Our trip to New England and Canada, part 1

We recently went on a ten day adventure to New England and Montreal. Here are some pictures, if you'd like to see...

maids in the making

I love all the cute, creative ways brides ask their friends to be bridesmaids these days. Maybe some less creative souls can feel pressure to cave into the Pinterest trends. But, even a sweet card can do the trick! 

This past weekend, a dear friend "popped the question" with this adorable cross-stitch. Can you say "wife-material"?!? No wonder he put a ring on it! Homegirl as her domestic skills DOWN! ;)

In need of some inspiration? Check out this list of 25 fun ways to ask your ladies if they'll stand by your side on your special day. Also, here's how I asked my girls, almost 4 years ago...

xo

the best gift

You know what gift I have loved giving the past few weeks? Plants! I think I've given away three in the past week! They are simple, beautiful, and full of life (and usually affordable!). Always original, but still "safe"-- meaning, almost anyone can appreciate receiving a plant. Especially with spring on the horizon, I'm loving handing out these little babies of sunshine :)

What's your go-to gift?


P.S. Incredible houseplants and mason jar terrariums 


Image found here //

the new mr. and mrs.

I'm suffering from the post-wedding blues this week. BECAUSEEE it was such a wonderful weekend! From spending two nights in a hotel with some of my best friends, to renting a party bus and dressing up in pink crowns, to creating bouquets out of wild flowers, and then, of course, laughing until it hurt... there's just a special place in my heart for my college besties. And I am so over the moon happy for the newly married couple. It is a beautiful thing to witness the worship of God through marriage. Click the link below to see pics from the weekend...

Have a [love]ly weekend!

It's this sweet couple's wedding weekend! Thinking back over their journey, from before they even knew each other, I am filled with so much awe at God and His perfect attention to each detail of our lives. Let the weekend of worship, praise and celebration begin!!!

What a sweet wedding dress.

This would be so lovely as wedding dishes.

Homesick for people.

A not so overwhelming checklist for engaged couples.

Remember this mind-blowing wedding?

Barn venues in Georgia.

The ultimate babes in love.

Love ever after.

Vintage Loves.


xoxoxo

ritas and roses

Happy Birthday to this pretty lady who I love and adore. We intended to celebrate the night with Mexican food (birthday girl's fave), but had to change the plan last minute and got swanky at Five Bar. And we still found a way to fit in our "Mexican" margaritas ;) There's something so refreshing about being with friends who know your heart and have walked with you in life's heaviest trials and most wonderful celebrations. Even though new friendships are thrilling, these college friendships, formed at such a transformative time in life, feel like home. Would you agree? 

Roses, homemade cake (made by hostess extraordinaire and birthday girl's sister), and wine... all contribute to a girly evening watching The Bacheleorette and rooting on former Georgia Bulldawg (and friend to some), Josh Murray, while he tries to win the heart of this season's "it girl." While this show is not my cup of tea, girl time with these ladies definitely is. Do you ever look at your friends and just think, "I have a powerhouse of women surrounding me." I feel so blessed to have such godly women who love Jesus and have such pure, tender hearts.

My heart is full and I thank my husband for the night with the ladies :) Hope you have been able to get some good time or have good conversations with those close to your heart! It's good for the soul and so needed.

xoxo

third time's a charm

This was road trip weekend round 3, and it's taken me an extra day to be able to recover enough to update on here. Let me begin by saying, this was an incredibly beautiful and moving wedding of two people that we love and adore so tremendously. Let me also say that after this weekend, I have decided I am never driving to Chicago again :) With stops in Nashville, St. Louis, and even the-middle-of-nowhere Bradford, Illinois, this trip to Chicago was one for the books.

In addition to the plentiful mileage, there was plentiful love :) I was able to spend (too brief of) an amount of time with one of my best girls, which naturally included many Parks & Rec quotes, creepy dancing, and life talks. The wedding and reception were held at Shallowbrook Farm, with corn fields for miles, a train passing through every few hours, and windmills on the horizon. It was dreamy!

{Video to Come Soon...}

Andrew was a groomsmen for Derick, who he traveled the country with in 2008- which is when Andrew and I first met! Needless to say, Derick has been a special part of our lives for some time. And his new bride, Jess, is an absolute joy and lifelong friend for me. We were also honored (and nervous! okay, just me.) to sing during their ceremony while they said their personal vows privately to one another. 

