mind travel.

This is the location of my head this sunny but cold January Monday. These are from the lovely Rosewood Mayakoba in Riviera Maya, Mexico.

An all-inclusive getaway with yoga on the beach, grilled seafood and spa treatments seems about perfect to me lately. As a hit-the-road, submerse-in-the-culture, major-in-foreign-language kinda girl this is not my typical preference. But after a long New England winter, these images are calling my name. More research to share on some of the best deals, the best reviews and the best pricing I find. Might be useful to those of us out there who need a pre-moon, a honeymoon, a destination wedding or simply, a long overdue reason to completely unplug. With projects on deck straight through until early April, booking a trip in Spring could make this busy season {wait, I thought May-October was busy season?!} fly by. Need more inspiration? Check out the Costa Rica promotional piece Buzz did last year for another fantastic location. I can smell the tropical flowers watching this one!

I attribute this new obsession to all the Netflix streaming of Anthony Bourdain No Reservations show we have been watching and Miss Sarah sending out a message for hot tropic resort ideas! Thanks guys, the travel wheels are spinning.

{erica}

fall inspiration.

Head down and projects galore this week. So we took the chance to relax on Sunday and tool around sunny Rhode Island in search of the perfect pumpkin experience. Lucy was thrilled with what we stumbled across---Shartner Farm. Yep, thats the name. Our take, the kids love it {hayride, corn maze, donuts} but a bit of an overpriced scene. But because Halloween rivals Christmas on the list of kid favorites, we went for it and took the Super 8 camera along.

Rhode Island is a little state chock full of treasures. For years, I have had this small Rhode Island bible called eat.shop.rhode island. It really is a carefully curated guide that does what is promises "an indespensible guide to stylishly unique, locally owned eating and shopping." This is one in a series of guides from some twenty different cities and regions around the country. The photojournalistic images and short, fun descriptive essays will make you want to hit the road in search of these treasures.

The rest of the Fall inspiration and good thoughts are courtesy of Mary Ruffle.

{erica}

September.

No wonder we are a bit tired and fighting the annual 'back-to-school' colds. Took a moment to download iphone photos this morning only to realize how busy the last few weeks really were. We are grateful September has taken us around the region. We headed out to the Hamptons for a wedding at Wolffer Estate Vineyard, New York City for an art opening with hosted dinner in SoHo after to celebrate talented artist {and client... collaborated on a promotional film short documenting his work+story} and managed to film five weddings in between! We look forward to sharing our work in the coming months. The candids of these moments {along with home improvements, first day of school and lazy Sundays on the deck} make up the iphone photo moments in our September. What are yours?

Behind the Scenes: Costa Rica

Playa Herradura, Costa Rica from Buzz Media Company on Vimeo.

We have been a bit remiss in sharing the details of our trip to Costa Rica last month. We almost forgot to post this film short! If your computer can handle it, click full screen and turn it up for full effect. There is so much eye candy from our trip and we are still editing the promotional piece and will share the results in June. What a fantastic group of talented vendors! The passion and excitement is palpable in this piece. It was everything- the somewhat impromptu locale and beauty of dusk in this lush setting, our model Michelle who had never done this before {and fresh off a surfboard} but was as stunning and natural as they come, and all of our our good fortune to be there, in that moment. The collaboration with this group was more easy and inspired than we could've ever hoped. We are still so grateful we had the opportunity to be involved in an editorial shoot to promote a wonderful destination wedding locale, Stay in Costa Rica.
Our team:
Planning + Design: Candice Dowling and her team at Jubilee Events
Photography: Carla Ten Eyck and her team (Greg, Eric, Rebecca, Sarah!)
Floral: Datura: A Modern Garden
Wardrobe + Styling: Beth Chapmen of White Dress by the Shore
Hair + Makeup: dd Nickel
Film: Buzz Media Company
Beautiful Hospitality during shoot: Stay in Costa Rica
PR + Marketing: MMH Public Relations

head is still in the tropics...

...like at this Mexican wedding. There are two favorite styles of mine. Rustic weddings---reclaimed wood, organic elements, masculine simplicity with a feminine dash of simple florals + nature. But then again, modern design is so beautiful when artfully done. Clean lines and pops of color highlighting just two or three combinations {love slate grey and daisy yellow.} When the two styles come together? Perfection.

This wedding from the talented Tec Petaja is a beautiful example of rustic, tropical affair {hand stamped escort cards, burlap runners, rough hewn frames) with a flair for modern elegance {pop of yellow, clean lines in the tablescapes and lounge}. Many of the fresh, breezy California weddings he shoots seems to capture the rustic + modern combination so well..

destination weddings.

