As she received the finishing touches to her makeup, a special delivery came to the room.    It was a little gray box with a perfect green bow attached.  The card spelled out Jennifer in Michael’s best handwriting!  ;)

As laughter filled the room and the ladies chatted about “girly things,” Jennifer held onto her special gift.  She held on tight just waiting for that special moment where she could take it all in and soak in the words that Michael had written to her.

As the tears rolled down her face everyone asked with excitement what was in the box.  She held it up with a big smile on her face.  “It’s a key.”  Jennifer explained that she always says she believes there is a key out there for every single person’s heart.  And she was lucky enough to find Michael, who held her key!

Jennifer and Michael rock our worlds!  Seriously, they made me cry during our initial consultation with them as they shared their AMAZING engagement story.  ;)  They live life passionately and when they are with each other it is literally like fireworks going off!  They are meant to be and we are certainly thankful that Michael held the key to Jennifer’s heart… and that they found each other!

Jennifer and Michael… THANK YOU for being YOU!  Thank you for your love and passion and for sharing that with us!  We love you guys and are so excited for your new lives together as Mr. and Mrs.!  CONGRATS!!

Huge thanks to everyone who helped make Jennifer and Michael’s day so great! A list of all the great vendors is below:

Wedding Photographer: Liz and Ryan | Wedding Planner: Simply Created Events | Stationery: Wedding Paper Divas & CardsandPockets.com | Hair Stylist: Lesa Ferris | Florist: Local Color Flowers | Ceremony and Reception Venue:  Linganore Winecellars & Berrywine Plantations | Officiant:  Cantor Rosalie Boxt | Caterer:  Fine Cuisine Catering | Bakery:  Classic Bakery | DJ:  Dave Holmes, Event Entertainment | Transportation:  On The Town Limousines | Bridal Salon:  Mori Lee from The Bridal Boutique | Bridemaid’s Attire:  Alfred Sung by Dessy from Macy’s Bridal Salon | Wedding Bands:  Lynn Jewelers and J. Arthur Loose | Other Fun Details (cake topper, signage, etc.): Morgan Hill Designs – Bragging Bags on Etsy

Enjoy more of Jennifer and Michael’s Wedding Love Story in the slideshow below:

Friday Favorites: Good Reads – Food and Wine Magazine.

We LOVE reading (or at least flipping through magazines and looking at the pictures). :)  I can still remember heading to the library multiple times per week when I was in elementary school to pick out a giant pile of books to read for the Lyter Summer Reader’s Contest. 20+ years later, there just doesn’t seem to be enough time in the day to read as much as we wish.  When we do have a free moment, the first magazine we dig out of our overflowing magazine basket is always Food and Wine.  A magazine that combines some of our favorite things in its title is definitely a good read.  One of my favorite things to do is to find a new recipe in the magazine, head to our local farmers market or Whole Foods, and then whip up an amazing meal.  Checkout this post for the latest recipe we recently tried.  If you have followed our Instagram feed for any length of time, you have probably seen a few of the creations inspired by Food and Wine Magazine.  Plus, the layout and design is AMAZING!  Food and Wine Magazine was definitely one of our inspirations for our new site and brand. Download the latest issue today and get cooking!

When this baby came in the mail, we literally jumped up and down. I ripped the box open and couldn’t wait to see the final product. We had been looking for an additional album option for quite some time. All the way back in March, we found ourselves searching the WPPI trade show floor for a beautifully classic album that would become an heirloom to tell the stories we photograph.

We found ourselves at the Couture Album booth multiple times throughout the conference. Each time our mouths dropped at the gorgeous options that were available. We loved the fact that every album was unique. We loved the fact that every album had over 150+ sides. And we loved the fact that every album was a piece of art. We could picture our clients placing these albums on their coffee tables and pulling them out regularly to relive their amazing memories with their family and friends!

With the launch of Liz and Ryan, we are focusing more and more on storytelling through our photography. It has become so clear to us that weddings are so much more than just a couple hour event in one day. Weddings are truly a lifetime in the making and often involve a multiple day celebration! To tell the entire story we created a collection in our wedding offerings that involves multiple day coverage! In the collection we’ve included a Couture Storybook Album because we feel these albums are the best way to keep all of the memories in one place! Beginning with 75 pages, these albums can hold over 150 images in a clean, crisp layout!

Here is a video sharing this beautiful album that made us jump up and down. The album holds Laura and Colin’s memories from their engagement session in DC, Laura’s dress fitting in Barcelona, Spain, and their wedding day in DC from earlier this year. Enjoy!

One of my favorite things to do is to flip through the latest Food and Wine magazine, look at the amazing food pictures, and then decide which recipes I want to try.  The first step to cooking a great meal is to simply be able to read and follow directions.  There are 1000’s of AMAZING recipes available online, many of which anyone can easily cook.  Yes, great chefs can easily create something masterful from a bag of yams, gummy bears, and duck breast (just watch Chopped on the Food Network), but for the most part, we just want to enjoy a finely cooked meal with fresh ingredients.  If you continue to follow along with our blog, hopefully I’ll be able to inspire you to try something new, give cooking a try, and to stop ordering take out every night.

