Nate and I are going to be out of town for the weekend so whether you’ve emailed us late last night or today, are planning on emailing us tomorrow, or wait and email us on Sunday, we will be answering them all on Monday. ;)

Nate and I are spending the weekend in West Palm Beach, Florida to see Dave Matthews Band live in concert for the second year in a row. (That’s a photo of us at the concert last year up above.) Nate has been a HUGE fan for years and this is his 8th and 9th times. This will be my 2nd (and 3rd, because we’re going to both the Friday and Saturday shows). We’re so excited to hang out with friends, lay on the beach, and listen to some of our favorite music. Hopefully I can coerce Nate into making me his homemade and oh-so-delicious mojitos. Nate was a bartender for a while and he has a special knack for mixology. In the summer, mojitos are my absolute favorite (maybe it’s my Cuban roots coming through) and I love when he makes them from scratch, without any pre-made mixes. I asked him if we could share his recipe on the blog and he said yes so here ya go…

The West Palm Beach coastline, and Nate’s homemade mojitos

Nate’s Homemade Mojitos

Ingredients:
1.5 oz rum
3-4 slices of lime in the bottom of the cup
2-4 mint leaves torn up finely
1.5 oz simple syrup
Sprite

Combine in a glass with ice and serve. Bonus points if you can find sugarcane! MMMMMM!

Inspired by the Design*Sponge’s “Living In” posts where she takes inspiration from some of her favorite movies to create styling mood boards for interior design and fashion, I thought I would elaborate and do the same thing with some of the prettiest wedding scenes on the big screen. The ambiance in movies (and big budget) can allow for some inspiring wedding spreads if we look past the actors and the dialogue to the decor.

Since tonight I am watching Last Chance Harvey on Netflix, I figured I’d start here. Last Chance Harvey is a redemption story about a man that begins with him flying to London to attend his daughter’s wedding. The wedding is classy and warm with creamy tones and lots of ambient lighting but is surprisingly un-snooty. Warm cream and golden tones mixed with dripping foliage and the sophistication of black tie fashion. As we were watching I realized I was internally remarking on all the decor even though the wedding isn’t even the focus of the plot.

The first thing I love about this wedding is all the warm golden tones. There are gold Chiavari chairs, golden lighting from twinkle lights strung en masse behind cream colored fabric, the glow of candles, and floral arrangements of pale colored roses. I love the look of a single, fully-opened rose as a boutonniere, and the sophistication of classic tuxedos and black bow ties. But what I love most about this wedding is that while it is decadent and dressy, it is surprisingly soft and un-fussy. Adding unexpected touches like golden mercury glass on the tables and a beaded headband could do the trick nicely for real life bride to take the edge off of all the traditional decor. Also, allowing your floral designs to be a bit looser and more organic can help dial down the fuss…

Bow tie: J Crew | Votive: Golden Mercury Glass | Gown: Ann Barge | Beaded headband: Anthropologie | Flowers by: Saipua

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Be Inspired.

St. Augustine, Florida

We met up with Melissa and Brian in St. Augustine for a few beers and a few photos. More photos than beers…I promise. I don’t even like beer. Except Cider. But I’m told (by beer snobs, I’m looking at you Griffin!) that Cider doesn’t count as beer. I digress… We met up with them on a steamy Florida afternoon for photos around the downtown area. Missy wanted a few dark and romantic shots inside Stogies, a little cigar and jazz spot off the main strip so we took a break from the heat and let Missy and Brian snuggle in the dark for a bit.

Missy and Brian came to us via our friend, Kylene. Kylene is a photographer herself and a close friend of Missy. So close in fact that Missy wanted her to be a part of the wedding instead of working at it. And Kylene was nice enough to put Missy in contact with yours truly. I’d like to believe it is destiny. Or some serious match making skills on Kylene’s behalf because just a few minutes after meeting Missy and Brian we knew that we were a match made in heaven. Missy and Brian are absolutely adorable together and we cannot wait to shoot their wedding just days before we leave for our own. (October shall hence force be known as the MONTH OF JUBILATION!)

The first shot of the day. They’re naturals…

This spot couldn’t have been styled better if I’d tried…

It means “the creek” for you curious souls out there. ;)

I ADORE freckles!

People ask why our clients wear sunglasses in our shoots. It’s because that’s some blazing 99 degree sunshine right there. ;)

GORGEOUS!

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