Wedding Wednesday | Vera Wang Black Collection

Prepare yourself ladies, Vera Wang is releasing a BLACK by Vera Wang Collection at Men's Wearhouse that features two of the hottest tuxedos for our main men.  With the wedding season fast approaching, your guy will need to be looking his best to match your hot, new dress.  These tuxedos are definitely fashionable.... and sexy. ;)

{Images via Vera Wang}

Handpicked | Spring Shoe Trends

Hey Everyone! To go along with Jami's post last week about spring dresses, I thought why not share the newest spring shoe trends?  Courtesy of DSW, here's a few styles to finish off the perfect spring outfit!

1) Impo Tipsy Wedge Sandal from DSW - $49.95 - So adorable!  Perfect for a cute summer dress!

2) G BY GUESS Makeup Flat from DSW - $39.95 - For all our tall friends out there, the perfect pair of flats!

3) SM Women's James Wedge from DSW - $69.95 - The perfect wedge to go with any outfit - dressy or casual!

4) Marc by Marc Jacob's Printed Flip Flop from DSW - $49.95 - Flip-flops are a girl's best friend!

5) Kelsi Dagger Felicia Sandal from DSW - $89.95 - This would be great for an upcoming wedding you may have with your favorite little black dress!

6) Rock & Candy Boatie Shimmer Boat Shoe from DSW - $29.95 - Boat rides, fishing and all the fun things to do at the lake are right around the corner, so of course you'll need the perfect boat shoes for the day!

7) Qupid Tatum Color Block Pump from DSW - $44.95 - For all the high heel lovers out there, these will for sure turn a few heads!

8) Mojo Moxy Footloose Sandal from DSW - $79.95 - How cute are these?! Makes me want to watch Footloose :)

9) Sperry Top-Sider Women's Biscayne Leopard Boat Shoe from DSW - $49.95 - Add these fun leopard print boat shoes to your Sperry collection!

Handpicked | St. Patrick's Day

Happy Monday everyone! St. Patrick's Day is this coming Saturday, and I'm sure everyone is already brewing up some green beverages for a party! ;)  Are you in need of some ideas for costumes and decorations for your party?  Well you're just in "luck", because I've put together some fun decorating ideas and festive outfits that will be sure to impress your guests! :)

1) St. Patrick's Day Tin - Cutouts from Cheryl's - $38.99 - Super cute cookies for all ages to love!

2)  Kiss Me I'm Irish Women's T-Shirt from TeeShirtPlace.com - $17.00 - Every girl deserves a few extra kisses ;)

3) Drink Til Yer Green Personalized Beer Mug from PersonalizationMall.com - $18.70 - These would definitely be a big hit!

4) St. Patrick's Day Shamrocks Party Pack for 8 from Celebrate Express - $26.39 - Who wouldn't love eating off a shamrock plate?

5) Irish Mug "Welcome" Sign from Terry's Village - $10.00 - Invite all your guests in with a cute outdoor sign!

6) Green Butter Popcorn from The Popcorn Factory - $9.99 - Who doesn't love popcorn?  Especially when it's green!

7) Bead Necklaces with Shamrocks from Oriental Trading - $9.00 - No St. Patrick's Day event is complete with beads!

8) St. Patrick's Day Chocolate Coins from Terry's Village - $8.99 - These would be a lot of fun to scatter around the room and decorate with!

9) St. Patrick's Day Stove Pipe Top Hat from Wholesale Halloween Costumes - $4.90 - To "top" your outfit off, you can finish it with a classic St. Patrick's Day hat!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Four Years!! {The Bride + Groom}

These photos by Brandy J Photography really need to introduction - just me and my incredibly handsome husband :o)

Yes, this house really is leaning the far to the right. . . it's actually no longer standing, so our photos will remain unique and memorable!  Incredibly memorable because we were screamed at shortly after taking them. . . that's a story for another time though ;o)

Since we were married Halloween weekend, the Halloween Parade was going on downtown.  We were lucky enough to get some really awesome shots in front of one of the vendors - they thought were clinically insane, but they are honestly some of my favorites!!

