Where do you begin to tell the story of your best friend’s wedding? I have struggled to find the words to describe all the emotion and beauty that took place that day, but all I keep coming back to is how nothing stood in their way. As I mentioned in a previous post immediately following their wedding, there was rain, there was sunshine, there was wind, and by all accounts, there was no plan b. Becky wanted an outdoor wedding and didn’t plan for any other circumstance. Some may look back and say that she took a risk, but Becky would say she had faith. Time and time again throughout the planning process I was reminded of what it meant to truly believe. On the day of, as rain droplets began coming down during their blessing, Becky & Romi smiled. As the prayer came to an end, the clouds separated and the sun began to shine through as though it was graciously enveloping them for believing even in the face of grey skies.

Becky & Romi, you already know how very loved you are by us. If we could tell you one thing to remember, it is that you will face grey skies. You will climb mountains together, you will endure thunderstorms, sunshine, and there will be strong winds. Always remember that moment from your wedding day when you held on to one another, bowed your heads, and trusted in your faith, and then…do that again. And again. There is a promise that we hold on to that if we do that, clouds will be separated, mountains will part, thunderstorms will calm, and strong winds will subside. Sunshine will follow and you will be together… as husband and wife, happier and even more in love than you were on that day. For as long as you both live, nothing will be able stand in your way.

Warning: this is a long post so feel free to grab a strawberry lemonade, a snack, and sit back and enjoy! Click HERE for to see their slideshow!

You know it’s going to be a great wedding when you begin with bright blue skies and a White by Vera Wang dress…The gorgeous florals were done by the always talented Michelle of Creative Goods. This is the third wedding we have worked on together and I have to say, I am always blown away by her creations and talent! The night before Becky’s wedding, a few of us went out and bought a tissue box and transformed it into her flower girl basket as a surprise. Yes, she is blessed to have such talented friends. ;) Another one of our close friends made the garter. I say her friends could open up their own Etsy shop. :)More lovely lace details…Simply stunning. As Becky was getting ready, Romi was patiently waiting outside looking all things handsome. Some classic bridal portraits of this gorgeous bride. I could have photographed her in this spot all day long…I always say it, I know. But by far, the moment of a groom seeing his bride for the first time is hands down my most favorite of the day. In fact, I have butterflies just looking at these. Below is Adi’s view…
After their first look, Becky and Romi wanted to visit her great grandmother who is an incredible 98 years old. Because of her frail state, she could not make it to the wedding but requested that she see her great granddaughter in her wedding dress. I fought back tears the entire time and felt privileged to document such an amazing moment. We then headed out only to see an ice-cream truck outside of Becky’s house. After flagging them down and convincing them to stay put for a moment, we got this. And some ice-cream.

We then roamed the streets surrounding Becky’s parent’s home and found everything from a puppy, a bicycle, a vintage truck, and a beautiful wooden door as a “prop”. Talk about blessed. Well just pinch me silly and call me happy. Just look at this light and my gorgeous couple! rrrrrrrrrr
So utterly in love with these: To the man riding his bike and graciously offering it to us for a photo, thank-you.If any of you are wondering, Becky and Romi are not professional models… though you’d never know it looking at this:Their lovely wedding was held at the newly renovated and beautiful Miami Botanical Gardens in South Beach…Michelle transformed this wooden arch with just baby’s breath and it looked unbelievably beautiful. This little stud muffin takes the cake for quite possibly the cutest ring bearer IN THE WORLD. He just melted me and every other girl in attendance…I mean… come on.  If my son is half this charming, I’m in big trouble. Yes, this happened. Proof that girls know just how to steal a boy’s heart, no matter the age.
A few more portraits of this beautiful couple around South Pointe Park in South Beach.Becky’s one request was a photo in a field. Not one to ever disappoint my brides, we found the closest thing we could to a field and had a blast capturing these: Looooooveeeee this: Fun fact: Becky’s father made the wooden floral holders! Oh goodness gracious… just try and resist that adorable little face! And how utterly stylish is he?! Becky and Romi had a trivia wheel made where guests were encouraged to spin and sometimes even endured fun “punishments”. Such a great idea! And then there was the photobooth fun…

A truly magical, perfect day.

