The Night Before

Now I wouldn't call the night before the wedding the rehearsal dinner because quite honestly it wasn't. We didn't practice walking down the beach or where we we would stand. Rather, we partied.  My parents were so gracious to host a pizza & wine night in our eclectic suite. It started with a champagne toast by the pool & ended with dancing on chairs to Rihanna @ the Italian restaurant. Oh boy. (It was quite interesting to watch it all unfold sipping on my lemon waters all night). I was a bit worried our friends & fam would have too much fun before our wedding but it all turned out just fine.

This lady is now a Mrs.

I am back to blogging, this time as a married chica. My husband & I have had a whirlwind two and a half weeks. It was nothing short of spectacular, memorable, & a bit tiring. We would have not been able to pull off such an amazing time without the help of our families & friends. My parents were the ultimate tour guides on the island of St. Maarten. Our days went a little something like this...

Wake up to the sounds of the ocean

Morning coffee & bowl of lucky charms on the patio overlooking the blue water

Endless hours paving the way from our beach towel to the water & back 

Lunch was either a brie & baguette sandwich or bbq food on the beach

After the sun would set we would freshen up & head out to a local gem (Italian restaurant)

From here we either ended up cranking the music & dancing with the staff until the wee hours of the morning or testing our luck in the casino 

Oh the fun we had in the five days spent on St. Maarten

Honey honey honeymoon

We are off to the beautiful island of St. Barthelemy to enjoy the first five days of our married lives together. I will return Monday July 16th with loads of pictures & stories to share...I am sure of it. Until then you can picture a very tan me drinking virgin margaritas on the beach, giant flopsy hat & all.

A HUGE thank you to Samantha, Lora & Lauren who shared their amazing wedding stories with us this week. I am honored to have such talented, wonderful, beautiful friends!

Wedding Day

Today is the day. The one we have been planning since I said yes on August 13th 2012. At 4:30pm I will be escorted down the orange petal & tiki torch lined beach by my dad. At the end of the aisle will stand my best friend. As the sun sets, with our closest friends & family surrounding us, we will say our "I do's". There is no doubt in my mind that this will be the most special day in our lives. We are so grateful for all the the love & support we have received from those far & near. We can't wait to be husband & wife.
 xoxo

Week of Weddings- Lauren

Besides today being my most favorite holiday of all times it also marks 24 hours until our special day. Today the fabulous interior designer Lauren shares her inspiration for her upcoming nuptials on July 14th, 2012.
Hello! Lauren here (again) from de[luxe] design studio, taking over for a day while the soon to be MRS. Ally is off sunning her cute little baby bump in the Caribbean! I’d love to let you all in on just a taste of our DIY wedding… happening in just over a week! WOW. 

My fiancé Joe and I have spent the last four summers on Lake Wissota in Wisconsin and knew even before we were engaged that we wanted to have our wedding there. We found Kamp Kenwood (a summer camp owned by the Wisconsin Farmers Union) and loved its large rustic lodge, natural surroundings, and overall casual vibe. Being an interior designer, the idea that I would have the freedom to transform the grounds into exactly what I envisioned was incredibly appealing -- There were hardly any venue rules or vendor restrictions which is pretty rare in this day and age. 

Joe and I decided upon a color combination of grey and yellow because we thought it would add just the right amount of contrast to the outdoor landscape. Joe and his groomsmen will be wearing grey suits with different shades of yellow ties and my bridesmaids have all chosen different dresses, unique in pattern and/or cut, yet cohesive as they are all in the same yellow family.

Mason jars will be everywhere (also a staple at our cabin!)…. Their uses include but are not limited to: drinking homemade strawberry vodka, tea light lanterns, flower arrangements, etc.

Overall, Joe and I really wanted to create a celebration that felt like us. The elements above are only a little glimpse into what we have planned… Can’t give too much away before our big day! We really hope it to be the perfect amount of casual, romantic, and fun! Now it’s off to cross my fingers for no rain… Feel free to follow suit ;-)      

Me and my handsome fiancé ;-) Photo by: Paper Antler

Kamp Kenwood, built in the 1940's

How fabulous is this setup? I love the burlap, antique globe lights, and long tables

Romantic yet playful mix of white & yellow... Also loving the lace, burlap, and vintage brooch!

