Inspiration

Ten months feels like a very long engagement. Especially when Josh and I have been dating for almost 5 years. I feel like June will never get here and at the same time I can't believe how close the wedding is! Josh and I both are very busy with work, school, and trying to have a social life when time permits so wedding planning is moving a bit on the slow side. This week we picked out wedding invitations, tables, chairs, and planned out the whole wedding ceremony. It feels good to have those things out of the way! This week we are working on the music, and my favorite part...the FLOWERS! I gathered some pictures to use as inspiration for the wedding bouquets and other floral arrangements.

This week my heart and mind has been centered on my bridesmaids. My bridesmaids are ravishing. Each one of them is so valuable to me and they each have touched and impacted my life in positive ways. My maid of honor is Lydia Sanders, my best friend that I have known nearly my whole life. My bridesmaids are my aunt Addie who currently lives in London, Rebekah Hamilton who has become one of my closest friends over the past few years, Claire Dunn my childhood friend who lives in Texas, and Emily Bradley who is one of the kindest people I have ever met and a dear friend of mine.

 Lydia, Addie, Rebekah, Claire, and Emily are my dearest friends and I am so blessed to have them stand by me on my wedding day. I have spent hours this week searching on every blog every website and every link to those blogs and websites to find bridesmaid dresses. Each one of the lovely ladies is unique and aquire very unique personalities, so I wanted their dresses to reflect them individually. Often brides pick out bridesmaid dresses that the bridesmaid dislike, never wear again, and cost way to much. Although this is understandable for formal weddings my wedding is more casual, and very DIY which allows the girls to wear different dresses that are beautiful, affordable, and that they each love and could possibly wear again. Lydia, Rebekah, and Emily have all ordered their dresses and Emily's dress came in yesterday! Yay! I look forward to seeing them all in their dresses soon!

Side note...Emily, Rebekah, Lydia and I are training to run (more like walk) a half marathon before the wedding in April. Wish us luck! Gotta look good for the big day! =)








   

Engagement pictures-Check!

Photos taken by,

Ranae Garner

Photo day at The Barn

Today was absolutely the perfect day for engagement photos. Fall has arrived, leaves cover the ground, and the trees are dressed in reds, yellows and browns. Josh and I spent the morning at the barn that we will be getting married at with our two amazing photographers Ranae and Kaleb Garner. It was so special to go back to the swing there that Josh proposed on. We were able to take several pictures on the swing, near the pond and at the barn. We had so much fun taking funny pictures and some more serious photos too.  I am so anxious to see how they turned out!

Counting down!

Its is now exactly NINE MONTHS until the big day! And ONE MONTH of being engaged!
As a working, full-time student and Bride to be my life is very busy. I have managed, with the help of my wonderful mom to put together the guest list, pick out colors and flowers and buy a wedding planner (while maintaing an A in all my classes!).  I have enjoyed using THE KNOT as a wonderful wedding resource, so naturally, I purchased THE KNOT Wedding Planner. It should arrive in a couple of days! Can't wait!
Now that Josh and I have been engaged for one month I have had several opportunities to introduce him as my fiance. I love it. I love it  so much that I find myself looking for opportunities to bring it up. In class I talk to people about it, at church or at parties I find new people to introduce him as my fiance to, and even at work I hand people their money with my left hand hoping they will catch a glimpse of my ring. Is this pathetic? Does anyone else do this?

As always, any wedding planning advice is welcomed.

Love,
The bride-to-be

This is THE ONE!

People say when you are trying on wedding dresses that you will just know you have found “the one” when you put it on. You will have a feeling that it was made for you, that you were destined to find each other. I am a big fan of Say Yes to the Dress, and I love watching the excitement in bride’s faces when they find that match. I always hoped I would have that same feeling, the “this is the One!” feeling. And last Friday I did.

I went with my mom, and two of my dearest friends, Rebekah and Naloni to scope out the white dress selection in Tulsa. My only intentions that day were to see what I liked and have some fun trying on gowns, something I have been looking forward to sense I was five!  

We went to David’s Bridal. You have to squint walking into that store from all the white.  My consultant gave me a slip and a corset to put on which gave me a mermaid frame and took away half of my ability to breathe. One by one I started trying on dresses. Seeing myself in the dresses felt unnatural and it felt like the mirrors themselves seemed to be speaking to me, hey you, you in the white, you’re a bride! Can you believe it? It was all starting to feel real.

