Life. Love. Lipstick.

There are times when I am too tired (lazy) to do a full wedding post.  This is one of those times.  I feel guilty about it though, because this wedding and its photographer really deserves a big post.  it is really a unique and relaxed and intimate wedding, shot sooo beautifully.

Erin and Jeremiah’s wedding was shot by the FANTABULOUS Amelia Lyon.  Definitely check out the full post here, as well as the rest of her blog posts!

This is a new photographer for me, and I have to say  - I love her already!

I’m sure you all know by now that I love a small, intimate wedding.  This one, held on a beach in North Carolina, is simply beautiful.  LOVE IT!

There are plenty more images on Mary’s blog… definitely check that out!

Well, I am still really confused about what we are going to do.  We decided to have an intimate wedding where we live, and even made our guests lists, totaling 48.  Then, however, we decided that we want to get married THIS YEAR.  yes, this year that is halfway over.  We are in no financial position to have a wedding on that scale on such short notice.  Now begins Project Scale-Down.

Eloping seems like the obvious choice here.  Very little expense, easily done on very short notice.  Something inside me is nagging to have someone present, though.  To keep things small, and to keep me relaxed, it needs to be very few people.  At this moment, I am really feeling pulled toward eloping.  Tomorrow, I may wake up and be ready to pare down the guest list to the bare minimum.  It’s just such a stressful task for me.  It was hard enough to get to 50.

We really want to get married in October, so I better figure things out quickly!

This is it! This is exactly what I envision for my own wedding – intimate, cozy, us. And ideally, in my own home. Kudos to Merry and Mark for pulling off a wonderfully personal affair. Merry even made her awesome dress and the cake!

See the blog post in its entirety here.

Note to Our Labor of Love: Seriously, now… you’re just showing off! The beautiful imagery you consistently create? Ridiculous.

I posted recently that Dustin and I finally got engaged. Now comes the fun part…. the planning!

I have put off posting about this, because since we first started talking marriage over a year ago, we (okay, I, considering Dustin has expressed several times that he can go either way happily) have gone back and forth about whether we should elope or have a wedding with guests. As with any major decision, there were multiple pros and cons for both choices.

As for eloping, it keeps costs way down, meaning we can afford the most important element to me, a good photographer. It also means that I don’t get caught up in inviting Aunt Ingrid and her family out of politeness, my college roommate because I was invited to hers, and my friend who lives down the street. Ok, so none of these situations are anything I’m dealing with, nor do I know anybody named Ingrid. However, there are similar issues with the guest list if we chose to invite guests. Eloping also means that the focus stays where it should- on the fact that we have chosen to live our lives together as husband and wife, instead of on linens, favors, registries, and buffet vs. plated dinner. Honestly, I think one of the biggest things for us is that eloping means we can get married very soon. There are other positive points for eloping, but those are the big ones for me.

Eloping is certainly not without cons. I would hate to wake up in 3 years wanting to have a vow renewal (which are completely ludicrous, i’ll post about that another time) because I really wish I had gotten to have the whole wedding experience. Also, I am completely enamored with weddings and all the love that surrounds you on your day. As I mentioned in a previous post, I long for the emotion of the wedding day. I want to share that day with those who have either shaped me to be the person Dustin chose to marry, or have played a part in our relationship. I think it’s becoming obvious as I type this that I have made the right choice for us… we’re having a wedding.

Now, as a compromise between a wedding and elopement, we’re having a VERY small, intimate wedding. This ensures that we’ve invited only those we can’t imagine the day without, and that costs stay down. I still don’t think we’ll be able to afford our dream photographer, but we’ll see. I’m just thrilled to have something to go on! Right now we’re thinking next spring for a date. First things first though… I have to move 500 miles so I can finally live with the love of my life!

Be still, my heart.

I. adore. small. weddings.  I have a true appreciation for an intimate, simple, and chic affair.

This is what I would ideally do for my own wedding.  Very few guests, simple setting and attire, gorgeous photography.

Thanks to the fantastic Karla Fountain for always giving me something beautiful to gaze upon!

and as a mother, I can truly appreciate a finger-up-the-nose shot…

Please go view the rest on Karla’s blog!