Oh it matters. Have you ever been to my closest Starbucks? Lemme ‘splain.

We moved to our neighborhood three and a half years ago, a month after I left my day job to work on our photography business full-time. The second the movers left, I grabbed my laptop and strutted out the door to go work at our local Starbucks for the very first time. After a year of working in a corporate office all day and editing photos at night, I felt soooooo cool to be driving to our shopping center in the middle of the day…with my laptop…to work from a coffeehouse.

Isn’t that the modern American Dream?? To be one those coffee shop people? I was one of them now.

All of my ex-coworkers were probably at the weekly team meeting right at that second, I thought as I left the garage and headed down the street. They would be grinning at the indecipherable corporate speak from our HR boss while secretly wishing they were me – cool, hip, and finally free.

I was sure of it.

But when I turned the corner into the shopping center, the parking lot was overflowing. It was FULL of midday shoppers. Since when is 10am busy? I thought. But Starbucks was even worse. The line for my drink took fifteen minutes, and I couldn’t find a seat among any of the twenty or so tables in the store.

I figured that it was just an oddly busy day, so I tried again later that week. Same story. Everywhere I turned, the large store was jammed with people – moms with strollers, students buried in books, writers at their laptops, suits pacing on their cell phones, and realtors. Oh the realtors. Why do they only come in packs of five?? After multiple tries, I finally discovered that the best time to work at our Starbucks was between 8:00pm and close.

Welcome to suburbia, I thought. Where everybody works from home. I wanted to run into the Starbucks and yell, “Don’t you people have JOBS!!”

A year later when my delighted husband quit his day job and packed up his laptop bag for his first real Coffeehouse Work Day, I didn’t have the heart to tell him that it was the worst time of day to go. An hour later he came back home dejected. He didn’t feel special, he said. There are so many other people in our neighborhood that work from home too...

‘I know,’ I said, consoling him and patting him on the back. ‘We’re just normal.’

We thought the American Coffeehouse Dream would feel so different.

But we never gave up on that Coffeehouse Dream. After a while I learned some slick ninja maneuvers to grab my favorite tables at Starbucks and have since memorized every location of outlets and the best seats for great wi-fi in the store. So even though my Starbucks always seems to be full, I’ve come to love that fullness. The point of working from Starbucks is to be away from our office and be surrounded by other warm bodies. By civilization. To hear movement and chatter and espresso machines around me. It keeps me focused. It keeps me inspired.

So maybe it's not so much about feeling special. Maybe it's about togetherness. As if by showing up to my second office, I can feel like me and that insurance guy next to the creamers are making our dreams happen in our very own shared corporate space. Which means that there are a lot of dreamers out there just like us. And that's a pretty cool thing about a jam-packed Starbucks.

Hugs,
Erin

Ok, a LOT forgetful. But only when it comes to sweets. And when I say 'sweets', I mean when Jeff says really sweet things about me. One day he'll tell me that he thinks I'm a wonderful writer and go on and on and on about my entertaining stories, but the next day I'll be banging my head against the desk moaning that I'm awful at writing and should never have started. I've forgotten.

I don't want to admit how many times we've had this dialogue:

Me: "You never say I'm pretty. When was the last time you told me I'm pretty?'

Jeff: 'This morning. And then again this afternoon."

Me: 'Oh yeah...'

So in honor of Valentine's Day, I thought that I would share one of the sweetest things my hubby does for me. Ever. He REMINDS me of how wonderful he thinks I am. Because I'm a thick-headed, insecure, emotionally forgetful woman, he has figured out how to make sure I never forget - not because he's tired of reminding me every single day, but because he wants me to truly believe these things about myself.

Littered around our house are sticky notes. Jeff leaves them in meaningful places with notes of adoration, love, and encouragement. So in my day-to-day struggle with self-confidence, I am reminded of how much I am loved.

Here's just a few of his Sticky Love Notes on my perfume...

On the doorway to our office where I can see it when I walk into work...

On the dryer when I'm doing laundry...

On my keyboard...

And on my bedside stand.

