2011 Recap

2011 has been a good year...a big year...full of exciting changes.  

As I sit on the brink of a new year, I have a feeling that 2012 is going to be a great year...an even bigger year than 2011, and full of even more exciting changes!

Of course the biggest event of the past year was our engagement! On May 7, 2011 my Michael asked me to marry him! You bet I said YES!

  Since then, I started this blog and I have been busy busy planning every little detail of our big day.  

I started my last semester of undergraduate classes and got my first real part-time job.

I mastered the interview process and got hired for my first real 'big-girl' job!

I went alum from my sorority!

 And I graduated from the U of M with my degree in accounting!

I'd say 2011 has been good to me! 

2012 is sure to be good to me too!  I start my new 'big-girl' job next week...

And I get to marry my man on 6-9-12 and start our life together! 

A new job, a new name, and I think it's safe to say I will really be a grown-up after this year is over! Crazy!

I can't wait to ring in 2012! I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year's!

Until then...I'll be back in the new year!

Progress

I'm making progress on some of my wedding projects!

Save-the-Dates are coming together in full force.  I'm actually taking a break from working on them to blog a bit!

Here is a peek of my basket full of some of the supplies for the save-the-dates.  

 I can't wait to show the finished product! They are definitely unique and very crafty. 

Another fun task I finished was sprucing up an antique tin metal chest that I have.  I lined the inside of it with a cute fabric that matches perfectly with some of my wedding colors! 

This cute addition will be utilized at the reception in a fun and special way!

(P.S. the tin chest was purchased over a year ago for $12 at an antique shop and I bought out the last few yards of the fabric on clearance for less than $3 total...I love deals!)

Being a DIY bride isn't always easy but I will say it is very rewarding! It's a good feeling knowing that I have had my hands on every aspect of my wedding and haven't left it all in someone else's hands.  With that said, I am very thankful for my crafty talents and desires and the time I have had to enjoy the engagement experience.

I'm also excited for SO many of my friends that have gotten engaged over the past couple of weeks! Especially all of my sweet Phi Mu sisters! Such a fun and exciting time this is!

Bridal Party!

I've been meaning to do this post for a while...okay a really long time.  When it came to my bridesmaids, I knew I wanted to ask them in a cute and creative way.  I searched and searched for ideas and finally found this one that really looked fun and I could add my own twist to it.  

So I got to crafting and came up with these...

 

Each girl on the chain represents a bridesmaid and my flower girl! I had so much fun making them and thought they turned out cute! 

So now you are probably wondering who my bridesmaids are...

My first Maid of Honor is my bff Ashley.  Ashley and I have known each other since second grade and we became really close friends in middle school.  It was a no brainer that she would be standing by my side on the day I got married.  (She's a blonde on the chain)

 Ashley got to be there and watch as Michael proposed!

My second Maid of Honor is Meghann.  Meghann and I met and became close friends in high school and have stayed super close throughout college.  She is the one who always daydreamed with me about our weddings one day.  She is the best help and has so many great ideas and I'm so lucky to have her as my best friend.  (She's the cute red head in my bridal party)

Meghann drove all the way from Houston to surprise me the night I got engaged! It was so wonderful having her there with me to celebrate!

My next bridesmaid is my cousin Kaylee.  Kaylee was my first girl cousin and boy was I happy to have her join our family full of boys.  We are 8 years apart but most can't tell because she has outgrown me by multiple inches.  Not to mention she has grown up to be one of the most beautiful girls (inside and out).  I adore her and am so excited she gets to share this day with me.  (Kaylee is a brown haired girl)

This was taken this summer on our trip to pick out my wedding dress!

My fourth bridesmaid is my childhood friend Brooke.  Brooke and I have been buddies since we were in first grade.  We cheered together our whole lives and even grew up living around the corner from each other.  She is such a sweet friend and I'm so glad she gets to be a part of my big day. (Brooke is one of the blonde girls)

This is the most recent picture of me and Brooke at Christian's wedding this summer!

