I Fancy Friday v.10: Berry Diaries {Guest Post}

Happy Friday everyone! I know I have had a short week at work, however, my three day week has felt like a ten day week and I' exhausted! Feeling tense and tired, it is perfect that today I welcome a new blogger friend to my I Fancy Friday series, Lulu from Berry Diaries. I met Lulu through Bobbi, when we all met up for cupcakes near Buckingham Palace {so fancy I know!}. Lulu was one of those sweet people you meet who just makes you feel good. She has the sweetest positive outlook on life, a fantastic South African accent and hello, she is in yoga training....a sweet yogi! I will let Lulu share her things she fancies this week and scroll down to read a bit more about Lulu!  

1. Trilogy Everything Balm - I'm obsessed and it's not got any toxic ingredients either!

2. The Mulberry Bayswater Bag in Blush - I saw it in a magazine and CAN NOT stop thinking of it!

3. Stella & Dot Jewelry - I am loving this new bracelet & necklace from the fun jewelry line.

4. Pretty Sandals - Accessorize pretty sandals, you make me want to go on holiday!

5. Nike Tights - how great are these green dotted yoga bottoms.

6. Chest of Drawers - I have my eye on this chest of drawers for our flat!

The first question people ask is why Lulu named her blog Berry Diaries. The answer straight from Lulu... 

"In January 2012, I was diagnosed with melanoma cancer for the third time, and had a large chunk of tissue removed from my right shoulder, and I am SO fortunate that they got all the cancer out.

I was waiting for the usual lecture on not going in the sun or ever using sun beds, which I certainly DO NOT, when my Doctor asked me if I eat blueberries everyday.  She told me that I really should, and that ultimately they could save my life.  And so I began my quest to a happier and healthier lifestyle, which I share on what I like to call this, Wellness Blog."

Lulu shares her adventures of yoga training {making me want to get back into yoga!!!!}, healthy recipes, English Adventures, amazing healthy information on wellness {she owns her own Physiotherapy Practice for women and children}...and much more!

 Ommmmmmmm! I am so enjoying reading along with Lulu's yoga adventures! 

Make sure to check our Lulu's adorable wedding that she had just this past year at home in South Africa! She turned her parents barn into a gorgeous wedding!

Thank you Lulu for sharing!!! 

Find Berry Diaries on: TWITTER // FACEBOOK // PINTEREST // BLOGLOVIN’

xoxo - Becca

My Summer Running Essentials 2013

It has been awhile since I wrote about adventures in running, and all honesty, it is because I have been slacking! Since the half marathon two months ago, running has been off and on, but this past week I have felt BACK in it! It has been fun living in London, running through the city along with Oliver by my side. I noticed on my Nike+ the other day that I have clocked over 1,400 miles with my little tracker and that only makes me want to run 1,400 more! So here is to my Summer ahead full of morning runs through the city and a new play list to keep me entertained every step along the way. 

I am looking for a new running jacket to work for both rainy mornings and windy days. My jackets are a bit too warm, more for more wintry days. I am LOVING this Lululemon jacket!

I am completely addicted to my Nike+ app and have been for years. I love that it keeps track of my every mile and cheers me on. 

Looking for a new pair of running tights? I am! How about this cute pair from...Lululemon of course.

Loving this BE STRONG & BEAUTIFUL tank!

I do not know if it is a trend or not, but I am VERY interested in the Jawbone bracelets. They keep track of your every move during the day; tracking your walks, bites and zzzzzz's. I would love any ones advice on it. 

Pocket full of Dog Treats, not on every one's running essential list? I let Oliver off his lead when we are in the park and to keep him close I keep Lily's Kitchen Cheese & Apple treats in my pockets! Essential!

My Summer 2013 Running List on Spotify: spoti.fi/19iKvYA 

Listening to anything new, please share! 

