photo du jour, a nod to the oh so talented Jeff Newsom

In leu of Five Senses Friday, I thought I'd sing you the ABC's instead....

A - Age: I'm 24. Nate is 26. I've decided that I'm going to have a big birthday party this year (quarterlife crisis and all). And rum cake. Definitely rum cake.
B - Bed size: Queen. One day I'd love to upgrade but right now buying a new mattress is low on the priority list. (Directly under file receipts and go to the dentist.)
C - Chore you hate: We both hate vacuuming. Which is handy since we just moved into a condo with zero carpet. Victory dance!
D - Dog's name: Between the condo association's rules and our busy schedule, we just can't swing it right now.
E - Essential start your day item: Coffee with delicious creamer. My favorite is the Belgium Chocolate Tofee. Nate likes Vanilla.
F - Favorite color(s): Right now I'm loving jewel tones and neutral earthy colors. Nate loves royal blue.
G - Gold or Silver: Neither of us wear a lot of jewelry.
H - Height: I'm 5'3 and Nate is 6'2.
I - Instruments you play: Nate is an amazing drummer. Melt-your-face-off-amazing. Not even kidding.
J - Job title: CEO ;)
K - Kitchen wish list: A magnetic knife strip. Those are fancy.
L - Living arrangements: Currently in a small condo in downtown Orlando.
M - Moment you'll never forget: Nate stealth-proposing on our cruise ;)
N - Nicknames: I just realized that I haven't called Nate by his old nickname in about a year. What happened to that?
O - Overnight hospital stay: I've never been in the hospital *knock on wood like 15 times*
P - Pet Peeve(s): Double standards. Can't even stand em. Oh and passive aggression, seriously just tell us what's wrong.
Q - Quote: "When life hands you lemons, make grape juice. Then sit back and watch the world wonder how you did it." That was my daily mantra for over a year! I still love it.
R - Right or left handed: Right.
S - Siblings: Me-None Nate- 1 sister
T - Time you wake up: Too early because Nate sets his alarm to go off every 15 minutes starting an hour and a half before he actually needs to be up. (See the coffee response listed above)
U - Underwear: Under there!
V - Vegetable you dislike: Okra. Nate hates green beans. Even though I make the most AMAZING green bean casserole, he refuses to eat it. Seriously people, it's divine.
W - Workout style: Running, wii fit, yoga
X - X-rays you've had: Teeth? I don't know about Nate. Does that make me a bad fiance?
Y - Yesterday's best moment: Nate cleaned the kitchen (which was a war zone) and made us both the most delicious pasta dinner ever. There was a picture on twitter.
Z - Zoo favorite(s): We both love animal watching. And taking our cameras! Zoo date anyone?


Love and FRIDAYS,
Becka & Nate

If weddings were Anthropologie, the stationery would be the window displays. And we all know how good those are.There are so many styles out there right now and I thought I'd share three of the most popular with you today from some talented friends of mine...

(images from the artists, clockwise from top: Anna @ Rifle Weddings & Events, Sarah & Lisa @ Orange Blossom Ink, Laura @ Immeasurablymor)


The first (we'll start at the top and work our way around) is a hand painted style. Anna Bond of Rifle Design creates these exquisite masterpieces by hand, crafting whimsical scenes customized for the bride and groom. I am head over heels in love with everything she does. I love the style, the storytelling, the romance of it all. Le swoon.

Second is a more modern, but still custom, look. This set was designed by the ultra-talented team at Orange Blossom Ink. I adore the arrangement of words in this invitation and the pop of color in the envelopes. I love when graphic designers create intricate designs just by the arranging of words and I think this is a perfect example of something chic, modern, and fun.

The bottom design was sent to me from one of our oh-so-fabulous upcoming brides, Emily. It's a perfect example of another popular style which is to include your engagement images in your stationery. Emily had her "Save The Date" cards designed using the images from her downtown engagement session. Laura from Immeasurablymore did a great job of incorporating Emily's wedding colors and the historical feel of the wedding location into these.

Now I need to get to dreaming up an idea for Nate's and my stationery. Do I even need one if our wedding is going to be out of the country? Maybe I'll make one for our party when we get back. Give me some ideas people! And go check out those amazingly talented artists' sites!

Want more? Here are two more of my favorite graphic artists currently designing for weddings and other events (that means you baby shower, baby announcement, bridal shower, bachelorette party, etc...)
. Mew Paper Arts
. Ashley Brooke Designs


Love and eye-candy,
Becka & Nate

Yesterday Nate called and asked me if I would go to the store and get some ingredients to make chocolate chip walnut cookies with him. It was an unusual request because, while I adore baking, Nate has never really asked to bake anything with me. Cooking, yes, but baking...not so much. "Why babe?" I asked. "Because I want to do something different with you tonight."
That was enough for me. I decided to pick up provisions for ice cream too. We have an ice cream maker but have never actually made ice cream from scratch.

