Create. Style. Inspire. Cook. Marry  – something for everyone and all captured in a modern, lively way! Definitely check out Fab You Bliss!

Bridal Musings ~ A Chic & Unique Wedding Blog

Bridal Musings is everything it claims to be, unique & chic – but super resourceful at the same time. Editor, Elizabeth is also super sweet & effortlessly cool ~ and I am super jealous of her British back ground [she just recently moved to California!].

One of my favorite features on Bridal Musings, hands-down, is Film Club ~ a repository of featured wedding videos, engagement videos, & save the date videos. The wedding blog world is certainly not lacking in the wedding photography realm – but it seems SO much harder to find wedding videographers AND examples/inspiration of real wedding & save the date videos.

So if you are looking for chic wedding inspiration, DIY projects, wedding advice, and more – then I highly recommend you stop on by Bridal Musings. Though, you might end up staying way longer than you intended – so you’ve been warned!

Soundtrack to I Do ~ Music Advice for the Soon to be Wed!

I think I found Colleen and her amazing wedding music blog through TWIPS, regardless, I am so happy that I did. Colleen and I both started wedding blogging around the same time and not only is her blog is one of those that I constantly find myself saying, “I wish this existed when I was planning MY wedding!”, but she has been one of the best resources in the wedding blogging industry that I know I can go to with questions, advice, or anything at all really :)

Colleen’s wedding blog is all things music ~ song suggestions for all the parts of your wedding and my favorite feature, “your soundtrack” – where she builds an entire playlist for your entire wedding!

My small, weekly “Wedding Music That Doesn’t Suck” feature just can’t hold a candle to the ultimate wedding music resource that is Soundtrack To I Do.

Check it out & tell Colleen I said “hi” :)

Wanted to let you all know that posting will be light this week as I take a break from blogging/working/etc and enjoy an entire week with my family in Disney World. I couldn’t be more excited to be in the most magical place on earth (outside of Hogwarts) with my husband, parents, and siblings.

For this week, I thought I would share some of my favorite blogs as a “blog loving” sort of week, so that you would still have things to read & inspiration to inspire you. Starting tomorrow I will be featuring a different blog that I love to read, to give you something to explore while I am gone!

Will miss you all ~ but I’ll be back before I know it and excited to share my trip with you all :)

xo, bree

[image via OrlandoVacation.com]

A Retro, 1950s Military Engagement Session on a Vintage Airplane Hangar

From the photographer:

Because Justin is a navy pilot, Sally and Justin decided to have a vintage pin-up session at the Planes of Fame Museum in Chino, CA.

Enough said. Happy Inspiration Friday ~ enjoy your weekend!

i am always a sucker for wing tip eye liner & bright red lips

hello there pin-up wedding hair inspiration!

Click inside for the rest of this darling vintage, military meets pin-up styled 1950s engagement session!

A special thanks again to David Champagne Photography & Two Bright Lights for sharing this beautiful vintage military engagement session!

So with that, I am absolutely honored to share this afternoon’s beautiful love shoot [and love story!] of Tony & Connor, courtesy of the District’s best alternative wedding photographer, Live It Out Photo. I know I’ve said this before, but nobody really captures raw emotion & love like Amber of Live It Out Photo does. There is so much to love about Tony & Connor’s shoot, I know you guys will really enjoy this one :)

Tony & Connor’s Casual Love Story & Shoot

I love how distinct Tony was when I asked him for an “about us” write-up:

My name is Anthony and I 42 years old. I am a veterinarian. It was the only thing I wanted to do since I was two years old. I currently work in Towson Maryland. When I was 38 years old, I joined a running club in Washington DC where I lived at the time.

Connor is 38 years old. He is a pediatric nurse and an artist. He used to live in Pittsburgh. Connor had a lot of friends in Washington DC. He is runner and his friends are runners and his friends were in the running club I joined. He was visiting his friends and they brought him along.

And now for their adorable love story & how they met!

We saw each other the first time. I thought he was way out of my league. I later found he felt the same way about me, but before the end of the run, we left with each other’s phone number.

We starting talking on the phone. The conversations went on for hours. The conversations were magical to me. I actually hate being on the phone for more than a few minutes but the hours were beautiful and seamless.