I grew up with a mother that was on point. Never missed a beat. She knew when my day was bad the instant I walked through the door, she could read my facial expressions even when I thought I was the world’s greatest disguise, she managed to know when I had a new crush, and knew just what to do when I had my first heart break. I remember thinking back and being really puzzled at how she knew things before I could fully think them through. To this day, I’m not sure how she caught me scheming to skip History AP class in the 12th grade before I could properly plan it myself. Or how she found out where I stashed the notes from my secret high school boyfriend in my back pack. Or even the time when I started dating Adi and she told me that he was going to be different from all the rest. At 18 and a whole five years before I married him, how could she have possibly known?! What I’ve come to realize is that no, she did not follow me around all day or hire help to dig up every detail of my life. No, you see, she was a mother who knew her daughter. From the inside out, she was a mother who was connected to me in ways I didn’t understand and knew my heart in ways I never did. What I couldn’t grasp turned out to be simply a mother’s intuition. A beautiful way that a mother truly loves and protects her baby girl, even when she’s all grown up.

Mom, I don’t tell you this enough, but thank you for never missing a beat. Thank you for being involved from the first day until today and loving me through every teenage drama, bad mistake, rebellious stage, and each “I’m sorry”. Thank you for becoming the person that I trusted most, the woman I wanted to grow up to be like, and the best friend I always longed for. You know me from the inside out and I just pray that I can be half the mother that you were to me. I love you more than anything and wish you the Happiest Mother’s Day ever.

*Sidenote* I’ve often said to Adi, your mom did so good. Being married for five years has given me the privilege of adding another mom to my life and I couldn’t be more thankful. For raising up such an amazing man, for sacrificing everything for your children, and for making me feel like I’m yours, thank you. :)

Speaking of Mother’s Day, I woke  up to the best (pre) mother’s day surprise from my amazing and talented friend Jessica Lorren. On a weekend trip together, she pulled over upon seeing an old fishing dock and documented the most precious time in my life. Though I didn’t have the perfect maternity outfit or the right kind of makeup on, Jess made me feel and look beautiful…a true testament to her talent and heart. If you’d like to see some of the photos that she captured during my seventh month, click here! And a very Happy Mother’s Day to all you amazing women out there!

Hola mi amors! I spent half the day yesterday in good ol’ SOBE (where I picked up a few Spanish words, obviously) and for those of you that are about as cool as me and have no idea, that would be South Beach, natch. How do you work in South Beach for 6 months and live an hour away from it for 25 years and have no idea that people refer to it as SOBE? You know you’re super rad when you have to reference Urban Dictionary after conversations. In other news, I’m now 32 and a half weeks pregnant and feeling like I have a watermelon growing inside me. Baby boy is getting too heavy for my back and my sciatic nerve really needs to go take a hike and annoy someone else. Baby boy is still nameless and we are now beginning to pray for one. You know it’s serious in our house when we take it to Jesus and this is no laughing matter. We don’t have much time and I fear he will be called “Baby” Lupu on his birth certificate. After all, Babyface got away with it so why can’t we? Anyway, all suggestions are welcome. Please.

We’re shooting our last two weddings this weekend until baby arrives, which should be interesting to say the least. Don’t ask me what I was thinking booking two weddings at 8 months pregnant back to back. Awesome brides, that’s what I was thinking… I just love them to pieces and could not pass them up! My dear friend Lauren will be flying down to help us and I think I partially and subconsciously (or consciously—mischievous grin) booked them so that she would feel sorry for me and come down to visit. I can’t wait to meet her new adorable little baby girl and will probably end up not letting them leave. EVER. Other than that, we have been busy designing new albums, moving along with the branding process (shout out to my brilliant designer and very own calligrapher-extraordinaire thankyouverymuch), editing final weddings, photographing a few shoots here and there, overseeing construction on the new house, and organizing baby boy’s temporary nursery until we move. We’ve also been watching the Miami Heat kill it in the playoffs, enjoyed having my parents over more often (they insist I should no longer be on my feet cleaning and I’m not one to disobey my parents), and I’m really enjoying the perks of third trimester. Those foot rubs, back rubs, and husband doting all over us is really nice, I’m not gonna lie. I’m hoping that after this weekend, things will slow down a little and I’ll be able to breathe in the last few weeks before I become a mother. Just saying those words gives me goosebumps. So crazy. Happy Wednesday all!

Below is a picture of the three of us from our recent baby shower that was picked up to be featured this month on the amazing On To Baby blog. It was beyond what I could have hoped for and I just can’t wait to share everything with you as soon as it features! 

This week has been a little bit slower than usual in terms of my physical capabilities. I climb up our three flights of stairs slower, I talk slower (a much welcomed pace for Adi), I turn from one side to the next slower, I walk slower, and I swear, I think slower. In the beginning of the week, this annoyed me to no end and I attempted to push forward and categorically refused to accept that 31 weeks of pregnancy would “slow” me down. Earlier this week, Adi and I went out to dinner and when we got back home, we decided to take a walk since it was so nice out. About half way through, my body was screaming “get me a car now” while my head battled “walk weakling, walk!!“. And then there was last night. Lately, we’ve been eating our dinner kumbaya style on the floor of our living room so that we can watch the NBA playoffs together, and last night I walked into the living room where my husband built a pillow fort for me to sit on. If I didn’t love that man so much I would have been insulted, but when I needed help getting in, I knew I had another thing coming.

