yep, that’s right… i will be giving away a free portrait session to one very lucky winner! (to be more specific, the winner will receive a $500 gift certificate towards a super creative themed shoot with me). all you have to do to enter is post a blog comment on this entry!!! the contest will end thursday, july 29th (the winning comment number will be drawn at random through random.org) and i will announce the winner on friday, so stay tuned!  now just scroll down, leave your comment & have yourself a happy day!  

and because it is almost impossible to look at two babies as cute as this and not feel happy, here’s a little extra sweetness for your day…

and now a few words from lynnette about their wedding inspiration:

“After 8 years of growing in love, James and I decided to invite our closest friends and family to celebrate our marriage and everyone in our lives who brought us together. It was as much about our friends and family as it was about us. We were engaged in our favorite vintage photo booth at the Musee Mechanique in San Francisco, so we knew from the beginning that we had to have a photo booth at the wedding and everyone had a great time taking photos in it!  We wanted the wedding to be unique, personal, intimate and beautiful which it turned out to be all of those things! We wanted every aspect to represent “us” from the handmade save the dates and invitations to the picnic blankets and baskets we used in lieu of chairs at the ceremony. We had one of our best friends perform the ceremony which meant so much to us. It was so special saying our own self written vows and “crossing our hearts” to love each other rather than saying “I do”.  Our wedding was loosely based on our favorite Pixar movie “UP” so we included picnic baskets, grape soda, a painted mailbox and a few balloons! “UP” was such an inspiring love story to us because the love that Ellie and Carl shared was truly everlasting. We consider everyday together an adventure!”

i have grown to consider lynnette and james like family.  they embrace life, they find humor in the midst of frustration and i just am so darn humbled by their childlike love for one another.  how lucky i have been and continue to be by being a part of their lives.  xoxo

james surprised lynnette by filling her dressing room with balloons and from each balloon hung a photo of the two of them from over the years.james planned another “UP!” inspired surprise for lynnette for during the ceremony.  he tied her ring onto a stick tied to balloons, hid it behind his groomsmen’s feet and had it “floated” to her when it was time to exchange rings.  how romantic is that?!ok, how pretty is this dessert bar??   lynnette & her mom own their own cupcake boutique (cupcakery) and all the goodies tasted better than they looked, too!  

* here it is…. the GIFT from PIXAR!!!!!  it reads… “lynnette & james… we are so happy that our movie inspired your beautiful engagement photos. we love them and wanted to send a little gift to say – congratulations! – jonas rivera”  AND a special drawing for them by pete docter saying “have a great adventure together!”

Vendors:   floral:  kate at flowerwild events,   photo booth: capital photo booth,   catering: eco caters,   cupcakes and desserts: cupcakery cupcake bakery and boutique (in thousand oaks – the bride & her mother’s own cupcake shop!),   bride: melissa sweet,   bridesmaids: anthropologie,   groom & groomsmen: j crew,   location: saddlerock ranch,   cake topper: lollipopworkshop on Etsy,   love: everyone!,   vintage picnic baskets, hankies and blankets!

also… you can see my wrap-up post from our last workshop by clicking HERE.

i wish i more than anything that my grandparents were still here… kissing and laughing together and holding each other tight.  i wish that i could take them out to a wildflower field, my grandma in her pink silk dress and my grandpa in his pressed coat and tie, and bring their recliners and their crossword puzzles for a full photo shoot.  i wish i could put a pink rose behind my grandma’s ear and tuck a hanky into my grandpa’s suit pocket.  i wish that i could watch them love each other now and that for one moment i could see him grab her and kiss her over the kitchen sink again.  i really miss them.  and i would love to give the gift of a portrait session to a special couple before they lose the chance.

