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In our personal life, Higs & I are pretty neutral people when it comes to color and style. And while I love the way a pop of color looks, I’m just not stylish or creative enough in that area to come up with that kind of stuff on my own. I really need to start looking at decorating and home interior magazines to help with my lack of decorating style, because our house mostly consists of one shade of beige complimented by another shade of beige, with maybe a quasi-deep green and/or brown thrown in there if we were feeling crazy the day we picked things out. I was always afraid that if I went wild and picked a bright color palette I would either a) end up hating it shortly thereafter and have to redo it, or b) it would be obviously dated (i.e. the disgusting greens and oranges of the ’60s and ’70s), so we just default back to those neutral colors.

But I really love pops of color because they add so much to an image or setting. This bouquet of green, yellow, pink and white flowers from a wedding we shot a few years ago is still one of my favorites. If I had just seen the color palette, I’m not sure I would have loved it because those aren’t typically colors I gravitate towards. But when I saw this bouquet put together, I fell in love with it and felt that I could plan an entire late spring/early summer wedding around those colors!

Good fortune. By chance. Lucky break. Happenstance. Stumble upon. Serendipity.

Everything about Catherine & Taylor’s relationship has been serendipitous. And, according to her, they’ve become “co-pilots,” when it comes to both life and love.

And at the end of the day, when all is said and done, it’s the little things they love most about each other. She appreciates his intelligence and kind, understanding ways, and he loves that she always makes him laugh. It’s spending an evening together doing crossword puzzles, eating good food and making homemade margaritas. They enjoy and appreciate just being. And being together, as part of such a fantastic team, makes life easy.

Catherine & Taylor were married at The Proximity Hotel in Greensboro on (luckily) one of the warmest and clearest days North Carolina has seen in 2010 thus far.

As mentioned in our vendor profile, The Proximity Hotel is striving to be an almost-one-stop-shop for couples, so they were able to provide Catherine’s beautiful white rose and tulip bouquet, as well as all the floral arrangements for the ceremony and reception.

Taylor’s daughter, Julia, was so proud to be by Catherine’s side for so much of the day.

Taylor’s only groomsman was his son, Colin.

They shared a few minutes together before the ceremony at The Print Works Bistro.

Catherine & Taylor chose to see each other for a first look so they could steal a few minutes alone before the ceremony. I looove this series!

And then they invited the kiddos out for a few minutes.

It’s go-time!

After the ceremony, we stole Catherine & Taylor for a few images in and around The Print Works Bistro, which is where Taylor proposed.

They had such classic, elegant details.

The cupcakes from Ketchie Creek Bakery looked beautiful and delicious!

Their reception was a unique, yet awesome, mix of socializing, lounging and dancing.

Their first dance as husband and wife.

Catherine’s dance with her father.

Congratulations, Catherine & Taylor!!

Location: The Proximity Hotel, Greensboro

Florist: The Proximity Hotel

Caterer: PrintWorks Bistro, The Proximity Hotel

Ceremony Musicians: Corda Entertainment

DJ/Reception Entertainment: K2 Productions

Bakery: Ketchie Creek Bakery

Hair: Tiffany Dickens from Tranquility Salon in Winston-Salem

Hi, my name is Sarah and I’m a recovering perfectionist. I think it comes hand-in-hand with the slight obsession I have with organization. While I’ve tried to tone it down, over time I’ve learned to accept this attribute about myself, as has my husband (thank you, Higs!).

But being a perfectionist has its benefits. I looooved the planning that went into making our wedding day exactly what we wanted. My three-ring binder was an inch and a half thick, separated with color-coded tabs, all neatly labeled and it housed all of our important information. Yes, I was that girl, and I’m proud of it! The organization of that binder was one of the reasons our day came together so easily.

But, one thing I’ve learned is that sometimes things don’t always go as planned.

…and that’s OK. Laugh it off, and remember that laughter is contagious.

