For nearly 10 years now, I have been photographer & owner of Rachel Anne's Photography, over 5 years as my Full-Time Career...but something fun you might not know is that after College I landed a job working for the Boy Scouts of America =) My title was District Executive and I was in charge of planning council-wide events, fundraising, and volunteer training...oh and I took the Summer Camp photos too ;)

Well this past weekend, I had one of my old Cub Scout Packs contact us about shooting one of their events, the Cub Mobile Race.  Sam & I had an absolute blast taking pictures and capturing video of these kiddos racing in the cars they built from scratch...watch all the adorable action in the video below! ;)

One of the most magical moments from our wedding, was when Sam & I sent Sky Lanterns into the night sky with our guests at the end of the Reception. Over the years, I have had multiple brides ask me for some tips on how to make this, somewhat intimidating, event happen at their wedding...without burning down the venue ;)

Today I am SUPER excited to have Guest Blogger, Jamie Simpson, owner of www.houserockersdj.com  He put together 5 Helpful Tips in choosing your Reception Playlist that, for our brides who are in the planning stages, is a must-read!

BUT FIRST, I have to tell you guys how amazing Jamie is and what he did for Sam & I's wedding reception... with pretty pictures & video of course ;)

When it comes to Wedding Receptions, if you want a non-stop party that guests will never forget... you want HouseRockers DJ!  Sam & I had Jamie Simpson on the TOP of our Vendor list and he DID NOT DISAPPOINT =) The party was jumping and Jamie kept our guests on the dance floor ALL... NIGHT... LONG. I could explain more in detail, but really, it's so much better to SEE!

Today's Guest Blogger was one of my favorite vendors to work with for our wedding, she's super fun & bubbly... Wendy Victor, owner of Elegant Chair Cover Designs!

She put together 3 Ways to WOW your Wedding Guests! You will definitely want to consider all 3, because they COMPLETELY transformed our wedding =)

BUT FIRST, I have to show you how STUNNING our wedding looked because of the unique Chair Covers & Linens that we chose with Wendy! When I first walked into the Reception Room, I remember saying "It feels like a fairytale!" WAY BEYOND what I had envisioned & hoped for =D bring on the pretty pictures! ;) (Images by SHO Films)

Our first Guest Blogger is one of the kindest, sweetest ladies you could ever work with for your wedding... Gale Wells, owner of April Flowers!

She put together 5 Quick Tips for choosing your Wedding Flowers and all 5 helped me when picking the pretty flowers I wanted for my wedding...that worked for my budget ;)

Baby Girl Lim started having her photo taken long before her birth on February 5th ;) We did monthly photos during pregnancy to remember my ever-growing baby bump...in the fun & fashionable Infinity Dress that Sam made me (I was blessed with a crafty husband)! I just love looking at this pregnancy collage and still being amazed at the fact that my little girl grew in that big ol' belly ;)

Then on the outside, we had a pretty-in-pink Newborn photo shoot for Liliana's Birth Announcements.  Followed one week later with a Valentine's mini session in the cutest red & white polka dot bloomers ;)  And the month after that, we captured photos of our wide-eyed beauty in an adorable Easter scene.  She has learned quickly that she is the new test subject for all of our Studio Sessions...but she's a photographer's dream of a daughter with smiles galore! WE LOVE HER SO MUCH!!! =D

Those who know me, and those who follow the RA blog, know very well that I LOVE to decorate & design ;)  So I practically spent my whole pregnancy putting together Pinterest projects, yard sale shopping, and spray painting just about every piece of furniture in the room! Sam was behind his sewing machine just about the entire 9 months...rocking chair & foot stool cushions, crib dust ruffle, valence curtain, and reupholstering a whole couch! And probably one of my favorite features, besides the whimsical birdie mural of course ;) are the custom-built book shelves and letter "L".  During the pregnancy, we were not revealing baby girl's name until she arrived, so no one knew that the "L" stood for Liliana...everyone just thought it was for our last name "Lim"! =D

My goal with this Nursery was to turn a tiny, drab bedroom into a cheery, comfy space to watch my baby girl grow up in...CHECK!!! =D

OH! And if you love our beautiful baby quilt or the adorable blocks we use for our weekly photos with Liliana, be sure to check out my super talented friend's online Shop:  www.everydayoctober.storenvy.com

After 21 hours of all natural labor and holding Liliana Mae in my arms, I simply felt on top of the world...then it all changed in an instant.

I cannot believe that 3 months ago "Life with Liliana" began. On February 5th at 7:45am, Liliana Lim was born =)  But the real story began on February 4th at 11:00am...

Oh what memories came flooding back when I spent time with Lynette & Tony for their maternity session this weekend.  Memories of anticipation & excitement as you're about to welcome a little one into your world =)

One of my favorite parts of pregnancy was designing the nursery!...Lynette showed me the amazing art installation they have for Baby Sawyer's nursery: rustic, wooden planks from floor to ceiling on one wall and a woodland creature mural with trees & deer on the other. Which means the Wall Art Collection we put together from their session is a perfect match: couture wooden frames holding four of their gorgeous images by the pond! And what I love about our new Couture Frame collection is clients get to take them home that day...so Lynette will have them ready to display at her Baby Shower this weekend! =D

This crazy Western PA weather, with fluctuating temperatures, bring on sicknesses galore! And that was the case for The Hinojosa family when we had their original Spring Mini session scheduled for Easter time =( But everyone's feeling better now and we got to have some fun in the Studio today!

Sam & I LOVE our UAA Conference that we are hired to photograph & film each Spring. We get to travel to some truly stunning US cities: in year's past there was San Francisco, San Antonio & Pittsburgh, this year...MIAMI =D

We loved having these 3 adorable cousins in our Studio yesterday! Such pretty blue eyes from the boys and the sweetest voice from little Zoe =)

How exciting to have this Family of 6 visit us in the Studio today!  Kiddos ranging from ages 12 all the way down to 5 weeks ;) There's lots of love for little Mr. Brody from all of his siblings & parents...just check out the photos to see!