Masthead header

Sunshine in February

Happy Wednesday all! I can’t believe how fast this month is flying… am I the only one who feels like it was just New Year’s yesterday!? February always seems to be so short, mostly because there’s always a bajillion things going on!

First comes Groundhog’s Day (who doesn’t love adorable fuzzy animals?), Rob’s birthday (25 years old!!), Valentine’s day (<3) and finally, our anniversary! This year, Roberto and I celebrated 5 years together. Crazy, huh? Talk about time flying… Unfortunately we spent this year’s anniversary weekend in the ER of all places! Rob got cut on broken glass at work and needed stitches. Ouch. Of course, all’s well that ends well, so we’re just happy we were able to scoot out of there after just 2 hours of hospital time–and to celebrate, we got pizza on the way home :) True love guys and gals, that’s what it’s all about!

Now, because I fully understand that sharing is caring, I need to tell you this: I have been a horrible, terrible resolution keeper. Just plain awful. While I started knitting a scarf (true story!) it has been sitting in my knitting basket untouched for about 3 weeks. Then I completely forgot to take my vitamins until… well, Monday. I haven’t been to a single yoga class (though I did go to the gym earlier this week–baby steps!!) and basically the only real resolution that I’ve been able to stick to is baking (and subsequently eating) many delicious things. I figure I’ve got another 10 months to sort the rest of them out, but gosh darn it I’m going to do these things!!

Luckily for me, this weekend is going to be about accomplishing one of the most overdue items on that list: a road trip to NYC to see my college girlfriends!! It’s been ages and ages and AGES since we last saw each other, so Saturday promises to be a fabulous experience all round. Mimosas, girl talk, probably some pancakes… yes please!

That’s all for now–hope you’re all having a gorgeous Wednesday, and looking forward to a fabulous weekend of your own!

Share on Facebook|Share on Twitter|Contact Me

David + Michael: A Cazenovia Wedding

Every so often I have the opportunity to attend a wedding that’s truly unique in a very special way. Last year, David and Michael’s wedding was exactly that. When Ms. Calypso Rae of Calypso Rae Photography called and asked if I’d like to assist for the day, I was thrilled that I would be able to witness David and Michael’s wedding. While they had begun planning their day long before it was legalized in New York last June, the fact that their love was legally recognized when it came time to say “I do” made their day just that much sweeter. Here are a few of my favorite photos from their beautiful wedding in Cazenovia, NY.

Take a quick peek, and of course, leave some love for David and Michael in the comments section below :)

I loved all the little touches around the Lincklaen House, a hotel first built in 1835! From the gilded countertops to the lace runners and antique statues, everything was perfectly suited to the David and Michael’s elegant wedding on the terrace.

Before the ceremony, Caly and I went with David and Michael to Lakeland park for a few portraits. Despite the summer haze (and heat!) it was a perfect afternoon to be by the water. 
My favorite part of the ceremony was when David surprised Michael by serenading him with Elton John’s “Your Song”–but was so overcome that the musicians took over when he couldn’t sing anymore!Clearly, Michael was just as surprised as we were ;) Happy tears are the BEST! ˆ


After the ceremony, it was time for appetizers and drinks!  ˆ 

…and best of all, DANCING!

Congratulations to David and Michael–and thank you to Caly for allowing me to share the day with her!!

The vendors who made this wedding possible are listed below:

Venue/Caterer- Lincklean House
Coordinator- Kate Lemos Brown – Love Well Design
Suits- Dave’s: Indochino/Michael’s: Macy’s
Bow-tie handmade by EveryDayBowties.com
Rings-  Egon Ehrlinspiel  and Tiffany’s
Flowers - Flowers Down Under
Candy Bar - Speach Family Candy
DJ - Piper’s Entertainment

And Michael wrote several blog posts about their wedding planning experience, as well as the day itself! You can find his posts at www.soyoureengayged.com or by clicking here.

Share on Facebook|Share on Twitter|Contact Me
Laura

These are so sweet! Especially the b/w ones – it looks like an affair to remember for sure.

Pinterest: Your New Best Friend

Happy Monday all!

While you’re enjoying your first (or second, or third? :) cup of coffee this morning, I just wanted to take a couple seconds to talk to you about Pinterest! If you’re a client of mine, or a poor friend/family member I cornered at a party (sorry Mom!), you’ve surely already heard this before. But I cannot say enough about my love for Pinterest. Suffice to say it will change. your. life.

