I Guess I Do

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Monday, April 28, 2014

Jennie & Kyle : Stott Shots Photography

Meet soccer sweethearts Jennie & Kyle Gouveia. Jennie kicks my butt as my spin instructor each week at Fit On Studios. (Side note - in another life I hope God blesses me with her body!) These two got hitched in the picturesque hills of Oregon. And while you can control many things when it comes to weddings, sometimes mother nature has a mind of its own. Enjoy Jennie's I Guess I Do moments in her own words below!
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Kyle and I met when I was 18 years old working at an indoor soccer center in Salem, OR. We both grew up living and breathing soccer, so I guess it wasn't a coincidence we met on the soccer field. So naturally, I befriended him on Myspace...yes I said Myspace. So then the journey of our relationship began. I moved away to southern California to play soccer in college, and he stayed in Oregon finishing school. After a year apart and only a couple visits to see each other, Kyle decided to take a leap of faith and move down to California. He went to grad school at Loyola Marymount, while I finished school and soccer. 

After 5 long years, Kyle finally popped the question the morning before I was supposed to undergo my second ACL reconstruction on my knee. Feeling extremely discouraged and scared about my surgery he felt I should have something to look forward to, and to calm my nerves. No cheesy engagement, no friends, no family, no big event, no distractions - just us and our dogs in our tiny apartment in Long Beach. He obviously didn't see all my Pinterest posts about having someone photograph the engagement, whilst frolicking in the snow...but I'm so glad he didn't. 


After much speculation we decided to get married in Oregon at King Estate Winery. We wanted an outdoor wedding to enjoy all of Oregon's natural beauty. To cut some costs I decided I would design and put together all the save the dates and the invitations. Realizing we had close to 180 guests, I spent most of my nights addressing save the dates and invitations in my version of calligraphy. I believe I had hand cramps and constant forearm pain, but I didn't give up. It became a family affair, and Kyle's father did the flower arrangements for the tables (which he gathered from neighbors lawns after getting their approval), Kyle's brother was our DJ and my aunt was our coordinator. 

The day of the wedding everything was going pretty smooth, for not having a paid Wedding Planner on site. To tell you the truth, I don't even think I went out in the ceremony or reception area until after our first look. I didn't really care if the table settings were correct, or if the decor was setup. 

My first glimpse of anxiety started setting in when I was getting my hair and makeup done. I decided last minute that I wanted my hair half up with a braid in my bangs. Keep in mind, this was never a part of the plan or the hair trials. My hairdresser went with it and did a good job, but as soon as she left I started bawling pulling bobby pins out of my hair. My bridesmaids rushed over to help and were very supportive and said that they would fix it for me. All the while, Kyle is waiting on our first look and I am now 30 minutes late. They re-curled my hair, calmed me down, said a prayer, and I was off. 


Leading into the next I Guess I Do moment, I made the trek to the top of the walkway where I would soon be walking down into the ceremony, and I noticed the wind had picked up quite a bit. My hair was sticking to my lips and my veil was blinding me. My aunt walked me down the pathway holding me up as all the blood rushed to my head. We enter the aisle and I see Kyle there, and my flower arrangements are leaning against the wine barrels on the ground. I was very confused, but tried to shake it off. After the ceremony, my bridesmaids informed me they put the huge flower arrangements on top of the wine barrels, but the wind was so strong it knocked one off and hit Kyle spraying water all down his pants. Apparently this happened right before I walked down the aisle and they were scared that I had seen it. So, some of my pictures may look a little bare with no alter, and no flowers, but at least the rolling hills were in the background which was almost more beautiful.



And lastly, the icing on top of the cake. We end our night back at our hotel, the Hilton in Eugene. Excited to carry me over the threshold and into our room we open the door and there is the king bed with two roll away cots on both sides of the bed and a portable fridge in the middle of the room. No rose pedals, no champagne, no chocolates - just two cots in case we wanted company...it gets better. Literally five minutes later we hear a pounding on our door, Kyle pulls the door open in his boxers and it is a security officer telling us we are being too loud and will get kicked out of the hotel. Maybe we should've invited him in to sleep on our cots. 

Weddings may be extremely expensive and overwhelming, but in the end it is the person you stand in front of as you read your vows that makes it all worth it in the end. We lucked out to have so much help from our family, and such loving, supportive friends to share that experience with. 


Photographer: Stott Shots Photography Cake: Myriad Cake Design Decor: Danner & Soli DJ: Matteo Gouveia Videography: Stott Shots Photography Venue: King Estate Winery Local Brewery: 2 Towns Ciderhouse Dress: Charlotte's Weddings




Sunday, April 20, 2014

Easter



I get an inspirational quote emailed to me daily and today's struck a chord:

"Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for." - Epicurus

Wayfarer's Chapel followed by some bacon cheddar buttermilk biscuits at MB Post with the fam made for a pretty good day. 

Hope you all had a great Easter!


Thursday, April 17, 2014

Spring Bridal Fashion Week

Bridal Fashion Week just took place in NYC. Lace, tulle wrap, simplicity and long sleeves were among the prevalent trends. Below are some dresses from the industry's heavy hitters... Take a look!