Beltane Ranch
As we at Buzz get more excited about plans for filming destination weddings, the inspiration is endless. Here are two incredible venues for intimate destination weddings or a honeymoon getaway. They both seem to embody my favorite things in luxury---local and seasonal foods, understated luxury and spectacular vistas. And the prices? Surprisingly doable.

From the photos and description Beltane Ranch in Sonoma, California actually is the Garden of Eden. Surrounded by vineyards, orchards and the beauty of northern California it is a feast for the senses. Full, seasonal, homegrown breakfasts are served on the porch outside your room. Ingredients are sourced directly from the flower, herb and vegetable gardens {a mixture of citrus, fig and persimmon trees and rasberry beds. A walking trail leads to additional gardens on the ranch where they grow asparagus, melon, tomatoes, summer and winter squash, potatoes, onions, chard, peppers, broccoli with orchards full of heirloom apples, plums, nectarines, pears and peaches....oh my} And we haven't even begun to talk about the enchantment of wine country {they do a private label for one of my favorites, Cakebread Cellars} For foodies and wine aficianados this couldn't be a more perfect destination for your guests!

Dunton Hot Springs

While living in Colorado, the San Juan Mountain Range was one of my favorite corners of the state. Maybe it is the constant bluebird skies, the high altitude clarity or the focus on clean living- but I loved being surrounded by people who seemed to be living life truly alive. Alas, Dunton Hot Springs Resort for the perfect, intimate {42 people tops) winter wedding. Just across the mountain from Telluride, Dunton Hot Springs Resort is a romantic ghost town, set in an extraordinary alpine valley. They say it best, This perfectly restored ghost town thrives on contradictions; hand-hewn log cabins exquisitely furnished, a life-worn saloon serving food of startling quality, lung torturing trails followed by pampering massages, sensuous hot springs beneath shimmering snow banks...
As one of the top rated, five star and understated luxury resorts in the world, Dunton Hot Springs Resort is my kind of place.

{oh and if you wanted to rent the town with private cabins and full gourmet meals for each of your 42 guests for a Sunday this winter? 10 K and it is yours- not a bad price tag for celebration to remember!}

{erica}

getaways.

image found here

Romantic ecolodges on white sand beaches. River trips down the Amazon and rugged vistas of the Andes. Quaint ski village in the French Alps. Springtime in the Rockies. Tropical waterfalls in Kauai. January in New England is clearly the time we all long for any one of those getaways.

For the 2010 wedding couples, what better way to focus the gift giving than registering for your honeymoon? One site that seems to do it well is Traveler's Joy.

As we plan our own winter getaway, I am increasingly drawn to renting a flat, brownstone, bungalow, villa (depending on the location) from a true local. I love the idea of living somewhere new and exotic without the limitations of a hotel. Finding off the beaten path locales, shopping in farmers markets, going to the local pub, cooking regional cuisine in a kitchen, seeing how the neighbors live their lives...travel and tourism with an eye on authenticity. The trick is finding a place as good as the photos promise.

Our friends returned from a Fall getaway to Italy and highly recommend Italy Perfect. Two sisters who started a company and places a premium on hand selecting properties and visiting each one for a stamp of approval. (um, nice job.)

For the rest of us already married, these sites give plenty of inspiration for that late winter getaway.
Bon voyage (even if, like us, it is just from the laptop for now.)

{erica}

weekend head.

We are heading to New York tomorrow to film a wedding and then spending Sunday and Monday on the North Fork of Long Island. Big, fat and happy sunshine circles are all over the forecast with temperatures in the low 60's. Perfect temperature for a lazy stroll through NY wine country. The plans? A few favorite vineyards for wine tasting, Pottery Barn outlet, and a delicious dinner at North Fork Table and Inn and a lazy Sunday lunch at The Frisky Oyster.

If you want a good Friday giggle- check out this U tube link here with some The Office style shenanigans of hilarious colleagues with a case of weekend head. Have a great weekend!

{mike + erica}

season winds down.

While we still have several beautiful late Fall/ early winter weddings taking us through the holidays- something about the colors and cool air in late October that marks the winding down of wedding season.

A (generous +thoughtful) friend is lending us her house on Martha's Vineyard for the weekend to unwind and enjoy the post season, leaf-peeping goodness of Autumn in New England. Among other general relaxation activities, we are looking forward to popping in on the Journal of a Beach house bride girls and visit their couture bridal and vintage wedding shop Tulle. I am really liking this pre and post season getaway tradition we may have started! Have a good weekend!

