{Mr. and Mrs.}

Hi y'all! Guess what? I officially have a new name! 

 

 

 

{Mr. and Mrs. Emerson}
------- Happy Tuesday! Hopefully you're having an easier time with work today than I am!

Wedding Week {Monday}

It's wedding WEEK! There are no words for how excited I am! I can't wait for Wednesday (my last day of work). I can't wait for my favorite people to get in on Thursday. And I definitely can't wait for everyone to be together on Friday! I hope this week flies by, but I'll have plenty to keep me busy in the mean time. 
This is how I feel today...

It's the new "head in the clouds" :)
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Wish me luck for the rest of the week!

Wedding Wednesday{10 MORE DAYS!}

Y'all! We only have10 MORE DAYS until the big day!
Can you believe it? I know we can't.

A throwback to two years ago!

As my next to last Wedding Wednesday checklist, I'm happy to say that there are just a handful of things left to be done, one which I get to do today! I get to pick my dress up {and I'm hoping I won't have to have any other alterations done, I miss that pretty thing!}.   

Here's the checklist...   ------- Things We've Done.... Picked the date : May 18th 2013 Picked our bridal party! Picked our colors! Picked our ceremony and reception site! Picked a caterer! Picked a photographer! Picked our ceremony and reception musician! Had our engagement party! Started Finished the wedding website! Picked Sent our Save The Dates! Picked out our invitations! Bought THE DRESS! Picked the bridesmaid's dresses {a few are ordered}! Working on the mother's dresses{one ordered, one to go}! Picked the rehearsal dinner restaurant! Finalized our guest list! Started Finished our registry! Picked our cake baker and cake style! Purchased our wedding bands! Finalized shower invitation list and bachelorette party invitation list. Picked our day-of point of contact. Bought a few items for decoration (twine for bouquets, burlap for banner, etc.). Meet with our officiant and scheduled pre-marital counseling! Took our engagement pictures!! Called the rental place and finalized all of our rentals! Finalized a block of rooms for our wedding guests! Have Sent our invitations printed. Find a way to print special maps for invitations. DIY!! Order all of the bridesmaid's dresses. Order groomsmen suits. Book our honeymoon (at the end of January!). Decide on shower and rehearsal dinner decorations.  Decide on + order bridal party gifts. Decide on + order groom gift. Finalize our hotel plans (getting ready rooms & wedding guests). Pick rehearsal dinner invitation.  Pick shoes for bridesmaids. Pick ceremony shoes. Finalize ceremony music. Pick the mother's dresses. Place the wedding flower order (I found the perfect vendor!). Pre-marital counseling. Finalize the ceremony plan! Work on wedding hair and makeup ideas (for everyone)--updos
for the girls and half up/down for me! Create banner for wedding reception. ORDERED Yarn wrapped letters for reception decoration (initials/Mr+Mrs). Decided on something different. Marriage license. WAHOO!! Purchase dresses for bridal events, rehearsal dinner, and bachelorette party weekend! Finalize our reception menu (90% done). Decide on my something old, new, borrowed, and blue (90% done). Finalize our guest book alternative. (Decided on a photo book.) Decide on cake/cupcake stand. Finalize and work on reception table decorations. (Finally finished!) Decide if we want special ushers. (We aren't picking ushers since it's such a casual setting.) Decide on out-of-town guest goodies. (Not needed.) Decide on + order parent gifts. Package bridal party gifts.  Pick our Instagram hashtag for the reception
(we plan on having one of these ideas {one, two, or three}!)
Things We Still Need To Do.... Go to schedule one dress fitting/steaming. Pick dress up and see if it fits! Pick out ceremony accessories (for the BMs and I) (90% done). Decide on ceremony readings (98% done). Finalize rehearsal dinner menu (done--just need to print them). Print + assemble program fans. Finish cake topper (twine wrapped E!). Finalize ideas/materials for ceremony/reception signs. Decide on + book day-of transportation.  Finalize a day-of schedule (just need to do some final tweaks!). Drop off extra decor to the caterer. 

Ramble On...

