My Aunt always says: “This isn’t a dress rehearsal honey, it’s your life” and she’s right. I think it’s easy for us to forget to enjoy each moment, embrace every day, and appreciate all the amazing things that life has to offer. Yeah shit get’s hard sometimes, really hard in fact, but if we never know hardship then how could we ever appreciate the good? So I challenge you to LIVE your life. To choose to embrace it…to stop talking about the things you aren’t doing and to start doing the things you WANT to be doing. The possibilities are endless.
Changing your whole life for the better can seem a bit daunting, so together we’ll take baby steps. Together let’s take a deep breathe…take a moment to reflect and decide to do at least one thing over the next seven days that will make us truly happy, or something that will make someone else happy and lets see how good it feels when we consciously decide to love the life we’re living!
Need a great spa?
Spa Belle Vie
SharonVendle.com
sharon@sharonvendle.com
Need a great massage?
Julia Schloesser Massage
juliaschloessercmt.com
julia@juliaschloessercmt.com
Need some Acupuncture?
Cicuto Acupuncture
cicutoacupuncture.com
denise@cicutoacupuncture.com
Denise’s feature: http://173.255.253.231/chloejackman.com/public/fab-fridays-acupuncture-in-pregnancy-cicuto-acupuncture/
Need a Life Coach to help you figure out your path?
Gina Zappareillo
http://pathfinder-coaching.com
coachginaz@gmail.com
Gina’s feature: http://173.255.253.231/chloejackman.com/public/fab-friday-4-steps-to-de-stress-pathfinder-coaching-gina-zappariello/
Need a Health & Wellness Guide to help you reach your physical goals?
The Happy Healthy You
TheHappyHealthyYou.com
julie.barro@gmail.com
Julie’s Feature: http://173.255.253.231/chloejackman.com/public/fab-fridays-how-to-stay-cool-calm-collected-while-planning-your-wedding-by-julie-barro/
P.S.
I’ve known Marjorie and her family for years; I met them while working with her sassy older sister at a mortgage company, back when I had a grown-up office job. I love all of them and have spent wonderful afternoons eating, drinking, and being merry with them at their family home in Pinole. So when I heard the news of Mar’s (that’s her nickname) engagement to Jon, I was over the moon, because it was so damn obvious to everyone who knows them, meets them, or just passes them on the street that they are madly in love and make each other as happy as two people possibly can.
Mar and Jon both come from large families full of love, and that was totally clear on their wedding day. After attending and shooting their engagement party, I was able to meet much of Jon’s family and see how well the two families were going to blend together! On their wedding day, as tensions and stress can tend to accumulate with so much to accomplish in so little time, it was so sweet to see siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, and parents all doing their part and playing their role to help make this merry matrimony happen.
As with most of my brides, Mar confided in me once or twice that she wasn’t sure how the day would turn out, having never done anything like it before. I responded with the same thing I tell all my couples with similar concerns: “It’s going to be perfect, because it’s all about your love for each other. The rest is just icing on the cake… literally. Besides, you’re not supposed to be an expert at this, because that would just mean you got married all the time!”
Despite Mar’s concerns, let me tell you: down to every last detail, their wedding was STUNNING! Her gorgeous beaded Sottero Midgley dress that trailed long and gracefully behind as she made her way down the aisle of St. Paul Church. The fabulous salmon colored bridesmaids dresses on the beautiful bridal party, complemented by the grey tuxedos that Jon and his handsome groomsmen wore. The centerpieces that stood tall on the tables with pastel flowers draping off of them. The cake… can we talk about this gorgeous 4 tiered cake? It was so delicately adorned with detailed designs and colorful flowers; it almost looked too good to eat! All these wonderful aspects and so much more made this wedding perfect in every way and blew everyone’s socks off!
I can’t wait to hear all about their amazing honeymoon to the Virgin Islands (they just got back). Congratulations love birds… we couldn’t be happier for you both!!!
xo,
Venue Coordinator: Lolita Wong, LWong@LafayetteParkHotel.com
Florist: Park Florist, Basyex3@aol.com
Hair Make-up: Jacquelyn Schober from Bare Essentials
Tags:#chloejackmanphotography, #love, Awesome Wedding, Awesome Wedding Photography, Bay Area, Bay Area Photographer, black and white images, Catholic Wedding, Chloe Jackman Photograger, Church Wedding, Inter-racial Wedding, marriage, Pastel WEdding, San Francisco Wedding Photographer
Planning your wedding is hard work; don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Whether it’s a small, intimate backyard gathering or a huge, elaborate celebration, there’s a lot to do. So I’ve been gathering some simple tips (stay tuned for the detailed tips) for my couples to help them survive this wild ride!
1) ) Join a wedding community such as A Practical Wedding, Wedding Chicks, Once Wed, Off Beat Bride, I Do Venues etc. Follow the blog, take part in the conversations, reach out and ask questions. It’s important to know that there is a community of people out there that know and understand what you’re going through and have fabulous advice to share!
2) Get the right vendors for you. Do your research and make sure you are going to get what you expect and deserve. Talk to them over the phone, via skype and if you can, meet them in person to make sure your personalities click. Ask for references and read their reviews (on their website or Yelp etc). Make sure you have a contract with each and every one of them! We are all here to help you achieve the best day of your life, so make sure we are the right people for the job!
3) Talk to and lean on the vendors you already have! We are all in the wedding industry, which means we have worked with all kinds of caterers, DJ’s, planners, make-up artists, videographers, etc., and we can help pair you with someone who is just right for your big day! Use your resources to your advantage; we’re here to help.
On that note I have a vendor page on my site if your in need of awesome people: http://173.255.253.231/chloejackman.com/public/info/vendors/
4) Open an email account just for the wedding. This is a simple yet very important tip: a way to keep everything wedding-related organized. Also, it gives both you and your boo (fiancé) access to all the same information without overwhelming your daily life.
5) Make a binder!!! This is a great way to keep everything organized and in one place: from price lists to contracts to colors to contacts to samples and so on. There’s a lot of information to gather and track, so this will make the planning process way easier and less stressful. And make it fun/creative/cute… that always helps me get more into it!
6) Make a Pinterest page! Maybe you’re not into Pinterest, or maybe you don’t know what it is (If that’s the case let me know and I’ll walk you through it). But I think it’s an essential tool for gathering inspiration and ideas. Keep in mind that you can OD on it and become overwhelmed, so try to keep your focus on searching for specific things you’re in need of: hair ideas, center pieces, color schemes, nail polish designs, favors, and other details. In order to prevent ODing, most of my brides swear off it one or two months before the big day, so as not to overwhelm themselves with new ideas.
7) Most importantly make sure to take ‘non-wedding’ time out for each other. Don’t lose focus on what really matters which is the love between you and your fiancé!
No matter what, this is going to be one of the most amazing days of your life and I hope to be there to enjoy it with you, but if I’m not please let me know how it goes!
xo,
Love, Dahlias, Roles Royce, Family, Stanford, Friends, Green, Shades, Atlanta, Jameson, Records, Vintage, Bourbon, Walnut Creek, Oldies, Jimmy Chius, Perfect Pair, Hotel Monaco, Mark Twain, Inspiration Point, PSC, Rosco, Party Dress, Party time, Awesome…FLA-BONG-GO!!!