Four Years!! {The Bridal Party}

I'm going to keep the Amanda and Ilario Wedding Par-tay going for a little while longer :o)  Right now its some of my favorite photos of The Bridal Party then we'll finish it up tomorrow with some shots of just the two of us and The Reception!!

I love, love, love the photos of my sister and I - we have the middle one framed on our gallery wall in our home because I love it so much!

My hubby is so handsome and our fathers look just as dashing in the photo to the right.  We have the photo of the men walking down the street framed on our gallery wall as well - love it!

There was never any doubt that our photographer, Sticky, was going to be an amazing father after seeing these photos of him and our flower girl,  Hannah. . . also, no doubt Hannah is going to grow up to be a stunning beauty!

The corn field may have been a bit messy, but the results were well worth it!!  Love, love, love :o)

Four Years!! {The Ceremony}

Today I'm continuing Ilario and I's Four Year Wedding Anniversary by sharing some beautiful details from our Ceremony - enjoy!

I love how beautiful my mom looks in this photo below and I can't get over how little my baby brother is!! Four years later and he's a handsome and strong young man, towering over all of us :o)

Now to explain the blue tongue that I walked down the aisle with - lol!!  Minutes before, I took a dissolvable mouth strip and it was the culprit - I love that the moment was captured because I probably wouldn't have remembered such a funny, random occurrence :o)

I can't express in words how talented my family members are when it comes to singing - my Aunt Sherril, cousin Sophie, Uncle Frank and Aunt Deb sang so beautifully on my wedding day, it's one of my most cherished memories!

I love my daddy!!  These photos can make me smile even when I'm having a bad day :o)

When I cry, I laugh - so throughout our vows I was simultaneously bawling and giggling :o)

Ilario and Uh-mana-dah Cursaro (yes, our priest said my name wrong because he was concentrating so much on Ilario's) - lol!!!

All of the photos captured of the children involved in our wedding are amazing - below our flower girl, Hannah, looks so sweet with her aunt Sarah (who I grew up next to) and my gorgeous nephew, Grant, is having his tie straightened. I LOVE IT!

Four Years!!! {Getting Ready}

Can you believe it?!?!?!  Ilario and I have been married FOUR years today!!!  I couldn't be more blessed to have found such an amazing man to spend my life with!

And since reliving that very special day is one of my favorite things (EVER!), I'm going to spend today and tomorrow showing you all some of my favorite details.  Right now, it's all about the ladies (and a few of the handsome men) getting ready.  All photos by Brandy J Photography :o)

My bridesmaids, flower girls and mom spent the morning of October 27th getting ready at a salon in my hometown, which unfortunately is no longer open :o(  My dear friend and hair dresser, Jen, flew in from Charlotte to do my hair while my cousin Kristie and another stylist at the salon helped out with hair as well.  I also was lucky enough to have the talented Jordanne Clyde doing my makeup and an Arbonne specialist working on the rest of the ladies!

I adore the moments captured in these next few photos - my sister is obviously making fun of me while helping put on my jewelry (lol!!), I'm assisting my cousin's little girl, Alivia, put the finishing touches on her flower girl dress and then Alivia and our family friend, Hannah, twirling in their gowns - LOVE!!

The photo of my garter is a very special one - my grandmother, mom and aunts have all worn that garter on their wedding days!!  Jami even wore it earlier in this month :o)

Once again, a few more of my favorite moments - I was having a little fun while the ladies were fluffing my crinoline and then my mom making my brooch (which I purchased in Charleston - where we were engaged!) look just perfect.

Stay tuned for photos from our ceremony!!

