Amor & Esperanza: August 2012

Writing the anniversary post I started reminiscing about our wedding and what a wonderful day it was. I wanted to take a moment to highlight all of the little details that made our wedding day extra special. For our vendors we used a lot of friends and friends of friends; it ended up working out wonderfully. We had confidence in them because of our personal connection and it made everything seem less business-like. Also, we felt good about supporting local people many of whom were just starting out in the wedding business. If you or anyone you know is wedding planning I highly recommend all of the people we worked with for our big day! :)

Our flowers were done by a friend, Christine Herrman from El Girasol. She did such a fabulous job! I didn't think I cared much about flowers, but she got me really excited about them. The flowers ended up being one of my favorite parts of the wedding decor!

My good friend, Meredith, helped me SO MUCH with all of the decorations. She has a great eye for decorating and event planning so she helped me with a lot of the little touches. Meredith made all of the things you see above AND she worked her butt off the day of helping to set everything up. Thank you Mere! ;) You can see more of her DIY skills on her blog, That's the Plan.

Cold soup shots- Cantaloupe Mint

You probably know how much Dan and I love to eat! Haha :) Luckily we stumbled upon a FABULOUS local caterer- Birchtree Catering. They worked with us to create a unique vegetarian- friendly menu. Also, they helped us be as "green" as possible by suggesting we use compostable, bamboo-pressed dishes and recyclable silverware and cups. In addition to all this, Allegra, our wedding coordinator from Birchtree, helped keep me sane. Not an easy task! ;)

It may come as a surprise to you that Daniel had a hand in a lot of the wedding planning- including the little details! From picking out the music, to suggesting we hang Ball jars from the trees, to staying up until 4 am making the place card holders, he was very committed to making our wedding beautiful! He also chose all of the wine and beer.

got this hanger made on Etsy. i was pretty psyched about it.

I had my influence too. From creating a photo guestbook- full of photos of Dan and me, to designing our program, I was very involved and spent countless hours working on it all. Tracking down sparklers in August is no easy feat! Instead of spending money on favors we decided to donate to an organization we love, Plant With Purpose. I even had the opportunity to meet the founder and director just a month or so before our wedding! (He came to speak to my co-hort at Eastern.) Many thanks to the talented Rachel Applegate for making my dream of a tree guestbook come true! :) As you can see, all of the "leaves" are our guests' fingerprints.

Rachel & Dave singing during the ceremony

Kyle spinning the tunes

We were blessed to have our talented friends, Rachel & Dave Applegate provide live music! And for our friend, Kyle, to serve as a fantastic DJ! Check him out here- KM Music Productions.

I can't forget the amazing dessert! Cupcakes by Kristen at Eat Dessert First. They were to die for! I actually saw some people fighting over how many cupcakes they could take. Lol! Oh how I wish I had one right now... Maybe next year! Ours were Reese's Peanut Butter Cup.

we originally wanted to get married in a vineyard.
it didn't work out, but there were beautiful grapes at our venue!

Where did I get the gorgeous flower? Target!

Some other details that I loved. Last, but not least I can't forget our amazing photographer, Brae Howard, who gets full credit for all of these awesome shots. Plus, our insanely talented videographers from Exhale Productions.

Thank you to everyone who made our wedding day perfect! If you want to see more check out our wedding video clip by Exhale Productions below! Here's to one year and hopes for many, many more!

I can hardly believe it, but today marks ONE YEAR since Daniel and I tied the knot! :) I think we both expected our first year of marriage to be an adventure, but I don't think either of us expected it to be this much of an adventure. Two international moves, new jobs, adopting a puppy, dealing with sickness, multiple transitions and so much more, this year has truly been a whirlwind. Even though at times it has been tough, I am grateful that Dan and I have had each other through it all. I can truly say that marriage and all the transitions have only brought us closer. It has helped strengthen our relationship and our faith. I am grateful to be with the one I love through the highs, the lows, and all the in-betweens. As we grow closer I see new things in Dan and thank God for giving me someone that balances me out so well! He is optimistic, understanding, and adaptable just to name a few of the traits I love. Also, he is an A-mazing cook! I am so spoiled... heehee. It has been awesome watching Dan fall in love with international living and in my moments of doubt, he has helped remind me why we are here. Cheers to our first year of marriage! I love you Daniel. This is just the beginning... ;-)

Here are some of my favorite shots from our wedding day! Photos courtesy of the very talented Brae Howard Photography.