Birds Do It, Bees Do It

And this bee -- and her mister -- did it this past weekend!

We've just finished packing up -- the post-wedding cleaning up will hafta wait -- for our dreamy dozen days in Italy. As much as I want to sit and replay every. single. moment. of our wedding (and the days leading up to it) with our nearests and dearests, I'm also giddy at the thought of having my husband (!!!) whisk me away. I couldn't board the plane, though, without giving the hive a little something to buzz about until we get back...

We watched in awe as our friends and family came together Saturday to celebrate something so simple, and yet, so significant: our love. The day -- 5:00 a.m. 'til midnight -- was filled with unexpected surprises, intense emotions...and amazing photography.


(Cindy Patrick's responsible for the drool you most likely now have dripping on your computer keys.)

Much, much, much more to come!

Lotsa love,

MRS. Bruschetta

Urbane Playground

The mister and I recently revisited our church (on the beautiful Villanova University campus) and reception neighborhood (in the Old City section of Philadelphia) to scout out the most "photogenic" areas for our post-ceremony pictures.

Since we're crossing off the formals and posed pictures in the morning, this portion of the wedding day will focus much more on photojournalism -- and perhaps will include a bit of TTD (but no actually trashing, don't worry) in the mix!

I've mentioned before how strict our church is, so while we're hoping to sneak some pictures in the church after the wedding, no one will be surprised if we get unceremoniously booted after the mass. (Especially since there still might be a 3:30 wedding after our 1:30 hour-long ceremony concludes.) Weather permitting (and at the moment, we're all keeping fingers and toes crossed in the Bruschetta household), we could retreat to one of the grassy areas in front of the church...


...or the shady grotto right behind it.




Before we return to the city, we're hoping to swing by the Villanova R5 train station to grab a few grittier shots. The mister and I have a special connection to this spot, since he used to hop the train to come visit early in my college days.


Our limo ride will end at 2nd and Race Streets -- and hopefully, Mr. Bar Stool (which was closed for the evening by the time I took the picture below), will have some chairs outside on the sidewalk (as the store usually does) that we can include in some shots with the bridal party.


After making them feel so loved and included, we'll request the bridal party hang tight for a few minutes while Mr. Bruschetta and I wander down Elfreth's Alley. Quaint historic homes? Enchanting alleys? Check and check.




Brightly-colored walls will be our next stop with the bridal party. I love that both these locations are right along our planned route!




We hope to free our friends around this time, and continue to a few more locations -- including one of our favorite restaurants (thanks again for the sangria recipe!) and an adorable candy shop.




And our last stop will be the F.U.E.L. House, to preview the setup and practice our first dance (for the first and only time in my dress before we perform it for our guests!).

Anyone else plan out ideal places to take day-of pictures before your wedding day? What are some of the spots that really caught your eye?

Jaw, Meet Floor

In mid-May, our reception venue hosted a networking evening for 300+ wedding professionals in partnership with Brides.com and Brides Philadelphia/South Jersey. No, I wasn't in attendance. (I wish!) But our caterer -- one of the event sponsors -- recently sent me the link to an online photo gallery. And as I clicked through them, I realized my mouth was actually wide open. (All images courtesy of Brides.com.)



Seeing these photos has me even more excited for our wedding day feast -- and soooo happy we're going to be in attendance for the entire cocktail hour. How delishes this all look?!







I loved seeing this side of our venue -- until I started to worry. Will our wedding be too plain? Is our idea -- to let the beauty of this old-bank-turned-modern-art-gallery shine through -- lazy? Or cheap?



Mrs. Cupcake once wrote about venue envy. Well, um...we've got the venue. Is it possible to have event envy?





So I kept clicking, and realized that few weddings are this elaborate.



And even if we could afford to throw this much money into rentals to dress up the F.U.E.L. House, I don't know that we would. Such a well-staged event definitely wouldn't feel "us" enough. Personalizing our wedding, so that at the end of the evening guests are remarking how it seemed like the perfect reflection of our tastes, is my goal. Amazing lounge furniture would be a fabulous bonus, but it's totally not necessary!

Have you attended -- or seen pictures of -- a lavish event in your reception space? Have you had to make peace with event envy?

Wedding Foodtography

For the past few weeks, I've been whittling down the enormous number of inspiration pictures that have found their way onto my computer over the course of our engagement. I recently touched base with our photographer -- I'm still in disbelief that it's time to reconnect with our vendors to finalize plans (we've had some of these pros booked since early 2008!) -- and mentioned I'd love to show some of my favorites to her, so she can understand the "vision" I have for our wedding day. I also made sure to communicate that the photos I was sharing are by no means pictures I want to copy pose-for-pose; they're just really unique, striking images that have me thinking how we can get creative on the wedding day!

Well, Cindy is awesome, and encouraged me to send along as many as I wanted -- and to keep the pictures coming as our wedding approaches, so she can let these ideas "marinate." (Her word choice, not mine -- though it's definitely appropriate for our wedding!) So when I shared my Picasa album, I included some shots to get Cindy thinking about how to feature one of the most important elements of our cocktail hour and reception -- the food.

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Since Cindy will be working with a second shooter, we're hoping our duo will be able to not only capture great candid moments featuring our family and friends, but also vibrant shots showcasing our caterer's tantalizingly delicious dishes from the first hors d'oeuvres to the last piece of cake.

