To be printed and mailed tomorrow...

The great Cindi Whiteside (read: future MIL) is the mastermind behind the upcoming rehearsal dinner. Not surprising -- she did birth the groom.

Tomorrow morning, after my International Marketing final (last one this semester, and at Trevecca!!!), I will head down to the university's print shop and have these bad boys put together. 40 invites at 7 cents looks like a hefty total of $2.80 for this order. Whew. Breakin' the bank here, folks. I designed them at this size so that we could use the leftover ivory envelopes from the wedding invitations, so no cost on that. Postage will be pricier than the actual paper we're sending! That's okay though: several on the guest list will get their copies via campus mail, requiring no stamp at all.


Click on image to enlarge...



Think the guests get the picture? They're gonna have to earn their delightful, Nashville-exclusive burrito. ; )

My Favorite Discovery

Please pay serious attention to My First Dictionary. Bahahahaha.

He's good at what he does. Shoooooot.

Ladies and gentlemen, the fiance. As previously mentioned, he was in Nashville to lead worship last week for an event, and, well, we got some images back yesterday that I'm pretty ecstatic about.

Playing the electric, which rarely happens. He nailed it.


And again...


Featuring our bff's in the background... they're his groomsmen. I guess that's what happens when you play with these guys for so long.


TNT @ TNU 2009


I wish I knew what song even begged for clapping... ?


Three screens? Whattttt?


And isn't this just a tender moment? : )



I just love you, Brandon. You are so talented, and I couldn't be more proud.

My life lately

I. Love. It.

Elissa, Julie and I have been keeping up with this instead of elliptical time, and it's truly kicking our butts... but we're already seeing serious results. I'm stoked. Weight loss isn't a huge concern of mine, but being healthy and taking care of my body is, and this has been so helpful.

I won't drone on and on about it, but if you're looking for something, I'd seriously consider this as an option. It is quick, basic and thorough. Do some research. ; ) Click on the picture for a shopping list.

Successssssssssssss

Wedding night hotel officially booked. Glorious. Much, much, much thanks to my betrothed, Mr. Whiteside, for seeing to this task. ; )


Welcome to The Hotel Preston, in Nashville, TN...


My favorite part? On their website, this list is viewable on each page:

Available upon request at check-in:

• Lava lamp
• Pet fish
• A good book
• Art kit
• Rubber duckie
• Milk and cookies

Really? REALLY?!
Hahahahaha.

I guess we've gotta practice...

Rehearsal Dinner plans are these: Baja Burrito (a true Nashville gem) is catering at the church, Edible Arrangements, lots of color, a red flower in my hair, and the like.

Invitations will be emailed to the small guest list. Created on Wordle and PowerPoint:


The dress I'm wearing was only $15 at Alloy, and will to great to take with us on the honeymoon in Charleston, SC...


Sandals, $5, Old Navy:



and Hatch Show Print posters... a true Nashville legend... think Johnny Cash. Glorious. Baja Burrito actually has a line of special edition ones for their restaurant. These will be kept forever. Awesome.

Hello, beautiful!

I got word this past week that Brandon's super-chic cousin in PA, Emily, has found the inspiration for the ring bearer "pillow" that she's making for us. Woot! To see other lovelies that she is responsible for, visit her Shop!

This particular option is courtesy of YandeBridal on Etsy. Click photo to be led to her shop.


I'm tickled. Yes, as mentioned before, I do get easily excited.

Speaking of awesomeness: Brandon gets into town tonight! Hallelujah!

Bridesmaid Feature: Elissa, whom I have no clever quip about

This is the our most recent addition to the wedding party...as in, she was asked and agreed just a few days ago. Bah! We knew she was just too much fun to be left out of the wedding party. It'll be a blast having her there.

Meet Elissa. She's from Michigan, and a worship leader if you know a church that's looking to hire... Color pallet - moss green plus ivory, gold and peachy-corals. Suits her coloring, no?


She's thinking about wearing her hair down but with a braided something-or-another going on, much like Rachel McAdams is here:


Dress of choice, via David's Bridal...


The flower accompanying said hairstyle, from Forever 21, $3...


Picking up the peachy tones, Forever 21, $5.


Hinged leaf bracelet in gold, Forever 21, $3.


Coral and awesome, Forever21, $7.50


And the flowers: She'll have more white in her bouquet than I will! Photo via The Knot.

Bridesmaid (and roommate) Feature: Whitney Easey!

You can ask Julie why we call her Whitney Easey instead of Whitney Casey... but here she is! Her color pallet is made of the moss green plus blue, ivory and brown, which will be reflected in her accessories and flowers.

Note: there are more pieces for Whitney that I don't have pictures of but really tie her whole look together. Just trust me.



