No Words

Fedora: Zara

Skirt: Zara

Sweater: Old Navy

Booties: Pour La Victoire

Bag: Goodwill

Faux Fur Collar: H&M

:)

The Art Of The Wedding

(Long post)

Obviously, this is my blog but let me restate that these are MY opinions. 

Everyone's experience may not have been the same as mine.

Weddings...DON'T FEED INTO THE HYPE. 

If you're not into reading a long post, that's basically the message.

Don't feed into the big business of weddings.

It's a show.

A show for other people.

Alot of whom think they are entitled to the grandest performance of THEIR lifetime...and won't slip you a dime to pay for it.

I'm going to be brutally honest.

I enjoyed my wedding. 

I actually had a blast.

But I did NOT enjoy every element of making it happen.

Quite honestly, I was in tears probably for a solid month before the wedding.

People were straight tripping.

At one point, I stopped taking calls from a few people for a while. 

I'm not an overly emotional person but I am a witness... things/people will break you DOWN!

And it was not because I was a bridezilla.

I would tell you if I was...but I reallllly wasn't.

I just wanted the ceremony that we would both enjoy.

That might mean different things to different people.

For us, that meant a surprise laid back, cocktail affair.

For others, that means the bridesmaids, white doves, unity candle and the singing of Ave' Maria.

Things I've learned:

1. Weddings bring out the best/worst in people

2. People feel entitled to give you their opinion when you don't ask for it.

3. You really see who your true friends/family are during this process. REALLY!

4. People's willingness to help greatly depends on where they are  in terms of their thoughts on "relationships/marriages." Example: If a person never had their own wedding a million years ago or just got recently divorced, their reaction to wedding details/planning/relevance MIGHT mirror those feelings.

5. PEOPLE are ALLERGIC to RSVP'ing! It drove me nuts (Truth... I've been guilty of it in the past...this wedding has changed me. I will RSVP in a heartbeat now!)
6. If people want to help you, they will. And you won't have to chase them down to do it.
7. People will enjoy your wedding experience if you stay true to who you both are.
Example: I'm not an outdoors-y girl so having an outdoor wedding would not have made sense.
8. Never underestimate the power of networking.
9. A low key wedding does not mean you have to sacrifice your vision or quality. 
10. People will bring kids to your ADULT ONLY wedding even when you print it on the wedding invitation with GLITTER and even have direct conversations with them. People DO what they want to. But honestly, by the time the day arrives, and you're in the moment, you won't care. But that doesn't stop you from doing a double take or a quick side eye when you notice a baby crying in the background.

(American Apparel Turtleneck/ Thrifted Skirt and bag, Jessica Simpson Heels, F21 earrings, random bracelets)

Things you should do.

1. Have a friend/family member with a camera to take snapshots the whole night. It will tide you over until you get your official pics come in.

2. Focus on things you love, not things you THINK you should have.

Example: I'm not into flowers, so I didn't have any. (Except my surprise bouqet from my friend.)

Example: I didn't have programs. Are they necessary? Do you really need to know the order of events? Relax and go with the flow or leave.

3. Write down your speech  or a list of people whom you want to thank. 

4. Allow your family/friends to help.

Example: A family friend made our wedding cake/cupcakes. 

5. No matter your budget...YOU NEED an event planner/coordinator. Letting someone else handle the details  will allow you to enjoy your day. Whether it is a hired professional or a cousin who is really loud and bossy...it's necessary.

6. Expect a person(s) whom you never would suspect to let you down. Whether it is a friend or a family member. It will happen.

7. Take note of the ones who go above and beyond the call of duty. 

8. Consider venues that will allow you to bring outside catering/beverages/bar. It really does make a world of difference. We got so lucky with our venue. Think of the friends/family members who live in nice neighborhoods/apartment complexes who have access to clubhouses. You'd be amazed!

9. Think outside of the box for all things! I got my wedding dress off the rack at Dillard's for about $100. 

10.  Expect some drama on your wedding day. If you're lucky, you will never know about it. If you're drunk, you won't care about it.  (I was neither unfortunately, so I caught wind of a few dramatic moments.)

Be sure to incorporate elements of your style as a couple in the details. 

Example: Instead of a traditional guest book, we had our guests sign playing cards because we enjoy Scrabble Card Games.

Most importantly, only invite people whom you would miss if they didn't show up. 

Invite a room full of people who genuinely love and support you...those are the people you want to feed and get drunk.

It really is about you and your spouse.

 Everything and everybody else is so secondary.

Would I ever plan such an event again?

Only if I got paid to do so:)

My Wedding: The Details (Nathan Russell Photography)

 (Picture Heavy Post)

All Photos by Nathan Russell Photography

 When the guests arrived, they were immediately instructed by Eskay Entertainment (event planner gurus) to relax and enjoy the cocktails and music. 

I really was going for the cocktail effect with the whole wedding. Mingling. Drinks. Music. Fun. 

That was the goal.

Shanda Ferguson's artwork was the first thing everyone saw once they entered the building.

I can't tell you how much I cherish that portrait of us. 

(It now sits in our living room)

We didn't do much to the venue itself. That was one of my requirements when looking for the perfect place. I wanted the venue to already be what I wanted. 

