mr. & mrs. albanese

in june, my good friends andrew and helena got hitched in brookings, oregon. helena's uncle owns a bed & breakfast in brookings, and helena has always wanted to get married there. it was one of the most beautiful weddings i have ever witnessed, not only because they are a gorgeous couple and helena has impeccable taste, but they love each other and the lord so much and it was extremely evident at their wedding.
brad and i took the trip down to brookings with our good friends ben and julia domogalla [who have been married almost a year now!] we call them our old married friends :] it was such a beautiful drive, we took the 101 down the oregon coast, i would highly recommend taking that highway next time you venture down south.

these photos are absolutely unbelievable!


{Jenny Hill Photography}

{Jenny Hill Photography}
[the wedding party]
i absolutely love the bridesmaid's dresses and you can't tell, but the groomsmen are wearing toms.

{Jenny Hill Photography}

{Jenny Hill Photographer}
yay! mr & mrs albanese!!!

{Jenny Hill Photography}

[all the little details i loved]
lovebird programs

{Jenny Hill Photography}

{Jenny Hill Photography}
adorable hairpieces by Helena Albanese [the bride herself]

{Jenny Hill Photography}
helena's reception hairpiece by Austie Eckley.

{Jenny Hill Photography}
helena's "just married." toms. it doesn't get much cuter than these.

{Jenny Hill Photography}

such a beautiful wedding, such a beautiful couple.
congratulations andrew & helena.

tough choice. which toms?

i have been wanting toms for a long time. each time i try to decide, i change my mind. i'm debating between two pairs... i love them both, but i can't seem to make a decision.

{pair 1: burlap}


{pair 2: silver glitter}


which pair do you prefer?

california orange trees.

my aunt and uncle live on the most amazing piece of property in redlands, california. their house is over 100 years old, and they have done an amazing job maintaining its character. just recently, my sister and i made a trip down to sunny southern california. some of our family lives down in redlands, and we were lucky enough to get to stay with our cousins for a night who live right down the street from my aunt and uncles place. i can remember being so excited to go down and visit. they have the most incredible backyard i have ever seen. the thing that makes their backyard so special is their orange grove. the second you step outside, you can smell all the amazing citrus scents. it's seriously heaven on earth.





{my adorable cousin maya picking some oranges}




{my sister is beautiful.}


{i have endless memories of my older cousins pushing me on this swing. it's been attached to this tree for years.}


so many happy memories of mine take place in this backyard.

littledressesforafrica.

this summer, i have learned so much from my "families in poverty" class.
my class was assigned 20 hours of community service for people in poverty. i had no idea where to even begin. i started by volunteering at a vacation bible school with alex sutherland [who is also a facs major] and that's where we both heard about the amazing opportunity to sew dresses for little girls in africa. this experience has brought so much joy into my life, and i have loved sewing and designing these dresses. i can just picture these dresses on the little girls. we are beyond blessed here in america and often times [at least i do] we take our everyday necessities for granted. i wanted to share this non-profit organization with you, because it has brought so much joy into my life, knowing how much i am serving god's precious little daughters in africa.

{the only real tool you need is}
a sewing machine



{you will also need}
yarn
pillow cases [the pillow cases are what the dresses are made out of]
elastic

these are the dresses i have made so far. it's fun, because you can add cute details to them :]




{these are the precious little girls who will receive the dresses}


for those of you that CAN'T sew. there are still ways you can help.

www.littledressesforafrica.org will give you all the information you need to donate, other ways you can help, patterns, and about the non-profit organization.

hairstyles i adore.

a girl can never have too many hairstyles.
pretty, feminine, urban, and eclectic are all things i admire when it comes to hair.
i have an obsession for browsing the web looking for adorable hair accessories and styles. someday, when i'm done with school and i have some time on my hands, i would love to design my own hair accessories, jewelry, and other crafty things :] hopefully soon i can make that dream a reality.

in my opinion, you can never go wrong with a braid. whether you're dressed up or down, a braid always makes an outfit look more "put together." plus, braids look good on people of all ages, that's one of the reasons why i love them so much.
this braid in particular is extra wonderful.
{via polyvore}


i absolutely can't get enough of free people.
if i could, i would splurge on these.
{via freepeople}

again with the braid.


as most of you know, i love feathers. so of course i'm going to love this hair piece. i want to make this...
{via etsy}


last, but certainly not least, this AMAZING hair piece i found browsing through wedding blogs. i thought i'd leave the best for last :]
oh how i love the orange feathers.
{via greylikesweddings}


{hope these brought you inspiration and joy}