End of the Engagment

Well, Blogland, my sister arrived last night. She, myself and one of my other Bridesmaids polished off 2 bottles of wine, so it looks like this week is off to a great start ! LOL

By the time I post again on this blog, I plan to be hitched. So this is technically ......... the end of the engagement.  I have honestly enjoyed a lot of this wedding planning & I am so excited to see everything come together this week. I will be back to share after the weddinging/honeymoon & a nice little break.

Just wanted to share a few of our engagement pics that were taken a few months ago.

Thoughts ? Comments ? Questions ?


Beautifully Complex

Wedding Week Randoms !

Well I am in the single digits baby !  I am literally a week away from the big day. I have a little nervous excitement and am just anxious for the day to get here. My mind is all over the place, here are some randoms.....

• My sister is flying to Houston this weekend so she can ride to New Orleans with us. She has been the biggest help in this planning process. I am so excited about spending some alone adult time with here. It has been a long time since we have done that.

• I go pick up my wedding dress today at lunch time.  Insert huge smile :)

• I have promised him that our wedding will start on time. He is a stickler for time & I on the other hand am not. LOL But I do know that even if those other chicks are not ready, I will be & I will be on time ! Believe that.

• I really love the website, The Knot. It is an awesome resource. It has helped me with so much of my planning. I must admit that I did get wedding fever that I did not expect. I got pulled in, I don't really regret it just want to acknowledge it. LOL I see how weddings have become such big business.
  
  
  
• I can also admit a little wedding planning fatigue these last couple of weeks. I am ready to get it done. I do want the day to be special & I hope that everything we have planned is enjoyable and meaningful to our guests who are traveling so far.But I am so ready to be finished & married and honeymooning.

• Speaking of honeymoon. We are going to Destin, Florida. They have some of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. (If you are curious, Google some images). We discovered it on a whim on our trip to Florida 2 years ago & decided to head over there for a few days after we leave New Orleans.

• My former Pastor is flying to New Orleans to marry us.  I adore he and his wonderful wife and so appreciate all they have done for me. This is the Pastor under whom I grew the most spiritually. I met them over 15 years ago when I first moved to Texas. They sent us a marriage workbook that he wrote & uses to counsel couples. We had to read and answer questions.  They even coordinated our pre-marital counseling meetings around his busy schedule and we met in Houston a couple of times for sessions with them both. 

• We just  found out  this week that one of my loves Uncles and one of my Aunts are not going to make it to the wedding due to some health issues that have arisen. This is AFTER flights have been booked & rooms are paid for. We are so very disappointed, worried and concerned all rolled into one.  Our families are worried too because all of their siblings respectively are going to be in New Orleans this coming week, while they are having procedures and recovering, so it is very tenuous, scary & stressful. I am trying to just pray & not worry. Please pray for my family & for traveling grace.

• I just decided last week that I am taking an extra week of vacation,so this has been hell week trying to get my desk prepared for someone else to take over. But I have promised myself to let it go after today & not worry. Whatever is undone will be handled. Period. Boy am I looking forward to this huge break from work.

 


What is going on random with you ?

Thoughts ? Comments ? Questions ?

Beautifully Complex

The Art of Love

A couple of weeks ago, my friends in Houston came out to help me celebrate my upcoming wedding. My wonderful Bridesmaids who live here, hosted me and several friends at Pinot's Palette.  I was super excited as this is a place I have literally been trying to go to for almost 3 years !

My lovely Bridesmaid

Me & my cousin

Painting with a purpose

The theme of the shower was, " The Art of Love" and I must say I truly felt loved on this day. I have wonderful friends who care for me.  The two Bridesmaids who hosted brought a nice spread of food, decorated the place and paid the fee for all of my guests to paint. My guests bought plenty of wine for us to share & I got some lovely gifts that I will enjoy on my honeymoon.  I ended up putting my painting up in my utility room. It really looks nice there.

A nice spread

My beautiful hostesses !

Having a blast

We had a really cool instructor who was funny & cool. As the wine flowed, we got a little rowdy and a little risqué and she hung right in there with us. We got to bring in our own music, so you know it was going down ! We had a nice little private party.

Me & another girlfriend

Yummy Cupcake- Wedding Cake Flavor

I was giving her tips on the technique

The finished product !

More good friends !

Showing off our artistic talent

Of course all of the Wineaux's in the house had to keep the party going !  We left there & because we were not ready to go home ended up at the Tasting Room & did some " Patio Parlaying "  into the early evening with more wine & more laughs. I had a very nice time.

Have you ever been to one of the paint & wine places popping up all over the country ?




Thoughts ? Comments ? Questions ?


Beautifully Complex

The Perfect Gift

I really love creativity and well thought out gifts. When you can tell that someone went out of their way to do something tailored to you, it really means something.

Two of my Aunts got me the sweetest most thoughtful gift. The theme of the Bridal shower was " Recipe for Romance"

They bought me a beautiful Hope Chest filled with all kinds of  stuff.....

A frame with our "Save the Date" inside

Box full of Love !

A bag of poems

There was so much stuff that I didn't have time to go through it while at the shower, but when I got home & examined it more closely, I was very touched by their thoughtfulness.

All of my recipes for romance..............

The box was filled with a snuggle throw, champagne flutes, candles, chocolate, a bottle of champagne & a few extra surprises.....,

But the most touching thing was all of the poems and words of wisdom concerning marriage that they included in the multiple envelopes.

I know how to follow a recipe !

Heartfelt words from both my Aunts....

The last part was funny. I didn't get it at first. They referred to an ICE Pack & my imagination went wild. LOL What they were referring to was "In Case of Emergency " and all else fails........

HA ! It was a football & an nightie in the form of a referee shirt, an Officiant hat & a whistle to call a flag on the play ! LOL. My intended is a huge football fan, so this was a good joke as to how I could most definitely get his attention in the event of a crisis.

It was too cute.  I really appreciated all of the time & effort they put into creating  a gift that was meaningful that I will use for years to come.


Have you gotten any creative gifts lately ?

What is the best gift you ever received ?

What is the best gift you have ever given to someone ?

Thoughts ? Comments ? Questions ?


Beautifully Complex