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It’s that time of year when wedding bells chime as hundreds of couples exchange their vows.

Yes, ’tis the season for nuptials and the Seattle area is wedding central.

Events range from small, modest gatherings to large scale, ornate affairs. And venues can be anything from backyards and local parks to hotel ballrooms and everything in between.

"Anything goes with weddings," comments Jennifer Taylor, owner of Taylor’d Events, a wedding planning business in Woodinville. "It’s such a personal thing and so many factors weigh into the decision-making situation. Is the couple young or older? Do they have large, extended families? What is their budget? Are they going for a casual, relaxed feel or something more elaborate and very traditional? Do they envision being on the water, in the mountains or right in their own backyard?"

She adds, "Some couples know exactly what type of wedding they want and have definite ideas. Others are starting from scratch."

Taylor, who has been in the business for a number of years, has seen it all. And if you ask about her preferences in regards to the kind of wedding she enjoys coordinating most, she’ll tell you she has none: "I like them all because they’re each different and unique in their own right. No two weddings are the same and that’s what makes it fun and interesting."

The local woman got into the industry after utilizing the services of a wedding planner to help with her own wedding.

She had been a materials manager for Western Wireless for five years and was exploring possible career change options.

Wedding planning appealed to her as she saw that she could use some of the skills she had honed in her then current position.

"Everyone I spoke with in the industry told me that organization and communication were essential for success in this type of work," says Taylor. "I knew I was strong in these areas, as my job required me to be extremely detail-oriented and logistically based."

Though she had expected the transition from one career to another to be slow, news of the sale of Western Wireless propelled Taylor to make the move sooner than later. "I was kind of thrown into it," she comments, "so I learned a lot as I went along. I don’t recommend this approach to people starting out because it’s not easy. The best thing to do is to work at a wedding facility, like a hotel, or work under another planner."

Taylor began with one client, which then led to another, and another. Word-of-mouth spread and her business started to take off.

Today, Taylor’d Events is thriving and recently, Jennifer Taylor was voted 2010 Best Day Of Coordinator by Seattle Bride Magazine.

"It’s great to receive such a nice honor," she says. "It tells me I must be doing something right!"

The Woodinville woman offers a variety of customized packages, depending on the needs of her clients. She explains that some folks want basic guidance and others opt for an "all hands on deck" approach that will mandate continuous involvement by Taylor each step of the way, including her presence on the actual day of the event.

The one commonality that all clients share is the desire to get assistance from someone in-the-know – someone who can help them navigate the wedding minefield.

"A wedding is a very special event and it involves many details, which can be overwhelming to most people," remarks Taylor. "Couples hire a planner because they want to enjoy their big day. They don’t want to have to worry about anything. They just want to have it all go smoothly and make it the best experience for everyone. I know that’s why I hired one for my own wedding. And it really made a difference."

Taylor admits that such a career is not for everyone. She explains that you have to be willing to work many hours, especially during the summer. And it can be challenging to deal with many different personalities.

"You’re pulled in lots of directions and you have to be able to act calmly and efficiently," she says. "You are the one in control and you have to stay on top of things and make sure everyone is on task and on time. You also need to be able to think on your feet when unexpected issues or problems arise. To some, this may be overly stressful, but for me, it’s not too bad. I was in charge of making sure multimillion dollars worth of equipment got to where it needed to go back in the days when I worked for Western Wireless, so I learned to handle stress pretty well."

In regards to wedding trends, Taylor says they come and go, just like fashion, and adds, "Just be true to yourself and don’t be swayed by one trend or another."

Although the local woman has done several weddings in Woodinville, she hopes to do more in the future.

She helped put together the annual "Weddings in Woodinville" event that draws brides and grooms-to-be and their families and friends to the area to view fully decorated venues, speak with vendors and taste an assortment of food and wine.

"Woodinville has some wonderful locations for weddings," comments Taylor. "The event brings local professionals who are involved in the industry together at one time to promote Woodinville as a wedding destination.

Next year, it’s scheduled for January 31 and will feature six locations, 60 vendors and 18 wines."

She adds, "Woodinville is already on the map with its wineries. We also want it to be known as a great place to get married."

For those interested in pursuing a career as a wedding planner, Everett Community College currently offers a Wedding and Event Planning Certificate program. Jennifer Taylor is one of the instructors.

For more information, visit www.everettcc.edu/programs.

WHS sophomore Sarah Squires spent her summer vacation riding horses and volunteering at Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center. Courtesy photo.

Before you know it, August rolls around and all the stores ramp up their back-to-school sales.

And then it’s September 1, and summer, from a student’s perspective, is officially over. The proverbial question that often gets asked after this two month hiatus is, "What did you do during your summer vacation?"

For some, the highlight was a family trip. Others will tell you about camps they attended, volunteer projects they participated in or odd jobs they did to earn a bit of cash.

And then there are those who say they simply "hung out" with friends and "vegged."

Inglemoor High School senior Sean Murphy built a footbridge at Bastyr University in St. Edward’s Park to complete his Eagle Scout project.

