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Thursday
Sep022010

Real Texas Wedding: RaeAnna + Kris

We fell in love with the "deer" portrait in the top left as soon as the images came in from Barry at Captivated Images, and how could we not?  We love a couple with a sense of humor!  (Check out the "jest married" sign at the end, too!)  RaeAnna + Kris's ranch branding details, light hunting touches, and bright colored bridesmaid dresses sealed the deal for us.  Kudos to RaeAnna's grandmother, who handled all of the flowers!

How did the two of you meet?  Tell us your story.  We met in the fall of 2008; I had just started in the ER and Kris was one of the charge nurses. Life’s circumstances had us on different paths, and we did not even really converse much until I found out he was my “secret Santa” for the unit’s gift exchange. Following the Christmas party in January 2009, we started spending some time together, and once we began dating in February, it was only weeks until we knew we had found the one God had for each of us. 
Describe the proposal:
Kris set up a scavenger hunt to lead me to his intended proposal site. He called and told me to get ready for the day, and to call him when I was ready. When I did, he told me to go to the first place we met, which was at a nurses’ station at work. Beginning there, each place I arrived at had roses, framed pictures of us, and a note hinting where to go next. After visiting the first place we met, first place we ate together, and the first place we danced, he told me to drive toward the lake outside of town. I passed him on the highway and he had me pull over, blindfolded me, and then drove me to a beautiful little place near a pond and an old church. After leading me to the intended site, he let me take off the handkerchief. I removed it to find him down on his knee, on a blanket scattered with red rose petals, shaking as he began to read a letter he wrote me. At the end, he pulled out a little wooden box, opened it exposing the most beautiful ring I’d ever seen, and asked me to be his wife.
Three adjectives that describe the day are:
Joyful, enchanted, and perfect
What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration?  What was Southern about your wedding?
We were married outdoors at a beautiful lake house in West Texas. Kris wore his elephant hide cowboy boots with his tux. Our rod iron arch with Texas stars faced the lake and marked the altar. The landscaping was very suiting for a Southern wedding and included iron roadrunners and cactus, old cow skulls, wagon wheels, horse spurs, and even more “Texas stars”. Barbecue brisket was the entrée of choice, and of course we had to have sweet tea to wash down the meal.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress:
The first day of dress hunting with my mother, sisters, and stepdaughters-to-be over was unsuccessful. Since I had never done this before, I was not aware that we had to make appointments before venturing out. We were not even able to browse in some stores, and it was rather disheartening. I found the perfect dress on my second outing with friends; it was elegant but still practical for the potentially scorching West Texas heat.
Describe your wedding flowers:
One of my grandmothers worked in a floral shop for years, and did all the flower arrangements for us. My bouquet was made of white calla lilies, yellow carnations, and coral roses, and Kris wore a single calla lily. The bridesmaids carried three white calla lilies, the groomsmen’s boutonnières boasted orange and yellow mini-roses, and the centerpieces were bold arrangements with various flowers of coral, orange, and yellow to match our colors.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day?
After speeches were made and we were toasted to, our toasting flutes disappeared. I saw them again later when Kris opened the door to our wedding suite at the bed and breakfast we stayed at that night. He had friends of ours bring the flutes to the room, chill the champagne, and sprinkle the floor with rose petals. It meant so much to me that he had taken the time on such a hectic day to do something so special for me.   
What’s next for you as a couple?  What are you looking forward to in the future?
Right now we are just enjoying life as newlyweds. We are blessed by Kris’ three children, Dillan, Miranda, and Destiny, and are thankful to have them in our home. They keep us busy, make us laugh everyday, and they look forward to having another brother/sister in the future. Kris and I are eager to have more vacations and make more memories like ones from our honeymoon getaway.  As a family, we are working on getting horses and cattle on the family’s ranch.



Wednesday
Sep012010

Giveaway :: MagnetStreet

While we all know that Emily is our in-house paper extraordinaire, I'm pretty sure all of the SW ladies (and all people, for that matter) love getting wedding invitations in the mail.

Even more than the actual invitation itself, though, I absolutely, positively adore Save the Dates. Invitations are often more formal, but the Save the Date serves as an opportunity for a couple to let their fun, crazy sides come out! That's where MagnetStreet comes in. MagnetStreet THE place to go for creative Save the Dates. MagnetStreet not only stocks the typical cards, but they also have Save the Date magnets--so cool! MagnetStreet knows that each couple has their own style so they made it easy to personalize their designs with the wedding colors, fonts, wording and photos.

