Jessica + Jon::Augusta, GA Wedding::Part 2::A Little Swapping Around

Posted by (once like a spark) on Feb 20, 2012 in (oncelikeaspark), southeast, southeastern, weddings | 0 comments

How To Prepare For Your Portrait Session::Susie::Atlanta

Posted by (once like a spark) on Feb 16, 2012 in (oncelikeaspark), families, southeast | 0 comments

Happy Thursday OLAS loves! Today we wanted to talk a little bit about how best to prepare for a portrait session. We had some amazing, AMAZING inspiration from Susie’s seriously adorable portrait session with Jen (one of our uber talented southeast photographers). Jen did such a beautiful job capturing all of Susie’s fun personality (and gorgeous red curls)! Ok, so a few quick tips:

1. Wear something cute (of course!), but more importantly, wear something you are comfortable in! Nothing kills confidence faster than wearing an outfit that doesn’t make you feel comfortable in your own skin. Sure you want to look stylish – but make sure you don’t sacrifice feeling at ease for fashion, because it WILL show in your photos! Susie wears this easy belted white dress and cowboy boots, paired with a pop of color necklace that looks both relaxed and fun (the killer combo!).

2. Bring items to the shoot that are important to you and showcase your personality. Susie’s fun personality is really highlighted in her photos, which is what makes them so beautiful! Just by bringing big & bright flowers, a few favorite books, a and colorful blanket, she was able to give us all a little look into what makes her happy.

3. Have FUN with it!! It’s not everyday that you get to have your portrait taken, so enjoy it! Don’t be afraid to be silly – usually the very BEST shots come from the “off moments” when you’re not even trying to pose for the camera. Come to the shoot prepared to have a little fun and let our crazy talented photographers do the rest  :)

Mara + Michael – Part 2::How To Create Rustic Elegance On Your Wedding Day

Posted by (once like a spark) on Feb 13, 2012 in (oncelikeaspark), southeast, weddings | 0 comments

If you’ve been able to peel your eyes away from Mara + Michael’s insanely gorgeous wedding featured in Part 1 last week, come on over for Part 2 and plan to be glued to your screen for another day or two  :)  We decided do something a little different with Part 2.

M+M did an AMAZING job combining romance and elegance with a relaxed and very organic feel to their wedding, and we were majorly impressed at the way they pulled it all off.  Creating a rustic/laid-back atmosphere that still feels elegant is a challenge….but M+M did all of the right things to achieve just that, along with the help of their amazing wedding planner Tara from Bluming Creativity.

Here’s a few tips from Mara + Michael’s wedding that you can use to infuse a perfect combination of rustic and elegant.

1. Choose One Venue For the Ceremony and Reception – M + M chose to get married AND have their reception at the same location – The Foundry at Puritan Mill. From what we’ve seen, this immediately sets the mood for the entire night and tends to create a bit more of a relaxed vibe from the get-go. Guests arrive settled, and aren’t worried about getting to the next stop in the night.

2. Choose A Venue With A Lot of Ambiance, Without a Lot of Work - The Foundry at Puritan Mill is full of gorgeous, old exposed brick  that was the perfect backdrop for this elegant, but relaxed event.  Want to add a touch more romance? Just drape some translucent white fabric up and let the warm glow of any natural light nearby do the rest.

3. Succulents, succulents, succulents! - The GREAT thing about this unique plant is that they have this really relaxed, earthy, organic vibe, and yet for some reason – they also seem really expensive! This isn’t a plant you see everyday, so you get this great combination of earthy and exotic.

4. Incorporate a combination of rustic and sophisticated into your decor and centerpieces. M+M pull this off BEAUTIFULLY.  They used  tree-bark wrapped containers filled with leafy green plants, mixed in with mason jars, moss, woven wooden baskets, and pine cones.  We just love the way the spotless glasses offset this organic setting and infuse it with a little extra elegance. They also used the lids of wine barrels as centerpieces – nothing more rustic and elegant than wine! An alternative would be to use a cross section of a tree trunk  - this also makes a cute cake stand!

5. When it comes to food, think outside the box! A break from tradition can create a more relaxed atmosphere. – In a similar fashion to holding your ceremony and reception in the same space so as to keep your guests in the greatest sense of ease, choosing foods that feel fun and relaxed can accomplish the same thing. Mara + Michael chose to forego the cake and stuck with fun mini desserts, such as cheesecake pops and little chocolate mousses. These types of desserts are reminiscent of foods we all loved as young’ins, and so don’t make anyone too worried about following all the rules of ettiquette and manners.

**M + M, your wedding was the epitome of rustic elegance and we loved each and every second of it. Thank you, thank you, thank you for allowing us to be there to capture each moment, we wish you both the very best!! x’s & o’s**

Venue: The Foundry at Puritan Mill; Wedding Planner: Bluming Creativity; Florist: Let’s Celebrate; Officiants: Rabbi Analia Bortz and Rabbi Mario Karpuj; Hair Stylist: Jen Freeman; Makeup Artist: Kelly Whitman; Invitations/Programs: Made by Mara and Michael!; Caterer: Added Touch Catering; DJ: Lethal Rhythms

Mara + Michael :: Wedding Part 1 :: Atlanta

Posted by (once like a spark) on Feb 9, 2012 in (oncelikeaspark), southeast, weddings | 0 comments

Hello loves!

