Junko Yoshioka :: The Gown Boutique of Charleston

The truth of the matter is any bride would be insanely lucky to find her wedding gown here. The beveled mirrors, the crystal chandeliers, the petite fours on silver tray - it all lends itself to a bridal experience like no other. Last Saturday afternoon I had the great honor of joining the ladies of the Gown Boutique of Charleston as they hosted a trunk show for New York designer Junko Yoshioka. If you haven't had the chance to experience a trunk show before, they are a fantastic opportunity for brides to view {and try} gowns not normally available at their dress boutique. While I won't be showing you any of the gorgeous women I was able to photograph {I'm fairly certain publishing a bride in her dress prior to the wedding day is worse than a black cat, broken mirror and umbrella opened indoor combined}, I don't think you'll be too disappointed by the pictures you are able to see.

This boutique is my idea of eye candy - on crack, and I couldn't have been more thrilled to photograph it. Put me in a room with fresh floral arrangements, peach bellinies, and enough silk taffeta to wrap around the world twice and you can rest assured I'll be entertained for hours.

And on that note, it's my pleasure to introduce you to the Gown Boutique of Charleston...

I cannot say enough about how absolutely stunning Junko's gowns are. So beautiful in fact that I caught myself wondering {on multiple occasions} how I could possibly get away with trying a few on.

And one last shot of the fabulous boutique.

Terri, Krista, and Christina, thank you a hundred times over for inviting me to be part of this special trunk show. It was such a pleasure spending my day capturing your beautiful space and watching as you dressed so many gorgeous girls in stunning gowns. A Charleston Gown Boutique bride is a very, very lucky bride indeed!

Wishing you a wonderful afternoon,

M

Charleston :: Travel Adventures

We slept in, walked forever, and ate at any place whose menu looked intriguing. We held hands, took a million pictures, and drank coffee like it was the end of all time. Our idea of an adventure isn't for everyone. To be completely honest we only really do three things when traveling - but I like to think we do them quite well. We eat, we drink {mostly coffee} and we walk. And after we've done these three things until our bellies are full, our bodies are jittery, and our legs are tired, we read. This weekend Colton and I made the short drive to Charleston, South Carolina where we were absolutely enamored by the old world charm and the absurdly good food. Fortunately for us it was restaurant week in Charleston which means where we would normally choose a couple hor-douvres to share, we now ordered two entrees, a few deserts, and a bottle of wine between the both of us. We really should try to plan our weekend getaways around restaurant weeks as it truly does wonders for the travel budget.

While I didn't do an exceptional job of snapping photos this weekend I did manage to capture a few shots of us doing what we do best - walk, talk, and eat. I hope you enjoy this quick little peek into our weekend adventure and I hope you have a wonderful Tuesday evening. Enjoy!

Colton and I were standing in the middle of the sidewalk {most likely annoying the gaggles of people trying to move forward} when a random passerby asked if she could take our picture - with my camera. It was mildly awkward and totally unexpected, but I ended up swooning over the photos. Thank you, strange + nice person who asked to take our picture. You did a great job and you made my heart happy.

And the vacation staples begin. Drinking good coffee...

...and reading good books.

I thought twice about sharing these pictures with the interweb given the fact that neither Colton nor I look anything remotely close to pleasant. However, they make me laugh every time I look at them and they're proof we're actually the same person in two different forms. Facial expressions and all. {P.S. I swear I didn't know I looked like this when Colton was taking the picture}.

Chess, Alice in Wonderland style, anyone?

I'll end the post with this beauty. Our faces? They're not in focus. This is what I get for putting my camera on a cannon sculpture in the park and using the self-timer to take the picture.

And on that note, where should our next adventure be, Peeps? I can't even wait to start dreaming.

Michelle

A Bad Case of the Mondays :: Life

It's ironic, really, that for a week with two snow days and a national holiday, I still stubbornly put up a fight against the start of the impending week. While I'm busy at work trying to get back to work, I couldn't wait to post a quick picture from Saturday. I spent the afternoon with the lovely ladies of the Gown Boutique of Charleston meeting a handful of gorgeous {and giddy} brides and gawking over hundreds of ridiculously beautiful wedding gowns. You'll have to wait for the full post until later this week, but until then feel free to stare at this drool-worthy studio of ivory lace and silk satin.

Happy Monday,

Michelle