Wedding 101 with Zola
2018-12-14 10:40:44Hey friend! PTL it’s Friday! Am I right or am I right?! With engagement season in full swing, I wanted to share about a company that is great for all your bride to be’s! So go ahead, get out your cute fiance planner & take notes ๐
You most likely know that I have been married for a little over a year, but I tend to do wedding posts every so often. Being engaged was one of the sweetest seasons of life & I honestly wish I could plan our wedding all over again. Looking back, I wish I would have known more about the “it” places to create our wedding website and registry. Today I am partnering with Zola to give you the inside scoop on why their website should be your one stop shop for all things wedding.ย
If you are creating a wedding website, which who isn’t these days, Zola makes it seamless and super easy. So you’re welcome for all you non savvy tech people ๐ They have numerous templates to choose from. So whether you’re into the black and white scheme, succulents or whimsical theme, Zola will make your website fit you and your future hubs personalities perfectly!ย
Now let’s talk registries. I remember being so stinkin’ excited after getting engaged to do our registries. It’s a process you always see in the movies and I was excited to pick out pieces I knew I would use forever. Simply because I look at people like my mom, stepmom, grandma, etc and they have had pieces they use on the daily from their weddings 20+ years ago.
This said, when registering I made sure to keep clean, crisp colors in mind, & pieces I knew we would get great use out of. Zola is seriously the place to register, as they have brands like Waterford, Kate Spade, Kitchen Aid & more! Most of their pieces are honestly marked down for a less inexpensive price than these signature brands websites, so what’s not to love? They have everything from kitchen, to bedding, to furniture… you name it, they’ve got it! Simply pick out everything you would love to add to your home and add it to your registry. Makes your guests lives easier, since everything is in one place. AND you can simply add your registry to your Zola wedding website ๐
I look back at our engagement and wish I would have known more about Zola, because it is a one stop shop for wedding needs. BUT what’s nice is even if you are married, you can still shop their full website. I know… I was mind blown, too! I have my eye on several things for our new house, so I will definitely be taken advantage of Zola’s website during this new season!
Are you a bride to be?! If so, fill me in on all the deets! This girl loves a good wedding plan!
Thanks to Zola for this collaboration. All opinions are my own.ย
Year One of Marriage
2018-11-12 06:00:36Hey friend! So happy you are taking time out of your day to stop by, because I have an ultra special blog post. Austin & I are celebrating one year of marriage today, so cue the tears & all the other girly emotions. I decided to change it up today and let Austin write about his take on the first year + mine, giving you a sneak peek at year one. So get your coffee [or wine] ready, because in my opinion this is the best blog post yet ๐
Austin
Wow. One year of marriage. It still doesn’t even feel like we had been dating for 5 years before we said I do. Like I have known my now wife for 6 years?! Time flies when you’re having fun, right?
I can wholeheartedly say year one of marriage has been the best time of my life. I never really thought about marriage or who I would marry when I was younger, I just always knew that it would happen at some point. Which is maybe why Geordian was my first official girl friend and love. LOL. Any who, all I can say is being married to my best friend is the most awesome thing in the world. Marriage is not something that comes easy. It’s hard work that involves little fights about who’s washing the dishes, who’s taking the dog out and someone consistently using too much hot water (her). The travels, the dates, the times we didn’t do a thing other than stay at home and fall asleep on the couch are all better because I have my wife and best friend by my side. When taking a step back and thinking about all the different aspects of my life, my marriage to Geordian Hailey is the best thing and I can’t wait for all of the years to come.
She makes me a better friend, son and all around person, which I know can be difficult at times. A wife is supposed to make her husband be the best person he can be, and in my opinion Geordian is at the top of the list. Our marriage has been full of adventures. From moving into an apartment, starting to build a house, career changes, learning how to budget, taking countless blog pictures, etc. and to think that we get to keep adding to that list is extremely exciting. I am the luckiest man that Geordian is the one I get to come home to everyday. I love her. Marriage is awesome.
Geordian
Marriage officially started when I walked down the aisle and locked eyes with Austin. I knew right at that moment I was getting ready to embark on the most exciting chapter of life. Austin and I were together five years before marriage, but him being my husband has been something totally new. It’s given me a different outlook on life and how it should be lived.
What I mean by that is, I put Austin above anything and anyone else. I have set boundaries with work and my blog to ensure I get to spend daily time with him. He is what I look forward to after a long 8-5 day. He is whom I want to share my highs and lows with. He is why I get excited thinking about the future and what it entails. Austin encourages me to live out my dreams and to be the best version of myself, which can be challenging for this dramatic girl.
Marriage has taught me so much, but the one thing that has truly opened my eyes, is I never knew I could love a human so much. When you tie the knot, you become one, but after this first year of marriage I have found out that you really do become one. We do everything together. Whether that be brushing our teeth, enjoying our coffee, shopping for groceries or exploring and traveling to new cities, we are always together. Sometimes we question ourselves about this, wondering if it’s normal to spend that much time with one person, BUT we remind ourselves we wouldn’t want it any other way. Year one of marriage flew, but it has been the absolute best. I cannot wait for many more years and new chapters to come.
