Oh Lovely Day

{Color Crush} Shades of Summer: Peach, Coral + Glittery Gold from The Perfect Palette

By Chandra Fredrick | May 22

Chrissy here from The Perfect Palette! Happy to be pop over and share some color inspiration with you all while Chandra is off taking a much deserved break! I don’t know about you, but with summer just around the corner, I just can’t help but think of all the pretty summer shades! Behold – gorgeous shades of peach, touches of coral and glittery gold! I’m pretty much in love with these colors and I hope you can see why! I just love how the lighter peachy hues are contrasted by the metallic golden shades. Oh, and who could go without mentioning this fabulous cake?

{credits: pretty bride | audrey michel photography via glamour and grace,

gorgeous cake and peach florals by heather waraksa photography, chanel heels by the nichols}

Make no mistake about it! Sparkly gold has absolutely captured my heart here lately. Mix in peachy tones and touches of whimsy and you’ll have a party palette that’s just full of possibilities. So here you are, ladies! Just a little sunshine to brighten your week! So what do you think? Are you passionate for peach? Crushing on coral? Or maybe a little ga-ga for gold?

What Wedding Photographers Do (It’s more than just shooting your wedding) from Ever Ours

By Chandra Fredrick | May 21

many thanks to Chandra for asking me to guest post again. always a pleasure to stop by and say hello. instead of my usual music posts, i decided to share a post i had written on my own blog a few months back. i am constantly emphasizing the importance of wedding photography by focusing on just the images from the big day on my own blog. however, i think the majority of newly-engaged are often surprised by the price tag that comes with wedding photography. so with my original post, i wanted to share a few things that many may not realize: what a wedding photographer does for the big day and their brides and grooms.

1. most important is that a photographer does not just show up for those 8-10 hours to take your wedding photos and that’s it. please remember that.

2. during an engagement session, a photographer takes approximately 100 to 500 images during a wedding, a photographer takes approximately 1,000 to 3,500 images that doesn’t include what the second shooter captures too.

3. immediately after the engagement session and/or wedding, the photographer has to “dump” and back up the images so there will never be a situation where these images are lost. this can take up to an hour depending on how many images were taken.

4. next is one of the most tedious parts where the photographer culls through those thousands of images and gets rid of any “bad ones” which typically means closed eyes, multiple duplicates of the same shots, weird and awkward positions, some not-on-purpose blurred images etc.. some photographers go further and organize them into collections (family, ceremony, reception, etc.). after this culling process, comes the intensive editing. this is where the photographer will edit photos for color and exposure correction as well as making sure that the images fit their photography style (which is why you picked them in the first place, or at least should be the reason why you picked them in the first place). so from the thousands of images that they took, most photographers slim it down anywhere from 300 to 1000, which they then send to the clients to approve. all this takes more than just a few hours especially if you want your images to be awesome sauce.

5. most photographers provide album design for their clients. these can take anywhere from 7 hours to 2 weeks to design. but this only happens AFTER the clients have given them the images they like best and want. the photographer can’t proceed with anything til that happens. the photographer has to then take the selected images and customize them to the layout of the album design.

6. all in all, each client can take about two to four weeks of a photographer’s time. you have to remember that they work with multiple clients at the same time. so their day to day could consist of answering inquiries, taking care of their email inbox, meeting with potential clients, meeting with clients, backing up their images, culling their images, editing their images, emailing clients images, waiting to hear back from clients, editing images again to fit clients’ needs, album designing, sending to clients to approve of album design, editing album design to fit clients’ needs, waiting to hear back from clients, sending album layout off to album design company, making sure the album is just perfect when it comes back, packaging it up for the client and sending it off. and that is just client care. the photographer also has to spend time to market and promote themselves. some are more than fortunate and can depend on word of mouth. but for those just starting out, they really need to find the time to put themselves out there.

