Two years ago today, we welcomed our niece, Sadie, into the world. My sister had been admitted to the hospital the week before Sadie’s birth due to complications with her pregnancy. We had hoped, with heavy hearts, that she would spend the remaining 13 weeks of her pregnancy in the hospital to give the baby time to grow & develop. But, as fate…or Sadie…would have it, we wouldn’t be waiting that long.

Despite her tiny stature, at just 2 pounds 8 ounces, Sadie made her presence known, forcing her way into the world….feet first. It was obvious right from the beginning that this little girl had some spunk. And, now two years later, that spunk has served her well. Amazingly, Sadie has survived her early arrival without any complications. It is truly a blessing, especially given that some of the other preemies she shared the NIC unit with did not survive.

This morning, I read back to the first post I wrote about Sadie, just days after she was born, and it’s amazing to me that we already had a sense of who she would be before she was even able to breath on her own. She is strong-willed, determined, fiercely independent, funny, sweet, completely lovable and a total snuggle monkey.

It has been a joy and a privilege to watch Sadie grow and blossom. She has brought so much to my and Andy’s lives that words just don’t do justice. Two years has gone by quickly and Sadie has grown by leaps and bounds. She is perfect in every sense and when I think of her (and her sweet fiercely-protective older brother, Calvin) my heart spills over with love.

So, Happy Birthday Sadie! May the next year be filled with as much happiness & joy as you have brought to our lives in these past two years! Auntie & Uncle love you to bits! xoxo

Here’s Sadie after just waking up from her nap on Saturday. My sister & brother-in-law had a little family party for her. It was a great day!

Our little princess…She’s definitely a fighter, but she’s also all girl….a slightly sleepy girl in this next photo.

This time of year, I really start feeling the winter blues. Trapped in the house/studio without enough fresh air; cold temps; the lack of sun….it all starts to get to me after a while. But, last week, Andy & I were surrounded by the colors and scents of spring, thanks to the very sweet Shama Klee.

Shama is a ridiculously-talented florist from Centerville. We had the pleasure of working with her back in October at MaryHelen & Kurt’s super fun Hyannisport wedding. (Check out the blog post for some samples of her amazing work.)

Recently, Shama asked about getting some photos of her flowers for her website. I happen to LOVE flowers. There’s something about them that just brings me a profound sense of joy & peace. I love picking them out when I go to the supermarket. And, a trip to home depot or IKEA is never complete without first checking their supply of orchids…my personal favorite, right up there with lilacs, which I love for their smell and their easy-breezy shape when grouped in a pretty vase.

I go into a bit of a trance when I’m cutting and arranging flowers…I guess it’s my inner crafty girl that comes out. (I can trace her beginnings back to the mini arrangements of violas I used to make after picking the wild weed-like flowers in my backyard when I was about 7 years old.) If I didn’t love photography so much, I’d love to be a florist.

Anyway, Shama & I talked about going into the Boston Flower Market together….oh to dream! But, things are still super busy for us with album designs and we’ve set a finish date that we’re working hard to meet. And, taking an afternoon off to play with flowers wasn’t going to be in the cards anytime soon. So, Shama had an idea that had me so excited, you would have thought I’d won the lottery.

She sent an e-mail that said, “Had an Idea. How about I bring you & Andy a different flower arrangement or two weekly or biweekly. You can enjoy them and photograph them at your leisure until we both have time to get together and spend a day? Love to know what you think? Shama”

What do I think? Uhhhh, yes please!

So, last Thursday, just in time for Valentine’s Day, Shama dropped off four…yup, FOUR…crazy beautiful arrangements that filled our house and studio….and me….with such joy. Everywhere I look, there are flowers. February just got a whole lot happier for Team Bello!

Equally as joyous as receiving the flowers was the fun I had photographing them. Here are some of my favorites. I hope they bring a little sunshine to your February too. Enjoy!

You may have noticed our new logo on these photos. As soon as we meet our album completion deadline, we’ll be moving on to revamping our website & blog with our new logo…hopefully in the next month or so. But, we thought we’d start the transition a little early. Hope you like it.

The lovely arrangement features pale pink garden roses with pink and white fresia, lime hydrangeas, white lisianthius and gorgeous pink ranuculus, accented with fern leaves…and I forget what the folded leaves are, but I dig those.

I love this next one. There’s something about those rising lisianthius reaching up toward the light that makes me happy. I’m also a big fan of ranuculus…which shows up a lot in wedding bouquets. I have to say, almost a week later and those are the flowers surviving the best in my bouquet. The tiny delicate petals have all bloomed and they’re gorgeous!

I decided to use the hanging capiz shells we have in our office as a backdrop for the next few photos and I just love the way these turned out. So fun & happy.

This next one features glorious yellow Gloriosa Lilies, which are amazing! This arrangement was huuuuge too. It’s a striking looking flower, with an Asian/alien feel about it.

And the leaves on this particular lily curl at the bottom in such a sweet way.

This next photo features a new blossom about just starting to open. I really like this photo, it feels very serene & spa-like to me.

Can’t you just feel spring?

When it’s fully bloomed, the petals spread out as if reaching with great exuberance. This is where it feels almost alien to me.

More curls…

And a traditional favorite, Romeo red roses. These beauties filled the studio with such a delicious aroma. Mmmmmm! I love the curly willow branches and trailing stems of ivy. Gorgeous!