He also attended Boy Scout camp on Hood Canal, where he went rock climbing and kayaking and practiced skeet shooting.

He also went to aerospace camp through the Washington Aerospace Scholars Program, spending a week working with NASA officials at Boeing’s Museum of Flight.

"I had a busy summer," says the 17-year-old, "and it went by much too quickly. But, I’m looking forward to this school year as I’m a senior. And I’m class president. I’m ready to kick-off the year and make it a memorable one."

Bothell High School junior Steven Cannon raves about his trip to Twin Lakes, Idaho, where he went tubing, cliff jumping and wakeboarding. He also enjoyed spending time with his family at Cape Disappointment.

"We had a lot of campfires and just hung out together," he comments.

Steven spent the latter part of his summer working for Bannister Homes & Decks, doing mostly grunt work to get money to fix the cracked head gasket on his 1974 VW bus.

"Summer went by ridiculously fast," he says. "It would have been nice to have had more time."

For Sarah Squires, the vacation was a combination of volunteer experience, horseback riding lessons and family camping. The 15-year-old WHS sophomore spent time at Little Bit, helping two autistic kids learn to be more independent with their horses.

She says, "I formed a good bond with these kids when I was at Timbercrest so I was able to work well with them at Little Bit. It was really a great experience for me because I also just love to be around horses."

Sarah is excited about the coming year because she is entering high school and looks forward to meeting new people and taking different types of classes, such as sign language.

Alyssa Hopper, also a WHS sophomore, worked as a junior counselor at Camp Cornet near Deception Pass. She was assigned to a group of 10 and 11-year-old kids and says, "It was hard work, tiring actually, but fun, too, because we went hiking and swimming."

In the latter part of August, the teen resumed her rowing training on Lake Sammamish.

"Summer as a whole went by fast," she notes, "but in the middle, it seemed slow."

Like Sarah, Alyssa is also eager to enter high school.

Jacob Yee, a ninth grader at Timbercrest Junior High, drove to Sun River, Ore., with his family, where he played tennis, rode his bike and went swimming. He also camped near Granite Falls.

"I love camping," he says. "It’s an escape from technology because there’s no cell phone reception there."

The 14-year-old, who is ASB president at Timbercrest this year, also spent time at a leadership camp near Mt. Rainier.

He was able to meet other students from around the district, as well as the state, and took back some new ideas to implement at his school.

For Jacob, the summer looked long at the onset, but, as always, it passed way too quickly.

"I’m torn," he comments about returning to school, "because I like my relaxation time, but school is important to me and I am looking forward to this year because of all the things I want to do."

Both Connor Shabro and Trevor Standaert took big trips with their families over the vacation.

Connor, a fifth grader at Cottage Lake Elementary, went to the East Coast and spent time in New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts, seeing the sights and visiting relatives.

He also attended baseball camp, which he describes as "awesome."

And he went to overnight camp for the first time, too.

The highlight of the summer for Trevor was a trip to Disneyland and California Adventure Park. His favorite ride was "California Screaming," which he says is "pretty cool."

A stay at a friend’s cabin in Coeur d’Alene was also memorable.

"I’m kind of looking forward to school," says the Cottage Lake sixth grader. "I only wish I could have gone on more rides at Disneyland."

Ten-year-old Janett Ramirez read the summer away.

She participated in the King County summer reading program and enjoyed a slew of fiction books.

Top on her list was "Heartbeat" by Sharon Creech, a story about a young girl who uses running to deal with the many changes going on in her life.

"I really liked this book," comments Janett. The Cottage Lake fifth-grader is happy to return to school, where math and P.E. are her favorite subjects.

A trip to Great Wolf Lodge was the highlight of Autumn Sellie’s summer.

The Woodin Elementary first-grader was thrilled to go down the big slide and try out the wave pool. She also enjoyed visiting both a kangaroo farm and a trout farm, where she caught a fish.

"My mom cooked it, but I didn’t eat it," remarks Autumn.

For the start of school, the six-year-old was excited to get a new backpack and fill it with supplies.

"I also got some new clothes," she adds. "Lots of Oshkosh."

Ed Essex creates from his experiences and is inspired by nature and the environment around him. Staff photo/June Collins-McKiernan

"Being artistic runs in the family," says the Lake Forest Park man. "And it’s carried through the generations. My two daughters are artists, too."

Essex’s medium of choice is linoleum block prints. He’s been at his craft for 60 years, ever since he first discovered it while studying art on the GI Bill at the University of Iowa.

"I had a marvelous printmaking professor who had a major influence on me," explains Essex. "He influenced my future as a printmaker and an art educator."

The local man was drawn to linoleum block printing for its graphic purity. And it also offered a practice alternative to the more costly intaglio printmaking processes requiring special materials and a press.

He says, "With linoleum block printing, all you need are a few tools to carve and some ink and paper."

The powerful images of German expressionist block prints and the work of such artists as Picasso, Matisse and Rembrandt helped shape Essex’s development of a visual language.

Essex begins his process with a drawing, which is transferred via carbon paper to blocks composed of linoleum and mounted to plywood. He then uses carving tools to remove material from the blocks. In essence, he is building an image in reverse by removing the light areas.

