The Mark of Non-StinkinessBe Gone!

So today I was out shopping with my wedding planner colleague Mark Kingsdorf for some last minute Hollywood Fashion Tape. For those wondering...that's the tape that keeps strapless dresses in place the best. Anyhoo- so right next to the tape, I see a few packs of Gal Pal. "Hmmmm, what's this I see? It looks like something helpful!" Yep.. It is. Inside the pillow box are 2 pink sponges that remove those pesky deodorant marks that you will inevitably get at the worst possible time.

The instructions are pretty easy, wipe the deodorant away, to sum it up.
The 2 pack was $6.99, and when we tested it- they worked! So yeah- totally worth every penny. Thank you to my deodorant mark free model-intern Michelle for posing.

Specialist Travel Agents

The video killed the radio star. And the Internet killed the travel agent. Or so, that’s what we thought.

Like most people, several years ago we gave up on the travel agent, the paper tickets, the hassle of telephone tag and the fees travel agents charge. Like most people, we moved exclusively to web-based services. And for a while, it worked real well for us. More specifically, it worked well for very simple travel plans.

Looking back on our wedding planning experience, our single biggest time investment was researching locations and travel logistics. Looking back, we should have brought in professional travel agent who deals in destination weddings to help simplify the process. We knew we wanted the Caribbean, but it had to have reasonable flights from New York, Philadelphia, Dallas and Denver (where most of our guests were coming from). A professional travel agent could have narrowed down the field considerably and then we could decide on the location from there.

Another challenge we had was all of the guests making their own travel arrangements. The bridge’s grandmother used her favorite travel agent – and despite the very specific wording on the invitation – the agent ended up sending her to Nassau, Bahamas instead of the correct location on Grand Bahama Island.

Our concern with utilizing a travel agent is that they push the venues and packages where they make commissions or where they are most comfortable…not necessarily what is in your best interest. So, it’s critical to find a vendor you feel comfortable with.

So, we were pleasantly surprised when we discovered the Caribbean Journey Destination Wedding Blog. The woman, Laura Sangster, is a travel agent, but also planned her own Caribbean destination wedding. While, we have not actually used her to plan either our own destination wedding or any travel (so therefore cannot actually recommend her), we’ve been impressed with her thoroughness, aesthetic, and quality information. We are trying to get a scuba dive trip together for later in the year and may use her, so we’ll let you know how it goes.

When you are just starting the process, the idea of planning your own destination wedding can sound like a lot of fun – dreaming of all those fancy resorts and beautiful beaches. We thought so too, but the stress it caused between us was considerable. In retrospect, having someone help us and make the process much more manageable would have been a good idea.

Downside to Engagement Rings

Many single women dream for the day they receive their diamond engagement ring. Yet for many people, there’s a downside to the rings.

First is the cost. Diamonds are precious, but are far from rare. In fact, the price of diamonds is propped up through a legal cartel system where the supply of diamonds is artificially restricted (although the DeBeers cartel recently settled a class action lawsuit related to its price-fixing scheme). The leading force behind this is the DeBeers diamond cartel the world’s largest supplier of diamonds, which has a near monopoly throughout the world.

As we looked into purchasing our engagement ring, we wanted a diamond that did not come from the DeBeers diamond cartel. We didn’t want a “blood diamond”—a diamond that is mind for the purpose of paying for nasty civil wars in Africa.

You can also learn more at Stop Blood Diamonds.

You can also learn more about fair trade diamonds, diamonds that are not tainted through blood and murder.

A favor idea I love..to eat.

Favors. Should be so simple, but they can be so hard! There are 5 trillion to choose from and it seems like they've all been done before. You want something different, but you don't want it to be, well, stupid. Here's my rule of thumb when it comes to favors. Only give what you would like to receive. Ask yourself, "Would I be happy if I got one of these?
I had an idea yesterday when Amanda-the-girl-scout came a knocking at my door. I gave her $3.50, and she gave me an entire box of my favorite cookies to eat at my leisure. Ok, so that's a slight lie. I bought 7 boxes. Anyway, can I just tell you how happy I would be of I went to a wedding and found a nicely wrapped box sitting on my chair? And then to open it later and see that I had Thin Mints to eat all the way home? And how happy would I be as a bride to know that my favor purchase also helped a great organization? Very happy!
I think its time for a Tagalong...or six.

We haven't done a big exit in a while, I think mostly because after parties have been so huge the last year or so. Valerie & Ryan really wanted to have a grand exit though, and it was fantastic.
Photo Credit: Gigi Hamlet

How big should my band be?

Here's a good question I got today.

Is there such thing as a band that's too big?

Yes there most certainly is. One easy way to know if you've gone a bit too far- if the stage will have to be bigger than the dancefloor to fit the band...it's too big. If you want a true live band experience, I vote for nothing less than 3 pieces. After that, another piece per 20-25 (starting with 3 pieces and 75 guests)people is a good rule of thumb.

