Princess Bride

The effortless sophistication of this styled shoot by Jen Huang Photography leaves us wanting more! Antique floral china, lace linens, and gold touches courtesy of Borrowed Blu combine with softer fashion choices like a light gray suit and bohemian style beaded gown from Nearly Newlywed Bridal Boutique for a chic but casual affair. Garden blooms and wildflower-inspired bouquets by Sarah Winward of Honey of a Thousand Flowers give an elegant accent when mixed with silver platters of fresh vegetables and flickering candles; the watercolor invitation by Dear Jendo ties in seamlessly with the theme. We’re so in love with the bride’s coral lipstick and gorgeous curls tucked back at the base of her neck, styled by 10.11 Makeup. Ahh, vintage details and romantic styling—does it get any better? See all of the beautiful images in the gallery!

The snowy backdrop of the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center is organic and ethereal for this wintry shoot from The McCartneys Photography. A.Styled Event by Anna Margaret designed the glittery gold and romantic red affair with whimsical stationery from Monograham Paper & Gifts, gorgeous flowers from Marius Bell Floral & Events, and a sweet lace gown by Monirose. And one of the best parts of this inspired shoot? The bride’s Plume & Lace hairpiece—fabulous! The pleated cream Forever 21 bridesmaids dress is elegant but laid-back, and we adore the long, loose hairstyles in the midst of the winter whites—see all of the stunning images right here!

Valentine’s Day celebrations don’t always have to be filled with red hearts and streamers. This full-of-love and incredibly sweet shoot styled by Belovely Events uses vintage furniture and clothing and natural elements instead! Love love love the gorgeous furniture from Maggpie Vintage Rentals and the hanging flower garlands! Once you’ve seen these gorgeous photos by Carina and Amanda of Love Me Do Photography, be sure to check out the beautiful video of the shoot created by Tree of Life Films as well!

It’s already so hard to resist photo booths, but add in antique details, vintage LPs, and fabulous accessories like these from Love, Lulu Mae? Sign me up! This team behind this Inspired Creations Contest put together the Ultimate Photo Booth. Guests use props like vintage hats, mustaches on a stick, sequined and feathered headbands to create photos, buttons, and even videos to post on friends’ facebook walls! Certainly, this is not your ordinary photo booth. It’s super interactive and has so many different options to play with. Doesn’t it look like so much fun?

Although we don’t feature a ton of engagement shoots, this one was way too cute not to share! Tauren and Chris’ shoot was designed to show the seasons of their relationship and to ask their loved ones to join them in the next season of their lives. How sweet is that? They sipped lattes outside for the fall, snuggled up for a snowy Christmas inside, shared a colorful spring picnic, and ran around on the beach for summer. Such a cute idea with beautiful photos from Bethany Belle!

Shannon’s bridal portrait session from Christina Carroll Photography is full of shabby chic amazingness. It was taken at The Prairie by Rachel Ashwell, a super cute bed and breakfast between Austin and Houston that is a perfect mix of rustic and romantic. I’m absolutely in love with Shannon’s gown, originally by Allure Couture and then deconstructed/reconstructed by the bride herself! And how beyond gorgeous is Shannon?  Beautiful, shabby chic bridal portraits with fabulous antique details. Enjoy!

Just in time for the 4th of July, we have an classic and adorable summer engagement shoot from Love Life Studios and styled by The Stylish Soiree. I love all the patriotic details from the tablescape to the bride’s oversized sunglasses to the mini red, white, and blue pinwheels. Check out the flowers too, don’t the blue thistle kinda look like fireworks? This laid-back shoot absolutely gets me in the mood for a big slice of peach pie and an ice cold soda. Happy 4th of July everyone!

Virginia in the fall is pure loveliness, so I adore every little detail of Chris and Nicolette’s day-after session!  Styled by the wonderful Vicki Grafton of My Simple Details, with floral by Growing Wild and amazing photos from Kate Triano, each element of the session really speaks to Chris and Nicolette’s personalities!

This week I am in Las Vegas at the fabulous WPPI convention – many of the talented wedding photographers I feature on the blog are here as well, including someone whose work really resonates with me, Elizabeth Messina.

I am so excited to welcome 2010 to the world. With every new year comes a new energy, a new creativity, and a new fresh outlook on life (and of course, on weddings).

by Olivia Leigh

Ahh, where were we? Olivia had just arrived, we finished getting ready, and we were off.

Subtitle: Why people usually don’t try to get married on the 13th.

As I mentioned before, our engagement pics are coming up!  Needless to say I’ve been spending lots of time recently searching some of my favorite photographer’s blogs for inspiration.  Now I am definitely not planning on handing my photographer a list of “must have shots” or poses….I 100% believe that you hire a photographer for their artistic talent of “seeing” great shots….not just for their fancy camera.  With that said, I also believe that pictures should portray who you are as a couple.  Whether that involves wearing certain outfits, a specific meaningful location, or your favorite activity.

So I got the new Anthropologie catalogue in the mail and was absolutely inspired by their shadow photos (shocker…I’m inspired by something from Anthro):

Captain’s log: May 27, 2009. We’re at T-24 days to the big day, and things are looking stable, if complicated.

by Olivia Leigh

A little change of pace for today – we’re featuring an adorable bridal shower shared with us by Sandra Pan!  This pink and green shower is so refreshingly cute that it really brought a smile to my face and hopefully yours too!

I am really looking forward to our day after portraits! When we first met with our photographer and were talking about different packages, she brought up and suggested we do day after portraits. I had never really heard of these before, but they are a great way to get some beautiful portraits of the two of you without having to worry about getting your dress dirty, keeping your guests waiting, or anything else you may be thinking of the day of your wedding. You can just relax and have some fun!

Arden from Arden Photography sent over two boards that are so lovely! The bride arrived in a vintage Chevy truck and had Coca Cola in glass bottles during the cocktail hour. The reception concluded with a fireworks show and a helicopter departure!