My Wedding Report

After leaving Pepperdine (go here for Part I if you are just catching up), we headed to an awesome beach spot that Mike knew about. We definitely hiked down a small cliff to get to it, but I think it was well worth it. The day was coming to an end and the gentle lighting just was perfect for the beautiful setting.

All Photo Credits go to Mike Larson Photography

These last few pictures were just above the beach as we were getting ready to leave for the day. Mike asked us to wait behind them and took advantage of the gorgeous scenery.

We had so much fun with Mike, Rachel and Chloe. The afternoon seemed to fly by! I’m so excited that they will be shooting our wedding as well and can’t wait to hang out more. I think that the engagement pictures were a great way for us to get more comfortable in front of the camera, not to mention a chance to get to know some wonderful people. Also, as an FYI Mike is a destination wedding photographer. Their studio is actually based in San Luis Obispo, but he is often in the LA area and is traveling down to San Diego for our wedding.

Well that’s it for the Duckling engagement pictures! What did you think? Any ideas for which ones we should use on our Save the Dates and website?

What are your favorite e-pics from your own shoot? Share them below, I’d love to see!

Where have I been? Well things have just been crazy and I have lots of posts to catch up on. I’m two weeks away from finishing my last semester of my graduate program! However, the first thing I absolutely have to share with you are the engagement pictures! I last left off telling you about the wonderful make-up advice from Lo.

After getting ready we jumped in the car and headed up to LA to meet our photographer, Mike Larson and his wife Rachel (Remember when I talked about them way back when?). Mike and his team had just gotten back from Costa Rica a few days before and spent the whole weekend shooting a wedding in LA, but were willing to spend the afternoon with us shooting our pictures. Mike was taking pictures, assisted by Chloe who is one of the associate photographers. We originally were going to start shooting at the Getty Museum, but the place was packed so we started heading towards the coast.

Mr. Ducky and I met at Pepperdine during our undergrad years, so it made sense that we’d return to our beautiful campus for some engagement pictures. We have so many memories from this place and we felt like having pictures there would give extra meaning.

We started off in a little patch of wild flowers that overlooks the campus. Mike warned us that we would feel super awkward for the first five minutes, but then it would be okay. Well, he was definitely right. We just giggled awkwardly for the first five minutes and slowly relaxed with the fabulous coaching and encouragement from Chloe.

All Photo Credits are to Mike Larson Photography

Who remembers that we make all major decisions via Rock, Paper, Scissors? Not sure that it’s the best way to do it, but hey it works.

And here is some evidence of awkward giggles thinking, “Are we looking as funny as we feel?”

After our warm-up we headed over to Alumni Field that sits right on PCH and is the first part of Pepperdine’s campus you see from the road. It overlooks the ocean and is where lots of the major events and graduations happen during the year.

Blowing little dandelions makes white things stick to all your hair and clothing…but isn’t it amazing the detail a camera can capture?

Revenge of the dandelion!

We headed up to Hero’s Garden which is at the very top of Pepperdine’s campus and has just a gorgeous view. The garden was built to honor a Pepperdine alumnus who died on of the 9/11 flights. It is just serene and was a place we often went when we were first dating to just relax, talk and take in the beautiful scenery. It’s actually where we first said I love you.

Awesome…

With Mike’s encouragement, we jumped into the fountain to get some more shots.  I love the reflection you can see.  It was kind of cold though and I luckily had a dress to change into, Mr. Ducky sacrificed his jeans for the creative cause.

Water fight! If you are going to get in the fountain you might as well splash. Actually we really didn’t get each other that wet. Mike directed us to splash in front of or behind one another to get the picture so that we could avoid getting soaked.

A few more pictures on campus before leaving for our next spot.

Well that is it for Part I at Pepperdine, next we headed to the beach but I’m going to keep you in suspense for a little longer. Actually I think I like the beach pictures even more! We had a great time with Mike, Rachel and Chloe. They are truly wonderful people that have a passion for what they do. If you get some extra time check out Mike’s blog and Chloe’s blog to see some of their amazing work.

Do you have any favorites? We are finalizing our Save the Date design and trying to choose which picture to use. But those are a whole different post to come soon!

What was your engagement pictures session like? Did you choose a place that had special meaning as well?