We really couldn’t be more excited to share Mara + Michael’s beautiful wedding at the Foundry At Puritan Mill in Atlanta, GA with you today! The minute we saw the photos from this precious couple’s day, we just couldn’t wait until we could show our whole OLAS fam. Our Southeast photographers did a really, really incredible job capturing all of the special, symbolic, and beautiful moments shared between these two and their families. Aside from each and every little detail being absolutely exquisit (the flowers, the centerpieces, Mara’s head piece – *love*),  Mara + Michael’s traditional Jewish wedding have all of us here at OLAS (who are total suckers for traditions btw), dying over their photos. Between the couple’s first glance, the traditions leading up to the signing of the Ketubah (talk about some seriously awesome man time), the actual signing of the Ketubah, the veiling of the bride before the ceremony, and on top of everything else you’ll see in tomorrow’s post, this is just one of those events you just wish you could have been a part of.  The love and joy you see between this couple and their joining families is really something to behold. M + M, we really couldn’t be more happy for you two!

Now get ready everyone, this post is long and might be even longer tomorrow! We’ve still got to share their ceremony, the exchanging of the rings, the breaking of the glass, the Hora, and so, so much more. Trust us – this is not one to miss  :)

Venue: The Foundry at Puritan Mill; Wedding Planner: Bluming Creativity; Florist: Let’s Celebrate; Officiants: Rabbi Analia Bortz and Rabbi Mario Karpuj; Hair Stylist: Jen Freeman; Makeup Artist: Kelly Whitman; Invitations/Programs: Made by Mara and Michael!;

Brianne + Kevin :: Wedding Part 2 :: Atlanta

Posted by (once like a spark) on Feb 6, 2012 in (oncelikeaspark), southeast, weddings | 0 comments

Congratulations everyone! We’ve officially made it to another Monday, and what better way to celebrate the ringing in of a brand new week than to give you Part 2 of Brianne and Kevin’s beautiful Atlanta Botanical Gardens wedding! If you missed Part 1 last week, be sure to check it out now (everyone needs to make sure they see B’s seriously spectacular wedding shoes!!). We here at OLAS just adore Brianne and Kevin and their super laid back, rustic style. They really wanted their wedding to be a wonderful day spent with their nearest and dearest, celebrating each other. They did a beautiful job infusing their reception with meaningful little details that spoke to who the two of them truly are. Our favorite… well ok, it actually might have to be a tie between the thumbprint tree and their super adorable and personal cake topper. We love that their tables were labeled as National Parks instead of numbers too! Philip and Anna (our crazy talented Atlanta duo) captured so many sweet moments from B + K’s reception – just wait until you see all of the dancing pictures. Could Brianne, Kevin, or their friends and family BE any more precious?! We think not  :)

Thank you Brianne + Kevin for inviting us to take part in such an important day in your lives – we loved every second. Welcome to our OLAS family!! x’s & o’s

P.S. Those couples shots in front of the fountain at the end of the night —> WE ARE IN LOVE!

Photographers: Philip + Anna; Venue: Atlanta Botanical Gardens; Florist: Tulip; Officiant: Judge Ralph Merck; Dress By: Monique Lhuillier from Bridals by Lori; Shoes: Kate Spade; Hair/Makeup: Brock Cassidie Salon; Cake: Perfect Wedding Cake; Catering: Sun In My Belly; DJ: Lethal Rhythms; Transportation: Cooper Atlanta;

Brianne + Kevin :: Wedding Part 1 :: Atlanta

Posted by (once like a spark) on Feb 2, 2012 in (oncelikeaspark), southeast, weddings | 0 comments

Happy Thursday OLAS Family! We couldn’t be more excited to share Brianne and Kevin’s gorgeous outdoor Atlanta Wedding with you today! These two love birds were married at 6 o’clock on a beautiful GA summer’s day at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens in June. Brianne told us that she didn’t want to waste any time on taking getting ready shots, but instead wanted all of the focus to be on the flowers and all around beauty of the gardens themselves. Once we saw this venue (and these photos!!), we could absolutely see why!! Our amazing Atlanta photographer duo, Philip and Anna, did such an incredible job capturing the feel Brianne and Kevin were hoping for. The bridal portraits and couples shots are crazy, crazy gorgeous. Everything about this wedding exudes natural beauty, from the organic surroundings, to the glowing bride. Brianne’s choice of purples, pinks and yellows for her added pops of color, highlighted the botanical back drop of their wedding perfectly. Be sure to check out her adorable sparkly pink shoes too – (we are in love)! This lush garden wedding took our breath away, we can’t wait to show you part two tomorrow!

P.S. See that tree of thumbprints on their guest table at the ceremony? Yep – that’s their “guestbook” – LOVE!

Photographers: Philip + Anna; Venue: Atlanta Botanical Gardens; Florist: Tulip; Officiant: Judge Ralph Merck; Dress By: Monique Lhuillier from Bridals by Lori; Shoes: Kate Spade; Hair/Makeup: Brock Cassidie Salon