Black And White and Yellow All Over!

Hi Everyone! We're returning from a busy weekend but wanted to get a few things up for you this week. Here are more pictures from Megan and Brendan's bold, black and white damask wedding, taken by yours truly at Amorology. We by NO means claim to be photographers but every once in a while get a chance to capture some of the details of our weddings and it of course always reminds us just how much we love our real photographers!

With a palette of black, white and yellow, the pops of yellow were so much fun to play with. Here are some of our favorite shots and details of the day.

I loved the black and white furniture and the tents we brought in to give dimension to the space.

The flowers were done by Twigg Botanicals and offered another beautiful pop of yellow.

On the bride's list of priorities was chandeliers. While it was a little bit of a challenge on the wide open grass lawn..these black chandeliers added just the right touch to the tents to really dress them up while adding the extra light we needed....and we found a way to incorporate chandeliers!!

I love this shot from the day. It really shows how beautiful the setting was!

Megan was now officially a Tobler, so their guests were treated to sweet boxes of mini Toblerone candy bars!

The reception was full of amazing desserts like this lemon tart as well as the candy station we custom created for the couple in their corresponding colors!

One of our favorite candy items from the day: candy mustaches...so much fun!

David, the DJ from Hit It Music, was such a good sport about being our model :)

Always a sign of a good party when the shoes come off!

A very special thank you to Stephina Photography for editing our amateur photography shots for us. We had so much fun snapping these photos, and even more fun putting together this special day for Megan and Brendan!!!

Picture Perfect

Achieving a Flawless Look for Wedding Photos

Wedding pictures hold some of the happiest memories of a lifetime, so be sure you consider all the angles when preparing to be photographed on the big day.

In the weeks and months leading up to the wedding…

Plan your procedures ahead- it’s easy to get caught up in the craziness of tastings, fittings and appointments and forget to schedule facial treatments until the last minute. Don’t be tempted to get cosmetic lasering or a chemical peel within 10 days to a month of the event, depending on the exact type of laser or peel. Even something as simple as a facial should be given a solid week for skin to normalize, especially if any extractions will be performed. Call well ahead of time and discuss this with the technician.

Practice good skin health- stay hydrated and eat healthfully leading up to the event. Don’t try new skin care products, or anything that may irritate your skin. Anticipate your skin’s history, and treat it accordingly depending on changes your skin may experience in the climate or weather that’s expected at the venue.

For the big day…

Start with a good base- be sure that your foundation is the right color and formulation for your skin. You may feel like you should use a heavy cream or stick foundation since you’re being photographed, but heavier formulas will look caked on and are more likely leave a line of demarcation around the neck and hairline that’s tougher to blend away. Just stick with the liquid or powder that works for you, and be sure it’s properly matched to your color. No one wants to look washed out, but it can also age you a bit if your base is too dark for you. Color correcting concealers, like green or yellow for redness, and peach or yellow for undereye circles are a much better choice than simply layering on more makeup. Remember that redness will be easily picked up in photographs so take care to balance that out, and stay away from more pink based foundations.

Avoid the shiny look- glitter will reflect too much on camera, and shouldn’t be worn to a nice event like a wedding anyway. Radiance-enhancing or shimmery foundations make faces look too slick and shiny for photos, so if you must, only keep the sheen on cheekbones and the cupid’s bow for highlighting purposes. Always finish the t-zone with powder, which is especially important to balance any highlighting applied. If you know you’re more oily, pop pressed powder in your bag so that you stay shine free.

The eyes have it- keep in mind that darker eyeshadows and heavy liner make eyes look smaller. A matte or pearl shadow formula will be universally flattering and especially in warm, earthy tones. To keep eyes looking big and bright, highlight the inner corners and brow bone with an off-white, light pink or pale gold shadow or crayon. The older you are, the more important it is to stay fast to the no shimmer rule, as it tends to bring attention to fine lines. Black eyeliner can also look too harsh for older women (same goes for liquid liner) and fair blondes are more suited for eyeliner and mascara in the brown tones. Don’t forget to make sure brows are properly framing the face- everyone looks better and younger with defined brows. Fill the arches with powder or if using a pencil, blend with a brush. Brow color and size are important considerations here, so don’t forget to use a light hand and blend.

