Wedding Wednesdays: Engagement Photos

A couple weeks ago we had the chance to have our official engagement pictures taken. I’d told our photographer waaay back in June that I wanted to wait til the leaves were changing , ‘cause, well, fall in Fayetteville is breathtaking (really, if you haven’t been here in the fall, you MUST come. I swear it’s prettier than anywhere else I’ve been).

When we got to the shoot, one of the first things Dale said was “Y’all don’t seem nervous at all! That’s awesome!” What he didn’t know was that sure, we might not have been nervous then, but that was only because I’d had like three panic attacks about outfits a month before. That is one nice thing about my tendency to over-think and plan to the last detail – I freak out early!

I’d gotten so worried, in fact, that I’d planned out our outfits…not just in my head…but on paper...to the last detail. Ever heard of Polyvore? It’s this wonderful site that lets you visually layout outfit inspiration. Dale & Mere, rather than think I was insane for sending them Polyvore images of our outfit selections, LOVED it. Glad to have folks on my side that appreciate how my brain works. Here’s what we sent him:

Based on those, we’d chosen three locations in Fayetteville (all of them meaningful to Paul and me in some way): Old Main Lawn (for the leaves and the U of A connection), Dickson Street (where we went that first night almost a year ago), and the Square (which, of all of Fayetteville, probably has my heart the most).

We had a great time – it was really more like spending the afternoon with friends who are super photo obsessed rather than a session. They made it easy to relax and really enjoy the process, rather than obsess over what face we were making or whether our heads were turned just right.

And, of course, the photos turned out BEAUTIFULLY. I’m so glad we picked Dale & Mere – I couldn’t have asked for a sweeter, happier, more fun set of ridiculously talented people to be in charge of capturing these precious moments. Plus, we’re getting some pretty awesome friends out of the deal, too.

Thanks, Dale & Mere. Y’all are a blessing!

Check out their blog here! (unless you hate pretty pictures...)

Wedding Wednesdays: Memphis Shower Re-Cap

This past weekend, several of my mom’s elementary school friends (yes, elementary school) threw me a LOVELY wedding shower. Despite my nerves and stage/crowd fright, I had a wonderful time and I couldn’t have felt more loved.

It was so sweet to see all the ladies that helped raise me all in one place (and I know Momma had a great time with all her buddies, too). We had a devotional (such a nice touch), played games, ate YUMMY food, and opened waaaaay too many presents (if there is such a thing). The Boy even got to join me for the gift part, which made it much more enjoyable.

I wish I could bottle up all these memories and feelings for the days when wedding planning really gets the best of me. They really do make all the crazy and the stress seem silly and far away.

Now, without further ado, the fun part: pictures!

The Decor

The ladies are aware of my slight obsession with fall and did a BEAUTIFUL job bringing that to life for the shower. Burlap, pumpkins, leaves, lace - all there. Isn't it pretty?!? The gown hanging in the background is an old dress one of the hostesses daughters used to play dress-up in. It was a sweet touch. 

Oh, and those cupcakes! Goodness me were they yummy. Mrs. Lisa made 'em - pumpkin with cinnamon cream cheese frosting. She commented that Mrs. Sheila had given her the toughest jobs: 1) reading in front of people (she did the devotional), and 2) making cupcakes for the "cupcake queen." She had nothing to worry about - they were amazing. 

The Food

I love shower food in just about any form, but this spread tops the list: tea sandwiches, meatballs, sausage balls, cheesy artichoke dip, spinach tarts (thanks, Momma!), some amazing pumpkin dip with apple slices, all sorts of sweet treats, and a coffee-punch concoction that I can't even begin to describe. I mean really, look at this!

The Games

We played two games (neither of which I won...despite The Boy being the judge...boo). For the first one, we had to place a sheet of paper on top of our heads and draw a bride. The photos we got out of that might be more fun than the game itself. 

We also played gift bingo. We all filled out our bingo cards with items we thought I'd get, then checked them off as I opened gifts. Mrs. Karen, who brought an ENTIRE TRASH CAN full of gifts, won...I call shenanigans seeing as she could have filled her whole card with just the stuff in that can ;)

The hostesses also asked all of the guests to bring an apron with a story behind it to share at the shower! Aprons are one of my favorite things, and I loved hearing all the history behind all these. Plus, I got a new one to wear, too! 

It was so much fun - I'm so grateful for the ladies who took the time to put it all together. I had a blast seeing everyone (particularly some old friends from high school and my amazing Maid of Honor who now lives 6 hours away from me). I wish we could do this every weekend! Thanks again, ladies. I'm so blessed. 

Wedding Wednesdays: Shower Time!

Wedding Showers. A wedding element I've both anticipated and dreaded.

Anticipated because I love spending time with my family and friends, because I love shower food, and because, well, presents.

Dreaded because I get nervous around lots of people, because I'm uncomfortable being the reason for a party as opposed to the planner of a party, and because, well, presents (I hate opening gifts in front of everyone...I always feel so much pressure to react appropriately...and I can never seem to find the right balance between "OMGYAYSOEXCITED" and "Thanks.")

Anticipated or dreaded, however, they've begun.

And so far it's been awesome!

The sweet, wonderful ladies at work threw me my first shower a couple weeks ago. We all met up at a restaurant near the office (one which happened to serve margaritas) and spent a couple hours hugging, giggling, and munching on yummy food.

Plus, I got some FANTASTIC loot - new knives, wine glasses, stuff for our bathroom, tons of fun gadgets, the most adorable salad servers, the BEAUTIFUL butter dish we asked for...you get the idea.

