Did you notice the Eiffel Tower?

We have officially selected Ian Holmes Photography services for our wedding.  I am thrilled to get to work with Ian on our very special day.  Ian is a photo-journalistic photographer.  Relatively new for weddings, Ian will shoot our day as it happens.  Less posing and more "in the moment" shots.  Ian's approach is to be as discreet as possible. He strives to create images that tell the story of the day as it happened, not as the photographer directed it.  Ian is a member of the Wedding Photojournalistic Association.

On our wedding day Ian will begin by shooting the bride leaving the hotel and the journey to the Chapelle Expiatoire.  He will then capture our ceremony as it unfolds.  After the ceremony we will drive to some of the most picturesque locations in Paris for some "traveling bride and groom" shots.  I can't wait to post some of the great shots I know we will get from Ian!

The vintage era and style is characterized and brought to life quiet well though the use of feathers. Light-weight, nonchalant, dainty, feminine, chic and coquette, feathers are capable of making a wedding flower bouquet look even more attractive, elegant, fanciful and mesmerizing. I stumbled upon this bouquet and I think it would be absolutely perfect for my wedding in Paris.

I love this bouquet

I think really demonstrates the modern reinterpretation of the “vintage” wedding — lush, glamorous, detailed and textured, classic yet modern.  It’s obvious that the bride who carried this bouquet really lavished a lot of thought on the little details.  As an individual piece, it’s a little work of art.  For my own wedding, I would love to have a round, hand-tied bouquet, a really full, lush arrangement of roses in various shades of pink creating both depth and contrast — and ringed by white or ivory wisps from an ostrich wing feather.  I really like the idea of mixing delicate shades of vintage pink -- not too bubble gum or Barbie pink -- rather something soft and elegant. The only addition I would make is to add a few lavender sprigs, a must have for my wedding day.

Here are a couple of pictures of other vintage style bouquets I love:

As a lover of great perfumes I wanted to find a special fragrance to wear the day of my wedding. For me, perfume has always had a big effect on how I feel. Eric loves perfume and amazingly seems to notice every time I wear something new. I want to find something I can wear that will take us back to our special day. Much like an old song can take you back to that special time and place.

Finding a new fragrance that exudes love and romance was a journey I couldn't wait to embark upon. While in Paris last fall I began the search. This post is dedicated to the top 5 fragrances for the bride on her wedding day. I will only be revealing numbers 5 to 2 in this post. I want the fragrance I have chosen to remain a secret until after our wedding day. I will post the winner upon our return from the honeymoon.

Chloe, Love

Number 2: Chloe Love

This was a very tough choice. This fragrance could just have easily been THE perfume for my day. This fragrance can turn every woman into a goddess and transform every sinful thought in a virtue. A contemporary interpretation of Paris. Chloe Love is shy and dewy, sensual by its subdued innocence. Perfect for the bride planning a chic wedding with a vintage twist. This one is really hard to resist. (I'll will have a bottle with me during the honeymoon).

DKNY Be Delicious Fresh Blossom

Number 3: DKNY Be Delicious Fresh Blossom

A romantic fragrance that marries freshness, vibrancy, and femininity. A blend of sparkling grapefruit, cassis, and sunkissed apricot meets a blooming floral heart of sheer muguet and petally rose wrapped in luminous jasmine. Perfect for a bride planning a sweet, small and romantic wedding.

Vera Wang Princess

Number 4: Vera Wang Princess

A sexy fragrance that includes a mixture of water lily, apple, mandarin meringue, and golden apricot skin, dark chocolate, amber, musk, and vanilla. Radiant, romantic with a hint of whimsy. Perfect for a bride planning an informal, outdoor wedding!

Stella McCartney Stella

Number 5: Stella McCartney STELLA

A sensual, intense and feminine fragrance. Top notes of rose essence has been fused with peony flower and mandarin essence, while the heart note is based on rose absolute. The base notes of woody ambers inject sexiness to the mix. Perfect for the bride planning and elegant and sophisticated wedding where no detail is forgotten. This fragrance exudes confidence and intrigue.



