Monthly Archives: February 2009

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Isle Mujeres, Mexico: Wedding Day – Part Two

After a wonderful morning with Patty and Jason, it was time for the wedding ceremony on the beach.  A Mexican guitarist played as the ceremony began and the music set a beautiful mood.

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Jason came down the aisle with a rose which he placed on an empty chair in remembrance of his mother.

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A seashell held the bride and groom’s wedding rings.

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Patty and Jason’s family and friends were a great group and dad enjoyed meeting them all.

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The wedding party:

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You can see how much they love each other when they look into each other’s eyes.

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Mom saw this picture and thought dad posed the couple waving to be funny and cheesy.  She teased dad about it but he told her that really guests were at the end of the pier cheering for the bride and groom so Patty and Jason were waving at them.  As a candid moment, it is really sweet!  Look how happy the newlyweds are!

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All of the stationary was beautiful!  The invitations, timeline, menus, table markers, and all the rest had the blue, red, and brown wedding colors in pretty patterns.  Mom loved it!

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The cake topper was two birds in the wedding colors of blue and red.

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Patty and Jason listening to the sentimental toasts given by their friends and family:

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Time to party!

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Patty changed into a cheongsam for part of the reception.  She looked gorgeous!

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Before the reception ended, dad took Patty and Jason out for a few more pictures.

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One of mom’s favorites:

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What an awesome couple and an awesome wedding!  Dad truly had a wonderful time during the entire trip to Mexico and felt honored to be a part of the wedding.  Thank you so much Patty and Jason!  We know your life together is going to be filled with love, laughter, and romance.

Before leaving Mexico, dad picked up a few souvenirs to bring home.  When he saw this Mexican bride and groom he had to buy it and take some pictures in honor of Patty and Jason.

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Dad also made this awesome slide show for Patty and Jason…enjoy!!

Isle Mujeres, Mexico: Wedding Day – Part One

We started to blog about Patty and Jason’s wedding day and realized there was no way we’d be able to fit all of their gorgeous pictures into one blog update!  This will be part one of two blog updates about Patty and Jason’s amazing destination wedding in Isle Mujeres, Mexico.

Patty and Jason had Tiffany from Sunhorse Weddings as their planner for their wedding at Zama Beach Club.  Patty started her day getting ready at her villa which she had reserved with the help of Lisa of The Lost Oasis.  Lisa also helped dad with his hotel reservations and helpful information about the island.

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This might be one of mom’s favorite wedding hair accessories.

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Red shoes!

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The gifts to the groomsmen were chucks for them to wear on the wedding day.  The groom’s chucks had the wedding date personalized on it.

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Patty gave Jason Superman cuff links as a wedding present.  It was a special gift to remind Jason that his mom who had passed was with him that day, and Jason’s reaction upon opening the cuff links was so sweet.

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Patty is a designer and Jason gave her a wedding present in a frog box that she had designed for Hallmark.  How fun would it be to see one of your designs on the shelves at Hallmark!

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Patty getting her hair done:

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Dad loved the Chinese wedding traditions that were included in the day.  One of the main symbols of course being red as one of the wedding colors.  Another fun tradition that the couple had was for the groom to come to the bride’s house to get her.  According to custom, when he arrives he is met by the bride’s friends who will not let the bride go until the groom gives red packets of money and meets other requests.  Jason arrived to see a “No Boys Allowed” sign hanging on the door, but that didn’t stop him from trying to peek.  Patty’s bridesmaids and bridesman had Jason and his groomsmen dance as their task to see the bride.

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Patty and Jason then had the Chinese Tea Ceremony where the couple serves the parents tea.  Patty wore the same outfit her mom wore which made it more meaningful.

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After the Tea Ceremony, Patty went back to her room to put on her wedding dress.

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Jason seeing Patty in her gown for the first time:

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Before their ceremony, dad went around the island for pictures with the couple.  When Dad woke up that morning, he had noticed a dark, cloudy sky.  He was so worried!  The sky stayed cloudy and it was a very windy day but thankfully the rain held off.

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Patty really wanted some pictures on the cliffs by the water so they went there for a few pictures and the couple braved the strong winds!

