Happy Monday! There’s less than one week until Christmas and we’re gearing up for a lovely three-day weekend with family. But before we get to that .. I’ve got a sweet little engagement session to share with you today and a love story that all began with the Tampa Bay Rays! Brought to us by the wonderful Blue Lane Studios!

Jamie and Brad met while working for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008 (the same year they went to the World Series). One day, Brad noticed Jamie’s keys and recognized a keychain as the one from the apartment building where they both (unknowingly) lived. When he mentioned that he lived near her, Jamie was completely creeped out. She had no idea how he knew. Then it clicked. She realized he’d seen her keychain and was just trying to make genuine conversation. Creepy quickly turned into cute. :)

The following year, Jamie hosted a World Series party at her place. Sadly, the Rays were not playing, but Jamie invited Brad anyway. They hit it off and began seeing each other regularly, on a friends-only basis. Then, one night after an especially amazing dinner of meatloaf and potatoes, Jamie and Brad officially became a couple. (Must have been some meatloaf and potatoes.)

In May of 2010, Brad bought his first house, and in September asked Jamie and her pup, Louie (the little one), to move in with him. Shortly thereafter, they adopted Roxy (the big one). And in June of 2011, Brad surprised Jamie with a beautiful ring during a walk on Treasure Island Beach (ooh, the symmetry).

{Behind the Lens with Blue Lane Studios} We love shooting engagement sessions! This is our time to really get to know our couple’s personalities and interests… as well as create some awesome images for them!

We spoke with Jamie and Brad during our initial meeting about ideas for their e-session, and how to make it personal to their story. By discussing those unique things that make them the special couple they are, we came up with some fun ideas for their photo shoot. They made their session extra personal by incorporating a good mix of the things they love: their dogs, gelato, baseball and beautiful downtown St. Pete (their stomping grounds).

Our goal with engagement sessions is to really make sure our clients are comfortable and relaxed. We want to showcase their laughter, their love and those tender moments they share.

We’re very laid back while shooting… we try to create a feeling of hanging out with friends, not merely posing and smiling for the camera. We prefer to shoot in natural light, especially around the hour or two before sunset. The light is golden and creates beautiful backlighting that makes our subjects pop.

As we chatted and walked around the city, Jamie and Brad made our job easy! Their interaction with each other is so sweet and genuine – you can’t help but smile when you’re around them! We love how Jamie and Brad’s images turned out, and we can’t wait to shoot their nautical-themed wedding in March!

You really can’t help but smile when you look at these two. I know I was smiling the entire time I put this feature together. And what a sweet family they make with their adorable pups! :) Congratulations, Jamie and Brad! We wish you so much love and luck on your wedding day in March and in the years to come! Thank you for sharing your story with us! And a very special thank you to Blue Lane Studios for sharing them with us this morning!

Happy Monday!

xoxo

A picture is worth a thousand words . . .

One Photographer. One Snapshot. One Quote.

One-thousand words and emotions.

Baby, it’s cold outside.

Photo Unknown

I have been waiting a very long time to bring you this wedding today from Ashley Daniell Photography! I had the pleasure of meeting Ashley just last year (a year ago to the day actually) at Making Things Happen in Watercolor. She is honest to goodness one of the sweetest women I have ever met and amazingly talented with a camera in her hand. When she submitted today’s wedding to me, I was immediately smitten with the beachy locale, handmade bouquets, J.Crew bridesmaids dresses, adorable couple and local honey favors. Plus, their love story and wedding day told through the eyes of the groom! Can’t get any more special than that! :)

John and Alison met when they each bought their respective first homes right across the street from each other in February/March of 2007. As John was moving some of his things into the new house, Allison stopped by to say “hello” and introduce him to her cat, Larry. Later, she invited him over for a beer and conversation, during which John asked her to dinner the following night. They have been together ever since.

During their first dinner date, John and Alison could barely tear their eyes from each other. Halfway through, John initiated their first kiss by jokingly saying they needed to just get it out of the way. He leaned over the table where, luckily for him, she met him halfway. When they returned home later that evening, they shared a dance to the song Feeling Yourself Disintegrate by The Flaming Lips, which later became their first dance song.