The week before I took my engagement pictures I all the sudden started worrying about my make-up. On a daily basis my make-up is pretty natural and I wasn’t sure what to do knowing that I was going to be taking pictures. I didn’t want to look washed out, shiny or so made-up that it wasn’t me. Hiring someone to do it for me was out of budget and I didn’t want to take my chances at a random make-up counter at the mall.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been loving WeddingbeePRO and all the vendor tips and insights. Laura Nadeau has been one of my favorites as I’ve been slowly accumulating a product wishlist from all of her incredible posts. Well since Laura is in New York and I’m in California it wasn’t exactly a possibility to have her do my make-up or visit her studio. So instead I left a comment on one of her posts asking for any tips and she replied with an email asking for a picture, what I wear daily and the look I wanted to get. I was thrilled when she sent her email and immediately sent her a breakdown of all the information. Check out her post here to see what my email said.

A few days later I opened my inbox and found an email from Lo, also posted on her blog telling me step by step what to buy, what to do and some general tips.

Miss Duckling,

You are a beautiful woman and I think that with a few changes in your makeup routine we can easily make you even more photogenic! If you think of your makeup like your wardrobe, then I would say you have all of the classics. Now, we just fine tune with the proper accessories and I’ll show you how to dress up your look!

1. I love tinted moisturizer, but it disappears quickly. I recommend buying the Laura Mercier oil-free foundation (unless you have dry skin) which will give you light coverage and will last longer. It can be more economical as well, because you have the option to simply mix it with an inexpensive face moisturizer. Voila, you have made your own tinted moisturizer and have the option for more coverage if you like. Always, set with a loose powder, (I love Laura Mercier’s translucent loose powder) this will add longevity, fight shine and create an even canvas for blush and bronzer.
2. Please no shimmer under your cheekbone. It is a highlight and works best on your cheekbone. Please watch my shimmer video! Bronzer can be used on and under your cheekbones for contour and warmth then add a “pop” color of blush on the apples of your cheeks.
3. Peachykeen blush is a great blush that you can apply on and under your cheekbones, but I suggest that you also add a bright “pop” color on your apples. A peachy pink blush (Bobbi Brown Nectar) would be perfect for you. Don’t do a pop color if you blush easily or turn red due to rosacea.
4. I prefer crème shimmers better than powder for the cheek. I use Nars Multiple Stick in Orgasm on everyone.
5. Laura Mercier and Bobbi Brown make great creamy under eye concealers. I apply this after eye makeup to avoid having to clean up shadow that has fallen.
6. M.A.C. Fluidline liner and Shroom shadow are great for you. I would add M.A.C. Nehru to your “wardrobe”. I can tell that you like to wear blue and this is a great contrast to your blue eyes. You can wet Nehru and use it as eyeliner and then smudge it up for a smoky look. To “dress up” your look just do a slightly thicker line and you can use a M.A.C. eye shadow like Print, Shale, or Sumptuous Olive to smudge into the liner for a smoky look. You don’t have to do a full out smoky eye – that can be difficult. Just smoke up the liner and blend, blend, blend into your shadow! The bottom line should never be darker or more prominent than the eyeliner on top of your lid. The focus should be drawn to the top of your eye, not the bottom.
7. Use waterproof mascara. M.A.C.’s is good and I also really like Maybelline Define-a-Lash in black.
8. M.A.C. lipstick in Twig could be a great neutral color for you and you can top with a little bit of sheer gloss in the center of your lip for a little moisture. I recommend this for outside photos as wind blows hair into gloss.
9. To avoid the eye shadow creasing I recommend eye shadow primers (which you are already using) and then apply a neutral shadow color on top of it to set it. Shroom is good, but it is also great to have something without shimmer. For more longevity use a matte shadow first then add shimmer shadow like the shimmer brick as a final touch on top. Shimmer bricks are very light and sheer and won’t last as long as other shadows.
10. Makeup does fade with time, but the best way to slow the process is to build a look using light layers. Whether on your eyes, face or lips remember the following steps: prime, add neutral color, add desired color, and add shimmer if desired.

Makeup for the camera:

1. Apply more coverage for your skin, especially under your eyes and any pink or uneven areas. Carry a powder compact and powder your t-zone as you get shiny.
2. Apply heavier blush which will add dimension and much needed color when shooting with a flash
3. Apply thicker eyeliner. Leave it as a clean line or smudge the line out for a smoky look.
4. Fill in eyebrows to accentuate the shape.

Good luck and let me know how it goes!!

xoxo,
Lo

Here is a picture that I took with all the make-up options on the counter. I didn’t actually use all those products, but I wanted to be prepared. To you see my computer in the background? I had Lo’s email up the whole time!

Isn’t she amazing?? I was so thankful for all of her help. I went to the mall and bought the products. My new favorites are the Multiple Stick in Orgasm from NARS and the Laura Mercier concealer. I bought a Undercover Pot Trio that comes with a spot concealer, under the eye and translucent powder. Since I was in the need of all three it was a great deal.

