snap and chat with Courtney and Leah at New Leaf Studio

You may recall a few weeks back that I had a transformation myself from gruesome to gorgeous... well I guess Trish was feeling a little left out. She wanted to expose her makeup-less face and limp hairdo to the wedding world too! Why should I have all the fun? Her version of the story might seem more like I bullied her into this, but pay no attention to that- she's prone to exaggeration anyway. What better place for Trish to get a NEW LOOK... then the NEW LEAF Studio in beautiful Bristol RI.

The girls at New Leaf are the best. We've actually photographed 3 New Leaf weddings, including the lady behind the whole operation, Amy. In addition to Amy we photographed the lovely Courtney last year... she is also starring in our snap-umentary. Quite a few years back I also photographed Melanie, she's a stylist at New Leaf too! I just love that there seems to be an endless supply of pretty, fashionable, sweet women at New Leaf to photograph!

Okay everyone... here she is! What!?

Trish wanted to go for a 1920's kind of look... she always says she should have been born in that era. Courtney thought some soft curls would be just the ticket, so here she is going to work on Trish.

New Leaf offers full service wedding packages that include a hair and makeup trial, mani and pedi and wedding day hair and makeup. Courtney is the lady to contact. You should contact her about six months before your event, but closer to the wedding day is okay too.

Courtney says the best way to approach deciding on your look is to come to her with photos with ideas and inspirations and a picture of your dress because neckline is very important when deciding on a style for your hair.

Then, she'll play around with your hair until she starts to achieve a look that you are excited about. "The trend is definitely toward soft and natural especially in this area. We are so close to the water, brides love that undone look instead of an overly polished one." says Courtney.

Here's a big question... Do you grow your hair out for the wedding?

Courtney's thoughts on that? "If you want to wear it down, yes definitely grow it out. If it's short and you want to wear it up, don't worry because we can always create an updo with shorter hair, you'd be surprised!"

So where's a good place to get inspiration for your wedding hair?

"Everyone brings in photos from the knot, it's the best place to get ideas for wedding hair!"

I asked Courtney if people bring in photos of celebrities...

"Bridesmaids definitely bring in pics

of celebrities. We encourage them to bring photos too- we want the bridesmaids

to feel pretty! They always feel like they can't say something about their hair

but we definitely want them too! Our number one piece of advice is to bring in photos

because then there's no miscommunication."

Courtney let us in on a little bit of New Leaf news... apparently they are looking to create

a bridal room in the lower part of their building. They are going to make it super girly, a

place where the bridal party can have privacy and drink mimosas!

MMM, sign me up for that.

...and sign me up for this too. How deluxe is this pedicure station? Can't you picture yourself

sitting their with your girlfriends reading celebrity gossip and sipping on some herbal tea?

I am so relaxed just thinking about it that I may need to lay down and take a nap.

...Oh, I almost forgot about Trish! Next we hand her off to the capable hands of makeup artist

Leah. Courtney says that Leah is a magical genius and can totally recreate any face in a photograph. Leah, I'll take the Charlize Theron special please...




Courtney says that another thing about Leah is, "Brides love Leah because she never argues with them, she really listens."

Leah says, "This is the year of the Glam! Don't be afraid, try something a little different... you
should wow everybody! Wearing a lot of makeup does not equal wearing a mask on your face."

Here's where the girls teach me something new! Apparently they are the only salon in the area to carry HD makeup. What's that you ask? It's a high definition makeup created for television and photography. How you might wonder... well, it has a special pigment in it that adapts to any lighting situation so you look your best in any light. Now that's cool- plus it's eco-friendly!



Trish approves...

With her face completed... it's back into Courtney's chair to finish styling her locks.

The nice thing about coming to New Leaf is that everyone in the bridal party can be

glammed up at the same time.

Courtney's going to hate this photo... but I am putting it in anyway. We like to tease her

about her serious "styling" face. One of my favorite pictures from Courtney's wedding was a shot of her in her veil styling her mother in law with a can of hairspray in one hand and this same look on her face. Beauty is serious business.

This shot is closer to what she usually looks like!

"I never get tired of doing bridal hair, we always get the nicest clients. My favorite

moment is when a girl sees herself in the mirror and says, I've never looked like this before! I love it! That's the best compliment" says Courtney.