By nature, I loathe the word “can’t”. I refuse to accept that one simply can not do something and find excuses rubbish. Some people (mom) have told me  that I can be a bit harsh while others (husband) have told me that it will all catch up to me. Well, I’m not admitting to anything quite yet, but I will say that there are some things that I just can’t have a harder time doing. I’m not sure how much more my body will be able to take before I finally accept that I’m not as strong anymore, but I will say that I’ve been secretly enjoying the back-rubs, sofa curl-ups, and 10pm bedtime.

On a completely different note, this morning, I woke up to something that made this week all better. If you don’t already know about her, I strongly recommend you make your way over to Sarah’s blog and prepare yourself to be lured in for hours upon hours. Not only is Sarah a fabulous blogger, wedding designer, and event stylist, but she’s such a lovely person with a beautiful, happy heart and a bucket list of travels that puts the travel channel to shame ( major bonus cool points). A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of meeting her while traveling with my dear and amazing friend/photographer guru, Jessica Lorren, and today I’m beyond thrilled to have been featured in her amazing series, “what I learned in my 20s”, which you can read here. Be sure to bookmark her and check back tomorrow as Sarah will share her own lessons and plans for never slowing down. Happy Thursday all!  

Hello and happy Saturday everyone! I rarely blog on the weekends but with a day off, rain softly hitting our window, and a pretty perfect start to our morning, I figured why not? Late last year, I received a call from the always amazing Ozzy Garcia about a wedding that was going to be the epitome of “cool”. Not wanting to ever miss anything that has to do with being cool (umm, hello + duh), I happily agreed to assist him on a wedding that actually blew me away. Not only were Sarah and Damian effortlessly stylish and radiated beauty inside and out, but their day proved to be filled with details that I absolutely adored. Not to mention some serious “pinch-me-I-must-be-dreaming” moments. Looking back, I can still so vividly remember every detail of their Spanish Monastery wedding and am just so very grateful that Ozzy was kind enough to think of me and cool in the same sentence. :) Below are some of my favorite images from that day. The groom and groomsmen rocked navy blue suits and all ended up looking straight out of a J.Crew catalog. This kid?! Epitome of COOL. Every girl dreams of having her groom look at her the way Damian looked at Sarah. Succulents and billy ball flowers? Thank you Jesus. Sarah had collected her and Damian’s parents and grandparents cake-toppers, which I thought was such a unique and special detail about their day.
Such a stylish, beyond cool, and just absolutely beautiful bridal party.
We roamed the grounds of the Spanish Monastery and captured some of the most gloriously lit portraits I have ever taken…
One of the many ”pinch-me-I-must-be-dreaming” moments I mentioned earlier…
Sarah is so s-t-u-n-n-i-n-g and confident, you know I went out and bought some red lipstick after this wedding… I mean, really. I’ll end with this one because it just makes me happy… 

This past weekend was spent with a glorious group of talented ladies that I just adored. In Sarasota to assist the crazy-talented and beautiful Jessica Lorren (someone pinch me), we got a chance to hang out work with girls who took the plunge and followed their dreams. Girls who stood on the edge of a corporate cliff and jumped off without ever looking back. I was inspired, driven, and filled to the brim with admiration and appreciation for new friends, adventures, and blessings that I just don’t deserve. Lately, I’ve had people come into my life that have made me question what I did to deserve the kindness. No, really, it’s had me scratching my head and wondering if it’s the extra dollar I add on to my grocery bill for the children’s hospital… because lately, that’s about the only good thing I can come up with that I’ve done. And that makes me sad. The truth is, I busy myself with stuff and in the process, I lose sight of the big picture. My focus is on filling up my schedule with work and when blessings are poured down on me and good things come, I wonder why. If I were to be completely honest, I would take the blessings and give it to someone who deserves it more. Looking back at this past year, I’m just overwhelmingly and humbly thankful. Though I can’t understand all the good or make sense of them, I’m thankful for each and every one.

This weekend, driving back home, I was reminded of a powerful song by Tenth Avenue North that explains the greatness of mercy, undeserved grace, and unending love.  Here are a few photos taken through my Instagram this weekend that remind me that I serve a Father who thinks I’m enough to deserve good things. 

