On Sunday, Frozen took home the Oscar for Best Animated Feature and for Best Original Song, but the movie had already inspired a group of local artists here in Mississippi as they collaborated to create a series of images inspired by the hit film.

Inspired by the white-hot look of the massive hit film, freelance hair and makeup artist Kristina Myers turned the models into modern day versions of Elsa and Anna.  The looks were achieved using makeup hues of muted pinks and purples with merlot lips on “Elsa” and burnt oranges, deep browns and nude lips on “Anna.”  Their hair was styled to resemble elements of the film with texture, body and a braid detail. Models Molly Gee and Kaitlyn Estep perfectly portrayed their character’s essence with their respective composed and playful expressions.  

The photos were shot by Brian and Hollie Hull of Hull Portraits Studio in rural Flowood. The Hulls created a winter landscape using bare tree limbs, mossy greens, saturated light, and icy-colored architecture to achieve the look of a cold, stark terrain. 

Through their creative collaboration, the artists were able to capture the essence of the heroine’s looks in a fresh and fabulous way.

Soiree, LLC | Hull Portraits Studio | MOD by Kristina

Here at Inspire, we are all about personalizing your wedding. After all, your big day is just that, YOUR big day!

One of the most fun ways to make a wedding personal is by picking foods that reflect the bride and groom and the family and friends that they have chosen to celebrate with them. We sat down with Wendy Putt, of Fresh Cut Catering and Floral, to talk about food ideas to make your day a true reflection of you as a couple! Wendy recommends picking foods that you not only like, but that represent the places you love and the culture of your guests. She takes pride in getting to know her couples and what makes them unique.

Here are some tips for making your menu your own.

{Taste of Home} Make sure to include foods that reflect where you and your guests are from. Wendy says that many of her clients choose their Mississippi Bar with items such as fried catfish, bar b q and black eyed pea salsa to wow the out of town guests with the flavors of our great state. She suggests also considering regional foods to help the out of town guests feel at home, like a cajun dish and beignets for guests traveling from Louisiana.

{Making Memories} Another idea that Wendy gives for making your food personal is to choose items that reflect special memories in your relationship. Do you love to go out for sushi? Have a sushi bar! Was your first date was at an Italian restaurant? Why not have a pasta bar with each of your favorite sauces.  Were you got engaged in New Orleans? Why not have fresh oysters shucked in front of your guests by Chef Bruce, himself.  Whatever the memory, what better occasion to celebrate it!

{All Inclusive} When considering food items, Wendy suggests trying to include items to suit the needs of your guests. If you know that a lot of children will be present, consider setting up an area with kid-friendly foods like chicken tenders, PB&J or mac-n-cheese. What kid, or adult for that matter, can resist those delicious items? She suggests also making sure to have items like fruit and cheese for any guests who may have dietary restrictions. Having at least one to two items that anyone can eat will ensure that none of your guests leave hungry.

{Team Spirit} Are you and your fiancé die-hard fans of your alma mater? Wendy reflects on one of her favorite set ups, where they served tailgate foods out of the actual tailgate of a vintage truck! Make it even more personal by decorating your “tailgate” with team gear. Getting married during football season? Why not stream the game live so your guests don’t miss out!

{All About Service} According to Wendy, another important part of personalizing your menu, is deciding how the food will be served. The way you choose to serve your food can set the mood of the evening. Are your guests the types who are ready for a cocktail upon arrival? Consider passed appetizers like crab cakes or bacon-pudding bites during your cocktail hour. Do you want to make sure that everyone spends plenty of time on the dance floor? Buffet style is probably your best bet. Want a more formal feel? How about a sit-down dinner? Have a family tradition of eating every Sunday at Grandma’s? Why not take a sit-down dinner in a different direction by having the food served home-style in the center of the table.

These days, weddings are less about traditions and more about celebrating your unique relationship. Choosing a menu that reflects you both is sure to have your guests leaving with a feeling that they experienced a day that was as unique as you are. Wendy takes such pride in being able to help couples achieve this for their event. There’s no wrong way, only the way that best fits you!

David Legg Photography | Fresh Cut Catering and Floral

On the coldest day in December, Mary Courtney and Amelia {of Studio MJW} set out to do classic indoor/outdoor maternity pictures. Mary Courtney's home and surroundings, along with Amelia's vision, made for some amazing photos. Check out our favorite shots by Studio MJW.

