Love Cardigans

Sorry things have been a little slow here this week.  I had a busy Monday and Tuesday but I finally found some time to blog this morning.  Today this post will be devoted to one of my greatest passions...something I cannot live without...something that is so much a part of me and my style...cardigans!! 

I am a huge lover of cardigans and 9 out of 10 times, you will find me wearing one.  I am of the mindset that I can never own too many.  I walk into a store and make a beeline straight towards the cute, little, colorful sweaters.  Some would call themselves a shoe girl.  Well, I'm a cardigans girl!  I love stripped ones, ones with pretty lace and fabric ruffle details, solid color ones, and especially vintage ones.  One of my favorite sweaters is a bright red one that belonged to my grandfather.  Despite being a little big on me, I like knowing that my grandfather used to wear it.  It's comforting to me.  

So, considering this love affair, it makes perfect sense that I would love the trend of cardigans at weddings.  To me, they work on anyone: the bride, the groom, the bridesmaids, the groomsmen.  This is a fun way to bring in a pop of color or a sweet detail.  And you don't have to wear them all day, you can bust out the sweaters for pictures and later on in the evening when it starts to get cold.  As a photographer myself (even an amateur one), I love taking pictures of the little details so having a few extra fun accessories will provide your photographer with even more photo opportunities.  

Check out some of these great cardigan examples:

Photos: Cameron Ingalls Photography 

This wedding was seriously one of my favorites!  I think the thing that draws me to it the most is the mustard color sweater the bride wore...I'm in heaven!  Not only do I love cardigans but my love affair with the color mustard yellow is equally large.  And she's adorned the sweater with a precious flower, even better!  I personally like bridesmaids that are all dressed differently but if you want them to all wear the same thing, this is a great way to do it.  All of the girls are wearing the same dress but the different colored cover-ups allow each girl's personality to shine through.  Despite having a few differences, this wedding party is still very cohesive.

Photo: Akil Bennett Photography 

Here are some more cardigan-clad bridesmaids.  This time they are all matchy-matchy but still equally adorable.  I am a big fan of the peach and grey color scheme going on here.  Yellow and grey is definitely something that is seen a lot so I like the variation that the peach provides. 

Photo: Elisabeth Millay Photography via Bonafide Bride

This bright red sweater and tea-length wedding dress combine for a great retro vibe.  To me, this bride looks so comfortable.  Although she looks flawless, there is this easy elegance about her. 

Photo: Braedon Photography

Although I like the color that a cardigan can bring to the pictures, a neutral palette can be just as spectacular.  I think this bride looks stunning.  I love her choice in sweaters and how it wraps for a flattering look.  This ensemble was perfect for her rainy day shots.  There is something amazing about neutral off-whites and whites paired together...kind of breathtaking! 

Photos: Jill Thomas Photography seen here and here

These pictures are some of my favorites for a few reasons.  I love Jill Thomas' photographs (seriously, one of my favorite photographers) so that probably helps.  Also, again we see the mixture of white, off-whites, and neutrals...love!  I also am really drawn towards the use of different textures here.  In the first image with the bridesmaids, we see a lot of different fabrics, lace, satin, cottons.  There are a bunch of small details that I really like.  Also the sweater/bolero cover-up that the second bride is wearing has some awesome, intricate beading detail that is quite lovely.  This images just make me so happy!

What do you think of the inspiration?  Are you as excited about cardigans as I am?  

I am always on the look-out for sweaters for my own collection so I put together a few favorites that I spotted recently.  I would buy all six if I had the money!

{ one :: Modcloth } { two :: Modcloth } { three :: J. Crew } { four :: J. Crew } { five :: Anthropologie }

{ six :: Ruche }

Blogging again finally

Yes, I haven't blogged in FOREVER!  And by forever I mean almost two weeks.  But I have a very good excuse.  Last week I was super busy (like I hardly was checking emails even) with creating a set of mason jar Save-the-Dates for a lovely customer of mine on Etsy.  I was so excited to make these jars for her and prove to myself that I could produce 175 of them in a week (yikes, it was a pinch but I got everything done on schedule!!).  The jars turned out even cuter than I imagined and as I type, they are on their way back east to debut at an engagement party.  The jars were similar to ones I made for my first styled photoshoot, seen here, but it was the first time I made the jars in a large quantity.  I am so happy with the results and very proud of what I was able to accomplish.  I think the jars are so cute and will look great as party decor.