My fifth bridesmaid is my friend Christian.  Christian and I met in middle school but became really close friends in high school.  We used to always say we were the same person, she just had brown hair.  Christian is an awesome artist and we share many of the same crafty hobbies.  She just got married this past summer so she's been a great help on the do's and don'ts of wedding planning.  (Christian is one of the brown haired girls)

And here is me with the beautiful bride, Christian!!

Finally, my flower girl is my sweet friend Bess.  Brooke and I babysat Bess since she was just a baby.  Since I've gotten in college, I have become really close with Bess's sweet family and get to babysit her and her brother often.  Bess reminds me so much of myself when I was her age.  She loves American Girls and Barbies (both of which were my favorites).  She even named her new American girl Candace after me last Christmas.  So when it came down to naming my new BMW, I couldn't resist naming her Bess :)  I love this little girl and am so glad she gets to be a part of my big day! (Bess is the one with dirty blonde hair on the end)

And here is my sweet Bess! This was taken last year when I got to spend the whole summer with them!

And that's my little bridal party! These girls have all played a big role in my life.  They have grown up with me and always encouraged me in my walk with the Lord.  They are friends that I will always cherish and I'm so grateful to have them stand by my side on my wedding day!

P.S.  They are wearing the perfect shade of seafoam dresses! :))

Things I love...

I couldn't wait to show what came in the mail today! I ordered these cute little accordian photo books with some of my favorite engagement photo images in them.  I plan to give them as Christmas gifts to my mom, grandmother, Michael's mom, and his two grandmothers.  (I even ordered one to keep for myself!) They are the perfect size to stick in your purse and carry to show to friends.  They even come in a little plastic sleeve so the canvas covers don't get scuffed up.  I'm really happy with how they turned out and I think it will be the perfect little Christmas happy for our moms and grandmothers. 

Soo here is one! They have 6 photos on each side for a total of 12 images!

How fun are they?! 

I ordered them from mpix.com which is the online photo lab site that my photographer recommended for us to use if we so chose.  The process was super easy, the price was very reasonable, and I got them within 3 days!! Can't beat that!

I have another recent cheap purchase that I have really enjoyed...

Notice my earrings?! They are "M"s! Yes you could say they stand for my soon to be last name but since Michael's name also starts with an M, I like to say that they stand for his full name, first & last :)

It makes me all giddy when I wear them because I almost feel like I'm carrying a little bit of him around with me all day...if anything I'm definitely representing for my man ;)

These are just a few things I'm loving today! Stay tuned for more fun items!

The End is Near

Guess what! Less than 2 weeks till Graduation! I'm so very ready.  

More than anything I'm ready to start on some wedding crafts! :)

I've got lots planned to accomplish over the break including Save-the-Dates, some fun tissue tassels, reception guest book, signs, table runners, and I've got to get started on wedding invitations.

Not to mention, I'll be preparing to start my new big girl job in the next month!

Life is changing very fast but I'm loving every step along the way.  It's not necessarily easy and plans aren't picture perfect like I dreamed them up to be but....

....in a little over 6 months I get to marry my boy and I couldn't be more thrilled to officially start this next part of our lives together.

I'll be back soon with more updates on all the fun plans!

Engagement Session

Engagement pictures are here! This late September afternoon session could not have been any better! The sun cooperated perfectly and I got the creamy, soft lighting I was itching for! I'm so so very pleased with how they turned out! Elizabeth Wiggs did such a wonderful job and we can't wait for the wedding!

Without further adeu here are some of my favorite shots!

 Macy came along for the session! She behaved pretty well until she took off running towards some other dogs! ha Glad we got her in some great shots!

 How awesome is this barn. So beautiful. Perfect location.

 This picture really shows his blue eyes and my green ones! Neat!

I LOVE them all!