I also follow foodgawker to gather recipes and savor pictures that look good enough to eat. (Can you blame me?)

Are you planning on having your photographer devote some time and attention to foodtography?

Something New (And Blue!)

I love receiving mail -- especially when it's something this exciting: My new Panasonic camera (a birthday gift from Mama and Daddy Bruschetta) has arrived!

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Purchasing a reliable point-and-shoot before the wedding was already on my to-do list, and knowing this, Mr. Bruschetta secretly passed along the brand and model specifics to my parents before my birthday a few weeks ago. (In fact, he confessed to logging into Weddingbee and sending a PM to Mrs. Cupcake, who's raved about her Panasonic, in order to ensure he had the correct information.)

I can't wait to have the time -- this weekend, I hope -- to sit down, read the manual (yup, I read 'em all from front to back, unlike the rest of the Bruschetta clan) and practice snapping away with my new, blue toy! I'm most excited to test out its macro abilities (on our wedding rings, invitations, and other details we don't *exactly* have yet) and, of course, to document our Italian honeymoon.

Will/did you purchase a new camera before your wedding?

Cooperation

Dear Mother Nature,

A bride's wedding day attire and accessories comprise a carefully-orchestrated look. A lace-edged veil highlights delicate Alencon details on a gown. Swarovski crystals twinkle and shimmer from a glimmering necklace that offsets an otherwise simple sheath. Subtle silver peep toes and a canary yellow crinoline add unexpected pizazz to a taffeta tea length dress.

Each of these styles is perfection. But what happens when you gift a particularly breezy day to the happy couple? There was a time when I believed wacky, windy weather would ruin the impeccability of the bride -- and, in the process, the photographs commemorating the wedding day. I know, I know, that's just crazy! In my defense, I had this bizarre idea before discovering wedding and photography blogs. I've long since changed my tack -- I love the idea of capturing the wedding day exactly as it occurs, wind gusts and all. But a small part of me still coveted the guarantee of predictable weather for my own outdoor shots.

And then, I saw it. A striking picture, with one snappy line of commentary: "I told you that veil was cooperating."

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Huh. Cooperating?

I'm tickled by the idea that the veil, while perched atop the bride's head, is really in cahoots with the photographers. And clearly, you're an abettor, providing a zephyr that turns an ordinary moment extraordinary, and elevates the extraordinary to decidedly poignant.

I mean, seriously. Look at the amazing work you've done with countless wedding veils -- no matter the length or style.

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Well played, Mother Nature. I'll be prepared with hairspray aplenty, and extra bobby pins to keep my 'do in place. I just have one small request: Do you think you'll have a gust or two to spare in Philly at the end of August?

Fondly,

Miss Bruschetta

Rehearsal Dinner Freetography

As much as I wanted to hire a professional to capture our rehearsal dinner, the Bruschetta budget simply refused to allow this extra expense. Several weeks ago, though, I noticed a Weddingbee Classifieds listing for free portraits or engagement sessions in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylaniva.

After a few private messages, I began emailing with the photographer -- and imagine my surprise when we realized we attended high school together! Ted Nghiem, who (like me and the mister) sang in our high school choir, is pursuing his passion through Emerald Dreams Photography.

Ted agreed to extend his portrait-building offer to our rehearsal dinner (yea!), and met with me and the mister recently at Positano Coast to get a feel for the restaurant. After Ted checked out the lighting and layout, he snapped a few pictures of the Bruschettas.

We had a great time reconnecting with Ted (who hasn't changed a bit since high school!) and can't wait to have him capture the night before our wedding -- a casual setting with our family and wedding party (and some gratuitous food shots, natch).

Are you having a professional photograph your rehearsal dinner? How many friendors are involved in your wedding?

Old-Fashioned Summer Fun

As Mr. Bruschetta and I learned during our engagement session, props serve a dual purpose: They give you something to do or hold, allowing you to feel more comfortable in front of the camera, and they make for fun, whimsical pictures.

Since we'll have time between the ceremony and reception, I've got high hopes of capturing bridal party candids in the streets surrounding our reception location. And there will be props.

What kind, you ask?

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Anything that epitomizes summer is a possibility. So far, my list includes a jump rope and beach balls...but I'm continuing to brainstorm -- and welcome any and all suggestions!

Are you planning on incorporating any props into your wedding pictures?

Under Cover

As an apartment-warming gift for Mr. Bruschetta (and, let's face it, for me too!), I created a coffee table book of our engagement pictures using Shutterfly. Sister Bruschetta had recommended the site after her experience arranging her own engagement pictures in a similar keepsake.

Sifting through the 600+ photos we received from our photographer was the first challenge; having complete control over the format and layout was the second. Fortunately, Shutterfly is completely user-friendly, and even though I don't consider myself particularly design-savvy, I'm very pleased with the finished product.

Our photographer -- and her second shooter -- captured moments so quickly that some of my favorite shots have I only slight variations among them.

I chose to arrange the photos chronologically, so flipping through the book is like reliving the afternoon Mr. Bruschetta and I spent posing, laughing and kissing in the city. Since I opted not to include any captions or text -- outside of the cover page with our names and the date and locations of the pictures -- I sought to create a layout that helps tell the story of that day. At times whimsical, at others simple. I could see this being a great way to create a photo guestbook, but have other ideas about what we're going to use for that purpose!

Did you create a book of engagement or wedding pictures? And, what's your favorite photo site?