Leading up to their wedding, we pretty much screamed with excitement every single time we came across a Facebook update from Amy! ;) She hinted about the rustic chic details they were pulling together for their wedding and even showed a sneak peek of their cake toppers customized from Etsy, complete with a fireman’s hat for Eric and a cute bow for Amy. Both Amy and Eric were so excited for their big day that Ryan and I could not wait to be a part of the excitement!

As we walked into the bridal suite, we found ourselves surrounded by a super sweet bridal party who had nothing but excitement for Amy and Eric. There was a calmness in the air. A calmness that created relaxation.  Amy was so relaxed she kept asking everyone else if she could do anything for them! ;)… that is just Amy’s personality shining through!

Always caring about other people, it was amazing to witness a special day for Amy and Eric to focus only on each other! We are so incredibly excited for Amy and Eric.  From their rustic chic details to their sweet sweet personalities and the relaxed atmosphere… Amy and Eric’s day was like a dream! ;) Congratulations Amy and Eric! Thank you for giving us the opportunity to capture your love story! We wish you nothing but the very best now and forever!

Huge thanks to everyone who played a roll in making Amy and Eric’s day so special!

Day of Coordinator:  Briana Dixon, Nouvelle Weddings & Events | Stationery:  Paper in the Park | Hair Stylist:  Nicole White | Makup Artist:  Maria DeCesaris, Amie Decker Beauty | Florist:  Little House of Flowers | Ceremony Location:  St. Paul’s Parish | Officiant:  Father Matthew Buening | Ceremony Music:  MaryAnne Fleming and Mary Grace Mazzulli | Reception Venue:  Turf Valley | Bakery:  Debi’s Cake Studio | Transportation:  Reliable Limousine & Bus Service, LLC | Bride’s Attire:  Casablanca, Juliet’s Bridal | Groom & Groomsmen’s Attire:  Men’s Warehouse | Bridemaid’s Attire:  Bill Levkoff, Annapolis Formal | Wedding Bands:  Zachary’s Jewelers | Rentals:  Linen Hero & Select Event Rentals

Enjoy more of Amy and Eric’s wedding photos in their slideshow below.

We received this advice a long time ago from one of our mentors and it is advice that we hold close to our hearts always.  Surround yourself by incredible people.

Jim Rohn said that, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”  Think about that.  Think about the 5 people that surround you the most and consider whether or not you want to be like them.  When we first did this exercise and thought this through a few years ago, we realized that the 5 people we were spending the most time with was not necessarily our family and friends… but it was our co-workers.

When you think about it, sometimes you spend more time with your co-workers than you do your immediate families.  That is CRAZY!  Sometimes it is not an easy answer, but truth be told… this is something you can do something about.

Think about the people that surround you and then think about the people that you wish made up those five people.  If those two lists are not the same, take action to make it the same.

There are people in your lives that will build you up and do anything to assure your happiness.  There are people in your lives that bring you smiles and help you relieve stress.  There are people in your lives that are doing amazing things and are having positive impact on the world around them.  If you ask us… those are the incredible people that you should surround yourself by.

Take some time this week to consider who those five people are in your life.  If they are not people that you want influencing your life… make change.

It could be as easy as making a phone call and/or scheduling a get together.  Now is the time.  Surround yourself by Incredible People. Have an AMAZING week!

One of our absolute favorite things, well at least category of favorite things, are sweet treats! We love pretty much anything with caramel, peanut butter, or chocolate. Cupcakes are definitely one of our all time favorites, but they are definitely fighting a tight battle with this week’s Friday Favorite: Ladurée Macaroons.

Friday Favorites: Sweet Treat –  Ladurée Macaroons

Our obsession with these little puff like cookie pastries, started earlier this year. We were hosting a super fun wine and cheese night with some of our friends. Wine and Cheese nights are definitely a topic for another post. :) We were sampling wine and cheese to get us ready for our trip to Paris that was coming up later in the year and our AMAZING friends Lindsley and Jeff stopped by with macaroons! They explained to us that in Paris, there was the best macaroon patisserie called Ladurée.

Fast forward two months to this past May to us standing in line outside the door of Ladurée in the rain. We huddled tight under our single person umbrella and tried to dodge the sideways rain drops. Each time a person in front of us was lucky enough to make it inside, the sweet smell of freshly baked macaroons would linger outside for a fleeting moment just long enough to convince us to stay in line just a little longer. Finally, after 5 minutes, we swear it definitely felt much more like 5 hours :), we made it inside.

The display case was a Crayola Crayon box of colors. From chocolate milk, to cherry blossom, to pistachio, to Liz’s favorite, salted caramel, there was an endless variety. We bought half a dozen and by the time we had paid and made it out the door, we only had two left! We shared the last two later that evening and were instantly hooked. So the next time your in Paris, be sure to pick us up a dozen! And if they don’t make it off the plane back, we understand.

