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Wedding

SAVE THE DATE

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Now that they’ve been sent out, I can finally share our save the dates! I’m especially proud because Dustin and I did them ourselves. We selected a photo from our engagement session, got it printed on fancy paper, cut down each image and got a stamp made from the local company Native Bear (same maker from this post) with our save the date information. We are both so happy with how it turned out!

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DIY’n isn’t always the easiest or cheapest but it’s definitely rewarding! We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback from friends and family receiving them which makes it all seem very much worth it. Leela did such a great job on those itsy bitsy letters, anyone in need of a custom stamp, holler at this gal!

WEDDING THOUGHTS- THE CAKE

Lately my mind has been clouded with thoughts of all things wedding related. Which is a good thing because I had that initial rush of “oh my gosh I’m getting married and must plan away” and naturally, the planning and pinning slowed down with the holidays and just enjoying being engaged.  Now that it’s only nine months out it’s time to get things really going! So I’ve been working on the save-the-dates and fine tuning our to-do list. This past Sunday, Mom and I went to a bridal show but unfortunately didn’t accomplish much (besides having fun in photobooths and trying samples) until after we left and went to and upscale bridal boutqiue called Kelly’s Closet in Candler Park.  It was there we discovered and fell in love with the designer Jenny Packham. The beautifully beaded gowns immediately caught our eye!  I tried on 6 or 7 and when we thought we found the one we left to think on it. Later we decided it may not have been THE ONE but the designer was definitely who we wanted to go with. After lots of searching and inquiries we found a sample at a boutique in CT and it’s currently ON IT’S WAY!!! We are super super thrilled and I cannot wait to get it altered and fitted. So now that the dress is picked out it’s time to get other areas covered like catering and the cake. I still haven’t decided on a caterer so if you’re in or around Atlanta and have someone you like-holler at me!

As for the cake, not much is decided except for the fact it’s going to be naked, meaning no outside icing. I’m not a big fan of tons of icing so this trend is perfect for me.  Dustin on the other hand likes frosting-says it’s his favorite part-so we’ll be getting him a grooms cake to his liking.  Here are some photos I’ve pulled as inspiration for when I find a baker around town we like, currently thinking of Highland Bakery, but again if you have a suggestion let me know!

brides23758fad42c3c428adb7c098629a4782fbenandcolleenbrides3local milkbrides1photo credits 1/2/4/7 via Brides, 3 via Ben and Colleen, 5 via Adventures in Cooking, 6 via Local Milk.

PURE GOLD PHOTOGRAPHY

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After we got engaged and people congratulated us the next thing they asked was “do you have a photographer in mind already?” Much to their surprise, my answer was “actually, no..I mean not totally sure.”  I really wanted to think on it since it’s so important to me. My plan was to look at several different photographer’s styles and see which would capture our memories in a way that we both thought represented us.  I know many photographers in Atlanta and worked with some already.  But after browsing the web and coming across Ben and Colleen of Pure Gold Photography I instantly knew that they were it! Next it was seeing if they were available and even through a date change they were open! Their style of photography is soft and bold all at the same time.  They don’t over due either side of the spectrum like blowing out whites and enhancing the contrast too much.  I love the color of their photos and I can say this open-ended because I feel like it translates to all their photos and not just one set. Their work is consistent which is something I am striving for as a photographer myself.  Ben is outspoken with a silly personality and Colleen is a perfect counterpart, a little quiet at times but enjoys laughing and cutting up as well.  Dustin and I thought they were like us but opposite-me as Ben and he as Colleen. We all mesh really well!

A little about the photographers—
They met in school, both studying photography and after being friends started dating and recently got married.  They honey-mooned in Scotland and took a bunch of amazing film photos you should take a look at here. They’ve shot over 100 weddings.  Film and other experimental photography techniques can be seen in their work.

Here is a sample of some photos that caught my eye when I was looking through their archives.
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A few Sundays ago we went out to Arabia Mountain in Lithonia, GA for our engagement shoot with B+C. We got there just around sunset.  I’ll elaborate more when we get the photos back but for now they’ve put a few sneak peeks on Instagram, here they are!!!
b+cAll photos by Ben and Colleen
www.benandcolleen.us

BRIDESMAID BRUNCH

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For the local ladies I needed to ask to be my bridesmaids, I hosted a brunch at my home on Sunday.  I had planned on making individual quiches but while at the farmers market picking up ingredients I decided it would be best to get pre-made entrees to save some stress that morning. So I got a large spinach artichoke goat cheese and sun dried tomato asparagus quiche and then stuff to make sides. In order for the ladies and myself to not get so stuffed we wanted to take post-brunch naps I kept things light with the sides and made a fruit salad (kiwi, blackberries and cucumbers with lemon juice) and rosemary fingerling potatoes. The potatoes were ADORABLE! Strange sentence I know but see for yourself:

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*Drum roll please………….My matron of honor, Mrs. Ashleigh Smith!

