Five on Friday!

Happy Friday!

I'm linking up with Natasha (and others) for Five on Friday! I mean what better day of the week to reflect on things you're loving? This is one jam packed list of excitement! Let's get straight to it.

1. We're Married! August 17th was a good, good day. Being married is better than I could have ever imagined. We were surrounded by so much love on our wedding day and I cannot wait to begin sharing all of the details on here. Until then, below are some of the sneak peek images we've gotten back - excuse the fuzziness. I'll get the crisp, clean images up soon!

2. Honeymoon in Hawaii! After the wedding, we headed to Hawaii to celebrate there for the week! My gosh! What a gorgeous place! You know it, a whole blog post devoted to this trip as well. Swoon. I keep looking at images wishing we were still there.

3. Football! Overly excited about football kicking off! We will be cheering very loud of the Tigers on Saturday night - I'm so glad game day will be there this weekend, planning on lots of yummy tailgating food on Saturday and a full day of watching the coverage from Clemson. I had a good four years there.

4. Dahlias - Throughout the wedding planning process I kept falling more and more in love with Dahlias. Aren't they gorgeous? I have a new favorite flower.

5. Fall Time - Get here now AND FAST! Something's wrong with Atlanta and we've been in the 90's here and are forcasted to stay there for a few more days. This has got to stop. Get me cooler temps, boots, scarves and some colorful leaves pronto. My favorite time of the year!

See? A jam packed post :) Can't wait to star spilling the beans on all wedding and honeymoon details! What are you happy about this Friday? Will you be cheering on your favorite football team this weekend? Are you like me and counting down the seconds until fall is here?

We're Married!!!

This guy is mine! Can you believe it? Luck, I tell ya. I got a good one.

It was a perfect day and we had the time of our lives! I've got so much more I want to share... the details (finally!), lots of pictures, the emotion, the love... and yes, the weather. You'll never believe the story I've got for you about the weather. 

I look forward to sharing it all with you.. including the honeymoon! We just got back from Hawaii yesterday and there is plenty to share about that as well. 

Really, I'm still completely soaking in the past 2 weeks. This has been such an incredible season of life  for us, we are so humbled by all of the love that surrounds us. Now excuse me while I go watch some TV with my husband ;) 

four things that go through your mind...

When you're four days away from your wedding...

1. Wait? Who's getting married? I assure you, at some point during the wedding process... whether it hits you a month in or when you're four days away from the big day, you will find yourself completely baffled at the fact that all of this planning, all of this running around, all of this excitement... is for you and your fiancé. There will be a moment, where out of no where, it will smack you right in the face... you are getting married.   

2. Was that really the best decision? I'm one of the best people in the world at not making decisions. I am so bad at them - like last kid to get picked for kickball in elementary school bad at making decisions. I can't even decide where I want to eat dinner, so you can imagine the last 8 months and all of the decisions I have had a hard time making. Don't be alarmed when you step back and realize all you have made a decision about and have a moment of "uhhh... was that the right decision?" - go with your gut! I did...every time and I'm not second guessing now. Turns out the gut knows what it's talking about.

3. He chose me? Honestly... sitting here on the couch right now, I want to just lean over and say "Really? Me??? You're sure you want to do this whole life thing with me?" He has made it clear, hello, look at this bad boy on my left hand that I am the peanut butter to his jelly, and he is to mine... but I still find myself so humbled by the fact that I'm going to get to do life with him. I guarantee walking down the aisle, it will be another moment of "wow... he really chose me". My heart is humble. 

4. How much weight can a person lose in 4 days? Just trust me on this one... no matter how hard you work leading up to the wedding... you will calculate this - you will be calculating how many work outs you can get in and play around with the idea of living off of smoothies until you say I do. Don't do it. Be healthy, but be proud. Be your best you. 

5. (I lied... there are 5) There are good people in the world - It's going to cross your mind 10000007 times throughout your engagement. You'll turn around every minute and someone else will be offering help, people will truly be asking how you are and want to know, and strangers will give heartfelt congratulations... soak it in. Soak in all of the goodness. So much good around us right now, so much love... and I am just in awe of it all.

Four days before your wedding, you should also be getting a lot of beauty sleep. It's almost midnight here - don't point out the bags under my eyes when I share our wedding pictures ;) 

Bachelorette Weekend

There's something about being in a beautiful place with your favorite girls.

My bachelorette weekend was really perfect. My friends went above and beyond and customized the whole weekend around the stuff I like... they even did the grocery shopping based on my likes... I mean come on.

My friend has a beach front house in Ponte Vedra, so we packed up Thursday afternoon and hit the road.

We were worried about the weather, but ol' Chantel (the tropical storm at that time) decided to let us have our fun... which we very much so appreciated.

Thursday night we ate at a popular local restaurant called Taco Lu's. Have you ever had bang bang shrimp from Bonefish? It's one of my favorite things. Well Taco Lu's put shrimp that was similar to the bang bang on a taco... and now, in my mind, they can never do any wrong. It was so good.

Friday night we ventured to a place called Caps On The Water - again, Ponte Vedra, you know how to make good food. But the best part about this place? The view. It's the place to go to see the sun set, and we were not disappointed.

Saturday was spent lounging by the pool... a beer in my hand and my girls to gossip with? I'll take a never ending order of that, please and thank you.

I don't know if you can tell in the pictures... but clearly I was in my happy place. There are few pictures of me actually smiling... I never stopped laughing.

