Engagement Photos Revealed (and Featured!)

I have been DYING to share our engagement photos with you since we first got them from our photographer, as I am just absolutely smitten with them. And when I found out that Exquisite Weddings Magazine was going to feature them, I jumped out of my chair with excitement!!

Now that the post is live, I can finally gush over how amazing our photographer is. Fawn Christiansen of Sequins and Candy is a camera genius. I can't even tell you, I was genuinely shocked at how these photos came out. She was incredible at making us feel at ease, especially my camera-shy fiancé. Of all the photos we've taken over the last 6 years, I think I have a total of 5 photos of Kyle where he is not making some ridiculous face. Fawn literally quadrupled the number of nice photos I have of Kyle within the 2 hours she spent with us.

I must admit, though, that it's so funny to me to look at these photos because we felt SO awkward during the shoot. Kyle was giggling the whole time, which in turn made me giggley. This is the complete opposite of what I had always thought of engagement sessions. I always thought that you would just magically have the most romantic moment of your life and there was just a photographer there to capture it. Now I know that it's not quite that scenario, but looking at our photos, you'd have no idea. Or at least I've completely forgotten about any awkwardness and shyness we had!

Oh, and I absolutely have to thank Sasha Gold for my awesome hair and makeup (why can't I look like that every day?!). I was going to try to do it myself, but I am beauty challenged. I am SO GLAD that I trusted Sasha to fix me up. If you're taking your engagement photos somewhere other than where you're getting married, meaning you won't get to do your wedding hair and makeup trial on the day of your engagement photos, I highly recommend finding someone to take care of that task for you. Instead of having to rush out the door looking like normal, humdrum Kalista, I had a couple of hours to relax and chat with Sasha and her sweet rescue pup, Chica. It was just what I needed.

There's a number of photos that I love in the Exquisite Weddings Magazine feature, but here are a few of my favorites anyway! :)

       

I have no idea when Kyle turned into a J. Crew model, but my does he look fine! I'm a lucky girl.

It's so special to have these keepsake photos for the rest of our lives. Every time I look at them, I can't help but think about how much I love that man. I can't believe I get to marry him in just two and a half months!

All Signs Point to I Do

Wedding DIY's are not something you can't wait to complete until the last minute so I've been narrowing down exactly what I want to do.  Wedding signs are a great way to add a personal touch and these are my favorite!

I'd really love to have a cute sign that sets the tone for the day like one of these that tells your guests to sit anywhere they'd like during the ceremony! And since we'll have a good amount of tech savvy guests, the bottom right sign for Instagram would be great to replicate for our big day.

Source: The Sweetest Occasion, Style Me Pretty, Green Wedding Shoes

I also love the thought of having old fashion signs to direct people to different places within the venue, or even tell them how far they are from major destinations!

Source: Style Me Pretty, The Sweetest Occasion

And you can't forget a cute sign for photos and even for your sweetheart table.

Source: Wedding Chicks, Kiss The Groom, Style Me Pretty, Green Wedding Shoes

Also, if light DIY is more your thing you can always check out the free printables page here on Wedding Chicks and print out a pretty wedding sign with minimal supplies!

Did you or are you including a handmade sign for your big day? What do you think about the personalized hash tag for guests Instagramming and tweeting about your wedding?

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It's in the Mail....

Invites that is!! I am so happy to say that I finally accomplished getting all of our invites in the mail. Boy did I under estimate how time consuming this project was going to be. Invites have probably been the hardest thing for me to get inspired about. Their are so many options out there and it started to get overwhelming trying to pick a style, the wording, and the packaging. I really wanted our invites to be a reflection of us; a little creative, charming and all around unique. These were some of my inspirations when choosing our final design.

 

Source: 1 & 2

Here is the final product. I used Anna Malie Designs to create our invites, rsvp cards and direction cards. We decided to create a tips for our wedding on the back of the direction card. We included details like recommendations of where to stay in the area, where we are registered, and our wedding website. I also included tips that I know I would have love to have as a wedding guest, such as a suggestion to bring a sweater as the venue is next to the Sacramento River and wearing shoes that are suitable for walking in grass. So far everyone has loved these suggstions and said that they appriciated the "tips".  

We created our own envelope liners using some tips from this tutorial and packaged the invites along using bakers twine to tie them together.   My biggest recommendation when it comes to invites is to not be afraid to do something different. Allow yourself plenty of time to create, edit and print your invites. Invites should go in the mail at 8-6 weeks before your wedding. We got our in just under the 6 week maker which was cutting it a little close.  So what do you guys think?? Do you like the idea of a "tips" card to give your guest a few extra details?

Heather

To check out more of my wedding ideas check out my blog.

Champagne Flute Giveaway from Uncommon Goods

UPDATE: We have chosen a winner! Congrats to Caitlin Green!  Uncommon Goods has a huge collection of unique wedding gifts (http://www.uncommongoods.com/occasions/wedding-gifts) and anniversary gifts (www.uncommongoods.com/occasions/anniversary-gifts/anniversary-gifts) that are perfect for the happy couple.  I mean seriously, check out these awesome pieces that are just perfect little wedding gifts, then we will get to the awesome giveaway we have for you today.

