vendors

i'm feeling much better now that our main wedding vendors are booked! and i couldn't be happier about them. we were able to get some grrreat vendors for a smart price.
the wonderful lady who took our family pictures back in october (remember those? we loved working with her) is my wedding photographer. her name is mikki platt, and she is just a gem! here are a few engagement pics taken by mikki. her website can be found at www.mikkiplattphotography.com

my aunt tina referred me to the dressmaker of these lovely gowns.......






i met with the dressmaker, melissa blackburn, last week. we talked about fabric: silk chantone, lace, organza. she drew up some sketches and took my measurements. she will start working on my dress in a few weeks! in the mean time, i need to find some shoes and a corset. oh, and making sure i can fit into my dress...that would be nice too.
farewell ice cream and cupcakes (i will see you june 10th!).
hello carrots and salad.

speaking of food...these people are catering the family dinner for the first part of the reception.

yum! i met with them last night to finalize all the food and set-up.

everything's starting to come together slowly.

hopefully it will all be ready in 79 days.

it's quicklyyy approaching!

right now, my thoughts consist of all things wedding.
i'm learning to art of multitasking from being in school, working, and planning a wedding.
well actually... i'm trying to learn! truthfully, i actually might be somewhat of a bridezilla right now (ask preston or my mom, they will support that statement).
dealing with tests, papers, picking out invitations, bridesmaids leaving on missions, finding cake stands, old missionary drama, creating the perfect dress, losing my photographer to another bride, finding a florist, changing the wedding date like 15 times, etc!
i know everything will turn out fine, and i have some awesome people helping with everything. in the mean time, i just look at some of these pictures to bring a little peace.








aren't they beautiful?
flowers are great at increasing spirits, even if they are just pictures.
i'm a little bit obsessed with peonies right now.



i also love this picture! what a fun idea and cute couple.

the story.

on thursday (feb. 3), my cousin laura asked me to go with her to get her mission pictures taken. her roommate had offered to take the pictures up the canyon. i thought it was weird that they were taking pictures up the canyon, but laura said her roommate was also taking bridals for another girl there. Laura was going to get a few pictures taken after the bridal session was over. laura told me to look nice so i could get in a few pics as well.

laura picked me up on friday just after i got my hair cut. we drove up the canyon, talking about mission pictures and optional poses. we pulled up to canyon glen. i said to laura,

"hey this is where preston and i had our first kiss!",

and she said she had forgotten about that, and then she quickly changed the subject. we walked out into the park and across the bridge. in the distance, i saw flowers and assumed there were for the bridal shoot (oh how oblivious i can be!). as we came around the trees, this came in to sight....

i was shocked.

i asked laura where the stupid bridal shoot was, and she just laughed and walked away.

preston got down on one knee.

he asked me to marry him.

i smiled.

and i said yes.

we talked, ate chocolate and snuggled by the fire (he made it all by himself!)

i cried. and he did too... possibly even more than me. he's the sweetest boy.

(warning=kissing picture. i don't like posting kissing pics but this one is just too darn cute)

(pics are staged after the engagement. awesome photos taken by laura)

i was super surprised to say the least. he got me good. well, actually laura got me good. preston can't really lie, but laura sure can! i had no idea.

it was one of the best days of my life.

and i'm sure there's a lot more of those to come.

my best friend's wedding

Kailey and Randy are now officially married!!

They got married early Saturday morning, so Preston and I drove up with my parents for the sealing (I got to wait in the foyer). It was snowy and cold, but oh so beautiful with the snow.

My mom always has said Kailey is a winter bride, kind of like Snow White or something. I guess that came true. She looked completely gorgeous in her pretty white dress

(check out the lace veil)

The yellow and purple looked soooo good together, especially in the flowers. I also loved all the tulle and twinkle lights around the reception center. Very whimsical.

I got to wear a purple bridesmaid dress with nice pearls from Kailey's parents.

Her parents are so kind and they made the day wonderful.

A country band filled the reception center with lots of dancing too.

Everyone got their groove on--even my fiance!

All of it was sooo beautiful.

It was definitely a first for me though--going to a wedding reception as an engaged woman!

Raquel and I stood with the huddle of girls hoping to catch the bouquet, knowing we technically weren't even eligible. My days of bouquet catching are officially over. And it feels great.

Anyways, I just wanted to say congrats

Kailey and Randy!

love you guys xoxo

(The next wedding will probably be mine! Three months and counting.....:)

dresses, dresses, dresses

did you know that anthropologie came out with a wedding website?

well they did! just in time to give me inspiration for my wedding.

and i am very excited about it. their website can be found here

their dresses aren't very realistic, but i do love them.

i also love vera wang dresses

i'm on the hunt for good dress shops in the area. i would love to have a dress like one of the dresses above, but with sleeves. i've looked into a few stores, like the perfect dress and gateway prom and bridal. my wedding planner, lauren reid, also recommended that i look into getting my dress made. apparently they fit like a glove and can even be cheaper than buying one! so if you know a good semestress, give me a shout out.
i'm taking suggestions for good dress shops too!

at long last

Yes,

it's true.

I'm engaged!

on June 11th, one of my dreams will come true--

I will marry the love of my life.

we got engaged about a week and a half ago.

and i couldn't be happier:)

more details to come soon.

xoxo

the big 2-1

it's official... i am an adult. i'm legal.watttch out!
just kidding, i'm pretty mild. a night out for me is sparks and comedy sports.
i still celebrated and had a great birthday! my friends and i went to CPK, ate lots of cake, and played games. i even got to wear a crown! laura decorated my apartment, raquel made a cake, and preston made a collection of pictures and notes from everyone.





yet i still feel pretty young. there's still many things i want to do with my life and so many things to learn. i look at all the people i admire and all their accomplishments (and there's a lot of them--my mom, grandmas, sister, teachers, friends). i want to graduate, get married to the love of my life, have cute kids, learn new skills, work in other countries, travel etc etc. so many things to do!! hopefully this year will bring some of those (not the kids part, don't worry). i think my 21st year will bring lots of new adventures and experiences. here's to my next year of life!


thanks for all the birthday wishes!
xoxo