I never imagined that Connor was interested in me as more than an interesting friend but one day he didn’t sound like himself. His sentences were choppy and unsure and it seemed like something was wrong. It was. He was nervous about asking me out on a date.

The word eventually came out though. “I was wondering, I was just curious, you don’t have to say yes or anything, but I was just wondering if you would like to go out with me to dinner.” I made my first trip to Pittsburgh that weekend. I stayed the weekend.

When I left, I called my sister and told her that I just met the person that I am going to spend the rest of my life with.

Click inside for the rest of this adorable Washington, DC love shoot from Live It Out Photography!

Six months later, Connor moved to Washington DC. We have been together for four years.

We have six “kids”. Five that I brought to the relationship consisting of our cats are Madelline, Emilio, and Harriet and two of our dogs Jacob and Daisy. We recently adopted Violet, a very naughty French Bulldog.

That is our story in a very small nutshell.

Thank you so much Connor & Tony for sharing your beautiful love story and shoot with us! A special thanks again to Amber with Live It Out Photography, for sharing her gorgeous images!

The Say I Do Expo is the area’s premiere LGBT Wedding Expo event!

Many wedding shows are just so…well…straight!  Same-sex couples can feel like a stepchild when attending traditional wedding shows.  Say I Do! was founded to give LGBT couples a forum to meet LGBT-friendly vendors who are ready, willing and able to make wedding dreams come true whether its bride-bride or groom-groom!

No need to “come out” to each vendor, Say I Do! is a place where our love is accepted, affirmed and celebrated! Because truly, love is all we need. We welcome you, your partner, family and friends to Say I Do! Now, it’s OUR time!

Want to score 2 free tickets to the event?! Well it’s easy, just leave a comment here and we will pull a random comment on Wednesday, May 30th!

Want 2 more chances to win? Then become a fan of Capitol Romance on Facebook and/or become a fan of the Say I Do Expo on Facebook and you can put your name in the running two more times!

For more information, please visit the Say I Do Expo website!

Welcome back to part 4 of our “How to Have a DIY Wedding” Series! In case you missed parts 1-3, be sure to check out #1 Time, #2 Priorities, and #3 Consistency.

But for today we are discussing our take on the phrase DIY and specifically, that last letter, “Y”.

Most people know that the “Y” in DIY stands for “yourself” and if you didn’t, well now you do! My advice to you today, is that you don’t have to do everything YOURSELF when it comes to DIY wedding projects! You can actually change that “Y” to an “A” and have ANYONE help you with making projects for your wedding.

My mom actually hand-made all of the Christmas ornament & tulle bouquets for my wedding:

When I started planning my own wedding I read Offbeat Bride’s book ~ the Creative Alternative for Independent Brides. One of Ariel’s chapters was called “it takes a village” and talked about how planning a unique and affordable wedding, really could require an entire village of people to help you execute.

My mother in law is a seamstress, so she DIYed my wedding dress:

Now, while you might not need an actual village, what you should do is find out which of your friends, family or wedding party members have certain skills or talents they can donate so that they can help you with your DIY projects. You don’t have to plan & execute an entire DIY wedding all by yourself!

We had a friend that designed the graphics for our wedding invitations.

Just because it is called DIY –doesn’t mean you have to do it all yourself. Chances are your friends and family will WANT to help in ways they can and it will certainly help you with the time commitment part of having a DIY wedding.

What projects are your family & friends helping with for your DIY wedding?

Yesterday we shared Ngoc & Jason’s adorable, whimsical engagement under a willow tree and today we are so pumped to share their beautiful, DIY wedding. Ngoc made a TON of the DIY projects in this wedding, and the couple used their favorite colors [yellow and pink] to turn an ordinary gold-course, tented wedding into a whimsical, magical, colorful party.

Thanks to Michelle VanTine Photography & Two Bright Lights for the submission!