Win: 150 Save the Date cards or magnets of your choice from MagnetStreet. This includes envelopes and regular ground shipping...so basically it's a completely stellar deal!

To Enter: Ladies and gents, you know what to do! Hustle on over to the MagnetStreet website and post a comment below telling us your favorite Save the Date design. Feeling like an overachiever? We'd also love to know how you'd personalize the design to make it fit your style!

This giveaway will end on September 6th at Midnight. Hop to it!


Wednesday
Sep012010

Details: Michelle + Ken, Part II

And we’re back, this time with images from Michelle + Ken’s whimsical reception on the lawn of the Semiahmoo Resort.  From the couple’s leafy-green wedding cake (inspired by their Italian china pattern!) from Market Street Catering to the long candelabra-topped banquet tables, M + K’s reception has a grown-up Alice in Wonderland-esque vibe that makes me happy.  The open-air lounge retreat set up just outside the tent is wonderfully magical, too.  Visit photographer Michèle Waite’s blog for her post on the day!

Describe your wedding cake:  Elegant and classy.  The cake’s design was influenced by the Italian china that we registered for.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding?  Our biggest challenge was finding out 3 weeks prior to our wedding that Ken had been called in for oral board interviews with a local fire department.  We were really excited until we learned that the interviews would be the week after our wedding which was the same week that we supposed to be celebrating our honeymoon in Fiji.  After much contemplation, we decided to postpone our honeymoon so that Ken could participate in the process.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day?  The most memorable thing was how joyful everyone at our wedding was.  It was really important to us that our family and friends felt like the day was as much about them as it was about us.  Everyone looked impeccable and the day was full of many smiles, tears and laughter.
What was your most memorable part of the ceremony?  Our officiant was Ken’s current Fire Chief and worked closely with Ken’s dad, Scott, for many years.  Scott passed away 10 years ago, so it was very special for the Chief to marry us.  Our favorite moment during the ceremony was with Chief introduced us as “Mr. and Mrs. Scott Tozer”, mistakenly calling Ken by his dad’s name.  At that moment, we knew Scott was there with us, too.
What’s next for you as a couple?  What are you looking forward to in the future? Ken and I are enjoying our time as newlyweds and continue to focus on our commitment to Ken getting hired as a full-time fire fighter.  We’re also looking forward to going on our honeymoon later this year. 

Wednesday
Sep012010

Details: Michelle + Ken, Part I

Hello, gorgeous dress!  The bride fell in love with her regal one-shoulder gown from Luly Yang the moment she saw it, and I can totally see what.  (I may be biased since I’ll be wearing a one-shoulder gown in a little over a week, but you have to admit her dress is pretty fabulous.)  Michelle + Ken swapped “I dos” at the Semiahmoo Resort, with Michèle Waite on-hand to document the big day.  Steven Moore Designs planned M + K'swedding and styled the intricate blooms.  Come back soon for Part II, ‘mkay?

How did the two of you meet?  Tell us your story.  We met at a “guy’s baby shower.”  I was living in Portland, OR at the time and was out on the town with a girlfriend and my brother.  Ken was in town from Washington State celebrating his friend’s “weekend get-away” baby shower.  As Ken puts it, why should women get to have a party and the men don’t?  We met, exchanged numbers, and the rest is history!
Describe the proposal.
It was our 3-year anniversary and Ken secretly arranged with my clients to come after a lunchtime Pilates class that I was teaching.  One of my clients had asked me to wait after class to meet a friend of hers who was interested in Pilates.  The “friend” turned out to be Ken.  I thought the surprise and enormous bouquet of flowers that he was carrying was for our anniversary, but I couldn’t figure out why all of my clients were taking photos.  Then, he got down on his knee and asked me:  “Will you spend the rest of your life with me?”  I was completely stunned and said, “Of course I will!”
Three adjectives that describe the day are:
Romantic, fun, perfect.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was:
   My grandfather who was very special to me and who had passed away raised sold peonies.  It was really important to my family to have some peonies incorporated into the décor, despite how difficult they were to get during July.  My bouquet, my mom’s bouquet and my grandmother’s all had peonies.  Our head table also featured single pink peonies.  There were moments during the wedding when I could smell their fragrance and I felt completely embraced by my grandfather.  We also had my grandmother’s oil paintings of my grandfather’s peonies displayed during the reception.
What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration?  What was Southern about your wedding?
My aunt gave us a beautiful 100 Blessings quilt on our wedding day that she had made.  The quilt is incredible and was by far our favorite gift.  We were really excited to incorporate it into some of our photos, too.  We also served pork sliders and sweet potato fries as a late night snack during the reception.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress:
  My brother, my Man of Honor, saw my dress in the window of Luly Yang, a boutique across from his office in downtown Seattle.  He called me and told me that he thought he had found my dress.  And he did.  It was exactly what I was looking for and I was the first person (and last) to try it on!