My Maid of Honor has a job that lets her travel the world (yeah, I know... so cool), so she made the weekend a little more exciting by bringing us her favorite bottle of champagne from SPAIN! I realize Spain sends drinks over to America for us all of the time... but it tasted so much better knowing that she had bought it and brought it straight to us from there. It also didn't hurt that we chose a beautiful afternoon to walk on the beach as we drank it. Again, my happy place. My MOH also got me lingerie from Cannes, France. I mean, come on... probably one of my top gifts ever.

Our last night was where we really exerted the energy. Now, I am no bachelorette that is going to spill the secrets of the weekend, but let me assure you, we had a blast. Ponte Vedra is a short drive to Jacksonville, so we hopped on a party bus and hit the town in a big way.

It was a good for the soul weekend all the way around. More than ever, I am grateful for friendships. When you're going through such a big moment in your life, it's easy to look around and realize why these people mean so much to you. I couldn't imagine this time without any of them.

And now... I am going to check the weather for our ceremony. We're in the 10-day forecast, people! Are you sending up your requests for good weather to God and Mother Nature? We certainly appreciate your help :)

...in other news, I am obsessed with my dslr... tell me these pictures don't beat those of an iPhone. We're going to have fun with this baby in Hawaii!

Wedding Wednesday - The (WE ARE 10 DAYS AWAY) List

I wrote a post similar to this when we were on the 70 day countdown to our wedding... and then, some alien came down zapped all of our brains and now here we were, 10 days away from the wedding. 

Really, I don't know where the time went. No clue. There was a bachelor party in Vegas, a bachelorette party in Ponte Vedra, lots of time at the gym, some dress fittings, lots of chats with my mama turned wedding planner, and then here we are... responding to people with "Yeah! We're getting married NEXT week!" 

We are pumped... we are talking about it constantly and tying up the loose ends from this detail to that, but I really have no idea where the time has gone. We only had an 8-month engagement, and honestly I wouldn't have done it any other way. If I had another week to wait I would go crazy - I am so ready to be married to C and am just wanting it to get here, NOW! 

Anyways, the point of my story... girls who are engaged, girls who are dreaming to become engaged, listen to me loud and clear... they are not kidding about it all going by fast. Soak it all in. Soak in every emotion you feel during it. Because one day, you'll find yourself 10 days away from your wedding day... not sure where the time went, and wanting to keep the engaged excitement forever,  but not wanting to wait another day until you are MARRIED. 

I've got 100 other things I want to share with you guys, feelings you get during the process, my bachelorette weekend, and then of course, after next Saturday every.single.detail. I've wanted to share before now, but it just seems wrong to spill the beans before the actual day. 

So I leave you with what will be my last list update - because let me tell you about all that will need to be done next Wednesday... this list update will not be happening. 

Going through this list and updating it gave me some major pep in my step - I'm feeling accomplished... sure I wish I had a rehearsal dress, but for the most part we are here... we are at the finish line... I see my groom at the end of the aisle and every bit of this wedding planning makes it all worth it. 

Somebody grab the tissues, it's going to be an emotional week and a half... 

Set a date

Book ceremony venue

Book reception venue

Book photographer

Book our band for the reception

Get the wedding party on board

Create wedding website

Register

Take engagement pictures 

Decide on Save the Dates

Finalize guest list 

Send out Save the Dates

Buy my wedding dress!! 
Book ceremony musician

Choose pretty bridesmaids dresses
Decide on shoes/jewelry for bridesmaids

Choose groom/groomsmen tuxes 

Have groomsmen get measured

Get a gorgeous dress for the MOB 
Purchase veil 

Decide on hair accessories 

Decide on wedding shoes & jewelry 

Hire ceremony coordinator 

Hire reception coordinator
Book the minister

Pre-marriage counseling 

Book chair rentals for ceremony 
Book chair rentals for reception
Finalize reception menu
Finalize centerpieces for reception 

Hire a calligrapher

Book hair stylist 

Book cake baker 
Book hair stylist

Schedule hair trial-run 

1st dress fitting 

Final dress fitting 

Create ceremony programs  
Have programs printed

Create wedding invitations
Have invitations printed out 
Mail invitations

Book rehearsal dinner venue 

Finalize rehearsal dinner menu

Order rehearsal dinner  invitations 

Buy a dress for rehearsal dinner
Plan cocktails w/ friends for after rehearsal dinner 

Buy bridal party gifts

My bachelorette party 

C's bachelor party 

Bridal showers

Purchase my wedding band 
Purchase C's wedding band 
Make "must have" list for photographer and videographer

Get marriage license Will be happening literally days before the wedding... that's the tricky part with getting married in a different state where you don't live
Decide on guest book
Decide on favors 

Get favors together

Decide on welcome bag gifts 

Finalize transportation from wedding to reception 
Finalize transportation from reception to our room

Book wedding night room

Book honeymoon 

Get new clothes for the honeymoon! 
Gift for C

Gifts for our parents 

Create itinerary for the day sooo closeeee

Plan bridal brunch
Music selections to band and ceremony musician 

Order thank you notes
Remain extremely calm on the day of
Have a chat with Mother Nature to make sure we are all clear and good to go with my request for a beautiful weekend For real, please send your good vibes for a beautiful wedding day. PUHLEASE. 

GET MARRIED! 

I will be back tomorrow and Friday with other fun wedding info. Isn't it the week before your wedding you shouldn't be blogging? What is this? I barely blog for the whole 8 months then all of a sudden I can't step away. Per usual.