4 Tips On Taking Engagement Photos

You said Yes to the big question now what?  I know there are so many things that are running through your mind right now. I want to ease your mind with at least one thing on the list. That happens to be your engagement  photos and if you're like me you have a Pinterest Board saved for your vision.   Timothy and I were lucky enough to have three separate shoots for our engagement photos.  I wrote a blogpost last year on why we took so many photos.  CLICK HERE  get all the deets.  But let's get into the tips and tricks I've learned during each session.

1. Research 

Photographer
I'm you have your vision ready, now it's time to see who can help you bring that vision to a reality. Look for a photographer that goes with your style. Are you into Bright, Airy, Whimsical, Dark Moody etc. Each photographer has a different style and it's important that you understand that when choosing a photographer for your photos. Also consider will you use this photographer for the wedding day as well.

Location
Have a location in mind and share it with your photographer. Pinterest is the best place to look for inspiration. Also looking on Instagram at brides in your area and  where they shot their photos can help as well.  If you don't have  a location in  mind, I'm pretty sure they have plenty of locations in mind for your vision.

2.So Fresh and So Clean

What Will You Wear:
The first thing I can suggest is wear something very comfortable and flattering for you both. Consider the type of photos you are taking as well. Are you shooting causal looks? Are dressing up?  You want to make sure the your outfits are matching the mood and the location. Avoid anything too tight fitting because you want to look and feel comfortable. Try your best to coordinate with each other. If you need help with an outfit Pinterest has plenty of ideas.

Shop Our Looks

Glam Session
I do suggest getting your makeup professionally done. It gives such a clean and glamorous look to your photos. Be sure to book you makeup appointment at least 2 to 3 hours before your shoot so you won't have to rush or find yourself running late for your shoot.  Don't forget your manicure and pedicure.  My first shoot I made the mistake of not getting my nails done professionally and I was rushing. I ended up smudging my nail on the door getting out the car.

3. Plan Ahead

This is the fun part and very important part! I'm a big planner and I believe if you stay ready, you never have to get ready. Once you finalize your outfit(s) lay it them night before or hang it up. Create a check list for what you need for the shoot.  Pack all your items in a bag for the shoot  for example:

Bring : 
Extra pair of shoes
Extra pair of earrings
Props for your photos( if needed)
Hand held fan to stay cool
Makeup for touch ups
Small Towel
Safety Pins

These are things you should consider bringing  with you on your shoot. Pack a bag for  your items  leading up to the shoot or the night before. Put a reminder in your phone to bring the bag with you.


4.During The Shoot

HAVE FUN! When I tell you on each shoot Timothy and I had a blast. I felt like during each shoot the world stopped and it was just me and him.  Make each other laugh, tell jokes, believer me Timothy did a great job at doing just that. Don't forget to smile and breath during this shoot. If you have pose ideas make sure you share them with you photographer.   I made sure to hit my favorite pose, TWIRL HONEY ! Remember  that this a preview to what's to come on the big day so loosen up and have fun.

Be sure to check out our previous  Wedding Content HERE!

Until Next Time,

A Strapless Bra Hack You Should Try

Summer is here and it's hot! I  featured this dress on  my Instagram  for my OOTD. As I promised I wanted to share tips and trick on this dress. This dress is super comfortable and perfect for the summer heat. As you can see I do have big boobs and sometimes it's hard to find the perfect strapless bra for anything strapless or off the shoulder. means more cute summer dresses and strapless tops.  As a plus size women with big boobs, I too want to wear strapless, off the shoulder dresses and tops. Before I can do so I make sure  I have a good supportive strapless bra.


Where I Shop For Strapless Bras:
Lane Bryant
Ashley Stewart
Check Out My Previous on my go to bras at  Lane Bryant HERE.

Back in August I attended a photoshoot and I needed to wear my strapless bra. I was given a bandeau top to put over my bra to smooth my bra out. I didn't realize a difference it made until I actually tried it out.  I gave it another try on Sunday with this dress.

  As you can see  my bra has lace on it and I would hate for it to show through my dress.  Not only show through my bra but I feel like this bra could use an extra lift. By adding this bandeau top , it does add extra support and gives you an extra lift. You may not be able to tell the difference in the photos but I can tell a major difference when I add the bandeau top over my bra.  If you have big boobs like me and you're looking for smoothness and extra lift to your strapless bra gift this hack a try.

