The weather has been so nice in Portland and I love that Liz and Eric walked down to meet me at the park with their dog, Chester. They have such a great laid-back vibe and I can’t wait to photograph their wedding!

With engagement photos, we can make some really fun save-the-date cards. If you’re interested in getting some of these, let me know and we’ll make it happen!

Thanks, Liz and Eric, for being so laid back and fun to photograph! I can’t wait to do it again.

Katy and I met up a few weeks ago to chat about jewelry and Grayling’s plans to foray into the wedding market. “With wedding jewelry, I feel like you either end up with really cheap stuff or you spend a fortune,” she said. She’s recently been commissioned to do some bridesmaid jewelry and a jewelry set for a bride, and it makes perfect sense to her that people looking for a custom option would come looking for someone who can craft something totally original.

Grayling’s collections are unique, combining elements from ancient cultures, paleontology and even architecture, which are some of Katy’s interests. Growing up, she lived in Germany and South Korea and both of those experiences opened her mind to a whole range of inspiration that’s a little different than what she usually sees.

Katy is pictured above in her workshop space, which is full of tools and boxes of her grandfather’s old stones, some of which are unique and rare. Her family is proud that she’s giving these stones new life in her jewelry collections.

Grayling takes custom orders and features seasonal collections on Katy’s site (click here). An online shop will be launching sometime in the future.

Thanks, Katy, for being so fun to meet and hang out with. I can’t wait to work with you in the future!

It’s no secret that I love color at weddings, but what a better way on a hot summer day to cool people down and add pops of color to the party than with a cool, bright-colored drink?

Garnishes are such a fun way to spice these up, too — play around with things until the colors really pop, and you’ve got something good going on.

I’m really into yellow this year, so I was loving this pineapple juice concoction above.

What great ideas do you have for signature cocktails, or a colorful cocktail hour, at your wedding? I want to hear those creative ideas! I hope you’ve all enjoyed these four installments of inspiration — coming soon, real inspiration from real weddings as they begin for 2010.

Portland Bride & Groom played host while lots of vendors set up in the main gazebo and in individual stores throughout. It was fun to walk around and check out who was waiting to share in each store. There were also tons of samples (cake and chocolate and wine) to be shared.

I’ve gotta say — this place always photographs well. Those pink trees are going to be in full bloom in about three weeks, and I can’t wait to get back to see them in all their glory.

This phenomenal cupcake display was living inside Crate & Barrel, and it was provided by Sweetest Thing cupcakes. They were so cute!

I think my favorite all day was Megan from Fieldwork. She was super nice, and her flower arrangements were impeccable. She uses vintage containers to anchor her arrangements, and they were full of style. The above and below photos are of her work.

Megan displayed her work inside Silverado Jewelry, which is a new shop in Bridgeport Village — go check it out! They have tons of great local and nearby jewelry designers. It’s been awhile since I’ve lusted like that over some gorgeous and unique jewelry.

It’s so fun to be rounding the corner toward wedding season! I can’t wait to see these vendors and more this year as I work on a big collection of wonderful weddings.

I was so excited when I showed up this glorious morning to see bright colored flowers and an amazing white frock perfect for springtime.

A collection of Eliza’s vintage cameras were just the icing on the cake.

I love her hair — the styling was done by Brianna at Wallflower Salon, who always rocks.

If this shoot doesn’t make you want to go frolic in a field of flowers, then I don’t know what to tell you. This is as springy as it gets.

Thanks, Dress of the Month ladies, for being so much fun to work with! I can’t wait to see what you come up with in April.

I had these bright, summery bouquets made for this shoot and I love all the bright colors and blooms in the arrangement.

I loved how the ribbon wraps around the stems were different colors here. Great idea for customizing bridesmaids’ bouquets and making them unique.

I really admire florists and their ability to make beautiful arrangements. I also love the feel of a bouquet in the hand. It’s like holding one makes you walk like a bride!

I hope you enjoyed pretty pictures of flowers day on the blog! I can’t wait to see the wonderful and original bouquets at all my weddings this summer. Come back next week for another inspiration post, this time featuring cocktails!

This is Ian and Maalaea. They are a husband-wife team who photograph weddings in Portland and beyond (as i and m photo), and they’re also my friends.

Maalaea and Ian and I got together back near the end of January on N. Mississippi Avenue for a little blast of color and energy in that gray, dreary month.

I love the energy and life on this one street — we saw chickens, fresh flowers, coffee shops, restaurants, shoppers and cyclists.

No session is complete without a little jumping around, right?

I love the way Maalaea and Ian look at each other. It’s so fun to photograph people in love!

Thanks, Maalaea and Ian, for joining me on that gray January day and for being such great photo buddies!

Arwa is a little shy when it comes to the camera, but she was a great sport when I told her she’d have to be photographed to be on the blog. Isn’t she cute?

Not just cute, but stylish and super smart. Her business savvy is amazing, and she really gets what women want when it comes to jewelry. GemKitty is basically the perfect solution to the age-old question of what to get for bridesmaids. You can order from tons of raw materials and several different styles so that they all match a little, but each gives each bridesmaid her own individuality. Go to the site and check it out!

Thanks, Arwa, for being so cool and for posing patiently for me. I can’t wait until I get to photograph my first GemKitty bridal party!

One thing I love about couples these days is that they go out of their way to do unique, personally meaningful things on their wedding days. I’ve seen lots of cool things on the dessert front, but I’m pretty taken with the variety I’ve seen. A little something for everyone is the name of the game. These two cakes are small (the white layer cake is only 5″ around and the bundt 7″) and I love how they could be part of a larger dessert buffet for a crowd.

This is a Martha Stewart cupcake recipe that I adapted — that’s right, these aren’t just for show. It’s a lemon cake (with both fresh lemon juice and zest in the cake) and a lemon-orange glaze. I love the very homemade comforting vibe of a bundt cake, and it’s a perfect fit for people who aren’t crazy about frosting.

The other small white layer cake is also a Martha Stewart recipe — it’s a coconut layer cake and it’s also super delicious (yes, I did extensive sampling throughout the baking process).

A little DIY tip from this photo shoot: I made the tissue paper poms following this Martha Stewart tutorial. They were really easy to make and they add such a festive feel. You can hang them or set them on a table for a touch of whimsy.

Yum! Is your mouth watering? Looking over this post makes me really excited to be photographing creative desserts all summer long at the weddings I’m so lucky to be a part of. Check back next week for another thing I love to photograph: flowers!

When you see her, you think he scored. When you see him, you think the opposite. I think they’ve both done pretty well for themselves.

These photos were taken on the roof of the new Indigo building in downtown Portland. It’s got a great view and a cool rooftop terrace that just happened to be rain-free on the day we were there.

Thanks, Allison and Juan, for being such fun to photograph and work with! And thanks to my dear friend Hannah, who introduced me to them.