I did not photograph my own wedding – the fabulous Meredith McKee of Meredith McKee Photography did…see the day on her blog! Meredith captured all of our moments, almost rainy day and all. We cannot thank her enough.

However, I did snap lots of the details along the way leading up to the big event. We did so many fun DIY details ourselves that I dubbed #endlessweddingprepWE in the days and weeks leading up to the main event. I captured everything with my handy iphone and shared it via instagram. Our goal was to make everything very personal – from the airplane themes to the photo features.

As many DIY as there were, one of our favorite personal theme items was actually from our cake vendor Mike’s Amazing Cakes – who was able to perfectly create this super awesome cake and topper(which is a sculpture we get to keep!)…

Wade, my new Hubby, was the master folder of airplane styled programs(and 80+ favor boxes scroll down a few pix)…they were on point!

…believe it or not, I was head candy plane maker (these went inside our final favors)

Speaking of favors, a little making of shot. Note the sectional chart boxes that the hubs had folded – aka airplane maps

Our theme and decor included lots of aviation items, but also included lots of reference to our combined passion of photography, ranging from decopage letters of our personal and coupled evolution…

…Along with our travel photo as featured wall decor at our reception…

…and even our own DIY photobooth…the Hubs set up with my camera…He clicked the shutter on our shots – so photo credit again, Wade Hasbrouck

And of course the colors were red and TURQUOISE…I’ve been told that must be my favorite color – what?!? lol, yes.

To see anything we and a few other folks posted from the wedding, check #WadeAndElisa for instagrams, including the lovely sunsets and whatnot from our honeymoon:)

In closing special thanks to all of our vendors and honeymoon host for helping to make our wedding and honeymoon a great day, week and memory.
Cake: Mike’s Amazing Cakes
Flowers: Pike Place Flowers
Venue: Craven Farm
Photographer: Meredith McKee Photography
Day of Coordinator: Nancy Keith
Catering: Alexa’s Cafe
Honeymoon Resort: Occidental Grand Nuevo Vallarta

And additional details vendors –
Invitations, Programs & Thank You’s – Perfect Press & Merchants Design

Personalized water bottles & Turquoise burlap – Oriental Trading

Personalized favor tags: Roberto Sand

Personalized clothespins: Etched in Time

Some cocktail napkins with a plane graphic – no problem thanks to ForYourParty.com –

Oh and for some quick super big poster boards? Walgreens! Ha

BIG Thanks to everyone!!!!

For me, this year is a shift. I turn 40 in a year (Janauary 2013 – it’s mai tai’s on the beach for everyone!) – and this makes me take a step back and say, what am I doing – personally, professionally, creatively? Creatively – photography is my outlet. In recent years, it has been music that has drawn my lens – live performers, swirling lights, and those exhale moments of bliss in between.

In the new year – the shift, as it were – is that I have decided to turn my lens towards other things for a bit. I have stopped signing up to shoot gigs – I am not quitting, or “retiring” – that’s way too dramatic. I am simply choosing to explore imagery of different things. Sure, I might turn out for a gig here or there – or if you really want me there – hit me up! It’s all good. Not to mention, I still have some opening sets in the hopper, that will probably be making mention in upcoming blogs – never fear, there’s always more.

Image making wise, things that will be pulling my lens in 2012 are: colorful, delish food, exotic places, mundane locality, and the beauty that abounds.

In 2012, I will continue to chase my bliss. Here’s to everyone, chasing theirs. Cheers.

xoxo
~elisa

p.s. check my foodie blog full of colorful yumminess, recipes and whatnot – yearinveggies.com

I love using my iPhone to shoot self portraits… Maybe it’s vain? I don’t know – but if I look good, or if I am in a mood – I like to capture it – it’s my own warped sense of reality, since none of the pix I ever share of myself, shot with my iPhone ever show a double chin or a bad angle (IMO lol)…well the angle may leave something to be desired – shot so close with an iphone, makes my nose look larger than it is – but I sacrifice it for the art(not really)…really though – they show off how I see myself – what I see in the mirror. Perhaps I have an inflated sense of myself, but I don’t think so – I just like seeing the best – just like in the images of others I publish. I hate when I see the real candid (or not so candid shots) that people take of me, where my face looks too round, and I look like I need to lose 100 lbs – which, yeah, I know I do (ok, maybe not 100, but 50 would be fabulous!)… As well, I never show that my eyes are crossed! bwah – my right is lazy, and so am I(generally) – but in my fantasy reality, they’re just dramatically not looking straight! Also, noone sees us through their eyes like we see ourselves. Self portraits can be both revealing, and veiled, for that reason I think… I don’t even know if I’d say, my iPhone pix are proper self portraits or simply self inflicted snapshots of boredom? lol – and perhaps that ambiguity is ok.

Anywho – I just jumped on the band wagon to one of the popular iPhone photo apps called Instagram… It’s not my first photo app – but now I get why people love it. It is so easy to use to share images (even of things other than my face – ha!)…It’s the perfect “snapshot” share mechanism with all the cool “film” filters, and easy to share via social networking. The downside – the oh so popular over reaching terms of service. So – I think I will use them for their filters more often – and delete the posted pix (leaving 4 pix there – lol I guess they can do with those what they like;). Unless I want to share them – I can do so via flickr which doesn’t over reach – just something to think about. I suppose all the photo share sites – that have these – well, it’s all about what you get for free – if you want free hosting, you give up something in exchange – I pay for flickr – so, it makes sense that they don’t require as much…And my updated flickr app lets me share links on FB, twitter – so I think I will make an effort to go that way, in the future…Beyond that – I have ceded enough images to facebook – no need to spread the wealth any further…

Anywho(sorry I digressed!) – on the self portrait filter front – here is myself shot through the phone – over the past 1-2 years…Not too many people pose for portraits for me properly – so, eh, you get me – hope I don’t crack your screen! (ha!). It also should be noted – that even my profile picture for this website – is, just another iPhone pic…And most of the profile pics on my facebook are all iPhone photos – I just can’t stop;)

Mirror Mirror – am I the fairest of them all?!!??!

More music stuff – soonish!