From the Bride, Neissa: 

Brandon and I met our freshman year of high school. We started dating in the 10th grade! We have officially been dating for over 10 and 1/2 years. We have always wanted our wedding day to be fun for not only us, but for all of our guests. We like to have fun and celebrate life and we thought that everyone should join us. We are from Pittsburgh, PA but our hearts are always at the beach (usually Florida:-)). We have been on many many vacations there and are absolutely in love with it. At first our family was unsure of us having a destination wedding, but we knew exactly what we wanted and went with it. 

Two years ago I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and we knew from then on we wanted to live life to the fullest. We wanted to celebrate and have as much fun as we could all the time with the people that we cared about and loved. We didn't want to take a day for granted and we knew that the beach was our happy place. I felt like there was no stopping us. Our family and friends mean the world to us and have helped us through so many obstacles in life. We wanted them all to experience this vacation. 

Location: LaPlaya Resort - Naples, Florida 
Photography: Luminaire Foto 
Hair/Makeup: Christine Diaz - Fort Myers, Florida 
DJ/uplighting/dance floor monogram: A Sound Choice Entertainment - Naples, Florida
Florist/chairs/tablet linens: Lyfe of the Party
​Accessories: EYMBellish Designs



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Written by contributing blogger, Karryne Fox

By Contributing Blogger, Karryne Fox

Ever since I found out I was having a girl, I have been dreaming of all the different ways I can dress her up. Having had a boy first time around, I felt a small void in the area of fashion. Yeah, boys clothes are cute and all, don't get me wrong, but there is just something about a mom having a daughter to dress up that is just so fun! So naturally, newborn pictures were a top priority for me. I mean who doesn't love scrolling through photos of a less than 10-day-old wrinkly baby in mushy poses?

Well, as I was daydreaming about all of the different newborn pictures outfits, headbands and poses, my husband threw me a curveball. He told me that he couldn't justify spending the money on a pricey photographer when we had literally just purchased a brand new Canon camera. I saw his side of the argument but at the same time knew that I am one hundred percent NOT capable of producing the professional quality photos I was envisioning.  

But in the end, I saw his side and decided to give it a shot. I mean it couldn't hurt to try right? In preparation, I read dozens of how-to blogs and pinned hundreds of ideas that I saw on Pinterest. Once I gained some confidence, I gathered props, backdrops, outfits (and my baby of course) and began snapping away.

When all was said and done, I was not happy with the final product. The lighting was bad, the backdrop was wrinkled, my baby was impossible to position and the camera angles were off. I don't know what I was thinking when I thought I could pull it off.

When you search "tips on a newborn photo shoot" your results are endless. Here are some of the tips they give you - and my personal experiences/advice to you:

1. Natural light. A bright sunny day, near a window will always work best. Lamps create shadows. This was the biggest issue for me. My baby was born in February and it was gloomy for a solid 2 weeks straight. According the the websites I had read, they tell you that newborn pictures need to be taken within the first 10 days of the baby's life. But since I cannot control the weather, I had no choice but to take them on a gloomy day. And I got exactly what I was told I was going to get - 'shadow-y' pictures. 
2. Use a good backdrop. If you choose to use a sheet - make sure it is ironed. I am the worst at ironing. I tried my best to get the wrinkles out but clearly, it didn't work. In the end I've decided that no blanket is probably better than a wrinkled one. But hey, the wrinkles add some character, right?! If you are horrible at ironing like myself, I suggest you use a blanket instead that way it won't even be an issue.
​3. Positioning. Don't stress over getting the baby in the "best position". I quickly found out that I will not be able to get pictures like the professionals do so there was no point in stressing over it. In the end your pictures will be adorable because they are pictures of your baby.
​4. Angles are everything. Angles are hard to figure out. I ended up taking over 20 pictures of the baby in one position but moving my camera slightly each time. Once I found an angle I liked, I was able to snap a few good shots. 
5. Include siblings in your shoot. This was a major fail for me. My 3 year old son is at the stage where he HATES pictures and anything to do with pictures. It was actually more stressful for me to have him in the pictures than not because I was getting so frustrated with him not looking at the camera (and poking his sister in the eyes) So no, I didn't get any of those heart melting sibling photos of your two children gazing into each others eyes. Oh well.  
6. Use a space heater to keep the baby as warm as possible.  Seriously? Who has a space heater lying around? I certainly don't. And I was not about to go out and purchase one for a 2 hour photo shoot. I ended up cranking the heat in the house. Was it as good as a space heater? Probably not. The point of the heat is the keep them very comfortable so they stay asleep and you can mold them in positions much easier. Yes we could have benefited from one but I didn't want to go out and buy one. And I wasn't about to hunt one down 10 days post-pardum.  

What I took away from this frustrating experience was that even though my pictures were not professional quality (or anywhere near it for that matter) they were memories. No they are not edited to perfection and no they don't have that "glow". But what they do have is my baby. My 10-day old, wrinkly, mushy baby and they are just perfect.  

We were contacted earlier this year by an industry professional that was launching a course for Etsy sellers on how to style and take the best pictures possible.   As a non-photographer, one of our biggest business challenges is learning how to take and show off our products, so this course is going to be amazing for e-commerce sellers.   Can't wait until it goes live!

Photographer: Lazio Images
Stylist/Planner: Quintessential Wedding & Events
Bridal Accessories: EYMbellish Designs

Its no lie that we love Etsy! There are endless creative vendors that inspire me with so many new and unique ideas.   Its a perfect place for buying personalized gifts for yourself and others.   Did you know that you can also register on Etsy for your wedding, bridal shower, baby shower, house warming, etc?   Yes, the end to countless white oval platters and serving dishes is here.

