Officially Hitched: Boudoir gift

So - in case you didn't read my last post, I left off as I was about to discuss my gift for my husband-to-be.

Being incredibly modest, this gift was a pretty big leap for me. And it's thanks to Weddingbee that I even knew what a boudoir session was!

Ha - right...

My first step was finding out if my photographer would be able to do this for me. There was no mention of it in her service list...luckily, she was willing to give it a shot. On one hand, being the guinea pig was exciting because we were able to make up the rules as we went along. On the other hand, it was a bit intimidating since there was no example to follow and well, I'd be in my skivvies.

After a long conversation with my photographer, I was feeling better about the whole idea. We talked about different things I could wear that would create the sexy vibe without giving away the farm (don't I know how to take the sexy out of that statement?). I wouldn't say I was at ease necessarily although definitely feeling more comfortable. But (there's always a but)...she made a point to mention that it would be a very good idea to have my makeup done professionally for the shoot.

Say what?!

This was news I was not expecting. Now, don't get me wrong - if I could have someone else do my makeup professionally everyday before I left the house, I'd be happy as a clam but in this case, I hadn't really budgeted for this detail. Enter the incredibly talented Susie Chhuor!

I found Susie and not only was she super accommodating - squeezing me in during a time when she was moving to a new studio space - but she was friendly and very warm. She was just the person I needed to help me feel my best before this incredibly awkward experience I was going to put myself through. And let me just say...the girl works miracles. I have NEVER looked better. If I had been able to, I would have flown her to my wedding site - she was THAT good.

Now I know you all want to see the finished product...and as I said earlier, I'm pretty modest. But (see, there's that but again), I also understand how important photos are. So because I just love this hive, I'm going to share a few. Friends and family - can you please look away? I feel awkward thinking about all of you seeing these. Speaking of, is that strange that I would rather have people I've never met see this photos instead of people I know well? In my head that is a perfectly normal thought...yes, I realize that makes me weird.

Okay - you've waited long enough...here you go - deep breath...

Oh and did I mention that Susie did my hair too? Seriously, this girl is amazing!

And breezing past the awkward feelings that have creeped in around me, I'm going to cut right to Frogger opening his gift. *Images blurred for my sanity.






Do you think he liked it? Yeah, me too.

Are you planning to do a boudoir session for your groom? Are you as embarrassed as I am, having posted photos like these on the internets?

Officially Hitched: Getting Ready

Waking up on the morning of your wedding day is pretty surreal. The idea that you are actually getting married, that after the months and months of planning, the day has finally arrived...it's just incredibly emotional - in the best possible way.

Hello lovely! PS - did you see the cameo of my DIY hanger?

Being that everyone was visiting from out of town, we had rented houses and condos for everyone to stay in. To start my day, I headed over to my Mom's house so my Aunt (also known as the hair miracle worker) could do my 'do. The woman has a way with hair and considering it's her career, I felt extremely confident (and very lucky) having her tackle my tresses...even though we didn't do any sort of trial-run. Now THAT my friends, is trust.

Pre-makeup...clearly I'm having a brave moment as I post this for the world to see.

After my hair was just right, we piled into the cars and headed over to the Manor to finish getting ready before the boys arrived.

And just as I was putting on the final touches to my makeup...in walked my photographer with a gift from Frogger. As you may remember, I mentioned that he and I really enjoy cooking and creating recipes. I just adore his accompanying drawings.

As I sat there trying to guess what it might be, I couldn't believe my eyes as I opened the package. I was overwhelmed by the gift he created - he managed to sneak out with our little notebook filled with our delicious creations, took those treasured pages and made a cookbook complete with a bookmark engraved with my new initials. Aaaand cue makeup meltdown...






Meanwhile...Frogger was busy opening his gift from me. That requires a post all its own!

Are you planning to exchange gifts on your wedding day? Anyone else experience a makeup meltdown?

Officially Hitched: The Rehearsal Party

Choosing to throw a Rehearsal Party was one of the best decisions we made. Not only was it mega-fun...it gave us an opportunity to spend as much time as possible with our guests - guests that had traveled very far to be there in support of us.


Do you see that face I'm making up there? I'd say that's a level 7 party face...we'll continue to monitor this trend as we move through the weekend.

So the party...my fantastic in-laws volunteered their lakehouse for the affair and we couldn't have loved that more. We had a local winery cater the event - their BBQ is AMAZING - and we looooove their wine.











As the evening continued, we all enjoyed watching the sun dip down to the mountains above the lake...it really could not have been a better night. Good wine, tasty food, incredible company - I can only hope everyone gets an experience like that.








Catching those last few moments of sun, Frogger and I had a little impromptu photo sesh on the dock with our photographers...





And just so you all realize that we are nowhere near as charming and lovely as these photos would lead you to believe...

No you're not hallucinating

It's true - your eyes are not playing tricks on you...I'm back! As much as I wish time hadn't passed as much as it has since I was posting and prepping for recaps, it has completely flown by. I'll definitely fill you in on my adventures but first I owe you all an apology. In order to not make you suffer any further, I'll forgo a video of myself singing this and allow a professional to take the lead - you can thank me later. Sing it Brenda Lee!



So dear hive, please accept my apology. I'll do my absolute best to stay close moving forward and deliver the best damn recaps I possibly can!

Before I begin filling you in on the details of my favorite day ever - I'll give you a brief run down of what I've been up to while I've been away.

Getting any hints?

Following the wedding and our fantastic honeymoon in the Caribbean, we made the life-changing decision to uproot ourselves completely and move from Phoenix to Seattle! Frogger grew up there and after our wedding, it just seemed like the right place to be. I interviewed over Christmas, received the offer and we had less than 3 weeks to pack up our entire lives and drive 1500 miles to our new home...mind you, a home we had never laid eyes on.

Clearly the kitties are excited...who wouldn't love 3 days on the road?!

Since then we've been settling into our life here in the Emerald City (trying desperately to track down the wizard) and enjoying this new change of pace and scenery!

Now...onto the good stuff. Because our location was somewhat remote (Washington wine country), we decided it would be the most fun for everyone if we opened up the rehearsal dinner to be a rehearsal party including everyone who was in town for the wedding. My future in-laws were nice enough to host the event at their lakehouse and we couldn't have been more thrilled with how the day turned out.



We began with the rehearsal at the wedding location...which as we learned the next day, would be of no help as we moved the ceremony to face a different direction for photographers to get the best lighting...don't you love last minute changes? :)

Following our ceremony rehearsal, we piled into the cars and headed to the lakehouse for the rehearsal par-tay.

Running the risk of ending up back in the doghouse...I'm going to leave you hanging just a bit. But - did anyone else have a rehearsal party as opposed to a wedding-party-only rehearsal dinner? And while I'm seeking company in my planning process - did anyone run into switch-ups for their ceremony location? Or perhaps the best question of all, do you forgive me?!

PS - SO glad to be back. xoxo