A huge thank you to the girl with the best vision, the incredibly sweet/talented/beautiful Sarah Tucker for making us feel like we were right at home (and her husband-of-the-year, JB, who took us out for a sunset boat ride!! pinch me again!). Head on over to the awe-inspiring Camilyn Beth’s blog to read about the excitement that followed us this weekend and of course, a thank you to my friend Jess for inviting me along. I have the biggest soft spot for that girl and am just so excited to see her images from this weekend!

Well, we made it to the third trimester. Gosh, I already sound like I deserve a cookie but if I’m going to be honest, any excuse these days will do. At the risk of sounding completely annoying (I feel like I always have to put that disclaimer out there), I don’t even know how the time has flown so quickly. This little bambino has been growing along with his mama, teaching me so much about the fascinating wonders of a woman’s body, an immense love for the slightest achievement (he hiccups!!), and showing me what life really feels like. If you’ve read this blog for a while now, you’ve probably gathered that for the most part, I’m a pretty optimistic person when it comes to life. If the sun is out, I bask in its glory. If the rain is coming down, I’m content in its peace and purpose. If the winds are forceful, I’m somehow comforted to know I’m powerless yet safe. And yes, I meant the whole nature illustration literally and figuratively speaking. (Please don’t misunderstand… I may be optimistic but I’m also a realist who battles tsunamis and hurricanes that rain in on my happy parade just like everyone else. There goes disclaimer #2… boy, am I on a roll!). Anyway, until now, life for the most part has been pretty lovely and I’ve felt blessed to live it. However, something happened when we found out that we were expecting.

Slowly, I began to see life in a completely different light with a completely different purpose. I started to experience a different kind of life, one that was actually growing inside of me, developing the tiniest, most significant parts like neurons, hair follicles, cells… little eyes, fingers, and toes. Each week, Adi and I would sit and read what was growing and developing inside of me, what I could do to help him be as healthy and strong as possible, and how large of a role my body, along with my decisions, now played. Around week 17, I felt the tiniest little kick while at the computer one morning and from that moment on, life took on a whole new meaning for me. Up until then, I knew he was forming, but now, I felt him. I felt empowered to know that God formed my body in a way that it can grow another life. I felt as though my purpose was shifted to something much more meaningful, much more grand than I ever knew existed. I felt so in tune with every move, flip, kick, and tug, and smiled when I worried there wasn’t enough room for him to stretch. At 20 weeks, we saw his little developed face and body and I was overwhelmed with clarity that this…THIS was life.

So here we are, at 28 weeks in the final stretch and I can’t really put into words what I feel. Adi and I have loved every stage of his development and prayed upon him blessings of joy, health, and so much love. We’ve watched my belly dance and laughed at his attempt to kick the soccer ball, aka. my bladder. I’ve had an incredibly easy pregnancy (which probably accounts for the time flying so quickly) but am definitely beginning to feel that last trimester stage everyone kept warning us about. I could sit here and tell you about some of the leg cramps and how I feel I’m slowly tipping over, but none of that matters. Because every single day, for the past 7 1/2 months, I’ve felt life like never before. And it is more lovely than I ever imagined.  

This was taken the day we entered our third trimester and Adi took us out for some frozen yogurt to celebrate. As I said, any excuse will do these days. Happy Thursday everyone!

This Easter, I decided to make my life more difficult. When I saw this on Pinterest, I immediately knew that I wanted to try dying my eggs organically. The soft colors coupled with the fact that no harsh pills that fizzled in vinegar were required, drew me in. So I set out to the local grocery store to buy what I needed which consisted of an array of vegetables and fruits including—but not limited to—radishes, blueberries, and red onions (I don’t play around). By the end of my adventure, my cart looked legitimately healthy and I walked out with a wallet that was $30 lighter. Popping a few jellybeans in my mouth (most likely not dyed organically, go figure), I convinced myself this would be well worth every penny. Preparing took a few hours as you have to wash, boil things, let them cool, etc. and I soon realized that in order to get a desired color, some eggs would need to soak overnight. Overall, the process took me probably 4 times as long as the fizzling pills and probably 10 times more expensive, but I swear the eggs tasted healthier and looked prettier. At least, this is what I console myself with. 

I did let the red cabbage ones sit over night, which resulted in a darker shade of blue (who knew?) than intended, but still found them pretty. Even though my results didn’t end up quite like these, I found the experience quite therapeutic and fun. Waiting to see what color would result from which vegetable/fruit was, oddly enough, kind of thrilling. I know, I know… it doesn’t take much these days. So, to conclude my final analysis of the fine art of dying eggs, yes, this year was more difficult than the typical pop-a-pill method, but hey, who said good things come easy? And just in case anyone is wondering, no it didn’t take all night and $30.00 to make 6 eggs. These were the results of the aftermath damage.