Source

Source

If you get a chance read her tips and watch her video on shimmer. I thought it was really helpful.

For the actual follow through of all her tips, it went really well. I probably could have done a little darker with smoking my eye, but I was more conservative than necessary. Next time I think I’ll be more brave and liberal with the application. However, I was really pleased with how the foundation, blush etc. worked with not looking washed out or shiny. The only downside was that there was a fair amount of time between the time I did my make-up and we actually did the pictures due to driving to LA and some other complications. I was glad (as was Mr. Ducky who doesn’t like a lot of make-up) that I still looked like myself, just enhanced so I could be me on camera.

Unfortunately I took some pictures myself but they just did not turn out well (blurry) and you can’t even see the make-up. I’m super bummed because I took some close up but I don’t think I was steady enough taking the picture. Here is what I have but keep in mind that it looked better than these pictures, and I actually added more shadow later.  I’ll be better next time, promise!

But be on the look out for my engagement pictures recap soon!!!

Sometimes I come across a blog post that causes me to get so excited, I have to show Mark. I came across this post from Amelia Lyon Photography on WeddingbeePRO. So after I confirmed with Mark that he also thinks these pictures are unbelievable, I decided I needed to post here in case you missed them. These images are absolutely breathtaking…I can’t share them all so be sure to go check this post and see the rest.

The last picture is my favorite!!

Alright I’m shutting down for the night, I just had to share those amazing pictures with you!!

While wedding planning and all the fun details that go along with it are so fun and exciting, we can’t forget about what brought us to this point. A relationship. Whether you are nearly engaged, engaged or married then it’s probably a safe assumption that your relationship has had ups and downs. From the first date and every day after there is so much learning, growth and emotion that occurs.

I’m training (and about to graduate) for my degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and have been working as a counselor with teenagers for the last year. Obviously my training and learning has had a lot to do with relationships. I wanted to jump on my therapist soap box and share a little bit more about my and Mr. Ducky’s relationship and a book that helped us to grow.

During the first year of our relationship, I read Dr. Gary Chapman’s book, “The Five Love Languages for Singles.” I had heard a lot about the book and finally decided to read it. It made so much sense and not only helped me with other friendships in my life, but my developing relationship with Mr. Ducky. After reading it, I also had Mr. Ducky read the book (he skimmed and listened to my explanation).

The book is based on the idea that we all have different love languages that we give and receive. We need to receive our primary love language to feel loved and without it may feel neglected or discouraged. Here is a quick summary of the five languages.

• Words of Affirmation: Mark Twain once said “I can live for two months on a good compliment.” Verbal appreciation speaks powerfully to persons whose primary Love Language is “Words of Affirmation.” Simple statements, such as, “You look great in that suit,” or “You must be the best baker in the world! I love your oatmeal cookies,” are sometimes all a person needs to hear to feel loved… Aside from verbal compliments, another way to communicate through “Words of Affirmation” is to offer encouragement.”
• Quality Time: Quality time is more than mere proximity. It’s about focusing all your energy on your mate…A husband watching sports while talking to his wife is NOT quality time. Unless all of your attention is focused on your mate, even an intimate dinner for two can come and go without a minute of quality time being shared. Quality conversation is very important in a healthy relationship. Quality activities are a very important part of quality time…”
• Receiving Gifts: “Some mates respond well to visual symbols of love. If you speak this love language, you are more likely to treasure any gift as an expression of love and devotion…These gifts need not to come every day, or even every week. They don’t even need to cost a lot of money. Free, frequent, expensive, or rare, if your mate relates to the language of receiving gifts, any visible sign of your love will leave them feeling happy and secure in your relationship.”
• Acts of Service: “Sometimes simple chores around the house can be an undeniable expression of love. Even simple things like laundry and taking out the trash require some form of planning, time, effort, and energy…Very often, both pairs in a couple will speak to the Acts of Service Language. However, it is very important to understand what acts of service your mate most appreciates. Even though couples are helping each other around the house, couples will still fight because the are unknowingly communicating with each other in two different dialects.”
• Physical Touch: “Many mates feel the most loved when they receive physical contact from their partner. For a mate who speaks this love language loudly, physical touch can make or break the relationship.” Physical touch doesn’t have to be sexual. It can also just be touching when you talk or giving hugs. (Think how important physical touch is for a young baby developmentally)

Photos from a post on EAD by photographer Angie Schoenherr

Sometimes you can better tell what your love language is by what you give. Do you often write your friends a quick email of encouragement? Do you feel so much more connected with someone after you sit down and have lunch? Do you try to go out of your way to help out a friend in need or to make their day easier?