These Sticky Love Notes mean the world to me, so have a fabulous Valentine's Day with your sweetie and know you are deeply loved! What are the little ways you feel loved? I'd love to know - share below, in the comments!

Hugs,

Erin

You know how we were just in San Francisco for two weeks in January? And how we were all mysterious about what we were up to? Well, wait no longer peeps, because the day has finally come to let it all out (again, just like my hair).

The Youngrens are launching a photographer-only blog. Today. 

Yep, you read that right folks. As of 9:00am Pacific Standard Time today, we are offically a dual blog fam-dam-ily.

So what is this second blog of ours? My dearest brides and grooms please cover your ears, because this is a blog that is for photographers only. I mean, you're welcome to read it, but here's a fair warning that there's gonna be a whole lotta photographer geek-out going on over there.

As many of you know, Jeff and I have been active leaders in the photography community for quite some time, but what most people don't know is that we have been dreaming about the ins and outs of writing a blog specifically for photographers for three years now. We've had photographers asking and prodding and begging us to be more active in photographer education, but we have always resisted.

Why?

Because we want to offer education that is real. We want to provide knowledge that is tangible. We want to skip the hype and actually improve the day to day lives of photographers.

And we believe we've finally figured it out.

So if you're a photographer, will you come join us? We're having a HUGE giveaway party over the next week or so (until we run out of prizes), giving away over $2,000 from a dozen different sponsors, so head on over to take advantage of some KILLER prizes (a yearlong free subscription to the [b] School, a free Shootsac, a free ProPhoto blog, $50 off at KISS Wedding Books to every newsletter subscriber, and that's just scratching the surface).

Plus, we'll be providing fresh-out-of-the-oven business, marketing, inspiration, and shooting content specifically for fresh, fun, stylish, and savvy wedding photographers every week from here on out. Holla!

And if you're one of our most amazing-delightful-wonderful-stunning-stylin' brides and grooms and friends and future couples, you can stay right here because this blog ain't going nowhere. In fact, this will still be our main blog where we will post all of our weddings, engagements, and personal content three to five times a week.

Thank you to everyone for your incredible support over the years! Jeff and I couldn't be more honored and thankful to have such a tight-knit online community/family and it's only because of your amazing love that we are able to take such big steps in our journey!

Lots and lots of hugs,

Erin (& Jeff)

What I love most about this sweet and sassy pie is that it's just the right balance of sugar and tart, with the creamy pears mellowing out the lip-smacking cranberries. It's the perfect treat for your honey so surprise them with this quick and easy dessert that looks waaaaaaay more complicated than it really is. Shhh... don't tell anyone though... You can still pretend you spent hours in the kitchen today instead of hours in your PJs on Pinterest...

For the filling, you'll need just a few fresh items and a handful of ingredients from the pantry. Pears are perfectly in season right now, so grab some of those along with a cup of fresh or frozen cranberries (I used frozen and thawed them out).

Thinly slice 7 or 8 pears. Make sure the slices are even and pretty. I can make things look pretty hacked, so I had to be extra careful.

Then combine sugar, cornstarch, apple cider or water, and nutmeg.

Set this aside while you assemble your pie crust and fruit.

Now I am all about buying a store bought pie crust - I've made one too many dry, chewy pie crusts in my lifetime so I'm all about making things easy on myself. BUT when it comes to making a pie on the fly, it's helpful to know how to make your own yummy melt-in-your-mouth crust. So here's a quick demo...

First you'll need 1.5 cups flour, 1/2 cup of shortening, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. This is for a single crust pie, so keep that in mind. I use shortening because it so much easier to handle. They say butter tastes better, but the dough doesn't stay together very well and can be extremely sticky, so I've never had a good experience with it. Also, you'll need to make sure your shortening is COLD in order to produce a flaky crust. As soon as you decide to make a pie, stick your shortening in the freezer. And then remember to take it out again...

Next, mix the flour and salt together and then cut in your shortening using a pastry blender. You can use your fingers to do this part too, but it will warm up the shortening, so be careful. Cut in the shortening until it's pea-sized crumbles.