Mr. and Mrs. Anies, we love you and can't wait to travel the world with you- starting with your new home in Colorado, where we will be sure to visit you very very soon :)

xo

the saga continues

Happy Anniversary to our other "anniversary week twin" friends, Marilisa and Taylor. What a fun day, and weekend, that was back in 2011 :) Can't believe it's been three years! Andrew just told me this morning as we were reminiscing on our own wedding, "I remember when I went to their wedding, I thought it was the best wedding I'd ever been to. Everything was executed so perfectly." I said, "Well, that's Marilisa. She knows how to plan!" :) So, know your special day is still one we remember fondly :)

Love to you, our favorite red head duo!!

xo

Photos by Max Wanger //

'tis the season

It's that time of year again! Weddings galore. May is always so busy with travel and celebration as summer kicks off and the gorgeous weather finally becomes more consistent. This week is jam-packed full of love, with 5 couples I know celebrating their days of matrimony.

Saturday, Ashley and Justin said "I do" and celebrated in New Smyrna Beach at The Delamater House- a gorgeous venue with a cool history. The bridesmaids carried daises and the garland that hung above them as they said their vows was one of the most beautiful floral pieces I have ever seen.

Yesterday, an old friend of Andrew's celebrated her 1 year anniversary with her husband in Pittsburgh. And today, one of my close friends celebrates her 1 year anniversary. It was such a privilege to be a part of their special day in Chicago this time last year, and it has been a joy to watch them grow together as a couple over this last trip around the sun. 

Happy Anniversary, friends! I am so thankful to be a witness to so much love. 

Two more anniversaries this week... we'll take it one day at a time ;)

xoxo

Top photo found here // Bottom 4 photos by Summer Lynn Photography //

we are on style me pretty today!

Laura Leslie Photography http://lauralesliephotography.com/

Super exciting news today- we are on the main page of the wedding blog, Style Me Pretty! {Click this link to see the post!} Remember the snow-pocolypse back in January that trapped hundreds of people in their cars on the perimeter for hours and hours on end? Well, something magical was happening down in Douglasville. We had no idea what mother nature had in store for us that day, but it gave us the most beautiful coincidence- a wedding shoot on the same day as a snow storm that will go down in Southeast history.

Andrew's view // behind the scenes

Congratulations to all of the vendors and contributors, and a huge shout out to Kate for all of her hardwork and planning, as well as her and her husband's efforts in creating this gorgeous video. In addition, props to Gracie and Laura for shooting ALL film on this unpredictable day. These are some passionate and extremely talented people! We are so lucky to have been a part of such an exciting and memorable experience.

Laura Leslie Photography http://lauralesliephotography.com/

Click below to see some of my favorites from the shoot...

birthday bliss

Happy birthday to this pretty lady who makes me laugh til I cry, cries and feels deeply with me, loves God first and before everything, and who time and time again sacrifices her own needs for the sake of helping those she loves. Jess, you are a true gem of a friend and I am honored to have you as one of my bests. Enjoy your special day and know that you are so so loved :)

    

xoxo

common, daily "life hacks" I didn't do until after college

There are some things that most people figure out pretty early on, that somehow I just missed the memo on. I've always noticed others doing these things, but never thought that they could actually be more efficient and effective! It's that whole "you do your thing, I do my thing" mentality. Once I attempted to do things the way I had always seen them done, I realized there is actually is a reason to all the madness :) So, in case you haven't yet "crossed over," here are 5 simple (very simple, like 'duh everyone does that, why haven't you done that before' simple) things to spruce up your daily routines. 

I want to be a good friend.

I want to be a good friend. I want to be a safe place, free from insecurity or doubt. I want the people I love to know that I love them and to trust that it's unconditional. I think insecurity can keep us from being good friends. We get afraid that we will come across as too needy or too nosey, annoying or burdensome. It's scary to be vulnerable, or to feel like you are the friend who "loves more". It takes humility. But I crave connection, and I truly think we are all made to be one with each other and our Maker. So, I don't want pride or negativity to destroy that perfect vision. I want to be a source of positivity for the people I interact with. I know I won't always be able to do this, I know that I will have bad days and that I am inherently selfish and that I will be tired or insecure and I will make bad decisions and I will fail. But I want to focus my mind on perseverance and forgiveness. It's okay to be alone and to feel lonely sometimes- independence is refreshing and enlightening... But I don't want those I love to feel stuck in loneliness. I want to love freely and fully, so that others feel inspired and safe to experience the joy in closeness and connection. 

xo

Image found here //

a fun date idea

Have you heard of Geocaching? It's basically a world-wide scavenger hunt, with the rules and steps to sign up found online here. We tried it for a post-dinner date night with our friends, Gracie and James, last weekend and shared quite a few laughs racing up and down the night streets of downtown Lawrenceville. It's always nice to have some good, clean fun :) Best part? It's f-r-e-e! 

