Photography: Studio This Is

That's right – another photography studio that I admire. Can't get enough of it! Good photography is my eye candy, especially the color red.

Today's Chicago area photographer is Studio This Is. Enjoy these priceless shots.

{Images from studiothisis.com}

Stylish Apparel for Kids

For all my mommy friends out there, here is a very fashionable site for kids apparel - Tea Collection. What I love about their clothing is the use of ethnic influenced patterns and style from Japan & Brazil. They have super cute kimono looking tops for girls and great ensembles for boys.


{Images from teacollection.com}

Pretty Sweet – Wedding Cakes

Right now, I am in the process of designing the look of our wedding cake. Since we roughly have 125 people attending the wedding, the cake is going to have 3-layers with each layer being different in flavor. Chocolate for my fiance and a light fruity flavor for me. :)

The overall cake design will utilize our two main colors - yellow & blue. For our cake topper, I made a custom design of our names to go on top. It's being laser cut by a vendor that I have found. I don't have a picture yet for you guys to see...

But if you want a hint, it looks pretty close to the front cover of our invites. However, I can show you some of my favorite wedding cake picks. Each have a great look and theme to them.

{Images from theknot.com}

Dwell for the Boudoir

I am not sure if you all know, but Hemal and I are in the process of buying our very first home. We don't have the closing date yet, however when it is done and official, I will debut a picture of our new place when that day comes. :)

As everyone knows with a new home comes new furniture and new linens! And some of my favorite bed designs are from Dwell Studio. They have clean, funky designs merged with sophistication. Dwell has come out with some new bedding for 2009. Coming from a design background, I certainly gravitate towards these bold and graphic linens.




{Images from dwellshop.com}

If you do check out their site, also look at the Dwell baby bedding designs. Super adorable!

Jennifer Behr: Hair Accessories

Anyone looking for hair style ideas for say a wedding, or for any fun occasion?

Check out these simple but stylish ideas by Jennifer Behr. She creates encrusted crystal/silk hair bands and silk floral arrangements that are simply stunning. Her pieces start in the low 100's, but don't let that deter you from achieving a hi-end look like these.

{Images from jenniferbehr.com}

I have been looking for floral accessories for my big day, and I can say myself that I have found a great alternative to Jennifer Behr. I was originally planning to have real flowers in my hair, but after much reading and chats with my hairstylist, real flowers can be cumbersome. They are heavy and either fall out or apart before the night is even over. So I have now opted for silk florals, but I wanted them to look real as possible. And that's when I discovered Mikiye Creations on Etsy. She creates high quality designs all by hand.

{Images from mikiye creations on etsy.com}

Her creations are fun & beautiful. I have personally bought one of her white floral pieces and I can vouch it looks and feels pretty darn real!! And for the price, a very good buy.

Our Naples, Florida Trip

For a short weekend getaway, we went to my grandmother's condo in Naples. Thanks to her, we got to enjoy warm 70 degree weather! As you can see from the pics, the view is gorgeous from the 16th floor of the building. We were overlooking Pelican Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. We did run into some foggy weather in the evenings.




My fiance's brother, Nirmal and his wife, Nisha and their son Aryan, were able to join us on this trip. This was Ari's first trip out of Illinois and on a plane. He was the most well-behaved baby on the plane. And isn't he stylin' in his blue shades!

Are We Compatible?

According to the Chinese Zodiac, the Snake and the Rooster are a good match! The personality traits that they describe are pretty spot on. When you read this, notice how the Rooster is usually always right!

(The portraits below are our very first passport photos from our country of origin.)