Ngoc & Jason’s Pink & Yellow DIY Wedding in Virginia

From photographer, Michelle VanTine:

This Vietnamese-American wedding was a really neat fusion of cultural tradition and modern elements. The highlight for me as a photographer was arriving at the reception and seeing how Ngoc single handedly transformed a ordinary at-the-golf-course-tent into a whimsical, colorful party. We had so much fun taking the balloons around the course and being silly for pictures. So much fun in fact, that I fell off the bridge while shooting right into the swamp! No harm done… still got the shot. It was a wonderful event and neat to see how all of Ngoc’s DIY projects came together beautifully.

Details from the bride:

We wanted our wedding to be described in 6 words: sweet, whimsical, cute, fun, simple and classic.  Our tag line was {a sweet beginning}.  Pink and Yellow worked perfectly because Ngoc’s fav color is pink and Jason’s is yellow.  Not to mention, pink and yellow are bright, happy, and fun.

love the buttons on the bouquet stem!

Their friends & family pitched in with a TON of duties since they were planning on a 3-month timeline AND on a budget:

The whole wedding process was such a humbling experience to see how family and friends selflessly pitched in to help and were there to support us every step of the way.  Our friends helped us with executing every detail of the wedding from being the florist, the decorations to being the day of coordinators.

 i love love LOVE their invitations ~ booklet style with the modern font/design. love!

All the details were DIYed by Ngoc!

 Almost all the items from the wedding were DIY and made by the bride herself! – the programs, the decorations, the invitations, escort cards, the design.

You will definitely want to click inside to read the rest of this DIY Virginia wedding feature ~ the wedding party shots are some of the most fun I have EVER seen.

As a multicultural couple, they infused both cultures into their wedding day:

Well, the unique thing about our wedding was that Ngoc is Vietnamese.  So we incorporated her Vietnamese background and cultures into our wedding.  In the morning, we held the Vietnamese Ceremony at Ngoc’s parents house.  Also, during the reception, we wore our traditional vietnamese attire – ao dai’s.  It was great to be able to blend both cultures together.

and as always the “we just got married!!!” shot.

More from Ngoc:

As for the venue, due to the health conditions of Ngoc’s grandma, we had to keep it close to her down in the Williamsburg area so that she could make it.  Ngoc’s prayer for years was that her grandma would be able to see her get married.  It was extra special for Ngoc to have her there.  Also, the day, May 14th, was extra special to us because it was our 1 year dating anniversary. It was important for us that family and friends felt welcomed but also that everyone had fun while celebrating our union.

love the white paper lanterns with the oversized ballons! what great DIY decor!

Our friend who did the floral arrangements even had a fever that day but still fought through it to supply us with beautiful flowers. We were definitely on a budget, and the help of our loved ones made this day special for us and possible.  Without them, we would never have been able to pull the event off, or we’d end up having to pay a bunch of money that we didn’t have!

Operation amazing, fun, offbeat wedding party pictures COMMENCE!

they are having SO much fun … i love it!

Ngoc’s face says it all here:

Ngoc even discovered a hidden talent of hers – event planning.  Her only regret was that she was the bride and couldn’t execute the day of plans because well, she had to be the bride!

It’s really possible to do so many things on your own, make the day much more personable, plan a wedding in only 3 months, stay within a budget, and have the wedding turn out just as we imagined it and better.

Sparkler send-off … love this shot! So cool!

Congratulations Ngoc & Jason – I cannot believe you guys planned and executed this gorgeous wedding in only 3 months! A special thanks again to Michelle VanTine Photography & Two Bright Lights for making this submission possible!

Michelle asked Ngoc & Jason to use 3 words to describe themselves, and the one that stood out the most was whimsical. Michelle thought it would only make sense then to add some whimsy into their willow tree Virginia engagement session by infusing some vintage elements into the shoot.

Ngoc & Jason’s Whimsical, Vintage Virginia Engagement Session

A note from DC wedding photographer, Michelle VanTine:

When working with clients I often ask them to describe their style in 3 words. I can’t remember all 3 words that Ngoc used but I do remember that the word whimsical stood out to me. I wanted to do something more creative than just stand in front of something scenic so I tried to infuse some creative elements. I started with a romantic “rendez vous” under a weeping willow. Next I set up a cute scene with a vintage quilt, typewriter and books, and finally I had the idea to set up a canvas in the middle of the daffodils and had the couple paint their initials in a heart. I thought it came out very romantic, creative… and whimsical!

