Fiance-Valentines for the Last Time!

Happy Post-Valentine's Day!! I'm so excited to share some of the details of this very sweet holiday!

First off, Ben and I both realized about a week beforehand that we were working all day and all evening on Valentine's Day. SO we decided to spread out the celebrations over three days!

The day before the official holiday, I made a bunch of heart-shaped spritz cookies, using the cookie press that I got for Christmas for the very first time!

I wrote out a (sassy) card for Ben...

(all in good fun)

...fancy-ed up the envelope...

...and wrapped each gift in a unique way.

We exchanged gifts that evening. Ben got me some beautiful earrings: an everyday pair and a special occasion pair as well! I got Ben a pair of shoes and made him a hand-crafted vow book with brainstorming pages and enough paper for a few drafts! I'll share some photos in a new post soon!

On Valentine's day itself, I busied myself with a few lettering projects since I had the morning off. I spruced up my coffee...

...and made the fish tank merry!

I also packaged up some of the spritz cookies for my students and fellow dancers that I would see throughout day.

After a long day of working, Ben and I were able to have a relaxed evening in. Ben surprised me with a bottle of Prosecco (plus sparkling grape juice) and our favorite pizza upon arriving. I even found the SWEETEST card he has ever written to me on my bedside table later that night!

We cozied up and watched TV together... a very low key evening indeed.

The day AFTER V-Day, we finally got to go out to eat and "officially" celebrate! We went to a restaurant in Green Hills that we had never been to before. The food was delicious, and each dish had so many complex components and unique flavors: several flavor-saturated sauces and meticulously-crafted sides. It was a great way to finish off our Valentines celebrations!

It's hard to believe that a year from now we will be celebrating as husband and wife... Continually grateful for my man, and looking forward to the summer!

Bridal Shoes and Accessories!

Now that things with my dress are underway, I’ve started thinking about my other bridal accessories. Anomalie is doing my veil, I’ve got my necklace figured out, I’ll be wearing some incredible earrings that Ben got me, I’ve got a “borrowed” bracelet figured out, and have even ordered a plant-dyed silk bouquet ribbon! I’m considering my hair and makeup options, and that just leaves my bridal shoes (at least I hope that’s it and I’m not forgetting something)!

I know I’m going to sound really ritzy saying this, but I’m also going to get my shoes custom made! I know, I know, it’s SOOOO lavish of me to have everything custom done, but the way I see it is 1) I only get married once, so I might as well go for it, 2) I’ve done SO much research that I’ve gotten very particular about what I’m looking for that I'd like to have some say-so in the process, and 3) I’m paying for EXACTLY what I’m looking for, rather than something that is almost what I want!

I started by choosing a shoe base and have been mulling over color options. I finally decided, after lots of time spent staring at internet photos, to order some fabric swatches to be sure I could choose the color with certainty.

Since out accent color is blue I figured I'd make my shoes blue too!

I sorted through countless embellishment options: lace, crystal brooches, pearls, glitter, appliqués, you name it! I wrote out in columns all of the bases and colors, and then listed which embellishments were available for each. I think I’ve finally landed on something I love!

I absolutely love making everything about our big day so personal! Taking time to really consider each detail personally has been such a sweet experience, and I am so excited to see everything come together in the next few months! Thanks for coming on this journey with me, those of you who are reading this! Your support means a lot.

Latest in Lettering: Our Invitation Suite!

Invitation designs have begun! I have been looking forward to this aspect of wedding planning/designing for such a long time! I’ve been doing a lot of traveling lately but ALWAYS pack my calligraphy supplies so I can stay in practice as much as possible! I’ve been perusing different ideas for a long time now and have acquired some supplies to see if my dream DIY invitation suite is possible!

My taste hasn’t really changed since I was dreaming up ideas back in February 2017 with my post, “Wedding Stationary Inspiration.” Our wedding accent color is still blue, but I’ve broadened the palette to slate blue, French blue, AND sky blue! I love the range!

Click to view my wedding paper inspiration on Pinterest! 

I worked really hard on writing out all of the detail text, saving the larger, flourishing text for last. I was so excited when I arranged all of it together digitally: there’s a chance this may in fact look pretty professional after all (I really need to stop doubting myself)!

Next up is to start practicing with the ink that I’m going to use for the envelopes and finish designing some more aspects of our invitation suite! I’m so excited for it all and will be sure to fill you in as I go!

I Ordered my Wedding Dress!!!

There’s never a good time to just sit down and do the thing that you’ve been obsessing about for weeks, thinking about regularly for a few years, and dreaming about since you were a little girl... but I’ve done it; y’all, I ordered my wedding dress!

Well.... I’ve set the wheels in motion for getting it made. I’m working with a fairly new custom wedding dress company called Anomalie. The whole premise of the company is cutting out all of the middle men and designer titles that send wedding dress prices through the roof. They work directly with the manufacturers and make sure you are part of every moment of the process.

I had a design consultation call about a month ago with my Anomalie stylist and we went through a collection of inspiration photos I had uploaded to my online “look book,” as well as all of my accompanying hyper-detailed captions. I even notated things on the photos themselves, with arrows indicating where I think the neckline should cut, how the drape should fall, things I liked or didn't like about the dress in the photo, etc. It seems like you can be as specific or as broad as you’d like (I was QUITE specific).

I’ve also commissioned them to design my veil! Since I’ve looked at so many bridal inspiration photos, I feel like I’ve gotten really specific (a nice word here for “picky”) about what I’m looking for.

Next, came the actual ordering and payment. Once that was officially done, they sent me fabric swatches in the mail and put me in touch with a local tailor to go get some measurements taken.

I don’t want to reveal which fabrics I’m working with specifically (my fiance is a regular reader, sweet man!), but I can show you a shot of the inner lining of the dress. All of the fabric samples came on these cute little cards, with a hand written note from my stylist (also a Rebecca), and little gummy candies as well! After thinking it over pretty obsessively for about a week, I made my selection and notified my stylist.

In the meantime, I went into the local tailor and got my measurements taken. All of these final decisions on how long the skirt will need to be got me thinking about my shoes... but that’s a story for another post (stay tuned!).

My stylist sent me several photos of different kinds of lace and I am able to select exactly where and how they are used! I love how hands-on the process is!

And on one rainy afternoon, after a long day of dancing and an evening of teaching ahead, I got a momentous, exciting surprise that brightened my whole day: my design sketch! I wish so much that I could share it with you all but I can’t risk my groom-to-be catching a glimpse. I really love what they sketched for me and I am SO excited to continue forward into the production process.

So as of now my dress is officially in production and I will get photos and updates as they begin to construct the dress! I’m so excited to see my dress come into existence! I’ll be sure to keep you all posted every step of the way!