life // happy weekend to you.

Hi friends!  I just wanted to stop by and wish you a happy Saturday before I run down to Los Angeles for a wedding this evening.  I am SO excited about the venue (Sidebar at Covell) -- it's moody and sexy and a little quirky, and I love it.

Here's a selfie I snapped during my site scouting yesterday.

What are you guys up to this weekend?

weddings // getting ready photographs

I find that I sometimes need to give the bride a little encouragement to capture her "getting ready" process before the wedding ceremony.  I understand that the cost of additional hours of photography coverage can be a consideration, but really, I love the "getting ready" shots!  Those moments are some of the sweetest from a wedding day.

Think about it: you're nervous, anxious, excited, maybe a little tipsy from a glass or two of champagne.  You're there with your bridesmaids (likely your closest female friends and relatives), your mother, your grandmother, your flower girls, and family members you're closest to.  There's a lot of build-up getting hair and makeup done, and the process of getting into the dress is often equal parts comical and emotional.  Each accessory feels like a ritual (something borrowed, something blue, your garter, shoes, jewelry, engagement ring, etc.).  These ingredients create fantastic potential for some powerful wedding day imagery.

Even the guys getting ready can yield some great results!  I've seen so many rad images of grooms and their groomsmen enjoying a pre-ceremony scotch, or a quiet moment of reflection while adjusting cuff links (telling the grooms I work with to fuss with their cuff links is one of my go-to "getting ready" poses for guys, haha!).

I've collected a few of my favorites to share with you, and hopefully this will convince all you brides-to-be to opt in favor of your photographer capturing the "getting ready" process.  I doubt you'll look back and regret it; more likely is that you'll be so thankful you did.

linda arredondo

if nothing else, I love to get an emotional mother of the bride shot!  this one's from jill devries.

sometimes the simple "putting on some makeup" shot is just so darn pretty!  another from jill devries.

kappen photography

a favorite from a recent anna delores wedding :)

arrow and apple

I mean, HELLO gorgeous! the uber-talented jill devries

linda arredondo

mark brooke

another one from jill devries (c'mon, you know she's my favorite!)

loving this collage from kappen photography

the dude version! from kappen photography

right after she puts on the dress... hello, gorgeous! by our labor of love

another one from our labor of love

So you see what I mean, right?

Would you have getting ready photos at your wedding (or will you when the time comes)?

giveaway // $400 beach + bikini

Spring is finally here.  You know what that means...summer is just around the corner.

To help you kick off the warm weather season, some blogger friends and I would like to give you a head start on planning for your next beach getaway and new bikini. To be honest, I'm WAY jealous that I can't enter.

1 Winner: $300 Travelocity Hotel Gift Card + Victoria's Secret Gift Card

1 Mandatory Entry + lots of bonus entries

There is just one mandatory entry and that is to leave a comment below telling me where you would go on your beach vacay.

The rest are optional bonus entries, so have at it!

Don't forget to check these lovely ladies' blogs. They are fab!

Dreaming of Dimples | So Shay | This Won't Hurt A Bit

Saturated Canary | Glitter and Gloss | KV's Confessions

Jessica Who? | Gentri Lee | Her Late Night Cravings

For Lauren & Lauren | Meg O. on the Go | Hey, Hollywood

The Life of Bon | Ramblings of a Southern Belle | The Sunshine Diary

Lipgloss and Crayons | House of Rose | the Anna Delores blog

The Vanilla Tulip | Choose to be Happy | The Vintage Modern Wife

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 Good luck! 

*Note: Victoria's Secret gift card is only valid in US. Winning entry will be verified.

weddings // BHLDN

By now, most of you (even if you're not immersed in the wedding industry) have heard of BHLDN.  Essentially, they are the bridal-focused love-child of Anthropologie.  Yes, Anthro created a wedding line.

I'll allow you a moment to swoon.

{ the Arabella gown by BHLDN }

At just two years old, BHLDN is already a coveted collection of bridal fashion and wedding decor details.  Last week, I attended The Wedding Salon show in Beverly Hills and spent most of my time in the BHLDN lounge, letting my eyes feast on the rack of simply stunning dresses and beautifully-curated tablescapes.

{ BHLDN dresses and accessories via Instagram }

I half-joked, more than once, about running away with BHLDN's Isadora gown.  Then I posted the photo above on Instagram that I needed someone to propose to me so I could justify the purchase of a BHLDN gown (though the staff and I were brainstorming ways I could buy it anyway and wear it to an event or, you know, around the house...).  :)

{ the isadora gown by BHLDN }

In addition to a stunning collection of bridal gowns, BHLDN also offers lots of other wedding goodies like garters and lovely lingerie (including options for your "something blue"), gorgeous bridesmaid dresses, wedding-worthy shoes and accessories, perfectly mismatched china and serveware, and plenty of other possibilities for giving your wedding that sweet Anthropologie-inspired vibe you've been looking for.

{ petit fours plates & serveware by BHLDN }

At the moment, BHLDN is having a wonderful sale!  They've marked down over 100 items, including a few bride and bridesmaid dresses (as well as some goodies for guys)!

Let the BHLDN stalking begin.  And for the record, I am not affiliated with BHLDN in any way!  I simply adore them of my own accord and thought you should know about their awesomeness.

{ linked up with Lish! }
 

Do you love the Anthro-inspired wedding vibe, or are you more of a clean lines, classic simplicity bride?

life // a birthday Corgi

My best friend, Claudia, celebrated her birthday on Saturday!  Claudia and I first met during our freshman year of college, and she's been my closest friend ever since.

She currently lives in Tempe, Arizona, so I drove out there for the weekend to celebrate with her on Saturday.  She invited friends and family over to her house (where she lives with her sister; they call it the "Little Pink House" because it's adorable and painted the sweetest shade of blush pink -- so charming!) for brunch.


 

The MOST exciting part of the weekend was a surprise for Claudia: her boyfriend, Carlos, got her something she's been wanting for a LONG time: a Corgi!  Everyone was privy to the secret except Claudia, so we hustled her into the backyard as a friend escorted little Charlie, a one-year-old Corgi rescue pup, onto the premises!  Claudia was blindfolded to maximize the surprise, and Carlos gave her a "decoy" wrapped gift and said she had to guess what it was... and then Charlie jumped into her lap!

Here's a photo journey of the day -- we had a blast and Charlie is the sweetest dog!

Claudia was taken completely by surprise (get this: she even asked "whose dog is this?" because she didn't realize at first that he was her present!) and she and Charlie fell in love at first sight.

The festivities continued with lots of Corgi-human socializing and Claudia proceeded to open her gifts, most of which were new-dog-owner-related.



We even have a video to commemorate the moment, captured by our friend Maggie (all those clicks you hear in the video are me taking a shit-ton of photos). :)



Happy, happy birthday to my best friend (and her new best friend in furball form!).  :)