There are probably plenty of studies on the positive health effects of cooking your own meals, but for us, it just makes us feel better knowing exactly what we are eating and how it was prepared.  Plus, their is an amazing joy and sense of accomplishment in sitting down to eat a dinner you just created.  So to kick off Ryan Cooks, we are starting with a super easy recipe we are calling Easy Chicken Caprese.

Recipe: Easy Chicken Caprese

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound spicy marinated bocconcini (mozzarella balls), plus the oil from the container
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, pounded 1/2 inch thick
• Salt (optional)
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 pint heirloom cherry or grape tomatoes
• Olive oil, for grilling

When we are cooking we always like to make enough for left overs the next day for dinner or possibly even lunch.  Since there are just the two of us, 4 chicken breast halves will be more than enough.  We knew we were going to be cooking the chicken right away so we purchased boneless air chilled chicken breasts at our local Whole Foods.  Air chilled always just seems to taste a little fresher to us but any type of chicken breasts should suffice.  The breasts we bought were already relatively thin, if your chicken breasts are larger, use a mallet to pound them to 1/2 inch thick.

If you are vegetarian, feel free to substitute tofu or portabella mushrooms in place of the chicken.  Also, if you can’t find heirloom cherry tomatoes, regular grape tomatoes or diced whole tomatoes will do just fine.

Step 1: Prepare the marinade.

The great thing about this recipe is that the marinade is already made for you.  Just remove the mozzarella balls from the oil and poor half of the oil into a glass pan or baking dish.  Save the remaining oil for later.

Next, don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty, thoroughly “toss” the chicken in the marinade making sure to evenly coat all four breasts. Now is a good time to wash your hands and clean up anything the chicken may have touched.  Finish but adding freshly ground pepper. You may also add a pinch of salt but we decided to opt for a lower sodium version and stuck with just the pepper.

Cover the chicken and place in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours.  After the chicken has had a chance to thoroughly soak in the marinade, remove from the refrigerator and let it return to room temperature. Letting the chicken return to room temperature will allow for more even cooking.

Step 2: Cut the tomatoes and combine with mozzarella.

While the chicken is marinating, cut the tomatoes into halves.

Combine the mozzarella balls, tomatoes, and remaining oil in a dish.  Toss to evenly coat the tomatoes and mozzarella balls and set aside.

Step 3: Cook the chicken.

Heat a grill pan to high heat.  Using a brush, coat the pan with olive oil to prevent the chicken from sticking.

Once the grill pan is hot, place the chicken breasts on the pan to begin cooking.  The chicken should take about 8-10 minutes to cook. Turn once at about 4 minutes.  Turning more than once throughout the process will often lead to over cooked and dry chicken, so resist the urge to flip continuously. If you are using an actual grill, the chicken may cook more quickly.

Now is a good time to grab some plates if you haven’t done so already.

Step 4: Plate and enjoy!

Once the chicken is lightly charred and cooked through, transfer to a plate.

Add the mozzarella balls and tomatoes, grab a fork and enjoy!

The original recipe I followed can be found in the September 2012 Issue of Food and Wine magazine or online here.  You’ll notice they suggest cutting the chicken into small slices and serving in a bowl as a salad.  This is a great option if you are preparing the meal in advance. I couldn’t wait to try my creation so I skipped the final step and served the chicken whole with the tomatoes and mozzarella as a side! :)

I love food, and I LOVE cooking.  In fact, I may enjoy cooking more than actually eating!  Ok, maybe not, but it’s a super close second. There is nothing better than sitting down to enjoy a nice dinner that you prepared.  Just a moment ago it was baking in the oven, or roasting on the grill, and all your hard work has paid off.  Taking the first bite, warm and juicy and full of flavor, it is pure heaven! If I didn’t love my job so much, I would probably become a chef, or at least own a food truck.  Being in the kitchen is just so relaxing and fulfilling.  Plus, it doesn’t hurt to have a super amazing, and smokin’ hot sous chef like Liz! :)  Even better than cooking for yourself is being able to cook for family and friends, just make sure they are willing to try new recipes that you may be attempting for the very first time!  Seeing and hearing their reaction after they take the first bite is so exciting.  I like to think I am on Iron Chef America or Chopped (I definitely need to get a customized chef’s jacket), or any of the other great Food Network shows.   Ok, so I probably still have a long way to go before Bobby Flay challenges me to a throw down, but a guy has got to have dreams right? :)

Unfortunately we can’t cook for everyone that reads our blog, but what we can do is show you how easy it actually is to cook a great meal.  So we decided to create a new blog series called Ryan Cooks.  A few times a month, we will be showcasing an AMAZING meal most likely from a recipe found in Food and Wine Magazine and every once in a while a Liz and Ryan Original.  We will provide the recipe, step-by-step instructions, and some great pictures to help inspire you to become the next Top Chef.  But most importantly, we will provide you with some inspiration and tips to that should help you become a better chef, have fun cooking, and live a more AMAZING life!  Be sure to check back this afternoon for the very first installment of Ryan Cooks!