A Farmhouse Wedding

What a setting! I'm a Midwestern girl, so it's no surprise that a rustic wedding at a dairy farm would be a delight for me to feature here on my little bloggity blog. Oh, and you must stop by Penned & Pretty today to see the corresponding wedding invitation suite!

Loving the delicate details in the brides dress contrasted by the dirt road.

What a lucky couple to have their wedding ceremony in the front yard of this adorable farmhouse!

The floral arrangements looked as though they were handpicked and you can't have a wedding in the country without a banjo!

A beautiful country background is the perfect setting for this casual formal yet informal bridal party photo. I always love a great ring shot and I love the texture of the wooden planks in this one!
Don't forget, you must stop by Penned & Pretty today to see the invitation for this beautiful wedding!

This lovely wedding was first spotted at Always Tuesday. Photos by Poiema Photography and used with expressed permission.

Thankful

There are lots of things that I am thankful for, not just around the holidays, but throughout the year. I am thankful for the 23 short years that I was able to spend with my Dad. I am thankful that my Mom is not only my Mom, but a friend. I am thankful {and grateful} for a group of 10 women that have come into my life over the past seven years. I am thankful for the men & women serving in the armed forces. I am thankful that my husband and I have decent jobs and our bank account can afford my tri-weekly trips to Target. I am thankful for my little calligraphy business, penned and pretty and for this little blog {& it's readers} too. I am thankful that my husband and I have been blessed with over a year of marriage and have many more years together. And I am always, always, thankful for family.

photo by: adrienne beth

Tying the Knot: My Favorite Ring Shot

Hi my little bloggity blog friends!
So sorry that posting has been slim to none here at Tying the Knot recently. To tide you over until next week I thought that I would share a never before seen ring shot {my favorite, actually!} of our rings taken by Nicole Green on our wedding day. My hairdresser had a fabulous bag complete with quite the bling that made quite the perfect background for our rings to rest on.
I hope that you all have a lovely weekend! I have been out of town for the past 12 days and am quite excited to land back in Ohio tonight and see my husband, Rawry, my own bed & pillow, catch up with my dvr {over a glass of wine} and partake in some early Christmas shopping & decorating that my husband promised me we could do this weekend. xoxo!

Picture Perfect: Matt & Erica

I follow too many photographers blogs. Way too many. But it's all worth it when a couple that I know appears on one of those blogs. This time it was one of my sorority sisters, Erica, and her fiance, Matt. It took me all of two seconds to e-mail the ever fabulous photographer, megan w to see if I could share their pictures with all of you. You're in for a treat today.
Matt and Erica are "total foodies" as she puts it. They wanted some of their engagement photos in an Indianapolis restaurant with a unique, romantic and architectural feel.

Erica's black pumps and pencil skirt coordinated perfectly with Matt's professional suit and the attire was fitting for the restaurants' upscale cocktail hour. The pictures turned out just as Erica wanted them...a little sexy & sultry.

Matt & Erica also made a stop at Victory Field, home of the Indianapolis Indians. Matt is an umpire in his spare time and Erica will often come to watch his games. The playful pictures from Victory field are some of Erica's favorites.

Matt and Erica took a bottle of wine to Memorial Park for a little picnic in the park. How cute is this, the blanket they sat on was made by Matt's grandma and the picnic basket was Erica's great grandmas.

This next photo is my favorite, hands down.

Erica and Matt are having their wedding and reception north of the city, so a couple of shots on the streets in downtown Indianapolis were a must. The Circle was the perfect location.

There were so many shots from their engagement session to choose from, it was hard to narrow it down. Matt and Erica also incorporated her favorite coffee shop, the Colts and the view of downtown from the suite where Matt works. They literally covered almost all of downtown in their engagement session!

You'll have to wait a little longer to see their wedding pictures. Matt & Erica are tying the knot on July 10th in Indianapolis. I'll be sure to post the pictures of the stunning bride & groom right here as soon as I get my little hands on them.

All pictures taken by megan w photography & used with expressed permission.

Effortless Beauty

I am always a little giddy when I stumble upon a local photographer with a portfolio that makes my heart pitter patter. The lovely April Foster posted this gorgeous wedding by Amanda Wilcher and I was hooked. It took me all of about two seconds to scan Amanda Wilcher's blog before my little eyes landed on the wedding of Andy & Emily. Once again, I was hooked and I think that you'll see why.

I'll give you an extra minute or so to pry your eyes off of the bride's gorgeous dress. Warning: the next photo is equally gorgeous and it features the darling couple, Andy & Emily. The photographer, Amanda dubbed these children the "Ralph Lauren" children. I couldn't have come up with a better description. They are just too adorable.
My heart always does a little pitter patter when I see bridesmaids in something other than traditional {plain vanilla} bridesmaids dresses. These dresses are just divine. And re-wearable, naturally. These next two photos are a bride's dream. The most beautiful bridal portraits that just sort of unfolded before the photographer's eyes as they were making their way up a staircase.

Talk about effortless beauty.

This last photo is a favorite of mine for so many reasons: the lighting, the angles, the picket fence and, of course, a couple so clearly in love.

It was so difficult to select just a few favorites from this wedding. You must see the rest at Amanda's blog here.

Images used with permission from the fabulous photographer Amanda Wilcher.

The Perfect Fall Bouquet

When I lived in Indianapolis, I worked with this little red head with a soft laugh and a welcoming smile. As you'll see, that little red head became a radiant bride this past October and Nicole Green {my favorite photographer} was there to capture her gorgeous day.

There was nothing, nothing {alright, perhaps the bride herself!} more beautiful than the bouquet that Kathryn held throughout the day. Be still my heart. The perfect fall bouquet:
Plum Shoes will always hold a special place in my heart. Kathryn's were just as adorable.
Kathryn, you were such a beautiful bride! I love this picture of the two of you. It's absolutely a "framer."

