Engagement photos were such and important part of the wedding planning process to me – when else in life do you have an excuse to be professionally photographed in a stylized, romantic, intimate setting with the person you love? Since our wedding (this summer) is going to be a super casual, nautical affair on a marina, I wanted our engagement photos to be the opposite: indoors, more formal, and a little sexy.

As I brainstormed about possible themes and locations, I found myself drawn to classic-Hollywood photo shoots and Mad-Men era sleekness and style. (This came as no shock to my fiance, since I’m a big classic film nerd AND made him dress up as Don Draper to my Betty last year for Halloween.) I just love the richness and darkness and vintage feel of that time, the simmering elegance of men in suits and women in cocktail dresses meeting in hotel lobbies.

With this idea (and an unbelievably good sport of a fiance), I started shopping for photographers. Heidi Geldhauser of Our Labor of Love (based here in Atlanta, but traveling all over the place if you’re interested!) had photographed a friend’s wedding and her photos were some of the loveliest I’d ever seen. As you can tell, we are extraordinarily lucky to have found Heidi — she took my little kernels of ideas and locations and made them into these fantastically beautiful photos. She suggested things we’d never have thought of in a million years, like abandoning the marble staircase to take tons of photos in an empty office in front of some white plastic vertical blinds! It totally worked, and those are the best photos we have.

As a final note, since we were paying homage to a bygone era, I wore jewelry in each setting owned by either my mother or my grandmother. The white bracelet, the black beaded necklace, and the tri-color gold necklace are my little tokens of the women who lived (and dressed) like classic movie stars for real.

Photographer: Heidi Geldhauser, Our Labor of Love / Orange Dress: Zara / Black Dress: Ralph Lauren / Green Dress: Studio M by BCBG

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Post tags: Atlanta, BCBG, engagement session, Georgia, Mad Men, Old Hollywood, Our Labor of Love, Ralph Lauren, Studio M by BCBG, Wedding Photography, Zara
Post categories: engagement session, Little Black Book Blog

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From the Bride… We love very DIY, romantic, rustic, and modern… I also have a strange obsession with butterflies and sticks, so we knew those had to be involved. Sticks are close to my heart — when I was little, my stepdad and I would go play in the park and pick up sticks big enough for walking with and make up songs about them… it sounds weird, but it’s sentimental. We are both designers, so we knew what we wanted, right down to the last detail. We also wanted to make sure our vegetarian/vegan friends had options, so we used Whole Foods catering to create a wonderful menu of food for our guests … some firm meat-eaters, even to this day, say how much they loved our food! We also had vegan cupcakes, so no one had to feel left out. We also didn’t want it to be stuffy, too “done,” or too fancy … we wanted everyone to feel comfortable.

In our engagement photos, our photographer set us up in a field with some mason jars and striped straws. We carried that through to our cocktail hour by making a sweet tea vodka lemonade drink as our specialty drink, which also helped us save money. We used purple and gray striped straws, since purple/silver/gray/white were our colors. We framed a photo of us from our engagement photos and put it in between all the drinks — it looked so nice. We also made sure to design, screen print, and assemble all of our wedding invitations. We had someone use calligraphy on our envelopes for invitations, and that made it look really special. I designed our wedding website with all the info on it. I think my favorite part of the wedding though was when we had pictures taken with my giant mascot Hello Kitty head and his storm trooper helmet from Star Wars — I think that really personalized it. People seemed to get a kick out of those as well.

I loved spending time with my friends and family and new husband. It sounds SO cliche to say that, but it will probably be the first and only time almost every single one of my loved ones were in a room together … and they blended so nicely. It was overwhelming to see everyone I loved ALL on the same day. I also loved the honeymoon — nothing better than getting to relax for such a long time (not long enough!) with the love of my life/best friend after all of it was said and done. Bliss!!