Then slowly sprinkle in a few tablespoons of COLD water (I put an ice cube in the water to help keep it frigid). Mix the water in with a fork or your fingers until the dough just sticks together in a ball. Be careful not to add too much water. As with any baking, there's a fine balance to the ingredients and any one step could throw off the whole thing. No pressure right?

Once the dough is sticking together, roll it out on a lightly floured surface. Be careful not to overwork the dough - that can lead to a chewy crust.

This is how I make sure I've rolled out enough dough - I can eyeball the pie plate.

(I wish I took photos of this - I may update this post with some instructional images later) In order to get the dough in the pie dish, you can place your rolling pin at one end of the crust, and then gently roll your rolling pin along the surface while taking the crust-sheet along with it, essentially wrapping the dough around your rolling pin. Place the dish in the spot the dough just was, and then slowly unroll the crust over the dish, letting it flop into the recess. Viola!

Then pinch along the edges of the crust with your floured fingertips (to prevent sticking) and slice off the excess with a sharp floured knife.

Then place your filling into your amazing homemade crust! In this case, arrange half of the sliced pears in concentric circles around the pie,  add a layer of cranberries, and then arrange the rest of the pears on top.

Sprinkle a few remaining cranberries on top.

Drizzle the cornstarch mixture evenly over the filling. Cover the pie with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover the pie and sprinkle with sugar, then let it bake for another 30-35 minutes until the pears are soft and the juices are bubbly.

In a small saucepan, combine a few leftover cranberries and 2 tablespoons of carmel-flavored ice cream topping, cooking them for about a minute and them spooning them over the pie. I drizzled the rest of the pie with some extra carmel topping while it was hot too. OH. EM. GEE.

Serve this little gem warm and don't skimp on the carmel topping. Once your sweetie gobbles this up, they won't be able to keep their hands off you! And guys, this pie is so stinkin' easy that even the most inexperienced baker can surprise their Valentine with a true homemade dessert. If you're not sure about the whole homemade crust thang, just buy an unbaked store-bought pie shell and she'll swoon with delight FOR SURE.

 Fresh Pear and Cranberry Pie

(see the full recipe here)

• 1 recipe Single-Crust Pie
• 8 cups sliced red and/or green ripe pears (7 to 8 pears; 3 to 3-1/2 lb. total)
• 1 cup fresh cranberries
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons apple cider or water
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons caramel-flavored ice cream topping, plus additional for drizzling

Directions

1. Prepare and roll out Pastry for Single-Crust Pie (below). Preheat oven to 375 F.

2. Arrange half of pears in prepared pastry; sprinkle with 1/2 cup of cranberries. Arrange remaining pears atop cranberries. In bowl stir together 1/4 cup sugar, cornstarch, cider, and nutmeg; drizzle evenly over pears. Cover pie with foil.

3. Bake 40 minutes. Remove foil; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake, uncovered, 30 to 35 minutes more or until pears are tender and juices are bubbly. Remove from oven and place on wire rack.

4. Meanwhile, in small saucepan combine remaining cranberries and 2 tablespoons caramel topping. Bring to boiling. Cook 1 minute. Remove from heat. Spoon over hot pie.

5. Serve warm. Drizzle with additional caramel topping. Make 8 servings.

Pastry for Single-Crust Pie

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 4 - 5 tablespoons cold water

Directions

In bowl stir together flour and salt. Using a pastry blender cut in shortening until pieces are pea-size. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon cold water over part of the flour mixture; gently toss with a fork. Push moistened dough to side of the bowl. Repeat, using 1 tablespoon water at a time, until flour mixture is moistened. Form dough into ball. On floured surface flatten with hands. Roll dough from center to edges into a 13-inch circle. To transfer pastry, wrap around rolling pin. Unroll pastry into a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan. Ease pastry into plate without stretching it. Trim pastry to 1 inch beyond edge of pie plate. Fold under extra pastry.

Hugs,
Erin

I almost hate the thing because it makes our food taste so good. I think it's taunting me... "You could never be this good in the kitchen without me, you know. You need me now..."

Are these things melded together by magical kitchen gnomes with flavoring in their fingertips or something?? And can I get me one of those?

Please?

