Thank You !

Last but not least don't forget to thank your vendors. If for no other reason just send them a small thank you note, or a simple shout-out on social media works too. When I say vendors I mean businesses like your photographer, your caterer, videographer,  event planner, and the others that offered their services.  

Below are some of the shots from our photographer, which by the way was so incredible, that I can't even put into words. 

KD Photography

Photo: KD Photography

Photo: KD Photography

Photo: KD Photography

Photography: KD Photography

Photo:  KD Photography 

Make sure you have a photographer that shoots every little detail.  There was funny story behind this bottle that I remembered only when I saw this photo. - Photo: KD Photography

I also would like to thank our caterer for their extremely dedicated service.  If you are in the Northwest Arkansas sometime swing in and check them out. 

Pit Masters BBQ 

Photo: KD Photography

Photo: KD Photography

So that pretty much sums up our wedding journey, so you can stay tuned to see what might be coming next.... Don't forget you can follow along so you don't miss anything.

The Honeymoon...

Things are starting to settle down after the honeymoon, and we are slowly returning to life as a newly wed couple.   We are still living somewhat out of suitcases and other things but we are enjoying every minute of it. For the honeymoon, we decided on Playa de Carmen, Mexico.  (This might be a rather long post, but well worth a look, especially if you plan on visiting). We did some research an chose to stay at the Viva Wyndam Aztec.....an experience we will never forget.

Inside of the hotel 

Grounds of the Hotel 

More from the hotel.

The lounge at Viva Wyndam Aztec. 

We were on the third floor, with no elevator.  But the climb wasn't that bad. 

Outside the hotel. 

Then there was the food: 

This is something that I could not possibly put into words - 

The above and below was diner one evening.

This was breakfast.

Of course there was more, and I took pictures of pretty much everything, but you get the idea. 

Then there was there entertainment:

Of course, first there was the beach where we spent most of our time -

Looking up to the resort.

And the excursions...

Cenote Ik kil - Yucatan, Mexico

Cenote Ik kil - Yucatan, Mexico

 Valladolid -  Church of Saint Servatius 

The Market in Playa del Carmen. 

 Chichen Itza Mayan Ruins

Chichen Itza

Temple of the Warriors or Temple of the Thousand Columns - Chichen Itza

Chichen Itza

Chichen Itza

And this was the end.  We were pretty worn out by the time we returned, but it was well worth the trip!

Wedding Blessings!

Photo from Pixabay

These are some of the versus that week looked at for our ceremony...

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Isaiah 62:5

As a young man marries a young woman, so will your Builder marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.

Joshua 24:15

But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

Genesis 2:24 

 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

Ephesians 5:25
 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

Proverbs 19:14
 House and riches [are] the inheritance of fathers: and a prudent wife [is] from the LORD.

1 Corinthians 13:4-13 

 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant ⁵ or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;^{[a] 6} it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
⁸ Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰ but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. ¹¹ When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. ¹² For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
¹³ So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Proverbs 31:10

"An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels."

1 Peter 4:8

"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins."

1 John 4:7

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 

The Hashtag

Courtesy of Pixabay

We did choose a #hashtag for our wedding, simply because we wanted to be able to see all of the pictures that were taken at the wedding.  Granted, you will probably never get to see all of them, but we wanted as many as we could.
     Of course, not many people anymore use disposable cameras, and when they did it cost an arm and a leg to get them developed.  With social media, it comes pretty simply to get your hands on more pictures than your photographer may not get.
 So with that being said,  we decide to create our own make-shift photo booth and we will  have people use our hashtag.  So I would recommend at least picking out some short of hashtag to use.  (Note:  Keep it short and simple)  Then you can simply comb your social media sites and collect them . I, being one that still prints pictures, was not to fond of the disposable camera option.  If you would like, I did a post not too long ago, about why I still print pictures.

Back to Printing

So. In conclusion, create a short and sweet hashtag that you can use to get the most out of your pictures.  And, if your like me and still print, there will always be a photo book to look at years down  the road.  Cause we all know that VCR's will last forever, just like Facebook right?

The List...

This might be one of the regrets that I have so far. While I am typing, the current bride to be, is off at the wedding shower.  Just about a year ago after we became engaged, we started to put together a guest list.  During this last year we have added guests, and even as we are approaching crunch time we are still adding.  We have already received several gifts in the mail from those who are unable to make it, and it is becoming more difficult to keep track of the guests, RSVP's, thank you's, and the gifts.

