Our Home and Garden Tour in Charleston

The rest of our lovely spring afternoon in Charleston was just as wonderful as the first part.    We did not get tickets to the Home and Garden tour for this visit as we decided to do our own.   The flowers were out in full force, adding color and lightness at every corner. 




I have fallen a little bit in love with this black and cream house with contrasting grey wall.   I love how the budding tree adds a little bit of an Asian feel to this historic property.    The subtle pops of yellow and green are so fresh against the stone background.




John and I were planning to avoid lunch as we had a big breakfast and were anticipating my birthday dinner at FIG later that night.    But, all that walking and the promise of she crab soup led us to 82 Queen for some time off our feet.    I had been here several years earlier with my mother and as we had done at the time, John and I sat in the gorgeous little spring garden in the back at our own little private table for two.   I love their sweet butterfly chairs and twinkling lights.   We could have sat here all afternoon and the she crab soup was every bit as wonderful as I remembered!




After our rest, we wandered around Charleston some more, heading back to our inn to get ready for dinner.     We were sidetracked every few minutes by a stop in one of the little shops.    Love this antique shop with the dogs in the window!    We made it back just in time as the skies grew increasingly darker as we walked.      As we stepped inside, the rain started pouring.    




Is it spring yet where you are?   Are you enjoying the weather?    We're looking at temperatures heading into the 80s again later this week... can't wait!Source URL: http://weddingdressez.blogspot.com/search/label/Photography
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wedding love: when i was getting married - part 2

Yesterday I shared with you a beautiful wedding that I fell in love with and was inspired by when planning my own wedding. Today I wanted to share with you another lovely one! 


This is the sweet wedding of Alissa and Ryan from the online store Horne. This wedding is so romantic and sweet with the beautiful vintage furniture pieces, fresh bouquets and creative paper goods. How gorgeous are the fields of purple flowers?










I adore the long dining tables for receptions... they are so lovely and intimate. The table setting is whimsical with the gorgeous floral designs and hanging ribbons off the backs of the chairs.





I LOVE birds and just adore these super cute bird favour bags. I read that the bags were filled with coloured ribbon cuttings for guests to throw over the newly-weds as they walked back down the aisle. A great alternative to the traditional confetti or rice.




I hope you have enjoyed these beautiful and inspiring images as much as I have enjoyed looking back over them all.


(Photography by Jose Villa)
Source URL: http://weddingdressez.blogspot.com/search/label/Photography
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wedding love: when i was getting married - part 1

Recently I was going through all the lovely and inspiring images that I had collected when I was planning my wedding. I came across two really special weddings that I really fell in love with then and still think are really beautiful now. 


The first wedding I wanted to share with you is the gorgeous wedding of Chelsea and Tec of Oh My Deer Handmades and Tec Petaja Photography. This wedding is so dreamy and pretty with soft feminine touches and sweet yellow details (cute shoes and bicycle).

















I just adore their pretty floral photobooth, sweet love-birds and heart shaped love notes.






I think everything about this wedding is beautiful. Pop back tomorrow for the second special wedding.


(Photography by Jose Villa, found via Jose Villa and Once Wed)
Source URL: http://weddingdressez.blogspot.com/search/label/Photography
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sunday love: honeymoon in a balloon

I just love this styled shoot for Southern Weddings Magazine. It's so cute, colourful and fun, and how fantastic is the hot-air balloon!














(Photography by Jose Villa)
Source URL: http://weddingdressez.blogspot.com/search/label/Photography
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My Baby Is All Grown Up

Subtitled:    I Can't Believe My Blog Is One Year Old!

With additional Subtitles of:     What a Difference a Year Makes; Birthday Weekend in Charleston; Look How Far We've Come and Did I Mention Vita Nostra is Celebrating its First Birthday!




A year ago today I was fumbling around with my suitcase, trying to squeeze two months worth of stuff I didn't need into something sized appropriately for dragging around Europe.    As I waved goodbye to my home and new fiance for the final time, I admit, I shed a few tears.   Anticipation and a little fear of what was to come.   Okay, if I'm honest, a lot of fear.




So I did what I always do when I get a little anxious, I form grand ideas.    I dove in and created my blog that first night as I sat all by my lonesome in my little hotel room sipping from a plastic cup of boxed wine and eating a mini frozen pizza from yet another cardboard box.    Like most of my crazy ideas, I had no idea what I was doing, but I like a good challenge and knew that I would learn along the way.   My primary motivation for starting Vita Nostra was to document my solo journey overseas and capture some memories along the way.    I had no idea I'd love it so much and that I'd still be doing this a year later.




A year has passed and much has changed.   I've grown as a person, my blog has evolved significantly from those early days of rambling thoughts, I've met lots of great new friends, experienced a life changing trip on my own and got married along the way.    It has been a good year.    I appreciate all of you who have read my blog and journeyed with me, commenting and providing support along the way.   It is the reason I continue this.

It is fitting that on this anniversary of my blogs first birthday, I share some more images from my birthday weekend in Charleston.    It was almost a perfect day.   The warnings of rain and corresponding doom and gloom were replaced with bright spring air, sunny skies and fluffy clouds.    After a grand breakfast at the dining table with our fellow guests and innkeepers, John and I grabbed our cameras and set out to explore.  




We spent the morning on a tour of the city, stopping along the way to admire the charming architecture, newly blooming flowers and all the little details that make Charleston so unique.   Like Paris, I found myself wishing I had more time to explore every nook and cranny.    (But I suppose that is what return visits are for!)

The best kind of day, we walked for hours and hours, stopping in little art galleries, breathing in the fresh spring air, tripping over cobblestones and dreaming of a life of constant travel.    Perhaps, some day?



 
Thanks for celebrating with me!  I have an equal sense of anticipation as I delve into year two and can't wait to see what the future holds.   For my fellow bloggers who've been at this for some time, any advice to share for someone entering their second year?


PS - Coming up next, another flavor of birthday celebration!Source URL: http://weddingdressez.blogspot.com/search/label/Photography
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