Our Wedding Album

Before we had even gotten married, I saved a pin on Pintrest of Natalie's (Mint Love Social Club) wedding album. 

 

By the time I was ready to start making our book - a good year after the wedding - I started researching album options and got a quote from our photographer. Your typical, professional wedding album was going to cost us over a thousand dollars, easy, with a very strict picture limit.

I just couldn't stomach dropping a grand on our wedding album, so I decided to seriously think about using Blurb to do our book. Natalie's blog post was by far the most helpful resouce, but all of the reviews I read were positive, so I decided I'd give it a whirl.

We went with their biggest print book option, a 12x12, and ended up with about 90 pages of pictures. 

 

The book is really quite big even though the picture doesn't do it justice.

 The only "annoying" part of doing a wedding album this way was that it does take quite a bit of work. Blurb has you download a program so that you can custom your layout, and alter your pictures which is great - but painstaking. Plus, since it's custom you are picking out the layout, timeline of the pictures, and weeding through all of your wedding pictures.

The process took 3 solid weeks (probably 15 hours of work) but once I got the hang of Blurb's program, it got easier.

 Beyond that - I am even more impressed with the album than I thought I would be.

Some come look:

 

 

The album is big, but the quality of the pictures on the page is the best I've ever seen. I chose their ProLine matte paper, which is an added fee, but it makes it feel like a professional wedding album and not just a photobook.

I'm not sure if you can tell in this close up picture, but the material has an eggshell-y texture as well which ups the quality factor.

 Of course, on the back of the album I had to get one last use out of our logo.

The book ended up costing $120 dollars with shipping, and my mom and mother-in-law bought books too. That's another nice perk of using Blurb - super easy to print! 

I honestly couldn't have been happier with the end result, so if you have any questions about the process, I'd love to help.

Wife Life: Sunkissed and Southern

I was so excited to hear all of Lia's answer's to my questions. Lia is my East Coast twin. She and I just get each other, and I cannot wait to have a MUCH anticipated cocktail with her when I'm next in New York. If you don't read her blog, please start. She is the kindest, funniest, and obviously gorgeous girl there is.

 

 

Q: How did your Hubby propose?

 

A: First let me say that Mike had led me to believe it was going to be awhile longer before he proposed.  Friday, January 7, 2011 I had a bad day at work.  We had planned to go look at apartments for me to move into after work (my last lease had finished and I was in between apartments) and then dinner.  The apartment search didn't go well, so we went to go get drinks before dinner.  On our way to dinner, we stopped on the stoop of the art gallery next door to the restaurant to look in at the art.  By the time I turned around, Mike was acting really strange and nervous and saying over and over how much he loved me.  I knew something funny was going on and then he got down on one knee and proposed.  After I accepted, cried a whole bunch and called some important people, we went to dinner next door at Dos Caminos.  Neat story is that we ended at that same Dos Caminos in Soho on our very first date. 

Funny side note - Mike had not planned on proposing that night.  The ring ended up being ready earlier than he thought and he knew he couldn't hold onto it for more than a few hours.  He was too excited, so impromptu is what it was :)

Q: Was planning the wedding everything you thought it would be?

A: No, it was much more stressful.  I quickly realized I was a perfectionist and might have been a tad more detail oriented than what some of our vendors were used to dealing with. Also, trying to plan a wedding in Tennessee while living in Manhattan added to my stress.  On top of that, there were some interesting cultural differences that we realized when planning a wedding in the South vs. the North.  

 

Q: Did anything go wrong on the day of your wedding?  

 

A: Nothing too major.  

Q: What is your favorite picture from the entire day?

 

A: Even though it's not the most glamorous, I love how happy and excited we look to be running into the party!

Q: After everything is over, you said your goodbyes, get up to the hotel room, what happens next:

A: That's a secret! :)

 

Q: Where did you honeymoon and what was the best part?

A: Zoetry Casa Del Mar.  Everything was first class - but my favorite was how small and intimate the resort was. There were probably less than 50 people and every person working there knew our names.  I also looooved the food....it was total NYC 5 star restaurant quality!!

Q: What is your favorite part of being a wife?  

A: I get to have a slumber party with my best friend every day!

Wife Life: Classy Southern Wife

 
Today's Wife Life is brought to you by the southern spit fire known as Christin. This girl is 100% my kind of girl. She is a rock star runner, likes to do wall sits with a glass of wine in hand, and loves to shop, eat out, and travel. And she's stunning.

 

Q: How did your Hubby propose? 

A: We spent the day going around town to places that held special memories for us like where our first date was, etc. We ended at the gazebo in the town square where I grew up, and he proposed. We spent the night celebrating at my parents’ Christmas party. I wasn’t suspecting it at all because I wanted my Mom’s diamond reset, and I had just seen her wearing her ring the night before. Turns out my sneaky husband had a CZ put in her ring and had mine designed months before. It was perfect.

Q: Was planning the wedding everything you thought it would be?

