The French Country Wedding and.... African Drumming?!?

Hello my blog friends.  It has been a while since I last wrote.  My wedding season has kicked in and then add some photo shoots and life in general and I have been a busy girl.  I have enjoyed being super creative lately.  In addition to everything above I have been painting too.  Goodness but it is good to find me after all the heartache of the last year and a half.  I am discovering parts of myself that got left behind years ago.  I am amazed at how I slowly changed over the years of my marriage, and not really for the better.  I wasn't asked to change, it just sort of happened.  I stopped nurturing my dreams and inner creative voice.  I stopped living fully.  I lost myself in the marriage and lived through my husband more that through and for me.  Definitely not a healthy way to be and not good for my marriage!!!!  Well, I am happy to say that is no longer true!  In the last 6 months or so I am truly expanding into my own sense of self...   of who I am and what I love.  I am remembering activities that I used to love and discovering new ones.   I remembered that I adored painting and I am making sure that I paint regularly now.  I am careful not to allow the days weeks to just waist away.  I try to live fully...  right now... this very minute...  creating often, trying new things and just having fun!  I forgot how much I love music.  I had let that part of me go too.   Now I have the stereo on all the time and am dancing through the house.  I also really got crazy and started drumming!  I have always loved the sound of African drums since I was a little girl, they stir something deep inside of me.  I found an amazing group of dancers and drummers that have been a part of Santa Barbara for years.  They are called Panzumo and every year they are a huge part of our local Summer Solstice parade.  Well, yours truly will be one of the drummers in the parade banging away on my Djembe African drum.  I cannot tell you the thrill I feel hearing the sound of 20 or so drummers all on the same rhythm giving it their all as the dancers get lost in the beat.  I could go for hours and not get tired.  I think it is part of our genetic code and triggers ancient memories.    It is incredible!  Well, anyway suffice it to say that I am having a blast living my life.  It is GOOD!

So today I will show you all the pictures of the French Country Wedding shoot that was recently published in French Country Magazine.  The photographer is my friend Shirlie Kemp who is truly a gifted photographer and artist.  It was a pleasure to work with her and her daughter Harley Moon and her friend Haley.  All of them are superb photographers and such fun!  I blogged about this shoot earlier here but now I can show you the rest of the pictures.  There are tons so get ready!  It was all shot in the Avocado orchard right next to my house.  The models if you can believe it are all my neighbors that live on the ranch (except for the flower girl who is a friend of my BFF and lives in Santa Barbara).  Almost all the props are from my Vintage Vignettes prop business.  The table, chairs and some of the dishes are from Town and Country, a great party rental company!  The flowers were generously donated by my wholesale flower company called Florabundance.  They are absolutely lovely and make my weddings and shoots so beautiful!  So many beautiful goodies...  Enjoy!

The check in area where the guests would get their table assignments was set up like a French Laundry with old galvanized containers stuffed with flowers and vintage whites hanging in the trees.

Below is the "guest card table" where they got their seat assignments.

Their names were attached to French milled soaps set in a bed of lavender.

Above, vintage lace table cloths.

French toil quilts in a vintage laundry bin.  Great to have available so the guests can spread them out on the ground for late night cozy visiting.

Our little French ring bearers.

Can you believe all these beautiful people are my neighbors!!!???  This is truly a magical ranch!

Above is the ring bearer's bucket.  So much more masculine that I pillow I think.

Above, The bouquet had Scabiosa pods, garden Roses, Wax Flower, and Thistle.

The bridesmaid's bouquet was a bundle of blue Muscari surrounded by grass that was blunt cut.

Below is the appitizer table with French baguettes, cheese and fruit, and iced lemonade-tea.  After the shoot we scarfed it all down  : )

All these pieces are my props from Vintage Vignettes.  

Above, In addition to the soaps that the guest's names were tied to, the party favors were small bottles of Olive Oil.  The label said in French "Cook with Love".

The table was set in one of the rows in the orchard.

The chairs, linens, silver ware, the white plates and all the glass ware were from Town and Country, an absolutely wonderful party rental company!

The benches and sofas are mine from Vintage Vignettes.  The red toil dishes are also mine.

The napkins were dish towels wrapped with yarn and a sprig of Lavender.

Well thank you for sticking through all the way to the end... that was a lot of pictures!!!

I will be back before too long with several shots of recent weddings.

Blessings to everyone!!!

Tricia