Photography credit: Madison Bickham Photographyย
Bridesmaid Dresses & Details
2018-08-22 06:00:59It has been quite some time since I have done a #WeddingWednesday post. Some of you mentioned last week you wanted to see more, so here we are! Today I wanted to talk bridesmaid dresses. Typically these are the dreaded words when you are in a bridal party. I mean let’s be honest… we have all been in weddings wearing dresses we will never, ever wear again. So I wanted to make sure it was just the opposite for all my besties!
When planning the wedding, I knew I liked the mismatched look & loved the idea of every girl getting to pick her dress. I think this is a fabulous way for every friend to express themselves and stay true to their style. Also allowing them to wear something that is flattering for their body & that they feel comfortable in. I told my girls that I wanted to stick to a wine/burgundy/maroon color scheme, and the dress was up to them. I just asked that no one wore a long sleeve nor strapless dress! This also gave my bridesmaids the option to spend however much they wanted on a dress. In my opinion, there is nothing worse than dropping a ton of money on a gown you are never going to wear again.
Most of my friends ended up getting their dresses from Lulu’s, as they had a great variety of our color scheme & most dresses were in the $70-$100 range. I have actually ordered several gowns from Lulu’s for the weddings I have been in & have had zero complaints! I loved how all of the dresses came together & coordinated extremely well.
I know this is not very traditional and not common for black tie weddings, but it fit great with our wedding & theme. My girls looked beautiful & I loved how everyone’s dress stayed true to who they are.
If you’re a bride to be & letting your girls choose their dresses OR if you are in a wedding & can choose your own, definitely check out Lulu’s selection. The pieces I have ordered fit true to size and are fabulous quality. If you’re a shorty, like myself, you just may have to get the bottom hemmed. Which is typically not too pricey!
Happy hump day!
Bride to Be Little White Dress
2018-03-21 05:00:10Dress: Forever 21 [under $30]// Shoes: Charlotte Russe//
Earrings: Bauble Bar// Lipstick: L’Oreal [color candy man]//
Another Wednesday means another #WeddingWednesday post! Today I wanted to switch it up & share a precious dress that would be perfect for all your bride to be’s. I swear I am still in full on bride mode, as anytime I find the perfect white dress I instantly think it would be great for a bridal festivity. When will I ever get past that I already got married? Asking for a friend. HA.
Wrap dresses are the hot item for spring. Some are a little pricey, but some are super inexpensive, like this precious thing! Nordstrom has a wrap dress I was dying to get my hands on, but I found this identical dupe that is half the price, from Forever 21. If you’ve followed me for a while, you know I am all about a good dupe!
This dress is under $30 & also comes in red. It’s the perfect length & would be great for any bridal festivities you may have! I am wearing my normal dress size in a small. I am thinking the red would be perfect too for some friends bridal showers I have coming up. Lord knows you can’t wear a white dress [or any white items] to another brides festivity, unless specified!
Pair this LWD with the perfect wedges + statement earrings & you are ready to go. Trust me when I say you’ll be turning heads. Which is the best feeling when the dress is a major steal!
Are you a bride to be? I would love to know!
Wedding Vows
2018-03-14 17:05:37I always knew I wanted to write my own wedding vows. After attending several weddings & watching all the hopeless romantic movies I knew this was what I really wanted. Once Austin proposed, we both decided together that this was what we both wanted. A lot of pressure? Yes. So meaningful? Absolutely.
When the wedding was about 2 weeks out we decided we needed to get our vows figured out. We both conducted our research on what we should include & wrote them from our the bottom of our hearts. After we were both done, we ended up reciting them to one another before the big day. People thought we were crazy for this, but we did it because I did not think I would be able to get through them if it was the first time reading them the day of. And looking back both moments we read our vows to one another was beyond special.
I am going to get a little more personal than usual and want to share our vows with you. These are something we have hanging in our room & live by daily. I am sharing these because if you are bride to be and writing your own vows I want to try help! They are in no way perfect, but they were perfect for us! ๐
Austin’s vows
Geordian, You are my everything and my queso- connoisseur. I vow to continue to viciously love you for the rest of our lives through everything we may encounter. I promise to always protect you and support you in anything you choose to do. I vow to make you my first thought in the morning and last thought when I go to sleep at night. I vow to still be by your side and take you dancing and bring you flowers even when weโre 90 years old. I vow to create a family that is centered around Jesus Christ and to pursue you our entire life together. You are my number one and always will be. I love you.
Geordian’s vows
Austin, you are my best friend and world-traveling partner, my number one fan and future handyman. I vow, going into our lives together as husband and wife, to be your supporter, shoulder to cry on and the most loving wife I can be. I vow to love you how you deserve to be loved- I promise to always encourage you to live out your dreams and be nothing but the man God created you to be. With my whole heart, I take you as my husband, and promise to be faithful and supportive in the days to come. I vow to always make our familyโs love and happiness my main priority. I promise to always be by your side, in sickness and health, and grief and failure. I will always dream with you and walk next to you with whatever comes our way. You are my person, my love and my life, today and always. I love you.
Happy #WeddingWednesday! Thanks so much for stopping by.