My Wedding Day: My Dress & All Things BRIDE!

Red Rose & Honey6 Comments
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This is it! Today’s post is my last one planned for my #WeddingWednesdays series. Maybe over the next year I will do a few post-wedding updates.

I have probably said it a million times since the morning of my wedding, but my wedding day was the happiest day of my life! I was smiling from ear to ear from the moment I woke up. I tried my best to soak in every second, especially the sight of MY wedding dress hanging in my bedroom at my parent’s house. The day I picked it up from the dress store the reality of my wedding week set-in. On my wedding day I wanted to feel special and glamours, but I still wanted to feel like myself. I opted for styles and accessories that were true to me. I feel most like myself with my hair down, so that was how I ended up wearing it on my wedding day. My make was classic with just the right amount of glam to me feel extra special.

{January|Make Trial by Lisa|Instagram @M1ssL1saMar1e}

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{July|My first dress fitting}

{October|My last dress fitting}

{Picking up my dress during wedding week}

My dress was by Allure Bridals with custom cap sleeves made by my seamstress. When hemming the bottom of my dress she used the excess lace to make the sleeves and added eyelash hem detail to match the rest of my dress. She also custom made my veil which started out as just a plain tulle veil. To make the satin edge, she took stain from my sash. It all turned out better than I could have imagined. I absolutely loved my dress. Four months later, I still have it hanging in my office. I hope to put it on one more time before I have it boxed. It was my “something new.”

{One of  my favorite candid wedding day pics by my new sissy}

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I wore Badgley Mischka kitten heel pups in ivory for my wedding day. I can honestly say they were very comfy. The low heel made these shoes totally wearable. They were so pretty. I wore my shoes with no problems from about 1:30pm-9pm. I probably could have left them on longer. Earlier in the year for a friend’s wedding I discovered heel stoppers. You put them on the heels of your shoes to prevent from sinking into the grass. I bought them in extra small for these shoes. They make a huge difference in your day! Not only did they keep my heels from sinking into dirt, they kept my shoes clean and made them more sturdy. I highly recommend getting having a few pairs of these in your drawer. Later in the night I changed into platform sandals. I know most are probably thinking platform, foam sandals? Really? But the truth is, the platform makes a big difference! It was easier to slow dance with a little heel and it also kept my dress from dragging.

 My earrings were halo studs from Nordstrom. I rarely wear hanging earrings, so I knew studs were the way to go. I also didn’t want hanging earrings or a necklace to take away from my dress. I wore a simple bracelet from Francesca’s (like this but in silver) that I will definitely be able to wear again. My hair comb was my “something borrowed” that my cousin and MOH wore on her wedding day.

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My nail polish color was OPI Beyond Pale Pink. It took me a good nine months to decide on my nail color. I really think the OPI infinite shine polishes last a long time without chipping and only cost an extra $2 at my salon. I did buy my own bottle for my wedding just in case it chipped (but it didn’t). I wore my favorite go-to lip gloss; Adore U by Clinique. It the perfect pinky-plum color for my lips. I also bought a new perfume that I plan to only wear again for special occasions. Bella by Vince Camuto is very light. I think it has a slight citrus and vanilla scent to it.

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My rings are very special to me. Mike picked out my engagement ring and my wedding band was my grandmother’s. She always dreamed of my wedding, but she passed away a few years ago. I never thought she would miss my wedding day. I think it will always make me sad to know that she wasn’t there. When looking at wedding bands I originally planned to get a thin band to match my engagement ring. The night before I went to go order my band, my mom gave me my grandma’s. We had it fixed up and it’s beautiful. It is a nice complement to my engagement ring and now I feel like I always have part of my grandma with me. Inside my dress my seamstress sewed in a piece of my grandma’s blue shirt. She was my “something old” and “something blue.”

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Professional Wedding Photos by Capture the Moment Studios

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Easy Lemon Garlic Shrimp & Spaghetti

Red Rose & Honey3 Comments

Happy Monday! This weekend flew by and I can’t believe it’s time to start another work week. On the bright side, I have recently began practicing yoga more regularly. Starting my day with yoga definitely makes me feel better {physically and mentally!} Until about a year ago, I was very dedicated to my yoga practice, but it got pushed to the side during house renovations and wedding planning.

