Engagement Pictures

We are so looking forward to seeing Steph from Saltwater this weekend for our engagement pictures! I've gotta say that I've been a little nervous about what we're going to wear. I thought making some mood boards would help me decide. We also had to choose where we would want to have the pictures done...

Jay made it very clear from the get-go that he wanted pictures in front of City Hall. If not a little cliche, he at least does a lot of work here and I'm so proud of all he's accomplished in his career. If this makes him happy, than it makes me happy. It doesn't hurt that pictures on Broad Street always turn out awesome.

Oh, and yes... Blitz will be making a guest appearance in some of our photos :)

The best part about these outfits is that we already own all these goods, and maybe have had some of them for over 10 years... a la Gap Jean Jacket (similar here).

For me: white dress (similar here, here, and here), engagement ring, Tiffany Necklace and Bracelet (both Christmas gifts from Jay), knuckle ring, Joyfolie shoes.

For him: Polo shirt and patchwork plaid pants (Polo Ralph Lauren Outlet last summer and unfortunately, ebay is the only place I can find them), Men's Black Invicta Watch- we actually found at Costco on a random grocery trek but they don't have the same one anymore (similar here), Shoes (Sperry Topsiders - Nordstrom Rack).


We're also planning on getting some of our pictures done at Penn's Landing by the Irish Memorial or around Independence Hall (we haven't quite made that decision yet, but I'm we're leaning towards Penn's Landing).

I'm completely loving the idea of an outfit swap and change of scenery so that when we have pictures from this session all over our house, it won't be like seeing the same one over and over again.

We're planning a Penn State inspired picnic for this shoot, since we both went there and it holds a very special place in our hearts. We Are :)

For me: jewelry (same as above), hat, dress, shoes (Marshall's, similar here)

For him: Shirt, Jeans (Polo Ralph Lauren Outlet), Shoes (Sperry Topsiders - Nordstrom Rack)

Fun stuff: PSU Blanket, Blue & White Striped straws, Football tug toy (Petsmart).

Don't worry, there will be mason jars filled with fun snacks for our picnic and maybe a growler of our favorite beer.

#hashtaggggggg

So we all know I'm a blog-stalker. I follow a ton of sweet ladies and their daily posts because they are super down-to-earth, fashionable and mostly because they're full of GREAT ideas on which I just can't wait to put my own twist.

Steph, my-fave-photographer-ever-of-all-time, over at Saltwater Studios posted this awesome little idea the other day on her blog and I was so excited that she did because I NEVER would have thought of it on my own :)

I'm new to android/iPhones for my own personal use (had my good ole blackberry up til last week) and I've gotta say, the first app I downloaded was Instagram. I'm so hooked! I loveeee it!

#mrandmrsdonoghue

So I went ahead today and added this page to our wedding website ;) I thought that Steph was a genius for posting her hashtag early on in her engagement! What a great move so that all your friends can use it for all the events surrounding the wedding.

We're planning on an engagement/housewarming/beerolympics party as soon as our house is cleaned up and ready for company and then there's the shower and bachelor/ette parites (although maybe some of those pictures should NOT be shared) and the rehearsal and the wedding itself! I am soooo pumped that everyone will be able to tag their pictures and share with all of us :)

(the soon-to-be)#mrandmrsdonoghue
(#dontspellournamewrong)

A Picture's Worth 1000 Words

Today we met with Steph at Saltwater Studios. She was super friendly and I cannot wait to work further with her! She has a great eye and all her pictures are just naturally beautiful. She doesn't use a lot of faux lighting or crazy flashes. I totally love the softness of her images.

She met with us super-early which we totally appreciated because Jay was not off for MLK day. She also made a beeline for my heart by baking delish spice cake cupcakes with white chocolate frosting. Mmmm they were so good! I'm pretty sure all my Weight Watchers points were used on cupcakes that day.

I had met Steph at the Philly Bridal Expo and since we were the first couple to contact her after the event, we won this great canvas or metal print! (well we will get it after the pictures are taken, of course!)

We totally hit it off with her. So well that Jay had to remind me it was a vendor meeting, not a friendship meeting.... oops! All in all, it was a great day and we were so happy to have another thing checked off our to-do list!

Backwards vendors

So MAYBE the vendor isn't backwards, but I might be...

In the spirit of putting the cart before the horse, I have totally started looking at vendors without actually booking a venue, or a church. We are shooting for Fall wedding this year and I just can't sit around and wait for red tape to get cut while all the good vendors get snatched up. I'm an instant gratification kind of girl and I just had to start doing something wedding-planning related. So even though it's making everyone else crazy (they would like me to wait until after Christmas to kick off planning), I just can't wait!! That and I paid a visit to Bucci's to get my ring sized and Joe might have said that it was "engagement season" which almost put me in a tailspin because since Jay and I got engaged, we know at least 3 or 4 other couples that have as well!

So I took to one of the most important vendors, Photographers, because after all is said and done, you want great pictures... that's all you get to keep from the day. So I hit the books (or google) to find some local photographers and check out pricing.

I have been blog-stalking Hoffer Photography for at least 6 years. If I'm being honest, I've wanted them to photograph my wedding since the first time I laid eyes on their work. I am fairly certain that I would have made a deposit to them 3 years ago if I would have known that we would be getting engaged and that they were going be booked through forever.

That said, there are A LOT of photographers out there, and it was easy for me to fall in love with another artist's work once I knew that the Hoffer's weren't available.

I'm kind of obsessed with Ashley Bartoletti's images. Her pictures are much softer and way more my style. I found her through Style Me Pretty and she was super sweet, and her work is just fabulous!

I'm also currently drooling over Saltwater Studios. Steph's work is also beautiful and soft and natural and I totally love her as a person! She's probably the friendliest wedding vendor, ever, OF ALL TIME.