Busy Bee

My hiatus from blogging has lasted far too long.

Good news is that LOTS has been happening since the last time I updated.

The first week of school I booked our photographer, our caterer, and our florist! 

It was definitely a busy week full of meetings but I am soo happy and relieved with our choice of vendors.  They are awesome and I so look forward to working with them more and more as the big day approaches.  Aside from those three we have booked our reception band, met with our cake baker, and registered for gifts!

It feels unbelievably great to have these big decisions all lined up and out of the way.  It has honestly been a very smooth process and I couldn't be more grateful.  

I'm a complete Pinterest addict and find so many inspirational ideas through this awesome resource! If you haven't checked it out yet I suggest you do! I've specifically got an extensive Wedding Ideas board!

In other exciting news...we are taking our engagement pictures this Thursday! Ahh I'm both excited and nervous!  I've never had professional pictures taken and I honestly have no clue what to expect.  I have complete confidence that our photographer will capture beautiful shots, I just hope we look okay in them! haha We are taking Macy along to join in on a few pictures so it should make for a fun and interesting afternoon!

And this weekend I will be reunited with my two best friends and MOHs so we are going to check out some bridesmaid dresses! 

I promise I'll be back soon with more updates and hopefully a sneak peek of our engagement pictures! 

Enjoy your week!

via Pinterest

Beach

We are back from a getaway to the beach last week! We had a great few days relaxing but I'm glad to be back home.  I have a busy week ahead...last week of my summer class, so a test and a final to complete.  I'm already looking forward to the weekend! We are going to Goo Goo Dolls Live at the Gardens Friday night then I have Phi Mu recruitment workshop all weekend.  I'm excited to spend time with friends I haven't seen all summer.  

When the chaos of this week is over I plan on really tackling some wedding tasks next week! Lots to do before I go back to school for my last semester! Yay!

The little things...

I posted about all of the old bottles I have been collecting for the centerpieces at the reception but I noticed something super cool the other day.  We have been using a couple of the bottles for tea and such and I happened to glance at one the other night at dinner and noticed this....

Stamped on the bottle is "since 1852"....Phi Mu was founded in 1852 and I thought this was the neatest and most ironic thing! It's definitely those little things in life that excite me the most. I absolutely love it and can't wait to keep and use this bottle after the wedding! It's perfect for storing sweet tea and looks super cute when serving :)

Makes me even more excited to be a wife!  I can't wait to have a home to take care of and a husband to tend to....it has always been something I have looked forward to!

Big Purchase!

I'm back as I promised! If you couldn't already figure out from the picture, I went dress shopping! I made an appointment two Friday's ago at Low's Bridal in Brinkley, AR (cool fact: Michael lived on Main St in Brinkley when he was little).  I had heard nothing but good things about the wedding dress shop and was anxious to see what was in store.  I'm not going to lie, I was nervous to go dress shopping.  I'm picky when it comes to my wardrobe and I was terrified that I would not be able to find a dress that I liked, or that I wouldn't be able to make a decision.  

No worries, I didn't have any of those problems.  I took my mom, my Grandorothy, my aunt and my cousin (one of the bridesmaids) to help me search for a dress.  My sweet aunt brought along her big camera and documented the day for me! I'm so thankful she did!

 

This place was so neat! They have converted an old hotel into their store and it is just too cute.  Very great experience and fun place to go! 

 Three generations...Norris, Danielson, and future Mooneyham hehe. We are a family with few girls...none of us have sisters (my phi mu "sisters" reading this will beg to differ on my behalf! hehe).  I love these two so so much.

 

And the lovely, tall brunettes are my aunt and cousin....the best aunt and cousin! I was 8 when Kaylee was born and you could say I was the proudest and happiest girl ever! I finally had another girl in the family! If you tried to do the math that makes her 13 soon to be 14....yeah you would never guess.  She has turned out to be a beautiful girl who is just as equally beautiful on the inside.  I love her lots! (she outgrew me years ago if you were wondering ha) I was happy these two could join me for our fun day!

