monday's memory: the one with the rings

it began with my engagement ring, so that is where i'll begin

anthony had researched (and researched. and researched)

and was going to a few local places to see some rings in person

(he and i strongly desire to support local businesses over national chains, so it's really no surprise that there were no nationally recognized jewelry stores on his list)

he walked in with his sister kat

and was initially shown a few rings

but none appealed (some weren't "right" and some were way too expensive)

the sales woman asked him what his budget was

he told her

she immediately went to a case and pulled out a ring

saying it was the highest quality ring he could get in that price range

there are all sorts of details

caret, clarity, etc

the fact that the side stones were cut specifically for the center stone

all that

all i know is...

it's gorgeous

and it's mine...a beautiful gift from my now husband.

picking out our wedding bands was something we were excited about

however, we were trying to stick to a very strict budget

so we were fairly certain it would be cheapo bands for each of us

mine was an easy pick

i tried on a couple and quickly narrowed it down

although my engagement band is platinum

we settled on a thicker white gold band for my ring

a band that was similarly sized to the engagement band just got lost

so this, to me, was the perfect complement

literally, took about as long as it took for me to type the sentences about it

to pick out my ring.

his ring was another story

men's rings are expensive!

but we finally found the PERFECT ring

 he liked that my engagement ring had 3 stones in it

kind of a constant reminder of trinity

or of the relationship between our coupleship and God

his ring is cobalt.

it's a strong metal, much stronger than gold or platinum

(i don't think he's look at it this way, but i love the symbolism of strength there)

but his (and my) favorite part

is that the two rings are fused together with a gold colored braid in between

two rings...two lives joining

with a special thread...God...in the center

love them.

they're perfect for us

monday's memory: the one with the flowers

guess who's finally uploaded all the photos from our professional photographer?
so...on with the wedding posts...huzzah!


i knew i wanted something simple in the way of flowers for our wedding

first of all, hello seasonal allergies.  who wants to spend their wedding day sneezing and hearing everyone else sniffle?

i began to look around for bargains on flowers and my friend Mandy told me about a place to go.  basically a floral wholesaler (where all the florists in nashville get their flowers) that you order from 10 days before the event and pick them up a couple of days before.

since we were on a Budget we really didn't look past this.  and we were able to get every single flower for my bouquet, the flower girls, all 7 bridesmaids, and all the tables for under $250.


considering i went with orchids and mini calla lilies (which incidentally were more expensive)...that's saying something.

we DID have to create our own bouquets.  for my girls, i wanted a simple spray of orchids.  i loved the classy simplicity!















for me, i also wanted the orchids with a bit of a red pop.  Mandy and the other bridesmaids put my bouquet together and i was thrilled with the result

and my flower girl had a small grouping of white calla lilies...just a sweet little bouquet to set her apart :-)

i love how he's charming her with her own flowers.  SO stinkin cute!

we also placed a bouquet of calla lilies in the front to honor our deceased grandparents.




 


i'll be showing you the flowers at the reception in the coming weeks...so that's it for wedding for the day :-)


happy monday!


(all photos in this post were taken by our amazing photographer and her assistant.  if you're in nashville...seriously people...she's awesome!)

thursday's ten: pinterest love

have i mentioned i love pinterest?


today's list is compiled of ten ideas i've ACTUALLY used from the site!  these are the first ten pins i've completed, but i'm sure there will be more editions to come :-)






(1) my very first one was this idea to use magazine racks for pantry organization.  i did this pretty much when i moved in in august.

"pinspiration"

i started with one...

and ended up with a "few"

verdict: LOVE.  our cans are no longer out of control!

(2) i FLIPPED when i saw the idea of the date stitched into hem of your wedding dress so i asked my friend who was doing the alterations if that was a possibility.  she replied that she was already thinking of surprising me with that very thing!

pinspiration

unfortunately, my dress is currently at the in-laws and i can't post a picture of my result...but i'll try to remember to do that later!


verdict: loved making this my something blue, and love it being permanently on the dress!

(3) then i kept seeing a pin for a crock pot breakfast casserole.  tried it one saturday morning...

pinspiration

actuality

even though it went IN looking good!

verdict: one time only.  it was dry and even though it tasted ok, it's nothing spectacular.




(4) then i saw one using spice shelves for organizing the bathroom sink.  since i was frustrated with our medicine bottle organization, i decided to adapt it.

pinspiration

our take on it

verdict: it's not perfect, but it's WAY better than before!






(5) then i saw this one.  it was two dressers back to back to make a kitchen island, but that's not what drew me in.  see, we had repurposed a similar dresser as our entryway piece, and i wanted it not to look like...a dresser!  and i already had some fun bird and branch wall stickers...

pinspiration

result

i love the bird on top :-)

verdict: i really like i, and so does anthony!  it's subtle, but just quirky enough to be "us" AND bonus: it makes the repurposed dresser "fit" more in the living area.




(6) i thought these crescent roll desserts looked yummy...

pinspiration

adaption 

verdict: we loved them and experiment with other flavor combos when we make them :)


(7) i found another idea i thought was brilliant: sheets stored in their own pillow cases.  i decided to try it out.

reality

pinspiration

verdict: it may not look as neat as the original but it definitely makes life easier!

just wanted to prove that the closet as a whole is neater than that shelf!

(8) natasha and i wanted to make one of the several recipes we have found on pinterest.  we settled (easily) on buffalo chicken tacos.

pinspiration

we did a build your own bar 

Anthony's plate was a work of art!

verdict: we loved them!  definitely a keeper recipe

(9) the idea of wine cork journaling was intriguing to me -- basically you open a bottle of wine and have the guests who are there that night sign the cork.

pinspiration

our ONE example :-)

verdict: it's a great idea, but we don't open wine for every occasion that we'd like to remember...and some wine isn't corked!  so we'll use it when we have a chance :-)

10) menu dry erase board

pinspiration

ours

 verdict: we've just started using it, but so far i'm a fan!


are you a pinterest lover?  have you used any of the ideas from the site?  tell me!