She chose the crinkled-chiffon halter dress, from David's Bridal:


Ring, Forever 21, $4.


Sandals, Target, $13.

Bouquet inspiration, The Knot.

Fun with Toy Cameras, Take 2

The many faces of Ben and Kaley...


Sweet Genevieve...


Julie has a knack for catching me when I'm doing something stupid...


I wound this roll of film incorrectly, so it's even weirder than it should have been! Julie is in two places at one time, it appears...


I am a man, I guess...


Oh, you know...


And there I am, falling, in the amphitheater. Oops...


Last weekend was beautiful... Clearly.

Correction: That Ring is Wrong

Oops, oops, oops... I completely lied to you. Rather, my mind has changed. Dear Brandon, I'm sorry, but I may be undeniably female after all. Hahaha.

Our wedding bands came in the mail this past week, as expected, and it was truly thrilling. Artisan Impact makes incredible jewelry. They were great to work with, too! The sad part - silver just doesn't look good on me. I should have known this already as it was the reason for choosing yellow gold for the engagement ring (pictured on the left side bar). Ultimately, the ring I had chosen has been sent back, and I opted for a tiny and simple gold band from Shane Company:


They were just awesome throughout our initial ring purchasing, but I'll save that story for another time.

These photos are evidence of my initial ecstasy about receiving wedding bands. Geez. Even though I wasn't sure I liked it yet. I guess this means I've officially become overwhelmed with the unnecessary ability to become excited about anything. Brandon and my roommate, Whitney, have been swearing this was the case for a while, but I've been in denial.

I was just so happy. Look at all my little treasures!


Unsure but still feelin' it a little...


Brandon's band. I'm practially drooling. Leave it to Ashley to be impeccably tasteful, right?


Yeah. I like it. Why didn't mine work?


All three rings together. I thought it'd be one happy family.


It's ok though! I really like this option even better. Simplicity really is key sometimes. And a lifetime warranty can't be beat... Also, this is 14k gold versus the sterling silver of the other ring, and was only 20 more dollars. YEAH.


Engagement Ring PLUS Band. Fierce.


Ok, I need to stop blogging and start packing up my apartment now. Brandon will be in Nashville on Tuesday to lead worship for an event here at Trevecca. He's flying in but driving a minivan back to Oklahoma City with everything that can't fit into my car.

This is really happening. Take that, world!!

Embellishing without Beads and Roses

Although I haven't actually disclosed pictures of my dress here, try to work with me. Or, if curious, you could check out photographer & friend Christina Lafferty's photo blog. She took some bridal portraits in November for me... and nailed it, if I may say. Brandon Whiteside, do not follow that link. Please?

This is a polka-dotted-organza dress. (Technically, the fabric is probably Dotted Swiss, but you get the point.)


Whimsical and ethereal. I love it. But this is not my dress. And how I have longed for polka-dot inclusion. Dang Ali Blair Dawson for her cool, handmade take on this.

What to do, what to do?! Well, the week Mom was here, she brought her creative seamstress talents to the table, and was able to tweak my dress. The end result is beautiful. Oh. My. Goodness. Let's just say we added some Dotted Swiss to the skirt, changed the waistline to make it more flattering, embroidered the olive green sash with a robin's egg blue little bird-on-a-branch, and attached some trim to the neckline. Wow. It sounds complicated, but it really wasn't.

We googled bird images to find a shape to embroider on the sash. I then did a freehand sketch of the outline and Mom did a simple stitch of it. Like I said, outline only.


Inspiration for the lace-trim idea. Our chosen trim is white, and the neckline is sweetheart, like pictured on this dress (found on Urban)...



Difficult to picture? I'm sorry... but I will be waiting to post pictures of the finished dress until after the wedding (which is only 45 days away, mind you)...

After all, it is a surprise. Although, I don't think he cares what the dress looks like for a second. I don't blame him. Ha.

A Perfect Addition to Forever

This little gem-of-a-photo is something I prize dearly. BW and I flew to his hometown outside of Raleigh the month of our engagement. His family was having a photo shoot, so the photographer went ahead and snapped a few of just us. (Cool tidbit - this photo made it to her homepage and engagement session page!)

Do I need to mention that his family is exceptional and extraordinary?

This past Christmas she had a professional print made and framed of this very photo. We'll get to use it at the wedding, but more importantly, well, always. I can't even express how genuinely ecstatic I am about this.

Possibly one of my favorite gifts of all time... I was laughing hysterically, and can't really recall why. What's new?


The most indescribably wonderful and generous in-laws a gal could ask for. I'd fight you for them. Meet Cindi and Shawn. If you'd like, I'll send them a note on your behalf thanking them for being so awesome.


Just thought I'd share. I'm a bit excited.