Recap: Portraits

By the look on my love's face, you would think that it was the first time he saw my crazy high heels. But no, it was not. You see, I walked around the house in my shoes for several months before our big day! Breaking them in, adjusting to the height, and dreaming of the day that I'd finally be able to wear them while walking down that long marble aisle at the Cathedral of Christ the King. Being the jokester (and apparently good actor) that he is, Mr. Cuddlefish seemed shocked by the sight of my shoes (see picture below)! I just love him!

Below are a few more portraits we took before heading over to the church. 



Recap: The Guys

I shared some pictures of the beautiful ladies in our wedding party and want to make sure I show the guys some love too! You'll notice that our wedding party had three guys and eight girls. We never even thought twice about this (having an unequal number) as we just asked the people who we were closest to. We also had two wonderful ushers who you'll see pictures of later! The guys wore traditional Calvin Klein tuxes from Men's Warehouse. To my surprise, they even wore suspenders (something I wanted but Mr. CF nixed)! I guess at the last moment they decided to put them on. I love a man in suspenders!

Would you consider having an unequal number of guys and girls in your bridal party? Did you or your fiance decide on the guys attire?

Recap: First Look

Initially, having a "first look" was something that Mr. CF and I did not agree on. I wanted to have one for many reasons and he didn't (for his own very good reasons). Now, I'll be honest and tell you that my sweet husband did not have many demands when it came to our wedding. He simply wanted good food, not a whole lot of pink, some vanilla cake (he doesn't eat chocolate!), and for us not to do a first look. So, for a time, I put the decision on the back burner and considered not having one.

As the date grew closer, I started thinking about our ceremony time which was at 7 PM. I looked online at the projected sunset time and realized that if we didn't do a first look, we wouldn't have any portraits of just the two of us in the beautiful English garden. I also liked the idea of us first seeing each other in private, where we could take some time to cry, hug, kiss, and talk without having all eyes on us. I brought these things up to my love and he agreed that all of those things would be nice. I am so happy that we decided to do one! When I watch our interaction during this time on our wedding video I just cry a million happy tears. To see how we embraced and to hear the words we were able to share...it is just amazing. We definitely would not have had that moment if we saw each other for the first time in church.

I chose not to wear my veil for our first look so that there would be that added element in church. And for the record, we did have two layers of vanilla cake, good food, and not too many pink roses :)

Recap: The Girls

My girls endured the extreme August heat and were absolutely gorgeous in the process! We took a few pictures in the English Garden and used our cute umbrellas to shade us from the sun. I rented these vintage pagodas from Bella Umbrella (an umbrella shop based in Seattle, WA) and was more than pleased with the process. They were definitely a fun photo prop and worked well with the look I was going for!

My sweet niece Miranda was the perfect Junior Bridesmaid! She wore a wreath of flowers in her hair and a cute pink bubble hem dress.

My bridesmaids looked beautiful in navy gowns by Bari Jay. I just loved the sweetheart neckline, the flower detailing on the shoulder, and the soft flowing chiffon. Seriously, this dress was so flattering and looked amazing on everyone. It also fit the romantic garden theme of our wedding.

My Maid of Honor, Karla, looked elegant and stunning in a coordinating navy gown (also by Bari Jay). She picked this out on her own and I just loved the rhinestone pin on the shoulder and the chiffon train.

I am so thankful to have these girls in my life and it was a blessing to have them stand by my side on my wedding day!

Stay tuned for our first look!

Recap: Getting Ready

So there may be such a thing as being too relaxed on your wedding day...yes, that was me. I was so busy watching all my girls get prettied up and sneaking into the ballroom to check the status of the decor that I lost track of the time! I was so unconcerned about my own hair and makeup that I ended up getting both done last! Oops! My hair and makeup artists had to rush so we could get to picture taking on time. I nearly gave our photographer a heart attack, Tina I'm so sorry! All that being said, everything worked out and I wasn't worried at all. Looking back, and knowing my own strict and somewhat anal personality, I'm shocked that the time crunch didn't bother me. I think I was just so happy and so excited that literally nothing could get me down. The day was absolutely perfect!

While I was getting my makeup done...

 

My lovely bridesmaid was putting the final touches on our dresses!

 

 Mom zipped me up...

Any my oh so attentive Maid of Honor helped me into my 5" heels!

 

Oh how I love those heels...

The girls posed in their cute plum pretty sugar pajama pants...

before stepping into their freshly steamed dresses.

When we were all ready, we headed out to the garden for some sweet pics!

Those pictures as well as our "first look" shots are coming soon!

Recap: Bridal Details

Finally it was time to head to the "bridal suite" right outside the ballroom to get ready. There, waiting for me, was my dress...

 

My shoes...

My garter...

My bouquet...

And my beloved Flora!

All of my bridesmaids and my mom and sister were there. We ate lunch, got our hair and makeup done, and had fun gabbing away! I also found a few minutes to sneak (barefoot and in my robe) into the ballroom where the chiavari chairs and birdcage centerpieces were being set up. My visions were turning into a reality right before my eyes and I was SO happy with what I saw!

All photos were taken by our photographer, Tina Rowden.

Recap: Wedding Morning

I know, I've been away from my blog for months...and months. But finally, I am ready and able (have pictures and video) to post our wedding recaps! They'll be coming a little at a time and I'm really excited share them with you!

I went to bed at 12:00 am on my wedding day. At 11:45, just fifteen minutes before, I arrived back to my hotel room from hanging out with family and friends. I checked my to-do list, twice. Yes, everything was done. All that was left for me to do was get some sleep, relax, and marry my love. I laid in bed and smiled myself to sleep. My alarm was set to go off at 8:00 am and my eyes popped open at 7:58 am. For those two minutes, I savored the moment. Today was THE day and I felt calm, collected, and loved.

I knew I had a while to wait before getting ready so I got dressed (in my cute custom "Bride" dress that Mr. CF bought me) and hung out with my best friends! Breakfast, CVS, Marshalls...you heard me right. Everything was done so we spent our time looking for false eyelashes (for my MOH) and comfy flip-flops at the store! :) I then gave the girls a tour of The Mansion on Peachtree and had fun playing with some details, trying on my veil, and anticipating how everything would turn out!

Stay tuned to see some bridal details!