food for thought.

life can be really tough. just trying to keep a little bit of perspective....

If I were to say, "God, why me?" about the bad things, then I should have said, "God, why me?" about the good things that happened in my life.

-Arthur Ashe

self portrait with a chupa chup.

sometimes, in italy, i got bored (for about .294 seconds at a time), so i'd buy a chupa chup (addicting little suckers).

and sometimes, in italy, i'd try to look cool with my chupa chup.

sometimes, in the united states, i stay up reaaaallly late too many days in a row, studying.

and sometimes, in the united states, i really want a chupa chup to study with. but all i have is a tootsie roll pop...

what's a girl to do?

just relive european memories, i guess.

sidenote: r.i.p. my awesome $12 ray ban look-alikes. sorry that your little spring got left in paris...

weddings with elise!

so when i was thinking about who i could ask to blog for me while i was studying like crazy this week, the perfect person instantly came to mind! my talented, cuban best friend... duh! elise is one of the kindest, happiest people i know. she is always smiling and encouraging and tons of fun-- what better combination is there?! she has worked a fair amount in the wedding industry, focusing on planning, so i asked her to give some wedding planning advice for you today! you can check out her beautiful blog here. take it away, elise...

There is that blissful moment when a bride is proposed to, it lasts about a day and then the wedding planning anxiety kicks in. I would like to say that hiring a wedding planner IS worth it. I have worked with a few and you will not believe how much stress gets lifted off the bride’s shoulders. Plus, if you find a planner just starting out, you will save a lot of money. Although popular belief may say that a wedding costs a fortune, there are definitely some tricks out there that help you save money, and keep the environment happy! Luckily, the two really go hand in hand. Because they seem to really put a damper in a wedding budget, I will be concentrating on gowns and flowers.

Let’s start with the dress. I am an avid “Say Yes To The Dress” watcher and sometimes I just have to laugh when I see those girls spending over 10,000 dollars on a dress. I understand that the dress is something most girls want to spend more on because they want to look flawless but trust me when I tell you that there are ways to still get the dress of your dreams and not burn a hole in your wallet.

For those eco-chic ladies out there, you should check out http://www.thegreenbridedenver.com/4501.html. If you look, there are reused wedding dresses up to 75 percent off. What’s really cool is that these ladies who started this business actually have shops in certain states (including beautiful CO) where you can try on the dress to make sure it fits right. You can even put a list of dresses that you like together and set up a consultation and they will have all those dresses ready for you when you come in. And the BEST part? “At The Green Bride we are committed to leaving a smaller carbon footprint as you purchase your wedding dress with us. Don’t forget, as you buy with us part of our proceeds go to DALIT FREEDOM NETWORK. Find out more about Dalit Freedom Network at their website below: www.dalitnetwork.org. As you walk down the aisle you help a little girl walk out of a life of slavery and prostitution”!I

This pretty dress above is all lace (my personal favorite) and is 350 bucks… you read that right. You save nearly 75 percent!

I realize that this may be a little too far for some of you- if you don’t have a desire to wear a strangers’ gown, what about a family member? I was against the idea for a while, and then I realized that tailors are in our lives for a reason. For example- I watched a bride transform her mother’s long-sleeve lace ball gown dress to a sweetheart neckline, lace ball gown dress. If you choose to go the “brand new” route, make sure do to your research of what you like, and never try on a gown you can’t afford. You will be stuck in a rut if you put on something way out of your budget, because the chances of finding something like it but cheaper are unfortunately slim to none. There are millions of options for a dress, but really only one will feel perfect on you. I want to also add that there is a dress that will flatter anyone, don’t be shy to ask a consultant!

FLOWERS. I have to admit, flowers are my weakness, I could easily go overboard on them. Firstly, SUPPORT LOCAL FLORISTS. You will not believe the deals you get when you shop local and when you help your neighbor. In a way it’s like buying organic- your flowers will smell better, last longer and you won’t need to worry about any sort of pesticides. Also, a big money saver is buying flowers that are in season! For us Coloradans, summer is the prime time to have your wedding if you want the best flower selection. Obviously, the more humid places get a better selection any time. Like your dress, do your research when it comes to flowers. See what is in season and for how long. Also, see how much delivery costs- since a lot of the big places don’t really deliver for free. To be honest, it may be worth it to have your handy dandy wedding planner pick them up for you (no delivery cost!)I heard from a recent bride too that she got her flowers from a local grocer (Sunflower Market) and she saved over 500 dollars AND they delivered them for her. On the day of, reuse your flowers! After your ceremony and pictures, be sure to use the big (and small) bouquets for table decor!

