The Rio Olympic Games officially begin next Friday, August 5th!  We had the great privilege of featuring Olympian Kyle Dutiel in the 2016 issue of Inspiration Mississippi Magazine.  Dutiel dazzled at the Special Olympic World Games and brought home the coveted Gold!  We are thrilled to share his incredible story with you today:

For more inspiring stories, photoshoots and events, please pick up a copy of Inspiration Mississippi Magazine today! 

Two lovely, expectant sisters were showered with bangles, sweet treats and blessings in a traditional South Indian ceremony.  Adorned in exquisite dresses, Neelima Duncan and Vimala Ingram glowed as friends and family celebrated their incredible news.  With Vimala expecting a girl and Neelima a boy, the sisters chose to decorate with traditional pink and blue.  In lieu of pastels, the room was draped in bright jewel tones, beautifully blending with the Indian details. 

Neelima says, “During a Seemantham ceremony, the mother-to-be is adorned with bangles to help stimulate the baby’s development.  The sweet treats are placed in her lap to represent the arrival of a sweet bundle of joy.  All guests attending the event bless the mother and baby for a safe and healthy delivery.” 

“It was a wonderful event with thoughtful details that we will remember forever!” says Vimala. “We are so happy we were able to keep the traditional aspects of the Indian baby shower.  As with any occasion where we gather family and friends in one place, our favorite memories were made spending time with them.”

Vendors:

Photographer: Adam + Alli Photography

Venue:  Fowler Hall at St. James Episcopal Church

Florist and Décor:  William Box Designs

Cupcakes: For Heaven's Cakes

Cookies:  Whimsy Cookie Company

Catering:  Mangia Bene Catering and Spice Avenue

Lighting:  Davaine Lighting

Great Scott is the ultimate destination for any southern gentleman.  They carry everything from dapper clothing and accessories to the perfect skincare products in The Barber Shop.   We asked Great Scott to share their summer gentlemen grooming tips and we are thrilled to share them with you today! 

For more information on Great Scott and all of their incredible products, please visit their website here! 

To view more of Adam + Alli Photography's beautiful work, please click here!

For 127 years people have flocked to Philadelphia for the Neshoba County Fair.  We wanted to discover the charm that is "The Fair" and asked two families to fill us in!

"Family is the number one reason we go back to The Fair every year.  You have every age group under one roof for one week with no TV's!  The Fair offers many activities, including carnival games and rides, a talent show, a beauty pageant, cakewalks, and politicians on the square trying to convince us they are the best for the job.  Also, there are Harness races every afternoon and bands and concerts nightly." Susan McNamara

"Our family love The Fair!  It is a reunion for us with our four adult children and their spouses, and our eleven grandchildren.  We all make it a priority to attend.  My husband, Tag, grew up going to The Fair.  We have been married for forty-nine years and I have only missed one Fair, because I was having a baby!" Dot Gamblin 

Photography by B. Flint Photography 

The Cases - Aaron and Vanessa Case
{Hometown} Madison, Ms
{Event Site} Northbay Marina and Golf Course - Madison, MS
{Occasion} Baby Case Maternity Pictures

{Inspiration location}  Aaron and I wanted our maternity pictures to really capture us as a family and a couple doing what we love to do! We picked the Marina and Golf Course because we spend most of our time out on the Reservoir or cruising around in the afternoons on our golf cart. We've lived in Northbay for almost 7 years now so it was easy to pick our favorite spots like the gorgeous old oak tree down by the pond on the neighborhood golf course and the channel behind our house that opens to the Reservoir.  

{Theme} We wanted a “Southern Casual” feel to our photos. Our ultimate goal was to stay away from trendy and to be able to look back at these pictures in 20 years and not be get made fun of by our kids or be embarrassed about the crazy outfits or poses we were in. That's exactly why we LOVE Adam + Alli Photography! They are so creative and fun with their shots and style without making the pictures look staged and cheesy. Actually during the shoot Alli just whips out a bouquet of beautiful sunflowers to add a fun pop of color and just the right amount of “Southern” to the some of the canoe shots. It was perfect! We just LOVE A + A!!!

{Inspiration color scheme} I love Aaron in anything seersucker! He just has that sweet southern boy look and seersucker just tops it off, so we went with a couple of pops of seersucker with his outfit and Bird's hair bow and incorporated some timeless neutrals like gray and navy.

{Favorite event details} My favorite memory would be watching Aaron help prepare for the canoe part of the shoot. Aaron has been the best little daddy/husband during this pregnancy. He's so proud to be having a son and is always wanting to do things for me and make me happy- poor thing- whatever that may mean that day. Earlier that week I had mentioned that I thought a canoe for the photo shoot would be so pretty out in the water but we didn't have one. After I said that he pretty much made it his mission to find us a canoe. He stalked the marina and our waterfront neighbors' yards for days until he found the perfect one to ask to borrow. Before everything was said and done he had to outrun a giant snake and if that wasn't enough then he had to paddle the canoe we borrowed with an old wooden oar across the canal in the 100 degree temp twice just to be able to use it. You just had to be there to appreciate it! He worked so hard for that canoe but those are some of his favorite shots so he said it was totally worth it- thank goodness!

My favorite detail was being able to use the quilt my great grandmother made for my mom for her wedding present. She made each grandchild a quilt and gave it to them on their wedding day.  Anybody that knows me knows I am a very sentimental person! Nanny is no longer with us, but I know how excited she would be that Aaron and I were about to have a baby and start our own family, so I wanted to find a way to include her somehow. It meant soooo much to me to be able to capture my family and future family decades later on that beautiful quilt she made because her family meant the world to her! 

{Favorite part of planning} There really wasn't much to plan, Adam and Alli just make it happen! Alli and I talked some about places that were special to us and the “simple southern” look we were going for and they came in and worked their MAGIC like they always do!!!

{Favorite picture} I LOVE them all but I guess if I had to pick, the one of Bird resting her sweet little head on my belly. I can't believe they were able to make that picture happen! It just makes my heart melt because I know she and Baby Case are going to be best friends one day!!!

{Floral Design} Alli Hudson:)

{Photographer} Adam and Alli Photography

{Venue} Northbay Marina and Golf Course - Madison