Wedding Photography: Matt Miller of Our Labor of Love / Wedding Venue: Ambient+Studio / Wedding Coordinator: It’s All in the Details Event and Wedding Planning (Now based in Seattle) / Florist: Le Bonne Fleur / Makeup: P3 Lab / Hair: Luxe Beauty Co. / Officiant: Rev. Gale York / Rentals: Unlimited Party Rentals / Cupcakes: Dulce Vegan / Catering: Whole Foods / Wedding Dress: Enzoani / Bridesmaid Dresses: Watters / Groom’s Tuxedo: J.Crew / Groomsmen Rental Tuxedos: Men’s Wearhouse

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Post tags: Ambient+Studio, Atlanta, Dulce Vegan, Enzoani, Georgia, It's All in the Details Wedding & Event Planning, J. Crew, Le Bonne Fleur, Luxe Beauty Co., Matt Miller, Men's Wearhouse, Our Labor of Love, P3 Lab, Rev. Gale York, Unlimited Party Rentals, Watters, Whole Foods
Post categories: Atlanta Weddings, Contemporary, Georgia Weddings

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From the bride… I was never the girl who dreamed about a big, fancy wedding. In fact, I never really thought about what my wedding would be like, until one day in July of 2010 the most wonderful boyfriend I’ve ever had became my fiancé. After he popped the question, I faced about a million more questions. Where did I want to have the wedding? What would my colors be? Who would be in my wedding party? Band or DJ? Cake or cupcakes? Or both? The list was never-ending and overwhelming. As a producer, I’m no stranger to making decisions and planning. I had a notebook filled with clippings from bridal magazines, dozens of computer bookmarks, and a ticket to a wedding expo. After pitching idea #146 to my fiancé, I knew I needed help honing in on my perfect day. This was my wedding, and I had no idea how to answer any of these questions. I wanted something that was perfectly us and totally unique, but beyond that I was lost.

With help from Amy Velasco, a friend and wedding planner, we decided we wanted our wedding to be “fun, whimsical and casual.” I used those three words as a guideline for answering any question. If the table setting wasn’t fun, whimsical, or casual, it wasn’t right. But when I saw the orange zig-zag pattern, I knew it was my perfect table runner. When my fiancé suggested that the groomsmen wear purple Chuck Taylors, he prefaced the idea with the word “casual.” Done. We incorporated kazoos into the ceremony because there’s nothing quite so whimsical as 140 friends and loved ones piping away on kazoos as you and your husband kiss for the first time. And that homemade photo booth my bridesmaids and I made was tons of fun! My bridesmaids also helped me turn vintage travel postcards into table names and escort cards during a marathon crafter-noon.

For flowers, I chose orange pincushion protea, purple kale, kangaroo paws, billy balls, mango calla lilies, green spider mums, coxcomb and hot pink freesia. Certainly not traditional wedding flowers, but colorful and whimsical. Amy’s genius advice even helped me pick the venue. Traditional venues were nice enough, but they weren’t us, and they certainly didn’t embody the three words I had chosen to guide me. Then I found The Ace Hotel when I was looking to take my fiancé away for a long weekend to celebrate his birthday. The Ace Hotel in Palm Springs as about as fun, whimsical, and casual as it gets. Stepping into the macramé decorated reception area, I knew this was the place. It was everything I wanted in a wedding venue! The Commune Area, with concrete floors and a vintage Airstream trailer, had just the vibe I was going for. We booked it that weekend and then returned home to send out save the dates—vintage travel postcards featuring a photo of The Ace Hotel. When the wedding day finally arrived, those three words helped bring the whole evening together. It was fun, whimsical, and casual, to be sure. But most of all, the wedding was totally us.

Wedding Photography: Holly Steen and Jennifer Ebert of Cakes and Kisses Wedding Photography / Wedding Coordinator: Amy Velasco of Velasco Events (amykvelasco@gmail.com) / Venue: The Ace Hotel / Music: DJ Smiles of Our Labor of Love / Flowers: Rancho Mirage Florist / Lighting: Karen Lawrence (karenlawrence@sbcglobal.net) / Wedding Cake: Juliette’s Bakery / Officiant: Todd Beauchamp (tbeauchamp@mac.com) / Dresses: David’s Bridal / Bride’s Shrug: Anthopologie / Groom’s Suit: Michael Kors / Bridesmaid Necklace: Heartworks by Lori / Chalk Signs: Trevor Takahashi Designs / Wedding Invitations: Printable Press / Table Runners + Photo Booth Props: DIY