Photos by Studio MJW

{Guest Post} Elizabeth Tardio

If you’re getting married, listen up! And if you’re already married listen up too! I’ve always loved traditions. Always. Doesn’t everyone? (Yes. The answer is yes.) So, without further ado… a tradition you’ll want to start.

I remember the moment like it was yesterday. Chris (that’s my husband) and I were at dinner with two other couples, all of us great friends and all newly married.  The conversation turned to sports (does it ever end?), babies (none of us were ready for 2 feet additions), and travel (AHHH! Can we just go on a 2nd honeymoon already?) Something in the travel segment of the dinner conversation had me spitting out my steak, hushing the men, and asking to hear it again. One couple, the Carters, would be going to West Virginia over Labor Day weekend. A hush fell over the crowd, followed by much inquiry as to why they were planning a trip to West Virginia of all places. (Sorry, natives of West Virginia.) The answer:  “We started a tradition this year of drawing a state on New Year’s Day. We then have a calendar year to visit that state. In 50 years, we will have visited all 50 states.” That’s all I needed to hear! We Tardios would have no shame in copy-catting this idea. I was on this like white on rice. We would see 50 states in 50 years of marriage, a state a year. I was sold.

Chris immediately got on board too, as we both love to travel and there are so many states that I haven’t seen at all and he has only seen in passing for work. We’d traveled a little in our dating relationship, to Atlanta a couple of times, to Mississippi and Kentucky several more to see our respective families or take in…wait for it… wait for it… a football game. We’d been to out-of-town weddings in New York and Biloxi. We even spent a few days in Miami. Most recently, we’d taken an exotic honeymoon to Belize.  Each time we traveled, whether in the car or on an airplane, we always came home saying what wonderful quality time we had, how much we learned about the other person, how much our bond felt renewed and strengthened, and what wonderful memories we made exploring a new place together. For instance, during our trips, I learned that Chris brushes his teeth more than any human I’ve ever met, leading to what our lovely dentist Dr.Pittman terms “impeccable dental hygiene.” Chris also repeatedly forgets underwear, socks, and a belt when he travels. His favorite travel snacks are Sunbelt Oat Bars, and he is diligent with timing out his restroom breaks. He has learned about me that I get incredibly cranky when I’m hungry. I always  WAY over pack, like 50.0 pounds for a weekend getaway over pack. I also always fall asleep on car rides, and I do not time out my restroom breaks in the least.

So, it was decided immediately that we would openly copy this idea, but we’d add our own twist as well. We’d have rules, and we’d do this old-school, drawing from an actual deck of state flash cards (which can be purchased at any parent-teacher store). If you’re really resourceful you could even make your own. (I was not.)

Rules for the Traveling Tardios Edition of 50 States in 50 Years:

1)The state must be drawn on August 11th of each year, our anniversary. The drawer alternates each year. The other must photograph the monumental draw.

2) We have one year to visit the state.

3) There are NO putbacks, except for Hawaii or Alaska, which may be put back until a “big anniversary year” or a year when time/finances better allow for extended travel.

4) We must stay in the state at least 48 hours.

5) If we travel through other states along the way, only the actual state drawn is recorded (yes we have a map to record the travels…)

6) If we travel elsewhere in the year, that’s fine but no other states are removed from our deck.

Since this GENIUS idea didn’t come to us before our wedding and we couldn’t draw the state on our wedding night, we actually just picked our first state. Thus, we settled on California and we decided to make an anniversary trip of it, going just a few days prior to our first anniversary. (Aren’t we romantic? Watch out Bachelor.) We spent 3 nights in San Francisco and then traveled up to Sonoma for 2 more nights. It was the perfect combination of city-life and charm. In San Fran, we saw (translation: froze) a Giants game, went to Alcatraz, toured Stanford (my lawyer husband gets his kicks from a)me and b) law schools across the country), checked out Lombard Street, went on a hike overlooking the bay, and ate. A lot. In Sonoma, we toured a vineyard, drank lots of wine, ate a lot (again), went to a festival on the Sonoma square, and got our first (and last) couples massage. Besides the couples massage disaster, where my husband attempted to take his phone and reading materials along and tried to get his massage through his blue jeans and fleece jacket (true story), it was an absolutely wonderful first state to visit and perfect way to celebrate our first anniversary.

