GRATITUDES + BREAKTHROUGHS // JUNE 26, 2018

Gratitudes

On Friday afternoon, I had an intimate elopement at 48 Fields in Leesburg! The rain didn’t stop Sarah + Lo from celebrating their wedding in the bright white rustic barn. Lark Florals came to decorate their arch in lush greens and soft lavender. Sarah’s bouquet had succulents and Lo’s boutonnière coordinated! Their two sons were present as well and looked so daper in their navy blue suits with lavender ties. A family friend conducted their ceremony; making it even more special were their personal vows! With the heavy rains on Friday, I offered an additional portrait session for this week. All of my brides deserve wedding portraits with sunshine.

My Apple Watch came in last week! I was so excited to use it! I thought it would be super similar to the iPhone. I was wrong. There is definitely a learning curve with this. I have had like 10 watch faces, even though I manually went in and selected my favorite. I have a few kinks to work in out in order to really use it for weddings, but I will say I think it’s going to be a game changer for weddings. Instead of having my phone for the timeline and list of family formals. I’ll have it all on my wrist!

I made some decisions for Ireland and instead of beebopping all over the country, I will be staying Galway for 4 full days. Look at how adorable my Airbnb is – Eyre Square.  I really sat down to think about what I wanted out of this trip and it was a combination of exploring and relaxation. I’m looking into a day trip to the Cliffs of Moher as well as Westport. If you’ve been and loved a restaurant, shop or a private spot now that I’ve narrowed it down. Let me know!

Y’all know how I feel about wine. This weekend I worked over at Slater Run, a newer vineyard in Middleburg. I was able to try two of their experimental merlots they were pouring. These were created to submit to the Winemakers Research Exchange. Check it out it’s kind of a cool project. For these two merlots the only difference in processing was added sulfates. The taste, heaviness and bouquet were super different in my opinion. I actually preferred the wine without!

It’s pride month and this girl got featured again on The Knot! I was so thrilled to see a photo from Emma + Haleigh’s Virginia fall wedding! The Knot used a photo to show the thought, creativity and hard work that went into the details of their big day! You can see the feature here! This is the third time I’ve been featured with this prominent publication, to say I’m excited is an understatement!! You can see more here – like when Emma + Haleigh’s wedding was selected to represent Virginia in the 50 Weddings in 50 States, a special edition from The Knot!

I thought this color would be funny for the week – Can’t find my Czechbook! Travel and money related, considering I’ve been spending so much on travel. I love this cheerful blue! It does have a hint of green, but so subtle! It’s a great shade to welcome the intense heat but have cool tones!

 

Breakthroughs

I love to travel. I think it’s clear especially on my social media. What I haven’t talked about is the fear around making travel decisions. That seems silly right? Maybe you feel it though too. I have researched, tagged, favorited and saved so many Airbnbs in Galway. I’ve looked up train stations, ticket prices, ticket times etc. When it comes to actually booking  there is a hiccup of fear. What if I pick the wrong place? The wrong location? Or how about the wrong dates? That’s me. It takes me a long time to make a thoughtful decision.

I purchased my tickets to Ireland almost 6 weeks ago, but this morning booked my accommodations. I was togglingly between two adorable apartments in Galway, physically across the park from each other – maybe a 5 minute walk. The price difference total was $20. Why was this such a hard decision? Fear.

Fear has a tendency to creep in slowly in the weirdest things. This is my first real solo trip. The first time I’ll be arriving and departing a country for no other reason besides wanting to see it for myself. And there is fear in that, even if I’m excited.

I’ve read so many travel blogs that mention the hardest part of booking a trip is the plane ticket. It’s usually where you start, and so many people tend to hesitate at this step. Once you finally click “purchase” your trip dates are set and you are going. I don’t want this fear to stop be from exploring.

I’m sure fear will pop back up during this trip a few times. I can already think of a few: train tickets, tour groups, places for dinner alone, a quiet cocktail by the water or missing a flight (I’ve done that before though – ha!). I’m hopeful that recognizing it for what it is will remove the power that it has over time.

Where do you think fear pops up in your life?

 

As always, thanks for reading. xoxo.