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This was just the start to the couple’s wedding day!  Dad said the entire day was a lot of fun and filled with emotion.  We can’t wait to share more!

Isle Mujeres, Mexico: Part Two – Welcome Dinner

The night before their wedding, Patty and Jason had a welcome dinner for family and friends.  It was held on the rooftop of their villas, the El Castillo Maya and the Casa Azul Del Caribe.  It was relaxed night for people to have a good time together, enjoy some yummy authentic Mexican food, and look forward to the excitement of the next day.  Patty, Jason, and their amazing family and friends made dad feel so welcome and were super friendly!  He felt right at home hanging out with everyone.

Patty and Jason are just an amazing couple.  Patty is a designer for Hallmark and Jason is an amazing artist.  We checked out his portfolio on his website and his talent is obvious.  Patty and Jason have been together for ten years and met, appropriately, working in an art store.  Mom loved their proposal story!  Jason knew the best way to surprise Patty was to propose in an everyday situation.  They were out walking their dog when Jason pulled out the ring and asked Patty to marry him, to which she replied “Yes, of course!” after her initial surprise about being proposed to while she held a bag of poop in her hand!  Mom couldn’t help but laugh at that story.

Here are a few pictures from the welcome dinner, and we will share images from the fantastic wedding very soon!

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Jason greeting everyone and thanking them for coming:

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Patty looking so happy and pretty!

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The mother of the bride having a good time:

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Patty and Jason gave out big sunglasses for fun.  Dad brought his home and was still wearing his until mom took them from him.

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Pictures from the actual wedding day coming soon!

Isle Mujeres, Mexico: Part One – Around Town

Dad is back from his awesome trip to Mexico!  He was there to photograph Patty and Jason’s amazing wedding.  They were absolutely terrific people and we can’t wait to share pictures from their wonderful day, but that will be for a future blog update :) .

Dad stayed in Isle Mujeres, Mexico which is an island off the coast of Cancun.  He said it was a quiet island with really good people.  Kids ran through the streets laughing and everyone smiled at each other.  Though dad doesn’t know Spanish and many people didn’t speak English (except the people whose jobs have them working with tourists, like the cab drivers), everyone was willing to make the communication work and was very patient about it which dad said is much different than here in the US.  All around the town were religious symbols, even in random places.  Dad saw a crucifix by a water valve and statues of Mary all over.

There entire island was only around five miles long and dad rented a golf cart to explore.  The owner of the hotel where dad stayed told him that there wasn’t much to do on the island besides the beach and the bars, but dad had a great time driving around in the warm breeze and seeing all the sights.  We have so much to share from Patty and Jason’s rehearsal and wedding day, but to start off here are some pictures dad took around Isle Mujeres before he met up with the couple.

Dad’s hotel, Casa IxChel, had only ten suites and was set up to be a place of an “island sanctuary” for guests to relax while enjoying the “healing energy of the sun, the moon, the stars, and the waves.”  Dad was happy it still had wireless internet!  It didn’t even have televisions so it surprised dad when he was able to get online, but he was happy because it meant he could email us.  We missed him lots and made mom read his emails to us over and over.

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Dad went snorkeling at Garrafon Natural Reef Park.  He enjoyed himself but said it wasn’t anything like snorkeling in the Bahamas for Jen and Julie’s wedding.  He did love going on the zip line at the park though!

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Walking around the city dad saw this colorful cemetary.  The bright, bold colors on the graves were a gorgeous contrast to their function.

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In the 19th century, a Spanish pirate named Mundaca built a plantation house on the island.  The story is that after years of a pirate’s life, he retired on the island.  The pirate fell in love with a native island girl much younger than him and he designed and built his grand mansion with her in mind.  The house with its land and gardens once covered 40% of the island, all to win his love.  She ended up marrying someone closer to her own age and they say the pirate, who lived the rest of his life as a recluse, slowly went insane and died.  This story is an important part of the island’s heritage.  Dad said that somehow they turned the story into something romantic and said that people married on the island will be graced with the love and passion the pirate felt for the one he loved.  Hacienda Mundaca now has some remaining gardens and a small zoo.

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Dad climbed through a grassy field to get to these views from the cliffs:

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Views of the city from a nearby lighthouse:

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When mom saw this picture of dad’s hotel at night, she was so jealous.  She could just imagine laying on those beds on the balcony, listening to ocean and feeling the breeze while laying under the stars.

