Photo Booth!

Luke and I have received many compliments since our wedding, but the one thing we've heard over and over again from our guests is...WE LOVED THE PHOTO BOOTH! I knew since we got engaged (heck, maybe even before that!) that I wanted a photo booth at our reception. Not only would it tie in with our Save The Dates, but photo booths are just tons of fun! We used Photo Booth Express and we were very pleased with the service. We rented the booth for 4 hours and our attendant was even nice enough to close it 30 minutes during dinner so it could be open later in the evening. We had black/white double prints for each session, so our guests got to keep a copy and another was placed in a special container for us...the bride and groom. I would HIGHLY recommend having a photo booth at your reception...it was seriously worth every penny. And, as you can see, the photos are a riot!

Oh, and I forgot to tell you about our props! I went to Party City before the wedding and bought as many crazy hats, feather boas, glasses and accessories as I could find. The props added that extra special touch to the photo booth experience and helped bring out the wilder side in our guests!

Vera Wang - Spring 2010

Oh my goodness, check these out...I am in love with Vera Wang's Spring 2010 collection. If only I had another wedding to plan, I'd totally walk down the aisle in this chartreuse organza beauty...or if someone famous happens to invite me to a red carpet event...I'm buying the black strapless number with the pleating. All dresses were found on Style Me Pretty's new Look Book. Definitely go check it out!

Ring bling!

One of my favorite parts of our ceremony was the blessing and exchange of rings. Personally, I love jewelry...the more I've got, the happier I am! Luke, on the other hand, has never worn a ring or accessory in his life. Although, he has grown accustomed to wearing it fairly quickly.

I am delighted with how my wedding bands turned out. The dainty quality of them called for not one, but two rings...flanking each side of my engagement ring. Luke's simple, yellow-gold band compliments them nicely. Have you recently purchased your own wedding bands? Or are you trying to figure out what look you want to go with? Any thoughts on the 1yr - 5yr - 10yr anniversaries...when do husbands normally purchase another band or right hand ring for their wife? I'd love to hear your thoughts...

Rehearsal Dinner Photos II

All photos by Collin Martin Photography.

Rehearsal Dinner Photos

Private room at Zak's Place.

Luke's mother had beautiful floral arrangements made for the tables...

Pink, heart shaped votives from Crate & Barrel.

Luke giving out his groomsmen gifts...

(Monogramed cigar humidors with (of course) cigars!)

Me giving out my bridesmaid gifts...

(Oversized black & white weekend bags and jewelry.)

My bridesmaids surprised me with a photobook they made for me!

I love it...I have the best friends EVER!

All photos by Collin Martin Photography.

The Calm Before The Storm

If I had to title this series of photos, I would call it "The Calm Before the Storm." Don't get me wrong, our rehearsal went smoothly, the dinner was fabulous and our wedding day was even better... it was just what we (unknowingly at the time) had to go through the 12 hours leading up to the big moment that wasn't so great. Here are some photos from the rehearsal that capture the church as well as the mood that night...everyone had a blast! All images by Collin Martin Photography.

Photos by Collin Martin Photography.

Rehearsal Dinner Invite

Since I still have so many details to share from our wedding, I thought I'd devote the rest of this week to our wedding rehearsal. Last year when we had our photo engagement session, I decided to plan ahead. I wanted our visual theme - from our Save The Dates, to Invitations to Guest Book - to feel consistent. I created a "Rehearsal 06.19.09" sign that was incorporated into our photo shoot. Utilizing some of our favorite shots, I created a 5x7, double-sided invitation. The front was a montage of our photos (message included!), while the back included pertinent information such as time, location, map and directions. The chartreuse envelopes added a touch of color and finished off the look.

They're In...Professional Wedding Photos!!!

Actually, I've been drooling over them for the last few weeks - my photographer was amazingly quick in getting our online gallery up. There were over 1200 photos, so it's been a little overwhelming (to say the least). Here are a few of my favorites. I'll be sharing many more with you over the next few weeks and months...stay tuned!

Photos by RHB Photography.

Thank You, Beautiful Paper

Many, many thanks to Nole over at Beautiful Paper for featuring my wedding invitations on her site last week. I was so pleasantly surprised to see the post...it really made my day! Thank you!

More on the honeymoon...

Boy oh boy, do I wish we were still on our honeymoon! Actually, I wish I was anywhere warm and sunny. Hello Summer...where have you been? If you're out there, please make a trip back to Chicago soon.

Part II of the honeymoon (below) includes photos from our day trip to St. Barthelemy (St. Barts). I instantly fell in love with this little island. The beaches were beautiful and the shopping = to die for! I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a honeymoon or a "let's rent a villa with 10 friends" destination. (I'm already trying to figure out when we can go back). Check out our pictures from Shell Beach. Instead of sand, the beach was entirely made up of tiny sea shells - it was really cool.