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What's In My Everyday Bag

What's in your bag? It's been a while since I've shared a What's In My Bag Post.  I love seeing other's share their everyday essentials, so I thought I'd share mine.  Just an FYI I did clean out my purse before this post. Completing this blogpost was the perfect way for me to clean my purse and get rid of items that weren't supposed to be in  there.

1. My Bag: I purchased this purse during a Kate Spade back in March. I wanted to try a new color and step out my comfort zone from the basic black  and other neutral colors.  Also,I found myself carrying around  too much items in my daily purse. So I decided to go on the hunt and downsize , I'm a big Kate Spade fan and I'm always looking for a great deal.  Kate  Spade has surprise sales everyday but make sure you're following their Facebook page. Also you can type in "Surprise Sale" in the search bar for the the sale of the day.


2. Portable Fan: Baby it's hot! I used this for our last photoshoot to keep us cool. I planned on using this for attending events this Summer. This is perfect essential for any activity this summer. I also think this is perfect for inside activities as well.

3. Wallet:  I found this wallet during my trip to Orlando last month. Of course I went to the  Kate Spade outlet for this wallet because I was in need of a bigger wallet.

4. Rollerballs:  I purchase many rollerballs and travel size scents because they're much accessible. I used to carry around my big  perfume bottles  in my purse until one ended up breaking. Purchasing rollerballs are perfect for traveling as well because you're able to bring more than one scent.

5. Sunglasses:  Yes I wear sunglasses for  fashion purposes  but just know I can't see. Lol , please believe that I keep my glasses near me .

6. Lip Stick: I carry around a nude lipstick and lipgloss just in case. On normal workdays I carry my makeup in a separate makeup bag and I would forget to bring a lipstick for the day. Luckily  my nude lipstick or lipgloss is in my purse.  My Favorite Nude  Lippies are: MAC Velvet Teddy and MAC Creme De Nude

7. Pens: I'm huge fan of  stationary items and I keep a variety of pens in my bag. My favorite pens are Flair Pens, they come in many different colors. Flair pens are perfect for color coding and pretty cool to collect.

8. Post It Notes: If I forget my daily journal   at home or I need to jot an idea really quick, I'll have my post it notes on hand. I keep these handy not only at in my purse but at  my desk as well.

9. Chapstick: My lips tend to get very dry so I keep chapstick at-least two forms of chapstick in my purse. I have to keep these lips luscious and moisturized honey.

10. Hand Sanitizer: I normally keep my hand sanitizer on lanyard at work. But since COVID -19 I keep at least two mini bottles in my purse.  It's so important during this time to keep hand sanitizer on  hand if you're out and about.

11. Air Pods and Case : Thanks to Timothy, I  have a pair of Air  Pods. The first week of my using them I kept loosing them in my purse. Either the case would go missing or the air pods would. After many suggestions, I found a cute case on Amazon for only $5.99.

12:  Charger:  Here is another item I found on Amazon. This comes in handy at home and on the go. This charger cord came in a 5 pack with 2 two different lengths.   I keep my Apple charger at home but I take this one on the go.

13. Lotion: I have to keep my hands moisturized  and feeling good. The worst feeling is washing your hands and they feel so dry after. That has to be one of my biggest pet peeves.

14. Air Freshener: This comes in handy in so many ways. Especially if you're out about and are using public bathrooms. I normally buy  Poopurrri but,  the  Bath and Body Works room sprays work just as good.

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Wedding Updates: 5 month Update

Well what do you know, we're officially planning a wedding during the pandemic. We've reached the 5  month mark of the wedding updates. We're excited to be to mark things off our list leading up to the big day in November. There have been so many updates with in the past few weeks  I decided to save them for  a big 6 month up date post.
Grab your coffee or whatever your choice of drink and
let's chat.

Ceremony/ Reception: Both of them are paid for and ready. But last week I received some news about the ceremony guidelines due to COVID-19. As of right now, they're only allowing 100 people inside the chapel. I honestly was prepared for this to happen. I mean I totally understand the safety of others and I don't want to put anyone's including our health in jeopardy. With that news we had to cut the list in half but it's only July which means more things could change. We came up with a plan b for those who can't attend the Ceremony. I'm still working on getting in touch with the reception venue  about how many guest can attend before I send out invitations.


