It’s been quite some time since I’ve posted any sort of update about my own wedding plans. In fact, I think the last full update that I posted was back when we were planning to have our wedding in Chicago on July 31. So, if not for the venue snafu, we would be gearing up for our wedding this coming weekend (by the way, have you ever looked up the origins of the word snafu? I just did, and I was quite surprised—but that word perfectly describes what happened to our original plans).

So, with that behind us, Jeff and I will be heading to the Riviera Maya the second week in November to celebrate our wedding with a small group of close relatives and friends. And after reading about all of Rachel’s destination wedding inspirations, I thought it would be fun to show a few little inspirations of my own.

First off, anyone who has ever planned a destination wedding knows that there are a lot of things that are completely out of your control—a good part of the detail planning happens after you arrive. This has left me striving to find any sort of detail that I can set in place now. Here are a few of those details:

Bridesmaids clutches: Since destination weddings are somewhat “nontraditional” anyway, I figure that anything goes. So rather than get the bridesmaids flowers that they won’t even be able to take home to enjoy for a few days, I decided to go with these clutches from Vera Bradley. They also make a nice package to deliver some of the other little details.

Seaside Dreaming…Turquoise Flower Earrings: I found these earring on PrettyParis’ Etsy shop. Whenever I’ve been a bridesmaid, I’ve always failed to bring along pretty jewelry, so I thought I’d make it easy on the girls and include a little something that they can choose to wear.

Simple Bracelets: I’ve been making these simple little bracelets for myself and the bridesmaids. It’s a subtle way to tie in our colors (and since we’re not doing much with the beach theme, I figured this would be a small nod to the destination side of the wedding).

Vows and Notes: We found these Field Notes notebooks at J. Crew, and we thought these would be a fun place to keep our vows. They’re made by Coudal Partners, a Chicago company, so we get to bring a little piece of our city with us. Since there are three, we’ll likely put the last one out at the reception for our guests to write us notes or bits of advice that we can keep and look back on.

DIY Envelopes: We’re going to design our own invitations, programs, menus, etc. and order them from 4by6.com. We’re waiting to nail down a few details before we order them (we’re going to host a few additional mixers/cocktail parties for guests during the week we’ve there), but in the meantime, I’ve started putting together these DIY envelopes using patterned matte paper from Paper Source.

Besides that, we’ve got our navy bridesmaids dresses, Jeff’s outfit, groomsmen outfits and a few other plans through the resort. And I went for a dress fitting last week with Susan, my brilliant designer friend (and bridesmaid).

We’re looking forward to taking our time and enjoying a relaxing last few months of planning.

Kyle and Maria were married on the morning of July 10, followed by a reception at Carnivale, near Chicago’s Fulton Market. The venue was so gorgeous that I couldn’t help but wonder what might have happened if I had explored it myself when we were looking to have our wedding in the city. The whole thing was beautiful—bright colors, a view of Lake Michigan, personal touches and all sorts of emotions that had me choking up.

Kyle and Maria—I wish you all the best in your journey back to New York City and in your marriage. I’ve had a wonderful time getting to know you. The depth of the love you share with each other is obvious to all those around you.

The ring ceremony was at Piper Hall at Loyola University.

If you’ve been around here for long, you’ve seen quite a few photos of this little guy. I just can’t help myself—he’s so photogenic.

My nephew, Henry, turned one year old this week. As the first grandchild in the family, he was a wee bit spoiled (and we all loved every minute of it).

(client)

It’s amazing how far he’s come in one year!

Kaleb is six months old. He’s been through quite a bit already, but he’s a true super baby (and very photogenic, to boot!). It’s been so much fun to watch you grow, Kaleb!

I had some visitors over the holiday weekend! My sister, Adriane, and her family stayed with us, and we had a wonderful walk around Lincoln Park and the beach.

I think Henry is starting to get used to the camera—he clearly knows how to work it.

I was going through some of my old photos last night when I came across this one. At the time that I took it, I was just looking for an object to practice my photography on. I had no idea that this park bench would eventually hold so much meaning—be the very place where I would get engaged later that same year.

I was honored to photograph this beautiful little family in Chicago. Zara is one happy baby—she did a great job on our shoot.

I left Thursday morning for a whirlwind weekend in Vegas with almost 70 others (another huge thanks to Nicole for organizing everything). I didn’t take take my camera out much while I was there, so I’ll have to rely on others to document the majority of the trip, but I did manage to capture a few fun moments.

We started out Thursday night at KÀ, MGM’s Cirque du Soleil show (we received comped tickets). I can’t say enough wonderful things about Cirque du Soleil—I’ve seen four of their shows now, and every single one has taken my breath away. These performers are unreal and completely flawless, and the sets are like nothing I’ve ever seen. If you ever get the chance to see any of their shows, definitely go!

And now for the photos. We started our Thursday evening with a little happy hour at Zeffirino in the Venetian.

The Flamingo just redid their rooms—this was my second time staying there, and I was impressed with the changes! Check out the television in the bathroom mirror on the left.

The pool was a madhouse, but we managed to get a nice area for our Friday mixer (Thanks to Molly from Stratejoy for sponsoring).