The ladies were so thoughtful - they had the room decorated with pink burlap (yes, two of my favorite things IN ONE), brought in treats from Rick's ("nothing with their buttercream" because they listen and read my blog!), and they had the guests leave "Words of Wisdom" for Paul and me as we begin our marriage. I'll share just a few:

• Paul is always right.
• Commit to never, ever give up!
• Before you fight, decide if it's worth it. It's not.
• Love is a choice...the feelings will follow!
• Make him put the seat down from day 1!
• When your wife has a problem, she wants you to give her your ear, not a solution.
• Do not stop to ask for directions. Let him find it. 
• Hold hands and say the Lord's Prayer together every night.
• Nothing good comes from a prideful heart.
• A man needs respect; when he gets that, his love is overflowing.
• Laugh at his jokes no matter how lame.

How sweet is all that?!?

I have my next shower this weekend - and Paul gets to come with me this time. It's in Memphis, so it'll be all the ladies that I grew up with. Can't wait to see everyone! Plus, isn't the invite adorable?

It's so nice to be loved like this. I can't fully express my gratitude. But I'll bring treats in an attempt to do so :)

More updates to come soon!

PS: We took engagement photos with the Benfield's last weeknd! Should have our shots back soon(ish). Stay tuned for those!!!

Bachelorette Weekend in STL

This past weekend my sweet girls treated me to the most fabulous celebratory weekend in St. Louis, jam packed with all sorts of my favorite things!

We started with dinner at the Roommate's precious little house - homemade roasted tomato soup and white cheddar cheese, homemade bread, and rosemary chicken-apple-walnut-blue cheese salad. I miss living with her...

Up next was frilly-gift time followed by an hour or so of watching Gigi & Finley (Roommate's roommate's dog), chase each other around the living room. I loved having all of my favorite girls in one place - such a treat.

Saturday morning, we all met up at the London Tea Room for breakfast. If you're ever in St. Louis, you simply MUST go to the tea room - it's indescribably lovely. I had a pot of the Duke & Duchess blend with a cranberry-orange scone covered in clotted cream and fresh strawberry jam. Pretty much the best breakfast ever.

The plan was to then grab coffee (yes, we like caffeine that much) on our way to our mani-pedi appointment. Our plans were blindsided (literally) by a couple of (again, literal) party crashers. A Ford Taurus came out of nowhere and t-boned Roommate's car in the middle of a rather busy intersection. Thankfully, Little Sister keeps calm in crisis situations and had it pretty much handled by the time I'd even processed what had happened. No one was hurt and we were able to get it sorted out fairly quickly.

Dealing with a car accident was not at all how we wanted to spend our morning, but we had some nice downtime waiting on the cops and the tow truck, then enjoyed a stroll through the SLU campus. All in all, it really didn't put that much of a damper on the day.

We finally arrived at the salon and enjoyed a very girlie hour of manicures & pedicures - note to self: wear a "Bride-to-Be" sash EVERYWHERE. People are SUPER nice to you ALL THE TIME!

Afterwards, we had lunch at one of my favorite spots - Companion - then headed back to the hotel for a quick change before our tour of the Botanical Gardens.

Since it was so late in the afternoon, the Gardens were relatively quiet (except for the no fewer than three weddings setting up as we walked around). Plus, the weather was delightful - making our tour even more enjoyable.

After our tour, we spent time driving around the city and made a stop at Kaldi's Coffee for a caffiene boost before dinner. Y'all...they have a Baked Maple Pumpkin Latte...BAKED. It actually has BAKED PUMPKIN in it. AND maple. If you aren't hearing me...baked pumpkin. It was phenomenal.

We had dinner on the Hill at Zia's - fabulous as always - then spent a few hours at Bailey's Chocolate Bar. Also excellent. I had a Chai martini - chai ice cream, rumchata, and vanilla vodka...OMG.

All of that on top of the fact that I got to spend an entire day with my girls - I couldn't imagine a better weekend.

The next morning, we enjoyed crepes, coffee, and mimosas at City Coffee House & Creperie and found out who'd won our Bachelorette Bingo Instagram competition (spoiler, Vicky won).

To fill you in, we all had a sheet with 25 squares on it - each describing a different thing we had to find throughout the weekend. The objects were open to "creative interpretation," and some of the photos we snapped were my favorites from the trip. More details at the end of the post.

Unfortunately we all had flights to catch or lesson plans to write or puppies to pick up, so the weekend had to end. I hated hugging everyone goodbye - but I'm sure January will be here before I know it and they'll all be back!

Ladies - thank you SO much for an amazing weekend. I'm so very blessed to have such a sweet set of friends. I cannot fully express how much each of you means to me. Can't wait to see you in January!

Til then!

Bachelorette Bingo

This is a collection of my favorites from the weekend, laid out on the board in their respective squares. There were two we struggled to get: Momma & Me (as she was having WAY too much fun with her buddy Rhonda), and Me talking about Paul (which Brittany DID get, but it's in video form, so not included). The full collection is available below (and also on Instagram under the tag #alanasgettingmarried). Enjoy!

A Giant Shoe made out of Shoes

Lauren

St. Louis Arch

Emma

What the What?

Heather

Alana’s Ring

Brittany

Fairy Lights

Gigi being Cute

Underground

Someone Laughing til they Cry

"A rose by any other name…"

Alana Caught by Surprise

Vicky

Favorite Meal

Pretty in Pink

Coffee

Alana with at least THREE of her Bridesmaids (no posing)

Kaitlin

Ten Little Piggies

True Love