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We have so much more from dad’s trip to share!  Next we’ll have pictures from Patty and Jason’s welcome dinner so check back soon!

Just for a Smile

Purple cupcake fun.  Though mom didn’t encourage this (us brothers encourage each other enough!), she knew all she could do was laugh.

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Meagan and Ryan’s Valentine’s Day Wedding at Mirror Lake Lyceum

Dad has been looking forward to Meagan and Ryan’s wedding since their engagement session.  They were one of the nicest couples you will meet and lots of fun to hang out with!  There are couples you meet and know they are going to make it, and then there are couples you meet and know they are going to do more than just make it; they will be one of those old couples who hold wrinkly hands every where they go and gross people out by kissing even when they have no teeth left.

Meagan and Ryan’s wedding was on Valentine’s Day at Mirror Lake Lyceum.  Meagan had Darla Stafford there for hair and makeup and Flawless Occasions was the couple’s wedding planner.  Beth and Shawna were so nice to give dad some tiny pink tee-shirts as a gift for when the new baby comes.  Thanks!!  The DJ was MJ from Junction 88 Productions and dad enjoyed working with him for the first time.

Meagan’s pretty smile:

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A dozen bridesmaids (and a flower girl too!)

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When mom saw the flowers hanging on the doors, she asked dad where the “Mrs” was.  Dad looked at her funny and told her they stood for Meagan and Ryan.  Geesh mom!

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Beautiful love quotes surrounded by candles decorated the site.

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This is one of mom’s favorite pictures from the day.  Meagan is signing “I Love You” to Ryan as she walks down the aisle with tears in her eyes.  So romantic!

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As part of their ceremony, Meagan and Ryan had a box covered with images from their engagement session (Meagan made it herself!)  They each wrote each other a letter and placed it in the box along with a bottle of wine.  They promised each other they wouldn’t open it until times were really rough or until their 25th anniversary.  At that point they would sit with each other and drink a glass of the wine as they read each other’s letters.

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Showing off her new wedding ring:

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The guest book had pictures from Meagan and Ryan’s engagement session too.  Dad loves it when couples use their engagement images throughout the wedding!

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First dance:

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Dad said this wedding was just what a wedding should be, an emotional combination of tears and laughter.

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Gettin’ down:

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The newlyweds left through a sparkler send off and got on pedicab from Retro Star Pedicab.  Mom thinks it should be called a bicycle cab or pedal-cab instead of pedicab but either way it was a unique way to leave.  Meagan and Ryan made time in their itinerary for bride and groom pictures after the wedding ended.  Dad claims that it was an accident when he handed Meagan and Ryan the “We Do” letters like this…

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While they were walking around, a very drunk man approached Meagan and Ryan to congratulate them.  Stumbling and slurring, he talked about how he could not find his car and needed to find it so he could drive home.  Meagan made sure to tell the man that he should definitely not be driving!  Though this man was not a guest at the reception, mom loves that the couple had a sign on the bar at their reception asking people to be responsible and listing a couple local taxi service numbers.  We hope this guy was too far gone to find his car after all.

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It was wonderful for dad to spend Valentine’s day celebrating love.  Meagan and Ryan, you two are truly good people, and you fit so well together!  You will have a beautiful life together.

Shoes and Dresses and Cakes and More!

It has been a while since we had a blog entry just for fun so Valentine’s Day seemed like a great day to do one!  We hope everyone had a fun Valentine’s Day full of love and romance.

Mom loves looking through wedding websites and blogs to check out all the latest beautiful fashions and ideas.  We thought we’d share some of the favorites that she’s collected.

A great website for wedding ideas is Casando Ideias.  Mom doesn’t understand most of what it is saying but it has great pictures of gowns, shoes, details, and links for wedding stuff.  Two of the best pictures on the Casando Ideias blog are in a “Loving” entry. They are pictures from our own blog!  One is from Nicole and Mike’s wedding and is of Nicole’s hair done by the talented Darla Stafford.

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The other is of the vintage pink Cadillac from Katelyn and Lucas’s wedding.