Consider your venue and lighting- do take the time to stop and think about if the event/ photos will be taking place indoors or out, and at what time of day. Indoor photos will be taken with flash, so it’s important to use powder to combat shine and to also be sure foundation is matched well. If outdoors, soften makeup a bit as it can easily look too heavy or harsh. Also adjust your makeup look for more formal locations, and later times in the evening. When considering these factors, you will want to use more color and definition over simply adding more makeup.

Keeping these ideas in mind, remember its always most important to look like yourself and feel comfortable on your wedding day. These techniques will help ensure you look flawless both in person and in photographs for years to come.

Content provided by Sarah Logan on behalf of ASI, which is an aesthetic school offering classes in waxing, facial treatments, cosmetic laser training, and medical aesthetics.

Photography by Stephanie Williams

Fantastic 4 Continued...

With Finn's fascination of all things super hero...we knew it was time to gather all the super heros for one big day of action packed fun! Finn and his daddy delivered invitations in manilla envelopes marked "TOP SECRET" and addressed to each of the kids superhero name. Some of those in attendance were:

The unsinkable Carson Brown

The Incrdible Hulk "Hoggan" Boys

The Kent "Clark" kids

Wonder Boy "Boles"

The high flying daredevil (this was for Finn's uncle Blake, who is a pilot and may be his #1 hero)

Cat Girl and Wolverine (as to elude to Finn's cat loving aunt Tracy and very hairy uncle Micah)

oh...and my personal favorite...Fat Man and Robin (for Finn's Grandpa and Nanny) among many others. We had a good laugh putting these together.

To set the scene we took some of the many cardboard boxes from our garage and painted them gray. We then took black and yellow paint samples we had gathered from Home Depot and attached them to the boxes to create lights on our buildings. It was a simple and cheap way to create a cartoon city! Grandpa then ran his custom made slip n' slide under the tower of buildings.

Some Super Heroes came flying in with their capes, but for those that didn't we had a super solution....

Upon arrival each each of the kids grabbed a bag and decorated their own superhero mask made from felt. We also took standard kitchen trash bags and cinched them to create capes in which the kids could decorate (many thanks to Aunt Tracy for coming up with that one!). It was so fun to watch the kids running around the yard all dressed up.

Luckily Finn's Aunt Kindsday got a hold of him that day to play dress up. They gathered everything that they could from his room...and then Kindsay fashioned a SUPER "S" from our left over felt. I think he looked SUPER cute. Undies over the p.j.'s always a good look.

My little Milla had fun getting into costume too. She is always all about the accessories.

Each place setting held a water gun and that day each SUPER Hero got to be "Faster than a speeding bullet"....

and....

This led to knocking over buildings in sheer delight...

and a serious SUPER Hero stand off in a battle of tug-o-war on the slip in slide.

Their strength amazed us all! :)

They were also able to leap tall buildings in a single bound but decided it was more fun to knock them down.

Like every Super Hero they also had to conquer their weaknesses. We had a kryptonite hunt where the kids gathered all the sparkly green rocks we had spray painted days earlier and hid. They had to be carefully contained in the kryptonite case but the kids did it with the greatest of ease.

They also had to survive the rope swing and the custom made slide into the pool that grandpa built.

as well as THE VOLCANO! Finn is currently AS equally obsessed with Volcanoes as Super Heros... so we knew that if we could find a way to incorporate one into the party we would make his day. Finn and his daddy spent time constructing the project and painting the volcano in the garage and by party time it was ready to explode.

The kids all gathered around and waited for the diet coke and mento erruption. It was big smiles, squeels and excitement from them! ...followed by a "let's do that again" daddy!

The day finished up with presents and Finn's very own capes! He actually got two which he puts to very good use. He is always wearing one of them wherever he goes.

Lastly, what is a birthday without a cake? The Sweet Cheeks girls delivered big time for me on this one. I was so excited to see what they would come up with and they took the inspiration and ran with it! They made all of finn's cake dreams come true!! ...He could not stop talking about his cake or nibbling on it prior to candle time. :) Many thanks to everyone over there for being so awesome!!

Many more wishes to come until next year!