You can plan until your little heart is content, but there are just some things you can’t control. Weather. Traffic. Excitement.

The excitement that’s attached to a wedding day can be over-powering, yet honest. So it’s ok if it takes over your day. Let it show. When you look back at the images and video of the day and see yourself uncontrollably crying tears of happiness or laughing so hard because your excitement caused you to flub-up your vows….

…it’s ok. Because, even though they were unplanned, you’ll realize that those moments were honest and true.

I’m sure this video has made it’s rounds already on the internet, but I saw it for the first time last Fall and laughed out loud. Then I showed it to Higs and we were laughing out loud together. I’m smiling now just thinking about it, haha! Anyway, it’s the perfect example of an unplanned wedding moment. They laughed it off, and their laughter is contagious.

 

 

(our wedding images credit: Weddings by Heather)

I’ve never really been a fan of Valentine’s Day. Every year around this time, cheesy jewelry and flower commercials start airing and all the stores look like they were decorated with Pepto Bismol. And every year, I can’t help but think of everyone who’s single. Higs & I are married now (duh), but I was single for the majority of my life. And it can suck to be single on Valentine’s Day. It’s just a taunting reminder that you are, indeed, single. Unnecessary.

Secondly, like so many other official holidays, it’s become too commercialized. It’s a Hallmark holiday. And some of the unoriginal gifts they suggest… geeze. Chocolates? Yes, I’d love a large heart-shaped box of assorted chocolates to help keep up my New Year’s resolution of losing those pesky pounds. And a teddy bear? Oh, you shouldn’t have! (Seriously, you shouldn’t have.) How did you know that every girl wants a ridiculously large, over-stuffed teddy bear that will look just as absurd anywhere in the house as you looked when you carried it through the store to buy it? It seems like everyone cashes in on the Valentine’s Day spirit. Even Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, which also do not aid one bit with New Year’s resolutions, but are addicting and undeniably de-lish!

And lastly, I don’t get the meaning behind it. According to wikipedia, Valentine’s Day was established in 496 AD and it’s become tradition for lovers to express their love for each other with gifts, such as flowers, cards and chocolates. Why did they feel it necessary to make a one-day holiday to celebrate love and romance between people? Isn’t that something that should be celebrated and embraced every day? People become so wrapped up in their daily lives now that they forget about the little, day-to-day things that keep a relationship and romance going. Folding laundry together. Holding the door. Saying “I love you” every day when you leave for work and every night before you go to bed. Do they really think that by making a forced effort on one day (because the rest of the world is doing it) will make things all better? Doubtful.

I know I must sound like Scrooge of Valentine’s Day, but don’t get me wrong. I love love. My life revolves around love: love for my husband, our son, my family and my friends. And not to mention photography: we document the love between two people and have so much fun doing it! I’m lucky enough to say that I’m surrounded by love in all aspects of my life and I’m more grateful than words can describe. I’m just a firm believer that it’s the little things that keep love going, not an over-stuffed teddy bear once a year. Thoughts?

 

For the most part, Nolan’s a pretty easy-going, happy, laid back kid. Trust us, we know how lucky we are.

The pictures we usually post are of him being his normal, happy self. But every once in a while, we get this:

Times like this have been few and far in between since we had him… until recently. Unfortunately, they seem to be happening more frequently, and for various reasons. He doesn’t want to get his diaper changed. He’s so tired, but is fighting a nap. Or, when I took these pictures, he just didn’t want to put his coat on. Sorry, dude. It’s 30 degrees outside, there’s snow on the ground and you’re getting over an ear infection. Gotta wear a coat. …and a hat.

But another reason he’s been exceptionally cranky lately is because his teeth are finally coming in! You can see the bottom one starting to show:

He’s got 3 more on top that are the same way, and (while it wasn’t there this morning) his other bottom one started to peek through today. The poor kid is going to look like a jack-o-lantern. A very cute jack-o-lantern who we love very much!