Utterly Engaged } The 1st Online Wedding & Bridal Magazine. Inspiring Brides with Style.

Imagine this. Escaping the city with your sweetie for a secret picnic made for two underneath sunny orange trees, reading a good book together over sweets and soda. Oh how lovely would that be!

We’re in love with this styled engagement session by Gerald of Gerald Carvalho Photography and Eileen Chiu of Enchanting Events at a sunny orange grove in California. The colors, location and picnic idea are perfect for Spring!

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Photography: Gerald Carvalho Photography / Coordination & Model casting: Enchanting Events / Hair + Makeup: Skyla Arts: Makeup | Hair | Skincare / Floral Design: Pretty in Pink Events-Chic Designs / Cake, desserts: La Vie Douce Design / Models: Garett Knight and Emmalee Froehlich / Venue: Orange Grove, Sillicon Valley

There’s something magical about getting eloped. Just you and your fiancé making that commitment to one another to always love and cherish. Like any other big wedding it is just as beautiful. Are you torn between having a lovingly hand-crafted dream wedding, and saving some cash (and sanity!) by eloping with your sweetheart? Now you can have both. Sitting in a Tree, Rad + In Love, Yeah! Rentals, Pitbulls and Posies, Bloem Hill, A MIHO experience, and The Hostess Haven are collaborating on one very awesome & memorial experience for you and your hunny – Runaway: A Pop-Up Wedding. Take a peek at their inspiration board…

Here is how it works: They’re offering a pop up wedding venue in place of running away to vegas or city hall with a hand picked cast of the raddest vendors in the wedding world. (Perfect for couples on a budget who wish they could afford all of these rad vendors at once).

They’ll provide: A hand crafted and styled venue, celebratory cocktails and pre ceremony apps, a mini bouquet, photography coverage of your ceremony & a portrait session, a private wedding ceremony with officiant, live music, and downloadable announcements so you can tell everyone what it is you crazy kids have gone and done.

You bring: Yourself and your fiance, a marriage license (vow renewals and same sex unions welcome!), up to 12 of your favorite witnesses, some killer style, and all the love you got.

The whole shindig lasts about an hour and a half, start to finish and will set you back 1200 bones. Ready to sign up? Reach the crew at hello@runawaypopup.com to ask questions and set up your pretty elopement date! Don’t walk. Run.

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Need a little inspiration of how others have eloped? Here are a few that we love around the blogsphere

Annie + Jon  /  Photo by Lacie Hansen / found here

Stephanie + AJ  / photo by Jessica Burke / found here

Sam + Dave / photo by Studio 213 Films / found here

Sarah + Lou  /  photo by Max Wanger / found here

Styled Shoot / Photo by Our Labor of Love / found here

styled shoot / photo by Ciara Richardson / found here

It’s hard to believe that it’s been two years since the devastating disaster in Japan. But even two years later, the memory is still so freshly imprinted in our minds. It’s so important to take a moment to remember the lives lost and the survivors from that tragic day, and to remember never to take our lives and our loved ones for granted.

The thing that still touched us most is the outpouring of kindness and generosity through For Japan With Love that came out of this tragic day. It was truly an incredible thing to witness the blogging community from all over the world come together to reach out and help. Over 1,200 bloggers participated in the Bloggers Day of Silence and because of this, we were able to raise $66,733 within two weeks! And after our friends in the Bay Area organized a charity event on behalf of For Japan With Love, the grand total ended up being $73,000! And all raised within one month. The idea still overwhelms us.

We are grateful for Lydia of Ever Ours for finding ShelterBox, such an amazing organization to donate to. And for the Shelterbox team for bringing our donations to those people in need. And we are especially grateful for all of you who reached out and contributed. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Let’s just take a moment to remember what happened two years ago today, to remember those who cannot speak anymore and those who have lost so much that day. Our hearts and minds will forever be with you.

Watch this video created by ShelterBox reflecting on the 2 years since the devestating earthquake and tsunamis that struck Japan and how YOU helped rebuild their lives.

Although the holidays is still a little over a month away, we’re already thinking about twinkle lights and peppermint hot chocolates. But what we love most about the holidays is getting together with our loved ones and remembering those who are less fortunate. Our friends at Blu Bungalow and Very Merry Events in San Francisco had the same idea. On December 9, 2012, they will be hosting a fun event called Together for the Holidays where kids get to decorate cupcakes, do holiday crafts, play games, and all the kids at heart will get to learn creative ways to gift wrap, decorate your holiday table, how to look hot for the holidays, and find ways to detox during the holidays. The best part of the event is that, besides all the fun things planned, they’re giving hope to those in need. There will raffles and prizes, and a silent auction, where all the proceeds will benefit Cancercare for Kids. They’re also having a children’s shoe bin collection for Project Resoled. This fun event will be from 1pm-6pm at Blu Bungalow, 2068 Union St., San Francisco. If you’re in the area, make sure to stop by and show your support for those who are less fortunate. And while you’re at it, get inspired for your holidays! The event is free, but please RSVP so they know who’s coming! To follow updates on the event, please go to their site.

It’s been over a week since Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast, and while we watched updates on the news, a familiar feeling we had when we saw what happened in Japan last year, creeped in. It’s that state of disbelief and helplessness, while we sit in our comfortable homes, wondering what they must be going through. Homes torn down, burned and flooded, shortage of gas, more than millions without power and hot water, and the list goes on. With the weather dropping and another winter storm approaching New York and New Jersey, it’s going to be even more difficult to get through the next few weeks with all the repairs they still have yet to tackle. So we’ve asked Lydia of Ever Ours to help us compile a list of organizations that are looking for volunteers and also ways you can donate and help out. We’ve seen how our community have come together through For Japan With Love, and we totally believe that “ever little helps”. So let’s keep our friends on the East Coast in our thoughts and prayers and help them any way we can. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

xoxo, Lucia & Henny

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Looking for volunteers:

Samaritan’s Purse

Occupy Sandy New Jersey/New York

Help Seniors on Far Rockaway

Rockaway Relief (a huge list of not just volunteer help but also what supplies are needed)

Hurricane Relief for Staten Island

Donations:

Advance NYC

Occupy Sandy: NYC Relief

Ali Forney Center Hurricane Sandy Relief

New York Cares- Disaster Relief for Hurricane Sandy

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