My primary love language is quality time. I need to be able to connect with people, talk to them and be able to hear about how their life is going. (Probably why I am becoming a therapist) Mr. Ducky’s primary love language is Acts of Service. He loves to be able give to others and help a friend whenever possible. I know he greatly appreciates and remembers when someone does something for him.

How is this applied to our relationship? It gives us a greater understanding of each other and our needs. If a period of time goes by and I don’t get to spend much quality time with Mr. Ducky because of all the craziness of our schedules I start to feel distant. He has learned how important it is that we make time in our schedule to do things together and be able to touch base. Mr. Ducky does so many wonderful things for me like fixing all my technology, making me dinners and doing other “acts of service.” Don’t get me wrong, I love when he does these things and I appreciate them so much. But above and beyond I feel the most loved and connected when we can go spend the afternoon together. Sometimes something as simple as watching him go surfing and grabbing lunch after can make all the difference in the day for me.

I know relationships need a little bit of all five languages and one cannot be ignored. It is a balance. But I do think that sometimes if you are feeling distant from your significant other, it could be because you aren’t receiving your primary love language. They may be loving you with a different language that you can see after you take a step back to observe.

If you get a chance, read one of the books (there are some adapted to relationships, singles etc.) and see if you can relate to any of it. You can also check out the website for a quick test of what your language is. This book isn’t necessarily “the truth” and solution of all relationships, but it definitely has important points that have helped give me a better understanding of people. By learning the love languages of the people around me, I can better invest in our friendship by not just speaking my own quality time. The book goes into a much more detailed explanation that above and talks about how you can learn to “speak” the different languages.

What’s your primary love language? Can you relate to ever not getting enough of it?

How sweet are all those engagement pictures? Here are a few more…

I’ve told you about my philosophy of picking vendors, my amazing coordinator and why I need to ask for help. What I’ve haven’t share with you yet is who my fabulous photographer is. I guess I should probably tell you how I met him.

I actually knew about Mike’s photography well before Mr. Ducky and I were engaged. Several mutual friends and acquaintances in the few years have gotten married and used his photography. Due to the social networking of Facebook and seeing tagged pictures of my friends, I got linked to his website and was completely amazed. The photography I found on his site caught my attention and I was instantly impressed.

Last summer I had the honor of being a bridesmaid in the wedding of one of my best friends. The day of the wedding I was able to meet Mike and his beautiful wife, Rachel. Mike and Rachel got there early in the morning as we were getting ready and were taking pictures all day and all night long. I can’t say enough about this couple other than they are a blessing and an inspiration to be around. They just became part of the group as we laughed, snacked and prepared the bride for her big moment. Mike and Rachel’s love for one another is present in their work and I think that it makes the end result better. I felt like I was able to get to know them both and that they were people who I would want to spend time with. They were exactly the people that I wanted on our team.

I’m beyond excited that I get to have Mike as my photographer and feel so blessed that we will get to know he and Rachel more in the coming months. Mr. Ducky and I are getting our engagement photos done soon and I’m already anxiously anticipating a fun day of photography, getting to know Mike and Rachel and getting a step closer to our wedding.

Now for small peak at the incredible photography.

And for the most crazy thing that Mike does…he literally throws his camera in the air to get this picture. What!?!

I can’t even come close to fitting all the amazing images on here. So please go check out the Mike Larson website and blog to see more!

Remember when I posted pictures of my ring awhile back? Well I also submitted pictures to Weddingbee and sure enough one of the shots was posted. They chose one of the pictures on the bamboo plant.

Check out Weddingbee: Ring Shots Part VI…I’m MMWedding

Have you tried doing your own ring shots yet? Please share if you have!

The fact that I just put a sports picture on my wedding blog is pretty ironic considering I wouldn’t normally be a big sports fanatic. I watch games every once in awhile with my family or Mr. Ducky and can enjoy them. However, usually I’m doing something on my computer or eating some unhealthy snack that is out in honor of the game. I’m making an exception and posting a picture because: A) I’m from San Diego so “Go Chargers!” and B) I’m going to tell you a bit about my philosophy of picking my team for the wedding…

(To balance the sports photo and all the text I’ll just post some pretty pictures throughout as you read my rambles)

When I first began to think about who I wanted to work with for my wedding when it came to vendors, location etc. I thought about it as if I were picking my team. I’m not just picking people to work for me or paying for a simple service. I’m searching for a group of people that I want to work with during this crazy and stressful process that will be surrounding me on the day of my wedding. I’m searching for my team.

