{cake topper} by me!

'remember this little buddy i diy'd a while back for my own wedding? weeeell, my fatastic photog (from our wedding) and his beautiful bride requested one for their big day..check it out..


i think it turned out really well! i'm working on putting together an etsy shoppe, but in the meantime, if you are looking for a custom, handmade cake topper for your event, drop me a line in the comment section or find my email address on my profile page.

more fantastic pictures to come from this gorgeous, vintage inspired wedding..

{photos by austin gros photography}

{random} still alive...

hello my dears! i can't believe it's been over a month since i've posted anything to my beloved blog..but life has been busier than ever! i have so much to share with you, including a move to the suburbs, a san francisco wedding, and a secret project!

but for now, check out these beautiful, dreamlike photos taken by the ever-so-talented erica berger at a friends wedding right here in san francisco:




more to come!

{wedding day} reception details

photos by daniel meigs

while we were finishing up some post-ceremony pics, our guests enjoyed refreshments and filled out the wish cards for our "guest book."

Don't: think you need to have a "cocktail hour." we set up cucumber water and orange iced tea outside of the reception area along with mints for our guests to relax with. by keeping the doors closed to the reception "barn," it encouraged our guests to linger in the garden before the sun set, fill out the cards for our wish bowl, and mingle with friends. i don't think they minded not having a glass of wine or beer at this time, but i'm sure they did enjoy the refreshing beverages on such a hot day.

Do: take dancing lessons! we so enjoyed practicing in our living room during the weeks leading up to the big day, and still bust out a move in the middle of a store, or on the street when a song puts our feet to action! we also started our reception this way..after the pics, the guests were asked to enter the barn and wait for our arrival..as soon as we entered, our song played..and we danced..it was a great way to kick off the party and gave us an opportunity to then visit our guests at their tables afterwards.

{wedding day} the ceremony

photos by daniel meigs

the ceremony was the favorite part of the day for me. the old house the girls and i came out of was amazing inside..but you had to go up one set of stairs and come down another to get to the door i was coming out of...we had to take of our shoes for the trek..those stairs were steep!

Do: put aside money in your budget for microphones. i know they aren't a glamorous thing to spend your hard earned money on, but our guests were so grateful to be able to hear us..especially since we wrote our own vows. remember: they came to see you, yes, but they came to hear you too.

Do: think outside the box! i sat my parents on the grooms side, and vice versa. this way our parents were able to see our faces during the whole thing and it was comforting to look out and see my mom's smile.

Don't: think you have to have a seat for everyone. chairs can get expensive and they take up a lot of space. we had enough chairs for the immediate family and elderly, while everyone else stood. this created an incredibly intimate atmosphere..but i don't recommend this method if your ceremony lasts longer than 20 min.

Don't: forget to close your mouth when making your way back up the aisle during the confetti throwing. i was choking on a piece of stuck rosemary thru the rest of the night!

{wedding day} pre-ceremony pics and details

photos by daniel meigs

we all had so much fun taking several family photos and other various pictures before the ceremony. it was nice to have everyone together.

Do: use your friends! they are great resources and it never hurts to just ask. my moh worked in a wine store and i asked her to save up any wine crates so that i can use them for different things like putting the packets of rosemary confetti and programs in. my husband's side of the family has musical talent, and when jeff said he would sing in our wedding with an acoustic guitar, i nearly cried. he learned and played (beautifully) a joshua radin song that was just perfect for the day.

{wedding day} for the first time..

photos by daniel meigs

we decided to do photos before the ceremony..and it was so much fun!! so if you are wondering if it's for you:

Do: photos before. it was fun walking up behind him..with all the anticipation..and the look on his face is something i will never forget. it also totally calmed my nerves and i was able to relax and listen to the words that were being said at the ceremony. really, it was probably one of the most romantic moments of my life. and we were able to be ourselves..just the two of us (and daniel) for a few minutes before standing in front of 120 people and then whisked away to celebrate. i highly recommend it.

{wedding day} dress and details...

photos by: daniel meigs
hair flowers by: oh my deer (chelsea)
purse by: red ruby rose
jewelry by: me!

