You can tell at first glance that Catherine and I had completely different aesthetics at our wedding! Cath had a chic sequins Jenny Packham gown and us bridesmaids all wore black. I had a more traditional wedding, where I wore my mom’s dress and my bridesmaids wore various shades of ivory and champagne. (See all of the details from Catherine’s wedding HERE and from my Homestead Wedding HERE.)
One thing we both had in common was how much we love our bridesmaids! We both wanted to find the perfect gifts to show our girls how happy we were that they were a part of our special day. Catherine gave us all face masks for day-after revival and diptyque candles – our fave! I gave my bridesmaids wrap bracelets that they wore on the wedding day and a little box of goodies for the weekend. We both toasted our girls with Veuve on the magical days, of course!
Catherine has been taking full advantage of her summer at her family’s beach house in the Outer Banks and to say I have been jealous of all of her weekends away is an understatement! Phoenix is growing into the cutest little beach babe and I was so thrilled to be able to spend a weekend at the beach with these two.
Our September trips in the past meant New York Fashion Week, events, shows, photo shoots and either air or train travel. Sure, we miss the energy of the city, but I think I speak for both of us when I say that our lives have changed for the better since the arrival of Phoenix and Catherine’s motherhood adventure. Let’s be clear, we still know how to have fun!! Beach days, bare feet and beer gardens made for a much needed girls weekend away.
We all took on quarantine projects right? What started as “we need a new light fixture” turned into, let’s remodel the whole bathroom. I am by no means a professional and this was very DIY, so proceed with caution 🙂
We had to have some electrical work done in our downstairs bathroom (the guest bath / main bathroom on the first floor), and when the electrician was fixing the fixtures, he asked if we planned on painting the bathroom anytime soon. A light bulb went off in my head. Well, no, we weren’t but now we are!! I looked at the bathroom with new eyes and had never really noticed that the walls were a super pale peach and the cabinets a horrible brown. SO, a few weekends later I started on my project. Let’s just say it took a lot longer than expected to remodel the whole bathroom.
Are you a mother looking for the best quality and chic baby carrier on the market? Artipoppe has got you covered with the best and the most fashionable baby carrier options. Because after all, your baby carrier is an extension of your outfit – just like your diaper bag.
I am not going to lie, I felt the biggest sense of relief when I was introduced to the brand Artipoppe for baby carriers. As someone who has an obsession with all things fashion/outfits/style and isn’t afraid to say it, I knew the baby carrier thing was going to be an issue. Most of the baby carriers in the market are not ones that I am particularly excited about. However, my friend Ally introduced me to this brand Artipoppe and IT WAS LIFE CHANGING. There are so many cool prints available on Artipoppe, a unique brand started by a mom who saw this exact hole I’d been feeling in the market. I know they are pricey but believe me when I say the comfort, quality, and craftsmanship of these Artipoppe baby carriers make them a work of art and SO worth the price.
Traveling to Richmond or looking for the best photo spots for your next photoshoot? Here are our most FAVORITE and (in our opinion) most photogenic locations used on The Crystal Press.
1 ~ Scott’s Addition – This is our #1 shoot location and has been since day one. Day one being when we bought our first DSLR camera with no idea how to use it. Peep this blogpost from 2015 with photos taken in Scott’s Addition….as embarrassing as it is, we had to start somewhere! We love to just wander around and start shooting when a location strikes our fancy.
2. Under Westwood Overpass – Our newest discovery near Catherine’s house is this spot underneath the Westwood Overpass. We love the moody vibes it brings out in photos!
Read more about this rad Artipoppe baby carrier here + get $55 off your very own with this link!
Shop our favorite Anine Bing T-Shirts + One Teaspoon Denim:
See our full post on why we heart One Teaspoon denim so much here.
3. Monument Avenue 195 Overpass – This was one of the first places we took photos with Kaytee, almost 3 years ago! (See first photo below) These are still some of our favorite photos to date. Maybe because they’re nostalgic, but also because it is a favorite spot! We’ve also seen plenty of friends drive by while we are shooting here and give a good honk & jump. One of those moments captured below as well!
First photos with Kaytee – Fall 2017
When your friend drives by, awkward but cute. Cute but awkward. LOL
Richmond is ever changing and we have thoroughly enjoyed rediscovering the city as we have built The Crystal Press over the past *almost* 6 years. We are always looking for new photo locations around Richmond, so feel free to send us your tips and tricks fellow Richmonders.
Okay, so I couldn’t resist a sneak peek at our photos on IG and in this post on my personal blog – featuring the wrap dress, BUT HERE ARE EVEN MORE!
We shot these photos with the lovely Halle Kennon a few weeks ago, and I have been dying to share them ever since. If you have read the past few posts, you know I ordered three dresses from Rent The Runway and couldn’t decide which one to wear, so I wore all three! {More about Rent the Runway and Why I am Loving it, in this post, as well.} From the dresses, to the location, to the shots that Halle captured, this shoot turned out exactly as I had imagined it! Considering that all of my photos for TCP & RP are usually all black, simple and minimal, I wanted to try something different for this shoot and I am SO glad I did.