Invitations: I'm still sending out invitations but only to the guest who will be attending. As for the guest who will not be able to attend, I'm sending them out cards with information on how they can still celebrate with us on our big day.

Wedding Cake: It looks like our wedding will be a little different due to the circumstances. So I'm thinking out the box and breaking away from tradition. Stay tuned for what we come up with.

Wedding Dress: My wedding dress and veil have arrived! I'm super excited thanks to my collaboration with David's Bridal. I haven't taken it out of the bag yet because I'm too afraid of getting something on it. I just need to find the perfect pair of shoes to go with  my dress. Check out my David's Bridal Collab HERE! 


Bridesmaids: Their dresses have arrived too, I just need to get them their dresses. We're also waiting on their shoes to arrive. I've also made a decision on hair and makeup as well for them.  Here's how they found their dress!

Flowers: I'm all about saving money, so I decided to create my own bouquet. I've been stalking weddings recycle pages on Facebook and purchased some flowers. I'll also be creating the girls bouquets as well.

Caterer: If all goes well we will  still be able to utilize our caterer even if we have a small wedding. We came up with this amazing menu and I know the food is going to be amazing.

Decorations:  I found so many cute pieces on the wedding recycle pages. I found out how I wanted to decorate for the ceremony and the reception. But until I think I'm going to put a pause on purchasing things for the reception until I find for sure how many people can attend.

Pictures: If you've been following this journey with me for a while, you know I'm a big fan of taking pictures and creating our own traditions. We had a our glam photoshoot last month and they turned out great. I can't wait to hang these up around out home and show our kids one day.

For the most part I'm excited that I can put my creativity to the test. Regardless of what's going on we're going to make the best of the day. Timothy and I our in great spirits about everything, he keeps reminding me that everything is going to work out.  I'm hoping in the next update we'll have a clearer vision on what's to come due to everything that's going on.

Check out my previous Wedding updates HERE  and all Wedding Content HERE!

Quarantine Amazon Finds

I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who purchased plenty of items from Amazon over Quarantine. Amazon came in handy for items that I didn't feel comfortable going into the store to get. Also if I needed it last minute, Amazon Prime was THE GOAT. 

NYX Brow Wiz Pencil: This happens to be my got eyebrow pencil. I've been using this pencil  since it made it's debut a few years back. I believe it is a dupe of Anastasia Brow Wiz Pencil and it's lets expensive.  My shade is always sold out at Target so I decided to try amazon.

Clear Makeup Brush Organizer :  I was cleaning up during quarantine and realized I needed  a space for my brushes only and found this organizer. This hold all of my brushes and my makeup spaces look s much  organized.

Gold Initial Letter Necklace: If you didn't know my name starts with an " I " and its so hard to find my initial on anything. I've always wanted one of these growing up and why not at 29!?! lol

Acrylic  3 Drawer Organizer: since we're speaking of organizing, I decided to purchase this for my bathroom sink to keep my items organized. I was so tired of things being all over the place and loosing hair ties.

Beauty Sponges: This has to be one the best beauty purchases for me. I hate that my beauty sponges would get so dirty that cleaning them wouldn't  make it better. I would end up throwing them away and having to purchase more. Purchasing this pack of  beauty sponges will save me a couple of coins over the next few months.

Natural Hair Clip-ins- I purchased these clips-ins for a photoshoot but did't get a chance to rock them. I'm also looking to see if this will be an option for my wedding as well. I will say they feel like real hair and I ordered 18inch


Handheld Fan: Baby it's summer and it's HOT! I used this during our recent photoshoot and it came in handy. This is perfect for photoshoots, in your office etc. Just. little something to keep you cool.


Gooseneck: I have tripod but there some angles that my tripod can't get without the help of someone else. This is a great purchase for bloggers, creators,business owners etc. You can set this up to record videos or snap pics.

Milk Frother: Over quarantine I was making so many drinks. It inspired me to create a foodie page LattesTilChampange. I have yet to use my frother but I'm hoping to use it really soon.