recently voted one of Seattle's Best Boutique Hotels, we are happy to be able to recommend such beautiful digs to our clients.

Photo courtesy of Hotel Andra

This Friday, you're wildest childhood dreams will come true when 100 underground, alternative and urban artists take on comics, superheros and super-villans.  All of your heros, the good guys and the bad guys, will come together for a face off between you and them.  Strap on your cape and tap into your super power and come hang out in our universe for the evening!  Curated by David Champeau, Xavier Lopez Jr., and Zachary Sofia.

Happy Pride Month! We’re happy to show our love and support this June (and ALL YEAR!) for the LGBT community. Over the last two and a half years we have been honored to host and witness many beautiful gay and lesbian ceremonies and celebrations of love, and we are excited to introduce you to a few of the incredible people who have made the commitment to spend their lives together.

Few things really make the party like great music (okay, your favorite friends and an open bar might help) - and the folks over at Bamboo Beats know a thing or two about music. After meeting Jojo (half of the husband and wife team that owns the business) here at ULS during a huge New Years Eve party and seeing how well they handled the crowd and how they used our screen and projector and lights to create an incredible, unique ambiance, I was excited to get them into the space again. And I quickly saw that if the event was a 200 person bash or an intimate 50 person wedding, they know exactly how to read the crowd and make sure everyone has a blast.

So if you want a DJ who will do more than play music and who will work hard to ensure that your party is THE PARTY, read on!

Q: Bamboo Beats is Seattle's first green DJ - what steps do you take to be more a more environmentally friendly business?

A: We are proud to be Seattle’s first green DJ! With these 5 steps, we are doing our part to lessen the impact we have on our precious environment:

1) We drive green: Our main concerns are with energy conservation and as a mobile business, our goal is to drive green. We use a hybrid Prius for our main transportation and additional vehicles are greened by purchasing carbon offsets.

2) We buy green power: We support renewable energy by participating in green power programs from Seattle City Light, Puget Sound Energy and other clean energy providers. To further conserve energy, black was chosen for our website display color because it uses only 59 watts to display rather than 74 watts for a white display. Imagine how much energy could be saved if Google’s home page were a dark color!

3) We reduce, reuse and recycle: We use recycled paper and only print what we need. We encourage all contracts and invoices to be sent electronically to reduce paper usage. Also, all of our DJs are vinyl lovers so they reclaims vintage vinyl so that they don’t end up in landfills along with all those plastic bags and CDs.

4) We support green businesses: We partner with other sustainable vendors in the event industry and use green businesses for our marketing materials, web hosting, dry cleaning and more. There are many options in every category from venues, local/organic catering, floral decor, eco-friendly fashion, plus favor donations to social causes and more. We are fortunate to part of a network of wonderful sustainable vendors in the Seattle area.

5) We help Green your event: As Seattle’s First Green DJ, we will purchase renewable energy certificates on your behalf to fight global warming and to help make your party a carbon neutral event.

Photo by Jenny Jimenez

Q: You're a husband and wife team - what's it like working with your spouse?!

A: We started our business as a result of the team effort we made in planning our own wedding. After 9 years of marriage and over 7 years of being in business together, we are happy to report that things have never been better! It’s an amazing chemistry when two people complement each other in talent, skills and personality. I mean, how lucky are we, that we get paid to make folks feel happy and alive through music and dancing? When it comes to weddings, each one is so unique and endearing. During vows and toasts we are always reminded of our relationship and it’s like we get married all over again each time!

We are also fortunate enough to have built a business that allows us to raise a family and have a working schedule that suits our lifestyle. Our business feels like an extended family and we are so blessed to touch the lives of so many people during their important life events. As we have grown, we are also honored to have been able to create income streams for our partners and their families. We often think that if the whole world had as much fun making a living as we do, there would be non-stop dancing in the streets!