I love the holidays. I love candy canes and sparkly lights and piney-smelling trees and colorful wrapping paper and “A Christmas Story” 24-hour marathons on TV. But I don’t love how somehow, no matter how much I prepare for it, Christmas sneaks up on me every year. I’m always still recovering from the massive stuffing-induced food coma of Thanksgiving and then BAM! one week to Christmas. And in 7 days, I must get a tree, and deck the halls, and eat 18 days worth of chocolates from the advent calendar, and listen to as much KOST-Your-Official-Holiday-Music-Station as my brain can handle, and go out and battle all the other Christmas procrastinators for holiday gifts. I seriously have been planning all year to do 100% of my holiday shopping on Etsy from the comfort of my living room couch, but yet again, crafty Christmas and online holiday deadlines have duped me. But have no fear blog world – Christmas 2010 will be different! I can’t tell you exactly what my plan is, but it has something to do with finding a lot that sells Christmas trees in July ;)

There is one more Christmas activity on the list that I admit I had hoped to start earlier. Last year, Chris+Lynn Photographers started up a “Cans for Comments” drive as a way to give back during the holidays. I was one of many photogs who jumped on the can-wagon & by the time the holidays came around, Cans for Comments had spread like wildfire in the photography community! I loved the response I got on this little blog last year and am happy to announce we will be at it again!

For all comments left between now and December 31st, I will be donating 1 can per comment to our local foodbank. Thank you so much to everyone who participated last year & looking forward to your lovely comments this year!

And because I would never leave you without a photo, here’s a quick one of a sweet favor from the Urbanic holiday party earlier this month. Sugarcube Press was there with their letterpress, helping everyone manually letterpress their own ornaments!

Many thanks to these amazing blogs for recent features! When I meet with couples in the early stages of their planning, I often send them links to some of these spectacular sites to get their gears turning and to see what options are out there. These blogs are overflowing with ideas that are both budget-friendly, eco-friendly, & party-for-your-eyes friendly, and flood you with inspiration from every angle! I am a firm believer that you don’t have to break the bank to have beautiful & unique details for your day – it’s all about infusing YOU into your wedding and brainstorming with the help of gems on the web like these!

A little peek of Liz + Adam‘s balloon engagement session in the sweet “Love This!” spot on Green Wedding Shoes. Jen’s blog is one of my absolute favorites and is an endless well of inspiration!

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Tina + Sam‘s wedding featured on Ever Thine, Ever Mine, Ever Ours. Lydia is rapidly growing on the blogging scene and it’s easy to see why – beautiful handpicked features daily!

Part One
Part Two

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Sarah + Brad featured on Trendsetting Wedding. If you are planning a lovely urban wedding, this is your go-to blog! She features the most stunning city weddings & sessions.

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Earlier this year, we had our first ever engagement session with balloons. We got lots of fun shots, there were laughs all around, and when we were not using the balloons, we had a system where Scott diligently tied them to his camera bag. We mightily explored the UCI campus, and after a change of outfits, we took off again, Christina & Rick hand in hand, me shooting away, and Scott with the balloons secured to his bag. And that’s when it happened. A “uh oh”, everyone turns around, and there are the precious green balloons tangled up 30 feet in a eucalyptus tree. Luckily we weren’t planning on using them much for this portion of the session, and luckily Christina and Rick are all kinds of sweet and awesome, but Scott & I still felt a little sheepish.

Fast forward to Liz & Adam’s wonderful engagement session last month. Another amazing session and beautiful collection of balloons. But this time, Scott would not have them going anywhere. He tied them to the front of his bag and he used a trusty “slip knot” (I was a Girl Scout for 9 years but I couldn’t tell you what that was. There’s no time for silly things like “knots” and the “outdoors” when you have all those cookies to sell.) And so here are a few shots to document how lucky I am to have such a diligent second shooter, who doesn’t mind wielding some multi-colored balloons, occasionally holding a purse or two, directing a flash, & putting up with other random tasks, all in the name of the team.

Liz & Adam’s fantastical balloon engagement session soon to follow!