Real Couple: Ever After

Boy, you're in for a wonderfully romantic treat today! We just love this Ever After session sent over to us by Maranda Lambrich from Evoke Images. It epitomizes love and affection and is really quite special, reminding us of 1970s photos {not to mention their adorabe dogs!}.

From Maranda: Crystal described their personal style as being very “rustic outdoors.” They love fishing, camping, and being outside together, Hawn State Park was the perfect vignette for their session. I was so happy when I found out they were bringing their bully babies – Montana & Lola! Besides my own, I haven’t really done any portraits with animals involved. It was fun and was nice meeting a couple who are as crazy about their babies as Adam & I are about ours. It makes me feel… not as weird! HAHA (sorry Booker & Crystal… you have joined my club!) I hope you enjoy the images from their {Ever After} session… and hope that I was able to afford you a honest glimpse into their sweet relationship and charming little family.

What do you think about having an au naturel Ever After shoot with just the two of you {and your pooches}?

Monday Coffee: Baby, It's Cold Outside

To all of our Stateside readers, we hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

We're happy to be back after the long weekend and our NYC trip with today's Monday Coffee.

Despite entering into the chilly {and often frosty and snowy} winter months, we love when our couples and clients utilize gorgeous outdoor spaces for their weddings and winter events.

Whether you have an indoor/outdoor terrace cocktail celebration, a cider and mulled wine tasting outdoors, or romantic and wintry photos taken in the snow, utilizing outdoor space will set your wedding apart from spring or summer soirees. Just remember:

1. Make sure your guests are well tended to. Don't schedule events outdoors if a blizzard is forecasted, and if you use a snowy backdrop for photos or your ceremony, make sure you provide warm throws, wraps, and other blankets for guests.

2. Stage your cocktail hour post-ceremony on an unusual outdoor terrace and offer your guests a bevvy of hot drinks, both alcoholic and not. Place an abundance of heat lamps or hot fires around for added warmth.

                    

3. Make your outdoor spaces feel extra magical. Bring in a clear-top tent, white lounge furniture, and snowy accents to make a cozy outdoor living space underneath the clear, crisp winter sky. Use dozens of luminaries to light a path and provide a whimsical ambiance.

Photos by Jeremy Leffel

Sunday Simplicity: Peppermint Meringues

We hope you've all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday weekend! After all of the delicious food, Christmas decorating, and goodness and fun had, we're in need of a much lighter treat! While we love drinking chocolate and pumpkin pie, we're on a bit of a sugar overload! We hope you enjoy this recipe for peppermint meringues!

Image and recipe from iVillage 

At Home with Aleah: Magical Paperwhites

We hope you had an incredible Thanksgiving! We are excited to launch a new series of posts from Aleah featuring entertaining and home decorating tips. We can't wait to hear what you think!

It's our tradition to spend the post-Thanksgiving weekend trimming our tree! We'll be draping our beach bungalow with sparkling lights, setting up classic European and other ornaments we've collected on our travels, and just spending the weekend being thankful and getting ready for the holidays! Aleah will also be potting paperwhite bulbs!

Image via Haute Hot Hawt

Paperwhites {or narcissus} are so festive and have the most beautiful scent. If you've never grown them before, you can purchase them at an garden store, along with a low dish and small rocks. The bulbs will need to be forced indoors in the winter but your home will be filled with the sweet aroma!

Image via 100 Layer Cake

To pot them, fill your pot or dish with rock {or beach glass} and a bit of water. Plant the bulbs roots down and place 4-5 in the dish, but don't overcrowd. Water carefully as water evaporates. Avoid over watering as the bulbs can rot easily.

Image via Petalena

We notice our bulbs sprout in about 2-3 weeks and the flowers will start blooming in about 6-8 weeks. You'll need to keep tabs on the bulbs and possibly stake each narcissus with a bamboo stake {or use rocks to prop them} as when they get taller they can sag.

If you're headed to a holiday party, think about bringing your host or hostess a paper bag full of paperwhites along with a lovely ceramic dish.

It's a unique gift they'll appreciate and enjoy all season long!

Happy Thanksgiving: Refined Rustic

It's almost here! Happy Thanksgiving to you all. Today we give you our refined rustic shoot for some late Thanksgiving entertaining inspiration. We wish you a holiday full of family, friends, good conversation, wonderful food, and a day of thanks. We are beyond grateful for all of your support, your readership, and your friendship. While the year truly flew by, please take this holiday and the days after to take it easy. Spend time with those most important to you, and cherish each other. Happy Thanksgiving! Aleah + Nick

Our rustic table design was featured on the fun + festive site, Pizzazzerie. Please head over and check out our friend, Courtney's amazing ideas!

