Super Stylish Sunday ~ Little Italy Engagement Shoot

Don't get me wrong, I love the wild and crazy engagement shoots. Painting each other, hunting each other and even rolling around in the snow with bottles of spray paint are fantastic, but if you're not into the craziness, a traditional engagement shoot is just fine. However, if your passion for each other bleeds through... Well, that's just fucking splendid. Take Louanne and Joe for instance. It's clear to me that they have electricity just by looking at these cool ass photographs. Right? 

Louanne is a super stylish and creative hairstylist and makeup artist. Joe is a witty and sarcastic middle school english teacher (awwww...). I'd say their personalities balance each other out perfectly. 

From the Iliana, the photographer: "For their engagement session, Louanne and Joe wanted to go somewhere vibrant and fun. We decided to shoot in Little Italy in Downtown San Diego because there's so much color and energy there. We had fun exploring the area and snapping some great photos. At one point it did start to rain, so we ducked into a nearby bar-- Bottlecraft-- which is one of all of our favorites. Those ended up being some of my favorite photos! And in the end, the sun began to shine, giving us just enough time for a few more photos, with the sunshine glistening off the wet surfaces!"

This one really speaks to me. If I were them, this photograph would totally be hanging over my fireplace for the world to see..

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Fantasy Friday ~ Code Red!

I'm using you today, bridey. I mean, I'm hoping you get some inspiration from this post because it fucking rocks, but today, it's all about me. Yup! Today I needed Bitchless Bride to help me brainstorm an idea that has been swirling around in my cray cray little head for the last two weeks, and finally feels ready to put on "paper". So, there won't be a real wedding or a styled shoot today. Nope! This one is strictly for moi. (BTW... are you totally dying over that red headpiece? RIGHT??)

The fantasy? The dream wedding? Code red! Yup! You read that right! Code fucking red y'all!! Yeah...This bride wants an all red wedding.... Like super fucking red. Like, red is going to explode from event red... And, you know what? I intend on giving it to her. But, it's got to be classy. It's got to be flashy and most of all, it can't be cheesy. 

So, the "boards" encapsulated in this post? Well, they will give you a little insight as to how my crazy mind works (or at the very least, how it's digesting the specifications around  this particular wedding). And honestly, I have no rhyme or reason to what I mashed together, but I like how it looks. Reminds me of organized chaos. The best part? "Diablo",  that's what I call bride behind her back (yes, we all have nick names for you, brideys), she's going to fucking love it, and I hope you do too...

Like I said... there is no particular rhyme to my reason today... All I know is that I need a few options for a signature drink, and I NEED a drink, so here are my thoughts... Champagne with strawberry puree or some strawberry with some freakin' moonshine (although I don't think it's red enough), or maybe the strawberry shortcake martini... Think that may be the winner! 

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Real Wedding Wednesday ~ The Definition of a 'Successful' Wedding Day

 I love the sparklers! I am actually really DRAWN to those damn sparklers. But, I gotta say... You couldn't pay me enough money to actually hold one in my hand because they scare the bejesus out of me. I know it's silly, but what can I say?!!

But, anyway... How cute are Beth and Lane? Right? They met on a high school field trip! Can you believe it? That's just crazy for me to think about. I mean... If I married my high school sweetheart, I'd probably be... Well, that's a whole other post (and I don't want to ruin this one!)!

You know what I love about Beth and Lane? They get it. They really, really get it. If you scroll down, you'll see their definition of a successful wedding, and I have to say that I'm super impressed. So, if you want to learn a thing or two, bridey, then keep reading and enjoy the eye candy while you're at it! 

1. Bridey, how did you meet your spouse? Lane and I met in high school on a field trip to DC. 

2. How long were you together before you were engaged? Six and a half years.

3. What was the length of time between the engagement and the wedding?  13 months

4. Where did your wedding take place? Christ United Methodist Church, Chapel Hill, NC

5. If you had to rate your wedding planning experience on a scale of one to ten with one being shitty, and ten being awesome, how would you rate it? I would rate it an 8. There were parts I loved, and parts I dreaded! Overall, it was fun and definitely memorable.  

6. What was your favorite part of the wedding planning process? Least fave? Our favorite part was definitely taste testing! Both at the Country Club and at Ashley Cakes. Our least favorite part was definitely picking out flowers. Our florist was wonderfully patient and helpful, but flowers are just not my thing! 

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The Truth Hurts Tuesday ~ A Lesson About Friendship to All of You Brideys

Brideys, I'm going to get straight to the point because this shit is important. It's so super important because if you don't have friends after you say, "I do" then who will you bitch to about your husband when the wedding euphoria wears off? Right? I mean basically, bridey, I really want you have friends when your wedding is over. I also think it's kinda important that you still like your friends when your wedding is over too. I mean, it is a two-way street. So, I thought I'd share a few ways to keep AND like your friends leading up to, and following your nuptials. 

1. Don't be an entitled bridey bitch. Yes, it's your day, but everybody is there to celebrate with you so make sure you that when the day finally arrives that they do in fact want to celebrate with you. In other words, don't fuck it up all the way to the altar and then expect your friends to be excited to be part of your wedding. 

2. Brideys-to-be... Going to a wedding like every other fucking weekend? Yeah, then outside of being exhausted and over it, you're obviously at the stage in your life in which you'll probably be in several weddings too. That said, may I make a suggestion? It's very simple actually. Don't be an asshole.

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Super Stylish Sunday ~ A Great Gatsby OBSESSED Photo Shoot

Brideys, you are about to be blinded by this absolutely brilliant Great Gatsby photo shoot. Seriously. Turn off your phone (c'mon, just for a short while), shut the door, and allow yourself to be taken back to the 1920s with all of it's grandeur and elegance. Savor these sublime photographs, and perhaps even get some marvelous ideas for your wedding too!

A few words about this fantastic shoot: "The inspiration for this shoot came from that most opulent and glamorous Gatsby era, the inimitable 1920’s. The vision was to create marvelous scenes reminiscent of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s most notorious work. Full of grandeur and historic character, The Society Room of Hartford served as the perfect venue providing architectural drama and elegant interiors. We selected a rich jewel tone palette accented with silver and gold to create an overall majestic ambiance. This was further accomplished by the luxurious details styled by Dani Fine Photography, Tony Palmieri of Datura: A Modern Garden, Geoffrey Ecker and Kia Martinson of General Eclectic. Palmieri also designed gorgeous arrangements and custom bouquets to compliment each look worn by the models."

More details about these photographs: "The Dani Fine Photography team conceptualized, styled and photographed this remarkable shoot. What really made this shoot unusual was the collaborative effort to source genuine antiques from this period. We wanted to underscore the luxury, excess and utter beauty of the time by incorporating some authentic pieces. General Eclectic was a terrific resource to that end. Additionally we also had an amazing vintage dress provided by Tova’s Vintage Shop and a myriad of lavish jewels and other accessories provided by a variety stylists and experts."

If you know me at all, then you KNOW how I feel about cake, and this one? Fucking astonishing! The color pallet, the jewels and the styling alone blow me away!

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