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On a different “Loving” blog post mom found an awesome grooms cake that was a giant doughnut!  The original picture was taken by Brooks Weddings.

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Another unique wedding idea shared on the blog was a Save the Date personalized handkerchief made by Lucky Luxe for the wedding of photographers Alisha Clarke and Luke Walker.  It is a romantic gift to send your guests and perfect for a vintage themed wedding.  The pictures were taken by Alisha Clarke, the bride herself.  It must be so fun to work in the wedding industry and be planning your own wedding!

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Yellow and black look great together as wedding colors!  When mom saw the display with yellow candles and lemons in a blog post about table set-ups she loved it.  It would be pretty set up at cocktail hour or with lemonade before an outdoor ceremony.  The picture originally came from the D. Filipa website.

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Table settings create the look of a reception and can really dress up an entire room.  Mom originally saw the pink and green table setting by Eddie Ross on the Casaando Ideias blog but she really loved the yellow, green, and black place settings on Eddie Ross’s blog itself.

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Also on the Eddie Ross blog in a post about a “fairy tale wedding” was this cake with detailing that looked like pearls.  Mom thinks pearls are such a romantic touch for wedding accents.

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David Tutera is an incredible event planner and designer who has been on several TV shows including his own show, My Fair Wedding on WEtv.  His website has a gallery with pictures of unbelievable events.  One of mom’s favorites was the “Contemporary” wedding with white fabric draped down the aisle:

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The “Bling” wedding had bright colors and a fabulous dance floor:

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Though most people won’t be able to afford a wedding like those done by David Tutera, you can be inspired by the themes and details and scale them back to make them your own.

On Casando Ideias was a blog post about wedding gowns that “Float” with a picture of the back of a dress that mom thought was so beautiful.  The original picture was taken by Natasja Kremers.

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Mom likes looking at the bridal gown designers’ websites too.  In our blog post about Kendra’s bridal session we shared a link to Kendra’s Jim Hjelm gown.  She wore style JH8814 and looked perfect in it.

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Jim Hjelm has so many gorgeous gowns.  Mom’s favorites are the ones covered in lace.  It is part of that romantic wedding look that she loves, like the pearl accents.  Here is Jim Hjelm style JH8763:

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and very similar to that is Jim Hjelm style JH8851:

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Jim Hjelm also has a gown with a low rhinestone strap over a draping back.  It is Jim Hjelm style JH8905:

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The Paris Vogue website has a selection of Elie Saub gowns from the Spring-Summer 2009 collection that mom liked.  This one might not be a wedding gown but mom thinks it is fantastic!

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The way the material crosses and gathers is what makes this gown.

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On the Sassi Holford website is this classic gown, the Anouska.  The back of the dress is mom’s favorite part.

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Dolly Couture is a website for short, vintage inspired wedding dresses.  Mom thinks the chiffon flowers on the “Milan” are pretty for a summer wedding outdoors.

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Kate Halfpenny is a London designer and has many lacy, flowing gowns that makes mom’s heart flip.  She absolutely adores this look!

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And one more Halfpenny gown in blue that is seriously beautiful:

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Many brides talk about how hard it is to find bridesmaid dresses for their bridesmaids who are pregnant.  Mom found a pretty maternity dress for bridesmaids on the Simple Silhouettes website.  It comes in a variety of colors and fabrics.

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To complete your wedding look, you need the perfect shoes!  Freya Rose in London has some great choices.  One is the Aide Bridal, with a cute floral detail:

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The Sonrisa looks very bridal:

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Though mom has trouble walking in them, stilettos are sexy!  Badgley Mischka makes bridal shoes with a tuxedo bow on them and they are sold on the Perfect Details website.  They are even dyeable if you want to get them in a fun color to poke out of the bottom of your gown.

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Saks Fifth Avenue has a fabulous pair of Christian Louboutin satin d’Orsays.  The side bow is mom’s favorite part.  Of course, the shoes cost almost as much as some gowns but they are fun to look at!

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Luella’s Boudoir in London has lingerie, jewelry, hair accessories, and shoes for weddings.  For some bling, check out the Aruna Seth Cerise shoes which has rhinestones all the way up the heel and under the bow in the back.

