Girl chooses accessories

Boy proposes to Girl.
Girl says yes.
Boy gives Girl beautiful ring.
Boy goes to war.
Girl plans a wedding.
Girl buys a dress.
Girl chooses jewelry.

My mother always says that the year I turned 10, I turned into an alien child. I was awful. But when I turned 11 I went back to normal. Not sure how that happened, but it did. That was also the year I refused to wear color. I wore blue jeans and over-sized white t-shirts. And don't even THINK about anything sparkly. Ironically that is also the year I got my ears pierced (for the first time). And I picked pink sparkly studs. But other than that, there was no sparkle for me.

I am not exactly sure when I changed my mind about sparkle, but if you ask my mom (or J, or anyone else who knows me), she will tell you that I love sparkle now. The more sparkle the better.

So even before I had chosen a dress, I began to think about what I wanted for jewelry. Once I did choose a dress, that vision became much clearer. I knew I didn't want a necklace. The neckline of my dress would be great for one, but I wanted bold accessories that would really be fun.

The first thing I found was a bracelet. I knew it was perfect.



I also knew I wanted pieces from Lauren of Lo Boheme. I've worked with her in the past on shoots I've done, and used her pieces on my models. I also have a few pieces she has made me that I am in love with. I even shot her new line recently. I knew I wanted to use her pieces. But I couldn't decide what!!! So after chatting with her, I decided on 3 different pieces that she is custom making for me (pictures will follow). One for the ceremony will be a birdcage veil and ivory flower. Then for the reception an Ivory and Purple flower piece. J and I are also doing a day after session with our photographers (more on this later as well) and Lauren is making me an amazing headband for that.

I knew I wanted to wear earrings, but I didn't want them to fight for attention with my hair. I found a pair when we were in Las Vegas, but I am still not sure they are exactly what I want. So I'm still searching for those.

There is a place on the side of my dress where there is a little tie (not to be confused with a neck tie) and there is a small space that is perfect for a brooch. And since I am working on the brooch bouquet, I decided that that was a must. When my grandma let me choose from her brooches from my bouquet, I immediately fell in love with this one:



I already blogged about my shoes.

There is one more very special touch. A surprise for J (I'm pretty sure he does not read this blog from Kuwait). J is an avid Miami Dolphins fan. I mean really. He is the definition of fanatic. So I found these on etsy:



I'm not even sure we will have a garter toss, but I knew I had to have these!

All of the little details are starting to come together and it is so much fun!

Girl goes shopping

Boy proposes to Girl.
Girl says yes.
Boy goes to war.
Girl plans a wedding.
Girl goes shopping.

I love to shop.
It doesn't matter what I'm buying, or if I'm not even buying anything at all. But my favorite kind of shopping is the kind where you are looking for something specific... I imagine it's a bit like how the guys feel when they go hunting. I look, I find, I kill. Then I bring it home with me.

I knew that some shopping would be required for the wedding.
There's the typical shopping... dress shopping... shoe shopping....
But after we found the venue and started to put things together, I realized that I needed center pieces, and some fun little details.
And so the shopping began :)

The first shopping trip was with Javier's cousin-in-law, Danielle. She and I scoured several stores and managed to track down lots of treasures for great prices!







We also found several other things that I will be blogging about later on that turned into DIY projects.

Right now I am up in Oregon visiting family. One of our traditions is shopping the day after Christmas. We do it every year. At a ridiculously early hour of the morning. And we love every minute of it! It was not my plan to shop for the wedding... but it just sort of... happened.






































Okay now I know that some of that alone looks a little overwhelming... and almost cheesy. But not to worry. It won't be when I'm done with it :)

I am building a crazy collection of stuff. I can't wait to put it all together!!!
And I need to add a little note here for my mother: Please excuse the poor quality of these photos. I know I am a photographer, but I seem to take the majority of my personal photos with my cell phone. There is no excuse, I know. Don't worry... we will have a wedding photographer (2 actually)... I will not be taking our wedding photos with my cell phone.

Girl buys a dress

Girl meets Boy.
Boy likes Girl.
Girl likes Boy.
Boy proposes to Girl.
Girl says yes.
Girl plans a wedding.
Girl goes dress shopping.
Girl goes dress shopping.
Girl goes dress shopping.
Girl buys a dress.

Wedding dresses.
I think it may be the single most fun thing about planning a wedding.
Or at least in theory...

I knew when I went shopping for a dress I wanted my mom to go with me.
And no one else.
(well maybe my grandma).

Have you ever seen "Say Yes to the Dress?"
Have you seen the armies of people that the brides bring in with them?
Have you seen how indecisive and downright MEAN they can be?
I have.
That's why I don't want to bring everyone I know.

So mom and I went to the bridal salon and tried on dresses.
And then we got to go again when we were in Oregon visiting my grandma. She went too.
On both of those occasions, I found several dresses that I liked. And one that I really liked.
But we walked away because I wasn't 100% sold. And I still had a lot of time.