Photos Courtesy: Vera Wang 


Photos Courtesy: WWD

 Photos Courtesy: WWD


Photos Courtesy: The Knot

Photos Courtesy: The Huffington Post


Thursday, April 10, 2014

Second Time Around Dresses

For some brides, planning a wedding may not be their first rodeo. Whether its your first, second, or fifteenth time around - here are dresses for those looking for something understated yet elegant.










Monday, April 7, 2014

Jamie & Mark : Joey Cassel Productions

Everything came full circle for Jamie & Mark when these two childhood friends got engaged! Jamie is a wedding photographer herself, but even she knows nothing can be picture perfect. Not even a long distance venue letdown or some forgotten flowers could stop this chic black & white wedding from taking place. Enjoy Jamie's I Guess I Do moments in her own words below!
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Mark and I have been best friends since 5th grade when we bonded over the common hate of jean jackets and the common love of the Miami Dolphins. We remained best friends all throughout high school. I went to school at the University of Toledo and he went to Ohio State. The time apart must have changed the way we looked at each other and we started dating during the summer before our sophomore year of college... and the rest is history!

Surprise Valentine’s Day engagement on a bulldozer?? Yes, you read that right.

I had to travel to Tampa to shoot my sister’s maternity photos and Mark was in Orlando for the largest construction auction in the country, so we decided to make it a joint trip. He wanted me to join him at the auction to see what it was all about. He chose to take me on one of his shorter days (which happened to be Valentine’s Day). 

While exploring the sale, we came upon a D10 Bulldozer, which was one of the first large purchases his father made for their family construction business back in Ohio. Mark fooled me in to climbing on the machine for a photo and when I looked down to see what was taking him so long to get on it too, I realized he was on one knee. He always said “I can guarantee, when I propose you’ll never see it coming. You will be shocked.” He was right!! 

My first I Guess I Do moment came very, very early in the wedding planning process. I found a venue in White Castle, Louisiana that completely embodied Southern Charm…after a month of back and forth phone calls and emails, I was ready to put a deposit down on the venue. Thankfully my husband was very persistent on wanting to see the venue in person. So Mark and I, along with my parents made the 17 hour drive only to find out that this venue was the most disgusting, run down place I'd ever seen. I couldn't even bring myself to get out of the car. So, I cried the entire way to New Orleans where we turn lemons into lemonade (and vodka) and had a great time. Lesson learned: never trust anything online without seeing it in person!

My next moment came the Thursday before our wedding we had arrived in Columbus and I went to the Cheesecake Factory to pay for our cheesecakes. (We had 15 different flavors - Neither of us like cake so that was not an option. The guests loved the cheesecake!) 

So when Saturday morning came, all my dad had to do was pick everything up and take it to the Hilton. When I got there, the bakery attendant looked very confused which quickly turned to panic. My order had never been placed and they had nothing on file for the wedding. Thankfully this is the busiest Cheesecake Factory in the state and maybe even the country so they had plenty in stock and everything turned out okay. Although for about 5 minutes I was a sweating bridezilla… thankfully that's the only time (that I'll admit) that happened.



The only hiccup that occurred the day of the wedding had to do with the flowers. K&K did the most amazing job and I wouldn't change a thing although everyone almost missed the beautiful bouquet they created for me when we arrived at the statehouse and realized I had left it back in the hotel room. I immediately called my mother who was in the limo ready to pull out of the parking lot. My brother in law hopped out and ran up to our room to get it and thankfully no one was the wiser ;)

As a wedding photographer, I see things happen every Saturday that aren't 100% on schedule or to plan. I also am aware at how few of the guests actually know how things are supposed to turn out. As long as you keep your cool and can bend along the way, no one will ever know that everything didn't go according to plan! 

Ceremony: The Ohio Statehouse  Officiant: Judge Beverly McGookey  Reception: The Hilton at Easton Photographer: Sarah Cassel via Joey Cassel Productions  Videographer: Joey Cassel of Joey Cassel Productions  DJ: Brandon Stone via Firelands Entertainment  Cake: Cheesecake Factory Cheesecake   Flowers: K&K Home Furnishings  Limo: Xtreme Limo  Stationary: Collaboration between Jamie Speer & Amy Heflinger - Graphic Designer at Aha Creative 
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And now that you got a glimpse of her own wedding, be sure to check out all of the life moments she captures on a day-to-day basis! Be sure to show Jamie's company 1826 Photographic some love on Facebook and check out this video highlighting how talented she is and why everyone agrees!



1826 Photographic from IndieTreeHouse on Vimeo.


Thursday, April 3, 2014

Wedding Day Arm Workout #3

Wedding season & summer are just around the corner and I thought it would be a great time for another arm workout courtesy of Angela Bennett co-owner of Fit On Studios in Manhattan Beach.

I'm not a fan of bulky arms. I love the tiny and toned look. These simple movements worked for my wedding and I've kept it up ever since! Same deal - a set of 2 lb. weights and your favorite song!



Alternate this with the Original Arm Workout and the Triceps Workout, 5 days a week and you'll be set for summer.

Fit On Studios in Manhattan Beach offers Spinning, Barre, Boxing, & TRX Circuit Training Classes. And be sure to check out the new Fit On Studios opening in Redondo Beach this May!

To book your class visit www.fitonstudios.com