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Post tags: Amy Velasco, Anthropologie, Cakes and Kisses Wedding Photography, David's Bridal, DJ Smiles, Heartworks by Lori, Holly Steen, Jennifer Ebert, Juliette's Bakery, Karen Lawrence, Michael Kors, Orange, Our Labor of Love, Printable Press, Purple, Rancho Mirage Florist, Todd Beauchamp, Trevor Takahashi Designs, Velasco Events
Post categories: The Blog, Whimsical

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From the Bride…Josh and I have been together for six years and in this time we’ve traveled extensively around the world. He proposed in El Bolson, Argentina, midway through our month long trip to Argentina and Chile. It came as a complete surprise but the best part was being able to spend the next two weeks of our vacation as a newly engaged couple. I grew up in New York City and Josh is from Atlanta. We currently live in Brooklyn. While we would have loved to have had our wedding in one of these cities, we felt that having our wedding in a natural setting would both suit our budget and our love of nature. We took many road trips in search of a wedding location, then my friend suggested I look at places in New Hampshire because many of the towns had that quaint feeling that we experienced at summer camp when we were kids. I remember hearing about the Squam Art Workshop and how lovely the photos of Rockywold-Deephaven Camps were.

After first setting foot inside Rockywold-Deephaven Camp, we just knew that this is where we would have our wedding.  The air was crisp and clean and the shimmering lake reflected the lush forest in every direction.  As is customary with every cabin on Squam lake, they’re built inside the forest so as not to cut down any trees unless it’s absolutely necessary.  Looking out across the lake, man-made structures are barley visible through the towering forest.   Many of the cabins also have their own docks.  I also love that the camp only allows three weddings a year.  Rockywold-Deephaven Camps reminded me of the film Dirty Dancing and that was it, I was sold. I decided it would be my something old as it was founded in 1897.

Among our friends, we are known to have food fever. Every time we throw a cocktail party we make sure there’s a ton of food, so we knew we couldn’t disappoint our friends.  My family’s from Haiti, so we had an authentic Haitian feast of rice with mushroom broth, stewed chicken, shrimp creole, and Haitian conch.  A few of the dishes were prepared by a professional caterer, but many were made by my mom and her friends. Josh’s friend from college owns a dessert company, Ovenly, who provided a wide variety of delicious cakes, pies, and gluten-free cupcakes.

The night before our wedding, I was awakened by the sound of the rain pounding down on the rooftop of my cabin. Having heard the rain fall all night, it prepared me for the type of wedding we were going to have. Before I left our apartment in Brooklyn, I grabbed my rain boots as we were heading out the door just in case it rained. I was so glad I did. Everyone at breakfast kept telling us that the weather would clear up but when I checked the forecast it read 100% precipitation. We had to scrap our original plan of getting married under a birch tree trellis and decided to get married on the porch of the Longhouse. We were really lucky to have Lisa. She was our florist and day of wedding planner. She got married at Rockywold-Deephaven so she knew just what to do. Josh kept saying all week, “lean into it,” and that’s exactly what we did. The ceremony was incredibly majestic.  The clean air and mist on the lake made it perfectly romantic. I remember walking onto the porch with my dad and seeing my best friend shed some tears. I tried my best to hold it together. I had not seen Josh prior to the ceremony and he looked so handsome. His eyes were just beaming with energy.

We were so glad to have Jesse & Whit of Our Labor of Love take our photos. They were recommended to us by Max Wanger. When we met them a few months before our wedding for our engagement photo session, we knew instantly that we had made the right decision to go with them. They made us feel so comfortable and they compliment each other so well.  By the time our wedding rolled around we were confident that they would do an amazing job. They certainly were magnificent at capturing our special day.