7. please also remember that involved with the pricing of a wedding photographer includes things like web hosting, graphic design, postage, shipping, fuel and airfare, hotel fees, advertising, office supplies, and taxes too. it’s no joke running a small business on your own.

8. wedding photographers are human too. like you, they also need to have a life outside of their work. they need to spend time with family and friends too. so there is also a constant juggle of a work/life balance like any other person. they can only take a certain amount of clients per year in order to keep themselves sane. if you think about it, most weddings are on the weekend and there are only about 52 weekends per year. so keep their sanity and pricing in mind when it comes to that point.

i hope that this helps some!

{photo credits} EP Love / The Mullers / Feng Images / Glint Studios / Ash Imagery

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Summer Signature Cocktail Recipe: Blueberry Lemonade Fizz from Valley & Co.

By Chandra Fredrick | May 20

Summer weather has crept in around the Pacific Northwest. That can only mean one thing: cocktail time! This recipe is easy to make in a snap when guests show up for impromptu entertaining but would also make one pretty little signature drink at a wedding. Make them in batches in decorative glass pitchers!

Valley & Co.’s Blueberry Lemonade Fizz

For this cocktail you’ll need: 1 can San Pellegrino Limonata {you’ll need about a half for each drink} | 1 oz. good vodka {or light rum} for each drink | fresh blueberries | fresh mint | 1tsp. sugar

Sprinkle a few blueberries into each bistro glass with sugar. Do a tiny bit of muddling.

Pour your vodka into shot glasses for easy pouring and divide 1 oz. into each bistro glass. Top with San Pellegrino Limonata {or a sparkling lemonade}

Garnish with mint leaves. There you have them. Sweet, aren’t they?

So, who’s making a batch of these bad boys tonight? Let me know what you think!

Photo credit: Rippee Photography | recipe: Valley & Co. Lifestyle

{Sponsored} 5 Reasons to Have a Honeymoon Registry

By Chandra Fredrick | May 16

I’ve been very vocal about my own experience using a honeymoon registry (I loved it!) almost four years ago, but it seems that some people are still on the fence about the idea. However, the honeymoon registry is becoming popular as many couples find it most appropriate for their needs. After all, the purpose of a gift registry is to take the guesswork out of gift giving.

These days couples are older when they are getting married, many have lived on their own, or together as a couple, for years before their wedding. They don’t need ‘the stuff.’ But everyone deserves a dream honeymoon.

Even though honeymoon registries are not completely main-stream, they can be very practical and useful for the average engaged couple. If you’re still on the fence about whether or not to use one, here are five reasons why you should:

You get exactly what you want. At department stores, the wedding registry salespeople can leave you feeling guilty for not registering for enough. They say you need hundreds of gifts on your registry to give guests plenty of selection and you need to accommodate a wide variety of price points. The problem is that you end up registering for things you don’t really want or need; only to take them back or be stuck figuring out what to do with them after the wedding. With a honeymoon registry, you can get what you really want – the experience of a truly memorable honeymoon.
You don’t have to ask for money. If you feel you don’t need to register for many of the traditional housewares for your wedding, and would prefer gifts towards your honeymoon, it’s still awkward to ask for money. A respectful way to accomplish this goal is through the use of a honeymoon registry that allows you to spend your gift money on your honeymoon. With a honeymoon registry, your guests are essentially giving you money, but each guest will know exactly what that money is intended for – so they can feel good about giving you a special honeymoon gift.
You can combine it with a traditional wedding registry. No one said you can’t have it both ways! Most couples these days have wedding registries set up at more than one store so they have a variety of items to choose from. If you need a few practical essentials for your home but also want a great honeymoon, there’s no unspoken rule saying you can’t register at Target or Crate and Barrel and Honeymoon Pixie! You can get the best of both worlds this way!
You can track your registry online to help you plan for your honeymoon. It’s a good idea to register early for your honeymoon registry to provide guests the opportunity to purchase their gift for you well before your wedding. This will help with your budgeting, as you can then monitor the gift funds received and how much money you’ve got coming in at any given point. Registry gift funds can be redeemed weeks before your wedding to help pre-pay for your lodging and airfare, easing budget concerns. Overall, many couples are pleasantly surprised at the level of gift giving and find that they can splurge a little more on their honeymoon.
Guests get to do it all online. A honeymoon registry is the perfect solution for couples who have friends and family in far-off places. They may want to buy you a gift but would have to ship it to you, which takes time and can be expensive. Plus they may have to pay tax and have the gift wrapped. With a honeymoon registry, they can do all their gift-giving online, avoid the various fees, and not have to guess what you really want for a gift. And you’ll have a detailed ‘thank you’ list from your registry, so you’ll know what to thank each gift giver for!