Although we can’t share Ladurée Macaroons with you, we will be giving away one dozen macaroons from the FABULOUS Patisserie Poupon, which is located right nearby us! They are definitely a very close second to Ladurée. Just be sure to like our page on Facebook, and leave us a comment below for your chance to win!

Gosh, we are so blessed to have such amazing clients!  It is amazing how God works his magic and brings incredible people into your lives!  As we started to get to know Jenn and Ben, we instantly fell in love with them!

Jenn owns her own crafting company!  (enough said, right?!  ;) )  But in addition to her love of crafting, she is also just one of the sweetest people in the world!  Ben played football… kind of like Friday Night Lights style in his hometown in TX.  Then he made his way up to the second best Patriot League school in PA, Lehigh (haha… second of course to Bucknell!  ;) ), where he also played football.  As our conversation went on during the consultation, we realized Ben and Ryan actually played football against each other in college!  ;)  We won’t mention who won because my ranking comment earlier just won’t make any sense!… lol.  But small world right?!?

We also love when our amazing couples introduce us to fabulous new places!  Jenn and Ben introduced us to Sandy Point State Park last week.  Yes, yes, we have always seen the signs and admired the beaches from afar on our way to and from the Eastern Shore, but we never had the excuse to check it out!  (If you are reading this and you are in the same boat… I am giving you the excuse right now… go check it out!  ;) ).

Ben surprised Jenn one day by picking her up from work.  He had planned a special afternoon away from the craziness of life at Sandy Point.  Ben had gone over early to scout out the perfect spot.  He put the blanket down and was ready to pop the question.  As soon as Jenn got off work, he brought her over to the perfect spot he had picked out- only to find a family full of kids that also decided it was the perfect spot on the beach!  ;)  Suggesting they go for a walk, Ben didn’t skip a beat in making sure this special afternoon was everything they dreamed it to be!

We could not be more grateful to be able to capture this amazing time in Jenn and Ben’s lives!  Thanks Jenn and Ben for the amazing excuse to check out Sandy Point and to be able to share the afternoon with you!  You two are amazing!

For weeks we had it marked on our calendar.  It read “Pool Day!”  With summer quickly coming to an end we wanted to spend one more day enjoying summer while sitting at the pool, catching up on some of our favorite magazines, and holding each other tight. It was supposed to be a lazy date day before heading into a few of our busiest weeks yet this year. Well, apparently mother nature doesn’t follow our calendar and instead of sunshine and warm weather, it decided to rain. In protest, Liz put on her Sperry rain boots and went outside anyway.

So instead of our planned date night, we decided to embrace fall and the rainy weather, enjoy Pumpkin Spice Lattes, and cuddle up close while reading in bed.  Normally, we would walk down to Starbucks to get 2 grande Pumpkin Spice Lattes (we are pretty much BFFs with the staff now), but this time we decided to skip the walk and make our own.  The $10 we saved we donated to Thirst Relief International as part of our Liz and Ryan Mission Fundraiser.  Check out our post from earlier this morning to learn more!

So you may be thinking making your own Pumpkin Spice Latte is CRAZY!!! But in fact, it is really quite simple.  Because it is almost the fall and we love anything pumpkin we actually had a left over can of pumpkin in our cabinet.  Everything else needed were simple ingredients you probably already have at home too.  So enjoy the instructions below on how to create your very own Pumpkin Spice Lattes to drink while cuddling in bed with a good read!

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 C Milk (We used whole, but 2%, skim, soy or almond should also work)
• 1 C extra strong coffee (or espresso if you have it)
• 3 or 4 tbsp canned or fresh pumpkin
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 1 tsp cinnamon plus extra to sprinkle on top
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg plus extra to sprinkle on top
• Whip Cream

If you happen to have Pumpkin Spice seasoning, you may substitute it for the cinnamon and nutmeg.

INSTRUCTIONS:
Step 1: Measure out two cups of milk and pour into a small sauce pan.  

Step 2: Add pumpkin, and sugar to milk and heat over medium high heat.  Whisk thoroughly  to combine ingredients.

Step 3: Prepare your coffee/espresso.

Step 4: Once the pumpkin milk mixture begins to steam, reduce heat to low, add vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Stir with whisk over low heat for 15 – 30 seconds.

Step 5: Pour pumpkin milk mixture into two coffee cups.  We transferred the mixture to a glass measuring cup with spout for easy pouring first.

Step 6: Add coffee/espresso, approximately 1/2 C each.

Step 7: Top with whip cream and sprinkle on cinnamon and nutmeg

That’s it!  Super simple!  We just so happened to have some left over pumpkin bread from our AMAZING friends Lauren and John to pair with our lattes. It definitely made for a super tasty treat.

Liz grabbed one of her favorite magazines, Real Simple, and I grabbed our iPad.  We spent the rest of the evening relaxing in bed, reading, listening to the rain outside, and pausing to soak in this AMAZING life!  Happy Date Night!!