How Jason & Ngoc met:

I had just moved up to DC after accepting a new job offer. My friend immediately connected me and invited me to go to the Outer Banks, NC for the weekend. Figuring I needed to meet new people anyway, at the last minute, I decided I’d come along for the ride. The second day at the house, Jason stopped by and forever changed my life. I knew from the moment I saw him that this guy was different from the rest. He was witty; he was fun; and frankly, he was adorable. However, I thought there was no way I could ever keep up with him. Within an hour of meeting him, he was already asking me to drive one of his friends back to DC so he could extend his vacation. How random! But that’s Jason…

 The proposal:

Because Jason was leaving for 24 days I wasn’t surprised when he invited me to spend some quality time together the weekend before. Saturday morning, we started driving south and ended up in Williamsburg. At this point, I had figured out that we were going to Christmastown (Busch Gardens decorates the theme park like a real Christmas town).

Point one: Jason had known that I LOVE Christmas, so it was the perfect experience. What I didn’t know was that he had arranged our best friends to be there! There I was sitting in the car when Phil, Jason’s best friend, pops up out of nowhere and starts snapping pictures. Then my best friend and her hubby, Jen and John, arrive. Point two: Jason knows I love taking pictures, so he had arranged for our best friends to capture the events of the day.

Click inside to continue reading the rest of Jason’s magnificent proposal to Ngoc and to see more from their whimsical Virginia engagement session, thanks to Michelle VanTine Photography.

The proposal story continues … and Jason continues to include all of Ngoc’s favorite things into one day …

His surprise was a tour of the penguin exhibit. Point three: my lifelong dream is to squeeze a penguin. We had a private tour of the penguin exhibit; and to my delight, they brought out a real live penguin for us to play with. The lady told us, “Use only two fingers to stroke the penguin.” But, there he was sitting right in front of me. You better believe I squeezed that penguin! Dreams really do come true!

The day continued into the evening where we enjoyed the park, the lights, the festivities, the shows, and our friendship. Point four: Jason knows I like affirmation and I treasure cards more than gifts. As we proceed through the park, Jason pulls me aside for my first “gift.” I sit on a bench while he awkwardly stares at me for a minute. Then he reaches into his coat pocket.

At this point, my heart skipped a beat and I thought, “This is it! He’s going to propose!” But instead, he pulls out a card that talks about his feelings for me. The night proceeds on like this, wandering through the park with Jason pulling me away from the crowd to give me a card. I really thought his gift to me was a card for every day he’d be gone on his mission trip.

The night was winding down and we had one more country to visit at Busch Gardens – Italy. Italy by far was the prettiest. There were white lights everywhere, and at this point, there was a light snow falling – the scene was just like a movie. He again pulls me to the side and I’m thinking to myself, “here is another card, yay!” He gives me the final card entitled “what’s next”. After reading the card, I thought that he was just telling me to wait until he came back from his trip. So I turn to look at him and thank him, and he starts talking… “Ngoc, you’ve captured my heart…”

He starts to get chocked up (I think I saw a tear!) and at this point, I realize, O.M.Gosh, it’s happening!! I can’t remember a word that he said, but he gets on one knee and I had to immediately sit down. I asked him, “Is this really happening??!” He then asks me to marry him! After a slight pause to catch my breath, I said, “Yes, of course!” I was so overwhelmed by emotions; so, we just hugged for what seemed like forever. I even forgot there was a ring involved! After 10 minutes of just holding each other, I finally was able to catch my breath and take a glimpse of the beautiful ring and then look into the beautiful face of my now fiancé!!

The yellow and pink “thank you” sign will make more sense tomorrow when I unleash the amazingness that was Ngoc & Jason’s wedding on you. This amazing couple planned an incredibly gorgeous, offbeat, modern Virginia wedding in only THREE MONTHS! Just wait until you see it!

For those that might want a sneak peak ~ check out our Facebook page tonight. I am going to share a favorite image to whet your whistle!

A special thanks again to Michelle VanTine Photography & Two Bright Lights for making this gorgeous, whimsical Virginia engagement session possible! Be sure to check back tomorrow for Ngoc & Jason’s wedding!