Don’t know if I’ve mentioned this yet or not, but I have a slight obsession with anything from Coach! It’s the only bag, purse, or wallet I’ll buy. (And I have my eyes on a pair of sunglasses next.) What can I say? The C’s, they call to me. Actually, it has more to do with the fact that my motto is quality over quantity… and anything with C’s. ;)

Up until now, I haven’t been exactly interested in Coach shoes. Then I saw these babies. Aren’t they darling? So funky, fresh, and very fun! And, best of all, they’re 40% off on Nordstrom.com right now, which actually makes them very reasonably priced. Cha-ching! :)

Blue | Floral

I’m reallllly loving the bright floral patterned ones! What do you think? Should I go for it? Sound off in the comments, shoe lovers!

Happy Shoesday!

xoxo

Good morning and happy Memorial Day everyone! When I scheduled this shoot, it was unconsciously (as I didn’t realize it would be Memorial Day at the time) the best thing I could have done. You see, this adorable couple’s love story is affected every day by the military. Zach is in the Army and has spent much of his relationship with Emily deployed in Iraq or stationed all the way across the country. And as he fights for the good ol’ US of A, their love remains strong. When Melissa of Melissa McFadden Photography took their engagement photos, she knew she wanted to give them something to cherish when distance keeps them apart. This is their story…

Emily met Zach through her sister who happened to be dating Zach’s best friend, David. They really hit it off when David married Emily’s sister in 2007. Zach and Emily were named best man and maid of honor respectively. From the moment Zach told Emily she was beautiful and walked her down the aisle, Emily knew they were going to be together. (Heart melting.)

At the time, Zach was on leave from the Army to attend the wedding. He was set to return to his station in New York (across the country from where Emily was studying to become a dental hygienist) immediately after. (Major bummer.) It was two months before they saw each other again. After which he returned to see her every other weekend, until Christmas when he stayed for two weeks. (Too cute.)

During their time apart, Emily and Zach spoke on the phone every day and had many a date via Skype. In October of 2008, Zach deployed to Iraq for a year with only a two-week mid tour leave. They began talking about what was next for them and getting married. They agreed it was something they both wanted. Emily knew that because they were on the same page, that Zach would propose when he returned home from Iraq. But she didn’t know when or how. (All the better to surprise you with, my dear.)

It was February 12, 2010 when Zach finally proposed. Emily had gone to dinner with her sister and husband David, and David’s brothers to celebrate a birthday. While at dinner, a waiter approached Emily to inform her she had a phone call. Without a clue as to who could be calling her, she followed the waiter as he led her out onto an outdoor patio.

There stood Zach, in a circle of candles and rose petals in his Army dress blues. (Can you imagine? Wow!) At first, Emily thought it was a Valentine’s surprise as he had previously told her he would be training and wouldn’t be able to make it home. But as he started talking, she realized it was so much more. The entire restaurant watched Zach propose and cheered as they came back inside. (I’d cheer too!) Emily says it was the best surprise of her life! (I’d say so. Smile.)

{Behind the Lens with the fabulous Melissa of Melissa McFadden Photography} I only knew a few details about Emily and Zach prior to their engagement session. I knew that she was still in school and that he was in the military. I was looking forward to becoming more familiar with both of them. When I found out that Zach was stationed all the way across the country (from her) in New York, I knew that I wanted to really work hard to capture some great photos for them to cherish when they were far apart. They really are a great couple, one of the best that I’ve had the pleasure of working with. Their love really came across well on the camera.

The first goal of every session is to get the couple to become comfortable enough with me that they can really let their personalities come out. I always chat a lot (probably way too much!) that by the end of the session my clients know just as much about me (or more!) as I do about them. With every shoot I try to get a mixture of posed, traditional looking shots – something that will look great for a newspaper announcement or for grandma – and lots of candid and stylized shots that reflect them as a couple. I do things like encourage the guy to whisper “sweet nothings” into her ear, or nibble on her earlobe a bit… anything to get them to have fun in front of the lens! Emily and Zach made it easy for me. In no time at all, they were having fun in front of the lens and we were able to get some really great shots. I could tell they had a great connection when they were able to lose themselves in one another, even though they had a giant camera in their faces.

Ultimately, the main purpose of each engagement session that I shoot is to have a great time and get to know the couple better. It makes it a lot easier to work together on their wedding day. We come away from their e-session with images that they’ll be able to treasure for years. Not just stiff, posed pictures, but ones that truly reflect them as a couple.

Sigh. Looking at them and the way their love for each other shines through just makes. my. heart. pound. I’m completely in love with their love. It rings so fresh and true – right off the photos. It’s inspiring to know that although distance may keep them apart, their hearts beat strongly for each other.

On this day of all days, please remember those who have fought and died for this country. Remember those who stand strong and fight for all of us each and every day. And remember that each of those men and women in uniform have someone waiting for them back home. Remember all of them this Memorial Day and every day.

A big thank you to Melissa of Melissa McFadden Photography for sharing this truly amazing engagement session with us! It was an honor and a pleasure to share Emily and Zach’s love story today! Thank you both for sharing it with us! We wish you best of luck and love in your years together!

Happy Monday!

xoxo

A picture is worth a thousand words . . .

One Photographer. One Snapshot. One Quote.

One-thousand words and emotions.