We all know how hard it is to pick out that guest list and choose the people who mean the most in your life that will add to the specialness your day. You will be paying a lot so that they can be there. I think it is just as important that vendors you work with will also add to your day. Your catering manager, coordinator, photographer, DJ and florist will all be working with you closely and who they are and their work will impact your wedding and you personally whether for good or bad.

I wanted to find people that would be on my team. Did I want them to be awesome and super talented at what they do? Absolutely! However, beyond that I wanted to find people that I felt like I could connect with and if I had just randomly met them outside of the wedding process we would probably be friends. You have to trust these people and be able to let go of the control you have held so tightly onto in the months of planning. I personally feel better handing all my details, photography etc. to someone that I trust and like. These people should add to your day and you need to be comfortable around them. Your bridal party is part of your team that you can lean on from support and trust; your vendors are another extension of that team.

I couldn’t be more excited about the people that are on the team so far! Each person is insanely talented and just an awesome person that I am enjoying getting to know.

I’ve told you that our wedding will be at the Rancho Bernardo Inn. Well the catering manager, Tricia is one of the big reasons that we are there. From the time I met her I could tell she was on top of things and nothing was going to get out of control on that day with her in charge. She was really friendly and during our deciding process she was more than helpful helping me figure out budget. Also, she helped us secure the Aragon Lawn as our ceremony site when originally we weren’t going to be allowed to guarantee that particular spot.

Next week I’ll tell you about my AMAZING photographer and my INCREDIBLE month-of coordinator and why I think they are so wonderful!

Sneak peak of their insane talent…

A snapshot from my photographer:

A snapshot from my wedding coordinator:

Just looking at their pictures makes me more excited for having them on my team!

Using tips from Anne Ruthmann on WeddingbeePRO, I decided to attempt my own engagement ring photos after being inspired by all the features I’ve seen on Weddingbee in the last few weeks.

Below are pictures taken of my ring hanging on a bamboo plant that we were given by family friends at an engagement party. Our friend said that the bamboo plant symbolized eternity…so I kind of think of it as our love fern. (Just kidding…I just had to add in the How to Lose a Guy reference)

Growing up I loved Beauty and the Beast. I saw it literally 8 times in the theater and basically had it memorized. This year Mark and I found letters to Santa from when I was little requesting everything from a Beauty and the Beast fork, knife and spoon to Belle’s real gold dress. We decided to start exchanging ornaments for Christmas and for the first ornament Mark gave me the Beauty and the Beast ornament. I decided to use it as a prop in my photo shoot.

Next you know I had to do some M&Ms for Mark and Michelle. The other 2 rings in the photos are also from Mark at different points in our relationship. The sapphire ring was a gift for our 1st anniversary and was his mom’s. He gave me the amethyst ring for Valentine’s day 2 years ago.

Last but not least I used my perfume bottle for a different angle. If you are looking for a new perfume scent I love Flowerbomb by Victor and Rolf.

If you haven’t done this already you should definitely give it a try. The pictures were super easy to do and I am pretty happy with how they came out. I haven’t done any editing or adjusting, so I may have to try that and see if I can get them to look even better.

Lately, I have been really noticing all the amazing engagement pictures that are being featured on websites and blogs. Part of this is because Mark and I will soon be taking our own engagement pictures and are trying to decide exactly where and how to do them. There are so many possibilities. What I really love about engagement pictures is how they can capture the couple and give you a little glimpse of what their relationship is all about and the love they share. Some images make you smile or laugh while others invoke a strong sense of awe and emotion.

I thought I’d share some of the amazing images that have caught my eye in the last few weeks. Many of these images are from the pros over at WeddingbeePRO. I have loved seeing the different styles each them represent and how they give you a peak into the love each couple shares.

Leigh Miller
I have to say I am continually in awe of Leigh Miller’s work. I think I also am partial to her because she is also from San Diego, has a background in psychology and has a yellow lab. I’m hoping that maybe one day Mark and I can afford to do a session with her.

Anne Ruthmann
I really like all the personality and fun that Anne Ruthmann captures in all of her photography. Also be on watch for my attempt at ring pictures based on her tutorial

Leigh Miller

Punam Bean Photography
Punam’s work can take your breath away. Something about the composition and emotion that is a part of each image will grab your attention.

Leigh Miller

Amelia Lyon

Punam Bean Photography

Anne Ruthmann

Anne Ruthmann

Photography amazes me. Especially when you can see how each photographer uses their style to convey the love and personality of each couple.

Have you taken engagement pictures yet?