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June 19, 2013

Ellwanger Estate Wedding : Robyn + Adam

They had dated, they had waited, and the time was finally right. Robyn and Adam decided to join their lives together officially and plan their wedding day. They choose Ellwanger Estate, a hidden gem right in Rochester, to host their celebration and invited family and friends to gather with them. When their day arrived just over a week ago, they enjoyed not only some of the best weather we’ve seen in New York this summer, but a wedding that was worth the wait.

The adjacent garden were overflowing with blossoms, many planted by the famed 19th-century horticulturist George Ellwanger to whom the garden originally belonged. Inside the house, preparations were made for the intimate celebration and ceremony on the porch.

Robyn was upstairs getting ready with her mom by her side, putting the finishing touches together for her first look. She looked stunning, with vintage details and family jewelry adorning her.

After starting the day together with a first look – a moment to cherish together – we set off into the beautiful grounds for photos.

Robyn you look amazing! There were so many flowers around to compliment you, but you outshone them all.

Wow you guys look great together.

The ceremony was simple and sweet and held on the porch of the large estate.

 

Custom favors were made by Robyn and Adam – seed bulbs to plan in the garden were enclosed in a custom stained and stamped box.

Happiness was overflowing, tears were shed, and the I do’s exchanged to make things official. It was a great way to start their married lives together. A reception at the house followed with more festivities later on at Tap + Mallet.

Your wedding was so beautiful, Robyn and Adam. I loved being a part of it and wish you so many years of happiness ahead!

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June 18, 2013

waffles

For the last day and a half we have had visitors! Not just any visitors, but family who traveled all the way from Texas. We are just one stop on their long cross country road trip, but it’s a rare thing. You really have to want to be in our area since we live in the country, so you would never drive through unless you came intentionally. Long story short, we were close enough to come visit so we loved having them. Since guests are in town, it’s time to pull out some of the stops (if not all) and one of those is a great breakfast. I came across this waffle recipe through epicurious and was happy to discover the crispest waffles I’ve made. Often times they are bready and soft, but these are light and… crisp! I added them to my list of delicious breakfast foods and while I didn’t end up making them for our family (since we had already made fresh bread to enjoy) I plan to next time. This recipe starts the night before – both a blessing and a curse – you already have the work done, but you have to remember to plan ahead. I hope you enjoy these and this is another vote for putting a waffle iron on your wedding registry. read the full post»

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June 17, 2013

jennifer carpenter

If you’ve been thinking I look like Jennifer Carpenter, aka Deb Morgan from the show Dexter, you’re not alone. For the past three years I’ve had bridal parties confess the resemblance half way through taking pictures… you know, once they warm up and realized I’m not going to make them do anything awkward for photos. The say “we almost expected you to start cussing us out” just like her character on the show, but that’s where I sadly disappoint because I don’t really swear, especially at a bridal party I’m taking pictures of… but it seems like I could use that to my advantage.

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June 17, 2013 - 11:48 am

Tami Paige - Oh my goodness! You DO look a TON alike!!!! So funny!!!

June 14, 2013

happy father’s day

The trend for me is to only get one good gift a year for Matt. It’s not that I don’t try at other times, but you can’t go all out birthday, Christmas, and now father’s day every year. I mean maybe you can but I can’t. In fact those first two holidays occur fairly close together for Matt, and this year it was also right before Daphne was due. He definitely had a “well we just celebrated Christmas so I’m not going to give you anything else kind of birthday.” I don’t think it’s all about gift giving… but then when you hit it out of the park with a great gift it’s awesome, right?

I went for it on Father’s Day. Or maybe I made up for it. Either way I decided to buy Matt something he had been talking about in abstract terms for a while – a bag that was nice, that you could travel with and easily go over night somewhere, but that wasn’t so small you couldn’t carry anything. I found it from Everlane.

After hearing a story about Everlane on NPR I went on their site and looked around. They are a company that is solely online, forgoing a storefront to keep the costs down for their simple luxury items. In addition, they are meticulous about where things are made. I appreciate a company that is responsible and interested in not just how they can make their goods in the most cost effective manner, but how they can do so with a conscious.

Matt went to a conference in Charlotte last weekend so I gave him his present early. When all the roller luggage was forced to be checked at the gate he walked through and found space in the overhead. He also stood in the elevator of his hotel and had a conversation with Henry Cusick, who I know as Desmond from LOST! (Remember when we were addicted to LOST? So crazy)

Thank goodness he had this cool bag.

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June 14, 2013 - 10:57 am

Sarah - I LOOOVVEEE Desmond! I actually watched the Desmond is my Constant episode recently all by itself just to see him again, haha!

June 13, 2013

motivated

On my mirror I have this little hand written note and it says “I am going to use my time wisely and make my workout a priority!” Coming up with a few “I am” statements as Julie recommended wasn’t too difficult, but I did feel a little silly posting them around the house. However, whenever I passed by one I was encouraged and their positive message started to stick with me. I also am suppose to read all of them as a group every morning, but I feel like I need to confess I haven’t been doing that… until today. (sometimes we make the simplest things the hardest)

Out of the statements (the others have to do with swimming, biking and running) this one is my favorite. It reminds me that I need to think about how I spend my time which is currently the most precious commodity I have. In between running a business and taking care of a baby it seems like there is room for little else.

So does training come completely naturally? No! Each day it’s a choice and a series of steps where I have to either planned ahead or make the decision to do so. Once I’m out the door I love the feeling of a good swim, bike or run, and that includes all of the extra benefits – stress relief, time outdoors, ability to eat extra cookies later on… all things that change my mood and make me a happier person. However sometimes it’s soo hard to get myself out the door. It could be because Daphne is napping, or because the weather isn’t ideal, or because I have a couple thousand images waiting to be culled and edited. read the full post»

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