A: I absolutely loved planning our wedding! We were engaged for nearly two years, so I could plan everything just how I wanted. There wasn’t any stress or major freak out moments.
 

Q: Did anything go wrong on the day of your wedding? 

A: Honestly, not that I know of. Everything went off without a glitch.
  

Q: What is your favorite picture from the entire day? 

 

A: My mom hijacked the father-daughter dance and then invited my husband to join. I love this picture of the three of us.

Q: After everything is over, you said your goodbyes, get up to the hotel room, what happens next: 

A: We ate! I chowed down on a ton of food that our coordinator sent to our room. I didn’t have time to eat at our reception and was starving! Then my hairdresser actually came to our hotel room the night of my wedding to cut my hair. I had been growing it out for years and wanted it gone before our honeymoon and before our day-after brunch. Yes, totally crazy. :)

Q: Where did you honeymoon and what was the best part? 

 

A: We toured Rome, Tuscany, Florance and Venice in Italy. We were able to go to an audience with the Pope, which was amazing. But I think my favorite part was renting a car and just driving in the Tuscan countryside with my new husband.

Q: What is your favorite part of being a wife?      

 

A: As cheesy as it sounds, I just like the day-to-day wife things. Like cooking dinner for him, waking up next to him every day. Just the little things.

Wife Life: Hello! Happiness

Today is my sweet friend Natasha from Hello! Happiness. I love Natasha's blog because over the last 3 years I've followed her plan a wedding, have her first sweet daughter Caroline, and become pregnant with her second baby girl - who should be making her grand entrance very soon! And, somehow, she finds time to look darling everyday, blog, and keep us entertained with all of her posts on life, love, and the Vols! 

Q: How did your Hubby propose?

A: Way back in January 2010, what I thought was just a casual weekend getaway turned into one incredible surprise. Jeff and I had planned to take a trip to Charleston to check out the city, yet I had no idea what he had up his sleeve. Once we arrived, we checked into the bed and breakfast we were staying at and then decided to walk around town to explore some of downtown and such. We stopped at a few art galleries, had some afternoon cocktails at a local pub, and then walked to the park where he started asking me questions about our relationship. Next thing I know, he was down on one knee asking me to marry him, and of course I screamed and cried because I was so shocked. He said we had reservations for a late dinner so we could go back to the B&B to call our family and friends to share the good news, but when we walked in, there stood my parents, his Mom, and my best friend and her fiance. They had all been in on the big secret for months and had me completely fooled. It was the sweetest, most thoughtful surprise, as he knew how important it would be to have them there to celebrate with us.

Q: Was planning the wedding everything you thought it would be?

A: Everything and MORE! I'm not going to lie...wedding planning had its share of challenges from cutting down the guest list to staying within budget to making sure every detail was just right, but it was so much fun and our wedding turned out just the way we had hoped. We incorporated some special, unique touches (like candles on the altar to honor Jeff's father who had passed away) to late night Krystal hamburgers for our guests since they had been dancing with the band all night), to southern food with all our favorite fixins'... it was the day I had always dreamed of. 

                             Q: Did anything go wrong on the day of your wedding?

A: If it did, I sure don't know about it! That was the best part about having a wedding planner, as she and her team tended to anything and everything that day, and all we had to do was show up...I tell all my friends getting married that was one of the essentials that made our day run so smoothly and I can't say enough great things about how much they helped de-stress Mom and I those last few weeks leading up to our wedding day.

Q: What is your favorite picture from the entire day?

This is my favorite picture from our wedding because it truly captures what that day is all about...taking your vows to love someone, through the good and the bad. The party is fun and it brings so much joy to be surrounded by your closest friends and family, but at the end of the day, it was a day about the commitment Jeff and I were making to one another and I will remember that always.

Q: After everything is over, you said your goodbyes, get up to the hotel room, what happens next:

A: Funny enough, the first thing we did was get undressed (no, this isn't leading to THAT) because we had both been in those clothes ALL day, and all we wanted was to put on those yummy hotel robes! Not to mention I was desperate to get out of those dang Spanx...haha! Then, we devoured the amazingly tasty food basket our caterer had packed for us, since we didn't get much of a chance to eat during the reception. It was HEAVEN! 

Q: Where did you honeymoon and what was the best part?

A: The next morning, we jet-setted off to Antigua! We had researched for months on the ideal destination for us to enjoy as Mr. and Mrs. and decided on Hermitage Bay Resort, which was AMAZING...36 individual cottages with all the amenities you could imagine. The food, the drinks, the ambiance...ahhh it was pure perfection! 

Q: What is your favorite part of being a wife?

A: My favorite part of being a wife is the fact that no matter what we face, we face it together! I was always extremely independent prior to being married and I have changed a lot since we got married...I know I don't have to tackle the hard stuff alone and I know Jeff is always going to support me no matter what. It's humbling knowing you always have someone in your corner.

My Rock and some Wedding Advice

As you are reading this, I am heading to Hawaii with my HUSBAND.

Hawaii? My Husband?! Yea, this is going to be a pretty spectcular 2 weeks! 