I'm beginning to think being so gorgeous is probably going to go to Trish's head. I bet she's going to be a real diva the rest of the day.

Another tip from Courtney... "Don't be late! The vibe is delicate. Stress and tension are usually running high anyway. Being late puts a really negative vibe on what should be a fun experience for everyone, especially the bride!"

Wow- it looks like the girls have achieved 1920's glam to me. This may be my all time favorite picture of Trish. You can feel that she is feeling good about herself in this photo and that is the most important thing on your wedding day too. If you feel gorgeous, you'll look gorgeous. That's a photography fact and it's better than any lens we could pull out of our bag of tricks.

Call Courtney and Leah at New Leaf, unless of course you prefer Trish's before photo. Ha ha!

http://www.newleafhairstudio.com/

401.254.9333

The snap! cam shares a quiet evening at home with Sam and Mike

The snap cam is really getting around town... it spent 24 hours with Sam and Mike in Newton Ma. Sam and Mike are getting married April 24th at the Towers in Narragansett. I can't wait!

Sam says she was pretty psyched when the snap cam arrived- Mike on the other hand asked "What the hell is a snap-cam?" Apparently when Sam brought him up to speed he decided he didn't want to be photographed in this outfit....





Mike sent Sam to the grocery store so he could do some sexy man chef action. Love it! This is a photo of their basil plant- Sam says they've had it for a year. What's Mike going to cook up for us?

I agree with Sam, not much sexier than a man in the kitchen. Woo-hoo. (that's me whistling in case you were wondering). Mike is creating a little dish he likes to call pasta with scallops and shrimp and "zing-a" sauce. Apparently the zing-a sauce is his gram's recipe. Zing-a sauce has a kick, I am guessing his gram is from Rhode Island?

MMMM! I wish there was a third place setting for me.

I love the team work here. Mike cooks and Sam does the dishes.

What's Mike going to do after dinner? Study! Sam bought him this sign because apparently he's ALWAYS studying. Mike is a pharmaceutical student at Northeastern.

Good looks and brains too.

This is Sam's very organized DIY cabinet.She's making their programs, place cards & menu cards. Crafty! I love how everything matches!

Here's Sam addressing her invitations. She took a calligraphy class and she's really good at it. Sam says writing pretty letters is relaxing.

This is a cute one... this is the bus stop where they take the bus into the city for work.

Mike took these photos on the way to school. I like this photo Mike- it's very manish... and the reflection in the building is cool.

Here's Sam baking a banana bread. Mike wants everyone to know that although he appreciates the banana bread... baking is not a frequent occurrence in the house. Hey... who took a bite out of that bread?

The best for last... this is Richard. Sam loves him and dresses him up for the holidays. She thought the snap suitcase matched his Valentine outfit quite nicely. I think so too.

Hey guys- thanks so much for letting us to peek into your evening! I am still drooling over that zing-a sauce. What are the chances of me scoring some of that? Love, Mariah

P.S. Trade you for one of my famous peach pies!

snap! & chat with Sayles Livingston

Sayles is a natural pick for our snap and chat... she's lovely, she's talented, we admire her beautiful work and when we see her at weddings there is no time to chat... she's busy making everything gorgeous and we are too busy snapping away. So naturally Trish and I were really looking forward to a little "quality time" with our long time friend Sayles...

Maybe it's just because she has a fancy name... I'm not sure, but her name to me is synonymous with quality, good taste, and uniqueness.

I must admit, before I met Sayles I was a little intimidated by her name. I thought anyone with a name like Sayles Livingston must be really chichi.

As you know, I am not so chihi...

What a relief to meet Sayles, and to learn that to be Sayles is to be gifted and gracious...

Fun Fact about Sayles: She LOVES bugs.

I guess that makes sense for a gal with a masters degree in entomology & horticulture.

Sayles also has an undergraduate degree in art.

What would one do with degrees in flowers, bugs and art? Why become a world class floral designer... Duh.

That's enough for me to admire right there... but let's mix in the fact that Sayles is a really stellar business woman and also a wife and mother of four really good looking kids.

It's making me tired just thinking about it.