I cannot even begin to tell you how important both your dress and your flowers are on your wedding. People WILL remember you walking down the aisle and people WILL remember decorations. The basis of your decor WILL be your flowers. There are always ways to significantly lower the price of any part of your wedding. This can also be where a wedding planner comes in handy, we look for those deals so you don’t need to worry. We are there to not only make your day perfect, but to also make the planning and breeze and stress free!

Alright, here is what I am LOVING right now!

Common themes include: roses, bright color schemes, nautical and hand crafted :)

Happy Wednesday!

new sponsor!

for those of you who know me well, you know how much i love a good dress.

i love how dresses make a statement, how they're so comfortable, and how they're a whole outfit in one piece!

and one of my favorite places to buy dresses is shabby apple.

the geniuses over there come up with gorgeous design after gorgeous design.

i admit- i have purchased five of these bad boys, and i love every single one of them.

i probably get more compliments on my shabby apple clothing than i do on any other pieces i wear!

they're all so flattering, and the styling guides on the website really help you pick out the right size/type of dress for your body.

AND! shabby apple donates 5% of their net dress sales to help women worldwide. you know i'm all about that!

i've worn my shabby apple dresses all around europe (here & here), to church, to the symphony (here), & to parties.

and even more good news; shabby apple has come out with beautiful, slightly-vintage lines of skirts, swimsuits, & accessories.

i'm thiiis close to purchasing this pretty little thing, and am drooling over this and this.

so, if you can't already tell, i'm kind of in love with this brand. so imagine my surprise when i received a sponsorship inquiry from shabby apple this morning!

they're having a 20% off everything sale & free shipping this week only, so click on the link (to the right), and splurge a little! i promise; you won't be sorry!

post script: in case you're worried, this is not turning into one of those "taking pictures of myself every day" fashion blogs. i felt weird enough posting this one photo of myself in one of my shabby dresses! photo cred goes to my darling mother.

looking forward.

i taught a lesson about overcoming opposition in church yesterday, and so i've been thinking a lot about this lately.

life can be so hard. i am still sick. and i am insanely stressed about a big exam. but the promise of knowing He will be there to help us through our trials is all that we need. i know that, in the end, all will be well.

i know this has been around for awhile, but i love mrs. nielson's perspective.

such an inspiration.

in other news, i'm back in utah.

i've got that (aforementioned) killer chemistry final to take at the end of the week, so i'm forcing myself to take a break from the blog.

but, have no fear! i've got some awesome guest posts lined up for you all!

i've got some new sponsor info to share next week, and i'm planning a blog makeover as well.

so much to look forward to, no?!

what do you have happening this week?

summer, epitomized.

sometimes, my aunt/uncle/cousins come to town from the weekend.

and we hit up the lake on a saturday afternoon.

and the sun shines and shines and shines for us.

and the water is the perfect, cool temperature.

and we don't stop playing for hours.

the 21st year.

my twenty-first birthday weekend was the best i could've asked for.

after my wedding shoot in LA, my parents and brothers flew into orange county to meet me for the rest of the weekend.

and we celebrated the beginning of my 21st year of life in the best possible manner...

at disneyland!

we lucked out with a gorgeous day, and the park wasn't even too terribly crowded.

we re-lived all of our childhood disney memories (hence the riverboat tour and shooting arcade for my dad), got drenched on splash mountain, treated ourselves to looots of goodies, got spooked in the haunted mansion, and watched some birthday fireworks.

my family is the best. ever.

oh, and disneyland isn't too bad, either!

bring it on, twenty-one!

post script: will loves mr. toad's wild ride? is there anyone else in the world who loves this ride? still trying to figure this one out...

french love affair.

i always told myself it could never happen to me.

but... it happened. on my last day in paris, i found myself in a brief, fleeting, and oh-so-romantic love affair.