If it was ever the right time to ramble, it's now...I am SO in the mood to relax and just put all of my thoughts in one place. Hence I have a BLOG! haha Here's what's been on my mind lately... ------- Planning a wedding = stress, right? I expected that. What I didn't expect? Major (like, SUPER major) heartburn. I have been so uncomfortable lately, all because of the stress. I am trying not to let it have a negative effect on me. Hoping it goes away the closer we get to the wedding! *Fingers Crossed*
I haven't been able to find the PERFECT wedding shoes in person...so Ryan talked me into ordering a few of my favorite pairs online. Which I never EVER do. I hate ordering shoes online. The good news is I LOVE both pairs :) Now, to just make up my mind.
Speaking of shoes...since having ankle surgery last November, I haven't really been able to wear heels or high (3+ inch) wedges. I've been working my way up to my regular shoes (I even had to buy kitten wedges haha) and I'm finally back into my regular wedges!! I still take flats to work with me just in case my ankle starts to hurt, but I'm so excited to be back in my regular shoes. This means my ankle will definitely feel up to the task of walking in pretty and high shoes for the wedding!
I feel terrible about finding someone to do my wedding hair. That sh*t is expensive, and I just don't think it's worth it to pay someone $100 to do what I can do. I just want someone to do my hair while I sit an relax the morning of my wedding, but paying that much isn't relaxing to me. Anyone know of a good wedding hair person in Nashville that doesn't cost a small fortune? I'm looking for myself and at least one other bridesmaid. (And yes, this makes me seem cheap. Guess what? I am cheap! It doesn't hurt me when I try to save money.) 
I've been trying to determine what makeup I'll need for the wedding (to have a good photo-ready look), but since I don't wear much to begin with, I've had a hard time figuring out where to start. I only wear eye makeup, blush, and maybe some concealer and/or primer when I need it. I've only figured a little bit out so far...I'm definitely going to wear a good primer (photo finish Smashbox), and a good concealer for under my eyes (leaning towards Erase Paste). I've still got a long way to go it seems :) Any suggestions or wedding day makeup pointers are welcome!
I finally get to cash in on one of my favorite Christmas presents next Monday---laser hair removal for my legs! I can't wait to not have to shave my legs, especially with the honeymoon coming up. 
I know everyone else is loving Jennifer Lawrence as much as I am, but I've had a major crush on her for a long time. I am so excited to see her finally hit the mainstream and to be getting so much love!
I've had a terrible case of the Mondays this week, especially today. It seems like every thing I try to do turns out wrong or backwards, etc. I just can't get ahead and I don't enjoy that feeling. Since it's been such a long week, I was ridiculously happy to hear that Ryan wanted to grill out for dinner tonight and that our friends were getting together for trivia. The day really started looking up after work. Except after dinner I put my comfy clothes on and got sleepy. and here I am on the couch, folding laundry, catching up on PLL and blogging. I can't complain because I'm finally feeling relaxed. Thank the heavens!
Remember this post? It's probably the best pep talk advice I've ever given myself and I'm glad I blogged about it. It's a really nice post to go back a revisit. Those words helped me get past something that I am SO GLAD to be past. I'm so much happier now because I decided to let myself change what wasn't making me happy. Thank goodness for having the freedom to make my own choices (and the guts to change)!

Talk about making good choices...I've tried so hard lately to NOT each junk food. I've made some changes and I've cut down on my bad-food intake, but I just can't seem to kick it all together. What's wrong with me?!!? haha I just love a good snack, I guess... :(
We kinda-sorta inherited Ryan's grandmother's china cabinet/hutch and I can't wait to re-do it with Ryan! I think we are going to do an all white makeover, similar to this, this, and this. Thoughts? Have you ever redone a hutch?
------- Alright, alright. That's it for today! If you made it this far, I hope you have a great day! :)

My Weekend-According to my iPhone

As per usual, parts of my weekend were captured by my iPhone. Here's a little photo update of what went on around here this past weekend...

Dinner and drinks....and wedding talk with the boy.

Car pictures while we waited on my Dad's family for lunch.

Envelope stuffing party!

And they're ready to send out!

Nothing terribly overwhelming. Not to you at least ;) We stuffed our wedding envelopes and marked a few other important wedding related items off of our checklist. It feels good to be getting so many things done! Only 3 months to go!! ------- I hope you have a happy Monday, lovelies!

Friday's Letters

Dear Ryan, You are officially a Homebrewer! Your first batch was delicious and even better than you expected---go you!! 