Then I found out about an amazing organization called "Brides Across America". It's an organization that gives away bridal gowns to brides who have served overseas in Iraq or Afghanistan in the last 5 years (or who are marrying a soldier who has). So I found a bridal store in our area that was sponsoring this and made an appointment. The day came and my mom and I headed out.

I looked around the store at the dresses they had to give away, and none of them were really me. The bridal consultant made a generous offer to discount any dress I found in the store. So we perused the racks. It didn't take long, and the dresses began to look the same. I was quickly losing all excitement and hope.

Then mom found one she thought I might like, and I found a couple that were not too bad. So into the dressing room we went. And out we came. With a dress. There was a very clear winner. And I loved it. And mom loved it.

It just so happened that I could buy it right off the rack. Apparently I am a sample size. Thank the Lord! I walked out of the store carrying a bright pink bridal bag full of dress (don't worry, the dress isn't bright pink!).

Here's a little peak of the dress. I'm not showing all of the pictures because, well, it's THE dress, and I have to keep some things kind of quiet, right? Anyway, here's a little sneaky peak.

Girl chooses shoes

Girl grows up in Oregon.
Girl wears flip flops.
Girl moves to California.
Girl wears heels.
Boy proposes to Girl.
Girl says yes.
Boy goes to war.
Girl buys shoes.

Shoes.
Ooooooohhhhhh shoes.
One of my favorite trends in weddings right now is the bride's shoes. Rarely do I shoot a wedding (or see one for that matter) where the bride wears traditional white satin shoes. I love that brides have been picking shoes that go with their color schemes, or even that are completely different and unique to them. Sometimes they pick blue (for the something blue)... or just their favorite color.

I went looking for wedding shoes, thinking that I would pick purple. It is my favorite color... and a color I knew would show up in our wedding color scheme. But then I found sparkly, bling-y, perfection. In the form of Steve Madden.

Exhibit A:



I put them on my feet and they were sooooo comfortable! I walked around the rest of the store in them... perusing through the other, not so shiny shoes. At the end of the last aisle, I looked at my mom without hesitation and said, "I'm getting these!" And off we went. We bought the shoes and took them home.

They have these beautiful gold soles on them. But they just needed a little something more... I have seen plenty of places that sell little rhinestone decals that say "I do" in blue:



But I am not the "everyone's-doing-it" sort of girl. And I fully plan to wear these gold glitter shoes with my jeans and white t's after the wedding. So I wanted something a little different.

Have I mentioned I love hearts? Have you SEEN my logo? :)


And so, an idea was born. I knew I had some loose, blue Swarovski crystals hanging around somewhere (you never know when you might need some!). Luckily for me, we also had some great craft glue. And tweezers. And tape. And that was all I needed for my little DIY project :)







Here are step by step instructions on how I did this. It was easy. Seriously. And it can be so personalized! I would LOVE to hear your thoughts or see what you do with this (if anyone else uses it!)

Step 1: I arranged the crystals in the pattern I wanted them to appear. For my shoes I chose the heart from my logo. It's personal and cute. And I just moved the crystals around on my couch cushion (that's the weird brown background) until I got them how I wanted them.


Step 2: I took regular scotch tape and put a couple of pieces together. Then I carefully laid it on top of the crystals that were arranged on my couch cushions. The tape stuck to the front of the crystals (the blue part) and this allowed me to pick them up together as a whole and flip them over so I had access to the back of the crystals.


Step 3: I dropped a few drops of glue onto a paper and used a toothpick to carefully (and quickly!) brush glue on the back of each individual crystal. Make sure that there isn't TOO much glue on each of these crystals because if it oozes out, the tape will get stuck to the shoe also.

Step 4: Next, I laid the heart (still attached to the tape) on the bottom of the shoe, being careful to put it down where I wanted it to stick. The glue I used bonds almost instantly, so there isn't a lot of room for mistakes here.


Step 5: Next, I let the glue dry for a few minutes. I wanted to be sure the crystals were on the shoe good and solidly.

Step 6: Slowly peel off the tape from the back of the shoe, making sure the crystals are sticking to the shoe.


Step 7: Repeat on other shoe.


Here is the finished result:









I think this idea is cute even if you aren't a bride! Definitely jazzes up a plain (or already fancy) pair of shoes!

Boy gets leave

Boy proposes to Girl.
Girl says yes.
Boy leaves for war.
Girl plans a wedding.
Boy sits in Indiana.
Girl misses Boy.
Boy gets leave.
Girl goes to visit.

My mom likes to say that the Army needs a wedding planner.
If you've ever known anyone in the Army... you have probably heard the saying "hurry up and wait." Seems to be the Army's unofficial motto.

