five things.

What to do with your flowers when the big day is done? 

I've been researching this and found a lot of good ideas. Looking back, i would've loved to have tons of real flowers at my reception. i went the cost effective way, and purchased some fake ones from Afloral. Don't get me wrong, it was a good route to go, and i still get to display them! But real flowers are just so beautiful. 

The first idea I found was to give the centerpieces to guests as wedding favors. Mithi at Planet Mithi bought a stack of florists' cellophane flowers bags and printed out a nice "thank you" note. Having a family member or friend put them together near the end of the night, guests can go home with them! 

I wanted to find some other options, and a lot of brides give all their flowers to nursing homes after the big day.

If you're having a day after brunch you could decorate with the flowers, and even after that, give them to family!

The last most popular response was to taking them to familys' grave sites. 

If you're thinking of having a smaller wedding, there a lots of cute ideas for extras for your guests. We talked about candy tables, so now a beverage bar! i've been reading how if you're thinking of having something a little more complicated like floats, it's better to leave that to professionals to help, but sodas, martini bars, tea, or lemonade. I always loved the idea of having cute soda bottles, tons of color! 

i mean how CUTE are these? 

Told you all about personalized cufflinks, and i found another! to put your fingerprints on them. i wasn't sure how i felt about these personalizations, but asked Brandon how he felt about them, if he'd wear them, he okayed it, so here they are!

another way is to get your fingerprint inside the rings! It's discrete but still a special touch.

I talked about Bolthouse strawberry parfait drinks here.. BUT Brandon and i are back on the bolthouse kick. every summer they go on sale, buy one get one free. and personally i start to crave more fruits when it gets warmer, since i'm working and it's tough to always bring enough, i drink Bolthouse for a meal and it's delicious, energizing, and easy to get fruits on the go. 

We started talking about getting a juicer and doing it all ourselves, we're still figuring out the numbers, so for now we're doing it this way. and YUM. 

my favorite right now is the blue goodness....  we might have purchased 20 bottles this week.. no big deal.

The vanilla chai tea also curbs any cravings for starbucks! (yummy soy protein) 

my last five things i love is pretty ridiculous. i met someone famous at work. and i am feeling pretty dang cool about it. David Faustino. 

ha!

so what are you going to do with your flowers, and what is your opinion on the fingersprints!?

happy sunday everyone! 

Five Things.

Are you looking for absolutely stunning actions!? I found Florabella actions quite a while ago, but finally just last week bought my first set! I started with Florabella Retouch and plan on getting classic workflow next. These actions are a little spendy but after researching these and hundreds of others, it's completely worth it! definitely some of the best actions i've seen. click on the image below to go to the main website, check out all the before and after, it's too gorgeous! 

Took of my my images to show one of my subtle before and after...

there is a clean color that comes with the retouch collection and then you can brush some softer skin. gorgeous, easy! The clean color took out the grays, popped her eyes, and i think it turned out great! 

next is a super cute party shop i found through Pinterest, if you're not following me, you should! click on the Pinterest icon to the right! (probably should follow me on facebook too) check out Shop Sweet Lulu by clicking on the image below. 

They have those cute striped straws i featured, cupcake holders, candy and sweets packaging, jars, tissue pom poms, and tons of other cute supplies! Whether it's for your big day, or a smaller party, definitely check out this site! super cute.

I've seen these glow jars all over lately, and wanted to share two different ways to make these. I still can't decide how i feel about them, but they could make for a good little low light at an outdoor wedding. 

The first way is to buy glow sticks, carefully break them into the jar. While this might seem like the best way, i read that this also could be a less safe way, and only lasts a few hours. The second is to buy glow in the dark paint, of course the same mason jars, throw paint in, and wow done! i think i'm going to try this to see how it works.. i'll let you know! 

I completely forgot about these sparklers until now! If you want something fun for when you leave the reception hall, and it's going to be dark, these could be perfect for you. I think sparklers are such a fun photo while you run under them, and why not add hearts since it's your wedding? i added the link, so click on the image to see the prices and order directly. It said 5.50 for a set of 6. i might like these since it adds another fun photo. but that's okay. :) 

is your groom like the many men who aren't excited about dressing up for the big day? maybe try incorporating items that'll make him a little happier when putting on that suit! 

suspenders. 

non traditional shoes

personalize them too! 

cufflinks

These you can get personalized to your date, name, OR you could think about purchasing something he likes, star wars, video games, if you can think of it, i'm sure it exists! (plus this adds another cool photo!) 

These are just a few ideas, there are LOTS of ways to add just a little bit of non traditional, even in a traditional suit. It might make your groom a bit more excited to get ready! and if they have suspenders, i find the guys think they're pretty cool. and they are. 

Did you incorporate something new and fun to your man's suit!? What do you think of the sparklers? And if you have any suggestions for awesome actions i'd love to hear about them. 

have a fantastic day! 

Five things

Happy Thursday! Few good things, finally rented a lens that should be here sometime tomorrow so no more worries while shooting! i've got lots of goodies for you today! 

Looking to add a special touch to your bouquet? At the chapel, i've seen some beautiful details added to their flowers, whether it's a broach, special jewelry from grandmothers, something blue, or photos of family that couldn't be there on your day.  it's a personal touch that's easy to do, and always adds something special to your day, and photos too! 

Do you want something a little more funky? Found this cute 50's centerpiece, if you're having a vintage style wedding something like this might be fun! looking at it now, it looks like sand, if you're having a sand ceremony, this is how you could decorate for your reception too! 