it was better than anything i could've ever imagined.

it truly was love at first sight. i had never experienced something so perfect, so sublime, and so intoxicating.

i was in heaven for those few moments...

and then, it was gone.

for those of you who have tried a magnum bar, you know of its perfection.

well, picture a magnum bar, blended together with french ice cream and lots and lots of chocolate, and you've got... the magnum mcflurry.

if i had lived in france this whole summer, i would have eaten one of these every day.

aaaand i would've weighed 308 pounds by the end of my stay.

would it have been worth it?

you tell me.

wedding tip #2: teeth and tans.

what is one of the first things looked at in any photograph?

your smile, of course!

so, one of my greatest recommendations when it comes to wedding photography is to make sure your smile is looking top-notch on your big day!

i'm not big into over-whitening teeth... sometimes too much really is too much. but i think that a little sprucing up now and then in the whitening department really does wonders.

i know what you're thinking... indeed, photoshop can fix yellow teeth. but it's pretty tough to make a photoshopped smile look as naturally beautiful as your real-life smile (i know this may not make 100% sense, since i'm supporting a little bit of teeth whitening/bleaching... but believe me, this kind of whitening looks better than computer-generated whitening. it just does.)

plus, you'll have all of your great aunts and second cousins twice-removed wanting to take photos with you with their point & shoots at your reception... and you want your smile looking great in those photos too, right?

long story short(er)... bust out your whitening toothpaste, try out a few crest whitening strips, do whatever's necessary-- just make sure you and your love's teeth are ready for lots and lots of photos (and hopefully smiles!) on your wedding day.

second matter of business-- the tan.

i know that everyone wants to look sunkissed in their wedding dress, but i do have to caution you all a bit on this one.

don't get me wrong, i love a good tan and personally think i myself look better tanned. i just also know how easy it is to overdo the tanned look.

a little color is gorgeous with the white of a wedding dress... it really is. i've just seen one too many brides (fortunately haven't had to shoot any) who spent a little too much time in the tanning salon... a little too close to their wedding date.

so if you decide to go with the tanned look on your wedding day, just make sure that it's the real sun kissing your skin, not the fake UV rays of a salon.

plus, you'll be doing yourself a favor by protecting yourself from skin cancer (i could go on and on about this one, but i'll stick to the wedding tip for today. public health tips will have to wait!)

when brides fake tan or over-tan for their wedding day, it's hard to get the colors of the images looking natural and appropriate. filters have to be shifted during the color-processing stage of editing, so sometimes background colors have to be muted/saturated to make up for the odd-looking skin tones.

okay, getting too technical here... moral of the story, i like a little tan. just keep it real.

also! just for a little reference... naturally-fairer skinned brides tend to look better in off-white/cream/ivory dresses, while darker-skinned brides look better in white. just something to keep in mind...

thoughts? questions?

i want to hear 'em!

image ® anna gleave photography 2011.

next stop, boise.

so guess where i'm headed next on this grand, summer 2011 world tour...

you got it, BOISE, IDAHO!

i'll be spending time with some of my favorite people in the world there, but i've got some limited openings for a few family/senior/engagement shoots.

contact me, and we'll work something out!

amgleave@gmail.com

anna gleave photography

and it feels like heaven.

these guys are so dreamy.

so sad i missed their US tour this year.

style shoot, part two.

remember this and this? welp, you guessed it... it's time to unveil a bit more of my spanish fashion sesh!

today i'm showing you darling devski's photos. not only is she hilarious/the nicest girl you'll meet, she is so stylish and seriously beautiful. and a natural model. by the end of the day, we were all begging her to try out for america's next top model!

and after you look at the photos, i dare you to tell me you don't agree!

oh, and isn't the braided headband the coolest look? audi did an amazing job with her hair.

hair & makeup: audriana turley

blouse: h&m

jeggings: the gap

heels: botique de calle mayor

accessories: self

styling: devaun sheppard

all images ® anna gleave photography 2011.

cosas.

a few little gems i found on my phone... a fair representation of how i've been spending my time, as of late.

