Today’s blog post could have been titled: Any color + white + ivory = rich and sophisticated wedding colors.

I selected these photos to illustrate how simple orchestrating a successful color scheme for your wedding can be. It can be tempting for planning brides to freak out a little bit with so many colors to choose from–and it’s not always straightforward for non-designer types to find the combos that are fresh and attractive. So, perhaps you’re a bit overwhelmed with color and how to use it at your wedding. You can always try out this formula: Pick ANY color that you like. One that makes you happy, or makes you feel love, or simply makes your heart sing when you see it. Now add two whites. You might have to experiment here. Maybe it’s the icy whites that set off your main color. Or perhaps you need to go the other direction, toward buttermilk or vanilla ice cream. I promise that when you find your color’s mates in the while family, the combination will read as rich, complex and sophisticated.

Recipe for success? Your favorite color plus two whites. Give it a whirl.

I sure do like her here. Bold, nuanced, collaborating nicely with her close friends, Magenta and Violet. She’s interesting enough to hold up to all the attention, but never showy or too in-your-face.

Maybe you’d like to invite Ms. Pink to your wedding?

The gorgeous floral decor shown here is the work of the unparalleled, Geranium Lake Flowers.

Could Will Cohen be the nicest young man I’ve ever met? I think it’s true. John and I really enjoyed photographing Will and his family at his Bar Mitzvah last month. He’s confidant, fun, and self-possessed. Spend a little time with Will and you get a good sense of the delightful young man he’ll become.

Will’s Mom arranged the coolest, baseball-inspired celebration. Will had his own custom logo-ed baseballs and the young guests enjoyed their personally-screened ball caps. And a testimony to the dj: I saw all ages busting their moves on the dance floor.

Congratulations, Will! Here’s some of our favorite pics in a slide show.

And here’s a link to Will’s online gallery.

Ohmygosh, I’m still effervescing over Leslie and Devon’s wedding last month. These two tied the knot in early November at the Waverly Country Club. Leslie was adorable in Monique Lhuillier and Devon sported the classic satin lapel and bow tie. Dreamy, perfect, formal yet friendly. Leslie and Devon are firmly at the center of a loving circle of family and friends. Everyone enjoyed the wedding celebrations surrounded by flowers and candlelight, good friends and fun.

There were far too many photos to choose for a sneak peek. If you take a look at the slide show below, you’ll discover that the photos posted here are a mere fraction of the beauty, fun and celebration of Devon and Leslie’s wedding day.

And in the meanwhile, click here to see a slideshow of our favorites from the day.

Update Dec 9, 2011: Leslie and Devon’s wedding gallery is live. See it here.

The Mason Jar Manifesto

It’s 4.47am when I sit down to write this. I woke up 30 minutes ago and couldn’t go back to sleep. I’ve been thinking about this for so long, but a couple of things lately have reinforced what I already knew.

The wedding train has derailed.

Put down those mason jars, store away that vintage typewriter and fairy lights and sit down because you need to listen. This is an intervention. The whole wedding industry has gone detail bananas and we need to clear a few things up.

- You! Over there! Step away from the hay bales and the Vintage Navajo rugs and come over here. Sit! Down! No, you don’t have to put lavender on the plates, you need to wake up!

We’re getting lost in details. The whole wedding industry is drifting away from what weddings are about and we’re all part of the problem – bloggers, photographers, planners and vendors – all hypocrites feeding the detail beast.

Strip it back.

Peel the layers off.

And start again.

Read the entire post here.

Devon and Leslie are getting married at Waverly in just a few weeks. Between her schedule, his and ours, we didn’t get to have their engagement session until October, but these two would be adorable to shoot any single day of the year. Heat, rain, snow–no problem. They have a blast together and the laughter is right next to the surface all the time with these two.

We can’t wait to shoot your wedding in just, what, 17 days? I’m glad you’ll both have a little taste of what we do and we’ll get a taste of how much we’ll enjoy photographing you on the big day.

Congrats to you both.

Here’s the slideshow you should look at right this minute. And here’s the link to all the photos from Leslie and Devon’s engagement session.

We didn’t get the opportunity to meet Tai and Jason until just before the wedding, so we had to use our spidey-sense to gather their emotional style on wedding day. Turns out that it wasn’t hard at all. Tai fairly glowed and Jason looked like a cat in the catbird seat. Like a man who has the world exactly how he wants it. And I can understand why: these two seem absolutely and perfectly matched. Their Catholic Mass had smiles and laughter mixed in with the solemnity, and the college-friend-filled party effervesced despite the rain.

It was our first time shooting with the lovely ladies at Bridal Bliss. It always helps a photographer feel more secure and supported when there’s a savvy and resourceful super-women to save the zipper/umbrella/timing/hairpin crises that are almost a part of every wedding. Kudus to you, Yvonne!

Here’s a sampling of our favorite pics set to Jason and Tai’s first dance song. I got a chance to really reflect on the lyrics as I assembled their slideshow. Tai, Jason: you picked a truly beautiful song to celebrate your wedding with. Here’s to you both!

UPDATE 11.21.2011 Here’s a link to Tai and Jason’s full wedding gallery.

Cruise on over to Style Me Pretty and see the classics done nicely: Beautiful bride, handsome groom, white flowers and black ties. I never thought I’d find a traditional wedding feel like a breath of fresh air. And if you’re interested in seeing more of this sweet wedding, visit their pics on our blog.

It’s energizing for us to be amid such happiness and celebration. Sarah and Abhi are blessed to be surrounded by a happy clan of family and friends, whose love and support was truly in evidence this day. However, despite the whirl of the day, my favorite photos are of Abhi and Sarah stealing a quiet moment alone while the fading sun painted the day with gold.

Congratulations Abhi and Sarah! Here’s our favorites in a little slide show.

Update October 11, 2o11: Here’s a link to Sarah and Abhi’s wedding gallery.