Rewarding you with photography news!

OK, OK, so I know I vowed to be a better blogger, but some (good!) things happened in the past month that have severely cut down on blogging time. First, I've started a new job that's keeping me busy, and it feels good to be back in a newsroom-type environment. The real time-eater: Greg bought tickets for the rest of the Nationals' season. And it's all good because I'm a fan, ya know. ;)

Because you've waited so long for an update, I'll tell you about our engagement photo session!

Photography is high on our priority list since pictures last forever (and we can show them off to everyone, haha). I browsed San Francisco area photographers, but the people I liked couldn't give me a lot for my budget, so I looked outside the area, knowing I'd have to add travel costs.

I considered someone in D.C. so we could have all the monuments, cherry blossoms, etc., in our engagement photos, but the cost of flying someone to Cali for the wedding was too much to handle.

I looked in Greg's hometown of San Diego (since we'd be making a trip there sometime) and found Sean Walker. I checked out his site (auto-starts with music, FYI) and blog, and I was intrigued. He was able to tweak his pricing to quote us both a fabulous package AND travel costs for him and his wife — all within budget. No matter what stage you're at in life, those are three words that make things better!

We did the shoot last month when we were flying to San Diego to hang out with Greg's family and catch our very first LA Dodgers game. I spent hours picking outfits; we did a casual look and a dressier one. Sean picked out places for us to pose, and off we went. (It was basically two hours of public kissing, hehe.)

I'll expand on Sean's background and our interaction with him more in another post, but I know what you're waiting for: eye candy!

Sitting pretty in downtown La Jolla.

Being book nerds by the ocean. Kindle and Harry Potter, for the win!

I am so glad I was able to afford the engagement session. We got to see how Sean operated, were able to get comfortable in front of a camera and now have some great (non-iPhone) photos of ourselves! He even included an online gallery where you can see the rest and buy prints, if you're interested (after registering for free).

It was so fun getting to have some fun photo time with Greg, and from the looks of it, he really enjoyed it, too. :)

If you're not sick of looking at us, here's the link again to the online gallery. :)

What do you think of our engagement photos? A worthy investment?

* All photos copyright Sean Walker Photography and used with permission.

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Fourth of July wedding inspiration

We return from San Diego only to be welcomed by a holiday weekend! We might not be close to family, but it'll still be a fun time with friends.

And of course, I can't let such a party weekend pass by without thinking about some Independence Day traditions that would make great wedding details.

(1) Fireworks

Whether you love 'em, think they're too loud or get worried about their environmental impact, there's no denying that there's something magical about bursts of glitter in the sky. The wedding world caught onto this within the past couple of years, and sparklers have held the spotlight, as Hello to Hitched recently profiled. They're easy to hold, photographers know how to make 'em look hot, and I'm all for some childhood fun. :)

Fun photography that glows - too cute!

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Sparklers are also a great way to get guests involved, and using them as part of the evening sendoff is popping up on blogs all over. My pals Joey and Chelsea, who got married in San Diego in January, did a sparkler exit, and it was so fun!

Not my pals, haha. Just another super-cute couple — on a tandem bike, too!

(source — Their vintage wedding is worth a click.)

Unfortunately, I'm not 100 percent sure if sparklers would be possible at our San Francisco wedding, seeing as my family had to head down the peninsula to light our safe-and-sane fireworks every Fourth of July. And I'm not the only one being let down.

(2) Pie

I used to not really like pie — then again, I would sometimes only eat chicken nuggets for years of my childhood, so I'm no foodie — but now that apple pie has my seal of approval, it's a real treat. And even more sweets at a wedding? Yes, please.

What my mom usually whips up...

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Sitting pretty at a country wedding's pie bar. PIE BAR?! Mmm.

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However, cake will always be the winner in my book, mostly for the heaven that is buttercream. I'm always the kid to snatch the corner piece, even quicker if it has those big roses. I's gots ta have my frosting!

(3) Red, white and blue

This one is the easiest and the most fun tradition to make your own. I've found that some brides using this palette tend to shy away from the true shades of red and blue, leaning more towards mahogany, orange-red, cornflower or cerulean. How's that for some Crayola color knowledge? ;)

The save-the-date design below is one of my all-time favorites. It's by Hello!Lucky, a super-cool stationery studio based in San Francisco. I love the cartoon feel, and there's another ironic detail in the sample that tickles my fancy. Can you guess?

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What holiday traditions do you think would be fun at a wedding? Happy Fourth of July, and a big hello to our family and friends around the country!