The process is, in his words, "one of restraint, requiring planning, where the temptation always exists to carve away so much linoleum that there are no significant expanses of black left."

When the image is fully developed, the linoleum block is inked and then paper is laid upon the surface and rubbed using a wooden burnishing tool. In this manner, the image is transferred to the paper.

Essex creates from his experiences and he is inspired by nature and the environment around him.

Six summers of commercial salmon fishing off of Lummi Island provided fodder early on for the marine imagery seen in a number of his prints. He has also been influenced by Asian art and culture through his friendships with a number of Seattle Japanese Americans.

Two of his prints, "Cascade" and "Cataract," were inspired by the Japanese Garden at the University of Washington Arboretum.

He says, "Japanese gardens are composed like a painting or a print – they lend themselves to representation."

Other themes include historical events and figures, as well as contemporary issues and social concerns. In "Sky Thing," Essex depicts the environmental damage caused by acid rain and "Strike Zone" is clearly an anti-war statement.

"War is insane," he comments. "I fought in one and I was fortunate to live through it."

Creating art is a way for Essex to express his feelings about matters he feels strongly about, but it’s also a means for him to show the beauty that exists in the world.

He adds, "I try and create a powerful image and hopefully it makes an impression on people."

Over the years, Essex has exhibited his work at various galleries and museums in Seattle and Tacoma, including Seattle Art Museum, Henry Gallery, Sandpiper Gallery, Gilmartin Gallery and Pacific Lutheran University.

Additionally, his prints have appeared in exhibitions at the University of Iowa, Library of Congress, Brooklyn Museum and Walker Art Center, among others.

Currently, a 60-year retrospective of his work can be seen at the Washington State Convention Center, North Gallery.

"This is by far the biggest show I’ve ever had," says Essex. "My daughter had the idea and she went ahead and got a grant from King County to help make it possible."

The exhibition reflects the artist’s vision and his many years as a printmaker and art educator.

For over 25 years, Essex taught art in the Seattle Public Schools, inspiring students to tap into their own unique creativity.

He views teaching as "an inspirational message" and his adage is "draw upon what you know" with the goal of ultimately creating "an unforgettable image."

Though he’s nearly 87 years old, Ed Essex is still hard at work in his studio.

Art is an integral part of his life, as it fuels his creativity and provides him with a means of self-expression.

"I really can’t imagine not doing it," he says. "I take pleasure in the process and although it can be frustrating at times, it also provides me with such joy and peace."

Anna Johnson loves what she does for a living. The Bothell woman sells original artwork and limited edition prints created for and published in children’s books.

She works with beloved authors and illustrators such as Rosemary Wells, Peter Reynolds, Jez Alborough and Babette Cole, among others, to make their cherished works available to the public.

It’s a business she began two years ago, after a lengthy career in the children’s book publishing industry.

"I really wanted to start a business for myself," explains Johnson. "And I had developed many relationships with children’s book illustrators through my years in the industry.

"One day, I was talking to Jez Alborough, a well-known author and illustrator, and the idea materialized. Actually, Jez helped me launch the business because he gave me a stack of his work so I could get started. And it just took off from there."

Johnson’s company, Picture Book Originals, is primarily Web site based, though the local woman also holds gallery events at bookstores and even has some prints available at various shops around the country. She currently represents eight illustrators, but plans to add more in the future. Specific artists are chosen for a variety of reasons.

"Some of it is personal choice," she says. "I also try to bring on artists with unique techniques and whose published works are popular."

Original art ranges in price from $50 upwards of $20,000.

Prints, which are all limited editions, numbered and signed, can run from $35 to $350, depending on size. The most popular image is "Carry Me," from Rosemary Wells’ book of the same name. "It’s such a sweet, endearing image," comments Johnson. "And so many people really love it."

Those who buy the artwork often do so as gifts for children or grandchildren, to adorn the walls of bedrooms and playrooms.

"The pictures speak to people because they connect them to a story they have fond memories of," says Johnson. "And the story connects them with their kids. That’s the beauty of children’s books. They manage to touch the child within all of us. They bring back memories and the emotional connection is strong."

She adds, "Most kids’ books have an emotionally based story – one that’s funny, sentimental or sweet. They capture special relationships between children and their parents, children and children, kids and their pets, animals, or a moment in time."

Johnson explains that illustrations figure prominently in children’s books and must be able to tell the story on their own. They are key to comprehension for the very young.

Johnson’s business continues to attract a steady stream of customers who learn of the company via word-of-mouth or on the Web.

"It’s been doing OK," she says, "but the economy didn’t help.

"Art is a disposable income purchase, so things were slow last year. But this year, it’s beginning to pick up and I’m getting more inquiries.

"Once people see what I have, they get excited because it’s such great work. Instead of putting away that special book on a back shelf somewhere, they can have a remembrance of it on their walls forever."

For more information about Picture Book Originals, visit www.picturebookoriginals.com or contact Anna Johnson at: anna@picturebookoriginals.com or (425) 286-6329.