Engagement Photos!

Okay, I know I haven't been posting a lot lately but I have been getting a lot accomplished. From ordering the cake and invitations, meeting with our planner (who is also doing our flowers), and selecting the readings for our Mass, LOTS of big decisions have been made! This truly is an exciting time and I cannot even believe that I am marrying my love in 103 days!

One thing that I shared with you all from the start was how high photography was on my list of priorities. I love looking at photos and I often spend many minutes looking at each one, noticing every detail. I knew that I wanted to find someone who not only brought the best out of Brian and I but who also had a great eye for detail and could capture it in each shot. I have entrusted Tina Rowden with our wedding photos because she does just that. She has given us a gift that we will enjoy and share with others for the rest of our lives!

Step into My Dressing Room...

Okay so I'm way over-thinking this whole engagement shoot wardrobe. Our pictures will be taken this month, 22 days from now, and I have not purchased a dress. And I need two. And shoes for both. Yikes!

I know this really shouldn't be that hard but I do hope to be able to look back at these pictures in 10 years and think "boy I had a cute sense of style!" So I went browsing today and am going to share some options with you. I'm looking for something dressy yet comfortable, and then something else a little more casual and laid back. Both need to be girly and romantic! If you want to know more about the setting of our shoot, read this post. Here we go!

Option 1:  Love this lacy, nude-colored number!

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Option 2:  I love, love, love one-shoulder dresses! Can you tell?

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Option 3:  This reminds me of Spring! I loved how soft it was and it flowed so nice!

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Option 4:  This dress was so flattering on and I especially loved the back!

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Option 5:  I didn't try this on because they didn't have it at the mall but OMG how cute!!!

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Option 6:  You must know how much I love ruffles after reading yesterday's post!

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Option 7:  You all may think I'm a crazy bird lady but this dress is sweet, sweet, sweet! Or shall I saw tweet, tweet, tweet? ;-)

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I also already own some cute dresses, but I'm not sure how I'd feel wearing something I've already worn. Not because I don't wear my dresses twice (I definitely do), but because this is a special occasion that deserves a new dress! What do you think? Any of the dresses stand out to you?

Something Romatic...and REGAL!

One month from today, my handsome fiance and I will be having our engagement shoot with Tina Rowden! I have been looking forward to this for a long, long time and my conversation with Tina today got me even more excited! When discussing possible venues, she asked me what my style was. I didn't have a particular style in mind so I just said "something romantic...and REGAL!" She laughed and stated "okay so basically we need to find you some grand European architecture in the middle of Atlanta?" Yes! :) Then she told me that she had done a shoot for a home design magazine at this beautiful house in Buckhead. She said it had a garden in the back with fountains and a pool and had the look that I was going for. Then she mentioned that this house just happens to be on the market and that no one is living there right now. She is going to try to pull a few strings and see if we'd be allowed to shoot on the property! I'm very hopeful about this prospect but nothing is set in stone just yet. Wouldn't this be a cool setting for pictures!?!?

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Yes, that is a private residence. So now the question is, what does one wear when they are shooting at this type of location? Tina said, "oh, you definitely want it to look like you just came home from a formal affair" in her beautiful Australian accent. I seriously love her, but I'm not going to lie, Mr. CF is not a fancy schmancy type of guy and we do not attend formal evening affairs! I think we can have some fun with this though :)

So, I'm beginning my search for the perfect dress and the perfect shoes. Since it's still going to be light out at 5:30 pm, I want a very light color, maybe peach or pink. Something soft and floaty, but still dressy. I can't wait to update you when I find something!

I would love to hear about your engagement shoots! How did you select the venue? Were you comfortable in front of the camera? What did you wear?

Our Proposal Story

I realized that I have been writing for a few months now and have failed to tell you all about the day Mr. CF and I got engaged. It was truly special and I was completely caught off guard and surprised (I was wearing my pajamas the whole time)!

He proposed on August 20, 2010...

I said YES!