Shama did two arrangements of the roses, a tall 2-dozen bouquet and another two dozen cut short in a super cute rectangular vase. The tall vase also featured kangaroo paw, which is a really cool, fuzzy red plant that accented the deep red rose color perfectly.

Mother Nature at her best…

I can’t wait till the ivy starts growing around here again! Bring on the green!

Love it….

I don’t think I’ve ever had so many roses at one time…lucky lucky me!!

perfection…

A great big thank you to Shama for bringing such happiness to my day, my week, my winter! Looking forward to doing this again! Your talent & generosity make the world a better place! xoxo Christine & Andy

For third & final installment from our photo shoot with Osterville wedding planner Desiree Spinner, we move on to the dessert table, which featured various shades of pink sweetness, including white chocolate raspberry cake truffles, mini cupcakes, pink sugar cookies and a rock candy-topped cake by Delicious Desserts. Deee-licious!

Pink Prosecco & mini cupcakes…does it get any better?

Almond candies, white gumdrops and pink lemonaid in a super cute recycled glass jug…

Peppermint sticks all tied up….

Rock candy…the stuff childhood memories are made of…

Pink thank you cards from Lady Slipper Stationary in South Yarmouth embossed with white seashells…Merci beau coup!

Cape Cod wouldn’t be the Cape without salt water taffy…

Cake truffles…MMMMMmmmm!

That wraps up our photo shoot with Desiree. Hope you enjoyed the photos and that they helped provide some cheer during this chilly winter! Desiree, thank you again for getting me out of the office and for inviting us to be a part of this exciting time for you! Andy & I can’t wait to see your new website! You really seem to have all the elements you need to lead Desiree Spinner Events to a successful future! Wishing you all the best! Big hugs & warmest wishes, Christine xo

There were so many incredible details from last week’s session with Osterville’s stylish new wedding planner, Desiree Spinner, that we thought we’d spread the eye candy out a little. Here’s installment two, featuring details from Desiree’s dinner table inspiration board. Enjoy!

Desiree picked the perfect corner to highlight her table. I have to admit, I’m partial to long family-style tables. We had them at our wedding and from a photographer’s standpoint, they offer some fabulous angles for photos.

Desiree got Centerville Pie Company (which has been mentioned on Oprah) to bake these super cute 6″ apple pies, which sit on aqua-colored beach glass plates from Be Our Guest, all tied up with a green & white striped grossgrain ribbon….quintessential Cape Cod!

Crystals sewn into the table cloth provided by Wildflower Linen add elegance to the clean beachy feel…

Even the food featured on the menu (stationary provided by Lady Slipper Stationary in Yarmouth) fit in with the color scheme…love it!

This could be my favorite perspective…just love the gooey 6″ of love-filled deliciousness!

Love these gorgeous flower-covered branches, which added height and drama to the table. All flowers provided by Patrice Milley.

Desiree, Sara & Kaleigh really did an amazing job of tying everything together…

Mmmmm….

I love white flowers….so clean & pure.

The white chiavari chairs by Rentals Unlimited fit this setting perfectly.

The mini daisy bouquets serve as place cards for guests….very sweet.

Check back again on Friday, when we’ll highlight the dessert table….pink perfection!

Over the years, Cape Cod has become a popular destination spot for beach-loving couples looking to say, “I do.” If you’ve ever had to plan a wedding from afar, you know….it ain’t easy. This is where employing the skilled experience of a wedding planner can be an invaluable resource and a huge stress saver.

Last week, I had the pleasure of meeting Desiree Spinner of Desiree Spinner Events in Osterville. Desiree had contacted us about photographing some table set ups for her new website, which she plans to launch in the spring.

Desiree was inspired to pursue wedding planning after planning her own Cape Cod wedding. “I put a lot of love and effort into my wedding and wanted to make everything perfect,” she told us. And, that’s exactly how she plans to approach her clients’ weddings.

In addition to offering her couples full production and partial production services, Desiree is also using her writing experience and killer design aesthetic to produce a custom-designed bridal agenda for her clients to use to plan their wedding.

Desiree is passionate about design and although she is constantly on top of the latest trends, her goal is to make sure the weddings she helps plan remain timeless and personal. “It’s important for me to really get to know a couple and find out what’s important to them to help make their wedding a personal reflection of who they are,” she said.

I met Desiree last Monday at the Chatham Bars Inn, where she and her amazing team (Sara &  Kaleigh…you girls rock!) put together an incredible display that any fan of finer details would surely fawn over.

Working off some very impressive inspiration boards, Desiree teamed up with Patrice Milley to create some stunning flower displays. She chose some gorgeous crystal-studded linens from Wildflower Linens, white bamboo chairs and other table fixings from Rentals Unlimited. And, she brought in some great recycled glasses from Viva Terra and seaglass plates from Be Our Guest, combined with some other little treasures to put together three different and equally fabulous table displays, which she plans to feature on her new website to be launched in the spring.

We’re only sharing the placecard table set up with you today, which married yellow, green & white for a clean, fresh, springtime look:

I love tulips and paired with the lemons and green yellow fabric swatch, Desiree created a wonderful color palette with stationary by Lady Slipper Stationary in Yarmouth.

The paper on the guest gifts worked perfectly with the color scheme.

More mellow yellow…

I dig the font she choose for the Table cards.

Even the wine bottle worked with the motif.

Check back on Wednesday for more fabulous eye candy!