It is no secret that I am inspired by all things architecture and the venue for this styled shoot was everything I could hope for and more in a shoot location. Jardin de Buis is an old dairy farm turned home to a landscape designer. The property features exquisite formal gardens, extensive grounds, and stunning structures decorated with one of a kind European antiques. Stepping through the doors truly transports you to the French countryside, oh and did I mention it is in New Jersey (cue picking up your jaw off the floor).

We partnered with Veronica Rogers and Max Owens Designs for this “Love Bird” inspired styled shoot. Check back tomorrow for more details on where Veronica pulled inspiration (and no she is not quite as architecture obsessed as I am). And if you just can’t wait this shoot was featured on Style Me Pretty.

Vendor Team:

Styling and Design: Veronica Rogers | Florist: Max Owens Designs | Venue: Jardin de Buis | Paper: Carli Anna | Rentals: Something Vintage Rentals | Hair and Make Up: Anna Breeding | Model: Anderson Noel | White Dress: Samuelle Couture from SPINA | Green Appliqué Dress: Santos Costura | Skirt: Liz Martinez | Pink Bodysuit: Fleur du Mal | Blue Dress: Dennis Basso from Gossamer | Veils and Headdress: Agnes Hart | Shoes: Prada and Tamara Mellon | Jewelry: Sofia Kaman | Tux: Gucci | Bird Rental: Taxidermy Rental

When a wedding planner is about to have her first baby, you know the baby shower going to be good! My good friend Blair from SoCo Events had her first baby girl about a year ago now (#bloggingbacklog). As soon as she mentioned that she was pregnant I knew that it would a lovely and perfect shower.

When planning the fall baby shower Blair used the time of year as an opportunity to focus on food and flowers that were perfectly in season. She honored fall while staying true to the pink theme and not caving to the autumnal colors. The star of the show (except Blair’s adorable baby bump) was the absolutely delightful dahlias from the amazing florist, Amaryllis Designs. The blooms were at the peak season and grown in the owners of Amaryllis’ very own garden in eastern Maryland.

The perfectly pink theme was carried through the whole event from the gorgeous baby shower invitations and menus to the Sugarfina gummy teddy bear favors (custom monogrammed, of course!). For the baby shower food, the event a brunch so the passed hors d’oeuvres were mini-pancakes, chicken and waffles, and fruit kebabs provided by Bethesda Country Club.

Baby Peterson is one sweet little girl and it was so fun to see her mama showered with so much love by her friends and family.

This baby shower is proof that Dahlia season is always a great idea to host an event. Maybe next year I will try to grow my own flowers. That way I can make sure that every dinner table is chock full of flowers at every meal. Don’t forget to make sure that all your special events are celebrated with embellishments like flowers. A few decorations and lovely place settings make everything more formal. Don’t worry, there were plenty of fun games as well.

When my friend and talented architect Michelle asked me to consider photographing her destination wedding on the West Coast I immediately knew we were in for a treat. Though we went to different universities Michelle and I both studied architecture. I met Michelle when we were both studying abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark. Architecture school alumni always have a common understanding of many things: design, hard work, graphic design and general font usage, among other random skills. Those of us who went to Copenhagen always take that one step further. Anyone who spends time in Copenhagen obsesses over minimalist design and aesthetics along with creating a cozy environment wherever we go.

Day Full of Details

All of these elements were evident in the details of Michelle and Derek’s destination wedding. Every design component was carefully curated; the guests experience was thoroughly considered; and the best part of all was that the bride enlisted the help of the amazing wedding planner, Tara Lee of Sugarcomb Events, to help execute all of the ideas. Michelle also wanted to ensure that as many as personal touches and local Seattle details were worked into the day. This included her co-worker sketching the venue for the invitations, a local dress designer (Luly Yang), cake baker, florist and more.

You may remember this couple from their pie-baking themed engagement shoot from a few blog posts back. Michelle took the photos from their engagement shoot, compiled them into a recipe book with all of their favorites and gifted it to Derek on their wedding day. The groom’s gift to the bride was a set of bespoken notebooks to fill up with memories. The first entry started with their wedding day (swoon!).

Fête Fit For Feature

I could go on and on about these two and the amazing details of their day but the professional writers at Martha Stewart Weddings captured it so well. You can see the full destination wedding feature here. I was so thrilled and honored to be a part of this once-in-a-lifetime event. I often feel very much like a part of my couples’ life stories and even more so for a destination wedding. However with the personal connection and amazing thoughtfulness of this couple I felt a part of their story more than ever.

Vendor Team

We are only a few weeks away from M & A’s wedding with one of our favorites, Favored by Yodit. Yodit is a Washington DC area wedding planner who specializes in multi-cultural weddings. We were excited to meet up with this gorgeous couple for their engagement shoot at the iconic Library of Congress.

M & A’s engagement shoot was a great exercise in how to “work around the crowds.” I love the Library of Congress, both the exterior and interior spaces, but I always expect huge crowds. If you know anything about my personal passions you know I also can’t get enough of the design of the building. The Library of Congress is built in the Beaux-Arts style of architecture.

Dressed to Impress

One of my biggest tips for any shoot is that the people dress to match the environment of the location. M & A didn’t disappoint for their engagement shoot! M had her hair and makeup done professionally and the two dressed to the nines to fit into the formal nature of the space. Can we talk about those tassels!?!?

After a few shots inside and outside the Library we hopped across the street to the garden area of the Capitol building for some more casual shots in jeans. I don’t know if my favorite part is her perfect button down or the red lip.

We are so excited for M & A’s wedding at the beginning of September at the Cosmos Club and The Mayflower Hotel! Could there be two more gorgeous spaces for a wedding? If you’ve ever been to an Ethiopian wedding before you know the music, food and dancing are going to be F-U-N! Not to mention if this sneak peek of the couple’s style is any indication we are going to have some gorgeous fashion in our future.

Traveling to New York’s SoHo area for an engagement session is always such a highlight of our year. And this year destination engagement shoots seem to more popular than ever.

Hometown vs. Your Town

So often couples get married in one (or both) of their hometowns but not where they currently live. There is something so special about an engagement session in the city that you and your partner have chosen to build your life in together. We are able to capture photos that feel just like the two of you: walking on the streets you walk everyday or grabbing a drink at your favorite local spot.

For this engagement session our couple, Jackie & Ari live in Manhattan but are getting married here on the Eastern Shore. We traveled up on a gorgeous day to capture these two perfectly in their element. Since the bride works in fashion we decided SoHo was the ideal picturesque neighborhood to shoot.

After walking around SoHo for a bit and having some trouble catching a cab we finally made it to the High Line for the second part of our shoot. Pro tip – the High Line is not my favorite location to shoot. The number of tourists makes it really tough and if you’ve been there before you know that the path is quite narrow and linear. This is great for getting some leading lines and good perspectives but terrible for letting people pass through. Soon after arriving there a freak storm passed through! But I’m so very happy with the photos.

Don’t get me wrong I love a good hometown wedding and a monument portrait session but engagement sessions like this day create images that they will cherish forever. Especially if they ever choose to move away from the city! But shhh don’t say that out loud to any New Yorker!