Vessie Cole Callicutt

Today would have been Grandma C's 88^th birthday. I grew up just steps from grandma's front door and when I got home from school I would make a bee-line into her arms. Grandma was a strong, spirited and loving person. She always spoiled me and I always let her. She loved gardening, traveling and she was a top-notch cook. Throughout all those years I now know that many of the things I do and believe today are a direct result of what Grandma taught me. This post is dedicated to everything I learned from Grandma “C”.

1. Keep your house clean and tidy – you never know who might drop in
2. Select beautiful dishes of solid white – you'll be able to set the table for any season and the dishes will never clash
3. Sing a gospel song when you are sad – ain't nothing like an old timey hymnal to lift your spirits
4. Serve something Peppermint at Christmas (preferably a peppermint cake – it's really hard to beat)
5. Never be afraid to voice your opinion – if you don't no one else will....or can
6. Keep at least one pair of yard shoes by the door and never wear them inside (otherwise you'll have alot more cleaning to do)
7. You should never be bored – there's always something to pull in the garden or clean in the house
8. Drive fast and smart – speed is a good thing
9. Use a cream or lotion on your face at morning and night (this is a must do – Grandma's skin was amazing)
10. Always have dessert – it'll make any meal seem amazing if if your eating leftovers

This concludes my list. Although there are other words of wisdom I gained from grandma the thing I miss the most is her smile and her laugh. She really had a great one!

Today is a sad day for me.  My father passed away on January 3, 2008.  I will always view that date as one that changed my life more than any other single day.  I've decided to honor my father today by writing about him and sharing with all of the cyber world just how amazing a person he really was.

My father and I were very close.  Growing up I was a Daddy's girl through and through.  My father was a humble, generous, faithful and joyous person.  A joke and a smile was never too far away when you were talking to my dad.  He had a special ability to connect with people.  I think it was because my dad always saw each and every person as equals.  Looks, money, education, etc were never considerations of my father.  He used to say "people are people wherever you go" -- and he truly never saw things any other way.  He would sit and talk to anyone.  He had an uncany ability to find a common bond.  He could and did talk for hours with someone he literally just met.  He was a givin man.  He had a big personality and and even bigger heart.  Two of his most favorite sayings were "A stranger is a friend you have not yet met" and "Smile, it'll make you feel better".

Growing up I did not realize how much truth and sincereity were in his words.  Dad used to get upset with me if he dropped me off for school or picked me up from ball or band practice and I was not smiling.  Simple things like this were just a part of my everyday life with dad.  He was nurturing, encouraging, passionate and simple.  He was a one-of-a-kind.

Today, I just long to spend one day, one hour, one minute or even just one more second with him.  I know I am blessed.  Blessed that he is my father.  Blessed that I was raised by an ordinary man that was an extraordinary person.  Blessed that I have a family with deep ties.  Ties that bind no matter what. Today I am sad but for my dad I am smiling.  Afterall it always makes me feel better.

2011 -- Finally!  The year I have been waiting for for quite some time is finally here.  This is going to be such an exciting and eventful year.  We are less than four months 'til our wedding and honeymoon and the countdown has begun.  Eric and I are working on finalizing invitation designs and content this week so that we can begin sending them in mid-March.  Check back soon for the "reveal".  Once the invitations have been mailed I will post which one we selected!  A few places that I have found offering unique, nice wedding stationery include:

Renaissance Writings

S Designs

Peacock Printing

First Kiss post Engagement...how sweet!

Today marks one year since Eric proposed. My how quickly a year does pass. We are in good shape and the wedding plans and countdown are in full swing. I thought today would be a great time to write about the proposal and one of the most magical days of my life.