Wedding Wednesday | Jamie + Grant's Intimate Tennessee Wedding by Shannon Kelley Photography

Today we have a special treat to lay your eyes on - A Real Wedding by the seriously talented Shannon Kelley of Shannon Kelley Photography!  Shannon is not only inspiring behind the camera, but she's doing some pretty incredible things in her personal life as well.  In January, Shannon and her family will be moving to Haiti to do work with World Wide Village.  To learn more about this amazing woman and her journey be sure to read her blog.

Now for a little about this gorgeous wedding, from Shannon herself - 

Jamie and Grant are the perfect example of how you don't have to sacrifice beauty and details with a small wedding. They held a destination wedding for them and their family at a cabin in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Jamie planned out the gorgeous details like the peacock feathers in her hair and for the boutonnieres. The small intimate wedding also let them incorporate really sweet details like each member getting to say a little something to them during the ceremony and, of course, some fun pictures of the whole family together. It was a great day to celebrate their beautiful wedding!

I am in so in love with Jamie's dress - it's the perfect combination of ethereal and sexy!  And are you kidding me with that gorgeous view and the peacock details - swoon!

I adore the emotion Shannon was able to capture - had it not been such an intimate ceremony, those moments could have gone unnoticed.  It truly is beautiful.

The details of this ceremony are exceptional - even the guest attire matched the wedding colors!

A huge thank you goes out to Shannon for sharing these beautiful images of Jamie and Grant's day!!  It's an honor to feature such a gorgeous and unique event :o)

Wedding Wednesday | Christina + Eric 06.09.11

Today I have a beautiful Real Wedding by Alaina Carnahan from Ace of Images with Elizabeth Weddington of Studio Seventy-Nine as the second shooter!  I feel so lucky to have the work of such talented, and sweet :o), ladies!  Bonus:  I get to work with both of them at a wedding next weekend - yay!!!

Christina and Eric were married on July 9th at Saint Patrick Catholic Church in Bryan, Ohio with a beautiful, rustic reception following at the Williams County Veterans Memorial in Montpelier.  Their wedding was extra special because Christina's son, Josh, was the ring bearer :o)

Are you kidding me with that cuteness?!?!  Also, Eric's company Herm-TV Productions did the videography for the day!  It truly was a family affair ;o)

Now a little about the couple from bride, Christina:
We met while working together at a local TV station. We were inseparable and best friends.


He proposed at our new home after we went to check out “construction”. He asked me if I could see myself living there for quite awhile and I said, "yes". He said, "Since we're starting a new life here together. . . do you think you could spend the rest of yours with me?"

And now for the details of the big day:
The wedding was all planned around the ring. It’s beautiful, vintage and classy. We wanted the style to carry throughout the wedding look. The dress was found at David’s Bridal and definitely had a vintage flair.

The centerpieces were all made by us, as well as the cake table's wood platters.  The cake was made by a church friend and the cupcakes were made by a friend of my Mother-in-Law.  For the tall centerpieces, my mother-in-law glued hydrangea pieces to tree limbs then we washed river rock and stuck them in. For the short squares we bought fake hydrangeas and placed them in the river rock. Our florist was Gabe from Wonsetler Flowers in Bryan and he did the amazing pew decorations/bouquets, etc.

All Occasions Plus in Defiance took care of the hall decorations, including the beautiful hand-made chandelier which fit the theme so well. Stella Blue in Archbold was the caterer and Foxtunes Entertainment out of Stryker was the DJ.

Some words from groom, Eric:
The centerpieces were twigs and branches cut from my parents' back yard, Josh helped pick out the ones to cut. The wood planks for the cake table were cut from my grandparents' backyard tree that was a favorite climbing tree when I was growing up.


Jacob Rausch - my cousin - did the grandparents' memorial flowers.  He is an award winning floral designer who is a freshman at University of Toledo. He has fun doing it on the side as a hobby. and has worked for a florist during the summer.

Absolutely beautiful!!  A definite source of inspiration for brides-to-be :o)  Thanks for sharing, Alaina, and congratulations on your new life together Christina and Eric!!