How to Register:  Now that you know Etsy has a registry, the next steps are SUPER easy!  Your hardest part will be narrowing down what items you will want to add!

1. Visit the registry website:  https://www.etsy.com/registry/?ref=ftr
2.  Create a registration for your event (don't worry, they walk you through the steps)
3.  Add items to your registry by hovering over the picture, and clicking on the icon with three lines.  A box should come up with a 'check box' to add to 'Wedding Registry.'   The great thing is you can add notes when adding custom items to your registry so the buyer knows how to customize it.  See below.

Make sure you let others know that you have added Etsy as one of your registries by linking it on your wedding website!  Most wedding websites will have a place for you to copy and paste a link to your Etsy  registration.

Here are a few of our favorite items from browsing Etsy that we think would make amazing additions to your registration.

Probably by the time your wedding day rolls around, you have cried, laughed, yelled, and danced a few (okay, maybe a lot of) drunken nights away with your maid of honor (or Matron of Honor).    As the keeper of most your secrets & someone who has lots of dirt on you... make probably want to make her feel extra special on your wedding day!

We love seeing different trends and unique ideas for how brides differentiate their MOHs from the group-  Whether its a play on their flowers, a different style dress within the same color, or even just as simple as a standout piece of jewelry.  

Picture this:  you have paired your gorgeous dress with an EYmbellish Design bridal belt.   You use that same trim or a coordinating thin rhinestone belt on your MOH and flower girl, wrap your bouquet in that same trim... and voila!  A subtle way to pull the entire bridal party look together.  

Here are some additional pairing of bridal belts with complimenting bridesmaids belts that we think would be FABULOUS.

We love the way (both good and bad) that each bride dresses and styles her best friends on her special day.  From cut to color to accessories, the opportunities are endless!  Here are a few of our favorite styles from Pinterest.

When done correctly, mismatching bridesmaids dresses are fabulous and a huge wedding trend.   The key is making sure everyone knows the vision and has guidance.

1.  Give everyone a paint chip (free from any hardware store) in the shades that would be acceptable

2.  Give some restrictions on fabric types, length of dress, pattern, sleeves, etc.   If one girl has a long sequin formal gown, and your other bridesmaids has a cotton summer dress, it might not look right. 

3. Without being a 'zilla, have them send you a picture of their dress before purchasing it. 

4.  As the bride, think of something to pull the look all together.  The same bouquet on each girl is the most obvious, but consistency in their shoes, hair or jewelry might also help pull everything together.

The metallic glisten of these bridesmaids say it all.  Fabulous!!!!

This past year, I had the privilege of working with some of Denver's Top wedding professionals to plan a styled winter incorporating rustic chic decor.  Using marsala color accents, lush greens and some sparkle,  the design elements would make for any bride's dream wedding!!  And most of all, this Colorado mountain-top wedding venue was breathtaking!  Here are some pictures from the day:

The bride paired her wedding day look with our EYMBellish gold crystal bridal belt as a statement hair piece, and we absolutely love it!!   

We also love how she wore our EYMB016 Crystal Rhinestone Bridal Belt to accent her wedding dress during the reception!   

Welcome to EYMbellish Designs & EYM Bridal Designs blog page!  

EYM stands for Elizabeth Y. Messina, aka, budget conscious bride that got married in spring of 2014. During the planning process, like most brides, I set a budget for my wedding and set out to stay within that budget.  But holy cow do the details add up!   I fell in love with my wedding dress and the beautiful crystal rhinestone belt that the bridal salon helped me pair with it. The problem; the bridal belt was so unbelievable expensive that it blew my budget completely out of the water. Determine to have the exact look, I tracked down the same exact rhinestone trim, used a relative's wholesale license to buy all the supplies... and made the bridal belt myself.   I had so much fun doing it, I started an Etsy shop with affordable bridal belts, garter, and hair pieces without sacrificing quality.  In Spring 2015, I was so busy making customized bridal accessories that I was able to leave my 'big girl' job at an engineering firm, and pursuing my passion full time.   

Q&A With Elizabeth Messina

• Favorite Part of the Wedding Planning Process:  My personal favorite part of the wedding planning process was picking out my wedding dress (I think like most girls!!)  Its the moment you have been waiting for since you were a little girl and years of watching "Say Yes to the Dress" prepared me for the wedding dress shopping experience (haha).  I still ended up with something totally different than what I thought I would pick, but I loved everything about when I stepped out and my family's reaction was everything! 
• Favorite Part of a Wedding:  That split second moment right before the doors open to the aisle! On one side of the door, its such a special moment for the bride and her dad, and on the other side of the door everyone is just waiting in such anticipation (especially the groom) to see her!!
• Favorite thing about bridal style: I love that e y person's vision for bridal is different and unique to them!   When people ask me, "what do you think..." my answer is always that this is the one day that it doesn't matter what anyone else but you think!   I mean, I probably wouldn't let me best friend walk down the aisle in something absolutely terrible, but than again if she loves it, who cares!
  
• Favorite Piece in the 2015 Collection: I truthfully don't have one favorite.  I have one of every style in my own closet that I use to bling out my everyday outfits.   Sometimes I go really bold, like with the EYM B019  or sometimes, its just some subtle sparkle with the EYM B027

I want all brides to be able to have their dream wedding look with high quality, crystal rhinestone accessories (most the time, the same one that you buy at the highest end bridal salon) at a price point that is affordable.  We hope we can be part of making you, or someone you know feel like their most beautiful self on their wedding day!

Elizabeth Messina
Owner and Lead Designer