Any other photogs reading “The Luminous Portrait by Elizabeth Messina”? I pre-ordered it on Amazon a couple months ago and was so excited to receive it in the mail today – Elizabeth Messina is one of my favorite favorite favorite photographers! (Check out her amazing blog here).

I can’t wait to read it – so far the reviews are great!

I had photographed my lovely friend Vickii’s cupcakes while I was on holiday in London over Thanksgiving last year (see them here) and she got the photos printed onto these cute business cards for her baking business. She was here to visit not to long ago and gave me one of each card – How cute are they?!

Vickii owns the divine baking blog called “I Bake Therefore I Am” which you need to visit immediately; While she isn’t state-side, she does share some lovely recipes on her blog that you can try out. And if you live in London you can contact her via her blog for her cake list and how to place an order.

I hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend.

Back soon with more updates.

Fun Fact about Chris: He loves sunglasses and asked all his friend to bring him a fun pair of sunglasses to his most recent birthday party! One of which he wore for the session.
Congratulations on your engagement guys – I’m looking forward to your wedding!

I love this photo of them dancing as they left the ceremony!

Nadege twirling around in the empty reception room

Sneaking in a kiss during toasts :)

They got married at Sayen Gardens in Hamilton NJ and their reception took place at The Merion in Cinnaminson NJ.

I’ll be blogging the rest of my favorite images from their special day in my next post. In the meantime – enjoy!

And of course we can’t forget the guys! Here are a few shots taken by my second photographer, Nelson -

Stay tuned for more :)

Dresses: Jay West, Haddonfield NJ
Hair and Make-up:Bethany Bell and team

Hopefully the bride’s-to-be out there can find some dress inspiration below -

One of the models getting ready -It’s all about the hair spray :)

Some of the pretty wedding dresses

These bridesmaids dresses are not what you usually see at weddings – gorgeous!

Thanks for stopping by and I’ll be back with a new post highlighting what else I’ve been up to!

About Soulful Engagements: Soulful Engagements is a comprehensive wedding planning blog that offers a fresh voice to brides of color looking for advice and inspiration throughout the planning process. By providing relevant articles, practical advice and personal experiences we hope to make the wedding planning process as stress free as possible.

Definitely stop by their website – It’s a great resource.

Thank you for the awesome feature Stephanie!

To celebrate getting older, Regina wrote the 45 lessons life had taught her and recently added 5 more to make it 50. My birthday is in a couple weeks so it’s definitely a good time for me to reflect on my life lessons, what I’d like my future to look like (God willing) and what new lessons I’d like to learn. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did.

Regina Brett’s 45 Life Lessons and 5 to Grow On

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.
8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.
12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks.
16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.
18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: “In five years, will this matter?”
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.
35. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.
36. Growing old beats the alternative – dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.
41. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
42. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
45. The best is yet to come.
46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
48. If you don’t ask, you don’t get.
49. Yield.
50. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.

And here’s a photo of what I’ve been up to lately – I’ll put up a full post soon on the session I did with this adorable little guy!

Philadelphia Family Photographer |  New Jersey Family Photographer