Sometime later, on December 23rd 2009, John and Allison were preparing to visit his family in Illinois for Christmas. Allison had had a long week at work and was a little stressed over all the things they still had to do before leaving that she was annoyed when John informed her he’d made dinner reservations. She had no idea he’d been planning to propose that night. But when John saw how stressed out she was, he changed his plans. He grabbed the ring from its hiding place and dropped to one knee before her in the bedroom. Needless to say, her stress and worries were wiped away after that.

{From the Groom} We chose May as the best month to have a wedding at the beach after a very scientific analysis of the likelihood for rain on the Gulf Coast during that time of year. Fortunately, the weather couldn’t have been better. We found two houses to rent where our families stayed and joined them together with a tent and dance floor for the reception. We picked a spot a little ways down the beach for the ceremony that had a great view of the setting sun.

Alison and I operated on a fairly tight budget for the entire event, thus no wedding planner. However, our amazing friend, Nicolette, volunteered to be the day-of coordinator and went above and beyond coordinating the tiniest of details and making sure everything went smoothly; even when the unexpected happened.

Because Cape San Blas is so remote, cell phone reception was essentially nonexistent, which added a layer of stress we did not anticipate. The musicians we’d planned to have play during the ceremony, who were from nearby Panama City, FL, did not realize Cape San Blas was on EST and showed up an hour later than we asked, right when Allison was about to walk down the aisle with her father. Needless to say, they were asked to leave. Our DJ saved the day by finding versions of the songs we intended to have played live, and played them through his PA equipment.

To complicate things further .. I love to cook, so the plan was a pig roast and oyster roast that I was going to prepare in the days prior to the wedding with the help of friends the day of. But there simply wasn’t enough time to get the oysters ready like I had hoped. The pig roast went perfectly, but the oysters were more or less written off just hours before the ceremony began.

Even though not everything worked out exactly as we had envisioned, the majority of our guests never knew of the snafus and deemed the night a smooth success. A big priority for Allison and me was to ensure that our guests had a great time after making the long journey on our behalf. By the end of the night, when we received a visit from the local sheriff’s department to shut the party down, it was clear that had been accomplished.

{Advice from the Groom} The best advice I can think to give couples planning a destination wedding, especially without a wedding coordinator, is to give yourself plenty of time to pull it all together the week of. I say that because I definitely underestimated how long it would take to get certain things done. Allison and I got to the beach on the Tuesday night before our Saturday wedding and in hindsight, I wish we had gotten there earlier.

The last piece of advice I would offer is to stay calm and enjoy your day as much as you can. As we learned so unequivocally, Murphy’s Law will make sure something goes wrong no matter how much planning, preparation and effort goes into it beforehand. If you accept that and are willing to roll with the punches, you will have a much more enjoyable day.

How nice was it to get the wedding day and advice from the groom’s perspective? Kind of pretty much made my day when I saw it was written entirely by the groom. And while they did have a couple of things go wrong the day of, you honestly couldn’t tell. Much like their first date, Allison and John only had eyes for each other. They were happy and so, so in love. You really can’t ask for much more than that.

Congratulations, Allison and John! Best of love and luck in the years to come and remember to never lose sight of each other! Thank you for sharing your love story with us today! And the biggest of special thank you’s to Ashley Daniell Photography for sharing her amazing talents with us too! :)

Photographer: Ashley Daniell Photography -

Wedding Dress: Adele Wechsler – Bridesmaids Dresses: J.Crew -

Bride’s Shoes: J.Crew – Men’s Attire: Jos. A. Bank -

Bride’s Bouquet: Bayside Gallery & Florist – Other Florals: Family members -

Officiant: Andrew Walter – Stationery: Minted – Rentals: Panache Tent & Event -

Hair: Fran Copeland of OMO Fran’s Hair Salon – DJ: Miles Kondylas -

Favors: Tupelo Honey from The Flavor of Florida’s Forgotten Coast

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Happy Friday!

xoxo

Pink is one of those colors that can work for weddings of every season – spring, summer, fall, even winter. The soft, romantic pink that we chose for today’s inspiration board is just the right splash of brightness and warmth. Not to mention incredibly pretty, soft, romantic. Perfect for a whimsical, wintry affair!