Some will give gifts, at the bridal shower, some at the wedding, and so will even send them in the mail to your home.

My regret so far is that we didn't create some sort of spreadsheet.  Of course, you have a list of names, but if you have access to an Excel program, I would highly recommend creating some sort of spreadsheet to house all of this information. This way you can keep track of names, addresses, gifts they have given, thanks you's.

This is the only regret so far, but I think it would have been well worth it if we would had a spreadsheet to go off of.

The Registry...The fun Part!

Courtesy of Pixabay

Like everything that we have done for this wedding, we did our research for our wedding registry.  Everything seems pretty consistent between testimonies that we read, and the places that we registered.  If you are inviting 250 people to the wedding. you should assume that most people would but several gifts each. Example:  If you list a several cooking utensils, someone is likely to but them all.  (Depending on the price range of your gifts). We registered for items from very inexpensive to larger items, such as luggage and appliances.  Just a few things to remember:

• Include lots of variety. 
• Take into consideration that some of the items you register for may be seasonal, and you might have to update it several times. Our engagement lasted a year, so as we added to the guest list we also added to the registry.  
• Keep in mind that you most likely will not get everything on your registry.  The important thing to remember is that these people are your close friends and family, and they are here to share in your joy.  Don't make them feel like an very expensive gift is a cover charge to get into your wedding.  
• Some people prefer gift cards rather that something on the registry.  This gives you options.  
• Some places we found will give you a discount on items that were not purchased after the wedding.  This is something to ask the venue or outlet that you register at.
• Some of the things that we registered for were things that were just a mere update of what we already had.  
• Don't overwhelm your guests either.  When you have a guest list of 200-250 people, no one wants to scroll through 800 items that you registered for.  
• Don't forget the THANK YOU notes.  (It makes all the difference!)   

This is the rather fun part of the adventure, but don't overdue it or not enough.  It's too easy to let your frustrations run away with you, just relax and enjoy it!  It will all be worth it in the end.  AND the best best part is that you might get a new Crockpot!

There are many weddings out there...this is just ours!

How we chose a wedding photographer...

This is solely based on how we chose a photographer for our wedding day.  I realize that there are thousands of lists that couples work through in order to narrow it down, but this pertains more to what we wanted. 

• Know what it is that you are looking for on your wedding day.  Do you want just several pictures, with two hours or so of coverage;  or are you wanting to document the entire day.  
• Do you have a large wedding party or a small wedding party. 
• What are you willing to spend?
• Do you want edited pictures, or non-edited pictures? ( You might be surprised when you look around the number of people that want strictly pictures from the camera).
• Do you want someone that prints the pictures for you, or are you looking for a CD so that you can print your own pictures?
• Are you wanting a photographer that offers, add-ons? (i.e - free guest book, printed canvas, wedding album, video)  
• Do you want bridal portraits, or engagement photos? - in most cases you can find a photographer that does both.  
• Do you want one, or more photographers, to cover your day?

These are just some of the questions that we covered before we made a decision.  We looked around in the areas and selected about four that interested us.  We looked at their work, pricing, do they have a website?, and especially reviews.  Don't hesitate to ask another wedding couple who photographed their day. Lastly, DON'T go with someone for the simple fact that they are cheap.   If you are on a more confined budget, continue to research who is around you, and share with the prospects what types of services they would offer for what you are willing to pay.  You might be surprised.  Please DO NOT throw yourself at the first person that offers you a $100 deal for the entire day! You will most likely regret it.

Remember to book early!  Most photographers book over a year in advance.  If your day is planned for early spring/summer that becomes PRIME TIME!!!

YOUR TIP HERE:  Research, research, research!  Read, ask questions, and don't be afraid to tell people what you are looking for.  

P.S. - I will share with you after the wedding who we chose.  I'm sure if you are from the NWA area you know who they are...it may start with KD!

Valentine' s Weekend

This was our weekend.  We just stayed simple this year, but it was a great weekend nonetheless.  We started with a 5K run on Saturday morning, and Sunday with dinner, making invitations, and a Jenga game that she had made for me.  

