31
Jul
I totally ‘borrowed’ this from Meagan with an A’s blog tonight, but I couldn’t not share it (thanks, Meagan!).
Enjoy!
31
Jul
I love when local brides are featured on bigger blog sites. It really shows that the Midwest is coming along in the wedding industry.
If you have not stumbled upon it already, be sure to head over to Style Me Pretty and check out Abby’s posts about the wedding.
This bride uses a lot of creativity and ideas that me and the FI are looking for in our wedding. She executed a lot of DIY projects, which gave her wedding the feel that it was really about her and her husband. Plus, her reception venue is the same place where we will be having ours. It is always nice to see how other brides set it up.
Let me also mention that the bride bought her wedding dress from J.Crew and had her seamstress ad the flowers and the overlay. AYKM? That takes some creativity and a strong vision!
How could I forget to mention that the bride and her bridal party made their own bouquets! I have had my eye on this DIY project since before the FI and I got engaged. I’m crafty and think this is a fabulous way to be green (support the local economy by buying local and in-season flowers) and save some money!
There are so many elements from her wedding that I love. So, Audra, if you’re reading this, I might just borrow some of your ideas because they are faboosh!
And P.S. I love that they hung paper lanterns. Makes me feel 110% better about wanting to hang paper lanterns at Windows.
30
Jul
Boy, am I on a blog roll today.
Found this quote today while rummaging around on my Photog’s blog and fell in love with it.
“Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.” – Emily Bronte
30
Jul
No, this post is not about my shoes (I’m on a shoe-posting hiatus…for now). And, it’s not about my lovely BM Kate, although, I do love her (sending you blog love, Kate).
This post is about these lovely dishes, I mean china.
The FI and I are not planning on registering for china (more on that in another post). I cannot help myself but love that china.
It comes in platinum too…
…but I love the green. Even the FI loves the green. It’s just fun and vibrate and, well, different than your traditional china.
And, because I love most things untraditional (forgive me), I’m giving a shout out to Kate (as in one of my BMs) and her china.
Her lovely china set was also featured recently on The Pioneer Woman’s blog. As a side note. If you do not already read The Pioneer Woman’s blog, you should.
And, in a later post….to china or not to china (and we’re not talking about the country, people)!
30
Jul
This wedding seriously makes me wanna re-think my wedding and get married in Colorado in the Fall just so I can do this:
Yes, I know this is two “things i love” posts in less than 24 hours, let alone two posts about photography. Indulge me.
I realized I never actually introduced you all to our photographer, whom we absolutely love. If you’re antsy, you can skip down some since I first want to share at how we arrived at her.
I spent the first few months after our engagement scouring the internet for a local photographer we both liked. We already had our venues booked and date set, so it was important that the next thing we booked be our photographer. I had contacted what seems like a million photographers inquiring about availability, packages, pricing, etc. before we narrowed it down to a handful. After we narrowed it down to about 4 or 5, we spend some time reviewing their bodies of work, their blogs and websites and asking people we knew that had used them before what they were like. I had shared with my mom right off the bat who was one of our top picks (this was a tough decision), and she wasn’t very happy about her work as we were, so it was back to more research.
It was at that point when I decided to meet with two of them. I had heard fantastic things about both of them from people we know first-hand, and I (we) really loved their work. The FI was not as concerned about how well we clicked with them as I was, so I went alone to both meetings. They each showed me some albums and photos, shared with me their backgrounds and pricing and we chatted over just about everything. It really was like sitting at a coffee shop with an old friend just catching up. That was uber important to me. I wanted to make sure I clicked with our photographer. After all, she was going to spending one of the most important days of my life with me and documenting it.
