The Franklin Plaza. Photo by Vincent Nicholas photography

UPDATE – Congratulations to comment #6, Diane B.

When we were planning our wedding, we decided right away to make our priorities clear. With a tight budget, we needed to know where to spend our money. I didn’t want to splurge on flowers (turns out that with Karen from Splendid Stems, I didn’t have to. Karen knew how tight our budget was and made the most amazing bouquets and boutonnieres I have ever seen. Truly.) We decided that the venue was the most important thing to us. We wanted to have it somewhere beautiful. We wanted a place that was both elegant and fun, allowing all of our family and friends to have a great time while celebrating with us. Once we checked out the Franklin Plaza, it was a no-brainer that we would book there. They took care of everything, from the ceremony and lighting down to the h’ordeuvres and dessert bar.

After making sure we found the perfect venue, a great photographer was next on our list.

I love photos. I love to flip through albums and books, reminiscing and laughing at times past. And the pictures don’t even have to be of me or anyone I know! I think it’s the writer in me, because you know what they say. A picture is worth a thousand words. That’s so true.

I knew that, for me, in order to tell the story of our wedding to our kids someday, I needed to have plenty of breathtaking photos.

Goofing around in the alley. Photo by Vincent Nicholas Photography

If you’ve never had to choose a wedding photographer while living in the Capital Region, consider yourself lucky. Well, maybe I should consider myself lucky. We are saturated with an overabundance of extremely talented photographers. It was very hard for me to whittle our potential pool down. Luckily, we met with Vinny from Vincent Nicholas Photography, and quickly decided to hire him. While looking through his portfolio, it was clear that not only did he capture the typical family portraits and first kiss, but he was able to get snapshots of the little moments that help create your wedding day – a bridesmaid lacing up your dress, the moment you look in the mirror and realize you’re a bride, the best man adjusting the groom’s tie. That’s what I wanted. And that really is what we got with Vinny.

So, of course, after getting our photo package back, I wanted to put them all on display. This, of course, would make me look like a crazy woman, so I was forced to choose a select few.

You know how I am about Etsy. I went on there to find unique picture frames and discovered Frames, Y’all. Love love LOVE this shop. Shop owner, Mandy, makes all of these frames herself, guaranteeing that nobody else will ever have one exactly like you.

I messaged Mandy and we got to talking. Her shop just opened in September. As a mommy and a wife, she feels blessed to have found her life’s passion. And I feel blessed to have found the perfect frame for my favorite wedding photo!

Not only does Mandy take the time to create your frame, but she also sends it carefully packaged. Little touches like that is why I love buying from little shops and boutiques.

Under the paper was LAYERS of bubble wrap, ensuring no damage to the gorgeous frame

Mandy is offering my readers 10% off any order with coupon code HeatherBlog. She is also going to offer one VERY lucky reader a $50 gift card to her shop. Considering I’d like to own everything in the shop, I’m positive you will find something you love.

So, to enter the contest, please visit Mandy’s Etsy shop Frames, Y’all. Come back here and leave a comment, letting Mandy know which piece in her shop is your favorite. Be sure to leave your email address, so we can contact you if you’re the winner!

For one extra entry, please like Mandy’s shop on Facebook. Leave a separate comment, letting me know you did this.

For one last entry, subscribe to my blog (on the right) and leave a separate comment letting me know you did this.

The winner will be chosen using random.org, from all comments, on Tuesday June 19th at 3:00. Good luck and happy shopping!


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