one: chemistry books. who would've thought taking a final in the summertime is 0.938% fun? i'm still trying to figure out those oxidation-reduction reactions and lattice energy and am accepting help from any interested parties. payment will be delivered in oatmeal chocolate-chip cookies! any takers?

two: dr.'s office goodies. maybe it's a sign i should stop seeing a pediatrician? too bad my pediatrician is one of the two best docs i've ever seen... at this rate, i'll be seeing her until i'm eighty-two. and i'm okay with it.

three: post-wedding shoot, 21st birthday celebration in orange county with my faj at midnight. most people celebrate their 21st at midnight with their first legal shot (or so i hear)... i celebrated with the goodness of in-n-out! aww yeah.

four: sneaky planner additions. my first day home, i stumbled across my planner, which had been commandeered by my "little," 17-year-old brother. he just might've added to the list of everyday tasks "make brownies for my wonderful brother" and "do yoga with my good-looking brother." ohh, benny... you make me laugh.

sometimes, all life consists of is homework, hamburgers, doctor's appointments, and little brothers. and do you know what? even that stuff makes life great.

milano.

i'm not talking about the cookie here... i'm talking about the city. MILANO!

while in northern italy, we spent a day in milan.

t'was quite the experience... if i do say so myself.

milan is a much more industrial city... and it's easy to see why it's one of the fashion capitals of the world.

all of the women were walking around in heels, & there was store after store after store available for browsing (and browsing is what we did... who really wants to spend 287 euro on a tie?)

we toured the cathedral (the 3rd largest in the world!), ate lots of amazing gelato, and saw da vinci's "the last supper".

we also may or may not have had some frightening run-ins with some italian drivers.

the whole experience was fantastic and definitely italian... as were the 82945 pair of ray bans we saw. who knew ray bans were italian?

prego.

shellax.

after few suggestions, i've found the greatest invention: shellac.

now, you all know i'm not the most high-maintenance of people... generally, i'm happy makeup-less in a sundress and barefoot.

but one thing i do love is to have a nice polish on my nails.

thus:

shellac is like normal nail polish, except for it has super-strength powers and lasts for 3-4 weeks! my nail polish is notorious for chipping after two days, but i've had my nails done with this shellac for a week and a half, and there isn't one chip!

i'm supposed to look professional and everything for work, and this makes that task 9283x easier.

so what i am saying is, go to your local salon, spend the $25 (it's worth it; i promise), and don't worry about your nails chipping... ever.

and there is my first (and potentially only) beauty tip.

*photo taken at disneyland... shellac'd nails + disneyland + frozen raspberry lemonade = the good life.

it's a potter party.

yes, it's three minutes to midnight on all potter's eve here in the states.

meaning, the new harry potter movie will be out... in three minutes.

and i'd say 96.43% of kids 13-26 are at the theaters right now, (79.3% of which are dressed as their favorite potter character).

i... am not. instead, i'll share with you this nerdy little gem that my brothers and i have been a fan of for some time now.

good thing hp nerdiness is now acceptable...

for more of harry & the potters' delightful tunes, click here.

for those of you who saw the movie; how was it?

sweet salamanca.

did i tell you about that one time i lived in spain?

well, i've been feeling awfully homesick for it lately (i know, i know... it's only been two weeks), so i thought i'd share another little snippet of spain-y goodness with you.

SALAMANCA

salamanca is an old city in central-western spain, famous for its architecture, its plaza, and its university.

and let me tell you, it's famous for a reason.

we spent a weekend in salamanca, touring the old university (fourth oldest in the world), climbing the tower up to the cathedral to view the cityscape, and explored the town at night.

nighttime in salamanca is something reallly special. the plaza and a lot of the buildings are lit up at night, which really gives the city a magical feel. we ran into a lot of college students... including a man dressed as a cow who insisted on singing happy birthday to natalie (no, it wasn't her birthday).

we finished the night off with some helado and a trip to the local discoteca for some dancing.

dancing in spain > dancing in provo.

it was easily one of the best nights we celebrated in españa. easily.

sorry the video was cut waaay prematurely. told you i'm no good at this video stuff.

also in salamanca, there's a legend that if you can find the frog and skull on one of the university buildings, you'll return to salamanca.

good thing we spotted it!

*thanks to cute nat for the last picture. everyone needs a good group shot!