Happy Running! xoxo ~ Becca

Getting Ready with your Bridesmaids

I have over a year left of wedding planning to go until Beau's and my June 2014 wedding. Actually we still need to sign a venue and an exact date, hee hee. In the middle of all of the big planning items {venue, catering, dress, photographer, band, etc.} I find myself dreaming of the actual day, the morning of the big day! I envision myself surrounded by my bestest girlfriends, my mom, my sisters, aww, it makes me so excited! I love seeing images of the bride to be getting ready for her wedding day, the anticipation, the celebration! I was so excited to discover American Bridal  and all of their adorable and affordable gifts they have to make my wedding day just a little more special. I can not wait to see all of us dressed up in pretty little gifts with a little personalization  to make the big day even a little bit more special. See below for my favorite getting ready finds...

 1. Personalized Spa Robe | 2. Chevron Print Cosmetic Case | 3. Waffle Weave Personalized Robe | 4. Personalized Tote Bag | 5. Large Colorblock Cosmetic Case 

I am an absolute FAN of personalized gifts! Monogrammed robes, cosmetic cases and beach bags are a wonderful gift to give and receive, rarely do you buy yourself one. What a better gift to get your bridesmaids then a personalized tote bag filled with some wedding morning essentials: 

1. Mini bottle of champagne 

2. Monogram cosmetic case 

3. New shiny lip gloss 

4. Thank You Card for being the best 

5. Bottle of Water to hydrate through the day

6. Tissues 

7. Bridesmaids Emergency Kit with all the Goodies

The images below are too cute, filled with bridesmaids all dolled up and getting ready for the big day in matching robes!

Photo by Justin DeMutiis

Photo by Rodeo & Co. featured on Southern Weddings

Photo by Virgil Bunao

Photo by Elizabeth Messina 

Don't forget about your mom or even your soon to be mother in law, a special robe for her would be pretty sweet as well!

Photo by Elizabeth Messina 

Make sure to visit American Bridal  to see many more cute and budget friendly items! The cosmetic cases start at $14.95, adorable and not expensive, yippee! 

Happy Bridal Shopping! xoxo ~ Becca

My Hood : Highbury / Islington

A couple of months ago I shared my favorite neighborhood spots on the Move Guide, a great site for discovering your city and answering your expat questions. Since we have officially lived here in London for more then 8 months I thought I would just put it out there, I heart London! Yes, we have visa issues to deal with, work is crazy, I miss my family, I hate the time difference of catching up with US friends but lets be honest, London rocks! We live in the adorable area of Highbury Islington in London and it has been the perfect neighborhood to move to; a mix of city and small village feel. 

In a city as large and diverse as London, there is a huge vibrant mix of ethnicities, foods, cultures and history.  We chose to live in a residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, Highbury / Islington encompasses  the area around the busy Upper Street and Essex Road. Below is my guide to our little area of London! 

We often get asked to why we chose to live in the Highbury/Islington instead of West London where many American expats live. We actually kind of fell into living where we do. When looking for a short term that would allow a dog, the first flat we found was on Upper Street, the high street of Islington. We continued to look for a long term flat around the city but we kept coming back to our area in North London. We finally ended up settling right on the park in Highbury Fields and love the easy accessibility for our dog, the nearby high streets and restaurants and the closeness to the center of the center.

{flat hunting around Highbury Fields} 

Islington is a vibrant borough of London that has a thriving theatre scene, nightlife, cafes, bars, shopping and restaurants. Only living here for less then a year we have quickly found our favorite spots and continue to find a new place every day.

For a Cup of Tea or Coffee

London has quite a great coffee culture going on. Often people think of England with only teashops, but during my first month I discovered some great places for an afternoon coffee.

The original Euphorium Bakery on Upper Street is the perfect spot for breakfast, lunch or a light dinner. The bakery has amazing daily freshly baked items including scones, quiche, pizza, biscuits and breads. This is a great bakery to grab a cup of coffee and a newspaper on a Saturday morning.