Dear Adulthood, You. Are. Awesome. Sometimes you just need to eat like a kid to cheer yourself up. Or after a long day at work. OR when you don't feel good. Or ALL THE TIME. :)

Best dinner ever.

Dear Weekend, I am SO beyond excited to have a few days to slow down and relax. This week at work was a complete whirlwind!! 
Dear Bachelorette Party, You are going to be amazing!! I can't wait to spend the weekend in Chicago with lots of my favorite people!!

Dear Tennessee, You are beautiful. I love Nashville so much! That is all.

Dear Ryan, I hope you're ready for all of the almost-husband comments that are bound to be made over the next 99 days!
(Can you believe it's getting so close!?!)

Dear Almost Husband, See I told you! You're my favorite :)

Dear Pup, You're too stinkin' cute for your own good.
Also, please stop farting when we have company. 

Dear Future Sister In Law, You make bomb dot com cookies! Thank you for sending a sweet treat our way for Valentine's Day :)

Dear GIFs, You can make any day better. Case in point.

------- Happy Friday! Check out the rest of the Friday's Letters {here}.

Wedding Wednesday {bridal shower}

Happy Wednesday! 

I'm back with a little wedding business to keep you company on this hump day. Heaven knows it's the only thing that occupies my mind when I'm not busy with work or the boys!
This week's wedding topic is the front runner in my mind lately.  The bridal shower.  Over the last few weeks I've been ironing out details with my momma and MOH. It's been fun and a little stressful (if I'm being honest). I'm under strict orders NOT to stress, but it's just in my blood. 

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Some shower inspiration via Pinterest!
Jess {the MOH} and I have been talking about decorations, style, the color theme, and the menu. The other day we were talking about how Southern women love throwing a good bridal shower. This then took our conversation in a different direction all together...what do NON-SOUTHERN women do for bridal showers. Neither of us could even think of a bridal shower that we had heard of that wasn't a "southern" one.  ------- Do northerners do bridal showers? Am I just spacing out here? Are you from a northern or western or eastern state (aka non-southern)? What did you do for your shower? Or, what is the norm for a shower in your family or area? I'd LOVE to know! It's really interesting to me that families and regions celebrate in different ways!

Wedding Wednesday + Engagement Photos

Alright ladies, it's time for a little Wedding Wednesday update. 

Before I get into the nitty gritty {aka wedding checklist}, I have a little something to share with you. A few of our engagement pictures!

What do you think? I am just head over heels with them {and my guy}. Our photographer, Photos by Alex, is amazing and so fun to work with! -------
Now for the Wedding Progress Update!
Things We've Done.... Picked the date : May 18th 2013 Picked our bridal party! Picked our colors! Picked our ceremony and reception site! Picked a caterer! Picked a photographer! Picked our ceremony and reception musician! Had our engagement party! Started Finished the wedding website! Picked Sent our Save The Dates! Picked out our invitations! Bought THE DRESS! Picked the bridesmaid's dresses {a few are ordered}! Working on the mother's dresses{one ordered, one to go}! Picked the rehearsal dinner restaurant! Finalized our guest list! Started Finished our registry! Picked our cake baker and cake style! Purchased our wedding bands! Finalized shower invitation list and bachelorette party invitation list. Picked our day-of point of contact. Bought a few items for decoration (twine for bouquets, burlap for banner, etc.). Meet with our officiant and scheduled pre-marital counseling! Took our engagement pictures!! Called the rental place and finalized all of our rentals! Finalized a block of rooms for our wedding guests!
Things We Still Need To Do.... Finalize our reception menu. Have our invitations printed. Find a way to print special maps for invitations. Order the rest of the bridesmaid's dresses. Pick shoes for bridesmaids. Pick ceremony shoes. Schedule one dress fitting/steaming. Pick out ceremony accessories (for the BMs and I). Decide on my something old, new, borrowed, and blue. Finalize ceremony music. Decide on ceremony readings. Pick the mother's dresses (1/2 way there!). Order groomsmen suits. Place the wedding flower order (I found the perfect vendor!). Pre-marital counseling (scheduled). Work on wedding hair and makeup ideas (for everyone). Book our honeymoon (at the end of January!). Finalize our hotel plans (getting ready rooms & wedding guests). Pick rehearsal dinner invitation.  Finalize rehearsal dinner menu. Decide on shower and rehearsal dinner decorations.  Decide on + order bridal party gifts (40% done). Decide on + order groom gift. Decide on + order parent gifts. Print + assemble program fans. Finalize our guest book alternative. Create banner for wedding reception. Finish cake topper (twine wrapped E!). Decide on cake/cupcake stand. Yarn wrapped letters for reception decoration (initials/Mr+Mrs). Finalize and work on reception table decorations. Finalize aisle decorations. Work on aisle decorations (DIY!). Finalize ideas/materials for ceremony/reception signs. Decide on + book day-of transportation.  Marriage license. Finalize a day-of schedule. Decide if we want special ushers. Decide on out-of-town guest goodies. Purchase dresses for bridal events, rehearsal dinner, and bachelorette party weekend! ------- Do you have any wedding advice? Fill me in if you do!
P.s. Check out the rest of my wedding posts {here}.

