TGIF!

In continuing from yesterdays post, I wanted to show you just how cool and stylish the free wedding goodies that the Wedding Chicks offer! I will admit, I went a little overboard and had fun, but I couldn't help it! I wish that I knew about this site when I got married, I would have loved to show these off.

They also have adorable, customizable "bride" and "groom" signs that I am going to print out in the colors of tomorrows wedding for the bride and groom to hold for some of their pictures.  I am very excited about tomorrow.  It is my first beach wedding, and I have a lot of ideas churning in my head.  I hope to create some amazing and creative pictures with the time I am given on the beach!  I can't wait.

Also, I came across this interesting article yesterday.  It is: What to Look For in a Wedding Photographer.  I think some of you might find this to be a good read.  From the comments, it definitely is an emotionally filled article, but I can definitely sympathize.

Hope you all have an awesome weekend!

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Stylishly cute and FREE goodies!

Who doesn't love free stuff? I know I do!  So I have something extra special for all of you DIY savvy brides out there.  There is an amazing website, Wedding Chicks, and they feature a lot of helpful articles and tips for planning your wedding.  They also feature FREE customizable goodies for you to use at your wedding, such as invites, templates, menus and more!  Did I say that they are all FREE, and they are all customizable!   They also have awesome DIY projects for your weddings that give your wedding & reception an extra spark of personal touch.  Being the craft addict that I am, I am excited to do some of this projects (even though I am already married), just to do them!  Besides, doing projects is a great way to bring the bridal party together!

Here are a few of their awesome offerings:







Keep in mind that the above are in no color, because when you go to the website, you can customize the colors!



Many of the templates you just download and fill in your information, and voila!  You have an awesome DIY item for your wedding.  So stop reading, and go to Wedding Chicks Freebies page right now! Pin It

The Garter Toss!

So being a wedding photographer, I obviously get to see the many wedding "traditions" that we have known to come to love, and sometimes hate.  From the first dance, bouquet toss, garter belt, and the cutting of the cake, I personally love each moment of a wedding.  Understandably, not every bride caters to tradition.  Some are a bit more formal than others, while some ditch some of the traditions all together.  One tradition that seems to stir up a lot of controversy is the garter belt retrieval and the garter belt toss.  Now, we all have seen it before.  The bride sits in a chair, while her new groom goes under the layers of wedding dress and removes the garter belt with his hands, teeth, or whatever other method he can think of.  Sometimes it's amusing when they pull out a pair of "granny panties", and we all get a good laugh.  I was reading on another blog that the bride was not going to wear a garter due to her grandparents being at the wedding, and she didn't want them to see this act, and also why would she want a garter that has been attached to her leg all day being flung to a crowd of single guys?

Well that got me thinking, because I for one, love every element of a wedding day.  And as a photographer, there are staples to each wedding day that I make sure I cover all angles of when I am photographing.  The garter retrieval and toss being one of them.  There is so much emotion and fun that is had during this tradition. See for yourself:

So I came up with an idea.  Now, I personally have never seen this done at a wedding, but I figured it would still be fun and still allow for the bride and groom to have the garter toss and bouquet toss incorporated into the ceremony, even if they are more traditional.  Basically it is "hide and seek" for the garter belt.

• Gather all of the single men into a circle on the dance floor.


• Have them face each other, in a huddle, and close their eyes.


• The groom then goes and hides the garter amongst the reception location, could be in obvious sight, but not too hard to find


• Have the single guys scurry around looking for it!  The DJ can play a song or two to keep up the entertainment and energy

And the guy who finds the garter is the winner!  Then you can proceed with the bouquet toss and whatnot.  At least this way, the bride doesn't have to worry about older and family members being somewhat surprised at the shenanigans that typically happens during the garter retrieval.  But it's all in good fun right?!  You can do the same thing with the bouquet toss.  Instead of having the bride throw the bouquet, have her hide it, and the single ladies have to search for it.  I for one think that that is a very entertaining idea.  And hopefully, no one gets hurt because they had an elbow thrown in their face while jumping for the bouquet.

Now, speaking of garter belts, I found another website on Etsy (if you don't know by now, I love Etsy), that has an awesome bridal collection, featuring garters.  The seller is RoseBudLips on Etsy.  The awesome thing about this shop is that every sale they make on Etsy, goes into helping women fight oppression, forced labor, and human trafficking, and bringing hope into their lives.  Here are some items from their Bridal Collection:







I love handmade flowers!  Not only are they economical, but they last forever!   And the flower bouquet above is customizable in size and color!  So you can coordinate it with your wedding.