{erica+mike}

surf lodge

Work is taking us to New York to shoot twice next month and the first trip takes us through the North Fork of Long Island. I stumbled across theThe Surf Lodge in Montauk courtesy of CocoCozy and think it would be the perfect getaway for the wife who has been craving a trip to California and husband who loves surf culture and all things beach. If the weather holds and we keep getting the long Indian summer days---The Surf Lodge could be the perfect east coast dose of Southern California!

happy summer weekend.

These images from Johner Photos brought me back to the summer spent in Sweden for work in 1998 and how much it was not unlike a New England Summer- chilly waters, sailboats galore, barns, sweet and simple seaside cottages and focus on outdoor fun. This collage was inspired because it ties in some of my new favorite elements in summer weddings: Carefree kids (just a few !...) firepit and s'mores, outdoor eating and coastal views.

Have a wonderful weekend!

{erica + mike}

get lost.

What else does a family do when waking up to the fifth consecutive rainy and grey Sunday in Connecticut?
Over blueberry pancakes yesterday morning, we decided we had enough and hit the big city to get lost.

It was Lulu's first journey to NYC and we did it all in about seven hours. We thought she would be overwhelmed but she was wide eyed and taking it all in. It was a day for the senses- from stepping out of Grand Central into the "craziest parade where boys dress like girls" ( Gay Pride Parade on Fifth), to the biggest toystore ever (FAO Schwarz) via the biggest church ever (St Patricks) to seven dollar ice cream from street vendors in Central Park, to our favorite chocolate factory in SoHo (Jacques Torres) for after dinner to be enjoyed on daddy's old roof deck in his East Village apartment- it was the quintessential Sampler Tour of NYC. The official review came in this morning from a very tuckered out but chatty six year old "that was the best Sunday ever"- yep, she's got Gotham City fever just like her daddy.







(above)Sometimes you need to get close to the street when the paparazzi is so short! (below) Lucy's reaction to seeing the 'fanfare' from the parade. Check out the background

globe trotting.

Something is up. As of late, at final wedding appointments,I will spend an inordinate amount of time asking details about couples honeymoon destinations hanging on every detail of their planned journeys. At the DMV last week while waiting to officially change my name, I took a sentimental journey through my passport and recollecting the border patrol for each of the stamps. What a point of pride it was for a period in my life (early twenties) when my passport was messy with stamps and dog-eared from all the youthful globe trotting. A year abroad in Germany took me through just about every country in the EU and a post graduate coursework in Costa Rica had me and my best friend (naively, I may add) hopping every possible bus (full of chickens and people) through Central America.

These images from Toast (worth going on their site and ordering a catalogue-just for the images) and my new favorite coffee table book from Lonely Planet may just help keep the wanderlust at bay until Mike and I can go in search of the next passport stamp.

block island + birthday = bliss

This is my recommendation for any couple-to-be after months of planning a wedding. Take a pre-moon. Just an overnight before the wedding to get back to the business of being a happy couple. Sometimes it is difficult to know how much you need a vacation until you are on one. You breathe deeper, walk slower, find inspiration easier and giggle at the drop of a hat. The short and unexpected getaways are sometimes the best. Forty eight hours of unplanned, uninterrupted relaxation. The kind of getaway where the biggest decision is whether to walk or bike to happy hour to watch the sunset.

Mike, Lulu and I spent a glorious two days in Block Island pre-season, off peak days in perfect weather for my birthday. Nothing beats it. Except, of course, an unexpected upgrade to a gorgeous suite with water views and a private deck. We were so grateful to Tamara at Blue Dory Inn who graciously offered us the best room in the Inn (complete with a kitchen to keep ingredients chilled for the perfect mudslide.) On Monday morning, Mike and Lucy surprised me with a birthday breakfast in bed serving up the Inn's homemade scones, fresh fruit & OJ, chewy bagels, spinach and onion frittata and possibly the best cup of coffee ever made. (though it could have been the water views that made it taste so divine!)

Lucy was full of energy and good spirits and biked with us around the entire island (she had a tandem bike hook-up on Mike's bike) for a late afternoon at Mohegan Bluffs. In the shallows, she found countless snails, glittery rounded rocks, a crab and two purple starfish. Nothing beats a day like that in eyes of a six year old- especially when finished off with an oversized treat from the Ice Cream Place.

The early June, Sunday vacation getaway is ideal in Block Island. All the seasonal staff are in their pre-season mode...fresh faced, enthusiastic and accommodating, the room rates are terrific and the weather is generally glorious.

Whether a birthday, "pre-moon" or simply a much needed break, go ahead- play hookie and head out to Block.