I should really try to eat my oatmeal out of my dutch oven. It would probably taste so good it'll make my skirt fly up. And a girl always needs something like that to start her day.

It was SO HARD to choose a winning recipe for our dutch oven recipe contest! Every recipe you guys submitted looks like it would totally rock my wanna-be-kitchen-goddess world. Chicken and dumplings? Spicy Dr. Pepper shredded pork? Oaxaca yellow mole? You guys really didn't want to make this easy on me did you? But sadly I had to choose only one. As much as I would love to make it rain with Sur La Table gift cards, my hubby would most likely disapprove with some mumbo-jumbo about "marketing budgets" or something...

So I chose our winner based on a type of meal that I surprisingly haven't posted on Recipe Sunday yet - a stew. Plus, a true Youngren can't pass up another recipe with Guinness involved. And the winner of a $25 gift from Sur La Table is (dum, dum dum)...

Leslie's Beef and Ale Stew from Jamie Oliver!! It's the perfect combination of slow-cooked goodness with a gourmet twist. I can't wait to try it out and feature it on a future Recipe Sunday!

Keep your eyes peeled folks... it's gonna be good. Congrats Leslie! I'll be in touch with your winnings!

Hugs,

Erin

Jesse's strength is the soft kind. The kind that allows a girl like Rena to move him with her sheer delight. He's the branches to her breeze, the leaves to her sunshine. He drinks it up. But when she needs a deep breath, a shelter from all that life throws their way, she finds rest in his arms.

Jeff and I needed some models for a quick teaching session we did this week, and it took T-minus two seconds and a Facebook message for Rena to jump up and down with both hands in the air and a "pick me! pick me! pleeeeeeeze!!" They were so incredibly cute and fun! These two are DELIGHTFUL. She's a bouncy ball full of energy, and Jesse is a quiet thinker that drinks in his beautiful, spunky girl.  Even though this was just a quick teaching session, it was non-stop fun, fun, fun!!

Rena says her favorite thing about herself is her legs, so I love the perfect pair of blue heels that she paired with her hot pink number to show off her calves. The color also helped to match Jesse's perfectly preppy look. A+ on the style you two!!

Jesse knows exactly how to make Rena laugh.

I love how confident this girl is. She WORKED IT in front of our cameras.

Jesse was lookin' so GOOD. His girl couldn't keep her hands off of him.

We couldn't keep Rena from laughing, even for a few seconds.

Love these ones!

Even in between shots, Rena was nothing but smiles.

Two words: Bomb. Shell.

Jesse and Rena: Thank you so much for taking the time to be our fabulous models for the day. You simply ROCKED IT. It was such an honor to watch you two delight in each other and delight in your marriage. Never lose those eyes for each other! Love you guys!

Hugs,
Erin

We got the cutest gifts in the mail this past month and I want to send a shout-out to the cutest people in the world. When we arrived home at the end of January from a month of travel, this little package from Liz and Ryan was waiting patiently for us. Liz and Ryan are wedding photographers in Baltimore and were our models for our mentor session in Philadelphia last November. They're cute, cute, cute and this adorable package made me fall in love with them all over again. We were tired and travel worn, and seeing this stamp on the outside of the box perked up our weary selves with a jolt of delight. We gotta get ourselves one of these stamps - it's soooo cute! Anyone know where to get extremely cute custom stamps made??

Inside was the most wonderful book of inspirational quotes. Such a great idea to make anyone feel good!

The lovely Michelle Blum of Picture This Photography sent us this yummy box of amazing chocolates. We just did a one on one mentor session with Michelle and she knows the way to our hearts. Chocolate. Lots of it. I've been munching on this yumminess while reading my new book of quotes. Did you two conspire with the "Perfect Way to Make Erin Procrastinate on House Cleaning" gift?

Thank you so much for making us feel so loooooooved! What are YOUR favorite gifts to receive that make you feel super special and adored?

Hugs,
Erin

Every morning this week, I would wrap myself up in my heated blanket with a Chai latte and read through your cozy comments. Some of my favorites were:

From Cassie: Omg, my all time favorite cozy place is under a blanket with a fire place going, hot chocolate with marshmallows and a Disney movie. When I was a kid I used to love to do that and watch star search. Most cozy ever.