Wedding Photography: Our Labor of Love / Ceremony Location: Rockywold-Deephaven / Floral Design, Design + Planning: Blooming Vineyard / Invitations: Bella Figura / Wedding Dress: Saja / Bride’s Belt + Veil: Hushed Commotion / “Here Comes The Bride” Sign: Bragging Bags / Reception Music: DJ NikFit / Wedding Cake: Ovenly / Groom’s Ring: Sarah Abramson Jewelry / Wedding Programs: Scrapping Innovations / Ring Pillow: Giggle Room

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Post tags: Bella Figura, Blooming Vineyard, Bragging Bags, DJ NikFit, Hushed Commotion, New Hampshire, Our Labor of Love, Ovenly, Rockywold-Deephaven, Saja
Post categories: Casual Elegance, The Blog

From Michele Damon … I met Kristen and her mom two years prior to wedding and they already had a game day plan: she would marry outdoors, under a garden canopy of flowers and candles. Kristen who is a very mod girl with a closet full of unique shoes, said it had to be vintage and intimate even though we were inviting 200 people.

Over the course of the following two years, Kristen and her mom became the antique, thrift store, yard sales queens, scoring the best items you could ever hope to have. Within these great finds (10 boxes to be exact), were a mannequin, her grandmothers cocktail table and 19 feet of lace.

The perfect dress was found at Kleinfield and the first one she tried on. We used flowers in blush shades and complimented them with “king and queen decor” to fit their rock and roller personalities.

The Historic Mansion was the perfect backdrop for the outdoor ceremony and cocktail hour and the amazing glass atrium ballroom went from an elegant dinner to a fun party with many of the guest camped out at Smilebooth all night. At the end of the night, Kristen & Devin exited thru a blaze of sparklers and were whisked away in their vintage Rolls Royce.

Photography: Our Labor of Love / Cinematography: Blue Sky Films / Flowers: Wicked Willow / Event Design & Planning: Michele Damon Events / Ceremony Location: Newton White Mansion / Reception Location: Newton White Mansion / Invitations: Heartcarry Press / Dress: Kleinfield / Shoes: Christian Louboutin / Cake: SugarBakers / Linens: Select Event Rentals / Photo Booth: Smilebooth / Officiant: Parker Sutton / Entertainment: My DeeJay

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Post tags: Blue Sky Films, Christian Louboutin, Heartcarry Press, Kleinfeld, Maryland, Michele Damon Events, My Deejay, Newton White Mansion, Our Labor of Love, Parker Sutton, Pink Black White, Select Event Rentals, Smilebooth, SugarBakers, Vintage, Wicked Willow
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Vintage Chic, Wedding Photography, Wedding Planners & Designers

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From cHill Weddings… Christine and Mike were wed in downtown Philadelphia in a new chic boutique hotel called Hotel Palomar. A venue that is best suited for a smaller wedding, their 70 count guest list was perfect. Christine and Mike knew what was important to them, and photography was on the top of their list.  And they did the right thing and hired Jesse and Whit of Our Labor of Love Photography!  The Smilebooth was set up for the reception and it ended up being a hit.

Their ceremony was exceptionally memorable because children were running around, giggling, and crying.  For the first time, I witnessed a couple who didn’t care! And let it roll off their shoulders because they loved kids too, and they were all very much part of the wedding. Skype was a great tool for the wedding, for Mike’s grandparents who couldn’t attend the wedding.  They watched the ceremony, heard all the toasts, and even got to dance with some guests as a cousin worked the dance floor with the laptop.

But what I loved the most were Christine and Mike’s detailed paper products.  I especially loved their placecards – which were hand calligraphied paper flowers that we placed on each champagne toast glass.  For escort cards, guests received a colored button that lead them to their seats, welcomed by a candy bar wrapped with the same colored paper. It was a fun, intimate affair with awesome music provided by the Remixologists.

Wedding Photography: Jesse and Whit of Our Labor of Love / Photo Booth: Smilebooth, Our Labor of Love / Floral Design: Sweet Pea / Day of Coordination: cHill Weddings, LLC / Wedding Ceremony & Reception Location: Hotel Palomar / Reception Music: The Remixologists / Wedding Invitations: Bella Figura / Program Stamp: Emilie Friday / Calligraphy: Patricia Mumau of Primele / Wedding Dress: Anne Barge / Bride’s Shoes: Kate Spade

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Post tags: Anne Barge, Bella Figura, Black and White, cHill Weddings, Emilie Friday, Hotel Palomar, Kate Spade, LLC, Our Labor of Love, Patricia Mumau, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Primele, Smilebooth, Sweet Pea Flowers, The Remixologists, White and Pink
Post categories: Traditional Elegance

see the whole lakeside soiree right here!

