Lucky Luxe is situated on Magnolia Street in a sunny 100 year old loft in downtown Laurel, Mississippi. We have a great neighborhood of friends here, as Ben and I, both our college roommates and their spouses, our friends who are artists and ministers and musicians and students and designers and financial advisors, accountants and stylists all live and work right here within these few blocks of downtown. We have get-togethers in the park below our windows in the fall, and dinner parties in our loft apartments when the heat is too stifling outdoors. Just a block over, right around the corner, is a coffee shop & deli where some of our friends work and where we spend lazy afternoons. One of these girls is my sweet friend Brooke who just got married last weekend to Brandon, another downtown boy. They had a true DIY wedding, with lots of help from their uber-creative friends that I’m so proud to call my neighbors. Here, you can see some of their gorgeous photos by Mississippi wedding photographers Lovely Union:

Brandon & Brooke, photo by Sara Beth Hinton

The awesome boutonniers were also made by Dawn, Gabby & the bridesmaids.

Aviator Ray Bans and a cigar. Of course she was in love with him.

Don’t you love a classic romantic movie? Today on Yahoo, there was an article about couples having movie-inspired engagement photos taken. I know most of you have seen the Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Up inspired photos, but have you seen the couple who were inspired by The Notebook? It’s pretty sexy and sweet if you ask me:

Business planning was in high gear today. Ben and I had a long discussion about the next steps for Lucky Luxe, what I think the long term goals should be, and where we go from here. Soon there will be giveaways, a new website, coverage on more blogs, coverage in more magazines, and I am SO excited about the plans we have for the future. For now, I can only offer these images in the way of hints and inspiration:

Ernest Hemingway in 1928 Paris

Let me assure you that photography is usually out of my realm of expertise, but when my dear friend Annalee asked me if I could just give it a shot for her maternity photos I couldn’t say no. We spent an afternoon in a field, on a porch swing, and in the park in 100 degree heat and she was a total trooper. I’m actually really pleased with how they turned out (many thanks to Photoshop), but I don’t think I’m going to be selling photography services any time soon. These are some of the fruits of our labor (teehee! labor!):

Get excited — this design has been added to the Lucky Luxe collection. To view the Hemingway suite, click here!

Never have I ever felt so much joy while creating an invitation suite. Originally, Gabriella was envisioning a vintage airline ticket suite, in a nod to their love for travel. After some thought, I began to imagine something Hemingway inspired — love letters sent from around the globe, handwritten and imperfect, personal and cherished, with drips and puddles of fountain ink adorning the corners of each piece. It is hands-down my favorite invitation suite I’ve ever designed and we will be happy to offer it in the Lucky Luxe catalog in the near future. The finishing touch is the calligraphy of my dear friend, Mrs. Holland Wilson. She has a way of making a flat envelope come to life with personality. I am forever amazed by her talent.