Spiked Apple Cider:
1 gallon of fresh apple cider
1 cup of brandy {apple brandy is best}
8 cinnamon sticks
3 teaspoons of whole cloves
Skin of a red apple, peeled into curls
Place the cinnamon sticks and cloves into a cinched cheesecloth bag in a pot. Add cider and brandy and simmer until hot; about 15 minutes. Pour into over sized mugs and garnish with curled apple skin and enjoy

Design + styling: Aleah + Nick Valley, Valley & Co.: www.valleyandco.com; www.valleyandco.blogspot.com
Photography: Jeremy Leffel: www.jeremyleffel.com
Floral design: Anne Bradfield of Floressence: www.floressencedesign.com
Venue: Palace Ballroom by Tom Douglas: www.tomdouglas.com
Glass candle vessels: glassybaby: www.glassybaby.com
Linens: Choice Linens: www.choicelinens.com
Paper goods and favors: Valley & Co.
Chairs: AA Party Rentals: www.aapartyrents.com
Miscellaneous table top pieces: Valley & Co.

Engaged! Winter Wonderland Coziness

If this engagement shoot doesn't put you in the mood for winter {on top of the snow that's covering much of the country!}, we don't know what will! We love the simplicity of this shoot, yet how romantic and cozy the overall feeling is. This goes to show that all you need is love {and some over sized mugs of hot cocoa}!

This winter engagement session was taken on Cape Cod and sent to us by Henry + Masci Photography and just epitomizes a quiet, chilly winter afternoon.

Using a natural setting makes for the best, most timeless engagement photos and puts such a lovely focus on the couple. Top that with a blanket of sparkling snow, a perfectly clear winter blue sky, and a beach dusted in icy crystals and you have perfection!

Thank you, thank you to Henry + Masci for sharing this goodness with us today via
Two Bright Lights!

For the Love of Love

As we enter the week of Thanksgiving and the holiday season, we wanted to take a moment to stop and give thanks and reflect on what we all do and the joy that we get to bring to others. Back in August Jennifer and Greg were brought to our attention by Nick's mom. Greg was a patient in her department at University of Washington Medical Center. Greg has been battling cancer and as a result, his nuptials to love Jennifer had been delayed.

They postponed and rescheduled their wedding for September 3rd; a destination affair with close family and friends in Las Vegas. We knew that we wanted to help in some way and knew that given Greg's treatment and balancing careers, the happy couple really didn't have time to sort out wedding day details like a guest book, a photographer, fun hair accessories, and special sentimental items that add that sweet touch.

We wanted to do anything that we could to help in even the smallest way. We put out a Tweet calling for anything a wedding peer and artist might want to contribute. We were absolutely and incredibly blown away by the outpouring of support and willingness for these small business owners who jumped in to lend their love and artistic touch. Aleah was brought to tears at the overwhelming support of our amazing wedding community and speechles in the fact so many so easily and so quickly got that this is what it's all about: Love.

 

 

 

  

It can be easy to get swept up in the logistics and details of planning a wedding and lose sight of what's truly important. Jennifer and Greg remind us all that when you take away the custom napkins, the lighting, and the unnecessary stress, it's all about the love that has brought the couple to this exciting time in their lives.

They remind us that a wedding is about entering into a commitment with the one you love. It's about celebrating that commitment with those close to you. It's about cherishing your love and making memories.

Of course, we all love the details and they are what ties a wedding vision together and paints the picture of a celebration. But don't lose sight of what your wedding should be about.

We are thankful to those around us, to our family, our friends, and our peers who allow us to do what we do. We thank those especially who jumped in without question to help bring a smile and an extra sparkle to Jennifer and Greg's wedding.

Jennifer and Greg, thank you so very much for allowing us to play a role in your beautiful wedding celebration. We wish you nothing but the absolute best.

A special thank you to these wonderful artists. Your creations and gifts to Jennifer + Greg's wedding day are so appreciated and we truly, truly can't thank you enough. Your shared passion for weddings, couples, and love is so evident and most importantly, your willingness to contribute your craft to support their relationship is amazing.
Chairs: Classic Party Rentals
Boxed candy wedding favors: Best Wedding Sites + Brenda's Wedding Blog
Feathered hair fascinator worn at ceremony; Emici Bridal
Guest book and programs: Lola Bean Inc.
Stationery sets for guest bags: IDIEH Design
Thank you and welcome tags: Southern Fete
Hair accessories: Bethany Lorelle
Heirloom wedding bowl: Paloma's Nest
Photography: Orange Soda
Shipping and other items: The Purcells