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A few months ago Emily gave me the Tracy Anderson work out videos, and I have been a changed person ever since! For those of you that don’t know, Tracy is Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow’s personal trainer. She is a former ballerina, and has developed her own method that I swear works brilliantly! A lot of her moves definitely have a dance vibe, which is maybe why Emily and I like it so much (both of us are former dancers). However my mom is also completely addicted, and she has no dance experience. The cool thing is that on Gwyneth’s new amazing blog, she is posting free Tracy videos so you can try it out for yourself.
I love working with Jasmine Star for so many reasons. Besides her energy and spunky personality, she takes FABULOUS floral detail shots and always spoils me with the images. It’s only been a month since Naomi and Steve’s 2.28.09 wedding, and yesterday morning I received a disc with all my favorite flower images. Score!
(ed’s note: Emilie shared some of the details of her wedding; below she shares her proposal story!)
Here is how the proposal unfolded…
If you live in Maine, you may have heard about Your Piece of Maine, a contest sponsored by the Maine Association of Realtors. The rules require that you submit a 3-minute (or less) video on YouTube explaining why you want a piece of Maine. There are 10 prizes; first prize is $20,000!
J had decided that it might be fun to put something together, highlighting that he moved here from California and then feature a few of his favorite local places. He also decided he is ready to trade in his California license plates and officially become a Maine-iac, something we both thought would be a cute angle for the end of his video.
After I came home from work (feels so odd to write that!), we (dogs, too) piled into the car to go for a walk at Higgins Beach in Scarborough, something we do most nights. The weather was particularly gorgeous that day, and the sunset was spectacular.
We strolled down the beach with our little point-and-shoot camera (that also takes video) and my tripod until we found the right spot and waited for the right light for J to talk about why he loves the beach in Maine. He wanted me in this clip, since this is an activity we do together.
He was setting up the camera and asked me to walk toward the water to mark our starting spot. You’ll have to watch the video to see what happened next (note how I think he’s done and try to pull away to turn the camera off- he pulls me back and goes into his proposal talk)!
I met celebrity stylist Allison Berlin (she works for TLC’s What Not to Wear!) this past week at the Wedding Salon Bridal Show. Allison is a friend of our very own Laura Nadeau, and has guest blogged for us before sharing some of her styling tricks. Today she shares her tips for what to wear for engagement pictures.
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Ahh, to be a bride. A sudden celebrity, party planner and accountant all rolled into one. And throughout all of this, you need to look your best at a series of events and photo ops. Headshots are surprisingly tricky, especially with 2 people, so here are some notes from a stylist to help get you through. Think more Jennifer Aniston, less Jennifer Lopez…
1. Colors - This is important if you’re taking color pictures. Jewel tones (the a-line skirts of the color wheel) are universally flattering for most skin types. Jewel tones include sapphire, emerald, fuchsia, amethyst and ruby red. Don’t worry about whether you’re an autumn or a spring; just choose a rich color that brightens your face. No pastels, no black*!
2. Black* - I know, I know, you can’t live without it. Frankly, neither can I but I’ve had a headshot done while wearing black and it can look draining. Here are some other suggestions: navy, chocolate, pink, teal, cream (only for warm skin tones) even a subtle print will work.
3. Keep it Simple - Wear a dress or top that is uncomplicated and chic. This is not the time to try out a new trend. Skip embellished necklines, textured fabrics (like eyelet) that add bulk, shiny satin, ruffles and big prints. A solid color dress or fitted top with a little bit of neckline interest is the best way to go. Since that eliminates about 80% of Bloomingdale’s, take this list if you go shopping and stay focused.
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I wish I could remember where I found this, but I love it. It’s a mini movie and it really speaks to photographers and anyone in the pursuit of happiness. 
Finding
I’m continually asked how to find a makeup artists (MUA) when you don’t live in a metropolitan area or are just not having any luck with referrals from websites. I recommend the following:
1. Contact wedding photographers, reception venues, or hair stylists for referrals.
2. Go to a makeup counter and ask specifically for an artist that does bridal. Ask them questions about their rate, technique, past weddings. If an artist doesn’t know their bridal rate, then they aren’t doing weddings!
3. Contact beauty salons and ask for a referral
Choosing
I recently had a bride ask me “do I need to have several makeup/hair trials?”. My response is absolutely not. I recommend that you do your due diligence and google them before the trial and see what is said about them. If you have a lot of time and disposable income, then you can see as many as you like, but most brides are on a time crunch and a budget. If you love how you look and feel comfortable with the artist, then book her/him (see bridal trial dos). I encounter a lot of indecisive brides and my advice to them is to trust your gut and bring a friend to the trial. Don’t expect to look like you would on your wedding day - this is a trial. You can’t see the full picture, and the hair and makeup will look even better on the wedding day as the artist is starting out knowing exactly what the end product is.
I just adore Boomie and David. And the more time I spent time with them, I absolutely adored them even more. I was so excited when we got to spend the whole day with them the day after the traditional ceremony. They picked us up and we frolicked on the beach for half an hour, and it was awesome! I shot some film, too, but I’m afraid you’ll have to wait, as I’m in Santa Fe with no means of developing any film. Since David lives in Nigeria and has never even been to the States, and the Yoruba ceremony was insanely chaotic (though amazingly vibrant), the Bones and I were very excited to take some pictures with no distractions in that special engagement way that I love so well to do. Yum.
I recently shipped a ring pillow to Melissa and Joey in Florida. After looking at Melissa’s inspiration board and learning of their love for travel, the idea of a postcard came to mind. Travel, maps, luggage, postcards and feathers would all be incorporated, and this worked perfectly with her bridal colors of clover, ivory, chocolate, and a touch of pink. Melissa loved the concept, especially since it was in keeping with her taste for the whimsical. To bring a sense of elegance, I decided to use subtle embroidery rather than felt appliqué. We were so excited to see all the elements of her wedding come together in the pillow. She requested all Hungarian felt because Budapest is where Joey proposed. I used a creamy vintage embroidery yarn to create the silhouettes of the postcard and stamp, and a finer yarn for their initials. It was Melissa’s idea to have their initials on the left side of the postcard. I think that was a perfect touch.
Detail of soft embroidery for postcard and beaded stamp
Today I’m publishing a guest post from my mom, Mary Beth while I catch up on a week of e-mails (sorry guys) and edit photos.
Wednesday’s Martha Stewart show was mostly about felt. I was interested in this because Megan uses wool felt in her beautiful flowers. While she doesn’t felt her own wool, we both love felt and all things felted. Megan gets her wool felt from Prairie Point Junction, in Nebraska.
But it sure would be fun to go all the way to NEW YORK CEETY to see the new exhibit at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York City.
When searching for a location to photograph Patricia + Art for their engagement session, Justin reminded me of the awesome colors we had seen a few weeks prior in Downtown Silver Lake. We decided to go there and we seriously had so much color to work with…I loved it! It was also helpful that Patricia + Art were great subjects to have in front of our camera, super photogenic and ultra fun to work with!
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