Our Engagement Pictures

We had never had professional pictures made before - so I thought the camera shyness/ "is my arm fat showing?" "are my eyes to squinty?" ... might get the best of us... or more so me, guys don't worry about that stuff. Fortunately, the girl we had do our engagement pictures seemed like an old friend after about 5 minutes and we had a blast! We adored her - and once we got some of our pictures back, we were even more of a fan.

My love runs deep for this guy...

Now I need one of you to share with me the best place to order a canvas print! Can't wait to get one of these hung up on the wall. 

So - your job is... Where should we order a canvas print from (would love some info on promo codes as well) and which one of these pictures is worthy to be showcased on the wall? Y'all are the best. Thank you!!

Well that was fun... now I'll go focus my attention on more important things besides canvas prints ;) back to the wedding planning! 

Where the "I Do's" Will Be Taking Place

Is wedding planning stressful? Well, sure. I mean it's a long list of figuring this and that out... that would cause anyone at least a little bit of stress. Have I been super stressed? Not really... I guess we should say not yet.

We have got a lot marked off of that never-ending list, but there's still a lot left to get done. But, it'll get done, sooner or later. Really I'm probably less stressed thanks to my awesome rockstar wedding planner mom. She's not an actual wedding planner, but she's fooling me. She's got this stuff figured out. Bless her.

So the most exciting part of all of this is that I'm marrying C. Duh. But another thing at the top of our list? Our ceremony location.

We're big fans of the mountains of NC, so it only makes sense to get married on top of one. Right? Well to us it did.

The ceremony will be taking place RIGHT THERE. In that very spot. Am I excited??? Busting at the seams!

Really, it's a dream come true. This whole thing is a dream come true... the groom, the location... this is the kind of stuff that really makes you sit back and wonder "This is my life? How in the heck did I get so lucky?" But, I did... I have gotten so lucky.

So, no... I haven't gotten super stressed yet. I've gotten overwhelmed by the things that need to be done and the decisions that need to be made. But at the end of the day, when this sort of beautiful thing full of so much love is happening around you... there's no room for stress.

So brides, if you're feeling overwhelmed... think about the amount of love you've got in your life... that should be enough to make the guest list, flower arrangements, and for all that is holy, the stupid decision of WHICH INVITATIONS DO I LIKE?... seem so, so very small in the grand scheme.

Be back soon with our engagement pictures - EEK!

Our Engagement Story - Part One

"Why don't we open stockings here Thursday night before we head to NC on Friday morning? We can even go grab dinner that night!" 

Presents and dinner??? Of course! That sounds perfect. We wanted to have some kind of Christmas tradition for where we've made our home in Atlanta, but wanted to save a lot of fun and the real gifts for our time in NC for our family. So when C came up with this idea, I was so on board! Sounded just like what I wanted - a nice evening full of Christmas lights and Christmas music playing while opening stockings and then a nice dinner out. The boy knows the way to my heart.

I let him be in charge of making the dinner reservation - he's normally our restaurant and vacation planner, so I let him do his thing without asking questions.

I was leaving work early that Thursday (the 20th) to kick off the Christmas break with a nice manicure and pedicure. I had bought a gift card back in June that had a 6 month expiration tied to it, which meant... it would be expired before we got back from Christmas break. So off I went to pick out the oh so popular "You Don't Know Jacque" OPI color.

It was pouring outside that day. The raining cats and dogs type, which is a saying I've really never understood... but it was doing just that. POURING. I got to the nail place and hopped out of the car, dodging rain... or I suppose, cats and dogs... and stepping in every puddle on the sidewalk. That's how it works, right? I always end up in the puddles... no matter what.

I was enjoying my pedicure when I realized C hadn't mentioned anything else about dinner... so I text him, "Are we still going to dinner tonight?" ... but I never heard back from him... and didn't think a thing of it. I assumed he was busy at work, I'd see him when I got home. I went on with my girly spa afternoon and then headed home.

I walked in and he was already there. Side note: I'm always home first... he's a working machine and never makes it home before me. Oh well - I wasn't complaining, we were getting to start our Christmas break early! He gave me the "I just told work I had to leave... my boss seemed frustrated, but I wasn't going to sit around and wait" Welp. Alright... I wasn't fighting that. I mean we did have plans, so I appreciated his efforts to get home on time.

Remember the rain? That was immediate make me want to lay on the couch before dinner kind of weather. So... to lay on the couch I went. Charlie was hanging on the couch with me and we discussed how our days had gone. "You taking a shower before dinner"... Nope, I responded. I was still feeling pretty put together from my day, despite the pouring rain outside... I figured we were going to a nice dinner, but nothing some fresh makeup and a curling iron wouldn't be able to fix.

A few minutes later... "So you're sure you're not taking a shower?" .... Uhhhh... Do I need a shower??? Which of course he brushed off, "No way! You're fine! But we should probably go ahead and start getting ready... our reservations at 8:15" ......