North of Upper Street, located in Highbury Barns is the adorable Highness Cafe & Tea Room. Walking by the windows that are full of freshly baked cakes makes me want to stop in for an afternoon tea with a girlfriend. It is quite a small shop with seating downstairs and a small cozy space upstairs, but a great place to bring a book and have a cup of tea on a rainy day.

Camden Passage , located near the Angel tube stop has some wonderful places for an afternoon coffee. Kipferl is an Austrian cafe that serves delicious cakes such as Sacher Torte and Apfelstrudel. Coffee Works Project is what I would describe as the hip coffee shop. You can usually find hipsters typing away on their laptop throughout the day.

I spent quite a few days having coffee at Madam Chi Coffee Lounge on Upper Street. The cafe makes me feel a bit like being in a Parisian cafe, whether I wanted a glass of wine or a skinny cappuccino.

Places to Dine

One of the first places I was recommended to try in Islington was The Albion and I am so glad we tried it out right away! Located off on a side street from the busy Upper Street area, the Albion feels like you have pulled up to an old Inn back in the day. A beautiful Georgian House that has a great Gastro pub feel in the front, a cozy dining room that serves delicious traditional British cuisine and also has a wonderful garden area in the back that offers an amazing place for a Sunday Roast in the Summer Days.

Head to the adorable hidden little passageway of Camden Passage for a few great options! The Breakfast Club always has a line out of the door for a reason…it is delicious! My favorite time to go for breakfast at this tiny little breakfast spot is on a Saturday or Sunday before 10am, the breakfast burritos reminded me of home, but with a side order of English sausage, were maybe a bit better! My other favorite in Camden Passage is the Elk in the Woods that serves up amazing cocktails like the Elderflower Fizz but also amazing food. The look of the restaurant is quite cozy with wooden floors and antlers on the wall but also quite hip with subway tiles by the bar and hipsters as regulars.

For delicious and inexpensive dinner be sure to stop in at one of the three Gallipoli restaurants on Upper Street.

A perfect spot for a Sunday roast with friends, The Pig in the Butcher, on Liverpool Street is a must. Make sure you try the lamb, and also book ahead!

You can tell that Ottolenghi is going to be delicious by only peeking through the windows. Beautiful desserts are always piled high in the windows, with overflowing platters of salads behind them. Healthy Mediterranean dishes mix a bit of British taste with seasonal items in this perfect spot to grab dinner in or takeaway.

The newest place to pop up with a lot of buzz in the area is the House of Wolf. Every month this restaurant changes chefs to allow locally known chefs to create a pop up restaurant feel. Every Sunday they offer bottomless Mimosas and Bloody Mary’s with their roasts!

Looking for proper British fish and chips? The Beach Hut  is located in Highbury Barns {right up the street from my flat, very village feeling, I love it!} and is a BYOB fish and chips spot. Order the small order, trust me.

As a US expat, you start to learn your favorite UK chains: Wagamamas {my favorite since I studied abroad here in college} is located in Angel, Pizza Express for a Tuesday evening Pizza and Salad is perfect.

Stop in for a Drink

“The Bar with No Name” 69 Colebrooke Row is located on a small street around the corner from Islington Green. Their alcoholic drinks are quite generous, so be aware! It is a 1920’s cocktail bar style bar with really beautiful custom cocktails. To secure a table make sure you book ahead!

Zilouf’s on Upper Street has a funky relaxed feel that I adore with a mix of couches and mismatched glassware. Serving delicious cocktails like a Honey and Basil Daiquiri, it also offers 2 for 1 cocktails from 5pm to 7pm, reminding me of the US happy hour deals!

Living in London everyone needs to find a local pub! The Alwyne Castle has become our pub and we love it! We can bring our dog, the food is yummy, it has a crazy Tuesday night trivia night and during the winter we bought our Christmas tree there!

Make Yourself Pretty

I am a big fan of the Blow Bar in Camden Passage where for £25 you can walk out feeling like you have model hair. I have also had a hair cut there and it was great!