Miss Cuddlefish's Version
After a tiring workout at the gym, I decided to take a nap. I was awoken by a phone call, it was Mr. CF! He was very upset and angry because his car broke down as he was turning into the neighborhood. He asked me to walk outside to help. I ran outside and as I neared the front of the neighborhood, I saw his car abandoned...no CF anywhere. Because I have watched one too many episodes of "Forensic Files", I found the scene to be suspicious and was convinced that someone had forced Mr. CF to call me to get me out of the house so it could be robbed. I would not go near the car! Trying to decide what to do, I took one last look from afar and saw a letter on the windshield. Hmmm! I opened it to find a note, which read:

"Ohhh Nooo! This poor cuddyfish ran into car trouble. Cuddlefish love the water, so find some on the double. The heat became too stifling to sit around and wait. If only there was a pool nearby, you could find him by the gate..."

I ran to the pool where there was another note!

"The water proved useless, this heat is just too much. A better place must be found, somewhere cooling to the touch. Cuddlefish love to sit and enjoy a cold delicious treat. If only there was ice cream, perhaps just down the street..."

I was convinced that I'd find him at the local ice cream shop so I walked very fast all the way there. Sweating from the extreme Alabama summer heat, I arrived at Brusters and there was no CF and no note! OH NOOOOOOO!!!! I waited and waited...confused. Finally, I decided to walk home.

Side note:  There WAS a letter at Brusters in plain sight but she missed it! It read:

"Ice cream is no good on such a long hot summer day. Before a cuddlefish takes a bite, it all just melts away. Running all around is the most exhausting thing. Cuddlefish just love to relax, on a hammock that can swing..."

But no, I did not see that one. Defeated because I could not find the note that was still at Brusters, I started to walk home. When the house was in view, I noticed that there was a hammock in the front yard with another note!

"A cuddlefish might love the water and ice cream, and when a cuddlefish is tired, might even like to swing. But what the cuddlefish love to do the most, is cuddle with each other, and be so very close."

At this point I was crying and tired and ran in the house to find my final note:

"So when a cuddlefish gets hot and tired, and needs to just feel great, they seek the embrace of another cuddlefish, their one and true soul-mate. Look for the room where dreams are made, that is where I'll be. There's only one thing left to say..."

I ran into the bedroom to find my sweet man on his knee! He asked:

"Will you marry me?"

I fell into his arms and it was the happiest moment of our lives!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Minutes later, CF slipped the most beautiful ring on my finger and I ran circles around the house at top speed while Mini Pickles (our little dachshund) chased me. We went out for a yummy dinner and then returned to our home to watch "Forensic Files"!

Mr. CF's Version
After a very long day at work I decided to put my plan in motion. I stopped by the store to pick up some roses for our new kitchen table and then proceeded to place envelopes with notes in them in our favorite and familiar locations near our house. I made sure to tape the letters in very visible places and hoped nobody would take them and also hoped the wind would not blow them away. I parked my car right at the entrance of the neighborhood, took the roses and the last two letters and left the car there after placing the first letter under the windshield wipers. I hurried down the sidewalk hoping Miss CF would not see me and snuck through the fence into our backyard. I then called Miss CF and told her that my car had broken down and that I would need her help to drive the car home while I pushed it. I watched her leave the house and then entered the house and placed the final two notes and retrieved the ring. I then sat in the bedroom and waited for her to return. After a longer than anticipated wait and worrying that something terrible had gone wrong, I finally heard the door open and she came in sobbing uncontrollably. I was down on one knee and asked her to marry me. She said yes!

Engaged!

So as you may know from reading my blog, I am engaged! Mr. CF is SO creative, thoughtful, and loving and his proposal reflected those traits beautifully. August 20, 2010 was an amazing day and I will never forget it.

To celebrate, my mom threw us an engagement party in Florida. We had already planned a trip to Orlando to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in early September so it was perfect timing! My mom chose a great restaurant in downtown Winter Park and decided that our party would take place on a Sunday morning and that brunch would be served. I loved the idea!

Below are some of the DIY projects I completed for the party:

Birdcage Card Box and Homemade "Cards" Sign!

Favor Box - Filled with a "Love is Sweet" note and Ferrero Rocher candies!

Some favors had this cute monogram on them (get yours here)

and others had Martha Stewart flower stickers (previous picture).

We had these napkins printed here and they came out great!

Gourmet Cupcakes from Serendipity Sweets in Orlando, Florida. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

My sister bought these for us!

I made these cupcake flags using scrapbook paper, clear beads, and toothpicks (all purchased at Michaels)!

LOVE the bling!

The happy couple! {Photo by The Real Life Mom}

What DIY projects did you take on for your engagement party, shower, or wedding?