DIY Family Tree/Guest Book

I am a blog stalker when it comes to photographer's blogs. I heart photography. While browsing through Sara Rhoads blog, I came across this photo that inspired me to show my very neglected blog some AMOR. It is a photo of a family tree made up of your family members finger prints. How awesome is that? Freakin' awesome and so different than the average "guest book."

Love in Motion

I am so ELATED to share a unique video that a local photographer, Cristina Navarro, has posted on her blog. She is going to begin to offer video services packaged with her awesome photography. I LOVE this video because it looks so candid....no posing, no acting, just REAL RAW LOVE!!!! I can feel Robby and Rocio's love for each other seep through the video and cause me to have butterflies in my tummy :0) It makes me want to get married with my hubbs all over again. This is exactly the type of video I would have wanted for our wedding. Short, Dramatic and Sweet. Tell me what you think. Enjoy!!!!!

Rocio and Robby - June 26, 2010 from Joe Centeno on Vimeo.

Gypsy Bride

I am so happy to share the work of a very talented local artist, Luciana Cazares. Luciana is the owner of Gypsy in Stilettos. Gypsy in Stilettos is a place where you can purchase redesigned and re-purposed furniture and accessories. As Luciana states on her blog, "Design is an opportunity to tell a story." On the blog you will find beautiful bridal accessories such as bouquets, jewelry and hair accessories. All of these items can be purchased in Gypsy in Stilettos Etsy shop. True Love Nation is going to share some of their favorite Bridal pieces. Photos courtesy of Omar Mena Video and Photography.

Romantic Whimsical: DIY Wedding Invitation

My sister is getting married in July so we have been preparing for her big day. One of the big projects we worked very hard on was making her wedding invites. Thanks to her wedding planner, Arlene Carrion, us bridesmaids just had to put the finishing touches on the invitations. It was a lot of hard work but tons of fun. This project also allowed the bridal party to have some quality time. We are very happy with the final results. They look beautiful. LOVE the butterflies, they add that whimsical detail we wanted.
Brides and Grooms, designing and making your own invitations can be a good way to save some money. A benefit to DIY wedding invitations is that you can make them unique and personalized to you all as a couple.

Romantic Meadow

In many of the books I have recently been reading there is a meadow that the couple escapes to in order to be alone. They secretly meet in a meadow, THEIR meadow, to profess their love for each other.  All this romantic meadow canoodling made me very ambitious to find an El Paso meadow.  This weekend I went to see the beautiful blooming poppies on the Northeast side of Transmountain and fell in love with a mountain meadow. I thought this would be a prefect place for a bride and groom that are getting married this spring to take the opportunity to have photos taken while the poppies are in bloom. It is only once a year and for a limited amount of time that the poppies are in full bloom and cover our beautiful mountains with a soft blanket of yellow. Even when the poppies aren't in bloom anymore this area is still a beautiful place to have wedding photos taken. I encourage all El Paso brides and grooms to go escape in a world of romance in this gorgeous mountainside meadow and allow your photographer to capture it.

Mexican Wedding Traditions

The lasso and the arras are important symbolically in a traditional Mexican wedding ceremony. The lasso is typically a large rosary that is placed around the bride and groom's neck and signifies their never-ending union. According to my grandfather, he says that the lasso is placed so the groom can't escape. haha.  The arras are 13 gold coins that symbolize the couple's wealth and also Christ and his 12 apostles.  Both the lasso and the arras are blessed by the priest during the wedding ceremony. A lot of modern Hispanic brides and grooms opt to incorporate these traditional aspects into their weddings.

Wax or Thread

 

I personally have always had my eyebrows waxed but this weekend decided to try eyebrow threading. I loved it and will never go back to waxing. My skin is very sensitive to the wax and sometimes I would end up with minimal burns. Eyebrow threading is considered an art and doesn't use wax or chemicals, instead it uses cotton thread and a special technique to remove hair. Read more about eyebrow threading on http://www.perfectbrowthreading.com/

 

 I would definitely recommend eyebrow threading to brides, grooms, and the bridesmaids and groomsmen. Full facial hair removal can also be performed with the threading technique. You could get it done the week of or even the day before the wedding without worries of burns or skin irritation. 

Love at "First Sight"

Recently, I have become an aficionado for photography. My husband and I purchased a Canon 7D as a gift to each other for Christmas. It allows me to appreciate the photography side, while he gets to also partake in some video action. I have to admit it is a very cool little gadget.  As a bride, I never paid too much attention to the art of a photographer's point of view about shooting a wedding.  Now that I am learning photography I am able to appreciate this special art.  One thing that I wish my husband and I did prior to our ceremony was the "First Sight." The "First Sight" is the magical moment that the bride and the groom share alone where they see each other for the first time before they make things official. This allows the bride and groom to have an intimate experience, instead of during the ceremony while everyone is watching. Plenty of photographers are encouraging their brides and grooms to participate in a "First Sight" experience because it allows them to capture such a special moment before their wedding day gets started. I am a big fan of a photographer, Jasmine Star, she is one of the many photographers that prefers to shoot "First Sight" brides and grooms.  The "First Sight" photos on this blog post are courtesy of Jasmine Star's website and blog.  I just LOVE the look both brides and grooms have in their eyes during the "First Sight" moment. Simply Love. Simply Joy. 