Though honeymoon registries are still new, they’re clearly a great idea for the modern couple. If you want an unforgettable honeymoon and don’t want to deal with taking back the three extra crystal vases you get on your wedding day, it might be the perfect solution for you! I know it was one of the best decisions my husband and I made.

This post was sponsored by Honeymoon Pixie, who is both a sponsor and Lovely Vendor of Oh Lovely Day and we’re a big fan. If you’re interested in becoming a sponsor, email me for rate information and a media kit.

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Wedding Cake Trends from Love and Lavender

By Chandra Fredrick | May 15

Hi Oh Lovely Day readers! It’s Ellen from Love and Lavender and I am thrilled to be here with you all today! I am a huge fan of sweets—who isn’t? So I thought it would be fun to share some of the amazing cakes I’ve been seeing lately. I am just so impressed with the creativity of both the brides and bakers out there—how do they come up with this stuff?

Naked cakes are so fun! They have such a country feel to them—swoon! Links: 1, 2, 3

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day (and the yummiest) so why not incorporate it into your cake? Links: 1, 2, 3

I am loving all the spots! It doesn’t matter to me if it’s playful or elegant I think they are so cute!! Links: 1, 2, 3

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Baby’s Breath Floral Crown DIY

By Chandra Fredrick | May 14

Floral DIY contributor and Lovely Vendor BloomsByTheBox has a fabulous DIY tutorial for us today: a baby’s breath floral crown headpiece. This is a perfect little DIY for you to do for your flower girl or yourself, depending on your bridal style.

Baby’s breath accents are “all the rage” this wedding season, so you may be interested in learning how to make a trendy floral crown like this. You can even make this DIY headband double as a decorative wreath! Plus, baby’s breath is super affordable, and a little goes a long way. This project only uses about ¼ a bunch of baby’s breath. To get started, just grab a portion of a bunch of baby’s breath, floral scissors, floral wire, and floratape stem wrap and get cracking.

First portion small bunches of baby’s breath together by combining small sprigs using floratape stem wrap. You are going to need to make a decent amount of these small bundles to cover an entire floral head band, but once you get the hang of it, each little bundle is quickly made.

Next, double strand the wire, measure your head, and make a cut leaving an extra two inches at the ends. Use the rounded side (already looped side) of your doubled wire to create a clasp by putting the cut ends through the loop. Once you have put the ends through the loop, create a secure twist to hold the wire in a circle. Make sure the wire is not sticking out.

Start adding the sprigs of baby’s breath by overlapping them and attaching them to the wire with stem wrap. Fill in all the spaces until you only have a section of wire left uncovered where you made your clasp.

Tie lace ribbon around the remaining uncovered wire and make a bow. This can now be used as a floral headband or a baby’s breath wreath for décor. Baby’s breath is extremely affordable and you do not need much to make an impact. This wreath took about ¼ of a bunch of baby’s breath so this is a very budget friendly do-it-yourself flower project.

Don’t you LOVE? Who’s making floral crowns for their wedding? Many thanks to BloomsByTheBox for this lovely project. Check out their DIY corsage feature as well.

BloomsByTheBox is a member of our handpicked Lovely Vendor Guide. If you’d like to be considered as a Lovely Vendor, apply here.