My favorite thing (if it's possible to pick a favorite) was the fabric tags.  There were two different fabric patterns, one orange and one green and purple.  Both were adorable and they added to the overall rustic feel of the jars.  

The picture on the left is of the prototype with painted numbers.  I ultimately decided to go with vinyl sticker numbers (the picture on the right) because they will hold up better and not be subject to chipping.  The vinyl letters look a lot cleaner and from far away, it is hard to tell the difference between the two.  

I hope my jars make it back east safely and I hope my customers are happy with the outcome.  I think they are super cute and will be such a fun treat for their guests at the engagement party.   

Awesome Engagement Pictures

Lately the wedding blogs have been filled with awesome engagement sessions and I have been pretty blown away by people's creativity.  Couples are including all kinds of interesting props to display in their sessions and I absolutely love this trend.  Obviously the whole point of the session is to get pictures of the couple but a few cool props add more visual interest to the pictures and give the camera some great details to capture.  Wedding and engagement photography are becoming more stylized, with pictures looking like they are straight out of a fashion magazine.  This is such a great thing because who doesn't want to look like they are straight out of a magazine?  I think this trend is a lot of fun for the couples but also for the photographers because it gives them so many photo opportunities.  As a photographer myself (an amateur one), I really enjoy taking detail shots of things that might otherwise go unnoticed.  Seeing the big picture is good too but I like focusing in on the small things in life.  

Below are some of my favorite engagement images that I've seen recently.  

Photo: Caroline Tran via Green Wedding Shoes   

Ok, this shoot took some effort because I'm sure it was not easy to get that bed frame into a field of flowers.  But the idea is very original and the result of them snuggling on the bed is sweet!  I especially love how the white pops against the yellow flowers.

Photo: Caroline Tran via Green Wedding Shoes

The picnic idea is not new but this particular take on the idea is very cute and more personalized.  There are a bunch of props in this shoot so it would take some time to figure out all the items to use.  I would use my own personal things that mean the most to me.

Photo: Clayton Austin via Green Wedding Shoes 

Recently my family had to deal with moving a standup piano and so from experience I can say that this shoot is a logistical nightmare.  This would not be an easy idea to pull off because you would have to get a bunch of people to help move the piano, even one like this is super heavy, and also a truck to move it, etc.  But this idea is super cool and definitely unique.  I like the location choice because the starkness of the field really draws your eye to the couple and the piano.

Photo: Denise Bovee via Green Wedding Shoes 

Balloons are also not a new idea but this shoot was unique because they created a field of floating balloons.  This idea is a lot easier to accomplish then the last few.  But I think the concept, although simple, is still super fun.

Photo: Simply Bloom Photography

Simply Bloom Photography is absolutely stunning so I'm always wowed by everything they do.  This shoot is no exception.  This is a slightly different twist on the picnic because they have added a tent made from vintage lace.  This idea is fun because it evokes childhood.  My brother and I loved making forts when we were younger and we would always pretend to be camping.  Our forts were never quite this lovely though.

Photo: Dreambox Photography via Green Wedding Shoes

I love the 1920s styling and the trains are a great backdrop.  Something about train travel is very sexy and these pictures display that perfectly.

Photo: Kelly Moore via Green Wedding Shoes

I'm digging this vintage newspaper print.  The aged coloring is great and it really makes the white dress pop.

Photo: Stephanie Williams via Green Wedding Shoes

This is a pretty simple take on the travel theme.  I particularly like the garland made of maps.  But my favorite is the mustard yellow skirt...it's the best color!

Photo: Tara Parker via Wedding Chicks

The vintage golf idea is really cute and unique. 

