Happy Birthday Princess Alethea!
Blog posts are never easy to write. I’m a grammatical perfectionist and strive to communicate with clarity and poise. This leads to a lot of over-thinking. Today’s post is doubly troublesome, though, because my subject is an incredibly talented author. Thus, anything I write is going to be kind of lame by comparison. As such, I’m going to skip the wordiness and get straight to the meat of it.
This is Alethea Kontis. You should read her books-all of them. Some of them are for little kids, some of them are for adults, and some of them are for young adults, which means that she has something you will enjoy…unless you have terrible taste. If you have terrible taste, her books probably aren’t for you, but you should buy them anyway just to look like you have decent taste. Reputation matters.
Also, Alethea is a princess. Now, if you’ve read your George MacDonald, you know that all girls are princesses by virtue of being daughters of the King, but Princess Alethea takes it a step farther by actually dressing the part. (Kids, remember this next time your mom doesn’t want you to wear your tiara to the grocery store.) This, in addition to her natural beauty and effervescence (Woo! spelled it right on the first try!) , makes her a great subject for a photo. When she was in town signing and promoting Enchanted she was kind enough to sit for Wendy and me. I tried to recruit a frog to complete the tableau, but he was uncooperative.
So, to celebrate Princess Alethea’s birthday, give her a shout on Twitter, or on her website, in the comments below, or, better yet, just go buy all her books. I’m pretty sure the princess would appreciate that.
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Gyrotonic Vista
Happy New Year, friends and clients!
We hope you enjoyed a big helping (or three) of dressing this holiday season and maybe even one too many cups of hot cocoa. I certainly did. With that in mind, here’s a fair warning before you keep scrolling. If you haven’t yet made any New Year’s resolutions, the images you are about to see will make them for you. Don’t worry. You’re not alone. I’ll see you at the gym. Or better yet…
“What is Gyrotonic?” you might ask. We’ll get to that, but first, meet Miriam and Rosey, instructors at this uniquely butt-kicking workout and conditioning studio in Columbia, SC.
Seriously, it is one of a kind. Not only is it rare to find a Gyrotonic studio anywhere in SC, but this one is owned by Miriam Barbosa, one of Columbia, South Carolina’s treasures. Let me fill you in…
In addition to being an Authorized Master Trainer of the Gyrotonic methodology, Miriam is an expert in the fields of dance and choreography. She is a former member of the acclaimed Martha Graham Dance Company and founder of the South Carolina Contemporary Dance Company. We’re talking “artiste” pronounced the way you learned it in French class (but with no pretensions). Here is an interview with Miriam on ETV.
I had the privilege of being one of her students when she was Associate Artistic Director of the USC Dance Company and Assistant Professor with the USC Dance Program. She. Is. Amazing. (more…)
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Brian and Lynn: Johns Island Wedding
Before I show you photos of this beautiful and fun wedding I just have to get this off my chest: it really bothers me that there’s no apostrophe in Johns Island.
That said, Wendy and I were totally overwhelmed by all the fantastic elements of Lynn and Brian’s wedding. Where to begin? Oh yeah, how about with a custom-made cake topper in the likeness of the bride and groom?
Yeah, just go ahead and get your Pinterest button warmed up, because it’s that kind of wedding…
The wedding took place at the beautiful Island House on Johns Island (seriously, there should be an apostrophe in there).
Lynn works at the Island House, so if you’re looking for a beautiful place to have your wedding, if you go there, you’ll not only have a gorgeous location (and you haven’t seen the half of it yest) but you’ll have an absolutely delightful contact person as well. It’s pretty much a win all around.
I told you Lynn is delightful. Did I tell you she’s lovely as well? (Don’t worry, though, she won’t dress like this for your wedding.)
Brian and Lynn exchanged cards and gifts before they saw each other. I love their faces as they read one another’s words on their wedding day.
Brian and Lynn chose to have a first look–seeing each other before the ceremony and giving them some time together before the rush of the day fully sets in.
It’s wonderful to watch these two together–they constantly make each other laugh.
So I showed you the front of the Island House…are there any photogenic locations around back? Hmmm…
Gorgeous much?
The lovely flowers were provided by Local Roots Florist.
First Class Band kept the party going…
…and Brian’s brother Greg even joined up with them for one song.
That 1970 Cadillac Coupe de Ville behind the guys was provided by Shuttle Hogs.
Near the end of the night, Brian and Lynn lit up the sky with sky lanterns. (And nobody caught on fire!)
Brian and Lynn: thank you for having us be a part of your magical day!
Until next time…
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Heather + Brett: A Folly Beach Wedding
Summer is drawing to a close, and for all the students out there who are disappointed by that, trust me that your sadness pales in comparison to that of your teachers. Still, it’s a great time to celebrate the end of summer, and how better to do that than with a beach wedding?
Heather and Brett wanted their wedding to be a really great party with their family and close friends and I think you’ll be able to tell they succeeded admirably!
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BJ + Donna: A Columbia Wedding
Meet Donna and B.J.. Wendy and I first met this lovely couple last year at the wedding of Dave and Natalia, another wonderful couple who also happens to have adorable little girls…but more on them later.
Donna and B.J. had a wedding that fit them perfectly: beautiful, relaxed, and lots of fun. Before the wedding, though, Donna had a bridal session with us at 701 Whaley and the Horseshoe. That gave her a chance to wear her dress, figure out how to bustle it, and to learn our posing tips so that on the day of her wedding she was ready. Donna knows how to rock an s-curve!
The wedding itself was at Seacoast Irmo, and although it was a touch warm (as Columbia in June is wont to be) it really could not have been a much more beautiful day.
The flowers were provided by Debby West of Think Floral who is not only delightful, but who clearly knows more about flowers than I can ever hope to know.
Here’s B.J. ironing out some last-minute kinks. Note that he’s smiling. Donna and B.J. both stayed relaxed throughout the day and all the little things that keep weddings interesting.
The bride and her lovely bridesmaids!
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