Once I met with both of them, the FI and I spend a few weeks talking about what we liked about each. We had some criteria for our photographer, regardless:
1. We wanted a second shooter. I know some photographers tell you that you do not need want, but we WANTED one.
2. To have some sort of album or product credit with their packages.
3. That the engagement session was included with the package.
Each of the photographers offered all of the above. So it was a matter of who we liked better (boy this was tough). In the end, we chose Lisa Hessel. We loved her work, mom loved her work, all of her packages included the above AND they all included unlimited time. As an aspiring photographer myself, I think with weddings, you cannot put a time limit on photography. We loved that her and her second shooter would be able to be with us all day, capturing the happy and loving moments, the laughter and the emotion.
We have yet to have our engagement pictures done yet, which we are doing this Fall. BUT I love her work. I love when she updates her blog because it is as if I fall in love with her work all over again. Plus, I love that she uses Finao albums (this probably means nothing to most of you). These are some of my favorite professional albums and I love the variety you can get with these. So, lets just say I am beyond excited about my wedding album.
This is one of my favorite images by her:
I know it isn’t a super exciting image, but I have had my eye on that photo since day one of stumbling upon her work. It just captures the emotion so well.
I also love that she loves sunflare. Take note:
And, I also love that she loves urban photos, especially in her favorite alley:
And, one more. Promise (at least for now). I love this alley/backstreet/urban shot:
What are your requirements for your photographer? Any specific qualities or options you’re looking for?
29
Jul
If we were doing a candy buffet, I would so make a ton of these coated in red and orange.
They would be a perfect addition to anyone’s candy buffet for that matter, or even as a spread at a shower (wedding, baby, etc.). I’d love to make them for my shower, but it seems odd to make a dessert for your own shower (right?).
I think this version is adorable.
And, how great are these Relay for Life cupcake pops?
A friend of mine who works for the American Cancer Society would love those!
The recipe to make these is very easy, just takes a bit of time and patience (which I have). SO, if you’re looking for some cupcake pops for your event, I’m your girl (shameless plug for my baking abilities, forgive me). I’m not joking either (about me baking you these cake pops).
Are there any cute candy/cake/dessert ideas you want to incorporate into your wedding or shower? Is there a must-have food you want to include or would want to?
We all know how much I love photography (and if you don’t, well I LOVE photography). BUT, one thing I absolutely love are photography blog posts that really tell a story. I mean, most of them do in their photos alone, but I love when the photographer provides some background.
My favorite? Jasmine Star. She always provides a background, a scene or feeling of emotion before she shares her photos from a wedding or whatever. It really sets the tone for you when you start to scroll through the photos; almost like you are there.
When you have some time today, be sure to take a trip over to Jasmine’s blog and just enjoy!
28
Jul
I revamped our inspiration board since the last one. The last one just lacked a general focus. It was almost as if I just “Googled” all images that were garnet, tangerine and chocolate brown. Since the FI and I have finalized a few more details and made some decisions on our end, I re-did our board. I’m sure I will re-do this several times over the next year, but putting it together really helps me to see a bigger picture, especially since our wedding day is still over a year away.
Each of the elements in the board represent something. The image on the top left is the first image I found that was an inspiration for color for me. It was then when we decided on “garnet, tangerine and chocolate brown.” The image of Chris Pine (how could I resist)? Well, we really want the guys to wear tan suits. It fits the look and feel we are trying to achieve for the wedding. The shoes? Well, you have all seen my shoes, but these are a representation of them (of which our local Cheree Berry wore at her own wedding). And, the red wall? Well, you all read my post about the orange wall, well this lovely red one is right here in town!
Enjoy your second dose of Garnet, Tangerine and Chocolate Brown!
Sources:
Top Row: Color Palette (Blogger Brides); Ranunculas (Ladybird Poppy); Dress (J.Crew)
Second Row: Lemonade (Martha Stewart); Paper Lanterns (Luminous Designs); Cupcake (Martha Stewart); Red Shoes (The Wedding Decorator)
Bottom Row: Dress (Demetrios); Red Wall (Megan Thiele Photography); Suit (GQ)
27
Jul
The Landlocked Bride is now on Facebook! Don’t forget to become a fan!
