pre-ceremony.

Ready for another part of mine & B's wedding story? 

Bryan and I had a big wedding party ... 9 bridesmaids and 9 groomsmen ... I loved it though! A huge party for our entire 7 month engagement! :) 

I made hair appointments for all of my bridesmaids, mom, stepmama, and me! You can imagine with 12 of us it was a LONG day at the salon ... 

As you can tell it was so much fun though! 

{well, for us ... I'm not sure what the rest of the patrons thought!}

After the salon, we all headed to the church to get our dresses on ... 

{one of my fave pics of the whole day is both my sisters crying when my Daddy saw me for the first time}

The fellas were across the church 

{so we wouldn't risk B seeing me before the ceremony!}

goofing off ... 

So on our wedding day it was POURING down rain ... {causing serious anxiety for this girl} 

At my church in order for the bride to get to the back of sanctuary with nobody seeing her, she has to either walk outside or down the aisle to the balcony ... Obviously the outside path was NOT an option ... So me and my 9 bridesmaids plus my mom, stepmom, Daddy, and MIL marched down the aisle and up to the balcony .... 

At the time, I didn't realize how cool this would be ... 

I got to watch the entire church fill with our family and friends ... 

I even got to watch B walk to the front of the church. 

{cue swelling of the heart! :)}

{right before Daddy walked me down the aisle}

So next up ... the ceremony and LOTS of pictures ... 

{you like how I'm dragging this out as much as possible?!}

For you married ladies, what was your day pre-ceremony like? 

For all your other lovely ladies, what do you imagine your day will be like before your ceremony? 

Happy Tuesday Y'all! 

bridesmaids luncheon.

I'm sure that I've mentioned it before ... I am lucky enough to have what I call 'two mamas'. Typically after I say this I realize that I've confused quite a few people who also hear me always talking about my sweet Daddy. 

To clarify, I have a fabulous stepmom that I'm not sure what I'd do without! I feel so lucky to have been blessed with 4 wonderful and loving parents! 

My second-mama was an enormous help with everything during the wedding planning process even before she offered to host the Bridesmaids Luncheon. 

I'm a Southerner born and bred so I'm not sure if this is a Southern thing or if this is something that everyone does! 

{does everyone do this?}

Basically, the Bridesmaids Luncheon is a time before the wedding to honor all of your lovely bridesmaids. We had ours the day before! And it was gorgeous! 

{fab and GORG bridesmaids}

We had a delicious lunch in my parents backyard ... 

Butternut squash soup, Fried goat cheese salads with homemade sweet potato rolls. 

{omg. mouth is watering.}

{Sus if you're reading this can we PLEASE recreate this when I'm 40? Or 30? Or in a couple of weeks?}

After lunch I gave each of my bridesmaids a pair of fresh water pearl earrings for them to wear with their dresses on the BIG day! And a tote bag for them to carry all their stuff from the salon to the church and then to the reception! 

Then we had cake ... My second-mama who is big on traditions {which I love} baked the most delicious carrot cake and before icing it placed 'wedding pulls' in it. This is an old Victorian tradition in which each bridesmaid {then called 'ladies in waiting'} pulls a charm out of the bride's cake to predict who will be the next to marry and who is destined to be an old maid. Ours were much more updated than that - some were about traveling, making lots of money, and one was about making lots of BABIES! :) It was so fun to see which charm each girl pulled! 

After the party we got ready for the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner ... Which is next for you too, loves! 

Happy Tuesday Y'all! :) 

wedding showers. {and a WINNER!}

Are y'all tired of me going on & on about my wedding yet? 

I must admit I've absolutely LOVED reliving it! 

Bryan and I had a really short engagement ... 6 months ... Is that 'really short'? 

I sure felt like it was at the time but with a sick grandpa and a 101 year old great grandpa I HAD to be sure that they'd be there!!! 

Even though it was short, we still had lots of showers hosted by friends and family! It was SUCH a fun summer because it seemed we were constantly surrounded by the people that we love! 

{prep yourself for LOTS of pics!}

{me with hostesses and mom & stepmom!}

{me with some more fabulous hostesses!}

{CUTE cupcakes!}

{me with all of my grandmothers!}

{outdoor luncheon}

{B & I awkwardly opening presents while people were demanding a speech. We got really shy}

{a food demonstration at the kitchen shower}

{I sometimes get really excited about presents}

{outdoor BBQ/couples shower}

{some of the incredible gifts we received!}

We are so lucky to have so many people who wanted to celebrate our upcoming marriage with us ... Our friends and family were so incredibly gracious and helped to make the time before our wedding day so incredibly special! 

*** Now for the Giveaway winner ... Tracie from a Tale of Many Cities, you my dear are the LUCKY winner of a Dash & Albert rug! I'll be emailing soon!!! Which rug are you going to choose?! :) ***

Happy Tuesday Y'all! 

And thanks for always being SUCH sweeties! xo! 

the {next} big day.

As I've been writing about mine & B's story...
I've been dreaming of all things wedding again! 

Now, I must admit I was NOT one of those girls who had her entire wedding planned before she had met the one ... In fact, I did even have it planned after 4 years of being with Bryan knowing that HE was THE one! 

This was all really surprising for the people that know me all TOO well ... I'm a self-admitted Type A personality and OVER-planner! 

Once Bryan and I were engaged I started doing A LOT of research!
And now that I've been talking about and reflecting back on that time ... I've been 'researching' again ... And y'all if I could have a wedding {to B of course!} every year, I ABSOLUTELY would!
I loved every minute of planning and of course of the BIG day! 