Do: get your nails done the day of or the day before..not a few days before. just throwing that out there.

Don't: get a strapless dress. ok. this is shocking, i know..but in my experience, if i had to do it all over again, this would be the one big thing i would change. don't get me wrong, i love my dress! but i wish i would have added some lacy straps for 2 reasons: 1. i was so worried about my bewbies flopping out and shocking guests, that i was hunched over in most of my pictures. 2. as the night went on, no matter how tight the dress was to get into, it stretched out..and i had to keep pulling it up. not sexy.

next: more vendor appreciation & seeing each other for the first time...

{wedding day} getting ready...

my post-wedding blues have stepped aside today...i have pictures, and permission to use them, from the fantabulous daniel meigs. i really cannot say enough about this guy..he has been a dream to work with ... from start to finish. so..without further ado..here are the pics before the dress:























the girls and i got ready at my mother-in-laws house, which was right down the road from the venue. she provided us with a fantastic salad and bread and even broke out her good china for the day.

Do: eat. and drink lots of water. i assigned my mom the job to make sure i always had something in my lap or hand to eat. this was such a big help..there was no time to just sit down and eat..there was always something going on..something to do. so make sure you delegate this job to someone. please.

my hair and make-up was done by a friend of the family as a wedding present. she does the stars of nashville and i was ever so grateful to have her there that day..she did a fantastic job, and even touched up my girls (my bm's that is..not my bewbies). :)

Do: get creative! we needed to have me raised up to eye level for my make-up girl to be able to do a good job..and she needed good light. my bm's got the great idea to use the wine crates we were using in the wedding..and stack them up high enough..AND they made for great photos.

Don't: think that you have to have your hair dirty for it to work better. i'm glad i mentioned to my make-up girl that i tend to get a little greasy if i don't wash my hair..she said that i should definitely wash it and we will make it "dirty" with products. so be sure to talk to whomever is doing your hair..she might have a trick up her sleeve...

next up: details and..the dress!

{beauty} my big fat face..or makeup..

doing some serious catching up at work, but i really wanted to let you in on the whole makeup/hair ordeal. as a matter of fact..there are so many things i learned from my own wedding and i cannot wait to share those with you...but for now..let's do the makeup thing...

remember how i went out and bought a ton of makeup? and i did a ton of research on how i wanted my hair? well..that all got thrown out the window...

photo by daniel meigs

i didn't use a drop of the $150 worth of makeup. lesson here is to find out from your makeup artist if she will be using her own stuff...chances are that's the way you want to go anyway...she/he will be able to see things that you might not..like color, texture, etc...in fact..she airbrushed my foundation on..and it lasted for-ev-er. as for the hair...well, she knew i never wear my hair up..so she came up with her own little do..and it turned out great!

so think about who you are and who you want to see when you look at your pictures years from now.. who cares if it's customary for the bride to wear an updo...do what feels right to you, and you can't go wrong.

{tada} mr. & mrs.

ahhh. on the honeymoon...and oh so relaxed. i have so much to write about! but wanted to check in and tell you that the day went off without a glitch (that i was aware of anyway). it turned out better than i imagined and the whole thing was worth every single additional gray hair on my crazy little head. every single one of my vendors was super fantastic and i can't wait to go over every detail with you..but for now, feast your eyes on these babies:


holy moly. aren't those pics fantastic!!!!??? we ADORED our photog...daniel...not only was he totally professional, he was cute, nice as can be, and really comfortable to be around.

you guys! we are married! i can't stop calling him husband..it's so much fun..and feels sooo right. more to come...but right now..i'm headded to the beach with husband... ;)

{ideas} carried away...

from here.

{vendor appreciation} houston..we have a photographer

holy moly y'all. i can't believe it. i seriously thought we would have to forgo the whole fancy photographer due to lack of money...but nope! i was mistaken! not only is this guy totally within our budget, but he freakin' rocks...check these babies out:





and that's just from his wedding collection.

he does other stuff too:




don't be jealous! you can book him too! just not on may 30th...that day, he's mine!

interested?
Daniel Meigs
danielmeigs@mac.com
www.danielmeigsweddings.com
www.danielmeigs.com