As you start to plan your wedding you may be just a little overwhelmed with the number of things that need to be decided (unless of course you’re like Monica and have the whole binder thing down!). The shoes, the dress, the accessories, the shoes (ahh shoes… <3), the invites, the save the dates, the ceremony decorations, the reception decorations… the list goes on! And while you may find time here and there to browse through websites and articles online, that amazing tutorial you found for DIY paper flower boutonnieres can easily get lost in the shuffle.

Enter, Pinterest.

If you like to browse through lots of different blogs, or gather wedding resources from a bunch of different websites, Pinterest is your new best friend. A digital inspiration board, it allows you to save images and articles from anywhere on the web all to one location–so you can browse for hours and not forget where you saw those really cute shoes, or that great article on best first dance songs. It’s been around for some time now (Wikipedia tells me that it “closed beta status in March 2010″ (…) and “on August 16, 2011, Time magazine published Pinterest in its “50 Best Websites of 2011″ column”) and is growing more and more popular due to its ease of use and ability to connect people through shared interests.

Martha

 

Even better, you can create dozens of different boards so each item you’re researching can have its own space (as you can see, I have separate boards for deserts and recipes, wedding inspiration–below, DIY tutorials, and the like.) You can tag each image with comments, mention people,  and even post it to popular social networking sites like twitter and Facebook for feedback from girlfriends and family :)

I love finding tutorials–like the tie tying one I repinned from one of my girlfriends–that I can pass along to clients later on. Pinterest helps me to organize this helpful articles and tips for easy reference so I can quickly find things when I need them!

Martha

Tie Tutorial

 

If you’re not currently a user, but would be interested in trying it out, just shoot me a quick email! I’d be happy to send you an invite (Pinterest waitlists you for about 48 hours before you can join) so you can check it out for yourself.

 

 

 

P.S. if you’re not currently planning a wedding, I’ve found Pinterest to be hugely useful in gathering information for wish lists, redecorating my living room, planning meals and in general just finding day to day inspiration through quotes or beautiful imagery I find online!

Share on Facebook|Share on Twitter|Contact Me
Cara

Pinterest. Best. Site. Ever!

So helpful with my wedding planning. It easily helps with any and ALL ideas (not just wedding) relating to your life. It also does a good job weeding out the non-creative, cookie cutter ideas you’ve seen time and again.

Mimosa bar at your wedding shower? Yes, please. Saw it on Pinterest.

:) Cara

Cara

I have been using Pinterest for a few months now and I have to say that I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! It has been really helpful on the wedding planning front – finding unique centerpiece ideas, dress inspiration, color schemes, photography poses, hairstyles, etc. I’ve also been using it for teaching ideas, home design inspiration, organizational suggestions, and lots of other things.

It’s definitely worth exploring…and then losing hours of your day :) But at least you’ll be inspired when you’re done, right?

Saturdays are for Baking

When I was in France, my girlfriend Lindsay and I would get together every other Sunday or so at a cafe to swap stories and catch up on our girl chat. We called them our chocolate Sundays because we’d inevitably end up ordering something deliciously chocolate wherever we went :) It was always so lovely to know that however difficult the week had been (French universities are brutal! And anyone who’s lived abroad can tell you that host parent situations have their ups and downs) I could look forward to a relaxing chat with someone I loved.

Part of my resolutions this year has been to find more quiet time for me, and so these past few weekends I’ve been resurrecting my “chocolate Sundays” (though Lindsay is now far away in Virginia :(–and even though it happens to be just Saturday) by baking pretty things as the mood strikes.

This Saturday morning was dedicated to a few quiet hours with She & Him and this particularly delicious chocolate cake recipe. The kitchn is one of my go-to sources for all things wonderful, and of course, this time was no different. Happily for me, Juanita came by (with burritos from Syrajuce!) to share a slice this afternoon. The more I make time for little things like these, the more I realize how it really is just that–the little things that make life beautiful.

I hope you’re all having equally lovely weekends–and are able at some point to set aside some time just for you (…and a little chocolate).

 

 

 

 

Share on Facebook|Share on Twitter|Contact Me
Lindsay

That cake belongs in the window of a French patisserie! :) I will always cherish those memories, ma cherie! If I had a glass of chocolate milk, I would toast to Chocolate Sundays!

Sarah

there is always time for chocolate.

Martha

Merci ma chere amie :) Tu me manques beaucoup et je pense souvent a toi et notre dimanches de chocolate! J’espere que tout va de merveille pour toi (j’ai vue que tu n’est plus avec ton petit ami et je veux que tu sais que je pense a toi!). Nous nous verrons cet ete… a bientot ma belle!!

Martha

@Sarah I’m so glad you liked it!! I’m going to have make another one for you the next time you come :)

T w i t t e r
F a c e b o o k