I think it is HIGH time I introduced you to our wedding photographer, and I could not be more excited to do so!! Tanja Lippert will be shooting our wedding, and I will be so bold as to say I think her work is both epic and exquisite (and I don’t use those words lightly). But let me back up a bit and tell you how we came to choose Tanja…

Photography was pretty much at the top of our wedding budget priority list. It was one of the first things I thought about after we got engaged (and, truthfully, for years before that. Yes, years.) There are a few reasons for this — most importantly, that the photos are what we will cherish long after almost everything else has been eaten, sold, thrown out, packed up, or forgotten (kind of sad, but true). But the photos? The really good ones? Those will bring us back to that day years and years in the future.

There were a few things we were looking for in our photographer. Some of these things were more important to some of us than others :) They were:

1. Someone who shoots film.
2. Someone who has a great personality.
3. Someone who effortlessly directs her subjects and has a knack for natural posing.

Though I admire SO many photographers, in my opinion, there is one lady who clearly comes out on top when you consider our criteria. And that lady is the lovely Tanja Lippert.

I have loved Tanja’s work for a loooooong time — ever since I saw this wedding almost four years ago. From what I’ve seen, she does an amazing job effortlessly posing single subjects and large groups.

She also seems like she’ll be a blast to be around on our wedding day — just check out this video for evidence :)

She has a strong commercial background, which gives her a matchless editorial eye.

She has a huge heart, which is evident in how much love and emotion comes through in her images.

And, of course, she shoots film, which gives her work the most beautiful color and quality.

You know what the best part about hiring Tanja has been, though? She is SO EXCITED about shooting our wedding, and I think that is in part because she knows that I am SO EXCITED she’ll be shooting our wedding. It’s been my experience that vendors can tell when you love what they do and are thrilled to get to work with them — and those seem to be the conditions under which they produce their finest work. There are still eight months to go until our wedding, but I already can’t wait to meet and work with Tanja!!

Now that I have a wedding dress*, I can legitimately start thinking about accessories! Trust me, we will talk much more about jewelry and hair pretties down the line, but today, we’re going to talk about shoes.

FYI, here is what I consider the Big Momma of wedding shoes:

Both shots by Jose Villa

Perfection. However, since they are Louboutins, I clearly will not be wearing them on our wedding day.

That being said, the shoes I like tend to fall into two categories. Those with bows:

Top to bottom: Samm Blake via Style Me Pretty, Alexandra Daley-Clark, Sarah Rhoads, Katie Stoops via Southern Weddings, JAC Photography

…and those that are gold and glittery:

BHLDN and unknown

Keeping that in mind, and adding to it a budget of no more than $100 and a requirement of a low heel or a flat, here are a few options I found.

Sources: 1. Nina Paladin in white luster satin ($58); 2. Elle Japan (price unknown because the website is in Japanese!); 3. Nina Brooks in ivory luster satin ($90); 4. Nina Paladin in gold royal satin ($58); 5. Unforgettable Moments Nathalie in sea glass ($50); Fergalicious Abby in champagne ($40); 7. Nina Eterna in ivory luster satin ($99); 8. Nina Freja in ivory luster satin ($80)

I always thought I’d be a white shoe girl, but those gold flats and pale blue heels tug at my heart. However, I think my favorite pair overall is the Nina Paladin. I’m going to go ahead and order a pair to judge the comfort, but the question is, should I order them in the rose gold (no. 4) or the soft white (no. 1)? Feel free to weigh in in the comments!

P.S. Thinking of ordering your own pair of Ninas? I just saw on their website that if you sign up for their email list, you get 20% off your next order!

*Yes, I have a wedding dress!! I’m not planning to share it before the wedding, but I will share more about my search very soon!

While visiting Virginia right before Christmas, I had the opportunity to visit Old Lucketts Store in Leesburg. I’d been itching to go ever since I heard the Ritzy Bee gals mention it, so I was excited to finally have the chance!

Because I had been wanting to go for awhile, I had high expectations. I wouldn’t say I was disappointed, but I would say my expectations weren’t quite met… but that might be because my expectations weren’t realistic. My main issue was that I felt most pieces, while beautiful, were overpriced.

However, I realize now that it wasn’t quite fair to expect the goods to be at flea market prices, because the Lucketts Store folks had already done the hunting, rummaging, and curating for me. A willingness to dig for treasure = lower prices. Treasure already found? Higher prices.

That being said, I very much enjoyed looking at the curated displays, and got lots of ideas for ways to transform future flea market finds of my own! Here’s a little peek!

I pretty much died over this… piece. Mini greenhouse? Play house? Chic dog house? The possibilities are endless!!

Of course, I couldn’t go away without picking up something. This mini trophy cup lookalike is a perfect addition to our wedding silver collection, and was reasonably priced at $5.

If you go:
Old Lucketts Store is open daily from 10am to 5pm. Their address is 42350 Lucketts Road in Leesburg, VA, and they can be found on the web here.

Our wedding florist posted this photo of her shop all dressed up for Christmas the other day, and I just had to share! I think it’s so darling.

Much, much more about Elisabeth soon!!