I didn't want to go the reception hall with glittered marbles as center pieces.

I enlisted the help of my venue stylist/friend to add the small touches like the pillows and candles/candle holders.

We scouted pillows everywhere from Ross to Dillard's but most of the pillows came from my home.

(I'm somewhat obsessed with decorative pillows)

The guests enjoyed fruit/cheese and drinks for cocktail hour.

(The hubby made 10 gallons of our signature drink the night before...Sweet Tea Vodka)

Our AWESOME caterer Candie of Candie's Catering provided the five waves of food. 

Everything from chicken skewers to bit sized meatloaf boats.

A family friend created our miniature cupcakes/cupcake shotglasses/wedding cake.

If you know anything about me then you know I'm a wedding cake aficianado. 

I do NOT play around with my cake!

I was dead set against buying those corny guest books. 

We decided to utilize our favorite past time of playing SLAM: Scrabble Cards as our guest book.

I typed a simple instruction sheet of what to do and framed the instructions.

It was fun going through the cards the next day to see the messages everyone wrote.

The guests received personalized bookmarks provided by blogger, Olive Paperie Custom Design and Stationery.

(Our entrance song: The Truth by India Arie')

The guests were instructed to arrive at 7pm to mingle/hang out.

We arrived at about 7:45pm and walked in the venue together.

We walked straight to the middle of the room where our pastor met us to conduct the surprise ceremony.

Prior to us entering, our immediate families were lined up. They thought they were lining up to take pictures.

 (Remember, this was a surprise wedding, they thought we went to the courthouse to get married)

Then we got married:)

(Our exit song: Better Man by Musiq Soulchild)

We took quick family photos outdoors with our immediate family. 

That's when the first wave of food came for the guests.

I did NOT want them waiting for us to eat. 

We took a quick picture next to Shanda's masterpiece!

(P.S. We never posed for the portrait, I just described to her what we were wearing and she hit the nail on the head!)

Isn't it perfect!?!

Pure genius.

Then the party began.

If you're new to my blog then you might not know that I'm the stylist for R&B performing artist Lee-Lonn.

(Scroll to the bottom of the blog page to view his video)

So, I forced him to perform "Maybe."

Everyone LOVED him!

Can you guess which "shuffle" dance they are doing?

So....my 20ft tall brother decided to PLANK at my wedding!

He makes me so sick! LOL!

Juanette, my road dog for real...dancing with my "new" 11 year old daughter.

I'm pretty sure we were dancing to a Prince song.

 (His choice, not mine.)

All in all, it was exactly what I wanted.

The next post will be my take on the process and lessons learned during the whole experience.  (sigh)

 Thank you Nathan Russell Photography for EVERYTHING!

My Wedding: Nathan Russell Photography

(Picture Heavy Post)

Here is the wedding post that I promised you:) For the newbies on my site...I got married July 30th and I didn't have to sell a lung to pay for it.

These are my official wedding pics by the great NATE...I call him that...in my head:) I met Nathan and his fabulous wife Amy last year at a blogger event in Austin. I had no idea then that they would be a huge part of my wedding day.

Long story short...we had a non-traditional wedding. And by non-traditional...I mean it was a surprise to everyone. Most thought that we went to the courthouse and invited them to the wedding reception. That's what the invitation said atleast. Only a select few knew the truth. My own mother didn't even know.

Basically...we got married at our reception:)

We wanted to skip all of the wedding hype and focus on the things that mattered to me us the most.

The venue. My shoes. The pictures. The DJ. The cake. Fun. Never underestimate networking. That's the only reason we were able to pull this thing off. Matter of fact, I had just gotten the news that I was laid off when the countdown began for the wedding details to come together.

The truth is that the Hubby and I saw each other before the wedding/reception. We wanted it that way. We wanted to take as many pics before the wedding so that we can honor everyone's time.

That's where Nathan and Amy of Nathan Russell Photography come in. He and his team wife/business partner drove down from Austin the night before so that we could have enough time for pics.

We scheduled about 3 hours before the wedding to be picture time. Nathan was waiting in the lobby with my then fiance' to take pics in The Magnolia Hotel and surrounding downtown Houston area.

It was unpretentious. Relaxed. Fun. And just what we wanted. Nathan even shared cocktails with us as the time got closer to leave for the venue. Yes, we drank with our photographer before the wedding and enjoyed every bit of it.

By the time we got to the "surprise" wedding venue...let's just say we were all HAPPY!

These are the shots before the surprise wedding.

Nathan was more than accomodating and absolutely honored my every request! Professional and fun and doesn't shun those who choose to partake in pre-wedding jitters cocktails...that's what every photographer's profile should say.

 I could not ask for anything more from Nathan and Amy.
I stressed that I didn't want stuffy pictures and that I didn't want to spend time taking pictures instead of enjoying our guest. 
He did that just that. Took our pics organically and kept it moving.

EVERY SINGLE SOLITARY PICTURE is the property of GFS and Nathan Russell Photography. 
Please don't steal. 
Ask for permission/link us. 
It's the kind thing to do:)
We'll grant it:)

More pics to come...and my "take" on the whole business of weddings. Be warned:)