I’m a little swamped at the moment, which is why I haven’t updated much these past few days, but I assure you I do have things in the works! In the meantime, please check out the latest Real Wedding post I wrote for 100 Layer Cake! It is totally gorgeous!
For all of you who have been bugging me about posting wedding photos, I’m sorry but you’ll have to wait. I could post some of the ones my family and friends have tagged on Facebook, but I prefer to wait until our incredible photographer Jason Connel is done with his magic official photos to really share them with the world.
But, to hold you over, check out these adorbs engagement photos he shot for us just a couple days before the wedding in Hillsboro Village, Nashville. That’s right, you can totally wait until your wedding is hours away before taking engagement pics. 
They’re a little small on the blog, but you can click to enlarge.
Don’t we look so happy and relaxed? And just think, moments before the shoot I was on the verge of tears/a nervous breakdown.
One of my favorites.
This was my idea 
Awkward moment: the girls who owned these bikes came to get them as we were posing with them… oops!
Fido!
This really happened… one of Julian’s fans recognized him while we were shooting. I am used to playing “fan photographer” by now.
Which one is your favorite?!
Okay, just one actual wedding photo for fun:
Jason is Houston-based, but travels often, so if you’re in the market for a fantabulous photog, definitely give him a holler. He’s talented and will make you laugh during those awkward photos. You won’t be disappointed!
For a little something to brighten your afternoon, watch this proposal. The groom went through the trouble of choreographing an extensive routine with his circus-performing buddies to ask his lady to marry him. Yes, this proposal video is pretty cute, but I still don’t think it tops the way my precious proposed to me.
I have to admit, guys have it rough these days. Proposals are getting more and more over the top, I pity the man who chooses to go with the tried-and-true “down on one knee during dinner “approach.
You know that feeling when you’re standing on your tippy toes in water up to your chin just trying to be still and keep your nose pointed upward so you can breathe? That’s kind of how I feel right now trying to balance all this wedding planning stuff (logistics, details, decisions, my feelings, other people’s feelings).
This weekend, however, I’m going to do my best to just PUSH it all aside and enjoy myself because I’m flying back to Virginia for two very momentous occasions!
Numero uno, my first ever wedding dress fitting! As some of you know, my Grandmother and Mother are making my wedding dress by hand and though we’ve done a fair share of stitching, priority-mailing, pinning, and priority-mailing back, I still haven’t had a wedding dress on my body yet. Tomorrow that will change.
And then on Sunday, I get to hang out with some of my favorite girls at my bridal shower! My best friend since childhood Tabatha is having it on the gigantic wrap-around porch on the back of her Mom’s house so I’m hoping for endless sunshine.
PLUS, I’m picking up our wedding bands and my newly-resized engagement ring from the jeweler tonight – ahh! A fun-filled, wedding-wonderful weekend WITHOUT living in fear that my ring will come flying off my hand at any given moment? STUPENDOUS!
There are two small kinks in my weekend plans, however. A red-eye flight tonight and a VERY early east-to-west flight on Monday morning – those are the worst because despite waking up at 1am Pacific time, you still land in time to go work a full day. Blech.
Anyways – here’s hoping you all have as lovely a weekend as I’m sure to have. xoxo!
Kudos to this creative and geeky couple, Darino and Niko, for making a video game wedding invitation. The Mario Brothers-esque game requires viewers to complete the game to get the invitation.
The gamer-geek appropriate packaging for the game:
Very adorable, but I don’t think I could get away with sending something like this. For starters, I think half of my friends are too lazy and/or busy to play a game just to get info about my wedding, and the last time I checked, none of my Grandparents knew what 1337 meant.
via Offbeat Bride
Well this is the worst news ever. Anthropologie, only my favorite store in the entire world, is launching a wedding brand next Spring – a full YEAR after my wedding. It feels like just yesterday (oh wait, it was) that I was whining about how Anthropologie didn’t have wedding registry services. Anyway – this is great news for future brides, who will be able to take advantage of their whimsical wedding gowns, bridesmaid dresses, jewelry, invitations, lingerie, decorations and gifts. Basically everything you’d ever need to have the most awesome wedding ever.
Great move on their part – this is going to be WILDLY successful. But no Anthropologie wedding gown will EVER measure up to the masterpiece my Mother and Grandmother are currently cooking up – it’s going to be incredible, I tell you!!!!
via Fashionista
Each week that goes by that I’m planning my wedding, I take on a new and exciting task that becomes my new favorite. First, it was registering. Then, it was picking a venue. Then, it was designing my wedding dress with my Mom (who is making it by hand, a replica of my favorite multi-thousand-dollar work of art), and now, it’s putting together our wedding website. Still in its humble beginning stages, we have a long way to go, but I’m prouder than a mother on her child’s first day of school. I feel like by the time all is said and done, we should win some kind of award. They give out awards for “Wedding Website of the Year,” don’t they?
I made sure to put a little something special in each and every section to make it feel a bit more like our guests are actually talking to us versus looking at a Lisa Frank-esque site with not much more than a date, a bad headshot, and list of registry stores – “here, now buy us something.” I had a LOT of fun customizing each section to tell a special story or include a bit of information about who Julian and I are as a couple and as individuals.
So now it’s ready to be unveiled, though it will still be tweaked in the coming days and weeks, especially as we add more content and finalize wedding details. Check it out: thesmithsarehere.com.
Oh, and for any of you who may have been waiting for that proposal video I promised you, well, you can find it there.
Xo!
Trying to find a wedding dress that is well made, beautiful, fits my style and doesn’t cost as me a month’s pay is quite a challenge. I’m thinking of saying to heck with it and following this bride’s example and going for the shiny ruffled top and white denim look.
What do you think? Could I pull it off?
In all fairness, the venue itself (“Appalachian Party Barn“) could be pretty if decorated the right way – minus the hay flooring. And seriously, what do you expect to find when you’re looking for wedding venues in the South. The photos of past weddings are half the fun of looking.
Or, subscribe via email!
