Engagement Picture Props

Time for Engagement Pictures!

Needless to say, I have body issues, and I did not want pictures of myself looking the way I currently do.  I tried crash dieting, and attempted to exercise (emphasis on attempted).  However, there seemed to be no need!

The pictures and the experience were amazing!  I am so happy with everything that I accomplished and am thrilled with the results.

The first thing we did was book a photographer that we liked.  Luckily, my future mother in law is an amazing woman who found and booked Mariano Friginal, our photographer.  If you click on his name, you will see how amazing he is!

I then set about making different props for the session.  I knew that I wanted a wooden "N" (for my future last name!) and then a few other things to have fun with.  I made a trip to Michael's once again, and bought a few things.  I found my wooden "N" which happened to already be finished and in white.  I then picked up a pack of three canvas's (the cheep ones that are just on cardboard, not wrapped).  To help me decorate and add a little fun, I bought a stencil of a rose.  Because I recently moved, I had to buy a few new paints and paint brushes, but luckily I always go for the cheap ones!

I then worked on my props.  For the "N" I stenciled on the rose, taping it down and then dabbing the paint and never, ever, brushing it across.  To make the pink rose stand out, my bridesmaid and roommate Vanessa suggested that I paint some of the grey in between the petals.  Check it out!

I then painted the three canvases with things that would be cute for our Save the Dates.  With the first one, I wanted to play with the background so I added some gold to the grey and pink.  I then painted "save the date" which I thought might be cute for the pictures.

Of the three it is definitely not my favorite, pretty much because of the background, but I still like it.

From there I went with a more simple background and just painted a large pink heart.  

Instead of being obvious and writing "love" I put the date of the wedding as a cute touch.  (These pictures were going to be used for our save the dates by the way!)

Now it is time for my favorite!  I took the same rose stencil that I used on the "N" and started dabbing light pink paint, placing the stencil in random places.  

Next I traced out "love" in cursive and painted it thick in a dark gray.  

I really like how this one turned out and was excited to use it in the engagement pictures!

Hopefully you like them!

Will You Be My Bridesmaid?

Choosing a bridal party can be fun and if you're like me, you have had them picked out well before the proposal! When it came to actually asking my girls, I wanted to do something special.

A while ago I had seen a post on one of my favorite wedding blogs (besides this one) a really cute way to ask them. It was a wooden box that said "be my maid?" and inside was a bunch of little notes all about the wedding and bridal party.

I knew that I had wanted to do something of that sort, but wanted them to be able to use the boxes again so I set out to make mine a little bit more personal.

I started off with who would be in my bridal party and what role they would play. I decided on my sister as my maid of honor, my best friend, cousin and sorority sister as bridesmaids and then my fiancé's two cousins as honor attendants.  I wanted his cousins to be involved and thought that this would be a cute way for them to participate by helping guests to their seats, taking care of the gifts and reading scripture passages during the ceremony and such.

So anyways, I made a trip to Michael's Craft Store and got my supplies. Four hinged, medium sized wooden boxes, and two hinged, smaller wooden boxes. I then picked up craft paint in the wedding colors (I always go with the cheapest ones I can find).

I then found pretty scalloped cards that I printed all of the information from what their duties will include (keeping it positive), to a cute little bit of info about each of "my girls."

Michael's also has a bridal section so I picked up some fun goodies to put inside that matched the fun and pretty colors that I chose.  I included fun beads, a button that says "official wedding party member," a bottle of Essie nail polish in "ballet slippers," and pieces of an artificial, pink hydrangea.

Once I started on this project, I just could not stop!  I enjoy being crafty and this was right up my alley.  In order to make each one personal, and give them the chance to re-use the boxes, I painted their names in script on the top.

Needless to say, they were a big hit, and each girl said "Yes" the moment they saw the first little note.  I am so glad that I did this and it was totally worth all of the time, money (not that much) and effort!

So know that these are easy to make and a ton of fun for all of your girls!  If you would like for me to make you some, just let me know!

Where and When?

Our first step was to pick a date, and find a location.  Because I am a teacher, I knew that I wanted to have the wedding some time before school started again.  August 11th sounded like the perfect date so that I will be able to spend all summer planning the wedding and still have time to enjoy a honeymoon!

Looking all over Southern California we stumbled upon an amazing location to have our ceremony and reception.  The drive alone to Laguna Beach was gorgeous.  We arrived at the Hotel Laguna and Sarah, the catering manager was so incredibly sweet and welcomed us with warmth and excitement!  The ceremony and cocktail hour takes place in a beautiful rose garden with a wonderful white gazebo.

We then walked down stairs to the reception hall and I was completely in love!   As I walked down the steps, through the big beautiful windows, all that I could see was the ocean.  Right outside is the beach and not even 10 yards away is the water.  It is a beautiful location and will be a great place to share such a special day with the people we love!

Wedding Website

The Engagement

Engagements can range from a casual agreement, to the ultimate surprise and as long as love is involved, it makes for an amazing story.  Luckily I am able to have one of those wonderful stories!

For four years I was dating the most incredible, generous and hilarious man that I have ever met.  He treats me like a princess and no matter what as my best interest at heart, even when I do not want to hear it!  After meeting at UCLA our sophomore year of college, we immediately clicked.  Our first date was the first day of our junior year and we never looked back!

On the day of my 25th birthday, Ted took me around to my favorite places in Los Angeles with a surprise stop at the end.  When I opened my eyes, after a confusing car ride, we were at the place where it all started!  He walked me up to the front of Royce Hall at UCLA and got down on one knee.  It was a beautiful moment and he made it all the more special by proposing at the very place that brought us together!

It is so easy to find love and romance in every moment, and this proposal was incredible!