Simple Joys!

So it really is the simple pleasures in life that make you happy. What am I talking about? Might sound silly, but I love my address stamper from Expressionery.

There are many designs to chose from and the stamp is very easy to use. The ink that comes with it is said to last several thousand stamps before replacing. I've had mine for almost two years and its still going strong.

For the bride that has to address a million cards and invitations this year, it is a perfect way to increase efficiency. You don't have to just use them for your return address. Use your monogram and/or wedding date and use the stamps on table favors, programs, etc..

Expressionery has lots of other great stationary, embossers, etc. that can be used for the wedding. Even better still, you can save 40% off your entire order with the code "MOM2010" at checkout. Orders need to be placed before May 31, 2010 to get the savings.

Bonzie...what!?

So when someone asked me if I had heard about Bonzie's, I'll admit that my curiosity was peaked. I'll have to admit that its love at first sight too!



Bonzie is quickly becoming a big name in the fashion industry with a lot of recent press. Bonzie (an aunt and niece duo from Ireland) designs shrugs, wraps, collars and more with a romantic feel.

I adore the look of the wraps and boleros with a strapless gown. What a fun way to incorporate your wedding color into your dress. I think they would be great for a Mother of the Bride or Mother of the Groom's dress too. The price point is between $100-200, which isn't bad for an accessory you could use again.

You can check out their web site above or their shop on Etsy.

Robyn and Mike's Wedding at The Redmoor

Saturday's weather forecast had us worried with rain and high wind gusts, but somehow we lucked out and only had the wind to contend with. We loved Robyn's color palette of orange and blue (which is coincidentally the same palette Mark's son and fiance want to use with their wedding). The bridesmaids' dresses were beautiful and the flowers just popped against the blue backdrop of the dresses.

The ceremony and reception were held at the historic art deco theater, The Redmoor. It was a fun and beautiful site to host their event. Guests loved the unique venue and had fun with the candy bar that Robyn and Mike had in lieu of table favors. Robyn had a fun wedding monogram and the placecards designed by someone she found on Etsy, which is one of our new favorite places for wedding shopping.

It was a lovely spring wedding and we thank Robyn and Mike and their wonderful friends and family for sharing it with us.

Rain or Shine!

So every bride has that panicked thought of, "What if it rains on the wedding day?" Well, fear no more. You could turn that rain into a new wedding trend...umbrellas. Umbrellas can be used for decoration, props in photos or shield your guests from the rain or sun. Check out umbrellas.net or bellaumbrellas.com for chic umbrellas. Bella Umbrella has umbrellas for rent so that you don't have to purchase a ton of umbrellas...great for decor or wedding guests!

On Etsy, you can have umbrellas designed with your monogram, Just Married or Thank You, which make for great 'Thank You' cards after the wedding. Just goes to show that you can turn those rainy day lemons into fun wedding day lemonade!

Chris & Catha's Dayton Wedding

Mother Nature gave us one last taste of winter last Friday, but Catha and Chris didn't let it dampen their spirits! We had a lovely time with them at the newly remodeled Dayton Women's Club. The DWC was perfectly charming for their intimate wedding combining subtle vintage accents with Chris' Persian culture.

We loved Catha's mermaid style couture gown by Lazaro. A girl after my own heart, she also picked amazing Stuart Weitzman shoes (try Bluefly for deals on your own pair). The champagne colored gown was perfectly suited for the decor at DWC and her wedding color palette of white, champagne and dusty rose blended beautifully. The spring flowers from the Flowerman had the entire place smelling like spring, especially the peonies...my favorite!

The Persian ceremony was beautiful and filled with much symbolism for their new lives together. It was really fun to watch. In keeping with their unique wedding, they also picked a unique honeymoon. Catha and Chris are going to Medellin, Columbia. They are then travelling into the mountains and jungle to tour the Coffee Triangle. How's that for unique!?

We had a wonderful time with Chris, Catha and their lovely friends and family. Thank you for sharing your day with us! Happy Honeymooning!

Weddings by iPhones

For the iPhone, I mean bride, that has it all. Now introducing the Wedding Planning App for iPhone. The list of features is pretty impressive. I haven't tried it out myself, but for $7.99 what's it hurt to try...

The Extensive Feature List includes (just to name a few):

- Invitation style Home screen with date & time, venue and a Live Countdown to your big day

- our Home screen quick view ‘Binder’ for access to To-dos, Notes, Budget and photos

- Fully customizable To-do list

- Automatically created Scheduled To-do list- Keep Simple Notes

- Keep track of your Budget automatically or manually

- Budget spending assistance

- Record all guest details in ‘The People’ section

- Record guests attending day or reception

- Record Invite, RSVP and status of attendance

- Record meal choices for reception

- Record if a guest is bringing extra people in the evening

- Seating Plan for Reception

- Seating Plan for Rehearsal Dinner
- Gift Tracker

- Export the important guest section info by Email

Pretty crazy, huhh?

Wedding Plans...Part II

In keeping with the periodic updates on Mark's son's wedding, here is the second installment. Josh and Kristen are doing something similar to our wedding, which is to have a big 'send off' party locally and then do a smaller more intimate destination wedding later.

Well they've looked in their dates and locations, and we are looking forward to working with both venues. Their 'send off' party in Dayton will be at the Taj Ma Garaj, which we thought would be a fun party atmosphere for their cocktail party. There are lots of kids and tweens in the family so the upstairs game room will keep the kids busy allowing the adults time to mingle and dance. Kristen and Josh love the color red so the red Porsche room was a great fit too!

Their wedding will be in Sarasota, Florida just a few weeks later at the Crosley Museum. The Crosley Museum was a private estate that then later became a museum after being placed on the National Registry of Historic Places. Its Spanish mission architecture and ocean views are perfect for a destination wedding. Can't wait to do photographs there for sure!

That's it for today's installment, but stayed tuned for more...

Top Wedding Album Awards

Last week was the Mid-East States Professional Photographers (MESPPA) Convention and the Professional Photographers of Ohio (PPO) State Convention. We entered four wedding albums (the max number of entries possible) for the print and album judging. PPA (Professional Photographers of America) affiliated judges were flown in from all over the country to judge this competition.

We are happy to say that all four of our entries merited. We were then also lucky enough to receive 2 Kodak Gallery Awards, Outstanding Wedding Album in the Region, Top Special Events Album, the Bill Stockwell Award for Top Album in Ohio, Mid-East States Top Ten Photographers of the Year and Ohio Top Ten Photographers of the Year. These same entries will then be submitted to the International Print Judging held by the PPA in Atlanta in July.

A special thank you to our wonderful clients who really are the ones to make all of this possible. They place so faith in us and allow us to capture their special day. It truly is a collaboration between us and our couples to get such great photographs. We are very thankful and humbled to work with such wonderful couples on such a momentous occasion!

To see more of the images from these weddings, click on their names appearing in the order from top to bottom: Moira and Quentin, Andrea and Patrick, Abby and Wes, Brittany and Josh.