On the subject of photography, I LOVE themed engagement shoots. Check out this adorable couple and their awesome photographer.

thebrideline:

Photos by Katie Murphy Photography

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I’m a wedding photographer, so in turn, I love weddings. How could you not? They’re beautiful, creative and two people spend a whole day practically bubbling over from love. Now, I’m used to taking the pictures for weddings, but obviously, that’s not gonna happen at our wedding. 

The decision to book the perfect wedding photographer was probably the easiest decision from this entire wedding process. West Virginia has tons of fabulous wedding photographers, and our are alone has several wickedly talented gals out there making wickedly beautiful images. 

However, there is one photographer who over the years has become a really great friend of mine. She was our obvious choice. Michelle Waters is a local photographer with a photojournalistic feel and an immense caring for her clients.

Her photos are exactly what we were looking for. She manages to take a moment, and feel what it’s like and somehow when you get the prints back - that feeling is still there in that photo. The emotions of the subjects are communicated effortlessly through her lens. *le sigh* 

The package we chose comes with e-photos as well, super excited for that. I’ll definitely be posting some more on those when we have them done. We’re thinking sometime this fall, beautiful leaves, cool weather and a cute finace to boot. 

In the land of wedding porn, STDs are a good thing. Women want them, they drool over them & the do their best to get the perfect one. So, even though I’m 17 months away from my wedding, I’m already on the hunt for our STD. 

I love paper things, they’re so versatile & so fun! I wanted our STDs to be that - versatile & fun. However, they must incorporate our e-photos. I want our guests to get a feel for our wedding when they open that STD, to know how much we want them to be part of our day. On the other hand, I simply don’t have the budget to have 150 custom STDs made, but momma & I are uber DIY. So, i’ve picked out these few that I just drool over, & can be DIY

Are you not absolutely in LOVE with this STD? They’re interactive, offer beautiful fonts and nice and compact. Great, right? I agree, but they’re just not for us. They’re lacking the ever-important e-photos. 

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So, moving on to example 2

Oooh, I’m in love. Black & white, beautiful colors, super creative & I could totally DIY this. Seriously, this is one of the best ideas I’ve seen. However, it’s still lacking the e-photos. No go, next!

You also must know that I also love chalk boards. I mean, LOVE them. I wanted them in the STD somehow. These two above photos are how. Mmm, first, check out the dreamy photography. I’m lovin’ the sun in these photos and the vintage feel - ahhh. This is it, in some form. Mr.R & I will be rockin’ some chalkboards for our e-photos. What should it say? Any ideas?

In the wedding world, there is one uber crucial element to making wedding guests happy - food. Every guest wants something that will tickle their taste buds, dance on their palettes & overall satisfy them for the evening. Mr. R & I had debated about food before - and trust me, we love food. 

The Great Bridal Event was held in my area recently. It was an AMAZING event! There were so many bridal vendors there my head was about to explode - think, Wal-Mart of the Bridal world. 

I attended with my mom because Mr. R had to work, boy, did he miss out! As soon as we walked through the door, we were bombarded with food. The first stop offered a prime rib crostini with swiss cheese and a reduction sauce, similar to this one.

Is your mouth watering? It should be - these are beyond fabulous!

We turned around & bam! - another catering vendor was behind us. Ok, to call them a caterer isn’t fair. They were an appetizer caterer only who specialized in fountains. Oh yes, glorious fountains - ranch fountains, chocolate fountains, white chocolate fountains and punch. The Ranch fountain was simply amazing. They had a beautiful presentation of fruits, veggies and other dippables served with skewers for sanitary dipping. I had died & gone to Hidden Valley. 

However, I had to move away from the fountain of goodness so I could search for a full dinner caterer. I didn’t have to walk but 30 steps before my desires were filled. This vendor had at least a triple booth space, and it was all filled with food. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. They had appetizers, main dishes, drinks, vegetables, cheese balls - you name it & it was there for the sampling. Needless to say, we loaded up of sampling plates and tasted it. 

This food was delicious! After fighting my way to the front to speak to the owner (there were at least 600 people in this space), I was sold. 

First, the owner was extremely friendly and helpful. But even more helpful than her personality, was the price. Now, let me say that this is a full service catering business. They include linens, china, stemware, glassware, polished silver, cake cutting/carting service, coffee station. the full buffet & attendants for the evening for about $15 per person. 

That is practically a steal for all that! We’re planning on attending a sampling in April, & I’ll be sure to post details & hopefully I’ll get some pictures.