Some of my favorite shots

One of my bridesmaids just asked me - "HOW are you going to choose which pictures to include in your wedding album?" And she is totally right!  Jack Looney gave us over 1200 pictures, I posted about 300 on facebook, but there were hundreds more I adore!  Maybe our wedding album will have multiple volumes?  Anyone know where I can find an XL Photobook? :)

Here are a few more of my favorite shots from the BIG day:

(Photobooth!)

What I love about the way Jack shot these pictures is that he was able to capture SO MUCH emotion!  Sure Adam and I took some "staged" pictures (like the one of us along the fence) but so many of the ones I adore are the candid ones that really seem to grasp all the amazing things we were feeling throughout the day! There are tons of other pictures I could post here - especially of the photo booth!  If you are contemplating having one at your wedding (or even a party) DO IT!  They are a blast to look through :)

*all of the above photos were snapped by Jack Looney Photography! 

Vendors in Review (Part 1)

All along we kept saying to each other "we have the BEST vendors!" And it was true! I think it is definitely a testament to Charlottesville and the great people it produces (no joke).  It's far enough south that the people are sweet and patient.  Bur far enough north that people still have a sense of urgency and promptness (haha, sorry to just totally stereotype the north & south!).

I'll start off this review by saying I'd recommend each and every vendor to another couple getting married (or anyone throwing a big party!).  I know I'm biased (hey, this is the first {and only} wedding I'll do!), and that people have different budgets and visions to work with - but every one of these people/companies were amazing to work with!

So, without further adieu...the vendor rundown:


Ceremony: St. Paul's Memorial Church
Reception: King Family Vineyards
Wedding Dress: Priscilla of Boston (Platinum line)
Wedding Shoes:  J Crew
Groom's Suit: Jos. A Banks
Bridesmaids dresses: J Crew
Groomsmen suits: Jos. A Banks
Groom's & Groomsmen ties: J Crew
Flower girl dress: Priscilla of Boston
Wedding jewelry: earrings- borrowed from my mom; necklace- Priscilla of Boston; engagement & wedding rings: Princess Jewelers
Day of Hair: Bristles (they also did Meredith's, my mom's, and my aunt's hair!)
Day of Make-up: DIY (ha!), but seriously, I did my own.  I didn't want to risk hating the way my face looked!
Wedding Coordinator: Kate FitzGerald from I Do Details Events (and she did way more than just the day-of stuff!)
Flowers: Woodmont Designs
Band: 10 Spot (via Sam Hill Entertainment)
Caterer: 20 South Catering
Rentals: Festive Fare
Cake: Paradox Pastry
Getaway Car: Albemarle Vintage Limousine 
Wedding night accommodations: The Boar's Head Inn
Wedding stationery: some of DIY, but the Save the Dates and Invitations were Wedding Paper Divas
Calligrapher: Left Handed Calligrapher 
Honeymoon (!):  Oxygen Jungle Villas (ok, not really a "vendor" but they were so amazing so they totally deserve a shout-out)


...phew.  I plan to review all of the vendors, but like I said, we LOVED them! And can't thank them enough for helping our entire wedding (from the beginning stages to the actual day) such an amazing experience.
:::round of applause!:::

Back as a MRS!!

As you can tell, it's been a little busy lately and this blog got the short end of the stick!  I'm back now from the pre-wedding craziness, the wedding itself (which was ahhh-mazing!!!), and our splendid honeymoon in Costa Rica!!  I want to recap all of them, but first here are a few sneak peeks from our wedding photographer:

Jack Looney's Blog: http://jacklooney.com/blog/?p=2641

Erin McDermott White (the creative chick who made our b'maids earrings!): http://erinmcdermott.com/bridal-jewelry/blair-adam-at-king-family-vineyards

it was seriously the BEST BEST time! starting the moment we left work on Wednesday May 4th, all the way through the honeymoon.  We felt so much love and support and EXCITEMENT from everyone!  Sure a few things went wrong, and there were definitely some nerves before we walked down the aisle, but at the end of the day we were married!!  And we couldn't be happier! :)

Our Summer Whirlwind

My two weeks in Greece were absolutely blissful!  It was a great time to relax, recharge, and think about all that has happened (and will happen!) this year.  I guess you could call it "soul searching," as I was also able to reflect on some of the this summer's "milestones."  This summer has been a whirlwind - starting with our engagement party, family trips, selling my car, and now, another huge step - starting a new job!!  When Adam and I first got engaged, I decided to put my job search on the shelf.  I thought I would be CRAZY for planning a wedding AND getting adjusted to a new job all in one year!  However, an opportunity arose that I just couldn't pass up!  The timing was just right, and taking this job seemed like the exact right thing to do. I will have a solid 8 months in my new position before the wedding.  Honestly, it feels like getting a new job was the last piece to my frantic-summer-puzzle!  And now that I've completed my job search, I can get back to the wedding :)

I'll admit - we've all but taken the summer off!  Theknot.com tells me I've completed 99% of the things I needed to do 12-9months before the wedding (yippie!).  But we're creeping up on 8 months... which brings with it A LOT!  My original goal was to have our STD's out by Labor Day (ehh...maybe that'll happen?).  But seeing that we haven't finalized the guest list (well not entirely!), asked all the wedding party (...crickets...), finalized our colors (we're SO close!), taken engagement pics, we've got a few obstacles in our way :)  We know what needs to be done, and I'm really excited about all the planning we have left to do and I'm trying to savor every moment of our engagement!

Photographers

One thing I know for sure - the world does not have a shortage of awesome photographers! Wow. Just WOW.  The styles!  The different options!  Do we want an engagement shoot ("e-shoot")?  Do we want a photobooth (we're thinking yes)?  How many hours? Do we even know what style we want? Omgosh.

Here are the photographers I am currently crushing on.  Their styles are all so different (...or at least I think they are?), and they all have different pricing/packages/offerings.  THIS.IS.GOING.TO.BE.DIFFICULT.  At the end of all this, it'll be the photos we keep going back to to remember the day! So we don't want to mess this up :)

• Patricia Lyons: She is a master and I am literally drooling over her stuff. We've already contacted, and I'm not sure she's in our budget (crying real tears).
• Jack Looney: A Charlottesville boy!  His stuff rocks.  He comes highly recommended from a few of our friends, so we know he's a gem to work with. 
• Dominique Attaway:  I really like this lady!  She's French, likes cowboy boots, and lives in Cville!  She actually does some work with Jack Looney (fun!), and has won some local Cville photography awards.
• Michelle Lindsey:  She came recommended from another photographer we chatted with.  She looks like she could be one of our friends :) I really like her style!

...and many many more!

I love that each of these photographers has their own blog/sites!  I have spent hours on them.  Pouring through other people's wedding albums (that's not creepy, right?! I'm considering it homework...and inspiration!)  They all seem so wonderful, it really will be hard to choose someone.  But, amiright in thinking we can't go wrong with any of these choices? :)


Photo from Patricia Lyons and it is from a totally swoon worthy wedding
*don't you dare hire one of these guys for your wedding next year if it is on May 7, 2011 ;) We'll pick ours soon, promise!