As you may know by now, we are currently on the beautiful island of Captiva. Sounds exotic, right? If you’ve never heard of it, it is a little barrier island off the coast of Ft. Myers, FL. Captiva Island is truly our home away from home. Here we can experience 50 shades of blue, probably more actually. It is these shades of blue that inspired today’s wedding inspiration board. Along with a few other colors too :)

When in the South, you need to think like a Southerner, right? For me, a Northerner, nothing speaks more Southern to me than dressing up your groom in a cool, seersucker, pale blue suit. One of our first shades of blue. Many beach weddings may be destinations, so what better way to accent the exoticness than by wrapping all the favors in vintage maps. Nowadays, “paper” maps make great conversation pieces. I love the various shades of blue in the map and on the sweet vintage plate. The beautiful sea grass is such a gorgeous shade of pink. While not blue, this particular grass is largely only found on the coast. Starfish and sand go together like peanut butter and jelly, and make cute decorations for any beach wedding, North or South ;) There is nothing better than beautiful vintage glassware that offers many shades of blue, perfect as centerpieces down a long table. Escort cards in shades of peach and pink offer a really pretty accent color to all the shades of blue.

I am so excited to be “home” again, even for only a little while :)

Happy Wednesday!! It is Wednesday, right…?

xoxo

Row 1: Groom’s Attire captured by Melissa Schollaert via Southern Weddings | Vintage Map Wrapped Favors captured by Dawn E. Roscoe Photography via Style Me Pretty: Illinois | Pretty Pink Beach Grass captured by Joielala Photographie via Style Me Pretty

Row 2: Starfish Escort Cards via Lauren Kinsey | Pretty Blue Centerpieces captured by Michael L’Heureux Photography via Style Me Pretty: California | Pink & Peach Paint Chip Escort Cards by Rosie Calligraphie captured by Beaux Arts Photographie via Santa Barbara Chic

Colors: Seashore Blue, Beige Sand, Orange Starfish, Soft Pink

A picture is worth a thousand words . . .

One Photographer. One Snapshot. One Quote.

One-thousand words and emotions.

“You are nothing that I ever expected, and everything that I ever dreamed…” – Dawn Dais

Photo by Vitalic Photo

By the time you read this, I will be 30,000 feet in the air on my way to the Sunshine State :) It’s a funny thing about vacation. The wait up until the day you leave seems like forever, and then suddenly, it’s here. I decided to put together a quick, fun, little post to share with you today. It’s a peek at what I’ve got in my suitcase!! Mind you this isn’t everything. Light packer I am not. In fact, I’ve got probably more than enough stuff… Take a look!

 

Oh my good grief, it’s raining again! We had such a gorgeous, beautiful weekend last weekend and then bam! four more days of nothing but rain. I have never been so happy to feature an engagement session so full of beautiful sunlight in my life! Sunshine makes me fairly giddy and so does the love between this adorable couple that Britt Croft Photography captured so effortlessly!

Kristi and Michael met at… wait for it… a wedding!! Kind of cliché, they know ;) But neither of them knew very many people at the wedding, just the bride and groom respectively really. Kristi had gone over to one of the few people she did know, and met Michael. They hit it off almost immediately and spent the entire rest of the night talking. Kristi was living in Orlando at the time (where the wedding was held) and Michael was living in South Carolina. A road race the following weekend would bring Kristi to Charleston, and the two tentatively made plans to meet up while she was there.

They ended up meeting up that weekend and unknowingly had what they now consider their first date. It was the perfect evening. Michael met Kristi and her two friends in downtown Charleston, and after they’d given their approval, whisked Kristi away for a walk. The most memorable part of the evening was when they were approached by a homeless man asking for food. Michael’s response to him was genuine and warm. He offered to walk with the man to buy him something to eat. Kristi saw him treat the man with such dignity and respect. She knew then that Michael had a heart that loved people regardless of who they were or what they had to offer.

I know that I always begin one of our vendor spotlights by saying how much I completely love/totally adore this vendor. I don’t say that because I feel like I have to or because I feel like I should. I say it because it’s 100% true. My love for Jillian McGrath Photography (comprised of a dynamic photographic husband and wife duo named Jillian and Ryan) is no different. In fact, my love for these two knows no bounds. From the moment we first emailed them to feature this outstanding couple to their super speedy response time, I knew we would make a great team. Pennsylvania and/or destination brides (because they go where you want them to), I know that Jillian and Ryan will be the best team for you!

{Jillian McGrath Photography} is made up of equal parts Ryan and Jillian, a husband and wife dynamic photographic duo (who sound like superheroes to me). Their passion is to capture those moments of awesomeness that you might not have even realized existed between you and your second/better/more fun/[insert your description here] half. They let you be you and just capture the magic that flows from the kick-ass-ness they know is in each of the couples they photograph. They strive to provide you with fresh, honest images while you relax, unwind and dare we say actually laugh and have fun.

They believe that the images they capture should be just as original, unique and beautiful as their couples are. Their approach to photography is creating an honest and natural experience whilst capturing two people in love. By forming personal relationships with their clients from the very first hello, they are able to produce intimate photographs that start with the engagement session and that last through the wedding day and beyond.

What started as a hobby has bloomed into a business, one that holds true to what they love most about people, connecting, being awesome, and the love that their couples share. They love to capture those special little smiles, hand squeezes, kisses and everything in-between. Allowing their couples to just relax, be themselves and express their love openly between each other is what they are all about and exactly why they just adore working with people in love! :)

They would love to meet with you in person, grab some coffee and talk your ear off about who you are and why you are so totally awesome! Or if you’re down, they can easily go for hours about Harry Potter, new music, their love for Apple products or anything involving photography equipment. They truly do love what they do.

{Advice for Couples} Make your wedding day everything that YOU imagine it could be. Be true to who you are. Be true to who you are as a couple. You will love your wedding even more looking back at the photos and videos if it’s a true reflection of the love you share together.

{Most Frequently Asked Question} Brides usually ask them… “How long should we set aside for photos on our wedding day?” Their usual response is to allow 1.5-2 hours to make sure they can capture everything. **Yes, that is Jillian knee deep in the river doing whatever it takes to get the shot (captured doing just so by her husband, Ryan). Just one of the many reasons why I love her to pieces.**

{Best Wedding Ever Attended} All of their weddings so far have had something special about them and they can’t pick just one :)

{Favorite Long Song} Passenger by Death Cab for Cutie:

“When you feel embarrassed then I’ll be your pride

When you need directions then I’ll be the guide

For all time.

For all time.”

Do you love Jillian and Ryan yet? Ready to make them a part of your best team? We’re so excited to have them as part of our team (i.e. our beautiful family of vendors) and cannot wait to hear that you’ve added them to yours! Be sure to check out even more from these two on their blog, Facebook and Twitter too! You can also see more of their work, reviews from thrilled past brides, and even leave a review and heart rating for yourself too! Pretty nifty, right? We think so! And be on the lookout for a real wedding from them on the blog very soon! ;) xoxo **Photos are the property of Jillian McGrath Photography**