Once Upon a Time

I can still remember watching the lavish wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer in the early 80s. I was mesmerized. What little girl does not want to be a part of a fairy tale? The wedding season is approaching , and the promise of beautiful brides and exciting parties is in the air. Whether your daughter will be a flower girl in a wedding this year or just loves a romantic story, the PLAYMOBIL Church is the perfect backdrop for pretend play. Your child can press the windows of the church tower and hear the bells chime and the organ music. To complete the set, consider the "getaway" convertible and the party guest tent.

Pretend play helps foster imagaination, encourages self-expression and can help children work through their fears and feelings. I love to eavesdrop on the conversations my daughter creates with just about any object. It gives me insight into our relationship and what communication cues she is using to make sense of her world.

Right now our friend, "the scientist," has set sail on a global ocean sampling expedition aboard the Sorcerer II. He had previously sent our daughter pictures of his trip to Antarctica, complete with penguins and whales. On this expedition the team will travel from California to the European seas, and we are excited to see pictures from his trip. If you have a budding marine biologist or high seas adventurer on your hands, The PLAYMOBIL Expedition Ship will let your child explore the mysteries of the ocean and can be partnered with a shark diver and a research raft and whale.

And maybe, just maybe, the scientist will be rescued by a brilliant and bold shark diver or whale watcher during his adventure. And maybe, just maybe, they'll fall in love and have a beautiful church wedding off the coast of Italy. And maybe, just maybe, on their honeymoon, a whale will eat the scientist, and the whale watcher will pursue the naughty whale for the rest of her days. Or maybe, just maybe, they'll sail off into the sunset and live happily ever after! I'll ask my daughter and get back to you.

Cheers to Happily Ever After!~ Ashley

Are you on-a-budget bride?

Always, my first suggestion is to hire one of the very talented wedding photographers we have in the market these days. Pros know what they are doing and then some, but...
While the economy isn’t the greatest I understand many couples are putting this artistic task into the hands of friends and family to save some $$$... nothing wrong with that.
That's why I started providing photography wedding post-production services to on-a-budget couples who need to spice their photos up.
Singles & in-a-batch images quotes are available upon request.
How it works (this process doesn't apply to single photos projects)
Develop all your disposable or point-and-shoot images into a disc or many discs.
Always send me copies of the CDs, NEVER the originals.
I'll go through the whole batch and do sorting myself ending up with 200 images... the best of the best.
I'll apply basic editing to all of them (fill-in flash, standard cropping, color balance, exposure & contrast corrections).
Also, I will treat 25 of them with artistic editing. Basically you will end up with 225 images.
Right after that I will upload these edited images into a private gallery here at my website for a period of 30 days where you, your family and friends will be able to check them out and purchase prints (from 4x6 to 20x30 if available). Sweet!
All photos will be printed in Kodak Professional ENDURA Paper and quality samples are available upon request.
I offer coffee-table books and CDs, contact me for more details.
In many cases, newlyweds have issues with their photographer and for one reason or another end up with half job done, a bunch of unedited proofs, etc...
Don't worry, I can take care of it. The only thing I really don't do is taking the pictures.
Still not sure if this is what you are looking for? Contact me for more details and/or send me one of your images and I'll edit it as a sample, free of charge.
Note: ONLY available in the US, for now.
Visit my website for more info: http://letmegrowstudio.net

Table Top Treats for Posh Parties!

I love helping hosts, especially brides, make their event vision come to life. It's even better when I can help them work within their budget. I refuse to sacrifice style and quality of workmanship, so often times my money-saving solutions come in the form of "killing two birds with one stone." Such is the case with the table number towers we've created at Bride Design.

These lovelies serve as table numbers (or names) on two sides of the square. They can also include fun trivia about the bride and groom, a message of thanks, a note about a charitable donation in lieu of favors, or as in the case of these towers, a menu, on the other two sides. These pearl and ivory towers photographed by Laura Brazak, were a big hit with the couple and guests alike.

Bride Design offers table number towers like the ones featured here starting at $15 each. They're shippable nationwide, made with the finest papers and embellishments, and can be created to match the color scheme of any wedding or event. For more info on these, our invitation suites, or other reception items, head to our website or contact admin at bridedesign dot com. Happy planning...and never ever give up beauty for budget! You don't have to!