Happy Monday

Here's a pretty way to start out your Monday, a gorgeous video of my recent inspiration shoot put together by Kim Moore of Third Floor Design Studio. I hope this gets you excited to see the amazing images we created!

TFDS: bride & groom stylized shoot from Jesse & Kimberly Moore on Vimeo.

Hair/Makeup: Versa Artistry
Flowers: Lizy's Lilies
Photography: Jessie Alexis Photography
Video: Third Floor Design Studio
Macarons: Dolce Bella by Erin
Dress: Avenia Bridal
Ring: Sierra West Jewelers
Invitations: Leah Alduos
Calligraphy: Melissa Esplin

Wedding colors

Planning a wedding? One of the first details to nail down is often your wedding colors, and I'm LOVING Pantone's top 10 colors for 2011.

image via The Perfect Palette

A fun wedding blog put together some inspiration boards using these colors and I'm absolutely dying over the beauty of all of them, especially the Coral Rose and Blue Curaco one - so fun and happy! Check them out, which is your favorite?

Candy Clouds Company

I recently attended the Provo Bridal Fair with Stacy, and ran into this amazing company. I just had to snag a few shots to share here on the blog. Now where were these guys when I got married!? For those who know me, cotton candy and popcorn are my two favorite foods :)

Visit their blog here: Candy Clouds Company

Abella Bridal

Still searching for that perfect dress? Then you need to head to Abella Bridal, located in the Shops at Riverwoods in Provo. Their selection and service is amazing, and they are currently having a moving sale in preparation to move to their new location! From their blog:

"since we don't want to have to lug of all our older style gowns* over to the new spot, we have dramatically marked down the prices on these dresses. so come on down to the store and take a peek soon before your favorite gown gets snatched up by someone else."

Abella Bridal just so happens to be where I purchased my own wedding gown, and some of my favorite gowns I've photographed have been from Abella. Here are a just a few examples:

Polka Dots and Daisies

More than two years ago, I got engaged. I jumped into the wedding planning with all the excitement of a bride-to-be only to discover I knew nothing about wedding planning. I didn't know where to start, I didn't know how to choose a cake, I had no idea how to calculate the number of guest to plan on for food and I certainly knew nothing about sending out invitations. I'd been told that an invitation was monumentally important, with it being the first taste of your wedding that the guest will receive. It's the first indication of what to expect, and as we all know, you can't mess up a first impression. Enter Mollie with Polka Dots and Daisies. We met her at a bridal show and she was the answer to our invitation prayers. Our invitations ended up being all we could have asked for and more.

Mollie continues to fulfill bride's invitation dreams, and I was lucky enough to photograph her latest work for her portfolio.

Picture times!

One questions I'm constantly asked is, "what time should I take my _____ photos?" While these are my best suggestions, I realize that not everyone's schedule can fit into these ideal time frames.


Maternity Photos


Ideally, maternity photos should be taken in the 7th to 8th month of pregnancy. At this stage, the belly is large but not quite to the "I just may pop any second now!" stage.

Newborn Photos

Newborn photos should be taken within the first two weeks of birth. At this point, the infant is still lethargic, moldable, tiny and cute as a button. It's ideal if the infant is sleeping, but an alert baby is just as swoon-worthy as a sleeping one.

Family Photos

While family photos can be taken any time, most families are wanting a picture for their Christmas cards. If this is the case, now is the time to schedule something! Mid-September to Mid-November is the ideal time frame for these photos. Weather hasn't turned too cold yet, and that give plenty of turn around time to get your photos.

Senior Photos

Senior photos are typically taken in the end of summer, before school has started or shortly after or in the spring before school ends. It depends on if your school needs them for the yearbook, or if they're just for your graduation announcement.

Engagement photos

Because wedding announcements/invitations should be sent out around 6 weeks before the big day, engagement pictures should be taken at least 2 weeks prior to that. Although this is ideal, I understand sometimes with engagement lengths and such, 8 weeks prior isn't always an option.

Bridal photos

Bridal photos can be taken anytime during the engagement up to two weeks prior to the wedding. This allows for processing and printing time so you can have those beauties displayed at the reception. Again a lot of this is depending on length of engagement and when dress alterations are done, and I am more than willing to work within a tight schedule.

Wedding day photos

OK, this is a no-brainer, but I just wanted to give a sneak preview of a fun wedding I shot recently!

I'm back!

And boy do I have some fun shoots to show you! But I saw these today on the newly re-designed Wedding Chicks page and I loved them. Wouldn't these be such a fun touch to a wedding?

Cute right? They also have more fun stuff in their shop.

SAS Floral

My friend Brittanie is a florist. She had a bridal session this past week and wanted some pictures of the bouquet she created so she swung by and I grabbed a few shots. If you're in the market for a florist, visit her site here.

And keep checking back for pictures from this couple's wedding, you're going to love them!

How to plan a photographic wedding

Here's a fabulous article written by Missouri photographer Darbi G about planning for a photographic wedding. If a wedding is on your horizon, this article has some wonderful tips!


Read it HERE

Polka Dots and Daisies

Mollie over at Polka Dots and Daisies asked me to take some pictures of her most recent invitation designs for her Web site and I have to say, I am so impressed with how talented she is! It's my opinion that first impressions of a wedding are formed when the invitation arrives, so make sure it's reflective of your style and something you are proud to send to your guests. Mollie did my wedding invitations and my husband and I were thrilled. I highly recommend Polka Dots and Daisies for your wedding invitations.

Engaged?

Check out this interesting blog post with tips on how to survive and engagement and still maintain your loving relationship (and sanity!) I don't know about you bride-to-be's, but being engaged was the least fun time in mine and my husbands courtship. The stresses of planning a wedding coupled with the stresses of graduating college and preparing for a whole new stage in my life was almost more than I could handle. Luckily I had my amazing fiance Jason who more than tolerated my emotional roller coaster, but I wish I would have had some of these tips ... so read on brides!

On Engagement: The Rumors are True

Cupcakes

Making your wedding fun and unique can be easy with a few simple details ... like these floral cupcakes from The Curious Cupcake. How fun would it be to have cupcakes that match your bouquet!