Man, talk about wanting to tie the knot again!

Ok, so there are some images that, when you see them, take you to a place that makes you want to experience the emotion at that very moment. I just happened to run across some beautiful images today, and couldn't help myself....just had to share them with you. Her images have, "you just had to be there"....written all over them. See for yourself! Drum Roll Please....without further adieu, allow us to introduce you to Susan Stripling Photography ....sigh

The good news is for you New England Brides, she's based in the New England area (particularly Brooklyn New York).
The great news is....she travels!
Here are just a few of our favorites (for today):
Karen and Brian
Alison and Tom

Ali and Evan

Raleigh area brides....3rd Annual Bridal Expo!

Third Annual Bridal Show Did you know the N.C. Museum of History is a popular venue for wedding receptions? If you or a friend are planning a local wedding, you won't want to miss the museum’s Third Annual Bridal Expo on Thursday, April 7, from 6 to 9 p.m. Enjoy a glass of wine, sample fine foods from caterers and cake designers, meet with local wedding professionals, and immerse yourself in the elegant ambiance of the museum.
Admission: $5 - advance tickets will be sold in the Museum Shop
Location: NC Museum of History
Date: Thursday April 7th, 2011
Time: 6pm to 9pm

Visit: http://ncmuseumofhistory.org

Surprise Giveaway! Want a BEAUTI-ful clutch? Peacocks, Ruffles, Silk, oh my!

Dontcha just love free?! Ok, dontcha just love beautiful and free?!
Check out these 'perfect for any occasion' clutches that your BFF will definitely do a doubletake over! Mermaids Dream clutches are like no other...see for yourself!

If you love free + beauiful, meander on over to a fellow bridal blog, Knotty Bride and enter for this giveaway. There are details for ways to enter multiples times to increase your chances (twitter, liking on FB, or just responding to the original post with your favorite design!)
It's just that simple!
Hurry quickly, because the contest ends this week and the winner will be announced on Monday, April 4th!!!

NC Wedding...Two Words....Simply Beautiful!

"Simply beautiful!" are two words we'd use to describe this Wilmington, NC wedding palette. The resurgence of gray as a base has been a nice wild card to the event scene. This wedding utilized the muted gray tone to allow great colors to POP!

...the colors added a bit of individuality while maintaining a classic feel all at the same time. This grand event actually took place last fall, but is totally reproduceable in concept for the spring!..See for yourself! perfect for a fun, seasonless, southern shindig.


Credits:
Photography by DeShelia Spann Photography
Floral/Event Design by Salt Harbor Designs
Catering by Culinary Creations

Thankful Thursdays: Our Deepest Fear....

...yet another Thursday that we've been so fortunate to be graced with! We simply couldn't let this "Thankful Thursday" go by without saying thanks for your "encouragement". Needless to say, it can be.....challenging trying to be an entrepreneur.

It is easy to often succomb to daily thoughts of:

1. This economy is so jacked up, I'll keep my day job. :)
2. Benefits....its sure is nice to have 'em!
3. Failure. What will our kids think? What will our colleagues think?
4. Can it all really work?

People are always telling us thanks for encouraging them, but we just had to stop and say thanks to YOU for encouraging us. You see, we love what we do! Even though its on the side, we love it. Even though it keeps us up 'til the wee hours of the morning. We. Love. It. Even though we don't see profits E-VER-Y day, we still love it!!!! ....inspite of all of the challenges....so much that we continue do it all, the 9 to 5, the runny noses, the cubscouts, choir, praise team, the laundry, and then, the invitations, the programs, the flowers, the cheesecakes, the bibs and burpies, and of course, consultations. It's GOTTA be love, right?! :) Well, its also the encouragement! There are several of you out there. Our nameless angels, that keep asking us things like:

1. Hey, when can I order another Strawberry Overload Cheesecake?
2. Will you do the flowers for OUR wedding?
3. Do you have any gift baskets ready for me...yeah, I know its last minute.
4. How's business going?
5. So I need something for my dear wife...you got me covered?

You may not know it, but those things ENCOURAGE the entrepreneur, working towards their big break. Actually, they encourage us!! Those words, keep our minds turning. They keep us still believing in our dreams...because simply YOU believe in us. So we must simply say thanks for helping keep our biggest fears away...and hopefully they'll stay away long enough to push us where we'd like to be. Until then, we wanted to leave you with this poem (I'm feeling might poetic lately?) in hopes that it encourages you to do the same. xo,

Shreveport Bucket List...

William Ross once said

Every man dies. Not every man lives.

and anyone who has crossed our path knows that we're all about living! It's March already and I don't think we ever officially had a resolution this for 2011...sooo, I think we'll go general and it'll be... to cross some items off our "Bucket List":

the list of things we want to accomplish before we kick the bucket

When I turned 30, I created my "Dream Big!" List of must-do items and I'm happy to say that some of my "to-do's" have become "done dids":

1. #9 and #22: Stay in a 5-star resort and enjoy my 30th birthday like no other birthday before it (Had the time of my life on my Honeymoon with my husband at Secrets Capri in Riviera Maya, MX....but we lost our honeymoon photos...so we've committed to going back again soon and doing everything we did the first time with footage to show for it!)
2. #21: Go to Jamaica: Enjoyed a retreat with sorority sisters in Ochos Rios, Jamaica...Arie!
3. #8: Sing the National Anthem at a sporting event: Proudly sang the anthem at a Baseball Game in Albany Georgia...and did NOT forget the words...although I forgot to face the flag.

and today, I think I'm gonna add one more on the to-do side: #34: to have the family photographed by Three Nails Photography in my hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana This guy's work is a true representative of God's gifting made manifest. I absolutely LOVE his eye and how he manages to capture true to life images on film! So for you guys remotely close to the 'port city', you might just wanna book some time with him now while you still can!!! His work is INCREDible and he unknowingly reminds us to shoot for the stars! His gift is definitely making room for him which reminds me of this great poem I heard recently:

It Couldn't Be Done by Edgar Guest
Somebody said that it couldn't be done,
But, he with a chuckle replied
That "maybe it couldn't" but he would be one
Who wouldn't say so till he'd tried.


So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn't be done, as he did it.


Somebody scoffed: "Oh, you'll never do that;
At least no one we know has done it";
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat,
And the first thing we knew he'd begun it.


With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn't be done, and he did it.


There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure;
There are thousands to point out to you, one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.


But just buckle right in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start to sing as you tackle the thing
That cannot be done, and you'll do it

Color Me Bad...

Ms Janie over at The Bride's Cafe recently posted about Brides.com's "Color School"...and all we can say is WOW! If you're still debating over your big-day hues, you've gotta take a peak at what the Bride's.com team has put together just.for.you!
We absolutely love palettes that allow colors to play off of each other...showcasing the boldness of its neighboring hue while playing hide and seek...playing on shades in the same family seems to offer an incredible range of depth for any display! Maybe I'm just partial because when I was a little girl, I had to have the largest box that Crayola offered so that when I colored, I could add "dimension" to my Strawberry Shortcake and Smurfette coloring books. Go ahead, call me weird. Anyway, you can't deny the beauty of these palettes...
Chartreuse, Lime, and Forest Green

Beige and Powder Blue

Peach, Salmon, and Perfected Pink

Violet, Eggplant, and Navy