What about you? Any recent, fun date ideas you're willing to share?

xo

Image via Instagram by Gracie Dinwiddie //

hugs and kisses and lots of warmth

Do you have any plans for Valentine's Day tomorrow? With all the snow and ice this week, we are hoping to be able to get out for a little bit at least. I received this postcard from my friend, Marilisa, this week, and I thought it was the sweetest gesture. I have never been super into Valentine's day- a day made up to promote sales and celebrate romance that is already celebrated with many other holidays, plus my birthday is only 10 days before… but, it seems so much more special to really see it as a day to show appreciation and love to everyone you care for, not just romantically. Everyone can use a little love :)

xoxo

what's your birthday tradition?

Do you have a go-to birthday celebration? We tend to celebrate a lot of birthdays (and any event in general) at an Athens local Pub & Restaurant, Trapeze. Andrew "surprised" me with a dinner there along with several of our close young married friends. 

Now that we no longer live in Athens, we treasure time spent with these people! It was great to swap funny stories and just be a part of the group once again. 

Three of the girls all gave me gifts from the local shop, Frontier! I always find myself wondering around in there, admiring all the little trinkets and handmade jewelry by local artists. I realized I have never bought anything for myself there, because, as Marilisa puts it, it's the perfect place to buy gifts for other people. So I am glad to have been on the receiving end this time :) (p.s. isn't Alise's baby bump just too precious?!)

I also got a dramatic hair cut, and it is now the shortest it has been since probably middle school! I'm kind of wishing I went shorter though… now that I'm not so attached to my once-Rapunzel length hair, it's fun to mix it up ;)

Thank you to all friends and family for a great 25th celebration! 

have a relaxing weekend xo

a special day

Happiest of birthdays to two of my favorite people! They are both gorgeous, the life of a party, and are turning a quarter of a century old today- what a special birthday! I know that many people, but especially my life, would not be the same without them.

Love to you both!!

for the soul

This weekend we got to spend some time with a couple of friends from college. We don't all get to be together very often, now that everyone has moved to new places- and we missed a few others from our group of friends- but it was still so nice to laugh and reminisce and catch up, even if only for a few hours. It's cool to see the direction each person is headed, who they marry, what they're learning. We've each developed into our own people and made our own decisions, but we still have so much ahead of us. We are all still in such a transformative state- we joked about how we can't wait to be established and in our 40's and stop having these "so what are you doing with your life now" conversations, because these days it seems plans change every other week. But it sure is nice to have such good friends as the journey continues :)

that time of year...

Yes, Christmas time, but I mean… Christmas card time!! I used to think that it was silly and somewhat vain for young couples, sans children, to send out Christmas cards of themselves to all of their friends- like, who cares? We have Facebook, we know what you look like. 

It wasn't until last year when I sent out our first Christmas card as a married couple that I found out what all the fuss is about. I wanted to send a few wedding and honeymoon pictures, along with a sweet personalized, hand-written note to our family members. As cards from my friends all across the country poured in, my home became full of Christmas joy and the beautiful smiling faces that I love so dearly- and it made me wish I had printed enough of my own to return the favor!

So, this year, although we are probably currently poorer than we will ever be again our lives, it was still essential for me to send out some cards. I decided on a style at Walgreens. The quality is not up to our desired standard, but it only cost us $20 for 40 cards so you know what? It's okay :)

Especially now that the majority of my friends are married and living in different cities and states, on top of this year being one that our friends and family have played such a huge role in the ups and downs of our ever-changing journey, I'm so excited to send a picture with a "thank you for loving us and putting up with us" message on the back. The cards from my lovely friends have already started arriving, and I am looking forward to posting a few and showing them off here within the next few days. Think about it, if you were just to frame a picture in your home of a couple you are friends with, that would just be plain weird. But a Christmas card makes it perfectly normal to scatter your home with pictures of people that are not you or your family members! 

And here's the one we chose for our Christmas card this year:

xo

birthday flashback

Andrew celebrated his birthday back in August, while we were living in Haiti. Since he was unable to celebrate with all of his friends back home, I organized a video with messages from each of his closest friends. Each of the boys gave such heartfelt messages, I felt so grateful for him to have so many godly and loving men in his life! I promised to post the link, and finally got the video uploaded to youtube. We had a great time with our new friends in Haiti, but nothing beats the love from home :)

xo