Our story: We met our freshman year at Alabama in 2004 and lived together our sophomore year and again in Atlanta for a year and a half. We’ve been friends through many life stages and shared many adventures, tears, laughs, jobs, drinks, clothes (though I’m not good at sharing my wardrobe!) inside jokes and will now being sharing the role of being each other’s maid of honor! Love you Ash and I’m blessed you’re in my life!15245483396_e9baa5453a_k
All plates were my Nana’s that I recently inherited. Not sure if the two went together but when I layered them, making the larger plate the charger, I liked the look and went with it! The table runner was a last minute addition, kraft paper and white paint-easy peasy!
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From left to right: Emma, Elizabeth, Ashley, ME, Ashleigh, Katherine
Not pictured: Liz and Ali, total of seven bridesmaids!

Lil summary of how we each met:  

Emma and I met our Junior year of college through mutual friends and connected over our love of jam bands, rock collections and retro decor-hippy soul mates from the start!
Elizabeth and I met through the all female promotions group Sorry,Darlin. I was the nightlife photographer and she was the food blogger.  A few parties, and a costume or two, later we connected and started to hang outside of events!
Ashley and I were introduced by Elizabeth after she relocated from Tallahassee where they originally met.  Even though during our first encounter I made a fool of myself, she still wanted to be my friend!
Katherine and I met when I was buying some of her produce from the Grant Park Farmers market and we quickly realized we should be real deal friends, so we were!
Ali (not pictured) is married to my brother and has been a friend ever since we met when they first started dating their freshman year. Nice to have a part of my family in the mix!
Liz (not pictured) is my oldest pal as we went to high school together in Maryland. She also takes the cake at being my silliest friend-when we are around each other we revert back to 16!
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For the mimosas I got dry champagne, a sparkling chardonnay pinot noir blend and Harpoon’s white hefeweizen (beermosas). The Jacob’s Creek blend was my favorite-dry, not too sweet and bubbly! Also so we’d stay hydrated I put together some infused water-cucumbers and mint-just to liven up the water a bit.
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I’ve always felt lucky when it came to my group of friends I’ve made throughout the years.  Growing up in a military family that moved every one to three years you tend to lose contact with friends from the past, but you can ask anyone, I’m not afraid to make new ones! Between my time in Maryland, Alabama and now Georgia-I’ve been fortunate to find some really great ladies! Each one plays different roles in my life and all come together to make a friend family I can rely on, trust and continue to grow with, love you all!

OUR REGISTRY

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Selecting home goods has definitely been one of my favorite parts of wedding planning! I’ve only browsed online but Dustin and I plan to visit the actual stores we are registered at to see the items in person.  So far to the two stores we like and feel are well-rounded are Macy’s and Crate and Barrel.  We agree that the registry needs to be refined and tailored to a criteria of need versus want.  I’ve read some good advice in regards to not getting too “appliances happy” and to really think about what you’ll use. Here are the reasons why we’ve added the above to our registry right off the bat-

“China” set: We both want our dishes to be clean and simple and want to go with a bone white. Not sure the above is the exact set but something very similar is what we’re leaning towards.

Cutting board: I have only plastic ones at the moment and would like to upgrade to a wooden board that could double as a cheese platter- the above would is perfect!

Knife set: Back in college I was given a set and since added mismatched pieces but all of them could be tossed due to not properly taking care of them or rust along the handles.

Crock pot: We’re both big fans of soup and stew but haven’t had the room to store a crock pot in our tiny kitchens. This will definitely come in handy!

Toaster: True story, I still own and use a Hello Kitty toaster I bought in 2004 from Target. Yep- I need an upgrade!

Copper mug: Been eye-balling the Moscow Mule mugs for a while, they are one of the “want” items more than the “need” items but will surely get used.

Mixer: This was a no brainer to add because I’ve wanted one for a least a decade but finally feel like it’s the right time to own.

Towels: Both of our towel sets need to be tossed. I like the idea of white towels but with makeup and hand drying I just feel like they’d get too dirty, so grey is a neutral compromise that I don’t think will soil as fast.

Drip coffee maker: Dustin is a huge coffee drinker and while we have a newish coffee pot I think I’d like the smoothness that this style maker yields. Plus you can make iced coffee-my favorite!

These are my favorite items from the ones we’ve picked so far. We’re still shopping, thinking and planning our future home together. I can’t wait to shake off the college and early 20’s clutter of my home and get a more refined, simplistic home!