Another great way to start the week off on the right food is with meal planning. Today, I am sharing a quick and easy recipe that can be incorporated into busy week nights. Easy recipes like this one make weeknight cooking totally do-able! Just remember to thaw and marinate your shrimp ahead of time {and if you don’t put them in a zip-top bag in a bowl of cool water as you’re prepping}.  You can whip up this meal for two in about 35 minutes or cut the time by skipping the spaghetti and adding more veggies.

Ingredients

15 Medium Shrimp, frozen and thawed

1/2 lb. Gluten-Free Spaghetti

1-2 Cups of Chopped Asparagus

1/8 Cup of Pasta Water

1/2 Small Yellow Onion, chopped

2 Cloves of Garlic, zested

1 Lemon, juice and zest

1/8 Tsp Black Pepper

1/2 Tsp Sea Salt

For the crunchy topping used 1/4 cup or less of  gluten-free panko bread crumbs, grated Parm or Pecorino Romano and a sprinkle of oregano.

Directions

Important Note: You must use an oven safe pan to transfer your dish from stove top to oven broiler.

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil for spaghetti. Cook following instructions on box.

Over medium/low heat, add about 2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil to the pan and sauté onions until translucent and fragrant, about 5 minutes.

Turn heat to low and add garlic. Garlic burns easily, so keep an eye on the pan. You can shut the heat off completely if you’re working to prep the other ingredients on the slow side.

Over medium/low heat add asparagus and cook for about 15 minutes until soft then add lemon zest.

Transfer asparagus mixture to a bowl or push it around the perimeter of the pan to make room for the shrimp. Then place shrimp on each side until they turn from translucent to opaque. It only takes a few minutes per side.

Once shrimp is cooked through toss them with the asparagus, onions, garlic, cooked pasta and lemon juice with about 1/8 cup of water from the pasta pot.

Sprinkle with parmesan and panko bread crumbs then transfer to the broiler for 5 minutes. Finish it off with a sprinkle of oregano.

Easy dinner = DONE!

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Wedding Planning|Giftguide for Parents & Special Guests!

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When it came to wedding gifts for our parents I knew I wanted to get the something special. It was was hard to think of a gift for people who already have it all. I didn’t want the gift to be just another “thing”  to put in their homes. After weeks of brainstorming, the idea finally came to me when I was looking through old photos with my parents. When I was little my mom always had a film DSLR camera there she took everywhere {I later used it for my high school photography classes} so we have a ton of photos. She loved to have her favorites made into 8x10s which really helped me out with this gift idea. Both of my parents happen to point our their favorite picture of me and them. I took the photos home with me to scan to my computer for our DJ slideshow. For their gifts, I scanned their favorite photos to Snapfish and ordered two 11×14 sepia toned canvas prints. They came out great and I was able to use a coupon code to get a good deal!

I wanted to get Mike’s parents the same gift, but unfortunately all of his baby pictures were small and I wasn’t able to get clear scans. His siblings live out of state and since we’ve been together we haven’t had the chance to get many family pictures. We did manage to get a great photo together at our engagement party. I had it made into at 10×25 sepia toned canvas. I love the shape and size of this one. All three canvas’ came out great and our parents loved them. My mom hung hers up as soon as she got home from our rehearsal dinner.

My uncle is an amazing florist. I knew he was going to make our wedding day beyond beautiful and I was right! I LOVED our flowers. They really pop in our photos and we received so many compliments. To thank him and my aunt for all their hard work and generous gift we got them tickets to a Broadway play. Ticket to a show would also be a great gift idea for parents. It just so happens that’ my dad really doesn’t like going to plays {sorry mom}.

We had a few more special guests that we wanted to acknowledge at our rehearsal dinner. My aunt who helped out a lot with my planning along with aunts, uncles and friends who would be reading during our ceremony or singing at our reception. As a little thanks, we got them our favorite bottle of while or a book along with a sweet thank you note. I think the key to wedding gifts is to remember to be simple, practical and thoughtful.

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