In order to make our blog easier to read, share, search and follow, we are giving it a complete facelift. I cannot wait to share it with you! We are hoping to have it live by the end of this week! Please be patient with me as I will be postponing my blog posts until next week. Until then, here is a sneak peek of our new look.  ...

I was scouring the web this week looking for DIY ideas for place cards. There are so many out there that I thought I'd pick one theme for this blog: French vintage.   French-Inspired If you aren't knowledgeable in Photoshop, there are great websites out there with FREE templates of table number cards, place cards and more! The Wedding Style Guide Magazine has put together a package of romantic, pastel-colored inspiration for you. Here are their pretty parisian templates. Cut small slits at the top and bottom of the table number cards and tie around the head chair at each table...

I am taking a quick break from all the wedding and bridal blogs to write about something near to my heart, photography and fashion. For all you lady photogs out there, what options do we have for carrying our gear around while still looking feminine and professional? Not only do we need to carry our camera lenses, but also the basic necessities like lip gloss, Kleenex, compact, cell phone, etc. I don't know about you, but toting a black or grey backpack around is not my style. My husband, well fiance at the time, purchased me a SHOOTSAC for my birthday...

I recently met a new Twitter friend and she just happens to live near me! With over 175 million users on Twitter, I always get a bit giddy when I actually connect with someone who is local to me. @Alyce4Him has a blog called Pots on the Stove where she shares recipes and stories about her life. Her last blog post was for a gluten free recipe of Chewy Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookies. Could it be true? A gluten free cookie that was not only large, but chewy??! I had to find out for myself.       Pin It   Here is Alyce's...

I hope you all enjoyed Christina Zazzaretti's blog post on Wednesday and are looking forward to reading her follow up post on discussing budgets with your handmade wedding vendors.   After discussing the details of the design for your handmade wedding item, review the estimated total for your project. Does it fit within your budget? If so, fantastic! If not, don't give up yet. Here are a few questions to ask your wedding vendor regarding payment, product changes, etc. Most handmade vendors are willing to work with clients to find solutions so you can still have your special pieces and so...

Zazzaretti Bridal is back again for her monthly DIY wedding inspiration and advice. This month her blog post will be in two parts. She will be discussing the importance of clearly articulating the design aspects of your bouquet, hair piece, reception decorations, etc. with your handmade wedding vendors on Etsy. Part two will discuss your budget and how to discuss the cost of your handmade wedding items. Be sure to check out her bridal shop on Etsy!       Every bride desires an incredibly special wedding day filled with memories to be treasured for a lifetime. Some weddings are quiet...

I'm sure the first weekend of the New Year was a busy one for all. With all those New Year's resolutions and goals needing to be met! My husband and I decided to make a few small home updates that had been on the "to do" list for much of 2011.   One such update was our half bath. Our design style for the house is French Country. I searched high and low for the perfect wall art for the bathroom but couldn't find anything in the color and design I was looking for. Since I knew in my mind what...

During Fashion Week in New York this past September, Pantone revealed the color palette for Spring 2012 as well as the color of the year. The inspiration behind the color choices was the energy, optimism and promise that spring brings with it every year. Who in the world is Pantone and why should we care what they have to say? Pantone, Inc. is the world-renowned authority on color. According to their site, Pantone is known worldwide as the standard language for color communication. Pantone began as a commercial printing company in the 1950s. The company created the first Color Matching System...

As the bride, you have budgeted countless dollars for your wedding dress, mani and pedi’s, makeup and hair. You want to look your very best on the most important day of your life. This is a day you will want to remember. Hiring a qualified, professional photographer will guarantee you great photos of the day. However, it's not just the photographer's responsibility to capture your perfect bridal look. Here are a few posing questions I've received from brides. These tips will help you pull off the perfect bridal portraits and make it look easy! Your photographer will certainly appreciate it too....

Happy New Year! This time of year may be quiet for weddings, but with all the engagements over Christmas and New Years Eve, there is much planning being done by new “brides to be”! Here’s a few of the latest wedding trends for 2012 to help all you brides get a head start on your wedding plans. Color Schemes: This year’s hottest color to choose for your wedding according to the Washingtonian is Tangerine Tango. While this color is certainly not one to get lost in the crowd, it can work for modern, vintage or traditional wedding styles. This color choice...

2012 is fast approaching! This year has been full of change, blessings and adventures. Here are my top ten highlights of 2011. Please feel free to share your special moments as well.   Marrying my best friend. Our honeymoon to Antigua. Acceptance into my new family. A new sister, brother, mother, father and niece! Seeing the growth of my photography business. Witnessing firsthand the happiness of old friends. Seeing the Spirit of God work in my family. Being a part of a new church body. Teaming up with my husband's business and getting to work side by side on jobs. Spontaneous...