Quality time ensued...

"Can I mix it now?"
"No you can't mix it with all the flour in it. You have to use the wooden spoon."
"Why?"
"Could you imagine what it would look like to put those spinning beaters in this bowl of flour? POOF! (I then begin miming an epic flour explosion with my hands and face.) Is this your first time baking?"
"No, I baked with my mom when I was little."
"Was your favorite part mixing with the beaters?"
"No, she wouldn't let me do it."
"Why?"
"Because I always made a big mess."
"Makes sense."

"Did you like the ice cream and the cookies?" I asked.
"They were my second favorite." He replied.
"Which one was your second favorite?"
"Both... My favorite part of the night was just spending time with you."

We thought we'd share the ice cream recipe because it was really fantastic. It is from the show Everyday Italian by Cutie McCuteface, Giada De Laurentiis.

Ingredients:
2 c. whole milk
1 c. heavy cream
3/4 c. sugar
4 egg yolks
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. Nutella

1. In a saucepan combine the milk, cream, and 1/2 cup sugar over medium heat. Cook until the sugar dissolves, (about 5 minutes).

2. In a medium bowl beat the egg yolks with the remaining 1/2 cup sugar using an electric mixer until the eggs have become thick and pale yellow (about 4 minutes).

3. Pour 1/2 cup of the warm milk and cream mixture into the egg mixture and stir. Add this mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over very low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture becomes thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, (about 7 to 10 minutes).

4. Place a strainer over a medium bowl and pour the warm custard mixture through the strainer. Stir in the vanilla and Nutella until it dissolves. Chill mixture completely before pouring into an ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions to freeze. (You cam make it without an ice cream maker. Just pour the mix into a container and freeze 6-8 hours, stirring every few hours.)



Love and desserts,
Becka & Nate

Do you remember Bonnie and Steve? How can you not? Their lovely faces were splattered all over our blog and website for months! Not only did we shoot them 4 times. (Yup, 4) But we shot them out of the normal order, causing much confusion amongst our avid blog readers. (Do we have avid blog readers? Are you there? Chirp. Chirp.) We shot a bridal/day after/trash the dress session with them in St. Augustine. Then we shot an engagement session for them and their pups in Baldwin Park. Then we shot their wedding reception in Celebration (they eloped in St. Lucia all private-like). And lastly, we shot their after party later that night. The other day I received an email from Bonnie asking for our new address because she had something she wanted to send us. What? For us? I've been like a kid waiting for Christmas, checking the mail everyday for the surprise. And finally, we got it...

I squeeled with delight as soon as I saw the buttons of the darling packaging. Nate looked at me in confusion. "Those are Anthropologie buttons!" I squeeled again, "I'd know them anywhere!" (I imagine that I respond to Anthropologie buttons the same way most women respond to the infamous blue Tiffany's box.) An engagement gift?! Bonnie and Steve, you melt my heart with your thoughtfulness!

stock image from anthropologie.com


How absolutely and utterly fantastic are these towels? There are three and they are embroidered with little birds falling in love, getting married, and then having little birdlets. I just love them. Related: Anthropologie revamped their website recently. It looks great. Check it out: Anthro.



Love and presents,
Becka & Nate

SeaBreaze Point | Disney Boardwalk | Florida

From Chicago to Orlando they came. With purple and pink flower petals. With a quick hello from Donald and Daisy Duck. A violinist was playing songs from my childhood on repeat and I found myself humming, "A whole new world..." as I heard the shutter clicks and I realized how much I wanted to watch the movie, Aladdin. Too bad I only have it on VHS. We don't have a VHS player. (Do they still make VHS players?)

Seriously though, when I think of my childhood, I think of Disney movies. I had (have) them memorized. Prince Charming (Or Prince Eric, he was my favorite) and a doe-eyed girl. A damsel in distress or a strong-willed princess (Work it Jasmine!) Disney was a big part of my formative years. So it's fun, now, to see it come full circle. From imaginary childhood worlds, to this romantic and magical day when two new friends become one and we get to capture it for the ages. One day, their grandchildren will look through these images. They will laugh at how old the fashions look and will say "Grandma, you were hot!" and they'll giggle. A little girl will swoon and say "Grandpa, it's soooo romantic!" And then maybe they'll ask to watch Cinderella, because Disney is now on their brains. And a new generation of dreamers and lovers of love will begin to grow.

Donald cracks me up in this one...












Mouse shoes by Marc Jacobs









Ceremony: SeaBreaze Point, Disney Boardwalk
Coordinator: Amy Riendeau with Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings
Reception: Bluezoo Restaurant
Gown: Jasmin Bridal, House of Brides, Chicago
Hair & Makeup: Patricia LeJeune