 In my place, I have some of my all time favorite bloggers lined up bringing you some advice about engagement, wedding, and wife life.

I have to start out with my dear, dear friend Sarah. This girl has a special place in my heart and I couldn't have spent this year without her hilarious, witty, and sweet support she offered me day in and day out.

Cheers darling Sarah - YOU'RE NEXT!

xo,

Tess 

 ---

Hello, Tea Time with Tess loyals!  Let me tell you, Tess has been my ROCK through the past few months of wedding planning.  I literally have NO IDEA how we found each other, but if you searched my phone and email you would see quite a bit of back-and-forth therapy between the two of us.  As thrilled as I am for her big day, I am a little bit weepy to see her go to "the other side" without me.  Who's going to commiserate with me now?!  Luckily, I think she'll be back with tons of advice and tell me to get-my-shit-together-ness.  I'm gonna need it. 
 

If we haven't met.... Hi, I'm Sarah of Classy & Fabulous.  My wedding is in less than 100 days to the blog-famous Mr. Ridiculously Handsome (Mr. RH).  
 

How did your Hubby-to-Be propose? It was an August night in Tess' hometown of Chicago. We had done some touristy things - gone to the beach, walked along Michigan Avenue, had dinner with my friends.  All in all, a full night.  We then went to fulfill one of my Chicago Bucket List activities, watching the light show at Buckingham Fountain at night.  The show came and went, and I was antsy.  Mr. RH and I had discussed marriage, made a tentative wedding plan.... and the show was over.

When we got up to leave... Mr. RH decided that it was the right time.  Sneak!  

 

Was planning the wedding everything you thought it would be?  Yes and no!  You know, those 200 Pinterest wedding boards I had envisioned?  SO FUN.  Translating them into reality?  SO NOT FUN. For example.... every single hotel within 50 miles got booked for a Veteran's Reunion that I purposefully scheduled my wedding around.  And then they rescheduled.  The only 3 people who live in the town where we will be married is my dad, Mr. RH, and I.  YEAH.  

 

It has been fun, and I love always having something to look forward to - cake tasting, food tastings, mailing the invitations, having a shower with Mr. RH's family (who I love!), bachelorette party, etc etc etc.  That being said - the To-Do list is never-ending and I feel guilty for watching an episode of Real Housewives when something else could be getting checked off the list.

 

Planning is EXACTLY as I expected - long, hard, and fun.  And I've *KNOCK ON WOOD* had no major family dramas yet, so YAY!

  

 What are you most looking forward to after the wedding is done?  ANYTHING!  Sleeping in late, eating whatever I want and not thinking about my stupid upper arms, MONEY stress, wondering if people will enjoy my wedding (as it is back-to-back with a fairly spectacular wedding at my alma mater), blah blah.  But the biggest thing, I think, since Mr. RH and I haven't lived together, is looking forward to waking up every day next to the love of my life.  Don't even get me started on how annoyed I'll be that he's asleep and I'm all awake.... that's a problem for another day. :)

 

Also, SUPER excited to have some professional photos of my love and I.  He's a keeper.

What freaks you out the most about your upcoming nuptials? There are a couple of (BIG) things.  Is there a word limit on this question? 1. I'm worried that, since my mom won't be there (she passed away 6 years ago), that nobody will be looking out for ME all day.  Especially since my MOH will be 8 months pregnant - I mean, people need to be looking out for her, too. 2. I'm worried that I will won't get to enjoy anything about the day - my dad thinks a wedding planner is a waste of money and it's not in my budget to get one.  3. I'm freaked that I have 100 days until the wedding and I STILL feel like it's going to be over in a heartbeat.  

I'm mostly freaked out that Tess and I will run out of things to talk about and that I'll start wishing she was my sister wife for real.

 What advice would you give to your girlfriend who just got engaged? RUN FOR THE HILLS.  Kidding.  I would probably say LUCKY YOU.... I'm just starting to miss my own wedding, can I help you plan yours?  

But in all seriousness, I'd say think LONG and HARD about money, guests, and the future ASAP.  I'm so glad that Mr. RH and I put in a little leg work up front with the guest lists, working my dad for his cash (LIFESAVER), and as for the future... we've put in extra work preparing ourselves for the struggles of newlyweds.  As much as I've obsessed over flowers, centerpieces, and color schemes... nobody's gonna remember that shiz in a month.  Worry about the hard stuff first.  Everything else follows.

What would be a dream-come-true on your wedding day?   If Tess showed up and said she wanted to be my sister wife and the four of us ran off into the sunset to raise our kids amongst much wine. (PLEASE, YES, WE WILL, WE ACCEPT, WE DO!)

Idyllic, right?

In all seriousness, I just really want to look around and feel love oozing from myself and for Mr. RH and for all the people we love.  Love love love.

On a side note, I am absolutely over-the-moon that my Almost-Hitched-Bitch has made it down the aisle.  She and Joel are so perfect for each other... and I can't wait to read all about their Happily Ever After.