If anyone would like to bookmark these for next year, I used tutorials found here and here. And since I’m now quite the experienced egg-dyer, next year I’ll probably attempt this. Happy Tuesday!

It just wasn’t their time. They’ve known each other for years and Becky always thought he was cute, but after a phone conversation a few years ago, she decided he wasn’t for her. Romi lived in Chicago and Becky attended college there, and though they ran in similar circles, it wasn’t their time. After earning her Master’s degree, Becky moved back home to Florida and it wasn’t until then that Romi began contacting her again. They’d speak for hours on end and in one of their conversations, Becky shared her heart and desire to leave for an entire year to Africa for missions work. After hanging up the phone, she felt this could be something more. Romi not only supported her decision to leave, but promised to visit her. Still, the idea of separation so soon in their relationship made Becky wonder if it was really their time. Determined to show her it was, Romi kept his word and visited, skyped, and changed his phone plan to speak to Becky as often as he could. Through everything, the experience brought them closer than ever, and upon returning home, Romi wasted no time. After planning a helicopter ride overlooking the Chicago skyline at sunset, he told her it would be there time forever and slipped the most beautiful ring on Becky’s finger.

Becky + Romi, I just love you guys. Like a lot. Thank you for finding such great locations, being such great models (talking to you Romi!!), and inspiring me to be a better photographer & person. I had such a blast with you guys and as cheesy as it may sound, I fell in love all over again with love. Your joy for life and each other is contagious and was a dream to photograph and witness. You both mean the world to Adi + I and we couldn’t have picked two better people for each other if we tried. Happy viewing and enjoy your slideshow HERE!

Becky found these amazing, fun colorful walls and I absolutely loved the shadows that were happening during that time of day…Romi looking all things handsome and happy.
See what I mean? Contagious. Completely. In. Love. With. These.
I could just hear her laugh from this photo…
Becky, you radiate beauty wherever you go… and your outfit was pretty cute too. ;) We ventured over to South Beach to get more shots around sunset and I couldn’t have been happier with the results.She brings out a side of Romi that no one else can… and he loves her even more for it. Kiss in the middle of a street? How romantical. 

One of the first calls I made when we found out we were expecting was to my good friend, Persida, from North Carolina. She immediately dove into everything I need to do, read, buy, plan and right there? I reached through the phone and squeezed her tightly. She told me all about a gender reveal party, which I had never even heard of, and urged me to immediately proceed to her Pinterest and find out all about it. Internet, everyone needs a Persida in their life and unfortunately, I do not do well with sharing (I’m an only child, remember?) so please, find one asap. Of course, in the midst of finding out the gender, I also had Adi’s golden birthday to plan, friends from out of town visiting, and a busy design project going, on top of the usual stuff. We actually had our appointment with the ultrasound tech and asked her to place the gender in a sealed envelope, and then proceeded to keep it there for 3 days without so much as a glance. Everyone asked how we did it, but it was simple. Deep in our hearts, we already knew.

In fact, I was so sure, that I had already purchased a few outfits for our little…

sweet, adorable…

drumroll please…

I felt strangely connected to him from the very beginning, and despite all the dreams Adi and I both had that he was actually a she, we knew we were having a little boy. One night, I even woke up with a girl name resonating so loudly in my mind, that I actually began thinking I was losing it. Still, we confidently took the envelope to our Whole Foods bakery and asked our lovely baker to fill the icing inside with the color of the gender. After celebrating Adi’s birthday one Saturday with friends, we gathered our nearest family members around my cousin’s house and placed our gender votes with cupcakes. That’s right… pink cupcake for a girl and blue for a boy. Looking back, it was such a fun way to find out and it meant the world to have those we love most surrounding us when we officially found out. As soon as we saw the blue icing, Adi embraced me as I cried happy tears for this little miracle that we could now call our son. I am so completely, utterly, and wholeheartedly in love with the idea of having a miniature Adi around, that I’ve literally felt my heart grow. We love just about everything about this journey (except for my heartburn) and we have felt God’s abundant blessings and goodness surround us more than ever. Baby, your mama and daddy already love you so very much and we couldn’t be more excited to finally meet what our hearts always knew to be true… you… our firstborn little boy.

A huge thanks to Persida, our family for hosting, and my lovely Andreea for baking our cupcakes with such love and care. Baby boy loves you all!

FYI: I forgot my flash, of course, and so these were taken in ridiculous low light, which is why I had to edit them differently than normal. 

And baby boy takes the cake! Pun totally intended…