New Adventures

I've taken on a new project - I am now The Yakima Bride - which means I am writing a blog in conjunction with the Yakima Valley Bride magazine! I plan on shifting most of our Yakima specific wedding details to that blog and keeping LMV more professional and a showcase of everything inspiring. I love that I now have two outlets for my insane wedding obsession and am so excited to see where both blogs take me.

So, scoot on over to my new blog, check it out, and let me know what you think!

Kalea's Wedding

Friday Photo #44

The ring bearers yellow sneakers just need to stop being so ridiculously cute. They are killing me!

Snippet & Ink 

A gorgeous Goodwill find

Okay, so I bought a glass taper candle holder at Goodwill right after Nate and I got engaged - I bought only one but I seriously love it. THEN, I see on Elizabeth Anne Designs a gorgeous wedding with the most perfect glass taper candle holders as part of the centerpieces! Good grief, I am just loving them.

Will I be able to find 4 per reception table??

I sure hope so!

Great Idea

I was surfing Weddingbee the other day (as per usual) and read a post about some DIY invites - instead of having inner and outer envelopes yet still being able to list guests by name (very important, as to make it very clear who exactly is invited!), she wrote the names on the invitation's belly band!

See?

Great idea!

Engagement Photo Perfection

I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am with our winter engagement photos - 

Jennifer Dagdagan really outdid herself this time! 

Confessions of a Very Decisive Bride

Alternate title : Everyone was right.

Unfortunately for my pride, everyone (especially my mom) was right. They were right when they said "Don't set your mind on one style of wedding dress, try everything on first". Well me being the Very Decisive Bride, knew what I wanted for a wedding dress - I wanted lace, lace, and more lace! I wanted sheath, I wanted flowing fabric, I wanted a classic, timeless, elegant dress. 

And then I fell in love with a form fitting fit and flare 100% silk  (no lace!) wedding dress. 

So... I bought it. 

Just like that, I had my wedding dress and its nothing like what I was so sure I wanted. But its perfect! Absolutely, one hundred percent, perfect. Its a little dramatic, and sexy, and makes me say "holy $%*@" when I look at myself in the mirror. Yet its so timeless and classic - it makes me feel elegant and mature. No bling, no beading, just me and a form fitting silk gown. Nate will be speechless! Its everything I never knew I wanted, plus a whole lot more.

I bought it off the rack (at $200 under budget!) and although it needs a few alterations (I'm going to give it a true sweetheart neckline, shorten the length an inch or two, and let the seams out around my thighs just a tad so that I can dance the night away), its already a dream come true. 

So I take a trip to Yakima one weekend for a wedding show and not only do I make a decision about our wedding cake, but also the dress of my dreams! I may just be too decisive for my own good. Wasn't this wedding planning thing supposed to be much more stressful?? :-) I'll have this sucker planned way ahead of schedule! 

End Note : I'm sorry but I can't post pictures of The Dress - too risky that Nate would see them. 

You'll just have to wait until after the wedding! 

Friday Photo #43

Its Andrea!!

Aubrey Joy Photography 

January 20th

6 years ago today (yes 6), Nate and I started dating!

A slightly embarrassing picture from the very first night we hung out together. 

Our freshman year in college, January 2005. 

Fast forward to our engagement party.

November 2010

The last 6 years have been full of ups, downs, big surprises, and countless adventures. I could not ask for a better best friend, partner in awesomeness, and forever boyfriend. I can't wait to get married next year and to hang out with you for the next 60+ years of my life. I love you lots and lots babes, happy anniversary!!!

Let them eat cake!

Remember my post about wedding cake inspiration? 

(btw, I learned that the look for the frosting is called a "rough frost"!)

Well I went to a Yakima wedding show this last weekend (After the Rock) and decided to book one of the cake bakers there - Christie's Cakes! I went to the show with my Mom, sister, and two cousins and we all tried samples of her different cake flavors - none of us were unhappy! Plus get this, her pricing is only $2 a serving for round cakes (no fondant) - so for our small two tier cutting cake, we will come in well under budget! Woohoo! I've been so excited to get on my computer and adjust the budget :-) Nate and I will meet with her again this summer to hammer out exact tier sizes (I am thinking a 12" and 8") and of course, taste some more flavors!

Cake: check!

The good or the bad?

Do you want to good news or the bad new first?

Okay, the good news is that two major tasks were checked off our wedding To-Do list this weekend. One has me dreaming buttercream covered dreams, if you catch my drift. The second, is a surprise! (for the time being)

The bad news, is that I left my laptop power cord in Yakima - so no computer use (aka no real blogging) until I get it back Tuesday night.

Can't wait to catch you up on all the new details! 

Slow Start

Hello lovelies- I'm having a bit of a slow blogging start, but I promise it won't be long until I'm back to my usual daily posting.

As for today, check out this link from Martha Stewart - you all know how much I love Welcome gifts for OOT guests!

And okay, have you seen how cute these MS online invites are from Pingg?? Ridiculous. 

Back to Life

I'm back - and about to try and catch up on this past week in wedding blog world :-) But first, I received some exciting news this morning! One of my ultimate favorite calligraphers, Moya from MM Ink emailed me to let me know that I won a signed copy of Atlanta Weddings (a book by the ladies at Wedding Soiree)! I'm so excited!! Thanks Moya!

Little Sneak Peak

This time, Jenny did the blogging for me :-)

Preview of our snowy Engagement Pictures 

Time

I'm going to take a little blogging break this week - my Papa passed away Sunday morning, so I am taking time off to be home with my family and Grandma. 

(my Papa and Grandma at their 90th birthday party)

But don't worry, I'm leaving you with some goodies today and tomorrow :-)

My fantastic parents threw us a family engagement party the weekend after Thanksgiving, and it was incredible! The other love of my life, (also known as Jennifer Dagdagan) (and also known as our wedding photographer) came to our dinner with her rockin husband Larry and so she snapped a few pictures of us and the yummy yummy food! 

2 Corinthians 5:6-8
So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.