Some things to keep in mind though:

Typically what makes that big band sound is a horn section. And that usually requires a 5 to 6 piece band.
The other element that makes a huge difference in not only the sound, but also the playlist- having a female vocalist.

Style Me Pretty

I have been a fan FOREVER. I love love love Style Me Pretty. Certinly one of the best wedding blogs out there. Can I also tell you how exciting it was to get a call from the girls at SMP and find out that they were not only expanding The Little Black Book, but that I was going to be included? Yeah, beyond excited. I was also oh so happy to see that one of my favorite photographers, Michelle Reed, has also been included. Michelle photographed some of my favorite weddings: Julie & Phil, Vanessa & Greg, Karyn & Len, Stacie & Brian...lots of great weddings over the years. The Little Black Book is spreading through the country, so be sure to check and see who is there in your neck of the woods.

Internapalooza

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who emailed from across the country about the internships- I never expected such a fantastic response! I'll be sure to post photos of our new team soon. The new team will be in action just in time for Boogie Down Brides' wedding next month!

To everyone in love...

...Happy Valentine's Day!

From the Todos Santos beach at sunset (shot with our Fuji F30 point&shoot)

From two silly photographers in love

Hello from Baja Again!

We're working, playing, relaxing, and rejuvenating in Baja again.

And we've absolutely fallen in love with the town of Todos Santos ~ a funky little artist pueblo 90 minutes away from Cabo with miles of empty beaches, hours of whale-watching, amazing food (fresh sushi, authentic Italian pasta, and more fish tacos-what more could we ask for?!), and a very chill vibe.

Here's some snaps from where we've been staying, the legendary Hotel California.




















peace+happiness,
C+L

Smiley bride got married!

And she smiled so much!
I was so happy at this moment...THEY'RE MARRIED!
The guests of table 22 had some fun...
in the photobooth.
The wedding party table was on the dancefloor for dinner...and then they got booted off for the Clint Wiley band - THEY ROCKED!
Pretty Flowers...
Pretty Cake...
and Pretty Happy Peopple!
The late night ice cream and pizza bars were a HUGE hit with guests.
Those aren't paper menus on the tables...solid chocolate with edible ink! How cool is that?
Like many of the guests, she switched to flip flops for the cocktail hour on the sand and for dancing. Click here to get a reminder of Smileys shoe shopping experience.

Getting Your Documents in Order

After the glow of your honeymoon subsides, you need to settle into your new life together. You’ll likely name each other as beneficiaries on your 401(k)s or Roth IRAs. You might need to go through the process of changing your name (more on this in an upcoming post).

One important thing you will also need to do is get your legal documents in order. You should probably have a will, a living will and a power of attorney. A major health crisis in my family (my grandmother had a massive stroke) really brought this to our attention.

Having spent tons of money on a mediocre attorney in the past, I wasn’t anxious to do so again. After a lot of online research, I found LegalZoom, a cost-effective approach of fill-in-the-blank documents. There are other companies, both online and off-line, that offer this service (some are better than others). This one-size-fits-all approach probably isn’t going to serve you well if you have kids, complex estates, but if you’re relatively young and just starting out (like us), it should work for you.

If anything like what happened to my grandmother ever happens to us, I just wanted to be prepared. We waited almost two years after our wedding to do this, which was way too long. Shortly after your wedding, you should look into getting these legal documents in order.

Janelle+Barry=Faith

We were so inspired by Janelle & Barry. From the first time I spoke with her on the phone, I could sense the amazing connection she had with her fiance & the purity and gentleness of their love.

And I couldn't help but get all gooey when she told me the story of his surprise proposal and the song he wrote for her (Barry is the lead singer for the band Kiros, whose album A Single Strand is one of our current favs on our studio playlist).


That proposal included the croquet balls on Janelle's mantle.



Some more details.

The guys from the band figuring out their suspenders.

Janelle looked absolutely beautiful.

And Barry could not help but be mesmerized when he saw her walk down the aisle with her father.



The little flower girl was in awe too.

Married! I just love the look they share after their first kiss as husband and wife.

Yummy flower petals.




Calgary is sunny. But pretty darn cold. A few of our favourite images from the short time we froze our booties off in the field behind the church.

A warm-up stop at the mall en route to the reception (shooting with a 45 tilt-shift lens on a moving elevator can be entertaining!).

Barry, Ryan, and Tyler getting goofy.

Barry.

Lots of laughter and tears during the speeches.

And some beautiful moments on the dance floor.








Janelle & Barry had a salsa dancing teacher leading all the guests - he was hilarious and everyone had a blast practicing their moves!

Congratulations Barry & Janelle!