SO… this brings us to the VERY SPECIAL GIVEAWAY!!!  if you know a couple that has a great story with some history and character or if you yourself have a great one… tell me your LOVE story!  i will select the winner based upon how inspirational and unique the love story is… i will just let my heart lead the way.     please send me a photo of the couple, the love story, contact information and why they most deserve the gift of the photo shoot to wildflowersphotography@yahoo.com.  i will make my decision by june 10th.  the winning couple will be photographed in the los angeles area but i am happy to travel if expenses are paid.   also, there are no losers so don’t be shy to write… every submission will receive a $50 gift certificate towards a portrait shoot in celebration of L-O-V-E.  because there’s no better reason, is there?    :)

and now, for the story of how my grandparents met and fell in love…

“The world was at war in 1944:  Washington D.C. was a city of action, its streets and halls crowded with the old and young, military men and women, civil service employees, elected officials and citizens waiting, watching, weary and wondering.  But love happens to anyone, anytime, anywhere. The cherry blossoms continued to spread their petals and romance that spring.  An Oklahoma girl, Nina, 25 years old, assistant to a senator, was smart, efficient and pin-up beautiful.  When George Olen, a rough, handsome, cigarette-smoking boy who was the oldest of 12 Missouri children,  in town on leave from duty with the Merchant Marines in the Atlantic theatre, was introduced to Nina, she walked down the stairs of her rooming house on Dupont Circle and Olen immediately claimed her as his “sweater girl”.  Over less than a year, letters flew from ports to 1367 Kay Street. Nina wrote, “When I opened the mail box and saw I had letters from you, I threw everything down right there and just looked and looked at them, hoping they were going to contain news that you would be here soon…I put them in order saying to myself over and over, “Be patient, Nina, be patient”.   They were married on Olen’s brief shore leave on March 24, 1945, and as he wrote from sea, “Collins said he didn’t think 2 married people could be very happy until he saw you and me.  I was really surprised to hear him say that but I do know that I am the luckiest and the happiest man than ever was. I love you Mrs. Harmon.”  They were married 59 years, and they “carried on” as Nina’s mother would say, with Olen grabbing her anytime, anywhere, hugging and kissing and writing on her cards, engraving on jewelry and imprinting them on her and our hearts, “All my love, all my life”.

my grandpa and his “sweater girl.”  xoxo

UPCOMING PARENT WORKSHOPS: sunday, june 13th (austin, tx)  &  sunday, july 11th (thousand oaks, ca). please email me if you’d like to register as it is first come first serve and only a certain amount of spots are available.  thank you!

* a big thanks to my 2nd shooters, sarah and jenny, for taking some great images of all the action of the day!  you make my heart (snap) happy.

“In a little over a year and a half our family will be moving around the world to Papua New Guinea (PNG).  This small country – about the size of California – is located just north of Australia.  PNG is a land covered with thick jungles spreading out over steep mountains and valleys.  There are only about 460 miles of paved roads and almost 600 airstrips!  Probably the most amazing thing about PNG is that its people speak over 800 languages!  Many of the people groups living on this island are almost completely isolated from each other and their languages have never even been written down.  For many, daily life is a life of fear.  People fear the unknown and – because of their long history of animism – they fear doing anything that would potentially anger the spirits.  Our family will be serving with Wycliffe Bible Translators.  Wycliffe’s goal in Papua New Guinea is to translate the Bible into the remaining 300+ languages of PNG that still do not have it.  As people are able to read the life-changing message of the Bible in their own language, their fear can be transformed into peace with God and hope for their future.  As the translation work is carried out the people will also benefit from literacy programs that will enable those who are interested to read and write their own language.  This will open countless doors to improved health, culture preservation, and economic growth for the impoverished.  All of this takes a great team of people working together in order to accomplish the goal.  As for our role is this great endeavor, Mike will be serving as a pilot flying people and supplies to the isolated areas of PNG.  His flights will serve as a lifeline between the translators and the outside world.  Tippy’s role will be supporting Mike, caring for our (soon to be four) children, and making our home a warm and hospitable place for all who enter. In all of this, the bottom line is that we just want to use the gifts that God has given us to serve others.  We feel like God has blessed us so much and He loves the whole world.  We want to help communicate His love to people that don’t know it yet.”

their mission organization has a website for them and you can donate directly to the littlefield family by clicking HERE. thank you!

http://www.ppmag.com/cover-contest-2010/vote/16686/