It’s so hard to believe Christmas has come and gone. Why must it always go by so fast every year? For me, Christmas is the time I finally get to see my entire family get together in NH. I try to pack in as much social activities as I possibly can with friends and family while I am there. This year’s trip was extra special to me. The hubs and I landed in Manchester, NH the Thursday before Christmas. Our first stop was at the Airport Diner where we met my longtime friend from junior high, Marie. I had photographed her...

There are so many detailed decisions to make when planning your wedding. While I didn't take part in the cake tasting, as I am gluten intolerant, my husband loved choosing the flavors for our wedding cake. Choosing the decorations and look of the cake were left up to me. I scoured the internet for hours looking for the perfect cake. I did find my cake, but what made it perfect was what was on top.   Cake toppers can be traced back to the late 19th century. However, they did not become mainstream until the 1920s. Originally, wedding cake toppers featured...

  The sun isn’t even up yet and everyone is ready to rip open gifts. Before the stockings come down and wrapping paper begins to fly, have your camera ready and read through these tips on how to photograph your Christmas morning.   Check your camera settings the day before. Specifically, white balance, shutter speed, aperture and ISO.   What is one item you always need on Christmas morning? Batteries. Make sure you not only have batteries for the toys and electronics, but for your camera too!   Double check your SD card or Compact Flash card to make sure you...

Hiring a wedding photographer is one of the more important decisions you will make when planning your wedding…and one of the priciest. Your photographer will be entrusted to fully document your special day and for years to come you will view their images. In this day and age, everyone has a digital camera or a photography business. How do you know who is truly qualified? And how do you know who is the best fit for you and your wedding? Below are a few questions to get you started as you interview photographers. We created this essential wedding photographer interview...

My 5 months of wedding planning was amazing and it taught me so much about myself and was so fun! From my experience I would love to share what I learned those five months of engagement.   *Personalize Your Wedding   Make your own theme that fits you…I had a personalized, Midwestern, English Garden, Fall, and Thanksgiving themed wedding in which I incorporated Thanksgiving food, topiaries, white roses, monograms, wheat sprays, and red berries to mention a few.       My ‘something old’ was my mother’s pearls draped in my floral bouquet, my ‘something new’ was my dress, my ‘something...

This past weekend, I had a brand new experience: bouncy houses! The most fun I’ve had on a photography shoot this year. It all began when I received a call from a father who was planning a birthday party for his two children and needed a photographer. While being two years apart, their birthdays were only separated by one day! The combined birthday party was going to be held at Kangaroo Jac’s in Chesapeake, Virginia.     When I first walked into Kangaroo Jac’s, I was the tiniest bit overwhelmed by all the color, bouncy houses and children running everywhere. Once I...

Over the weekend, I got my bake on! Fudge, Rum Balls and one of my new favorites, Cinnamon Sugared Pecans. What an easy recipe and absolutely addictive sweet treat!   Ingredients:   1 large egg white 3 cups pecan halves 1/3 cup cinnamon and sugar mix             1 TB cinnamon to ¼ cup sugar 2 tsp vanilla ¼ tsp salt   Directions:   Step 1: Preheat oven to 300 degrees. While oven warms, whisk egg white and pour over nuts. Make sure they are coated well.   Step 2: In a separate bowl, mix cinnamon, sugar, vanilla and salt. Add the...

Thank you all who stopped by over the weekend to enter our contest sponsored by Zazzaretti Bridal. We had an awesome response and enjoyed reading your wonderful comments. The winner of this weekend's contest is: Katie Russell. If you did not win, don't dismay! Christina will be blogging with us through 2012 and she'll have many more giveaways throughout the year.   Zazzaretti Bridal is currently having a holiday sale and don't forget, Shine with Jennifer Leigh blog readers can access an extra 10% off by entering the coupon code of SHINE10.   ...

      As this is the first Christmas for my husband and me, I’ve been searching the stores for a special ornament to portray our love for years to come. Unfortunately, I’ve left empty handed many times and decided a DIY project would be best. Photos of wedding invitation ornaments have been all over Facebook, Pinterest and blogs. I found a great tutorial on from glitter to gumdrops, located my box of leftover wedding invitations sitting in my living room, visited Michael’s and $5.00 later, I had all the supplies I needed. I chose to use ribbon from my wedding...