Looking for an inexpensive nail place to get Shellac manicure for under £40, Modern Nail, not fancy, but it does a great job. Inexpensive and located in Chapel Market, close to Angel tube stop.

Food Shops & Markets

I just discovered this little gem in Highbury Barn, La FromagerieAn amazing selection of cheese and I have become to LOVE their tarts and pistachio lemon bread they have! Perfect place to stock up if you are entertaining.

Every Sunday Chapel Market has a Farmer’s Market set up and it is the best spot to get fresh produce and inexpensive groceries! During the week I order my staples through a delivery grocer but all of my fruits and veggies got purchase at ½ the costs here.

Retail Therapy

Upper Street in Islington is full of great places to shop: Oliver Bonas for trendy pieces and fun gifts for friends, Whistles, Jigsaw,Petit Bateau and Sweaty Betty for fashionable work out clothes {and free pilates classes on Thursday evening}.

After Noah is a really neat store for gifts, funky furniture and retro toys. I am in love with Aria! Everything about this store I love.  The design of the store offers a coffee bar, amazing contemporary furniture and that place in the area that you can find pretty scented candles and neat contemporary gifts like Jonathan Adler mugs.

Head to N1 in Angel {across from the tube} for all of your highstreet stores like H&M, Oasis, French Connection, Gap, Benneton, Accessorize and many others.

For your Pets: Nothing fancy but there are not many huge box pet stores in the city like we are use to in the States. I’ve discovered a small place in Chapel Market, Angel Pet Supplies it sells the little things Oliver likes {treats, toys, essentials like doggy bags}.

Fresh Air

Highbury Fields. Maybe I am biased because we live close by, but it is a huge park which Oliver LOVES. The park has a gym, tennis court, is easily accessible to the tube and has a nice mix of families, young couples and elderly people who have knowledge of the area for years. I love that the park gives you a feel of community in the middle of this big city.

A few other nearby parks we love to go for runs in or take Oliver are: Clissold Park and Finsbury Park.

Come visit me and I will show you around! Live in the area? Let's meet up for a cocktail!  Cheers! 

xoxo ~ Becca

I Fancy Friday v.9

YAY! I can not tell you HOW excited I am to see this Friday come! Yiiippppe! I had Tuesday off after working all weekend last week and feel like i haven't been able to catch up since. Taking on a new role at work has pulled a lot of me this week. It is a three day holiday weekend here in London {amazing!} and I took off an extra day....so yes, I'm pretty much on a holiday for 4 days and I can not wait! 

I am beyond ready to lay in bed, get caught up on some piles of magazines, blog read, wedding planning and friend catching up! I am starting to miss my American ladies, sisters and parents a tad bit more then I thought and I have lots of Facetime dates set up. Cheers to a fabulous Memorial weekend to all of my US friends! Cheers to a bank holiday weekend to all of my UK gals! Along the way...I of course managed to fancy a few things!

1. HELLO WEEKEND pencils - From Amanda Catherine on Etsy, these sweet pencils just brighten up your work, don't they! I need a few weekend pencils to maybe pull out during the week as well;)

2. Paleo Pancakes - We are a fan of these pancakes around our flat {as seen here!}. We have visitors for the next three weekends, so you may find us in bed eating these delicious healthy pancakes this weekend, with a quiet house.

3. Bow Bun - How amazing is this hair do! A bun like a bow on Ruffled! Wow, engagement pic hair do?!?!

4. Oversize Urn Martha Stewart Arrangement - I fell in love with a venue. I fell in love with a chapel. It is a bit over our budget, but we will see. I keep envisioning these HUGE urns of flowers by the ceremony...sigh.

5. Oliver Bonas Flower Skirt - It may feel like the end of winter, however it is Spring! Bring on the flower prints! 

6. Shellac Cake Pop - My new favorite manicure color. Yes, the name of the polish is...cake pop! How can you not love it? 