Kathryn gave each of the bridesmaids an adorable pashmina to wrap around their shoulders throughout the day since the middle of October can be a little chilly in the Midwest. Besides the flowers, I think that they were my favorite little detail of the day. The golden hue of the pashminas compliment the fall color scheme perfectly!

I love how Kathryn's bouquet pops against the white wall in the picture below. Like I said before, it was and is the perfect fall bouquet.
I'm always up for a good ring shot and Nicole always does such a beautiful job with them. Maybe I'll post mine for all of you to see next week. Until then, here is Kathryn's gorgeous ring atop Scott's ring and some beautiful fall foliage. All pictures taken by the lovely Nicole Green and used with expressed permission.

p.s. Kathryn was a Penned & Pretty client. Nicole was gracious enough to send over a picture of the place cards that I penned with my calligraphy for Kathryn's wedding reception. You can see it at Penned & Pretty by clicking right here!

A Gorgeous Friend Turned Gorgeous Bride: Part 2

Jessica & Steve's wedding was the perfect mix of rustic meets beach. Therefore, the gave the bride and the groom had the perfect excuse to go barefoot for most of the day.
The groom and groomsmen wore dapper tweed vests. The groom's boutonniere opened throughout the day and coordinated perfectly with the overall rustic feel of the day.
The bridesmaids bouquets looked like they were plucked from a wild garden and formed into the most lovely arrangement.
Steve and Jessica were united in marriage next to the ebb and flow of the waves. I don't think that there could be a more fitting setting to marry in than on that mirrors the ups and downs of a marriage that you have to forge through together.
Remember this post?! Let me remind you that its a little nerve wracking to be standing up there in front of all of your guests during your ceremony. Instead of standing up there clutching your {gorgeous} bouquet, remember to reach for your fiance's hands. Not only will your nerves settle down, but it makes for a quite the lovely picture.These next two pictures are my favorites. I feel as though they truly convey why you and your new husband should take a moment at the end of the aisle to relish in the fact that you are finally married. For keeps, as they say.

Yet another favorite. I adore her bouquet.

I just cannot imagine a more charming venue to have a wedding reception. Picture perfect.

Now this, my friends is what a couple looks like when they are totally in the moment during their first dance.

I'm not sure on the exact back story on this truck, but I love the photos ben williams was able to capture as the couple was using it for their getaway vehicle. If you can't tell, this picture reflects the true spirit of Jessica and Steve.

Dearest Jessica, you're just as pretty as you were in high school. Figures! I hope that your wedding day was as beautiful as it appears in the pictures. More so, I hope that you have found your best friend and life long partner in Steve. Wishing you years and years of happiness!!!

Jessica and Steve's wedding day was captured by ben williams weddings. Pictures used with expressed permission.

A Gorgeous Friend Turned Gorgeous Bride: Part 1

I had a friend in high school named Jessica. She was beautiful, outgoing and had an infectious smile. As you'll see, not much has changed. Jessica got married a few months ago and my jaw dropped when I saw the pictures of her wedding day. I know you'll love them as much as I do.

For starters, meet Jessica. A gorgeous friend and a gorgeous bride.
Jessica got ready for her day in a rustic cabin. My favorite shot of her getting ready was this one in which she was carefully putting a flower in her hair as her best friend looked on.

Naturally, my gorgeous friend would marry a gorgeous guy. Meet Steve:
I have to say that some of my favorite shots of the bridal party are of the groomsmen. I love their vests and boutonnieres {to be seen in the next post}, their chuck taylor shoes {below} and the fact that they were genuinely having fun together. You just don't' see that all too often.

Not to be outdone, the bridesmaids were full of smiles too.
Jessica and Steve were married in northern Michigan at Point Betsie Lighthouse. The venue, and the area around it, provided hills, sand dunes, water and an all around perfect place to say your vows and take your wedding photos.

One of my many favorites. More of the beautiful venues and ceremony images to come tomorrow!!

The photographer that so beautifully captured Jessica and Steve's wedding day is the talented Ben Williams of ben williams weddings . Pictures used with expressed permission.

Our First {Wedding} Anniversary

Halloween is always a special day for Chris and I. On Halloween in 2005 we became "official." On Halloween in 2007, Chris proposed. Out of the two of us, I have a long list of our special days and anniversaries (the day we met, the day we kissed, the day we married, etc). Now that we're married, Chris is attempting to only have to really celebrate one day, our wedding day. I still intend on celebrating them all...even if it's just myself and a bottle of champagne! Ha.On September 27, we celebrated our one year {wedding} anniversary. My first gift to Chris was really more of a gift for both us. It is a tiny text "i love you" bowl from palomas nest. I have wanted one for a while now and this just seemed to be the perfect occasion to splurge on one. It now sits on our bathroom vanity counter top and holds our rings when we are showering or getting ready in the morning.
I also incorporated paper in my gift as it is the traditional wedding anniversary gift for the first year of marriage. A few months ago, I saw this little post on an idea for the "Card Catalog of Love" and i knew right then and there that it would be the perfect anniversary gift to my husband. The book call numbers were replaced with significant dates in our lives. The titles of the books were replaced with the event that occurred on that special date and included a summary of the event along with important people, locations, etc. My husband teared up when he started reading through the 30+ cards that I had come up with that date back to the day we met. We intend on adding 5-10 cards a year to the box along with pictures from those significant dates. In 10 years I think that it will be a family keepsake that we will always treasure.
It was a very happy {and meaningful} first anniversary!
Pictures taken by jessicalynn402 of the Palomas Nest bowl and used with permission of Palomas Nest.