Birth Country: Gujarat, India
Birth Year: 1977
Chinese Zodiac Sign: the Snake
Traits: Like a deep river, their thoughts and emotions run very deep. Snakes hate to fail, and are very lucky when it comes to money. Can be a loner, tend to stick to themselves to get ahead in life. In matters of heart, can be deeply amorous, jealous in nature and don't handle rejection well. In business, Snakes command respect in their accomplishments. Click to read more
Compatibility: the Ox or Rooster
Famous People in the Year of the Snake: Pablo Picasso, John F. Kennedy, Martha Stewart, Oprah Winfrey, Kanye West


Birth Country: Chonburi, Thailand
Birth Year: 1981
Chinese Zodiac Sign: the Rooster
Traits: Loyal, trustworthy, sociable, very accomplished and usually very well-dressed. Shrewd, outspoken and even boastful by nature. Most annoyingly, Roosters always think they are right... and very often they are! They love to entertain and keep friends & loved ones friends happy. Click to read more
Compatibility: the Ox, Snake or Dragon
Famous People in the Year of the Rooster: Jessica Alba, Catherine the Great, Paris Hilton, Groucho Marx, Britney Spears

We're out of Town!

We're Floridians for the weekend. Hemal and I are off to Naples, Florida tomorrow to enjoy some sun and 80 degree weather with the Nirmal Patel family! So no new blog posts until Monday...sorry :)

Decor for all the Baby Frenzy...

I am surrounded by babies – don't get me wrong, it's a good thing. Quite a few of my friends have babies, and if they don't, they are about to have one, or are thinking about it! So this post is for all the people who need inspiration for a child's room. I know this topic is veering away from wedding planning, but it still includes design and what inspires me.

I was recently browsing on my friend Annie's blog, Just Lovely, and she helped inspire this post today. (A side note. She inspired me to start my blog. Thanks AO!) On one of her older posts, I just fell in love with one of her featured prints from sproutdesign, an Australian company that produces hand screened child focused prints.

{Images from sproutdesign.net.au}

Sproutdesign uses a minimal color palette with fun, cute animals. Now imagine taking either the giraffe or hippo color design and graphically splashing it into a child's room with 2-3 colors. How bold and cool would that be?

I don't have an example for you of that, but take a look at the room designs below that utilize a simple color palette with graphic, animal shapes to really make a child's room come to life.

{Left image from becoming-home.com}

How adorable is the monkey mural overlooking the crib, or the whimsical butterflies flying out of the crib. Also, why not wallpaper a kid's room with a playful, animal design.

{Bottom left image from oxygen.com}

Simply what makes any room come to life is a strong color palette and a design concept applied throughout.

INSIGHT & IDEAS: A strong color palette & a design concept applies to wedding invites and receptions, too. By maintaining color and design consistency from invite to reception decor makes a powerful statement about a wedding.

Don't forget to visit Annie's blog, Just Lovely, in case you want to see the latest, unique textile designs that may inspire your child's bedroom or any room.

S1 Photography: An Indian Wedding

As you all know I love photography, and I will continue to share with you guys good photography that exists out there in the Chicago area. I have always liked S1 Photography's work and considered them strongly for our wedding. Their style is very fun, artistic, and they tell the photojournalistic story through their images.

I just recently went on their website and noticed they did an indian wedding – good work as usual from color to black & whites. See for yourself...

{Images from s1photography.com}

Destination: Amanyara in Turks & Caicos

Don't you guys want to go here?... I do. These images are beautiful and serene. I found this resort through my search for our honeymoon spot. Hemal and I are not going here, because it's super $$$$$. Maybe someday.

However, I wanted to highlight this resort, Amanyara on the cliffside in Turks & Caicos. I think their layouts are quite stunning. Amanyara is part of Aman Resorts and they have exclusive locations worldwide (Phillipines, Bali, Africa & more) where you can rent or buy villas.

One more gorgeous image to leave you lusting for – this one is from their location in the African City of Marrakech.

{Images from amanresorts.com}

Our Honeymoon Destinaton: Anguilla

Our honeymoon trip has been booked! We are sooo excited and looking forward to it after experiencing the Chicago winter, and it's still not over yet. We are going to Anguilla, the British West Indies in the Carribean. It's about 15 miles away from St. Maarten by boat.

