Down the Aisle: Lindsey & Jason

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As far as I could tell, Lindsey and Jason's wedding went off without a single hitch! (Except for the part where I stepped on Lindsey's veil while the crowd cheered their exit from the church—oops!) Meticulous planning, dedicated hand-crafting, and a holiday weekend that happened to fit quite nicely in between classes in Lindsey & Jason's graduate program. Phew! You did it! I hope you're all basking in the after glow of a fab, fab day!

Down the Aisle: Jennifer + Brett

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"I don't wish you completeness, as it interferes with drive and ambition, but may the two of you together, be greater than each of you apart." Paraphrasing from Jennifer's dad Steve whose toast left few dry eyes in the room. He went on to say, "Grab each other up by the lapels and be stronger, braver than you are apart. Do things you would never have done on your own..." I could've listened to him talk all night. Jenny and Brett are off on a grand new adventure, and their sendoff was incredible. What a couple. What a day!

Down the Aisle: Mallory + Sean

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Sean and Mallory's wedding was a  reminder of why I love my job and continue to do what I do. Getting to see two people embrace a new life together, surrounded by family and friends who love and support them—does magical things to your heart.

I was kinda obsessed with the tile pattern on the squeaky clean bathroom floors. Mal's cute toes make a lovely addition.

Sean made this cool headboard. Pretty sweet, eh?

This is their jaw-droppingly awesome new home. What a charmer! I adore the old-fashioned address numbers on the house, with the address written out, "Twelve Thirty Three."

Then it was on to the church where Sean was getting ready...

Sean's brother Collin is serving in the Armed Forces, currently in Kuwait. He got to watch the whole ceremony via Skype!

Even though Collin couldn't be there in person, he was very much a part of the celebration. Here, his mom Wendy says hello.

Why let vast distances keep you from giving a toast at your brother's wedding? Collin chimed in with a heart felt message for his brother via a prerecorded message.

It was well received. :)

Sean and Collin's mom was touched, as were we all.

You did it! Congratulations you two. And thank you for sharing your heart's joy with me.

Love Shoot: Karen + Jason

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Eighty acres! Say what?! These two love birds are planning their dream house on a whopping eighty acres of heaven a few miles north of town. Right now the property is filled with rolling hills, a pond, Karen's dad's fishing boat, and a tree swing carved with "Karen & Jason: Happily Ever After." (Obviously made with love.) I almost burst into tears when Karen told me how her parents surprised them with the swing. (I'm a sucker for sentimental things like that. When I moved to LA a billion years ago, my dad gave me a jar of dirt from my parents' yard with a label that said "You're Always Close to Home." Talk about a tear jerker!)

I can't wait to meet the rest of their families when their big day arrives in just a couple months!

Down the Aisle: Melissa + Etienne

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Being as it was a balmy 70 degrees, in March, I'd say Melissa & Etienne already have some serious luck on their side, St. Patty's Day or not! :)

Getting ready in the morning, Melissa was all smiles...

This little cutie was playing hard to get all morning long...

But eventually I got her... these black and whites may be my faves...

Oh how I've missed chasing the Grandpas with my camera! :) What a doll!

Grandparents are the best!

Of course, the kiddos are fun too!

First dance yumminess...

Congratulations you two! May you have all the happiness and luck that life can hold—and at the end of all your rainbows, may you find a pot of gold! ;)

Giving Your Photos a Life Beyond Instagram and Facebook

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(This post is part of a 2-part series on iPhone photo apps. The first was a round-up of my favorite iPhone photo apps.) Part of what makes our phone-cameras so handy is that they're with us everywhere. Most folks would agree that having a camera in your pocket at all times allows you to capture your life in a way that you never did before, including glorious sunsets, an especially amazing meal, laughable moments with our pets, and nearly every adorable thing our kids do. The ability to take photos at any given moment has the power to magically transform even the most mundane activities of daily life into photographic treasure, thereby allowing you to relive the fun at any time, while giving future generations a very insightful glimpse into your life. Pretty darn amazing.

Of course, if these photos never make it past your hard drive (or "the cloud"), in a sense—it's almost as if they don't really exist (for future generations at least). And what's especially tragic, is that sentencing your photos to a fruitless eternity spent decaying in the digital abyss of your hard drive is entirely avoidable Your phone, combined with Instagram, make it fantastically easy (even fun!) to give your images the chance to live on in the real world.

Below is a summary of various apps and websites I've used to ensure that my Instagram images will be around long enough to give our future kids an idea of who their parents were when we were young, or at least—to give them a good chuckle.

Blurb I love Blurb and make Blurb books on a regular basis. Perhaps the awesomeness of merging your Instagram photos with Blurb is best summed up in this great clip of multimedia journalist Richard Koci Hernandez.

Stickygram Who doesn't love magnets? Especially when they have your photos on them? Makes a great gift, and crazy fun to receive in the mail. Not sure if this code still works, but it saved me 15%: SOMETIMESSWEETPROMO Good luck!

Printstagram Prinstagram offers stickers, minibooks, and posters (among other things). The mini-books are fun, but aren't as large, robust, or high quality as a Blurb book. Of all their products, I like the stickers best.

Postagram Postagram makes it possible to turn one of your photos into a postcard, and send it from your phone. We used this service often while on the road with The [UN]tour. The results? Mixed reviews. Most of the postagrams we sent arrived without incident, but others were dramatically delayed, by as much as two months. Verdict? Still a very fun app. Just don't use it for something urgent or extremely important.

Fun feature? The photo "pops out" to easily be added to your recipient's fridge, bulletin board, etc.

PostalPix If regular old fashioned prints are what you're looking for, PostalPix is for you! Ordering is simple, directly from your phone.