Happy Weekend everyone! Happy Friday! Cheers! 

xoxo - Becca

DO in London: Drink, Shop & Do

I have found a new place that I love. From a girl who grew up crafting with her mom and sisters, to the blogger girl, to the girl who dreams of being a stylist or maybe owning a little creative shop of her own....when I walked into Drink, Shop & Do, it was love at first sight! 

Located in the King's Cross area of London {minutes from my office} I had walked by Drink, Shop & Do many times but had never thought anything of it. Well, recently I have been on a new kick of exploring our city more. I really want to take advantage of every minute and every cool new place there is. While meeting a friend of my sister's from Cleveland recently I thought instead of meeting for a cocktail, lets try this cool place! Luckily there was room left in that evening's Screen Printing class so of course we jumped to sign up! Cocktails and a new custom canvas bag, ummm fun!

 Drink, Shop & Do is a cafe, bar, adorable bespoke craft/gift/cool things shop and a crafty place to "do". They offer everything from screen printing classes, bingo nights, Lionel Richie sculpting class {hahaha}, Vintage Hair & Makeup lessons to Beyonce dance classes! Now this is a place with variety! 

The cafe is full of amazing cakes and sweets, along with coffee drinks going and cocktails being made, it is such a fun new discovery.

Hello, there was a disco ball, a HUGE disco ball in our craft room! You know you can host hen parties here {American gals that is a bachelorette!}. You could make a fascinator or embroidered undies {funny but kind of cute} all while drinking bubbly. 

 We ordered a little charcuterie platter that was of course presented adorably in teacups and a sweet petite four stand. Are you surprised I left loving it here!

I decided to give it a shot at writing my own letters to create a Creme de la Creme bag, inspired by a few items I have seen floating around on Pinterest. 

My stencil was cut and the ink was pressed, 15 minutes drying and....voila...

LOVING my new bag! Should I start a new Etsy shop? ;) ha. 

I SO recommend this shop/bar/cafe! Jenn and I had such a fun evening chatting girl talk, London expat issues, fun discoveries in the city and learning a new fun thing to do! 

Visit Drink, Shop, Do HERE! 

xoxo ~ Becca

Hey London Girls : J.Crew is Coming!

Hey ladies, just in time for the bank holiday weekend there is a special treat at Kings Cross....J.Crew is coming to London!!!! Yipeee! One of my all time favorite US fashion brands is strutting its stuff for two days in London. 

See below for details.

To me J.Crew is a brand I have been wearing since I was a little girl. From there preppy polos to their now fashionable finds, J.Crew is taking over the fashion world and hopping across the pond. Tomorrow and Saturday {May 24 & May 25}, the brand will run a pop-up shop at the Western Transit Shed in King’s Cross. The shop will sell items from its Spring collections and previews of their new Fall preview. AND they will have a monogram service...woo hoo!

A Regents Street location will open this Fall permanently, but as a treat, you can see the preview this weekend. Located neat Central Saint Martins School {across the street from my office!}. 

Happy Shopping! xoxo ~ Becca

Dining in London: Pig and Butcher

One of the many things I love about living in London has been our long, lazy Sundays. When we lived in Florida, Beau worked a lot of weekends and late nights, so it is nice to now have our weekends together with Oliver and mornings spent at markets and parks. One of the best things about Sundays in England is the tradition of Sunday Roast! The closest thing I could possibly compare it to in the States is Sunday brunch, but it feels oh so different. 

Walk by any pub on a Sunday afternoon and you will see groups of families and friends of all ages dining around a roast, potatoes, veggies, yorkshire pudding and a pint...or two. A long leisurely afternoon, with a close group, over a big meal to end your weekend is the perfect thing to me! Let me introduce to you to our favorite spot for a Sunday Roast, The Pig and Butcher. 

Tucked away in Angel, on the corner of Liverpool Road and Theberton Street, lies The Pig and Butcher. I highly recommend making a reservation for Sunday afternoon {my parents are visiting in June, reservation complete!} as the restaurant is often packed with hipster twenty & thirty year olds outside and young families with little ones inside. The restaurant has a nice muted decor inside with funky pieces like the bulls head in the dining room and large huge windows that bring in natural light, unlike the old dark pubs you envision. 

