Tag Archives: Tempe

Trash the Dress Friday!

Woo Hoo- Friday is here again! Who votes for a 4 day work week always? Anyone have any fun plans? I am thinking this would actually be a great weekend to go camping or to the lake as it probably won’t be crowded at all. We will probably lay low, perhaps do a little yard work. We have some weeds to attend to before we get any more hate mail from our HOA. We also planted some grapes in the back yard and they are starting to take off which means we need to create some sort of structure for them to climb on. Pretty soon I am going to feel like I have a little vineyard in my back yard! Except that what we planted are not wine grapes but it is just for ambiance. Did I discuss with you all that we started a compost bin? I was super skeptical that it would actually work but I am pretty sure it is and for some reason that really excites me. I am some sort of garden geek. If anything I feel WAY less guilty now when we buy fruit or veggies and then don’t eat them quick enough and instead of throwing them away I can re-purpose them into dirt! No joke I literally threw three heads of romaine lettuce in there last night which makes for some pretty pricey dirt but it is what it is. For some reason we had an abundance of lettuce and although I am not proud of the fact that we completely wasted it, I am glad that at least I didn’t have to straight up throw it in the trash. On a final gardening note we also planted a lemon tree which has been the subject of mockery as A. lemon trees aren’t a prevalent tree in Northern, Az due to the fact that it does freeze here and B. lemons really aren’t the most practical fruit. So to prove everyone wrong, please send your lemon recipes my way so we can make them jealous with our abundant lemon crop.

Alright onto today’s session which is gorgeous, FYI. I had a difficult time selecting which pictures to share. The couple wanted to get some photos in Tempe, home to Arizona State University which happens to be my Grandma’s Alma mater and the arch enemy of my Alma Mater. Go Cats! Anyway the shots by the lovely and talented duo of The R2 Studio are amazing. This is one of those TTD sessions where no dresses are trashed and the couple just takes the opportunity to go where they want and get some fab photos in their wedding day outfits! Enjoy!

LOVE this one.

Wouldn’t you love to have some shots like this to add to your wedding album? I am loving the idea of doing something similar as a first anniversary shoot! You may not fit in that dress forever (sorry but it is true) so you may as well take advantage of it while you can and get some fabulous shots!

Have a great weekend!

Images submitted via Two Bright Lights.

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Filed under Real Weddings, Trash the Dress

An Art Gallery Wedding from the MOH’s Point of View

Hello Friends! How was your weekend? Did you do any crafting or wedding planning? We took a little trip to Phoenix to visit some friends and their sweet new baby girl. The New Mom is an avid quilt maker for all other ladies before her that have had babies but when it came time for someone to make her a quilt, the craftiness of others fell short! So I decided to tackle the uncharted territory of quilt making. Let me tell you it is much harder/time consuming/pricey than I thought! But it was also really fun and the end product was adorable! And of course to top it off, Amy, the mom, loved it! It was worth the effort but it will likely be awhile before I craft another one so to my friends having babies-don’t get your hopes up! In addition I love babies so it was worth it just to have an excuse to drive down to Phoenix and meet 1 month old Hailey! Here is a picture of the finished product:

On to today’s wedding which is incredible! I fell in love with this wedding from the minute I saw it, on Facebook, and so imagine my delight when I opened up a submission from Photography by Verdi and it was the wedding that I loved! There were many reasons I fell in love with this wedding: the colors, the details, the incredible location, the gorgeous couple… but what I loved most is recognizing a familiar face! Turns out the Maid of Honor is none other than Angela of Swatchbook Weddings! Angela designs incredible stationery and so she was also the talent behind the paper goods in this wedding! So I decided to ask her to give you all a behind the scenes run down of the big day!

{The one just to the right of the beautiful Bride is Angela}

From Angela: Oh my friends, this wedding is very near & dear to my heart :) I was SO excited when Tena got engaged and EVEN MORE excited when she asked me to be her Maid of Honor! We went to college together in Iowa & both moved to Arizona after graduating. As soon as she called me with the news, I was like, “I can do your invites! Let’s get started on your invites!”