Eric and I were married by a lake in the North Georgia Mountains in October. It was perfect. Everything about our wedding was handmade. From the Mason jar centerpieces to the invitations to the programs to the wedding cake pedestal to the directional signs…we crafted and created it all, with love. We also set-up the altar and guest book area and designed the entire music program. Our musicians were our closest friends. Our entrance into the reception was an acoustic version of ‘Lean on Me’ performed by our wedding party! Indeed, it was a lot of work…but it was also a great time to discover how well we work together. For that, we gave high fives all around!

Photographer: Heidi with Our Labor of Love / Design and Styling: the Bride, Eclaire Creations / Caterer: BBQ catering company Papa Scruff’s / Dress: Bridal Sense consignment shop / Groom & Groomsmen attire: J.Crew / Florist: Bouquets Unlimited

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Post tags: Bridal Sense, Eclaire Creations, Georgia, J. Crew, Our Labor of Love, Papa Scruff's
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Real Weddings, The Blog

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The wedding was at our house overlooking the Moriches Bay, East Moriches, NY. It has been in the family since the 1920′s and my parents were married there too ( except their wedding was inside because it rained). Since our families have known each other for over 10 years, but we only started dating when he got out of the Marine Corps several years ago, we wanted the wedding to have a family oriented atmosphere.   His brother-in-law officiated, his nephew was our ring bearer and my cousin read the Irish Prayer during the ceremony.  Even the majority of our animal friends made appearances at the wedding!

We tried to pay attention to small details that reflected our personalities and interests. We used the bee symbol throughout the wedding mainly because during my time as a forensic investigator in Baltimore, MD I developed a fancy for insects. The bee symbolizes hope and diligence which seemed fitting for a marriage. Our invitations had a bee wax seal which my mom and I also used to make the napkin rings at each place setting. A family member embroidered the bee on tiny gift bags which were  filled with Tate’s Cookies. They are baked locally and the smell inundates people as they drive through our town!  We wanted to look to reflect the setting so the colors were muted and really emphasized the surroundings. Bayport Flower House provided the flowers for my parents wedding so they were an obvious choice. It also kept with the homegrown feel of the day.  Mike and I even sat in needlepoint chairs that were plucked out of my parents living room and have been part of the family as long as the house has!

The groomsmen were all former Marines so they wore miniature gold wings as tie tacks. The gold wings were also on the wedding cake which was fashioned to look like a stack of antique books to pay tribute to my favorite hobby. Each book represented us as individuals, Mike with the military and equestrian motifs for my layer with one layer dedicated to our union. We chose the bagpipes because I have a long deceased relative who would come play the bagpipes by the water during family gatherings so it was a way to remember those that could only share our day in spirit.  Our first dance was to Rolling Stones – Wild Horses, mostly because I am an avid horseback rider and when Mike and I first started dating he informed me that the thing in this world he is most fearful of are horses! The DJ was a pal of Mike’s who is in the Air National Guard with him.

We ended the night with fireworks, set off by friends….which probably should have been left to professionals.

Oh, and I wore red shoes because, with a name like Dorothy, I had to sneak a Wizard of Oz reference in somewhere….and there is no place like home!

Photography: Heidi with Our Labor of Love / Catering: Moriches Catering / Flowers: Bayport Flower House / Cake:  Toni at Have Your Cake, Ltd. / DJ: Pat Williamson / Bagpipes: Members of the Suffolk County Police Pipe Band / Wedding Dress: Vera Wang (the same style as Chelsea Clinton!) / Bride’s Shoes: Badgley Mischka / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: J. Crew / Suits: Rico’s Clothing / Jewelry: Metal Monk / Favors: Tate’s Cookies

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Post tags: Backyard, Bayport Flower House, New York Weddings, Our Labor of Love
Post categories: Casual Elegance, New York City Weddings, New York Weddings