Take a look at any of the local bridal mags... there are a lot of florists out there! What sets someone like Sayles apart from the rest? I know personally, that I always recognize her work. If I get to an event and I am unsure of the florist... if it is a Sayles wedding I know right away. It just has a certain quality, lushness, and richness to it.

"I take things very seriously. I really give of myself to each of my clients. I think that separates me. I have toyed with the idea of transitioning to a bigger team of people, but it's hard to do that and still give everyone and everything the attention it deserves."

Well said Sayles... we've had that problem too!

I asked Sayles who she thinks is drawn to her as a client... "People who love flowers and people who know flowers!"

"I think my style can be described as lush and unpredictable. I didn't study floral design, so coming from a background of art and horticulture I put things together and then I am surprised. I don't have a huge team of people so my designs aren't 'controlled'... it's not like a recipe."

That being said, Sayles really likes it when a client comes to her and doesn't really know what they want yet... "It's more fun for me when they don't have really specific ideas. It's more fun to start from scratch and create a look."

Sayles' office is brimming with photo albums full of all the bouquets and centerpieces she's created over the years...

Step one for brides is to start pouring over the albums so Sayles can help them define their style.

I always wonder what a florist's favorite flowers are... Sayles loves hydrangea, peonies, big fat roses, pods and berries.

Here's some exciting news... Sayles' brand spanking sparkly new website is going live any day now: http://www.sayleslivingstonflowers.com/

I got a little sneak peek at the new site while we were there... any you know what? It's chichi!

The photography on the site is so beautiful, it really showcases her amazing talent... and I'm not just saying that because there are quite a few of our images.

Side note: Sayles is always really conscious of giving credit to the photographers who provide her with images- I really appreciate that about her. Thanks Sayles!

Trish was completely obsessed with all of the rich and fabulous ribbon Sayles has at her office. Talk about inspiring. I love color! Sayles thinks people can be a little afraid of color and often opt for more simple white and greens- I say the more color the better though!

It's nice to have some living things growing in your office... makes it feel a little less like the depressing dreary winter that it is. Clearly Sayles has a knack... I on the other hand have a black thumb. All plants in my care die horrible and painful deaths.

It's just so terrific to see talented and genuinely wonderful people succeed at doing what they love. Maybe that's the key... if you are doing what you love success is sure to follow? Probably yes.. with a great big dose of crazy work ethic. Sayles is a really busy lady but somehow manages to balance it all with grace and a loving spirit. Hope a little of that rubbed off on me during our chat.

You must go to Little Compton and visit Sayles! It's the cutest town in RI, even on a snowy day in February. She recently moved her office a little closer to the rest of civilization and there are some cute and cozy restaurants for lunch and shops for browsing... ladies- invite your mom and make a day of it. (Moms love Sayles by the way).

Sayles - thanks for chatting. We learned a lot about you and from you too!

On location at the Lippett House in Providence

OK, so here is the last installment of our snap!-umentary behind the scenes. We shot at the beautiful Governor Lippitt House located on the East side of Providence. It's a hidden gem! They do small weddings and functions as well as offer the house for photo sessions. There will be more on the house in a future snap! & chat episode next month!

We had the pleasure of photographing the lovely Courtney, look how stunning and gorgeous she is! She kind of looks like she belongs in the house, a perfect fit of styles.

Another beautiful bouquet by the fab Mariah! SO brides not to worry, if your bouquet were to suddenly fall apart at your wedding we could totally whittle you a new one! Doing one bouquet is really fun but I don't know how the florists do it with 8 bouquets, 12 boutonnieres, 20 centerpieces, and all the other misc arrangements. What a major undertaking. Like many things, it looks a lot easier than it is!!!




I love the lines and the wallpaper here, so simple and beautiful...





So here is Melissa taking a coffee break while the guys set up the lights. Clearly Dave is jealous.




The Lippitt House has so many amazing nooks and crannies with beautiful natural light streaming in. Again, this wall paper is awesome!

Sorry guys, she's taken! Of course.

Now here's Melissa during her interview, I think she was a little nervous but loosened up after a while. Then said nice things about me...and Mariah.

The heat went on and the veil was blowing a bit, how perfect was that?!

Tomorrow we will be featuring the latest snap! & chat with Sayles Livingston...