The next few ideas are more simple and would be easier to execute.  But simplicity is a good thing and these ideas are just as fun as the ones above.

Photo: Clayton Austin via Green Wedding Shoes

The kite is super simple but super fun.  In this shoot they used it to add a nice pop of color.  I also like the background with those awesome rock formations.

Photo: Shannen Natasha via Green Wedding Shoes

Bikes are fun and I love the vintage books because any vintage touch makes me happy.  This couple looks like they really enjoyed their engagement session and I think that this is the whole point...to have fun, relax, and enjoy your time together...oh yeah, and get some awesome pictures!

Photo: Simply Bloom via Green Wedding Shoes

This is so easy (just red confetti hearts) but I love how the pictures captures the hearts in mid-air.  Sweet!  This is such a small detail but it yields a big result I think.

Photo: Sarah Yates via Green Wedding Shoes

Um, yellow Eames chairs...awesomeness!  The color is great.

And I saved my favorite for last.

Photo: Jennifer Skog via Wedding Chicks

This engagement shoot doesn't even have props exactly but I think Rome, Italy, the Pantheon, and the Piazza della Rotunda are the perfect backdrop.  I love the bottom photo and how it captures so much movement.  These are perfect. 

So I mainly did this post for my engaged friend Ashley so that she can see some great, creative engagement ideas.  I hope you get inspired Ash! 

Orange and Grey Wedding Inspiration

So here is another inspiration board for my best friend Ashley (here I wrote about why she loves orange).  She did not specifically express an interest in grey but she likes the idea of fall colors and I think grey and orange go well together and are reminiscent of fall.  Grey is also very neutral so it can be paired with most colors.  Ultimately, I believe Ashley wants her color palatte to include more than just two colors and grey might not even be one of them but I hope she enjoys looking at these pictures at least!  

Photo credit:

First row:

boutonniere: Jose Villa via Style Me Pretty

tablescape: Maine Season Events and Brea McDonald Photography via Style Me Pretty

Middle row:

bridesmaids: Jose Villa via Style Me Pretty

bouquet: Dia Rao Photography via Style Me Pretty

Last row:

boutonniere: Orchard Cove Photography via Style Me Pretty

stationary: Union Photography via OnceWed

favors: Gabriel Ryan Photography via OnceWed

Orange Wedding Inspiration

So my best friend Ashley is getting married.  And as the best friend and soon-to-be maid of honor I am excited about the opportunities to help in anyway that I can.  I want Ash to have a perfect day because she deserves it!  Although her wedding is more than a year away, she has already started getting ideas and planning...yeah!  At the moment, the best way that I can help her is to show her beautiful things that inspire her and give her ideas for her big day.  And this is right up my alley because I am constantly blog searching and looking for awesome images anyway.  Basically this is the perfect job for me.  So thanks Ash for getting engaged at a perfect time for me, oh yeah, and for you!

So Ashley really likes the color orange and she hinted to me that she might want orange to be in her color scheme for her wedding.  But she was a little discouraged because some of her acquaintances were pretty negative on the idea...they flat out ragged on orange and said it was ugly.  Shame!  Orange can absolutely be fantastic and beautiful and so I'm set on defending it because to me, it seems like the perfect color choice for Ash to make...especially since she is having a fall wedding.  So over the next couple of days I am going to be providing Ashley with beautiful orange inspiration...because that's what best friends do.  This first board revolves around oranges, as in the fruit.  The town that Ashley and I grew up in used to be a huge orange producer so these ideas pay a slight tribute to our lovely town (which I know Ashley will totally appreciate).  So without further ado...ORANGES!!

I hope you enjoyed this Ashley!  There will be more to come over the next few days.

Images:

Top row: Jill Thomas via OnceWed and Style Me Pretty (I cannot get enough of Jill Thomas and her wonderful orange and orange grove pictures...love!)

Middle row: Jose Villa via Style Me Pretty (you cannot get anything better than Jose Villa's images...I LOVE them all), Design*Sponge, and ImageSpark

Bottom row: Kiss the Groom and Union Photography via OnceWed