“One day out of darkness they shall meet, and read life’s meaning in each other’s eyes.” – Susan Mara Spalding

Photo Credit to Erin Hearts Court

Check out these awesome links from the bridal blog swap this week!

Enjoy!

We are crushing on this engagement shoot from KimJMartin Photography! It was shot in the same spot as where the proposal took place – the Golden Gate Bridge!

Do you find traditional wedding color schemes too limiting? Then check out this prismatic Wedding Inspiration post from The Broke-Ass Bride!

See the Kim Kardashian engagement ring everyone is talking about on BRIDEfinds. It’s 20-carat, which equals 3.41-carats per month of dating.

Honey Living is loving the idea of gifting a couple a pretty print to hang in their home for years to come. Would you like to receive one?

Needing some modern wedding inspiration? Then this modern purple wedding on Every Last Detail will definitely hit the spot!

TGIF: Find some Deliciously Fun Groom Cakes to Thank the Groom on OK, Now What Bride.

Saturday Snapshot still to come tomorrow, and we’ll be back on Monday with another fabulous feature! :)

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

xoxo

Last Friday in May already… how’d that happen?! At least it’s warming up finally. And I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than with a beachy engagement shoot full of love from Shang Chen Photography!

Yaya and Ben met at Harvard in January of 2004. Ben’s roommate was having a birthday party… in the middle of one of Boston’s notorious snowstorms. Yaya wasn’t particularly fond of trudging out into the storm to attend said party, but did… wearing three pairs of sweatpants. (I don’t know why but this made me giggle so hard. Probably because in the write up she sent me, she added, “sexy, I know” to this part.) Ben showed up about an hour into the party. His first impression: attempting to eat ice cream out of a cup without a spoon. (Sounds challenging, and messy.) It must have been charming too as they got to talking and had a great time together. They became fast friends soon afterwards and several months later admitted deeper feelings for each other.

Ben graduated in 2005, but worked in Boston for two years while Yaya finished school. In 2007, when Yaya graduated, they moved to New York City. Two years after that, they moved to Pennsylvania to attend law school together, obviously inseparable. (I like to think that they were traveling for love as well as school and impending careers.)

It seems rather fitting for these two that when Ben saw fit to propose, he did so during the big Philly snowpocalypse of 2010. (More like a lovely coincidence, at least it is in my book.) He decided to propose on his birthday, that way Yaya didn’t suspect a thing. The day before he proposed, Ben drove down to Yaya’s parents house in Maryland right after the snow storm had hit to ask their permission. He drove back as the snowstorm plowed into Philly. (Talk about timing…)

The next morning, school was cancelled due to the snow, which spoiled any plans Ben had for a day filled with romantic gestures. They shared a lovely breakfast together instead, after which Ben played Yaya a special song he secretly learned to play on the guitar just for her. As the song finished, he got down on one knee and asked her to be his wife. They spent the next two days together in a snowed in state of bliss. (Now that’s how to get snowed in!)

{Behind the Lens with the always amazing Shang of Shang Chen Photography} Yaya and Ben approached me because they knew me from college! It’s always an honor for me to capture people’s special engagements, but even more so with friends. Both Yaya and Ben are Harvard alum, but did not want a very “Harvard” or Boston-themed engagement shoot. We did take some photos at Harvard for the memories, but they wanted to push the envelope a bit more and come up with a creative environment that is not normally accessible to them. Together, with another friend, we chose this beautiful beach on the north shore of Boston. (Interestingly enough, this was actually a beach my parents took me a couple times when I was young, but I had completely forgotten about it!)

Once I saw the rocks and the beautiful weather we had, I knew that I wanted epic photos on the rocks. Yaya and Ben willingly climbed up and that’s how I got some of the sky photos. Yaya also wanted to fly a kite during their engagement shoot, that’s why there’s a beautiful kite photo in there.

Overall, I wanted to focus on the playful and laid-back personalities of a very generous couple who are always there for their friends. This was one of my favorite engagement sessions, not only because it took me far away from Boston, but because we had lots of fun the entire time. That is when the most natural moments happen!

I think what we got the most about this shoot was the simplicity in the moments that Shang captured. I’ve always been a less-is-more girl, so in my eyes, beauty is simplicity. I love that they chose to shoot at Harvard for the memories, but also on the beach for something really different. The sky photos are brilliant… they look like they are on the edge of the world. And happy to be there, just the two of them. And the kite photo is probably my favorite. Something about how the kite sails out into the distance like a continuation of their love story and what’s still to come.

{From the beautiful bride-to-be} Since we are both in law school, we’ve had a rather long engagement. We were more than happy to postpone our engagement shoot until last summer so we could visit our dear friend, Shang, and celebrate the beauty of Boston summers. The photo shoot took place at Harvard (where we first met) and at a beach in Gloucester, MA (Wingaersheek Beach). The weather was fabulous and we were so happy with how the photos turned out!

Yaya and Ben will tie the knot in April of next year – as neither of them (despite their snowy history, meeting and proposal!) are really winter folk. I am sure it will be as simple and beautiful as they are together. Congratulations you two on your engagement and upcoming nuptials! Thank you so much for your sharing love story with all of us today! And a very special thank you to Shang of Shang Chen Photography! It’s a true pleasure to feature you and your incredible talent once again!

Happy Friday!

xoxo