Wedding Photog's Blog Photos

It's been a while since the last, full official blog post was written. But obviously things have been really great for us. We got married last month on the 16th, and left quickly for our honeymoon in Fiji for two weeks. While we have some really amazing photos from our honeymoon, our wedding photographer just put up a new blog post from our wedding. Tyra is so talented and she captured some really amazing photos from the day. You can see the blog post by clicking here, or going to http://www.tyrableek.com/. :-) Enjoy! Photos from the honeymoon to follow soon!

On this Valentine's Day

As C and I get ready for our wedding, and it being Valentine's Day and all, I decided to share this article from the Huffington Post today. As we plan, C and I look to each other to stay grounded and focused on what's truly important...

You can find the original story here.

My Worst Wedding... Was My Own

By Rachael Hollis

I've been thinking about writing this article for a while, but pride may or may not have kept me from it. You see, I'm really proud of the reputation I've built up over the last eight years as a high end, stylish wedding planner. I have been known to, on more than one occasion, look down my nose at items I deem to be tacky wedding fare... carnations, tulle, DIY invitations. And yet, the wedding I'm most embarrassed of having planned, the one I'd never put into my portfolio, is my own.

A little back-story... I got married eight years ago this May at the ripe old age of 21. Back then we didn't have a ton of money, or a ton of taste for that matter. I set about planning a wedding that was nicer than what I'd grown up with but it turns out, lacking in several key areas. We picked a gorgeous locale on a cliff overlooking the ocean but I was hesitant to spend exorbitant amounts of money on items I didn't think were crucial. I can admit to you all now, albeit sheepishly, that we had plastic folding chairs at our ceremony... can you imagine? The "upgraded" chair was in our reception and even then it was white wood folding. The reception itself had ficus trees with twinkle lights, the cake table was skirted and piled high with fabric, the bar served beer in plastic cups, and yes, there may or may not have been tulle swathing each exit. Dear Lord, I shudder to think of it now!

I often joke with my husband that if we were getting married today I would put us into financial ruin with all of my choices. I would insist on custom everything and have my favorite wedding photographer flown out from New York. The floral costs alone would rival the annual operating budget of a small island nation and the bar would be top shelf with vintage wine flowing like the Nile. But, at the end of that lavish spectacular day, we'd be exactly where we are now: married. You see, as much as I can't stand to look at décor shots from my own wedding, I still wouldn't change a single thing about it. Our friends and family couldn't tell you what chairs we had or even what "skirting" a table means. They remember our hand written vows that made total strangers stop and listen on the bluff and then end up crying with everyone else. They remember the French fries and champagne we served during cocktail hour and that everyone danced and danced until the wee hours of the morning. They remember seeing two kids in love who might not have known what "high end" was, but who were so grateful for that sunny day and the opportunity to spend the rest of their lives with each other.

I think of this now when I have an indecisive bride who's paralyzed about something simple like whether or not to serve champagne at the toast or which shade of pink is ideal. Choosing elements for your wedding day should be fun, but these choices won't make any difference in the stuff that matters. For better or worse, you'll end that day married to your partner and that's the truly exciting part. Chances are in a few years your dress choice will be out of style, and the centerpieces you thought were so modern might look outdated. But the timeless photos, the ones that will always make you grin, are those of two people in love in their Sunday best ready to take on the world together. Those pictures are always in style.

Long time, no update

It's been over a month (maybe two??) since I've last updated our blog. It seems like every night and weekend we have something going on that takes up a lot of our time and leaves none for sitting down with a laptop to type up a coherent blog post. Not that I'm complaining, I love our active lifestyle. But I guess it's more like if there's time to sit down and write a blog post, then I should be looking into wedding vendors or something instead...

But to that point, the wedding planning is going well. At this point we have decided on the venue, caterer, photographer, and wedding dress (which I have not seen). We are lucky to have such a dedicated family back East willing to help with the things that are basically impossible for us to do from California. Two weekends ago weekend Crystal's dad and step-mom were visiting us and we drew a mockup of the wedding layout on their property. We feel that an attention to detail will really help the event feel magical for everyone. Crystal and I know that regardless of the outcome, the wedding will be magical for both of us, but we want to convey that emotion to our guests as well.

I plan to write a post about our trip to Europe, if nothing else, to get pictures up online from the vacaion. But again, sitting down to write the post requires time which I hope to have this weekend or next...

In the meantime, I'd like to give a "shout out" to theotherrelativenews.blogspot.com. Sarah recently started her own blog, and titled it as a play on this blog. Now to be honest, I'm a little disappointed she didn't even give us a plug on the email she sent out, but she did at least make mention to the fact that we have one...

Tonight we're driving down to Turlock, CA for a Saturday USDAA trial. We're very excited because it will be West's first try at an offical agility trial. He's only running two events, Jumpers and Pairs. Jumpers is similiar to AKC, where it's all jumps and tunnels (but no weaves). Pairs is a game where you run half a course, and a a partner with another dog runs the other half. So we've signed up Sonoma and West to compete together in Pairs. All four of us will be out on the course at once - a first. We're very excited! Sonoma will be competing in four events. I'll let everyone know how we did after the weekend..........

Random pic from our last Costa Rica trip (2010)...

Heather and Andrew's Wedding

Over the weekend of October 2, Crystal and I traveled to Boston to attend her cousin Heather's wedding.  She got married to Andrew, who we've been very close with for a few years now.  We're so happy for the two of them, and know they have years of happiness ahead of them.  Crystal and I had a wonderful time celebrating with each of their families, and it was over before we knew it.  Flying in on the red eye Friday morning, and leaving Sunday afternoon makes for a rushed weekend.  But again, the wedding was beautiful and it's always great seeing family.  Here are some pictures from the rehearsal dinner (Crystal was a bride's maid) and the wedding and reception.

 Me, Crystal, and Kenzie (Crystal's cousin) at the rehearsal dinner

 Crystal and me at the wedding

Crystal, Heather (bride, obviously), Tiffany (bride's sister, front left) and Kenzie 

Kenzie and Crystal at the wedding reception

The wedding cake was made by the bride's (and Crystal's) grandma.

Heather cutting the wedding cake 

Heather and Andrew... not quite sure why this ever became a thing a weddings!! 

Steven, Mom, Crystal, and me at the reception