Wedding Wednesday Link Up!

Welcome to the first Wedding Wednesday Link Up Party with A Happy Wife in New Orleans!!! I am so excited to finally turn Wedding Wednesdays into a link up party! Today is the FIRST ONE!! Yay! This link up party will occur every two weeks, so start creating your wedding posts!!
What is this link up party all about?

Link up any wedding-related post on your blog. This can be a favorite post of yours previously written or a new post. Anything wedding related! Wedding planning, your own wedding recaps, a wedding you were in, a wedding you attended, bridal showers, engagement stories, honeymoons, etc... You get the picture! Be sure to link up a different post for every new link up party.

Now let's meet this week's co-hosts who have helped make this party a reality!

Ashley @ The Sweet Ashley Life

Brin @ Bold Butter Baby

Stephanie @ The Vintage Modern Wife

Here are your "vows" to linking up: 1. Link up your favorite "wedding" related post on your blog. It could be a new post or one previously written. ** Be sure to include the link directly to that post.** 2. Please link back to me within your post (text link or party button). I will feature my favorite posts and will only feature those posts that include a direct link back to me. 3. Follow your Host and Co-hosts {#1 - 4} via GFC. 4. Visit other blogs that have linked up and let them you know stopped bye. 5. Help spread the word about this fun link up party!

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Interested in co-hosting a future Wedding Wednesday Link Up Party?  Email Mary at rollingontheriverinheels@gmail.com!
I am so excited to see everyone's wedding post!  Thank you for saying "I DO" to the Wedding Wednesday Link Up Party!

{Wedding Wednesday} Shoes!

Happy Wednesday ladies! Did y'all stay up late to watch election results? It's been a whirlwind the last few days with all of the election coverage!

  Don't worry, I'm not here to write about politics today--I'm sharing another Wedding Wednesday post with you! This week it's all about shoes {specifically for the bride--me}! 

Because of the length of my dress, the material of my dress, and the color of my dress it's been somewhat challenging to find the perfect pair of shoes. Not to mention that it's an outdoor wedding, so no high heels for this girl! I am one of those girls who loves when a photographer captures a great photo with the bride and her shoes (whether it be by herself, with her bridesmaids, or with the groom), so the shoes are important to me!   Check out these sweet shots...

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 See what I mean?  Not only are the shoes important in the photos, they also add to the overall feel for the bride! I feel like a princess in my wedding dress, and I expect to feel the same way about my shoes.   I think I've narrowed my ideas down to these four options: Sparkly sandals with little or no heel. Flats with good detail (nothing too plain). A not-too-tall wedge in a navy or a grey with a little detail. Cowboy boots (I already own).   Here are a few examples of what I've had my eye on:

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I LOVE the detail on this shoe--I'm trying to find a similar style in a wedge.
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Aren't these gorgeous? I would like them better in silver or a cream, instead of gold.
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I absolutely LOVE these, but I think the height is too much.
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Relaxed Steve Madden sandals...
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My FAVORITE pair...aren't they gorgeous!? Kate Spade, of course!
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------- Thoughts? I know it's tough picking a pair without knowing what the dress looks like, but I think any of the above would well. Wish me luck with finding the perfect pair!
P.s. I'm hosting a link up today with Mary at {A Happy Wife in New Orleans} for Wedding Wednesday posts! Swing by and check out all the wedding posts and make a few new friends!