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If you haven’t heard of Etsy by now, you don’t know what you are missing!  People sell handmade items and you can even have people custom make items for you.  For events like weddings or a new baby, it is a great place to get something meaningful that you can then pass down to future generations.  That is especially true if you are like mom and have no talent for making these things yourself!

The Casando Ideias blog had a post with a hand sculpted and painted cake topper made by Red Light Studio on Etsy.  They have many cake toppers with a look that is very “in” right now.

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On a blog featuring just cake toppers, Wedding Cake Toppers, mom saw these vintage choices.

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Also on that blog was a post showing a bicycle cake topper, but what mom liked was the cake itself!  It had a black tree with red leaves, which are great colors for weddings around Valentine’s Day.

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Dad said he wished him and mom got a custom cake topper made in their likeness just like those made by Lily’s Design.  They can be made to show your hobby, profession, or anything else.  The toppers look awesome!  Here is an example showing a bride and groom who sent in their pictures and wanted a Cubs theme:

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The Just Cake Toppers store has a section of exotic toppers and humorous toppers.  Mom thought it was funny that this “Sexy Rhinestone Rings” topper was in both:

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We hope all of this gave brides some ideas, or at least was fun to look at!  Now mom can finally clean out some of her saved pictures and bookmarks :) .

Rachel and Chris’s Engagement Session

On Sunday dad met Rachel and Chris for an engagement session.  They chose a park in Pinellas that dad hadn’t been to before but he thought it was pretty cool with lots of variety.  It was also fun that Rachel and Chris brought their puppy, a cute yellow lab, with them for some of the pictures.  As they walked around for the session dad got to hear about Rachel and Chris’s plans for their wedding this September.  Dad was so excited when, at the end of the session, Rachel and Chris booked dad for their wedding as well!  They were a wonderful couple and he is happy to be part of their day.  Thanks Rachel and Chris!

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Our Big Ultrasound!

Tuesday was such a fun day!  Mom had an appointment for an ultrasound and we were able to find out if we were going to have another brother or a sister!  Since I am the biggest brother mom let me go with her and dad.  They put some goop on mom’s belly which I thought was sort of gross, and then on a big tv screen there were these dark shadows of a baby.  I got to see the baby’s face and hands and toes and all the baby parts!  Here is the baby waving at us (the picture is of the arm and hand):

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And the baby’s profile:

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After hearing that everything looked good and the baby was healthy, we couldn’t wait to find out if the baby was a boy or girl.  I told the ultrasound person that I was hoping for another boy and dad said that though he was going to be super happy either way he was hoping for a girl.  Mom couldn’t make up her mind because she saw lots of good things about both, but she said having a girl would be a different and fun.  The baby cooperated and we got the big news!

When we left the appointment we picked up little brother so we could spend the rest of this special day together as a family.  Mom had been holding onto a Babies R Us gift card she got for Christmas so we headed there to buy something for the baby.  Mom and dad have let me be the one to share the news with other family members and I am excited to make our announcement on the blog too!  Our Babies R Us purchase can share the news for me…

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WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A LITTLE SISTER!

Though I said I wanted another brother I am getting more and more happy about having a little girl in our family.  We are all ecstatic but mom doesn’t understand why some people think we would have only been excited about a girl.  They say that they are happy that mom and dad “finally got their girl” but mom says she loves having boys and would have been just as happy with another boy so it doesn’t seem like a “finally” type of thing.  It is going to be a wonderful new adventure though!  Thank you God for the blessing of a healthy baby girl to join our family :) .

First and Last Kiss

Tiffany and Eddie have a beautiful love story.  They met when they were ten years old and were each other’s first kiss.  Life took them in different directions until a few years ago when they ran into each other again and soon fell in love.  They were each other’s first kiss and will be each other’s last kiss.  That became the theme of their wedding.

They were married on Saturday on the beach in Clearwater.  Tiffany looked beautiful in her mantilla veil carrying a bouquet of shells.  It was an emotional ceremony with both Tiffany and Eddie in tears.  Dad said that Tiffany’s mom was wonderful!  After emailing with her, it was great to meet her at the wedding.  She looked so happy for her daughter.

Thanks for having dad share in your wedding day!

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Eddie proposed right around this same spot on the beach.

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Gorgeous bustle!

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