Here's you tip:  Never let a good chance to document/photograph a moment get away.  It will give you something to look back on  years in the future. Also, don't forget to print the pictures. Currently, I am racking up a collection of photo albums that I know I will get some use out of.   (If you'd like, you can search the post about why I have gone back to printing.)   

Click on the link entitled "Our Wedding" on the right side under topics, and follow our journey.  

This was our weekend!

Our Superbowl 

This was the first time in a long time that both of us stayed at home and watched the game.  Usually we are attending a party of some sort, but this year we kept it simple. As you can see from below, this was our living room for the weekend.  

It was an endless sea of mason jars, ribbon, and little plastic flowers.  Like I have said before. anything that you are able to do by yourself, Go For It!

Do some research, and find out what others have done for their wedding, and make sure that yours is something that you want to do. If you need help go to Google, and search "wedding regrets".  We asked several married couples how they would do it different, and read several articles about things that couples wished they had done.  In the beginning we decided against have a videographer, after some reading and conversation we decided to have one.  We have camcorder, gave it to someone who knows how to use it, and away we go!  We decided that we just wanted a simple video, nothing fancy, just footage of the wedding.  With all the gadgets and apps out there now, there are plenty of options to make in your own.  (My next post I will write why we decided against a fancy video)

Wedding Projects

I'm going to go out on a limb here:

I think it's safe to say that 85% of the work that goes into a wedding, is work that you can do yourself.  This is the beginning of one of my many wedding projects that would most likely save you some dough!  Etsy and Pinterest will become your best friends when it come to saving a quick buck. 

Here's your tip:

Do some research. and find what it is that you can do yourself rather that to pay someone a substantial amount of money to do for you. Again, trust me on this.... a little wood stain on anything will work wonders!  This wood was at Lowe's for about 3$ -  I'll keep you posted on the final project.  Stay tuned!

Remember:  You can click on the "Our wedding" link to the right under "Topics", and follow along...

Don't come between a women and her shoes

This is probably along the lines of "don't come between a man and his grill."  In fact, I'm sure it is.  It is probably in the males best interest not to come between the shoes that your bride chooses. I suggested flip-flops, and well, that wasn't even an option. If I say it once, I will most likely say it thousands more times.  When you are planning your wedding 
"GET AS MUCH AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN OUT OF THE WAY, AND DON"T SAVE ANYTHING UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE." (From a male perspective, it will save you a lot of anger, frustration, and arguments)


(Below) is our wedding binder that she dug up, smashed full of notes, lists, and lists of things to do about our lists. She purchased it for probably $20 bucks, and both of us would be list without it. 

***HERE'S YOUR TIP*** 
It doesn't have to be a fancy binder, but you should have something to keep notes and contacts in.  Weddings get expensive, deposits are put down, and time is precious....on that note, people get confused, things get lost, and life happens.  You certainly don't want hard-earned money walking out the door! (Especially if you have a large wedding party)  - Trust me! You will thank me later!
Let her do most of the planning, and you can concentrate on what to drink at the reception, and the BACHELOR PARTY!

The Tux and the Music

@ Beau's Tuxedos 

This was by far the best way to try on a tux! Ha! No joke though, if you go with the traditional tux in your wedding the worst thing that you can do is wait until the last minute.   We just happen to find an excellent deal at Beau's Tuxedos in Fayetteville, AR. 

BEAUS-TUXEDOS

For the music, we chose something off the beaten path.  Way off the path.  We decided that we didn't want our first song to be something that everyone else danced too at other weddings that they attended.  So, we opted for a song that had some meaning to it.  If you attend then you will find out, but if not I will always share later. 

Remember: Click on the link entitled "Our Wedding" on the right side under topics, and follow our journey.  

Our Wedding Remix...

Courtesy of pixabay.com

I have decided that in just 3 shorts months that we will be married, so I am going to try my best to document the rest of the process.  Most all of the bigger things are taken care of, so as someone has already put it the rest is just the meat and taters! Stayed tuned, I'm sure that this will be a fun ride for all involved. 
Click on the link entitled "Our Wedding" on the right side under topics, and follow our journey.  

Wedding 2016!

As we venture into the wedding process. we realized how expensive that it can be.  It's the little things that can make a wedding special, such as this.  There are options out, you just have to look for them.  We bought this sign off Etsy for about $20, and it really included the smaller things in our life.