photoshop CS3 for sale...

i'm selling my photoshop CS3 extended for Mac's. asking $300. you will receive transfer of ownership. i've only owned it for a couple of months, but am getting the whole creative suite so i don't need two copies of photoshop.

a lil' purple love...

sometimes i have to remind myself to capture beautiful things with my camera, just because. for the simple joy of it, to play.

hoping this weekend you do something just because...

stella event design...

last week i took a quick road trip down to st.joseph, michigan to meet jessica from stella event design...i think one of the most important elements of a wedding event is to have someone who will organize and oversee all the little details. so i love meeting wedding planners that i can recommend to my couples!

jessica has a great energy, a delightful laugh, a dedicated spirit...i can tell she loves to develops relationships with her couples, ensuring them that they will have a smooth and stress-free day. if you're planning an event in the saint joe area or down into south bend you should seriously consider her services.

here's a fun little interview i did with jessica along with some portraits i took during our visit...

* where do you live? family?

I live in St. Joseph with my husband Josh. If you've never been to St.Joe, it is the textbook definition of a summer-town, nestled along lake michigan. it's absolutely charming in the spring, summer, and fall, and pretty dead during the winter.

* what are some quirky habits/hobbies/guilty pleasures?

I am a huge fan of scrapbooking, and am currently working on scrapbooking my wedding. I started with our engagement (back when we got engaged in September 2006, but have been pretty slow about doing it---mostly because I'm such a perfectionist, and find myself spending hours on just one or 2 pages! I could spend hours (and a ton of money!) in a scrapbook store, and be a very happy girl!

* how did you get into wedding planning? what do you love about it?

I got into event planning first. I took courses while I was at Grand Valley, and also worked as their special events intern for a year, which involved planning a lot of campus events for 100-2000 students, which was a lot of fun. Through Grand Valley, I also worked with the event coordinator at Warner, Norcross & Judd, to plan their holiday party in 2004 at the Amway Grand for 300+ attorneys and legal assistants. Helping with friends weddings, planning social events, and a few non-profit events, led to my desire to open Stella Event Design in 2007, after moving to St. Joseph. Currently I only have weddings booked, but would love to tackle corporate and non-profit events as well in the future.

The thing I love the most about wedding planning is the sense of gratification you feel when you help someone plan such an important life event. I love being able to take someone's vision and dreams for their day, and help them turn it into a beautiful, successful event that really shines with their personality.

* why do you think it's valuable to have a wedding planner?

For a lot of people, it's a real challenge to pull together all of their ideas, and create an overall design that doesn't just look like a hodge-podge of pretty things. A wedding planner can help you pull together all of your ideas, and help to create an event that has a feeling of continuity. More importantly, a wedding planner can help you to coordinate the logistics of a wedding, so that you can relax and enjoy your wedding day. A wedding planner is also a fabulous resource to connect you with quality vendors that fit not only your style, but also your budget. A lot of people view a wedding planner as a budget-buster, when in reality, a wedding planner can help you make the most of your budget, and save you money in the long run!

* what is your favorite moment in a wedding celebration?

I have 2 favorite parts---the first, is the moment when the bride is waiting to go down the aisle with her dad. It's so fun to see a bride so excited and giddy to go down the aisle---I think that is the moment when it hits most brides that this is actually happening! The second, is when the bride and groom get ready to leave the reception, after everything has gone smoothly, and just as they expected. This is when all 3 of us get to look back and say, "we did it," which is a great feeling.

* favorite thing to do in the spring?

Anything outside! I love to grill with my husband---he does most of the grilling, but I love to sit outside with him and hang out while he grills up something delicious!

* what is one piece of advice you'd give to brides?

Stay organized! If you're planning a wedding on your own, the best thing you can do is get a head start on things. Don't wait until the last minute, and make sure you're wrapping up any projects several weeks before the wedding, so you can enjoy yourself! If you've got a wedding planner, let her worry about the details, and just enjoy your day!

check out her blog too for inspiration and resources for your event!

debbie & rick e-session...

it was a chilly sunday but the sun was out and the skies were brilliant blue...a great day for some engagement pictures! debbie and rick love downtown. they live just a few blocks away and have trained for marathons along these streets. and they were more than willing to go along with my ideas for shots...can't wait for their wedding day in july!!!

debbie has this million-dollar smile and killer blue eyes...plus a joyful spirit!

i was so sad to hear that a new building will be going up that will cover the coca-cola wall. good thing we've documented it!

soon they will be "one"...

wow...

rick was such a great sport, even despite us teasing him. and he's such a gentleman...he offered me a ride to my car so i didn't have to walk in the light rain!

i love this nose-scrunchy moment!

weddings begin to kick off for me this weekend...let's just hope the predicted thunderstorms don't make for soggy celebrations!

jesse & shaina e-session...

jesse and shaina traveled from saginaw to meet me in grand rapids to capture some engagement pictures. jesse was actually the one who contacted me...it's not often grooms are setting up details, but i love it! this session was as close to "picture-perfect" that you can get...an amazing couple, perfect lighting, fun new locations.

jesse and shaina met a little over three years. she was working a co-op at jesse's work...he finally worked up the nerve to ask her out, but she didn't even realize it was an actual date. years later shaina is graduating with a degree in nero-science (smart and gorgeous!!!). even though jesse always said he was waiting till she finished school before he proposed, he had other plans. with a stunning ring in hand he devised a plan to set up the scene while she was in class...but wouldn't you know it, she decides to skip classes that day (a rare occurrence...)! quickly finding means to distract shaina, jesse finished his plans. with surprise and delight, she said yes. and now they are just months away from their day of celebration!!!

it was a delight spending the afternoon with you two!

favorite!!!

love it...

these two have no idea how gorgeous they are!

i love the matching duck couple in the back!!!

sometimes i think it's not fair that i get to spend my days doing something i love, love, love...what a blessing!

the conrad family...

our friendship was formed while white-washing a picket fence to raise money for a youth group trip. i was new to the church and kara was this confident, energetic, and mature girl that i admired. soon we became the best of friends...sleep-overs, concerts, boyfriends, broken hearts, life-dreams. we shared a lot of these moments together.

years later she's married to nate, a perfect match. they have two beautiful girls with baby #3 on the way. she continues to be such an encouragement to me and i'm so thankful our friendship still remains over the years!

i love twirling girls...

weeeeee........

check out our new ride...

i need to take some lessons since when we were test riding i crashed...but it sure is fun!!!

adam & raquel...just because

isn't fun to see a relationship in it's beginning stages...there are a lot of smiles, giggles, endearing glances. i know it always inspires me to keep my relationship with my husband fresh.

well i shot these pictures of adam and raquel last week just because...to celebrate their affection for one another, to enjoy the spring landscape, and to "check out" my bro-in-law's new girlfriend! adam is my husband's lil' brother and he came in from california for a little vacation. adam and raquel have been dating for just a few months, but they are so at home with each other. adam was his usual crazy, fun-lovin self and raquel's smile told us that she felt delighted by him.

isn't she gorgeous??? and she has the sweetest spirit to match.

wish you guys could have stayed longer...

button bouquets...

i love anything that is creative, unique, and earth friendly...so when i discovered these delightful bouquets i had to pass along this find. you don't have to worry about these flowers wilting throughout your day! check out lil fish studio at etsy (my latest addiction)