Fido gets an invitation too

Wedding pups! That is right, dogs are big in weddings these days. Many couples consider their dog a part of the family, so why not include him or her? In this months Martha Stewart Weddings (page 186) there is an article on including Fido or Fee Fee and some wedding day doggy attire. This picture is of Gogo at Sarah & Billy's Sanibel Island wedding a couple of years ago. The girls at Floral Artistry created a garland of Italian Ruscus tied off with a satin bow to match the bridesmaids bouquets. Oh my gosh he's just so cute walking down the aisle.

And this is Sami! Sami wore a lei of white dendrobiums at Becky & Mike's Captiva wedding, just like the rest of the fellas.
Oh and please oh please- check the rules at your ceremony site, there can be restrictions on pooches!

Happy Birthday Jim!

Yesterday was my father-n-laws birthday. You know me, I love a reason to have a party, and this was the perfect occassion to invite the family over, for my husband to make his yummy ribs, and for me to do a fun tablescape. Jims a big golfer so the kids and I went crazy with the golf balls and tees!

Oh la la I love the Pink Shell

There isn't anything French about it, but I just love the new space at Pink Shell on Ft. Myers Beach. Dony & Sarah were kind enough to invite me out for a tour of the new facilities at the resort. Let me just say this- somebody kicked it up a notch. It is so cool! Very contemporary, hip, and modern, but still a kick-back in Florida feel. The colors are obviously tied in with the amazing view of the Gulf from the room and of course there's a terrace right off the Captiva room to chill out on when you need to take a break from the dance floor. Anyway, since I was out last August they have added oodles. Besides this new non-ballroom ballroom, there is a marina with docks, and I think 45 new rooms. Okay, the rooms. WOW. Why wow? Well, each room faces the Gulf, has a screened in porch on the gulf, oh and did I mention that a bunch of the units have hot tubs on the 2nd porch that faces the bay? Hello! Sign me up! Oh, one thing I thought was particularly cool was that there are 7 rooms per floor. And if your wedding guests take over all 7 rooms, you can actually have a welcome reception right there on your floor. The neatest location ever if you ask me. Talk about not having to worry about getting back to your room, the party is right outside your door! Oh, and if you eat at Jo Jo's by the main pool (I think its one of 4 pools), try the mediterranean salad (Thanks for lunch girls!). It is so good. I had to get back to the office, so I didn't get to go back to the spa (gosh darnit!) to meet the new spa director before I left. They have the best spa there, Aquagene. I for sure need to find some time to get back in there!

Sonia+Lee=Love!

What a day! Probably the wettest Saturday yet! But the verging-on-torrential rains didn't stop Sonia and Lee from loving every second of their wedding day! And these two are so in love - their speeches to each other were some of the sweetest we're heard.

Sonia had a gorgeous gown & shoes...

And she looked utterly fabulous.

Arriving in style at the church.



Love the look of her bouquet on the red leather seats of Adrian's classic Rolls Royce.




Sonia and Lee's and Sonia's adorable son Austin gets pulled up the aisle by the flower girl to a crowd of cameras.

A stolen moment during the ceremony...



And after...



When it rains, we find shelter!



The boys looking fine.

Terminal City Club all decked out for the reception thanks to the decor & design of Colin Upright.

And of course, club coordinator extrodinaire & sister-in-law to the bride, Claudia, helped with all sorts of details like moving this beautifully monogrammed cake in just the right spot!

The reception was filled with lots of laughter.

Not too many dry eyes during Lee's eloquent speech.

We had to be quick to snag this shot of Austin - he's one fast toddler!

Austin & Sonia's parents look on in the background while the couple enjoys their first dance.

Congratulations, Sonia & Lee! Thanks for dodging the raindrops with us!

Win a year of Wedding Inspirations!

This week I have been catching up on all my magazine reads. There are some really great articles and phenomenal new ideas that I can't wait to try out. No worries, I'll be posting about some of them very soon. In the meantime, while I was reading all these magazines I was inspired to do something fun. A contest!

It's very simple- click on the comment link below and leave your name & blog address or email me your name & email address at WeddingTidbits@gmail.com. I'll randomly pick, and then announce the winner on July 16th and that lucky person will receive a one year subscription to all of these magazines!

Want to increase your odds? Leave a comment on your favorite article or idea from one of the above magazines and I'll enter your name in twice! Good luck everyone!

Leah+Spencer=Buoyant!

A traditional shot... in an untraditional spot!

It's always fun to shoot a wedding at a new location! We were excited to be photographing Leah and Spencer's wedding at the UBC Boathouse - the first wedding ever held there!



This location is incredible - great architecture and stunning views of the city beyond the Fraser River. It's also a very meaningful place for Spencer & Leah. Spencer's there regularly at 5:00am(!) to coach the St George's rowing team. And he and Leah are both avid rowers - they first met through the sport. They wanted to select a spot that had personal meaning to them - to "come full circle" as Leah put it.

Here are a few quick favourites from their day!

The beautiful Leah gets ready...

While Spencer waits for her arrival at the church (with his new watch - a rehearsal dinner gift from Leah)

The lovely ceremony at the lovely heritage church the Minoru Chapel.

A warm welcome from the rowing team!

Okay, these are actually dragon boats...but they still look pretty cool! Love the leading lines in these shots.

We snuck outside when it was dark to get some cool shots with the lights of the venue and the city...

...before Leah & Spencer had their first dance as husband and wife.

Congratulations guys! have a wonderful time sailing in Greece!