Love Will Find A Way

Heart Strings State Love

Custom Fingerprint

And now for our fabulous Uncommon Goods giveaway. We have a pair of Ribboned Glass Champagne Flutes up for grabs for the winner!

 

TO ENTER:

Head to uncommongoods.com and pick your favorite product on the site. Comment below what you love and how you would use it. For an extra entry follow Uncommon Goods on Pinterest. Simple as that! We will be announcing our winner on September 10!

Wedding Party Party & Cocktail-Off

Ever since I got engaged, I've been saying that I want wedding planning to be fun. And as the planning days tick away, I'm taking full advantage of this mantra! We wanted to make sure our wedding party had a chance to meet each other before the wedding weekend. Some of them know each other, but we wanted to get everyone in one room, have some drinks and be close enough to really celebrate together. So we hosted everyone at our house for a Sunday-Funday Cocktail-Off.

Wooden Sign, Hand Lettered Sign

That's right. A cocktail making contest. And the winning drink will be the signature cocktail at the wedding! We thought this would be a fantastic way to have some tasty drinks, spend some time together and let our wedding party feel like they are really apart of the big day. And, it was a huge success (as evidenced by our near-empty cups!)

Personal photos from our Cocktail-Off

We tasted six different cocktails (yes, I know....we ate pizza and played bocce before anyone headed home). We tried everything from peach juice and ginger beer to a fall-spiced sangria to a blackberry mojito. Once we all tasted, we voted for our favorites. And the winner was.......a watermellon mint concotion made my two of my bridesmaids. And it was DELICIOUS! The name was also discussed as a group...possibly "Mint To Be Together"? :)

1, 2, 3, 4

So now we have to find a way to make it happen for the wedding. It may need to be tweaked to be doable for a large group, but I love that it is something from our closest friends.

What about you? Did your wedding party know each other before the big day? Did you spend some time together?

time to accessorize {2 month mark}

Whenever I find myself wondering where should I be in the planning process I refer to Brides magazine. In every issue they have a countdown, and so far it hasn't failed me. At the 2 month mark it suggests:

• discuss ceremony readings and songs with officiant... check! We'll be doing that next week
• Check your state's requirement for a marriage license... need to do this.
• Mail the invitations.... they're arriving THIS WEEK! woohoo!
• Do a hair and make-up trial.... need to schedule, and at least I know who I'm using ;-)
• Order or make the favors... oye, this will be a task.... stay tuned for a future post on this one.
• Accessorize your look!

The last bullet point is what I'm doing today- accessorize your look! Check out some of my inspiration!

A little clutch to hold gloss & other make-up:

Diamonds vs. crystals.... who can tell the difference? Either way, both of these chandelier earrings are fabulous:

Since I'm not wearing a statement necklace, I think a statement cuff will do.... especially one like this!

Belts and sashes are very in this season. Although I'm not wearing one, I really love these:

So brides-to-be.... how do you plan on accessorizing your look??

Lock-in the Date!

This next year is shaping up to be a pretty action-packed year for us.  Not only is my fiancé’s brother getting married about three months before us, but a couple of my good friends are also tying the knot next summer.  Not wanting to miss out on any of these weddings and pre-wedding festivities, getting our Save the Dates out is at the top of my wedding to-do list. Of course, selecting a Save the Date design may not be as easy as I had thought. With so may clever and fun Save the Date ideas out there, the pressure is certainly on to come up with something unique and creative.

Source: 1, 2

Below are a selection of DIY ideas I found, ranging from stamps, fingerprints to just hitting print and tying a bow (might be more my style).

Source: 1, 2, 3, 4

Since the majority of our guests will be traveling from out of town, I also like the idea of incorporating our state/wedding location into the cards.

Source: 1, 2, 3

My engagement ring is a gorgeous vintage ring, so I have also been playing around with more of a vintage feel.

Source: 1, 2, 3

And, since we did meet on Match.com (more than 4 years ago...wow how time flies), I have also thought about incorporating matchbooks into our Save the Dates. Maybe a little too cheesy, even for me though.

Source: 1, 2, 3

So, there you have it, so many ideas to choose from! How did you decide on your Save the Date concept?

Cocktail Hour {Signature Drinks}

Conveniently it seems that just as wedding planning stress kicks into an all-time high, it's time to figure out what our signature drink will be. Time to try 100 cocktails in 100 days!

  Style Me Pretty, photos by Shannon Moore Photography

Well, not really. But lots of cocktail is lots of days until I find the right one. And cocktails are proving to be quite valuable during the madness of doing completely DIY wedding invitations and creating a wedding website from scratch.

  Martha Stewart Weddings

I think I'm going at this a bit backwards though. I've picked the liquor I want as the base, and now I'm trying to find the right cocktail to serve that compliments it. Trouble is, since I'm far too obsessed with aesthetics, I really want this drink to not only taste great but to look pretty too. Ideally, it will be served in a coupe glass with no ice and lovely little garnish. Is that asking too much??

