All This Interest In Pinterest

Have you heard of Pinterest? If you have a bride planning a wedding, chances are you have. The online pinboard works like a chock-full magazine, flowing with a steady stream of new ideas that you can keep organized on a virtual bulletin board. This is the place to go when you are looking for inspiration for your wedding.

Whether you are looking for dresses, cakes or favors, Pinterest has images and ideas to help you create a gorgeous wedding. There is a search function that you can use to look for anything wedding. The best time to use Pinterest is when you are at the beginning of your engagement, at the start of your wedding planning. It's great to see what kind of ideas are out there to begin to organize in your head what you want to do with this big day.

To get started, we'd like to suggest some wedding accounts for you to follow:
Style Me Pretty
Wedding Chicks
The Perfect Palette
Martha Stewart Weddings
The Pretty Blog
Ruffled
Floret Cadet
Intimate Weddings
Brides
Bride Finds
Bride Finds From The Runway
The Knotty Bride
Bride and Joy, Vintage Wedding
Offbeat Bride
InStyle Magazine wedding hairstyles
Divinefrenzy, Invitations
Luxe Finds DIY wedding projects
Junebug Weddings
Southern Wedding Magazine
Lauren Grove, Every Last Detail
Vane Broussard, Brooklyn Bride
Postcards & Pretties, Wedding receptions

Do you have any favorites? Let me know if these Pinterest accounts are helpful or if you know of better ones. Where do you like to go for inspiration?

How To Mix in a Pattern

Figuring out the clothing for a family portrait session is the hardest part. It is harder than arranging the schedules to get everyone together, bringing the right bribes to the session, or deciding what size to order for the living room wall.

As you know, I like to recommend solids over busy prints and patterns for clothing. I love when a client will choose one color and select various shades within that color to best suit everyone in the family. Still, I am often asked if a pattern is okay for family portraits.

The easy answer is no.

When I say no to patterns, it's because it is too easy to do it wrong. I love a cute floral print as much as the next girl, and I know my daughters look great in a trendy print, but that's where the problem starts. It becomes a slippery slope of choosing what looks cute on each person, and then everyone has their own pattern. With nothing that matches, there is too much competing for attention in the photograph and the end result is just chaos.

But, you say, I've seen it done!

Well, yes. It can be done. Much like an interior decorator will select one "set piece," you can do that with your family's portrait wardrobe. The key is to choose only one. This takes much restraint. Also, it calls for the other items in the wardrobe to be in the same palette and simple in style. This approach often works better when 4 or more people will be in the photograph. I highly recommend staying away from patterns when there will be only two people in the photograph, such as an engagement session. That one person in the patterned outfit will become the focus, and generally you want everyone in the photograph to be equal.

How to mix a patterned piece within your family's portrait wardrobe:
-pick only ONE
-keep the pattern subtle, low contrast
-and use the colors in your palette, try to not introduce new colors

Family Portraits - Clothing Idea

Summer is a fun time to plan family sessions. The kids are done with school, schedules tend to be a little easier, the days last a little longer. Schedule a session for your family and start thinking about clothing ideas.

One nice thing about summer portrait sessions- if you plan ahead, these outfits can do double duty for your summer events. Are you attending a wedding or summer work party with the family? These clothes will make you look great for any gathering!