Speaking of sand ceremonies, it's another way to have a keepsake/ art piece for your new home together. instead of a unity candle, it's been popular for a while to pour two colors of sand together, representing your two lives becoming one. What's great about these is if you have two families coming together, or kids they can pour another color in, representing the family coming together. Also another way to incorporate your wedding colors! 

I can't believe i haven't talked about this next delicious product before! I actually hadn't even heard of them until about last year, i saw them on a blog and decided to make them! they were actually a big hit at work, even though they were my first batch and weren't perfect. If you're thinking of having a snack table, or cake but want to display it different, cake pops might be perfect for you! They're less messy, don't necessarily need a plate, and can be decorated so adorably! If you're a starbucks fan, they also sell some there to test them out with out a big price tag. 

You can use your wedding colors, have them decorated any way you want, or even have grooms and brides for pops! The cake table doesn't have to just display one cake anymore, you can have a table that's designed with these cute pops all over! Or if it's just a part of a snack table it's easy to get the amount of pops you're looking for.

If you're thinking health wise for kids or adults, it's a small portion but still absolutely delicious! 

Switching gears, Brandon and i went on a date adventure today, mostly getting errands done! It was such a fun day though, planning on adding to our wonderful backyard that my in-laws helped SO much with while they were here last summer. Anyway, one of stops was R.E.I to pick up those organic energy chews! If you haven't read that post, follow it here. I found some new Jelly Belly type energy chews, less calories, and i thought we should try some other kinds! I tried the lemon-lime kind, sour but absolutely delicious! If you want to try some, i say go for it! Sports Beans. 

Today's five things was still mostly about weddings, but it doesn't have to be strictly for weddings. If you're having a party, cake pops, and simple cute center pieces still can be used! hmm, think i'm going to have to make cake pops again soon.. 

five things.

I find every time i'm sharing songs it's those songs i instantly fall in love with and can't stop listening to a thousand times in a row. (this is no exaggeration) The song Stolen from Dashboard has been listened to over 700 times here at this house. If you've been someone that has lived with me, you also know i get stuck on songs and listen to them until i'm sick of it, which usually takes a couple weeks. oops. 

I find i really need to embrace more of snow patrol, such a soothing voice. so here's "Just Say Yes" for you to fall in love with and enjoy! Oh and after the first 20 times or so i decided the chorus would be just be perfect and emotional to walk into the church for the first time too.. seeing your husband- to- be for the first time that day. beautiful. 

Found these cute signs! It would be a great idea to show off promises/vows to each other at the wedding, and for a little extra detail! Also a great way to decorate a wall in your new home together too. 

This detail has been fairly popular for a while now, but i still think they're cute! There are more then the "i Do" stickers, and even grooms are wearing them now, one of my favorites says "help me!" If you want something a little more cute you could find the "i'm taken" stickers instead. Always an easy, cute, inexpensive detail to add to your day!

If you follow me on facebook, which you TOTALLY should. You can see when i update my blog that way. I found a new product i really have been enjoying. it's from Bolthouse Farms. If you've read other health posts i've written, you'll know i don't normally like to buy anything extra with dairy, not a milk drinker here. But this snack, or meal for me is too good to pass up! Delicious, not chunky and tastes exactly like a strawberry parfait! 

Out of all the juices like Naked for example, i prefer Bolthouse. do you have any juices you want to share? I'd love to find some new delicious smoothies! 

I might be caught on strawberries, but this is a snack that has quite a bit of sugar in it, and might not be the most healthy, but at 55 calories, and keeps my cravings for snacks at night to just this, i figure it's worth it! Fruit in the freezer. I always feel 12 when i open these up, but secretly love it. 

After my most recent shoot with Vanessa and her husband Nick, i admit i just want to keep posting photos of them! More to come soon, editing more tonight! see the first three here. 

Five Things.

I'm so excited to share there will be a new photo shoot going up on the blog soon! This wonderful family is finding outfits, getting all done up. It's going to be fantastic. Look for it in the next couple weeks. 

Until those new photos are up, here's five things this week i want to share with you. 

H&M Black skinny pants. These have been my favorite work pants since finding them. Under $20, a little higher wasted so I don't have to worry when i'm fixing a brides dress with guests behind me. All the pockets of jeans, but aren't, comfy, and super cute. I might have to go buy another pair. so if you're looking for some new work attire with a little more relaxed feel, these could be it. Personally, love wearing mine with my blazer. 

This leads me to to the next fave thing! blazers. So far, i've got three! Black, gray, and now pink! They're a great way to dress up, warm up, and feel sexy, especially with those pants, cute undershirt. The H&M blazers are great because they fit perfectly, but are really reasonably priced. usually $34-50. 

I shared a Mates of State song that i'm seriously obsessed with, click here to go to it. But here's Gotye, "Somebody that i used to know." If you follow me on facebook you have probably seen the next two things, this is a song i found a while ago, shared on my facebook page but thought i should share on here! It'll get stuck in your head. Embrace the video, and enjoy the song, i was in love right away, but it might take a couple times for you. 

Another yummy snack i found, after working out, just a little bit to get some delicious fruit.  My favorite is the mixed berry. Sometimes i crave something besides water, and this curbs that completely. 

If you've check out the stuff i like page, you'll see the shoot sac, which has been amazing for shooting, slim, holds everything i need while photographing and doesn't get in the way. this next Shoot sac bag is on my wish list!

This bag is a little different. It'll hold the original shoot sac, plus extras, so things i need around for shooting but not directly related is perfect. For instance, the IPad. The original will not hold the ipad or laptop, but this can hold the extras so when you head to a shoot you'll have everything! Plus it makes for a great carry on. Ahh it's beautiful. 

Do you have a favorite bag you use while out shooting? or places you go to shop for clothes for work!? 

Hope you're having a wonderful Monday!