We are staying at Cap Juluca, a small and very private hotel, for 5 nights and 6 days. It has gotten several great reviews from travel magazines especially for its "sexy" pristine beaches.


I love their white, simplistic Moorish architecture and Moroccan décor set against the blue sky and green foliage. Each and every room are only steps away from the shoreline.

Before selecting this specific hotel, I read many reviews on various sites and there were good and bad reviews of course. Most were good I have to admit, but those select negative ones made me weary still. So what I did was post questions on tripadvisor.com about Cap Juluca to get the real answers and everyone had nothing but fabulous things to say about it. I highly recommend tripadvisor.com to get the truth on destination locations.

Anyway, we can't wait to go, and we will let you all know how the trip goes! Less than 5 months away...

Wedding Sneak Peak: The Photographer

Here's another sneak peak posting to our wedding day – our photographer, Marcin Harla. He has mainly done work in Ann Arbor & Detroit, but now it will include the Chicago area. I happened to have found him on the Wedding Photojournalist Association along with other many great photographers which I plan to highlight in future postings.


Truly what captivated me with his work is his use of natural light especially in his black and white images. His eye has great sensitivity to capturing those memorable moments. What made his work even more attractive is that he offers a good mix of the photojournalistic, documentary style that I sought after. And another added bonus, he does this editorial style which is dramatic and modern in every sense.

{Images from marcinharla.com}

I can't wait to see what he does for our wedding day. Check out his site, marcinharla.com and his blog to see his range of work.

My blogging may be surprising to some of you, because I am exposing myself in every sense (even to the World Wide Web), and all of you will have full access to my thoughts and inspirations. Plus, I really haven't done much else to get my self socially connected to the online world other than email. Well this blog is my first step in being part of the 21st century and doing something different for the year 2009! (Facebook® will be my next eventual task.)

I am going to try and maintain postings consistently, but I will admit there will be an occasional dry spell, or two, or three due to my roller coaster hours at my day job.

Don't forget, your comments, thoughts and questions are welcomed anytime. If you want to see a topic that I have yet to list, let me know. Thanks and come back soon!

Attention: Wedding Guests

To make this blog resourceful for you, on the right-hand side column (scroll down), you will see live links & categories that are specifically labeled for you.

• Wedding Date – save the date... Friday, June 12, 2009
  
• Wedding Registry – registered at 3 stores, available online or in-store
  
• Wedding Guest Info (under Categories header) – provides you with detailed directions to the wedding location & hotel information if you need to make a reservation

Also, feel free to browse away at Older Postings in the Blog Archive header. They are easily tagged according to subject. Do email me if you have questions that aren't answered by this blog.

COMING SOON: The Shoaff-Patel wedding invites are in the works and should arrive in your mailbox by late Feb, early March.

Etsy.com - Red Ruby Rose Purses

{Images from RedRubyRose's Shop on Etsy.com}

Clutches galore! Everyone should have one especially Red Ruby Rose's on Etsy. I have bought a few myself and you will see mine on my wedding day. :)

These clutches are well-made and the quality is very good. She selects gorgeous fabric and she can do custom work for anyone. Just contact her via Etsy.

Etsy.com - LuxeDeluxe's Shop

For those of you who are trying to find unique quality products, you really need to visit Etsy.com. I could peruse all day on it. Artists from around the world can sell their handmade products to people like you and me. And there is great stuff on there and some sellers do custom work.

{Images from LuxeDeluxe's Shop on Etsy.com}

Here is one that I just love: LuxeDeluxe's Shop of Modern Vintage Glam Jewelry! And her stuff is decently affordable compared to JCrew's chunky floral jewelry priced around $100. Check out her stuff, she has sooo many styles and colors.

I would love to get the yellow floral necklace for my wedding accesory, but I already have a yellow necklace that I will be wearing.