Fall Photo Shoot with the Horches

A couple weeks ago I ventured across the river to take some photos with the Horch family. We wandered around Heritage Canyon and sat on the banks of the Mississippi. The Horches are one of the happiest families I know, and the kids did a great job of saying "cheese" for me every two seconds. Below are some of my favorite shots from the day.

The Descent

Really good weekends are usually whirlwind-type weekends. Everything happens so swiftly, it's like you're caught up in a gust of wind, carried along for a ride, then deposited back where you started from. At least that's usually how I feel. This weekend was no exception.

The main part of the weekend consisted of traveling to Maryland--a place I had never been--for the wedding of a good college friend. There was some reminiscing, some down time, tons of running around, plenty of food, and celebrating, lots and lots of celebrating.

I realized, once we got there, how long it had been since I'd spent a decent amount of time with this college friend. And I was reminded how much good a few short days with a college friend can do for your heart. I was reminded of times surrounded by friends who honestly care about you, and knowing you. The kinds of friends who know what you mean to say, even when you say it the wrong way. The kinds of friends who accept you, in spite of shortcomings and failings. The friends who are comfortable enough to be themselves, and to let you be yourself too.

So not only was it a whirlwind-type weekend, but it was also one of those weekends when you ascend to a constant high of fond memories, happy feelings, and a good kind of forgetfulness where you stop worrying about yourself. I spent the weekend trying to help things run smoother, better for this college friend. That ended up consisting of things like folding pocket squares and fastening cufflinks, attempting to satiate crazy wedding planners, and encouraging everyone to dance, just to make the party more fun. And as much as I hoped I could have done for my friend, I came away feeling like I benefited so much more than he could have by my small acts.

And now comes the decent. Back to what I somewhat spitefully call the "real world," where friends are few and far between, days are mapped by hours at work, hours at home, hours of sleep. Memories of college days are confined to the back of the mind to make way for things like driving directions, appointments and mundane tasks. And decompression is to be found by staring into a computer screen, typing away on a blog post, clinging to the last few memories of what was literally just yesterday.

Exchanging vows.

A Long Weekend to Follow Along

Tonight I am preparing to depart for new places and old, and of course the first step in preparing is to write a blog post!

In the search for new and exciting adventures, I will be traveling to Baltimore. As for the old, my trip will first begin with a stop in Chicago for engagement pictures.

Most of you know that the wardrobe for said pictures was causing some angst. I am happy to report that outfits (and accessories) have been selected. I also mapped out a walking route through some lovely parts of the city so there will be no need for taxis or driving. All that remains is to paint my nails, clean my ring and wake up fresh-faced tomorrow!

After Chicago we'll fly out to Baltimore for a wedding of a good friend of ours from college. Nick is the best man and I'm on self-appointed Instagram photo duty. It will be our first wedding to attend together, which I'm insanely excited about (even if I do get stuck by myself at a table in the corner). I plan to talk current events and newsy things with my table-mates, and dance lots with Nick.

Since I'm sure I'll have plenty of down time all weekend, I'll be entertaining myself by tweeting all sorts of random and useless information. If you're interested, you can follow along, either by following me @EliseLoyola, or through the feed below.

Tweets by @EliseLoyola

Happy early weekend all! :)

Friday Picks

Bet you thought I forgot all about Friday Picks, huh? Not so with me! See below. :)

Photos and 'Maids and Things

Right now my life consists of crazy-busy, yet crazy-fun work insanity, and wedding deets. It's like I can't convince my mind to think about anything else.

A week from today we're taking our engagement pics in Chicago with our wedding photographer, Tim Tabailloux. I met Tim during my freshman year at Moody, since we both started at the same time and had a lot of the same friends. Then during sophomore year we were on class council together. I always thought he was super talented, especially with photography and videography, and kept up with his work over the years.

When we started thinking about wedding photographers, obviously he was the first person who popped into my mind. Nick really liked his work too, so that sealed the deal (along with a contract and deposit, obviously). So I'm really excited to see how our photos turn out. And trying to relax about the whole thing. I have this weird obsessive thought that they have to be absolutely perfect. Then I have to keep reminding myself that it's about capturing this time in our lives, not about achieving perfection.

In other wedding news, I sent out little "invite" cards to my bridesmaids, asking them to be in the wedding. I wanted to do something a little more personal than just a call or a text, so I got some crafty card stock and made these little cards.

One side has a personalized message, then the other side pops the question. I designed different "fonts" for each question, then added a ribbon (which corresponded with the wedding colors) and a little floral decal. I liked that each was completely unique, but they all tied back to the style and feel of the wedding.

I also just recently put together a photo book using Shutterfly, and a code I got for a free 8x8 book. I decided this would be the perfect opportunity to put together something commemorating our engagement weekend in Chicago. And thanks to the awesomeness of embeddable codes, you can check it out here!

Click here to view this photo book larger • Start your own Shutterfly Photo Book today.