 

  

  

  

 

Puppy Love

Sorry, I have been pretty bad about blogging lately but I have a good reason.  We recently adopted a wonderful 8 month old Lab Mix from Pet Guardian Angel and have had our hands full. My hubby and I feel like we have a newborn.......this has definitely made us realize we aren't ready for kiddos yet. We already had a 4 year old Yorkie, Bella, and decided she needed a little brother. Needless to say we had forgotten what hard work a pup was from crate training, house training, obedience school, and daily walks. It has been a challenging 3 weeks but very rewarding at the same time. We named our new addition to the family, Moultrie. Yes, after Arnett Moultrie from the Men's UTEP Basketball team. My hubby and I are very dedicated UTEP fans. A fun little tidbit, since we adopted Moultrie the UTEP Basketball team has been on a winning streak, so we consider our pup a lucky charm :0) We encourage everyone that is an animal lover to consider adopting a pet of your own. There are many animals big and small that need a loving home.
On my wedding day it was important to me that our photographer, Cristina Navarro, incorporated my Bella in our wedding photos because she is an important part of our family as well. Many brides and grooms are beginning to include these lil furry family members in their wedding ceremonies as ring bearers or flower "pups" because they are that important to them. So my inspiration for this blog post came from Moultrie and Bella. Both of them have made Joe and I realize how simple love is and made our love for each other stronger. I will leave this posting with a quote from John Grogan in Marley and Me, "A dog has no use for fancy cars, big homes, or designer clothes. A water log stick will do just fine. A dog doesn't care if your rich or poor, clever or dull, smart or dumb. Give him your heart and he'll give you his. How many people can you say that about? How many people can make you feel rare and pure and special? How many people can make you feel extraordinary?"

Bella and I on our wedding day.

 

School of Love

I was honored when Belle asked me to write an article in their January issue of their magazine and to become a contributor. While planning our wedding I always turned to Belle Magazine to find some inspiration. Writing in this months Belle issue was a great opportunity to provide engaged couples some advice on wedding planning. Belle was so kind in sending me the article so I could post it on the blog so those of True Love Nation's followers that were unable to obtain a magazine could enjoy reading it. Thanks Belle Magazine and Cristina Navarro for our wedding photos. XOXO

Honeymoon

My husband and I are still in the honeymoon phase......I honestly don't  know when we will get out of it. Probably when we start to have kiddos....haha. Anyway, when planning your honeymoon it is important to do plenty of research of where you plan on going. Since planning your wedding and honeymoon coincide it will probably be beneficial for you all to use a travel agency. The travel agent will make all of your accommodations and that can be one less thing you have to worry about.

Bridal Showcase

Calling all Brides and Grooms-to-be!!!! If you are engaged and planning your wedding it will be beneficial for you to visit the third annual White Winter Wonderland Bridal And Quinceañera Showcase this Sunday at the Marriott Airport from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm. At this Bridal Showcase you will be able to meet Excellent El Paso wedding vendors. One of which I used in my wedding Fiori the Flower Studio. Here is a sneak peek of one of their "Safari Sunset" bouquets they will be showcasing. It is gorgeous.

You will also be able to pick up a copy of this month's Belle Magazine, which includes an article by True Love Nation mentioning some wedding planning do's and dont's.

ATTENTION BRIDES!!! Ella Blu has some of their 2010 designer wedding gowns in. Look forward to trunk shows galore this weekend. True Love Nation highly recommends Ella Blu, ask for Sophia or Andy and set up an appointment to find your one of a kind, SHOWSTOPPING gown. Call 915-881-9999. I also bought my beautiful wedding gown from Ella Blu.

Kuuipo

Kuuipo in the Hawaiian language means sweetheart.  Which leads me to my blog post about the current trend of Sweetheart tables.  Sweetheart tables are only meant to accommodate the bride and the groom during the reception and dance. The sweetheart table allows the bride and groom to be the focal point of the reception yet providing them with a little more intimacy.  Another benefit of having a sweetheart table is that your court is able to sit close by with their family and friends. I also think sweetheart tables are reminiscent of royalty and add an extra touch of elegance. Brides and Grooms, if you really think about it you both are King and Queen for a day, so why not indulge a little bit. haha