Flowers really do intoxicate me*

As a follow up from the Rain Dance, I wanted to show you what the gardens are capable of at my parents' house (with plenty of rain). These vary from May 2005 through last summer. Enjoy


*~Vita Sackville-West

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Your Wednesday Funny

We all hear horror stories about mother-in-laws. Sometimes they are exaggerated...othertimes they are true. I am pretty sure none of the above fits the picture below ... however it is quite funny~



And just for the record - my future mother-in-law is a wonderful and intelligent woman who has been nothing but gracious and welcoming! So I know I won't be seeing any changes to the invite quite like these ;)

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Rain Dance...

can you please do one?? It needs to rain here..actually it needs to start raining for awhile in order for me to enjoy lovely flowers at my reception next June. That is selfish...I know...here we are in the middle of one of Georgia's worst droughts, when AL, FL, and GA are fighting over water rights, when there are watering bands county wide and brown grass for miles and all I am worried about is my wedding. Selfish...but I can't help if you are hoping for a Spring full of flowers too and decide to do a little jiggle ;)

I went down to my parents' place this past weekend and thoroughly loved just walking around, imagining the beauty of next year. My father is a weekend gardener and I have always loved his creations! Some of our fondest memories are building crooked beds and filling them with whatever we wanted. We weren't exactly precise and sometimes placed enemy plants next to each other...but we simply loved to watch things grow and bloom. It has been 8 years since they built this house and we started the landscaping as a family. It is just amazing to see all the progress...I guess now is the time to plant drought resistance flowers though!!

I hope you enjoy the buckets of color that I found in our backyard this fall...I can only hope for more for our reception in the spring! Do you have worries about issues out of your control? (i.e. weather) How are you handling these future dilemmas?

And here are some of the flowers we are planting that will bloom next May/June: (All images courtesy of Park Seed Co )

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The Fabulous Francesco

Before this ever happened, we were in Italy to celebrate my best friend's wedding. It was one of the most endearing and beautiful weddings I have ever witnessed. And the best part is...
you can witness it as well because her photographer, Francesco De Tito, did an amazing job! My office gasped and oohed over her pictures...and it was then that I began to hope that maybe this skilled Italian would be willing to make a flight across the pond to little ol Georgia!

Ori & Francesco awaiting us at the reception to capture the night!

At first the cost of a photographer, plus two plane tickets overwhelmed me. I tried to figure out if this was actually necessary or if it was simply a far fetched desire. Thinking that I was completely impractical - I started my search for photographers stateside again. However - every now and then I would click on Danielle's slideshow and feel the emotions of her grand day and knew that was exactly what I wanted! I talked with J, my parents, my family, my office....I wanted someone to just call me out for being starry-eyed and romantic with the thoughts of an Italian Photographer clouding my vision. But they didn't...they said if this is what I wanted...to go for it. S, a wonderful woman in my office, said that everytime she watched the slideshow she got so excited and thinks that would be the only photographer for me!

All that I wanted was to have all day coverage, the negatives, an album, and a creative photographer! Francesco and Ori (his lovely wife) were wonderful to deal with and are very fair! I was blown away at their generosity and kindness! Such amazing people and I cannot wait until they get here in June!

Please see the magic that is Francesco De Tito:

All images courtesy of http://www.detitofotografie.com/

Funny thing .. I caught Danielle's bouquet 2 days before J proposed...

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Those who draw light...

Derived from the Greek Language, Photography is best translated as 'drawing the light'. I think that is a wonderful explanation and this is why it is so important to so many people, especially on a wedding day. Photographers are soley responsible for capturing the emotion and essence of any event. The only tangible thing you might have in 10 or 20 years would be the paper which holds the image they produced. This is why brides (and grooms) stressfully search for the one
(Image courtesy of BTO's Blog)


I must admit .... I did stress and wonder and worry. I love photography and I wanted someone to creatively document this important day so even a stranger would sigh at the love they saw! Pretty sappy huh? :) Of the ones I met with or research...my favorites follow:

Nam Nguyen at BTO Photography. I love his work ... and unfortunately he was already booked! He was such a pleasure to chat with on email and answered every question for me! He even provided a list of recommended photographers when I found out he was booked. He was just that nice .. and for that I really wish he was available! I absolutely love his engagement shots! He has beautiful wedding images as well -- Please check out his website!!