(I haven't heard the word Star Search for an ETERNITY. Major props to Cassie for the blast from the past.)

From Kendall: Tucking my feet under my husbands legs at night when they are cold and he is warm… Now that is ultimate cozy!

(Our poor husbands... Did anyone warm them about the cold feet thang along with the whole 'death do us part' thang? 'Cuz my cold feet just may send Jeff to the grave with how many times I shock him awake at night with my icy toes. But Jeff swears he loves every single thing about me - my river dance impressions, my piles of dirty clothes, AND my nasty clammy feet.)

From Dee: Favorite cozy place is my hammock during the summer!

(I'm soooooo getting a hammock for the office now. The bottom of my emails will read, 'sent from my iHammock'.)

**But the true winner was chosen at complete random by this WordPress plugin. The winner is**

Amanda: My bed is my favorite cozy place. On cold mornings, it makes it hard to get up!

I'll be in touch via email with your winnings Amanda! Congrats! In the meantime, submit your favorite dutch oven recipe and win a $25 gift card to Sur La Table and a feature on a future Recipe Sunday!

Hugs,
Erin

I know. Our kitchen has just never been complete.

But then a little package plopped on our doorstep yesterday. My dear sweet hubby had been researching dutch ovens for months and found the perfect one. In the midst of my gleeful squeals, I realized that my hubby is such a charmer. Yes, he does everything in his power to make me smile, but I also think he does everything in his power to have more of those braised short ribs...

Side note: This dutch oven is a 6-quart one made by Lodge, but we have tons of friends that swear by Le Creuset. During Jeff's research though he found tons of folks that say this dutch oven will make incredible food for a quarter of the price. Now I'm all about quality, but is a Le Creuset really necessary?

**This also means that I need your help!! I need some really good dutch oven recipes to break in this bad boy, so send a link to your favorite recipe in the comments. Whoever submits my favorite recipe will win a $25 gift card to Sur La Table, PLUS  I will feature the dish on a future Recipe Sunday. Yay!**

Tomorrow we'll be announcing last week's winner of the Yankee Candle Giveaway so stay tuned and enter to win by commenting at this post here! See you then!

Hugs,

Erin

Well, to be completely honest, I can only tell you what I think makes a beautiful bride, so this whole thing is going to be based on my own personal taste and style. But after photographing a hundred brides or so over the past six years, that personal taste is based on seeing a LOT of shapes, sizes, and personalities.

So what do I think is the best bridal style to photograph? Hands down it would be a timeless, sophisticated look with a trendy twist.

Take Susi for example. She’s one of our amazing brides that chose a bridal look that sums up my taste perfectly. Little, petite Susi picked a fitted Monique Lhuillier wedding gown with a classic trumpet skirt that made her legs seem ten miles long. This style of dress fit her slender frame perfectly and accented her body in all of the right places. Total hottie. But my favorite part of this dress is that the top is a beautiful lace corset, an unexpected twist that speaks to the trends of today, but will remain timeless for years to come. BAM – a stunning, timeless look with a stylish twist thanks to Miss Lhuillier and the keen eye of Susi.

So what are the small things you can do to achieve that sophisticated, timeless look, but add a little somethin’ somethin’ unique? Glad you asked…

1. A Simple Dress for Your Body Type

In my opinion, the true star of the wedding day is the love you share with your man, and how stinkin’ beautiful you are as a bride and groom. So just like Susi’s bomb-diggity Monique Lhuillier, the dress should only make you and your body more beautiful, not take it over. I love J.Crew wedding dresses just for this reason. They’re simple, flowey, and classic which makes any girl look amazing, such as Lizzy’s soft and sweet J.Crew gown that fits her chill personality so well.

Or take Kate’s beachy J.Crew number with a touch of character in the flowers for her destination wedding in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.  It’s simple and classic, but the flowers add just the right amount of trendy twist.