 

Filling out some paperwork before my appointment.  

Here's the inside lobby. I'm not going to lie, I got even more worried when I disliked every dress on display downstairs.

Just browsing through the dresses in the lobby with my cute grandmother. 

 

I started the appointment looking through their sale dresses....I didn't like ANYthing in that room.  You could say at this point I was really really worried that the day was going to be a waste.  With no luck there, my consultant took me to the couture rooms and sent me looking through the racks to pick out dresses I wanted to try on.  I was a bit overwhelmed.  I couldn't tell what anything would look like off of the hanger and there was just so much material to dig through. I managed to pick out only 4 dresses that I thought I could try and start with.  

Lucky for me, my dress was the second one I tried on out of those four! All 4 of the dresses were COMPLETELY different styles and it was obvious that I didn't have my mind set on anything before I came in.  After I tried on all 4 and modeled them for my family, they asked me what I thought and began to subtly give their opinion.  We were all on the same page and immediately eliminated a couple of the dresses.  I tried on the second dress a 2nd time, and at that point knew it was the one! 

I felt most comfortable in it, it showed my personality, and was very unique and girly.  I really love it!

Bad news...I can't show you yet! That has to wait till the big day! 

(Michael reads this and can't see hehe)  

Lucky for us we got a deal too! (my dad was most excited about that part) It also made my decision much easier.  We bought the floor sample for a fraction of the cost and got to take the dress home that day! Yay!

Leaving with dress in hand!

Yay! We were forced to take this picture. haha

I'm so relieved to get that big purchase checked off my to-do list. 

More than anything, I can't wait to wear my dress as I walk down the aisle to my MR!

Stay Tuned

I apologize for slacking so much on updating the blog! I'm now two weeks into a summer accounting class, on the last week of my internship and preparing for a getaway to the beach next week! I've made a big purchase that I can't wait to share....so hold tight! I promise when I get some time soon I will be filling you in with all the details of a fun and exciting day!

Waves of Good Wishes

It's fourth of July weekend meaning there will be lots of fireworks and sparklers consumed.  I love the look of sparklers in pictures as the bride and groom leave for the night after a wedding.  I love everything about my reception location but had to give up one wish....they don't allow the use of sparklers. They suggest throwing birdseed or bubbles....boring.  One night while researching weddings I came across a very cute idea....ribbon wands!

Aren't they cute?! I like how they give a cool look when being waved and will show up in pictures.  I found ribbon online that I ordered in bulk.  I couldn't find the exact color seafoam in mind so I settled for a robin's egg blue that will still be super cute and blend well enough.  I have figured out that I can't find everything perfect to my liking so I have to compromise in some regards.

 The wands themselves are super easy to make.  I bought wooden skewers that you cook with.  I cut the sharp end off with some scissors so no one pokes themselves.  Then I cut the ribbon into pieces that are about 3/4 yard long.  I have chosen to use an ice pink satin, a pink and minty blue grosgrain, and a simple white satin with a dainty edge.  After I cut the ribbon lengths I tied them in double knots towards one end of the skewer.  And....

 whaalaa! 

I have ribbon wands! I'm really liking how they are turning out.  I've made a good start on them but still have lots to complete.  I've got nothing but time and this is just a fun project that will probably mean more to me than anyone else when I see them waved as we make our getaway.  

Here are some of my pretty wedding magazines on display in a cute metal basket I picked up in an antique shop in Oxford last weekend.  They were green when I purchased them and I picked up a can of satin nickel spray paint to spruce them up.  I plan to have these on some cute display tables at the reception and one of them will most likely hold my collection of ribbon wands for guests to grab and wave at the end of the night!