I don’t have much more rambling to do, as the photos speak for themselves but just one quick suggestion. If you have an upcoming couples shoot, I recommend checking out pinterest beforehand for inspo (pin this post for later!) because the photos where we used some inspiration that Halle found turned out much better than John and I just wandering around in the field! Sometimes a little direction goes a long way. Don’t get me wrong, we did capture some great photos at the beginning, but it helps to change up the posing to get a little variety.
The sunroom was one of the biggest selling points when we first toured at our house back when it was still on the market. Everyone loves natural light and this room has tonsof it. Two of the walls are windows and it opens up the house so much.
edit * this suit is now sold out, but from what I understand all suits fit pretty similar, so the review still stands.
Over the past year or so, my body has been changing. I have gained weight in places I never had weight before and it has been a difficult thing to get used to. My new body. At the beginning of the summer I absolutely dreaded having to get into a bathing suit, and if you told me I would be posting a blog post in a bathing suit, I would have told you to kindly stfu.
Looking for a fun, carefree, & inspiring full moon ritual that will supercharge your manifestations? Same.This is exactly why I have compiled the ultimate full moon ritual over the years. I am excited to share my personal full moon ritual with you in hopes that it will supercharge your intentions and help you take FULL advantage of the energy that is available during a full moon.
** if you’ve found your way to this post, you’ll likely enjoy our manifesting calendar*
So during a full moon, the moon receives the light of the sun – shining back to us in the sky, illuminating parts of ourselves that may had previously been in the shadows. That is why the full moons have such a stigma – because they do bring things, thoughts, and energies to the surface. But this isn’t meant to be a bad thing, it is meant to be empowering. By bringing our shadows to our conscious mind the full moon gives us a gift of personal enlightenment. Isn’t that beautiful? Now you see why I have been a big full moon ritual-er. Okay, enough about my love of the moon and onto my full moon ritual.
See what your moon sign is and why it is important here.
Clear Space: It is time to write down everything, every thought, and every emotion that you want to release during the energy of this full moon. Whatever this moon is bringing up for you that you want to be done with, write it down. Get raw and get detailed with your feelings and fears. The more time you take with this step, the more powerful your full moon ritual will be and the more you can let go. Heck – even cry if you want to, ya feel?
Release : While you are releasing what you have written down on paper with the power of the full moon, it is also important that you do your personal energetic part as well. Harness forgiveness in this step. Forgiveness for yourself and for anyone who you feel has wronged you – especially on that piece of paper. Let the moon really nourish you during this step.
Amplify: It is time to amplify one of the most high frequency emotions, gratitude. On a separate piece of paper, take some time to write down what you are grateful for. It can be something as simple as the light of the moon, the love of someone you hold dear, or the Earth beneath your feet. Gratitude is powerful and with the full moon helping you amplify – it is even MORE powerful.
I AM: Time to bring in the new. Take a look at the paper from Step 1 and think about what you want after all of this is released. Who do you want to be? Use the I AM to create affirmations and intentions for your future.
Burn, baby: Go somewhere safe to burn the papers that hold what you want to release during the energy of this full moon from step 1. I love to do it in the fire pit in our back yard under the moonlight. I’ll tell you what – there are few things as cathartic as this. If you do any of the steps from this post, I hope you at least do this one.
Energy Renewal: What makes you feel brand new?Whether it is a bath with epsom salt, diffusing your favorite essential oils, a yoga flow, or a meditation – DO THAT. It’s time to bring in new energy from the moon.
Celebrate: Honor yourself for showing up for your soul tonight. This not only effects you, but it puts a ripple out into the Universe and into the lives of everyone you interact with. Don’t you think the world could use a little bit more of this? I know that I for one am grateful for you for doing this ritual with me.During this step, enjoy and revel in your full moon experience now. Pour a glass of champagne or blast your favorite song and dance around in pure bliss.
Get outside and let the light of the moon shine on you baby! Heres to manifesting the lives of our dreams!
THIS YEAR’S MOON SCHEDULE
PS If all of this writing is inspiring you to journal (I’m obsessed), Anthropologie has some great ones at all times. Check em outhere.
Need help staying organized and want to get help manifesting with the moons?
Last summer, I loved working with Rent the Runway, trading out dreamy dresses for my wardrobe for our travels! From Getaway House to Miami, I loved being able to pick out new pieces for the new places we were going. It was so nice to have lovely designer pieces without the designer price tag and if you are like me wear-one-time-then-hang-in-your-closet. But, I paused my subscription when fall came around as I didn’t need it as much. I definitely wouldn’t have thought that I wanted it during corona times, but I was wrong!
After all, who wouldn’t want to play dress up in your backyard, or wear new pieces to create new memories. John and I are celebrating our 5th anniversary on July 25th, and I knew I wanted to do a dreamy photo shoot and I have nothing that was inspiring me. SO, I was thrilled when Rent the Runway reached out about their latest promotion!
Right now you can use REBECCAPERK40 for ~$95 off their 2 Swap subscription. This comes out to two months for $89!