Joy the Baker

If I still haven't found my holy grail of a cocktail within one month of the wedding, I might need to make some concessions. But in the mean time, I've been trying drinks from a Gin Fizz with blueberries and fresh rosemary from our garden, to the classic The Fitzgerald, to Gin and Joe Rickeys.

 

St. George Spirits is a local Bay Area distiller that makes a series of 3 really delicious gins. I would love to feature one of these gins, since they're locally made and many of the ingredients are foraged from local areas, and they're all very well crafted to boot.

San Francisco Chronicle, photo by Liz Hafalia

So I've been loading up on mixers and pinning drink recipes like crazy in search of the cocktail that embodies the right balance of drinkability, creativity, and prettiness.

Do you have any favorite gin drinks? Or any good suggestions for where I can find great recipes? Time to experiment!

Gift Wrapping With Stencils | Neon Pink + Kraft Paper

If you following my Pinterest, you know by now that I am obsessed with gift wrapping. I'm having so much fun trying every pattern, color, paper, and of course, toppers!

I picked up this furniture stencil from Royal Design Studio as well as some kraft wrapping paper. This neon pink paint comes from Michaels (It was on sale, only .10!!!!)

Simply, I put the stencil on the paper and took a sponge brush to dab and paint the paper. I tried taking a roller to the paper, but paint started to build on the side and looked pretty bad. To create the cleanest lines possible, you have to go piece by piece on the stencil and dab, brush and dab again until you get the desired amount of paint.

This small present took about 45 minutes total, so if you are looking for a cheap and fast alternative to wrapping paper, this definitely isn't it. But if you are looking for something totally different, well just check out how awesome this looks done. I added some Washi Tape to complete with look :)

There is plenty more where that came from! I already have 3 more complete gift wrapping projects to show off, so stay tuned.

Thanks to Royal Design Studio for the stencils to create this awesome wrapping paper. 

Adventures With a Registry Gun

After reading blog posts and registering and looking through magazine articles that said I "had to register" for this or that, I really wasn't all that excited about setting up our registries. Between the horror stories and the long list of things that I should have but will have no need for, I was ready to just include our Paypal info and call it a day. (Is that tacky? I assume you're nodding your head yes.) The more I thought about it, the more I wondered why it has to be a negative experience? So I decided it wasn't going to be. Easier said than done, right?

Source: Crate and Barrel

So the Mister and I had a chat about what stores or sites we wanted to use for our registries and then headed over to our first destination which was Kohl's. I shop at Kohl's regularly and they are really great about returns and I get tons of coupons which is really helpful when you have a lot to buy at once. I tried to be proactive and set up our basic information online beforehand so we could just pull up the info and start scanning! Unfortunately it didn't end up going that way. By the time the scanner was in our hand we were already a little frazzled from spending 30 minutes re-setting ourselves up. I think if that little bit of stress hadn't have happened it would have been a great experience but since it did, I quickly became overwhelmed by where we needed to start and trying to remember each thing we might need. We left with only about half of that registry done.

Luckily after about a month break, we went back to getting our registries done and it went really well! We did our Target registry which was really simple and a lot of fun. This time we took an open approach by just walking through each department and added things we could see ourselves using and things that would work cohesively in our home. Surprisingly it made a great date night! Dinner, desert and registering.

Source: Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn

So here's what I took out of it and what we'll stick to  in order to continue having fun while getting it done.

• Make a list of where you want to register and see if there are any perks or rewards from registering there. Certain stores give you coupons or will give you special items for purchasing any remaining items on your registry. Also make sure the places offer registries and how easy it will be for you and your guests to use their registry.
• Ignore the "have to register for" lists and register for things you feel you'll really need and use. Don't want an extra set of dishes and flatware just for special occasions and holidays? Don't include it! Not really interested in "things"? Register  for your honeymoon and experiences!
• Don't try to get everything registered all at once. Trying to make sure you have every kitchen utensil you might need is a waste since you'll probably forget a pizza cutter. Break up the registries into a couple days in store and/or online.
• Make it fun! Do fun things before and after and enjoy yourselves. Your fiancee might not like looking at throw pillows to add to your registry, but he will like scanning them with the gun! Maybe even let him add in some novelty glasses or a tech item he's been wanting. Also register for fun things like games to play when friends come over. Add things like camping gear or things for hobbies that you can do as a couple.
• Make things easier on yourself. Using nifty things like the Amazon wish button (like the Pinterest pin button where you can add anything to your registry) and apps like Wedding Scan to add things from any store to a master registry. Not only are you saving yourself from having to sign up for multiple places, but you don't have to stress on filling an entire registry with items from just one store or having a registry on your website that only has a few things.
• Revisit your registry. Make sure your in-store additions make it onto your registry and check in later to make sure you still want the things you previously added.

Source: Crate and Barrel, Anthropologie

What did you find helpful when registering? What items were must haves for you and your fiancee?

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