So when the date finally came on J's orders to head out... I had no idea what would happen next. But I shouldn't have been surprised when he ended up sitting. And waiting.

In Indiana.

Right before shipping out, they gave the guys a few days off. But with the rule that they couldn't go more than 200 miles away from the base in Indiana. Well, California is a little farther than that. So... I hopped on a plane and headed out to Indiana. We had a great time and even headed over to Chicago while I was there!

Dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe.


We walked all over Chicago trying to find this fountain. It's the one from the opening credits of "Married with Children". Which I've never even watched by the way.


Dinner at the Crackerbarrel.


When I found out there was a Tiffany and Co, I got VERY excited. I have always wanted to go inside of one. I started telling J how much I've wanted to go in and about the girl growing up with the Tiffany's bracelet that I used to stare at and love. I told him about the little blue boxes and how cool they are and all the wonderful things Tiffany's is made out to be. So we went to check out the store and it ended up being closed. I was disappointed but figured we'd move on. But J was determined to get me in there, so we came all the way back the next day.


We headed into the store and looked around and I saw THE BRACELET. J insisted that I try it on, even though I knew it wouldn't be coming home with me. We finally got a lady to help us out and as soon as I got it on my wrist and started smiling, he said to the lady "We'll take it!". I tried to keep my mouth from falling open in disbelief. As she was ringing it up, she asked if I'd like to wear it out or box it up. J smiles and says, "She wants the little blue box."


So out of the store we went, with a little blue box, a beautiful bracelet and a sweet memory of how wonderful J is to me.

It was such a fun day and such a nice gesture. He did something he knew I would love just because. There didn't have to be a reason, or anything expected in return. He did it just because he knew it was something I wanted. I love how thoughtful he is of me and how many things he picks up on without having to even ask him. He really pays attention. And he is genuinely romantic. It isn't forced or pre-planned. He doesn't have to think hard about it... he just is.

We had a great time, and I can't wait to see him again soon!

Girl goes dress shopping

Boy proposes to Girl.
Girl dreams about wedding.
Boy dreams about Girl.
Girl goes dress shopping.

The "perfect" dress.
Some girls dream about it from the time they are young... others have no idea what they want until they try it on.

I don't know if I fit in either of those categories... I was not one of those little girls that dreamed of my wedding day from the time I was a small child. I never played dress up and pretended to be a bride. The closest I came was a princess, and believe me, at 6 years old, I was NOT looking for my prince charming!

I am also not one of those girls that went into trying on wedding dresses blindly. Having been around in the wedding industry, and seeing more than my fair share of wedding dresses, I had an idea of what I thought I would like.

Here is what I knew going in:

From what I have seen, and knowing my body type, I was pretty set on a more fitted gown. I wanted something off white or ivory (stark white is just not as flattering on my skin tone) and I wanted something with character... modern, romantic, and beautiful...maybe even a little funky.

I wanted to go to several different bridal stores on several different occasions. That way I could try on an array of different dresses and styles and price ranges. I wanted to get a chance to see what is out there and make sure that I have looked at options.

I didn't want to buy the first dress I tried on. Or liked. Or even fell in love with. I wanted to go into the stores with NO expectation of buying that day. No matter what the sales people told me, I knew I could always order the dress later. This was not the kind of buy I wanted to make based on impulse or emotion alone.

I wanted to bring a select few people I trust. I know some girls who have taken their entire bridal party. It ends up being a bit of a circus (Ever seen "Say Yes to the Dress? Some of those families should be banished until the wedding is over!). Everyone gets caught up in the excitement and emotion and their own feelings. It is hard to be unbiased and honest in situations like that. I knew I wanted to go with my mom. I was also hoping my grandma could go, but she lives in Northern Oregon so it was a long shot. Three of my bridesmaids are out of town and the other one is planning her own wedding as well as traveling and speaking and doing all kinds of other crazy stuff, so I knew that they would probably not be going with me. I knew my other bridesmaid (J's niece) would be honest and enjoy the experience.

I wanted to relax and have fun... soak in the experience. So many times the wedding planning process, and the wedding itself, fly by soooo fast. By the end of it, people look back and realize they missed so many things. The dress is a HUGE deal... so I knew I wanted to enjoy the process without the pressure of having to choose SOMETHING and choose it NOW!

So with those things in mind, my mom, grandma and I headed off to David's Bridal. We happened to be visiting my grandma so it worked out perfectly. I tried on several dresses... and even a few they picked out that were COMPLETELY not what I thought I'd like.

Dress #1


Dress #2


Dress #3





Dress #4





Dress #5








Dress #6





Dress #7



(please excuse the photo quality, my mom is not the professional in the family :)

It was a fun and successful trip. I found a couple that are definitely contenders... but remember? No buying on the first trip :) It will be fun to look around a little more... I know the perfect dress is out there just waiting to be bought!

So which dress do you like best??