Tuesday
Aug312010

Life as a Newlywed, Part II

What else goes along with being a newlywed?  Sometimes it means buying a new home (and popping bubbly in said new home), sometimes it means hanging out on the roof of your new home, and sometimes it means scooting around town on a Vespa.  Or, at least, that's what it means to these newlyweds!  Big thanks to Lauren Larsen for sending us these images and to Heather DeStena for helping with the styling + direction!  Now tell me, those of you who are already married: if a photographer were to capture some aspect of your newlywed life, what would you want it to be?  Though I'm not married, I think a kitchen/baking/cooking scene would be lots of fun...

Tuesday
Aug312010

Life as a Newlywed, Part I

We've got a fun treat for y'all today!  Though we're all about weddings, we also recognize that there is, in fact, life after the big day (shocker!).  Photographer Lauren Larsen wanted to celebrate the part that often comes right after the wedding, when a young couple in love sets up house for the first time, and along with directing and styling help from Heather DeStena, she did just that.  The two prepped five different scenes, each likely familiar to those of you who have already crossed these threshholds.  Eating pizza out of the box and sleeping on a mattress on the floor?  Painting until all hours of the night?  Yes and yes, I imagine.  Check back soon for more!

Monday
Aug302010

Real North Carolina Wedding: Tiffany + Brian, Part II

I love that Tiffany + Brian ventured outside for their first dance (and in gorgeous light, to boot!).  I also love that they carried a naval color scheme throughout their wedding and reception.  Even the tables were named after famous ports!  Kudos again to Brunswick Town Florist, Jessica Scully for the coordination, and Rachel at Millie Holloman Photography for the beautiful images!  Check out a few more on her blog here!

Monday
Aug302010

Real North Carolina Wedding: Tiffany + Brian, Part I

Could there be a better way to start the week than with this breath-of-fresh-air wedding from Rachel at Millie Holloman Photography?  We think not.  Tiffany + Brian celebrated at the Shoals Club on Bald Head Island.  Brunswick Town Florist took care of the beachy flowers, while Jessica Scully took care of coordination.  I have to say, I'm almost as in love with the casual onlookers at the ceremony as with the ceremony itself.  Talk about being a laidback couple, no?  More from the reception soon!

Friday
Aug272010

Watercolor Flashback + Happy Birthday Katharine!

One year ago, Emily and I left Katharine here to hold down the fort while we spent a whirlwind week in Watercolor producing this:

Photography by Fred Egan

Photography by Jory Cordy

Photography by Jeff Holt


A year and many laughs and adventures later, we're busy bees today putting final touches on V3.  We're also celebrating Katharine's birthday today (technically it's tomorrow, but the more celebrating, the merrier)!  Since it is her birthday and she tends to shy away from the camera, we decided to spare her and celebrate off screen.  Regardless, y'all send her some birthday love on twitter and help us get this party started!

Adorable pic of the birthday girl above from our shoot with Millie Holloman.

From Emily: Katharine, I had big plans to make you a birthday cake out of Sour Patch Kids, but then I fell asleep way too early last night to finish my masterpiece.  Oh well, I'll just hand over the raw materials -- you won't complain about two extra bags for your filing box, will you?  I am so excited to be your bridesmaid in two weeks -- it's going to be fabulous!!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

From Lara: Well, thanks to some happy news in the office today, you have a TON to celebrate!  I hope this weekend with your fam is amazing and that you enjoy every day leading up to the BIG one in two weeks.  I am so excited for you and all that is to come in this next year.  Wishing you a year full of sugar, happiness, love, excitement, and Lifetime TV. xo!