December 28, 2009. North Carolina was experiencing some of the coldest weather on record. Skies were clear and azure blue but the wind and the temperatures were causing most people to retreat indoors for warmth. Eric and I had planned a short trip to Carolina Beach over the holiday break. I love, love, love the beach and spending a couple of days away from home, just the two of us, seemed like the perfect retreat. An astronomer at heart I find it next to impossible to miss the falling of the night sky and the rising of the sun when I am at the beach. So, as might have been predicted, I set my clock for 5:45AM and prepared (with layers and layers) to walk to the beach, sit in the sand and say goodbye moon, hello sun. On this particular morning Eric decided he would also go along and take some pictures. The skies were stunningly clear and the sunrise was going to be amazing. I laid out a blanket on the sand and sat down to watch the sun. Eric was up and about with camera and tripod in toe. Just about the time the sun was peaking up over the water he kneeled before me, asked for my hand, and asked me to marry him while

Sunrise the morning of our engagement

presenting me with a gorgeous diamond. It was such a magical moment. I felt as though time had stood still. I had waited 35 years for this day . I was totally shocked and unprepared (very unusual for me) but I was elated and he took my breath away. I, of course, said “yes” and the rest is history. We spent the morning walking along the beach and boardwalk and talking about our future. One year later I can honestly say – I love him even more than I did last year!

One of the goals I have prior to leaving for our wedding is to become comfortable with simple questions and phrases in French. To help me get there, Santa delivered a copy of Rosetta Stone for Christmas. I am really excited to get started. I previewed the product several years ago and was not very impressed. However, the version available now is incredible. It even includes the ability to speak online with native French speakers which will help both train the ear and improve upon pronunciations. It's sort of like virtual immersion.

Frannie with our Christmas Tree

Today I am hosting Eric's family for Christmas lunch and gift exchange. Eric's mother, sisters and aunt and uncle will be staying the night with us along with their four legged family members. I have been working over the past few days to create the perfect holiday lunch. Some members of the family are vegetarian so I want to make sure everyone can enjoy an exceptional holiday meal. The menu I have decided on includes the following:

For Lunch:

• Beet and Walnut Salad with Cherry Vinaigrette
• Corn Pudding
• Fancy Green Beans (or Green Beans sauteed with cashews, onions and red pepper with an Asian honey glaze)
• Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
• Honey Baked Ham
• Sweet Cream Biscuits

For Dessert:

• Chocolate Cherry Trifle
• Cranberry Crumble

This is the first year Eric and I are hosting his family for the holidays. It's something he has wanted to do since we moved in to our home (this is our third Christmas in this house). I am postively thrilled that everyone's schedules were able to accommodate a drive to Raleigh and an overnight stay. Now, I just have to hope I can pull everything together and make both Eric and my grandmother's proud!

Wish me luck.

I spent this week traveling on business to Buenos Aires, Argentina.  Traveling this close to the holiday season had me stressed out but what a blessing the trip turned out to be.  I spent three days working with some of the nicest, most sincere individuals I have ever met.  I am not fluent in Spanish (I only know basic words) and I was worried about my ability to get around easily but everyone was so nice and helpful.  While visiting I had dinner and lunch with several different individuals and during these moments I took the time to ask them about the wedding traditions in Buenos Aires.  I learned that dancing is a big part of the celebration after the wedding.  Argentinian wedding celebrations last for many hours and usually end with a nice dinner.

Bridge of the Woman (meant to look like Tango dancer)

Another tradition I found to be just wonderful is that for New Year's everyone dresses in white.  The white is a symbol of peace and is practiced throughout the country.  In addition, ladies tend to wear pink undies for love.  How sweet.  It got me thinking how nice it would be if the US had a tradition where for one day we could stand unified for one really great cause.  What could be better than standing up for Peace?

My journey was long and my time in Argentina was short but so enriching.  I will never forget the trip and what I gained both professionally and personally.  Thanks to everyone for showing me such a great time and taking good care of me!