Oh! Before I forget, I started a new discussion on my Facebook Fan Page.  I want to hear all about your engagement stories.  I even posted mine so you can see how "romantic" my husband is <3!  So share your story! Pin It

Cool wedding idea: Fingerprint Tree

It is common practice to have a guest book at the wedding in which guests can sign their names and write down their best wishes to the happy couple.  It has been this way for years.  And admittedly, the whole notion of a standard guest book has changed.  Couples are now opting for having their engagement pictures on every other page in the guest book.  Other couples go with the more personal touch, and have a photo booth or polaroid in which the guests take a snapshot of themselves, sign their name and best wishes and place that in the book.  There are lots of ways to add a personal touch to your wedding and to make your guest feel special.  After all, you invited them to come share the most special day of your life, so they must be special!

I recently came across a new and unique idea to a guest book, that was featured on one of my favorite sites, Emmalinebride.com.  Instead of having a regular guest book at your wedding, have this:

A wedding guest fingerprint tree!!!

It is a very cute, and very personal alternative to the regular guest book.  Guests press their thump on the ink pad (which comes in 7 colors) and leave their finger print, and sign their name next to their fingerprint.  The resulting product is a collective gathering of all of your guests, with their personal touch, that you can frame and hang up in your home so that you can always see it!  Speaking from experience, I read through my guest book once, and then put it away.  It hasn't been out for over a year now!  But I know that if I were to have this, then I would be able to look at it every day and remember all the special people that helped me celebrate my amazing day.

What's even more amazing, is that the tree is hand drawn, so your tree is unique!  The fingerprint tree can be found at Bleu De Toi's Etsy shop.  And along with your tree being hand drawn for the amount of guests at your wedding, you can also choose the color of the ink that you want featured on your tree.



After the wedding is over, and things have went back to normal.  You can gather your whole family together, and create a family tree! Such as the one below:



So, share this awesomeness with your friends!  It is definitely a cool way to bring your guests, friends, and family together on your wedding day and create a cherished keepsake that will last for years to come!

*Images taken from Emmalinebride.com and Bleudetoi.Etsy.com Pin It

Vendor Spotlight: Emici Bridal

As you may or may not know, I love all things vintage. Vintage dresses, vintage hairstyles, vintage accessories, I love it all.  If I could redo my wedding, it would be 100% completely vintage! Probably ranging from the 1920's-1950's.  Which means I would have at least two gowns, my husband would be in a zoot suit, and everything would have an old, glamorous Hollywood flair to it.  A girl can dream right?
Well, in my random browsing of the internet for all things vintage, I came across a wonderful site, Emici Bridal.  First, let me say that their items are just jaw dropping. I was literally speechless while browsing their site, and for me to be speechless is a major thing!  They make everything from ring pillows, hair fascinators, bridal bouquets, and sashes.  Everything is just so beautiful.  The colors are to die for! Deep, rich plums and gorgeous ivories and golds.  Everything is amazing.

Let me stop ranting and show you what I am talking about:

First off, their lovely bouquets.  In which I would probably order 20 just for my house alone.  They are all handmade of duponi silk!













Everything is STUNNING!  Definitely visit their Website and their Blog, and stay up to date with their Twitter.

Have an awesome day, and happy wedding!

*All images taken from Emici Bridal*


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Rock the Dress: Shannon

Today was another perfect day to shoot another Rock the Dress session. Once again the weather was perfect! We have been having such nice weather lately, I have definitely been taking advantage of it. This shoot was extra special for me because it was for my older sister Shannon. Shannon was married 4 years ago, and due to some "technical difficulties" didn't have time to do bridal portraits, nor did she really enjoy any of her pictures from the wedding. So this was a great chance for her to dig out her wedding dress, put it on, and run around and feel beautiful again!

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Rock the Dress: Cara

Earlier today, Cara and I headed to the Judge Morris Estate located in Newark, DE to shoot her Rock the Dress session. The Judge Morris Estate happened to be where Cara, and her now husband, Dan were married on 6-5-2010. First let me tell you, it is an absolutely gorgeous estate. It has lots of wide open green field, with some stone walls, and a gorgeous house. For weddings, you can rent the house and the lands. It really is a pretty place. It's funny, I've been living in Newark, DE for 6 years, and never once visited!

Now, back to Cara. She is a beautiful bride. Her dress, which belonged to her mother, is stunning. Very vintage and very detailed. Delicate lace and pearls everywhere. It has has very Victorian feel to it. Here are a couple of shots from today:

And to top it off, the weather was perfect!  It was a great day for a shoot!  Remember ladies, schedule your Rock the Dress session, you will have so much fun! Here is what Cara had to say about her session:

The pictures turned out lovely! Doing Rock the Dress was a great opportunity to get some real one-on-one time with my wedding dress. It's like having your own personal modeling session.  It was nice, relaxed, but professional... and you can definitely see this in the photographs.  I love the softness you gave to my pictures to compliment my dress and style.  Everything turned out awesome.

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