Hope you enjoyed my sneak peek at one of my wedding projects! The Mr. should be here any minute so we can go grab some dinner.  Good thing, because I'm starved.  We will head to Pickwick in the morning to spend a couple days at the lake and celebrate on this beautiful holiday weekend.  

Happy 4th of July! America! hehe

Decor Galore

I know that food, photography, and music all play a big part in making a wedding a success but there is no doubt that my wedding forte is decor.  I want my wedding decor to be unique with a shabby chic twist.  

Our ceremony is going to take place at my church, First Evan.  The sanctuary is perfectly beautiful in my eyes.  It is not over the top ornate or fancy, but it has a clean and traditional beauty to it that I absolutely love for a wedding.  In my quest to have some different decor than the usual, I have decided to use a collection of lanterns perched on the stage's half-walls to bring a unique flair to the ceremony.  I plan to fill these lanterns with tall white pillar candles and have some type of small flower arrangements placed between groupings of lanterns to add color to the backdrop.

What do you think of my collection so far? Lucky for me I spotted these beauties just about everywhere I have chosen to shop lately.  I got most of them for a GREAT deal at my local Marshalls and TJ Maxx.  Two were purchased from Target on clearance, and my mom and I splurged on a couple beautiful ones at Sheffield's antique mall that we will take home to our own homes after the wedding! I am super pleased with my finds and can't wait to see how it will come together! (hopefully it will turn out how I envision it in my head)

I'm still contemplating ideas for the decor that we will stand in front of on the stage. I have considered getting two small trees to flank on either side of us and hang small glass votives with candles from the branches.  I think it adds a little bit of rusticness and the outdoors to the ceremony.  If that idea fails I have also seen beautiful large iron fixtures that could flank us with a large array of beautiful flowers cascading over the sides.  I wish I had a picture to describe this idea but I don't.  I just don't really like the idea of a flower arbor.  I know they can be pretty but it's not my exact style and I feel like it would cost way to much and go to waste.  At least the trees and standing iron fixtures could be used at our house right?! haha too many decisions.

I have also started purchasing glass bottles of all different shapes and sizes.  Some old, some new, but all are so uniquely beautiful and I can put them to good use in my home after the wedding.  Why do I need glass bottles and vases? Well...I want to use these for centerpieces at the reception! During my nightly overview of wedding blogs, I have been so inspired by crafty and shabby chic weddings.  I am not particularly impressed by large, fancy flower arrangements.  Instead, I love the simpleness of a few pretty flowers arranged in unique bottles.  

 

Aren't these so cute?! I love this inspirational picture!

Here is part of my collection so far! What do you think? See what I mean about how each one is unique in its own?  I have some old milk bottles, a few beautiful ones with lots of details, and the two small glasses on the left are made of recycled glass. (I'm even being "green") I have a set of 8 of them that I purchased super cheap at TJ Maxx.  Some people are intimidated by these stores and think they have nothing but crap but trust me, if you are patient and enjoy searching, you can find some GREAT deals! 

I originally thought of asking a good friend of mine who sews to help me make some table runners for the reception tables.  I envisioned pale pink and seafoam fabric running down the middle of the round tables then on the ends that hung off, I wanted to try adding a ruffled edge made out of a fun printed fabric.  Sounds cute and girly right? But the more I got to thinking about it, it was going to be more of a hassle than anything and end up costing more than I want to spend just on some table runners.  Now I'm turning to ever-so-reliable burlap to do the trick.  I love burlap.  If you can't tell from the picture we already have burlap running the length of our kitchen table and our dinning room table is also covered by it.  I love the rustic, casual, and homey (sp) feel it adds to any decor.  Thus I plan to either cut burlap runners or use large burlap squares to place under my flower arrangements.  This way, the bright flowers will stand out as well and won't be competing against the colored runners.  Not to mention, it will be a cheaper and easier alternative as no sewing is required :)

For now I will leave you with that.  I can't wait to post about my project I am starting tonight. 

Hint: it involves ribbon...my favorite!