We can’t get enough of the colored wedding dress trend (click here for our other favorites) and this pink one just speaks to us with all its frothy, rosette gorgeousness. Letterpress invites are always a favorite and this one is a definite beauty. One of my favorite things to do in winter is take a walk, especially at night, when the first snow falls. There is a soft, quiet, peacefulness that just surrounds you as you walk. If it’s cold enough, you just might see the flakes sparkle! I am always in awe of that first snow, and these sparkly, snowflake cookies capture the essence of it so well. Flannel is another great option for your groom if you’re having a winter wedding. Along with a nubby textured vest and knit bow tie, he will be ready to share in some warm fuzzies with you! :) And who wouldn’t want to build a snowman after you say “I do!” Lastly, this gorgeous bouquet pulls all of our color palette together with pink, green, gray and snow white!

Have you considered pink for you wintry wedding affair? Will you now?

Happy Wednesday!

xoxo

Words cannot describe how excited I am to turn the vendor spotlight on the lovely ladies of Viva L’Event this week! Jamie and Stephanie are as sweet as they are talented. And that’s saying something, because these two are incredible. Having just celebrated their first business anniversary, it is amazing to see how far they have already come, how much they have accomplished, and how far they still will go! We are honored to be a part of their journey and are so excited to share their talents with you today! Be sure you check out their vendor inspiration board in our Vendor Boutique as well!

{Jamie & Stephanie} are co-owners and consultants of Viva L’Event. Stephanie started in the event industry in 2005, Jamie in 2007. They are both short, blonde, coffee addicted, DIY queens. They are sisters who love design, are slightly OCD, and are your new best friends.

{What Inspires Them Most} Anything and everything! Jamie and Stephanie think outside the box and try to think of multiple uses for one thing. They can be walking down the street and see something that might inspire them for an upcoming wedding.

{Most Frequently Asked Question} The question they get asked the most has to do with cost. They believe there is a misconception that wedding planners are outrageously expensive and that the average bride and groom can’t afford them. They believe that not only should a planner help take your stress away, but that they should be able to save you money. Jamie and Stephanie stand by saying that they should be able to save you what you paid for them and more.

{Best Wedding Ever Attended} Jamie and Stephanie’s favorite wedding is the first wedding they ever styled and coordinated. Not just because it was their first, but for all of the little details too. Because, honestly, who doesn’t love confetti cannons?! (Right on!!)

{Wedding Blooper} The best wedding blooper they’ve witnessed was from a wedding they coordinated. The bride went to toss her bouquet to the single ladies on the dance floor and it got caught on the chandelier. The best part was all the girls ready and waiting below to catch it, but it never came down. They had to get a ladder and try for round 2! :)

{Advice for Couples} Your wedding day should be truly magical and stress free. Your planners are there to not only take your worries away, but to ensure that your vision is carried out and brought to life. And remember, you do not need a bunch of these $$$$ to hire a wedding planner for your special day!

{Favorite Love Quote} “You know you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.” – Dr. Suess

Jamie and Stephanie, thank you so much for being a part of Heart Love Weddings! You have captured so many hearts with your eye for detail and your talents for bringing so many of them together on one very special day! We cannot wait to feature bunches of your amazing talent (including a couple of fabulous DIY projects) in the new year! You can also see Jamie’s very own engagement session right here, if you haven’t already! :) And some of their design work at The Oaks at Salem Open House as photographed by Live View Studios! xoxo

Love Viva L’Event as much as we do? And we know you do! Leave them some love (and congratulations on their first anniversary) on this post here or over on their beautiful inspiration board! And because there’s so much more to see, be sure to check out their blog! You can also follow them on Twitter and Facebook where they provide all sorts of inspiration, yummy recipes and daily updates on what they’re up to! **All images courtesy of Viva L’Event**