Claire Pettibone is also a favorite designer of mine. Her unique lace infused designs are always rich with detail, but they only enhance the natural shape and beauty of a girl. Take Erin’s Asian-inspired Claire Pettibone for example – it’s unique and interesting for their multi-cultural wedding at the Marvimon House, but makes this super tall and slender girl look dynamite!

A few more simple dresses with unique details I love, such as Amy’s lace number that fit her like a glove.

Meredith’s timeless dress that will never lose it’s sweetness.

Stephanie’s crazy simple look that accented her natural beauty.

And Julie’s classic cut with a bow in the back to add some flair.

One last note on dresses – shoving your body into a tight dress in order to look thinner causes spillover on top (girls, you know what I mean), and that looks much more unappealing than a slightly wider waist. You may look great as soon as you put the dress on, but the nasty truth is that your body will spill out more and more throughout the day as you move around in the dress, so by the time the reception rolls around you’ll have everything coming out of the top. Don’t force it.

2. Add a Stylish Hairpiece to Simple Hair

When it comes to hair, I love updos that lengthen the neck, or soft curls that accent the shape of the face. This will keep any look totally classic.  But I also love when hair stylists add a fun twist to the typical updo with an interesting braid or a new twist that make guests do a double take when they see your fabulous self walk down the aisle. Also, add a fun hairpiece that is simple enough to be timeless, but fun enough to make your inner fashionista do cartwheels of joy, such as Carly’s classic updo...

Erin’s intricately, braided design...

Amy's peacock feathers...

Kate’s lovely flower along with her bridesmaids to pair with her dress.

Jacqueline’s crazy elegant updo with a handmade fabric flower with just enough bling for their New Year’s Eve bash...

And Dara’s pinned look with flowers from her florist.

3. A Bouquet That Breaks the Mold

I love texture. And I love texture that’s unique and authentic. So I’m such a sucker for bouquets that break outside of the typical “round red rose bouquet” look. In fact, I love the ones that smash that look to smithereens…

Instead of a typical round bouquet with flowers, try a gathering of baby’s breath or wildflowers mixed with grasses inspired by your wedding location. Or a handful of branches from the local type of trees tied together with a lacey ribbon. Set your florist free and let them be the creative self they were made to be! They’ll love you for it.

4. Jewelry with Meaning

My take on jewelry? Make it simple and make it count. Don’t choose a chunky piece that you’ll regret in your photos later. Wear something classic and meaningful that will add to the look of the dress and to your personal style.

Kelsey wore a bracelet with names of past generations inscribed with their wedding dates.

And I loved Dara’s necklace that incorporated her soft wedding colors into her bridal look.

5. Lovely Eyes

Most brides know that a great makeup artist is a must for their wedding day, but how do you know a great makeup artist from a not-so-good one? From our experience, a great makeup artist will do your makeup in natural light, which means that they’ll have you sit facing a large source of outdoor light, usually a big window. Since the majority of your photos will be taken in natural light, you’ll want to have your makeup done in the same kind of light – not a bathroom with bulbs casting an orange, green, or purple glow or that peer straight down on your face making dark shadows under your eyes.

Beyond that, great makeup artists will create beautiful, smooth skin that resists shine, along with natural, powerful eyes with clean eyeliner and lashes. The best way to create those rich, sophisticated eyes is by investing in fake lashes, and I love the individual kind that go on one at a time instead of a strip of lashes. They usually turn out more natural looking without losing all of that glam power.

6. Hot Shoes

The reality? Nobody ever sees your shoes underneath your dress, so splurge on a pair that you’re gonna wear over and over and over again. Louboutins are a favorite of our brides.

So are Jimmy Choo.

So the verdict? A classic, timeless look with just a touch of style is what makes our brides look so stinkin' glam. Keep things simple - don't overdo your wedding day look. Just keep it to some basic pieces that accent your natural beauty. The point of the wedding day is to look like your best YOU, so ask your friends, family, and your groom what your most beautiful features are. Is it your legs? Your arms? Your curves? Your eyes, lips, smile? Focus on enhancing the best of your body, and don't worry about the rest. That's the easiest way to be a stunning, timeless bride on your wedding day.

Hugs,

Erin