We have been lucky to have friends visit and had a fabulous long lazy lunch 

with Elizabeth and her mom, ordering a feast for the table! 

The roasted chicken for two serves WAY more then two, however, its heaven. I have a thing with simple roasted chicken, and this wins! Yum! Served along side with veggies and Yorkshire pudding {Americans, it is kind of like a popover but with pan drippings added, delish!}

The bar has a fantastic selection of craft beers and on a Sunday splurge for a traditional Pimm's lemonade to start the day! 

Oh look! More friends, more chicken, more wine, more fun! Yes we do love it here!

 You would think after a two hour sitting of drinking wine, beer and roast that there was no room for pudding {Americans, desserts. Same thing. Not Jell-O pudding. hee hee. I will write about those differences in another post}. MAKE ROOM FOR THE PUDDINGS! Above is Parkin with toffee sauce and coffee ice cream, amazingggg. Parkin is similar to a gingerbread but more sticky and yummy. 

You can not go wrong with an Apple and Rhubarb crumble and homemade ice cream, especially served in a cute cast iron skillet. 

And because every leisurely meal should continue and never end, we have finished it off with an English cheese board and Port! See, isn't this the perfect spot for a Sunday! 

Cheers! xoxo ~ Becca

The Pig and Butcher: 80 Liverpool Rd, Islington London, N1 0QD: ph:020 7226 8304

Twitter: @pigandbutcher | Facebook: ThePigAndButcher

{all pictures taken on my fancy camera, my iPhone}

The Little Things: Weekly Flowers

It was a busy weekend here in London for me, I had a wedding at work on Saturday and helped out with a Bar Mitzvah at work on Sunday. I have gotten use to our leisurely weekends of walks in the park with Oliver and visits to the markets that I found myself missing my little trip of buying weekly blooms for our flat. One of my favorite things I have come to LOVE in our new city is going to Columbia Flower Market and splurging on fresh beautiful flowers for our flat, weekly. We may be on a budget but as far as fresh flowers go, they are a little thing that I love! I am sure you can see if you follow me on Instagram just how happy these little blooms make me! 

It is a little thing in life, my £10 weekly spend on flowers that make our flat so pretty and smile upon your face. You agree? What is your little weekly splurge that you love: a manicure, your cup of Jo from Starbucks, lunch eaten out mid week, happy hour? DO share! 

xoxo ~ Becca

New Neutrals for the Closet

The beginning of a new season always has me craving for new items in my closet! Recently I have noticed a color palette that is missing from my wardrobe, whites camel brown cream, neutrals. How I would love to add a tan leather bag to my closet this year! On quite a budget, but I still managed to find some fantastic pieces for under £100. 

1. Bow Saddle Bag Oliver Bonas

2. The Cheryl by Top Shop

3. Miss Selfridge's Nude Slipper

4. OFFICE Freddy Shoe

5. Dune Aleen Round Toe Shoe 

6. Knife Pleat Dress Victoria's Secret 

7. Banana Republic Circle Skirt

8. Marks & Spencer Peplum Jacket

Happy Shopping! xoxo ~Becca

Planning our Wedding : The Photographer

OK, so I know it has been a few weeks since I have posted about planning our wedding. I get numerous emails asking about any other wedding venues, have I found the dress, what is the date and many other questions. OK, yes, it is a bit funny that we do not have much planned being this is what I do, we have been engaged since September, you would think we had some of that....nope. Oh well, it is OK! We have been busy, working, moving, visa stuff, friends, just life, the wedding is on the top of the list and now we need to start making some decisions. One of the big things on the TOP of our list is Photography! It is no shock that I LOVE beautiful wedding photography, I seem to tweet about, Facebook it and Pin it a lot.  Being a wedding blogger   I spend a lot of time browsing through wedding sites and photographers blogs editing and admiring their work. So here we go....long wedding post ahead! 