It is so different working with someone you know really well. She had an idea of what she wanted, I interpreted it, we were done! It was a breeze! We went with an accordion fold invite that had a tear-off RSVP postcard, then tied them off perfectly with satin ribbon. I LOVED HER COLORS!!! They were so perfectly modern & so perfectly suited their venue, style & personality. We also did cute little circle escort cards that were like a “garnish” on votive candles. They were a little bit of work, but it was so worth it. They looked so great all lined up!

One Saturday we got together and I was on bow duty, Tena was gluing the table numbers on, and Simon was cutting out the circles :) And can we talk about her shoes? You know we love those Kate Spades. Unfortunately they weren’t available anymore, but after some super sleuthing, she managed to nab them off eBay!! That’a girl, that’a girl.
Now as you know, we in Arizona pride ourselves on some pretty amazing weather – we ARE the Valley of the Sun, after all. Wellllllll, not on this particular weekend. 100% chance of rain. I felt so bad, but Tena had a great attitude about this little change of plans. We rehearsed Plan A: The ceremony is outside. We rehearsed Plan B: The ceremony is in the lobby of TCA. No biggie. Well when we woke up on Saturday morning, it was pretty clear we’d be doing Plan B. It was cold, the wind blew like crazy & rain came pouring down. We accepted Plan B, but upon arrival at the venue, we were surprised with a PLAN C! The ceremony is in the art gallery. This was not rehearsed!!

Still, she was so calm and just went with the flow. She was doing much better than I was, that’s for sure! In the end, everything worked out just fine and the ceremony was beyond beautiful. Tena & Simon wrote their own vows (Simon got choked up!) & the best man & I read funny stories about how they met. For the reception, they had a bright blue signature cocktail and my favorite thing of the night – a mac & cheese station!
And you better believe we danced the night away! The whole wedding – the planning process, the stationery, the actual day – was such a blast to be involved in & it meant so much to me that they wanted me to be such a big part of their day. Just look at them!! They are adorable!!
Absolutely beautiful no? Remember how I told you it was packed with fabulous details? Well, no one does details better than Jacin of Lovely Little Details! Head over to see her feature of this wedding and read all about it from the Bride’s point of view!
A BIG Thank you to Angela for sharing her perspective and to Photography by Verdi for sharing the gorgeous photos! And of course, congrats to Tena and Simon- the happy couple!
Images submitted via Two Bright Lights.

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Filed under Real Weddings

Charity Spotlight- The Ryan Thomas Foundation

I came across The Ryan Thomas Foundation through the Camp Soaring Eagle Facebook page. I never knew Ryan Thomas but from what I read he was a loving son, a great brother and a friend to many. Ryan, 21,  died during an accident at Saguaro lake where he drowned. Ryan was a college student and before he died he wrote a mission statement in one of his classes that read, “I just want to be a good person. Good people are remembered.” Through the work of this foundation, his family and friends are insuring that his mission is fulfilled. However, Ryan isn’t just remembered rather he continues to live on through the good of the foundation created in his memory. The Foundation plans events and raises money for charities in the state of Arizona. In 2009  they raised over $25,000 which was distributed to various charities. The next planned event to raise money is the “Run for Ryan.” Here are the details:

  • When: Saturday May 8th
  • Where: Tempe Kiwanis Park
  • Time: Registration begins at 7am, Race starts at 8am
  • Cost: $20 for adults and children 12+, $5 for children 5-12, and 5 and under are Free
  • How Long: 5K
  • Register Here and type in Run for Ryan
  • Beneficiary: Camp Soaring Eagle

If you like to run or even walk and enjoy whats left of nice weather in Phoenix until next winter, this will be a fun event to check out. If not, keep in mind, “Good People are Remembered.” So start working on making sure you aren’t forgotten.

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Filed under Charity, Children, Community