Happy weekend y'all!

xo Lara and Emily

Friday
Aug272010

Real Kentucky Wedding: Sarah + Arturo

Happy Friday, y’all!  As you know, we’ve been a little busy over here prepping V3 for your enjoyment, but we wanted to tide you over with some Kentucky gorgeousness from Todd Pellowe.  In true Southern fashion, Sarah + Arturo were married beneath a wild oak in the Gardens of Ray Eden.  The bride wore a ruffled Lezu gown (which I’ve been swooning over all morning!) and vintage veil from Birdcage Veils.   Sarah’s maids, in yellow David’ Bridal frocks, carried bright, summery stems from In Bloom Again.  Our favorite part of the ceremony?  The pretty pink pomanders hanging from the tree!  Hankering for me before you head off for some weekend fun?  Take a peek at the photographer’s blog post here

How did the two of you meet?  Tell us your story. We actually worked together. At our company Christmas party, Arturo finally got the courage to ask me out, but since we worked together I wasn’t sure it would be a good idea to accept. He was very persistent, though, and after some beautiful flowers for Valentine’s Day, I accepted. We dated for four years and managed to keep our relationship a secret until we were engaged. No one knew that I was even dating anyone!
Describe the proposal. I was standing at the stove fixing taco salads when Arturo came over for dinner. After coming in, he got my puppies ready to go outside, which was not unusual. When he returned, I was still at the stove with my back to him and he said he had something to ask me. I turned around and he had flowers. I was completely surprised. He pulled out the ring, and said he wanted to ask me to marry him.  I said, “You’re doing this now? I’m wearing sweat pants.”  Of course, I said, “Yes,” and immediately called my parents!
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Happy, perfect and unforgettable.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: I don’t think we could pick just one; we loved all of them! We wanted everything to be unique and personalized, so that meant making a majority of our details just the way we wanted them. 
What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration?  One of my favorite Southern details was all the family we included in our ceremony. With the exception of the Best Man, our entire wedding party was family, including the Minister who was my brother-in-law. My six sisters walked in the processional with their husbands as my honor attendants. My brother escorted my mom and my other sister was my Matron of Honor. We weren’t sure that my one year old niece and great nephew would make it down the aisle on their own, so we had my nephew pull them in a red town and country wagon.  To include both cultures in our reception, our dinner menu included both a Southern and a Mexican food station. The Southern station included mac and cheese in tiny mason jars with fried onions on top, fried green tomatoes sprinkled with goat cheese, and ham biscuits.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: We searched endlessly for a dress. My mom, sister and nieces looked in numerous stores in numerous states. Becoming very desperate, we decided to forego our usual tradition of Black Friday shopping for wedding dress shopping in Charlotte, NC. We went to our appointment and were led to the dresses in our price range. My sister and I started looking at the dresses in our price range and picked out a few. We decided to “just look” at the dresses that were a little over our budget, and found the most beautiful dress that I would “just try on.” It was Ivory with a sweetheart neckline, buttons down the back and a double accordion ruffle along the bottom. It was completely different than what I had been looking for, but I LOVED it!  
Describe your wedding flowers: It was important to us that our wedding be very happy and colorful, so our flowers were bright pink and bright yellow. My bouquet included hot pink gerberas, hot pink tulips, hot pink peonies, pink calla lilies and some clusters of yellow spray roses. We had hot pink gerberas “growing” in the grass down the sides of the ceremony aisle. We also hung large spheres of pink flowers from the huge oak tree where we exchanged our vows. 
Describe your wedding cake: We served a white cake with a vine of old-fashioned daises going around it. One tier was lemon cake with a bavarian cream filling and a raspberry filling, and the other was chocolate cake with a turtle filling. Our topper was a handmade customized replica of me and Arturo, plaid tie and all.  
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? For me, it was the entire ceremony. Whether it was the sound my dress made on the grass as I walked with my dad down the aisle, Arturo’s legs shaking at the beginning of our vows, or Arturo trying to push the rings on my finger, it was the most wonderful, happy day of my life. 
 What’s next for you as a couple?  What are you looking forward to in the future? We can’t wait to just settle in as Mr. and Mrs.!
Congratulations, Sarah + Arturo!  We wish you a lifetime of hugs + happiness.