Here's some things I would include in my 'next' wedding! :) 

{all images from The Knot}

So do you have your wedding planned? Or if you're married, would you do it again? Do you daydream of weddings still, like me?!

Happy Thursday Y'all! xo!

*** DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE GIVEAWAY GOING ON! ***

he asked. she said YES!

As promised, there's another addition of "our story" ... 

And I must say these posts have been some of the most fun to post! I love reliving every moment! And feel the same amount of joy, love and thankfulness as I did in the beginning! 

{If you haven't read how Bryan and I met, go here.} 

Yesterday was officially the two year anniversary of our engagement! 

Though I still remember the day as if it actually was YESTERDAY! 

Our first couple of years in Charleston were spent doing A LOT of exploring ... We walked around downtown, went the the aquarium, tried SO MANY wonderful restaurants, visited the beach ... 

However, by far one of our favorite things to do was walk around the Battery. 

For those of you who have not been to Charleston, SC and walked around the Battery ... You are truly missing out on some beautiful scenery. The water, the houses, watching dolphins jump, seeing horse drawn carriage tours ... It is truly amazing. 

{via}

The first time that Bryan and I ever took a stroll through Battery Park, he KNEW that this is where he would propose to me ... 

So let me give you some 'background info' ... I had ALWAYS told EVERYONE that I would know when Bryan was going to propose to me ... My family is REALLY bad at keeping secrets and I just knew that someone would accidentally let it slip. 

And I knew that Bryan was such a traditional guy that there was no way he wasn't going to ask my parents for their permission. So obviously they would know it was coming and give it away! :) 

{should I also add that I'm not big on surprises?!}

I also knew that Bryan would absolutely buy my ring from the same small town jewelry store that his grandfather, father and brother had all purchased engagement rings for his grandmother, mother and SIL. This store happens to be 5.5 hours away from Charleston ... how could I NOT know that he was traveling there! 

Well y'all ... I DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING! 

Bryan spent over 3 months driving to Washington, NC for the day and back trying to get the absolute perfect ring! {sweetie!}

The weekend before we were engaged, I went on a girls trip and Bryan spent the weekend driving to both of my parents houses {in different cities!} asking for my hand in marriage! 

{so old school romantic, huh?!}

Here comes the tricky part ... I got the FLU the week he planned to propose! Bryan KNEW that he couldn't delay it any longer because he knew that the surprise would be spoiled if he did! 

Thankfully, I was feeling some better by Saturday. So Bryan enlisted the help of some freinds in Charleston; Shannon tried to convince me that B & I should meet she and Justin at the park before dinner. After mych questioning as to why they 'needed' to go to the park {and a lot of achy body complaints}, I finally agreed. As we were walking through the park, I was so busy searching for Shannon & Justin that I didn't realize Bryan was searching for something else - the PERFECT proposal spot. {The gazebo he'd originally planned to use was being occupied by a bride having her portraits done!} But Bryan did find the perfect spot ... on a park bench underneath a Live Oak tree! 

He got down on one knee and gave me the sweetest speech I've in my lifetime heard {you understand if I keep that to myself?}

I couldn't believe it! I was shocked! How could I not have had a clue?! haha! :) 

Through joyful tears I said YES! {on repeat}

{teary-eyed still!}

We made a million phone calls letting our family know the news and headed out for a celebratory dinner with Shannon & Justin who were actually in the park! :) 

{most pretty ring in the world, though I may be biased}

So next up y'all ... Wedding planning & showers! :) 

Happy Tuesday! xo!

lucky gal.

The 2 year anniversary of mine and B's engagement is coming up and it's got me thinking about how lucky I am ...

And also that I haven't shared our story. 

Not 100% that anyone will be interested but it's nice to relive all the special moments that have gotten us to where we are now! :) 

So here goes ... 

BOY MEETS GIRL ... 

To hear Bryan tell the story, he says the first time he laid eyes on me he told his best friend {and a mutual friend of ours} that he WOULD marry me one day. {what a romantic?!} 

Bryan and I spent the next 3 years knowing each other, occasionally hanging out, bumping into each other all over town {we both went to ECU}, but never REALLY getting to know each other. Then one day during our Junior year, it all clicked ... We went on our first date and y'all I knew from that VERY first date that HE WAS THE ONE! 

{soooo young}

Flashforward a year and a half ... Graduation was upon us and it was time to decide what we were going to do and WHERE we were going to go. We knew that it had to be with each other ... Neither of us are cut out for long distance {bless those of you who are}! I applied to 2 grad schools {ECU & The Citadel} and B applied to 2 jobs {in Greenville and in Charleston} ... Now let me say this NEITHER of us are good executive decision makers ... We decided that wherever we BOTH got 'accepted' that's where we'd go. 

{and inseparable}

Interestingly enough ... We BOTH got BOTH! I got into both schools and B got job offers for both companies! We decided that although we'd LOVED Greenville that we would be silly to not move to GORGEOUS Charleston, South Carolina! 

So we graduated and packed our bags {and lives!} to head to The Holy City! 

{our first NYE at the Charleston Aquarium}

So I hope I didn't bore y'all to death with the first part of our story ... If not, there's PLENTY more! Come on, we have an ENTIRE wedding to get through! :) 

Next up ... {an almost failed surprise} ENGAGEMENT! Now I won't leave y'all hanging TOO much ... Nothing TERRIBLE happened! But it is funny and SWEET! :)

And don't worry, I'll be posting our story every Tuesday! {or at least thru the reception!} 

Happy Tuesday Y'all!