Summer 2019 Family Photoshoot

We very rarely take family photos, but I saw my friend's pictures of her daughter and LOVED the style of the pictures. I found out about photographer, Amanda Peasley, and messaged her immediately asking about arranging a shoot. She was SO amazing, kept in contact, helped styled us, sent us a questionnaire, and made the overall experience so lovely. She spends the school year in Saudi and is home for the summer, so I was happy we could make it work!

Here are a few of the photos:

Mary Poppins Theme Bridal Shower

When I found out that my beautiful best friend (and my longest friendship) Ashley was getting married, I was SO excited! Then she asked me to be her Matron of Honor! You can imagine how excited I was for her and Joel. I just had to be the one to throw her a shower and to make the theme one of her favorite childhood movies -- Mary Poppins! I ran with the tea party theme and had SO much fun creating ideas and making decorations.

Ideas:

• I scoured resale shops and Facebook Marketplace for teapots, teacups & saucers, and old books.
• I bought a Mary Poppins themed cardstock & sticker set. I used the paper and stickers to cover the binding of old books. I also used my Silhouette to cut out shapes (umbrellas, teacups, Mary Poppins silhouette, kite, and more).
• I bought faux flowers and zip tied them together to make colorful bouquets for the teapots.
• I found carousel horse ornaments at Goodwill
• I used plain white tablecloths and then hemmed some fabric I ordered online in different prints (teacups & teapots, London map, flowers, and carousel horses).
• I had some stands and I placed pictures of Ashley & Joel on them, using the Mary Poppins cardstock to mat them.
• I ordered a tea box stand, hot water pump, and boxes of tea off Amazon
• I bought some artisanal honey at my local grocery store
• I used a letter board to display a quote from Mary Poppins
• I designed and printed a sign that has important dates in Ashley & Joel's relationship
• I designed, printed, and put together the invitations -- and I included a tea bag and recipe card in every invitation!
• I ordered games off of Amazon (along with golf pencils)
• I made a paper banner that says "joel & ashley"
• For game prizes, I had journals, plants, and candles
• We did a honeymoon fund raffle as well and there was a large basket of miscellaneous items for the winner
• I also got a piece of wood, wooden letters, and faux sunflowers (Ashley's favorite flower) and made a sign with the couple's initials.  
• I had a recipe box for everyone's recipes