Some of my favorite spring '07 photos

Picture 1, Amanda. This photo was caught during a moment of outright laughter during the ceremony. The wind was coming at just the wrong direction and Amanda's parachute, ummm, I mean- veil proved to be a constant source of laughter through the ceremony. Fitting, because Amanda was the most hilarious client I have ever had. She really should go on a comedy tour. She had me in stitches for nearly a year. Photo Credit: Impressions Photography

Picture 2, Traci & Steve. Ok, I know everyone does this shot, but there was something about Traci & Steve when they were spinning about. They were totally lost in each other- and it totally came through in this image. Photo Credit: Julie Goodacre Photography

Picture 3, Jim showing off his newly adorned ring finger to friends. Ok, hands down, this is the most memorable shot and it is SO Jim. Jim was one of those grooms who came to his wedding excited to marry his bride and totally ready to celebrate his marriage with his closest family and friends. Susan & Jim's wedding was just down right fun. Photo credit: Gigi Hamlett Photography

Thank you fabo photographers for sending me images!

Exploding M&M's

About 3 or 4 days before each wedding, most brides lose all sense of reality and begin to act like they have had a cocktail of Chai tea with a splash of CRACK. For me it is absolutely hilarious. I get asked the funniest questions and usually end up crying on the office floor trying to hold it together to answer them. This is the question of the year. It came in 2 days before the wedding.

BRIDE:Hey there.... Mom and I are debating on whether to go ahead and do the M+M favors tomorrow or wait until Friday.... Have you ever had problems with M+Ms exposed to air?
ME:
Ok, you have totally lost it. Bride, they are m&m's. Have you ever seen an m&m explode when exposed to air?
This is going on my "top 10 hilarious questions from brides who went over the detailed edge" blog post. Remind me to do that.

I'm going to have to do some research on the other 9...I have about 4o bazillion emails to sort through to find the best. Hey- if you're a planner and have a doozie to add to the list- post a comment or email me!

Mariage de destination or Nozze della destinazione?

Destination Wedding Anyone? I was recently interviewed by Budget Travel Magazine about destination weddings and they've published the article online. Italy and France are big draws these days...but I had to give Captiva the #1 ranking. Click here to read the article!

Italian Weddings – Overview

Few things in this world could be more romantic than a destination wedding in Italy. The country's natural beauty, rich cultural history, and fantastic food lend itself perfectly to a destination wedding.The country is quite easy to navigate, but having a specialist assist you could be a tremendous assistance, especially working with vendors.

Planning your season is crucial. We were there in early June and it was already starting to get warm, especially in the South. By July or August, we imagine it could be unbearable. But late Spring and early Fall would be particularly nice.

Italy has a rich and varied geography. Do you want a mountain wedding in the lake region or Dolomites? Or is a quiet Tuscan villa more your style? Do your research carefully and pick the style that suits your personality best.

We will review specific regions in future postings.

I goof off a little

Last weekend while photographer Gigi Hamlett was busy taking romance shots of Becky & Mike, I grabbed one of her back-up cameras and took a few photos myself. I do this every now and again. She usually just ends up yelling at me for not focusing or "bouncing" off the wrong wall. Bouncing is a fancy lighting term I still don't get. Her camera is too complicated. But still, its fun for about 10 minutes. Being a photographer is so much more difficult than it appears. Besides taking pictures for like 6-8 hours, nearly non-stop, then there is the editing process. HOURS and HOURS and HOURS editing photos at a computer. Nope. No way. You couldn't pay me enough.
Anyway, I received an email from Gigi this morning. Here is a photo I took of Denise and myself while Gigi was chasing Becky and her dog Sami down the beach for this cool shot. Denise has worked with me at almost all the weddings in the last year- she rocks. Denise also married one of our dearest friends, Kenny (I set them up!),last Christmas night at a surprise ceremony.
I love weddings.

ME! Session: Erin

Add a Betsey Johnson dress, some killer shoes, and a little rain to Erin's bubbly personality and you get one fabulous Me! Session!

Despite the clouds and rain, we had a blast photographing Erin and her friend Jamie (her Me! Session to be posted soon). Erin's graduating in just a few days and is all set to bring her energy & passion to her study of fashion - look out, Betsey! Here are some of our favourites from her session.

Dreamy...

Contemplative...

Sassy.

And beautiful.

I think this one is my favourite of the favourites!

Happy graduation, Erin!

Pimp Your Flips

This past weekend was Becky & Mike's wedding weekend. It was such a great time! Clint Wiley entertained both Friday and Saturday and let me just tell you- there were people who never left the dance floor. For all I know, they are still there waiting on another encore. You can check out the short video of little ringbearer Cole dancing to Banana Pancakes at the rehearsal dinner on Becky & Mike's wedding blog. Have I ever mentioned I love Jack Johnsons music?

Anyway, let me explain the photo here. I shoulda known something was up when Becky asked me for my shoe size and favorite color in my wardrobe (hot pink & black). She surprised me, and I think all the girls in the wedding party (moms too), with a pair of these customized Reefs. Her sister Kelly embellished each pair for all of us. Oh how they sparkled in the sand. Very cool. Yes, I'm still wearing mine. Kelly is considering taking limited orders for her Wedding Flips, if you're interested, send me an email.

Jasmine+Kenny=REAL WEDDINGS Cover Story!

Congrats to one of our September 06 couples Jasmine & Kenny! Their playful beach wedding is featured in the current issue of Real Weddings Magazine. And our photograph of their gorgeous cake, created by the fabulous Heather & Lori of Cupcakes, is the cover image.



Inside their 8-page spread, you can see that this amazing cake is the top layer of six layers of cupcakes! Jasmine had to climb up on a chair to slice it, and she did so with characteristic style: with a giant Chinese meat cleaver! These guys were so much fun to photograph - their energy and excitement made our job easy!

If you need some great ideas for your upcoming wedding, be sure to pick up this issue - Mike Alexander and his fabulous staff outdid themselves with this issue, their tenth (and biggest!) to date!