Lovely Tonight: A Sneak Peek

You've been waiting for them. I've been waiting for them. Well...more like dreaming about them and pining after them in a rather impatient manner. I will explain the reason for the delay soon (trust me, there is quite a story behind it), but for now I'd like you to get excited because I have finally seen some photos from our wedding day! Insert trumpets and angels and musical instruments here...

Are you ready??? Drumroll please....

All photos by the wonderful Pilster Photography

Ok, so now that I've thoroughly teased you, you're going to have to wait...again! I still do not have the rest of the photos in my possession, so we are all going to have to practice the fine art of patience. However, it WILL be worth the wait; judging by how beautiful our teasers were, I just know that there are many many more gorgeous images to come!

Were you on the edge of your seat while waiting to see images from your photographer?

Boudoir photos with a twist...

Hive, its time to get a little...sexy...

I've noticed that it is rather commonplace for a bride to add a special portrait session in with their wedding photography. Enter...the boudoir session. Brides don some sexy outfits, have photographs taken, and present them to their groom as a wedding gift. Very cute (or should I say...scandalous...)!

I've been thinking about this myself, and if I would want to do something like this for Mr. Buttons. One day while browsing through my Google Reader, I came across a boudoir session. I shifted my laptop over to Mr. Buttons and asked him what he thought. He furrowed his brow a bit and then asked me, "what would I do with them???"

Fair enough, I guess. He does have a good point; it isn't like he would be taking around the photos and showing them off to his friends (I hope...). But nevertheless, I still like the idea. However, since Mr. Buttons didn't exactly sound all that thrilled about the traditional boudoir photos (I know...what is wrong with him???), I wanted to ponder an alternative that would perhaps give the same effect.

And then...as I was shopping for some new swimwear for the summer season, I had an epiphany. Why hadn't I thought of this sooner??? If you've been following me from the beginning, you might recall that Mr. Buttons and I first met each other at the beach. Well, what better location for a "boudoir" session? I mean, I already know that Mr. Buttons doesn't mind seeing me in a bikini: he's snuck a few photos here and there when we've been at the beach...

So...instead of donning some sexy lingerie, I'd wear a pretty little two piece number, and maybe take some pictures like this...

Following photos from Victoria's Secret:

Now...the only questions would be - 1: who the heck is going to make me look sexy like that (I am good at "cute," but "sexy" still evades me)? And 2: can my photographer photoshop in some gorgeous abs for me? Haha...

So, what do you think of a "nontraditional" boudoir session at the beach? Are you planning to/have you done a boudoir session to present to your SO? How did you decide what you'd wear?

Our fabulous photo shoot...part 3 - my favorite images

At the end of our engagement session, our photographer had shot a ridiculous number of photos (over a thousand...maybe closer to 2? Perhaps he will chime in and correct me if I am mistaken). Selecting our favorites took a very long time for myself and Mr. Buttons, to say the least! So...this post is dedicated to some of my favorite shots: many of them are close ups, so you're going to have to get used to staring at us for the moment!

Once again, all images are by Pilster Photography

It took me FOREVER to find this dress for the shoot! I shopped for weeks, searching high and low for something. Coincidentally, I came across this Antonio Melani dress on the clearance rack the day before the shoot! The pintuck details are just delish...

Another thing I noticed when looking back through our pictures? I apparently laugh...a lot!

Making goofy faces comes naturally to me I suppose, since half of our photos feature me doing something like this...thankfully, Mr. Buttons puts up with it...

Oh...and I had to sneak in one more photo featuring Theo...

Did you have a hard time picking out your favorite photos after your engagement shoot?

Ahoy Mateys!

If you recall from my previous post, our wedding venue happens to be a yacht club on Clearwater Beach. During the cocktail hour, our guests will be mingling outside by the pool area. And, there happen to be some boat slips along the back of the venue as well!

So, I’ve been getting inspiration for some fun photo opportunities during the hour…although I know that our photographer is going to get some great shots regardless!

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I would love to get the wedding party out on one of the boat slips for some pictures (assuming that we all fit...the slips are a tiny bit on the skinny side I think)! I love the idea of having some photos of Mr. Buttons and I sitting at the end with our feet hanging over the water…

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Has your ceremony or reception venue given you some inspiration for wedding day photo ops?

Our fabulous photo shoot...part 1

Once we booked our photographer, it was time to schedule an engagement session. Mr. Buttons and I had to plan ours quickly, as we were about to move to Virginia at the time! Our shoot took place in two different locations, which allowed for two different looks (yay!).

To start, Mr. Buttons and I met up with our photographer, Chad Pilster in Tarpon Springs at the sponge docks. It is filled with shrimp boats, touristy shops, and TONS of Greek restaurants.

Before we even left the parking lot to start walking, we had to get a shot in front of this mural on the side of a building!

Then it was off to the shops! Mr. Buttons and I had some fun trying on silly hats (or...I put them on him!).

We had to have a little fun in the rowboats we found!

Check me out...rocking the shades!

I love this store; it sells handmade soaps, and you can smell the aroma wafting out of the doors!

I'd been hitting the gym hard in preparation for the arm wrestling competition that ensued during the shoot...I'd even been working out those thumbs...can't forget thumb wrestling!

I may or may not have cheated...

One of the waiters at this restaurant wanted to get in on the action of our photo shoot - apparently my reaction was to stick my tongue out at him!

By the way...sharing an ice cream cone is hard to do!

Then, I proceeded to hang on a lamppost to hopefully sneak a kiss...

But, apparently something was funny to me?

We walked down by the docks where the shrimp boats are tied up, and I thought I'd show off my balancing skills.

After our stroll down the sponge docks, it was time to head over to the park to meet up with our pups...whee!!!

All images by Pilster Photography

Stay tuned for more pictures...as requested, Mr. Buttons' dog Lucia will be making her Weddingbee debut!

Did you have a fun time at your engagement shoot if you had one?

Photography love...

After Mr. Buttons proposed, the first thing on my to-do list was to find a photographer. And attempting to do that can be an absolutely daunting task, to say the least! I scoured the Internet for DAYS, trying not to go cross-eyed or to pull my hair out due to the overwhelming amount of information I came across! One thing I WAS sure about however, is that I wanted to find a photojournalist to document the day. Of course, some posed pictures are necessary, but I wanted to find someone who was able to capture the candid, natural moments that will transpire on our wedding day.

After spending the better half of my day scrolling through photos, I randomly sent out a Tweet about what I was up to. And, a short time later, I received a response from Pilster Photography, with a link to their site. I was intrigued, and began to sift through. And I was hooked, not only by the photos, but by what is included in their packages (UNLIMITED time on the day of the wedding, how cool is that?) and how well I clicked with Chad. And, for now, I’ll just let some of the photos speak for themselves…

All photos are from Pilster Photography’s site and/or blog.

How long did it take you to find the perfect photographer? What were the most important aspects of wedding photography to you?