I wasn’t looking for the “this is it” feeling, not that day, I was just looking. It was then when my consultant brought in the seventh dress that my eyes become big and enchanted. Putting on the dress even made my heart pitter-patter. Before I turned to look in the wall of mirrors my mom was smiling and my friends were oohing and ahhing. I knew it was the one as soon as I saw myself. “This is it. It is everything I wanted without knowing what I wanted.” I said. Like the top of a wedding take I  posed on top of the small platform on the stage, falling in love with every detail of the dress,

Fun thing about Davids Bridal is when a bride finds her prefect dress they give her a large bell and she makes a wish and rings the bell. “Please Jesus, please hold off on the rain for June 16^th.” I wished, and rang the bell, the whole store yelled and applauded!

I would describe the dress to you all, but my wonderful fiancé is to curious for his own good, and I want it to be a surprise for him the day of our wedding. Sorry Josh. :) 

The Proposal...

Josh and I where one month away from celebrating our 4 year anniversary! It’s hard to believe that we met at 17 and 18 and are now 21 and 22. It has been the best 4 years of my life and we have had adventures together that some people never have the chance to experience.

August 16^th was my 21^st birthday! I had a lovely breakfast with my mom that morning, during which she completely fooled me into thinking that Josh would be proposing towards the end of September. I had no expectations of a proposal going into the birthday date Josh had planned for me that night.

He picked me up at 7. He looked so handsome.  He shaved his face and trimmed his hair just the way I love it.  I had no idea what this date held and was quite shocked when he blindfolded me as soon as I sat down in the car! I love surprises, and even though from the outside we looked like a bizarre kidnapping situation casually driving around, I didn’t care, it was so much fun.

We finally parked and he asked me to keep my eyes closed and made me promise not to open them. He held my hand and slowly walked me through what I could tell was a field of grass. When he told me to open my eyes I couldn’t believe what I saw! Underneath a beautiful weeping willow tree was a small round table with a blue mosaic top. On it was fruit, sandwiches’ and wine glasses. It looked like a scene right out of the secret garden. We had a wonderful dinner under that tree and I couldn’t get over how beautiful it was.

After our lovely dinner Josh asked me to close my eyes again as we walked back to the car. We were on the road again, eyes closed, and on to the next surprise!

The next location was MODS. My all time favorite place to get gelato! The sun was starting to set and I still had no suspicion of a proposal. We took our gelato in the car with us, I of course had to keep me eyes closed, and I found out that my eating gelato blindly skills were not to impressive. We danced and sang the whole way to the next mystery location. When the car stopped I knew right away we were in the middle of nowhere. I could hear crickets chirping and when I got out of the car I could feel the grass on my feet.

My heart started racing and I was starting to freak out a bit. Could he be …proposing???? I told myself that he wasn’t and to calm down. He walked me a little ways and then asked me to stand still. “Josh your freaking me out.” I told him, and he told me there was nothing to worry about and everything was ok. Then he told me to open my eyes, and as soon as I opened them I knew we were at the Barn (the location we want to get married). I was standing in front of a huge tree that had a beautiful swing that hung from it. White Christmas lights made a large heart around the swing, and on the swing was a bouquet of sunflowers and a small gift. I was shocked! It was so beautiful and so sweet! He had me sit down on the swing and open my gift. Inside the wrapping was a big ring box with an enormous diamond ring inside! I laughed and thought this was really cute. Next thing I know Josh is kneeling down in front of me and reaching into his back pocket. He said the sweetest words to me and then opened the box and asked me to marry him! I don’t remember ever really saying yes. I couldn’t help but cry and laugh because I was so happy! THE RING was beautiful and I was so surprised! A couple minutes later my mom and my brother came running out from behind the trees taking pictures and video! I spent the drive home calling my best friends and holding my hand out in front of my face. At home family was waiting with a cake and presents to celebrate! It was the PERFECT night!

Josh knows me so well and made the proposal something I will never forget. It has been so awesome to call him my fiancé and wear the beautiful ring. My friends and family did a great job at keeping it all a secret! Josh is awful at keeping a surprise secret for very long, but he never gave it away! I am so thankful to be engaged to Josh and to be entering into an amazing family!