Why is drinking out of mason jars that much more fun?!

Can't wait to dance all night under the stars - weather permitting, of course...... 

Week of Weddings- Lora

Hopefully by now I am not too sunburnt. Anywho, today I am so excited to have my best friend & matron of honor share her wedding story. Lora & I met working at the same boutique in college. Now, she is the manager/buyer at Stephanie's Shop  in St. Paul MN. If you happen to be in that area check it out. 

I like to think that my wedding day contributed in some small way to Ally's engagement. The story my husband and I tell is that our wedding was so romantic that Ally's then-boyfriend just had to propose the next day. Of course, there's a little more to it than that;)

After all the months of planning and agonizing over the smallest details (yes, including shoes!), the best moments of our wedding day were the completely unexpected ones. We love the city we live in, so we had both our ceremony and reception in a gorgeous hotel in downtown Minneapolis. One of my favorite parts of the day was walking down the city streets right after the ceremony and seeing all of our familiar surroundings, but now as a married couple.
Having my best friends stand up next to me while we said our vows was one of the most emotional parts of the day. As one of my bridesmaids, Ally did so much to make the day go perfectly. But I could tell that she had a lot on her mind that day. Her boyfriend came into town just in time for the wedding and she only had a couple days to spend with him and her family. I know she was anxious to take the next step in their relationship and she wasn't shy about telling anyone! So when it came time for me to toss my bouquet, I wasn't surprised to see Ally inching her way toward the front. But she was surrounded by some seriously tall girls so I didn't think she had any chance of catching it. After I sent the bouquet flying, I spun around to see that Ally had literally jumped higher than anyone else and almost crushed my husband's niece to make sure she caught the bouquet.
That was one of the most memorable moments because she got engaged the next day! (Her boyfriend was obviously already planning that, but I still think her catching the bouquet didn't hurt.) We also got these great pictures of Ally's catch!
I can't wait to help this fabulous couple make their own amazing memories on their wedding day!

{special thanks to Shuttersmack for the pohotos}

Week of Weddings- Samantha Elizabeth

I am so fortunate to have some dear friends share their wedding plans & stories this week! I love that everyone has different ideas of what they want their big day to be... & thus what makes the day special to the individual couple. So please enjoy these lovely ladies stories while I am away celebrating my wedding week!

Today's guest blogger is the very talented photographer Samantha from Samantha Elizabeth. 

Hello! First of all…a huge congratulations to the two love birds as they tie the knot! My husband Dusty and I are so very happy for them. We wish them both the best of luck on this new adventure together - along with the new addition coming in December ;) 

I thought I would share some advice I learned firsthand from our wedding day which was July 30th 2011 (almost a year ago already wow time flies). Our big day was almost perfect to say the least (a bit of advice for future brides and grooms, it will NEVER go perfectly)! We had a wonderful time and had so many friends & family there to celebrate with. We got married on a farm in Michigan where my grandmother grew up. The farm sits on top of a little hill that overlooks a valley.  There are fields, a huge hay barn and a 100-year-old farmhouse that sits on top of the hill. We set up a white tent with chairs for the ceremony…& then had the reception in town later that evening. The weather was HOT, 80+ degrees…& I was sweating so profusely I could barely get into my wedding dress!

Advice to brides to be for your wedding day:

• Take a moment while standing at the alter…to look out at all of the people who came to be a part of your big day.  It may be the last time you will ever see all of these individuals together in one place.     
• SMILE! So many brides get nervous and end up looking like they are scowling as they walk down the aisle (this is the photographer side of me talking...besides...I cried the whole way down the aisle at our wedding)      
• Don’t sweat the small stuff. It is inevitable that SOMETHING will happen that you didn’t expect to… 
• Do be careful of tan lines before your wedding…(I made this mistake). 
• Remember, everyone will try to tell you how you “should” do things on your wedding day…but make sure you do things the way YOU want to. 
• Have someone video tape it for you! (Let it be there wedding gift to you)
• Most importantly, Have Fun!