{Images above by Jessica Lorren Photography}

I get sad when I hear couples say that they hired someone because it was a good "deal". My first thought is, well do they have beautiful photos? A deal, like a bargain, 2 for 1 deal? Their friend? Their hairdresser, eeekkk. The pictures! The photos of your wedding day are something you will have for the rest of your life! After all the flowers are way long gone, the dress is in a box, the cake has been eaten at the one year anniversary, the photos will be there to remind you of your amazing most memorable day forever. You will have these photos in an album to show your children, your grandchildren. The pictures will be there for you and your husband to look at and see the little memories you have may missed throughout the day and remind you of that important day for the rest of your life. 

{Images above by Kat Braman Photography}

A few things that are important for us when we have talked about our wedding photographer: 

1. They are fun, have a great personality and make both of us feel comfortable and natural. 

2. They shoot film. 

3. They are natural. I want them to naturally capture the details of the day without too much posing. 

{Images above by Michelle March Photography}

I am shocked how calm I have been with the process so far...June 2014....that's fine! Well it wasn't until today when I met the adorable sweet Aneta Mak and she mentioned she is almost fully booked for June 2014 that I got a little panicky. Oh my! Really! OK, time to get my game on and make decisions. Book a beautiful photographer from our new hometown, London or fly in one of the many talented Floridian ladies I love, I know and I adore their work. Decisions. Decisions. Selecting ONE photographer is not easy, can't I have like 10? hahaha, OK now, I am no Kate Middleton with royalty at the wedding....hahahaha, no. I would be happy with any of the ladies, but making a decision, not easy. Engagement pics, second shooting, portraits, albums and getting to know them and making our day feel fantastic, which one???

{Images above by Catherine Mead Photography}

My Florida Ladies: I fell in love with Jessica Lorren's work early on when moving to Florida and got to know her throughout the two years living there and first off, she makes beautiful work and she is a beautiful person. Super sweet and I feel like she might make me feel like a princess bride on the day, hahaha. Her images are dreamy and romantic and I am in love. Then there is Kat Braman  who is just cool and amazing! After working with her on a shoot for Floridian Weddings  I realized just how fantastic she is. Not only are her portraits awesome, I have this thing with Kat's creative way of capturing the smallest moment on the dance floor or the shot from above the ceremony just makes me love her. Jess and Kat often work together second shooting to.......hhmmm both of them? And let's discuss Michelle March . I have been lucky to work with Michelle on a few projects over the past year AND been treated to have her shoot Beau and I here and here. Michelle is a sweetheart and has become a great friend. She loves the little details and loves the pretty. Do I have her as a guest, a photographer? Oh my!

{Images above by Aneta MAK}

The London ladies! I do a little researching, blog reading...research. I may be newer to this country but I am sure you can imagine I have been looking at London photographers for awhile now! Aneta Mak, she is awesome, but unfortunately she isn't available, I can still dream. Talking to Aneta and hearing her excitement about shooting in film made me excited! I got introduced to Catherine Mead  through Jillian  and instantly loved her...and her love of Kate Spade shoes;) Catherine is always capturing her amazing travels and has a pretty fantastic portfolio of beautiful destination weddings and gorgeous English countryside weddings, a bit of everything. 

And then there is Polly Alexandre ....

{Images above by Polly Alexandre Photography} 

Honestly, I am not exactly positive when I discovered Polly, however, yep, I love her work. Not only is her work gorgeous but it is the way she writes about her life, her husband, her love of photography, le sigh. Polly shoots on film and well, I can't say more, her work is beautiful and I would love her there as well. Like the dress {yes I found one! Yes, I think its a bit over my budget} that I can not get out of my mind, I can not get Polly's photos out of my mind. 

So ladies, what do you think. It is hard. We have a budget obviously but we also want amazing photos. Wish us luck! Big decisions! 

xoxo ~ Becca