We drew our second state on our anniversary this year; Vermont was the lucky pick. Neither of us had ever been to Vermont so this was immediately exciting. I also have a good friend who just moved to Maine so we planned to see her too. Chris vouched for a summer trip when it’s hot as Hades down here, and I rallied around the idea of a ski trip in the winter. And, I won out. (Can you see who wears the pants around our house?) We decided on a New Year’s Ski Trip to Stowe, Vermont. This would be Chris’s first time skiing and my first time in many years.

We stayed in Stowe for 3 days and skied two. Stowe is the perfect little New England town, and it was absolutely beautiful. Snow everywhere and Christmas decorations at every corner. That said, we are exceptionally terrible skiers. Chris had two wipe-outs just getting on the chair lift, and I was the slowest skier Stowe has ever seen. We also decided to borrow ski clothes instead of making the investment, and we were quite the sight, clad in too big, too tight, mismatched ski gear. In short, we were an embarrassment. But, we had the time of our lives and can’t wait to go back soon.  We wrapped up the trip with a New Year’s Eve dinner date with friends in Boston (though, as you are now informed, Vermont was our state to visit not Massachusetts…Following our rules, Massachusetts is still in our deck of states.).

We are anxious for August 11th to roll around again, of course to celebrate another year of wedded bliss (right honey? right?) but also to draw our next state. We’re hoping for somewhere sunny, which means we’ll probably draw Michigan or Wisconsin. But, no matter what we draw, we’ll have a blast traveling somewhere new together and growing in our relationship.

I hope this idea might be one you’ll want to consider in some form or fashion. Some people we’ve told think they might alter it a bit, only putting in states they desperately want to see, maybe drawing for each vacation taken.  Maybe it becomes a family thing or maybe it always stays a sacred treasure for just the “grown-ups.”  There’s so many ways you can go with it, but most importantly, we’ve learned it’s a great way to make memories with each other that hopefully last a lifetime.

Credit: Map by Groovy Gravy Etsy Shop

With all of the icy cold weather we've been having here in Mississippi, we were inspired to share this winter wedding with you. The bride loves a themed party and her holiday spirit was shown in every detail. So, for all of you winter 2014 brides, here is some stunning inspiration captured by Danny K Photography.

Jane and Adam met in Olympia, Washington at a dive bar called The Reef. Jane knew right away that Adam was something special because he wrote her number down on his hand using a pen with Abe Lincoln's head on it! The two hit it off and were engaged at the beach during the summer solstice and married exactly six months later on the winter solstice at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Oxford. The reception followed at the cozy City Grocery on the square. 

Jane searched for what felt like years (two afternoons, but they were long afternoons..) for her perfect wedding dress before deciding to have it made. What she was looking for was a 1950's style cocktail dress and she knew she would never find it in a boutique. To go along with her one-of-a-kind dress, she had one-of-a-kind shoes! To ensure that they were the exact color she wanted, her mother put her DIY skills to use and spray painted them gold. And the complete the look she carried a bouquet accented with winter greenery such as pine, spruce and douglas fir.

The wedding party was filled with the people that Jane and Adam love most and each of them are different, so they didn't want to make them wear something specific that was not their style. Each bridesmaid got to choose her own dress and each groomsman was allowed to sport their best tacky Christmas sweater vest. Only if they wanted to, of course! But, who wouldn't?

Along with the traditional bride and groom's cakes, Jane and Adam had a third cake made for her grandparents. They celebrated their 60th anniversary the day before the wedding and got their very own surprise celebration.

From the colored lights lining the room (must always use colored lights!) to the one of a kind ornaments hanging from the ceiling (made by Jane's mother), the spirit of Christmas was everywhere at the reception. Guests were greeted by a copy of the "Night Before Christmas" to sign in place of your normal guest registry book and the groom's cake looked like a gorgeous Christmas gift topped with a big gold bow.

Ferriday McClatchy Events | Danny K Photography | City Grocery | St. Peter's Episcopal Church | Cakes by Cory | Details Specialty Rentals | Nest Paper Studio | Oxford Floral | Sound by Tim Burkhead, LLC |Music by Airships