All Images Courtesy of BTO's Blog

Also inspiring and equally creative is Matt Yung along with his wife Melissa. He was also extremely nice and informative on his emails and I only wish he was available. He was also recommended by Nam and I love his style. The emotion he captures gets me excited for my wedding day!

All Images Courtesy of Matt Yung's Blog

Jessica Horwitz is also another talented Atlanta Photographer! She takes beautiful picture of just about everything! She is so full of energy and really wants to take the time to know you as a couple before the wedding rolls around! I loved looking through all the amazing books she brought to our meeting!

All Images Courtesy of Jessica Horwitz's Blog

One of the last photographers I met was recommended by my good friend. I decided to trust her instinct and really enjoy him! Jason Bromwell of Cliq Imaging! Both Jason and his assistant, Bri, made me feel comfortable and confident in their abilities. They had a wonderful new studio up in Cumming that they just opened. I really enjoyed talking with them and knew they would make my wedding day beautiful! Try as I might - I couldn't nab any pictures from their website! Please visit it though as they are really great people and photographers!

While all the talented people I met could definitely cover my wedding with skill and creativity ... someone else had already caught my eye ... before I was ever engaged...

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Rock the Night Away...

...this is one of my biggest wishes! I always wanted an amazing band for I feel they truly create the passion and the mood for the evening. When things are slowing down...they are responsible for inspiring you to get out of your chair and let loose! What a challenge!

I thought I had found the one...in fact...before I ever got engaged, I had! I attended an insurance convention in Amelia Island two years ago with J and witnessed the above emotions happen. The floor was packed full of dancing smiling people!! And I am talking about insurance people -- not always the most exciting or lively bunch (believe you me, I am in the industry) and they had them up there until late in the evening dancing. It was beautiful! I must admit that I made J grab their card and told everyone they were going to be the band to play at my wedding!!

And I wanted them so badly when I finally got engaged...unfortunately, some other lucky couple got to them first! So lucky couple -- I wish you well -- you darn eager beavers!! ;)
The Grapevine Band - check them out! You won't be sorry for they are highly entertaining and they all look so darn cute in their suits and glasses. They have the Blues Brother thing going on! They are a 10 piece band which includes saxophone, trombone, trumpet, 2 percussionists, plus many more! They have a very diverse range from Motown, R&B, Beach, Pop,60s-70s-80s rock, and much more! Check out one of my favorites by them! "Brickhouse"

Maybe the lucky couple will change their date??

All pictures courtesy of http://www.thegrapevineband.com/

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Chocolate Covered Goodness...

...just arrived in our office ... and I want to go back for seconds!

Cherries Divine™ is an Atlanta based creation of husband and wife team, Andy and Stacey Freeman, with his mother, Linda's, secret recipe. I discovered this best kept secret through Stacey's daughter - Kbo - which is my friend and colleague!

I must admit that I do not particularly care for chocolate covered cherries .. or at least...until I tried this amazingness! The chocolate simply melts away to reveal a large cherry wrapped in sweet butter cream that proves to be most satisfying indulgence I have enjoyed in a long time! Best of all - there are five different varieties that you can order as either personal or corporate gifts! (Christmas is right around the corner!)

The Fabulous Chocolatiers (Linda, Andy, and Stacey Freeman)

All taste buds aside, these treats are even shipped with indulgence! They come wrapped up in a custom box that provides state of the art cooling which delivers the cherries in perfect condition! The chocolate experience starts with the beautiful box arriving at your doorstep!

Besides Christmas presents, these would make perfect gifts for your wedding party, parents' thank yous, or one of your vendors that made your day amazing! Or better yet -- treat yourself! You deserve it!

All images courtesy of http://www.cherriesdivine.com/

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