MRS. Texas Sass ;-)

If you didn't already know... I'm now a MARRIED woman!! It's weird, I know ;-) And just like everyone tells you, it flies by faster than you could ever imagine.  I keep catching myself staring at photos of me in my dress, and of all my girls and all the decor and of course, my handsome hubby... and I just want to do it all over again!!

I received an abundance of compliments on our wedding... and yes, I'm here to brag that I planned it ALL.  No wedding planner for this girl!! BUT I did have a couple of key people that helped me pull this off and it seriously wouldn't have happened without them!!!  

My floral designs came from Nicole Smedley Event Designs.  Nicole went above and beyond not only with the flowers but also with tons of tiny details to fill in our tables.  I knew as soon as I met Nicole that she had a huge talent and ability to stay focused on the details.  I am a detail person... and I knew I needed very detailed vendors.  If you're planning a wedding, choose vendors that have similar personalities as you.  Because if you care about that tiny little candle holder looking just right, you better pick a vendor that also cares about that tiny little candle holder.  And Nicole was the detailed perfectionist I needed!  

From the very beginning, I showed Nicole some photos from pinterest of table settings and florals I loved.  I even showed her a picture of a specific table cloth I wanted, and a few days later, she had set up an appointment with vendors in the Dallas Design District and took me shopping for my linens! (P.S. I can't tell you how happy this made me.  My background is in Interior Design and I used to spend almost every day shopping the showrooms in Dallas... and I miss it! So this day of shopping took me back and made me feel like I was shopping exactly where I needed to be!  No mediocre linens and design for this Interior Decorator!!) Nicole went so far beyond what you'd expect and she helped me hunt down the exact look I was going for.  And guess what... I can't tell you how many "oh wows" we got over those linens and floral!!

The other huge helper I need to acknowledge and thank is Joanne from the T&P Tavern and Ritzz Catering and Events.  Joanne was my day-of coordinator, as well as handling all of the bar service and appetizers.  But her job was most definitely not limited to helping me on the day-of... she was a integral part of this process and our wedding seriously wouldn't have happened without her!  Joanne coordinated every single vendor delivery and pickup, as well as giving me planning advice throughout. She's the person that noticed all the little details about serving dinner and helped me with final counts and making sure I had rented everything necessary.  She was on her feet for DAYS straight helping me, as well as speaking with all the other vendors to make sure all of my bases were covered.  She is simply AMAZING and I can't even say how much I appreciate her help! 

I will say that I was blessed from above with so many loving people that were dedicated to making our day special.. and it was just that... the most special day I could have asked for!  Our photographer snapped over 1200 pictures and I can't wait to see them!! Until then, I just wanted to take a moment today to say thank you to everyone that helped, especially Nicole and Joanne, for their hard work and focus on making our wedding just the way I pictured it!  

I will have many, many more pictures to come, as well as many more details on the decor and more vendors!  But for today, I just wanted to say thank you and share a couple of details with you (see below)!  I hope you enjoy this sneak peak and I can't wait to share more!

Dress // Sash (custom) // Floral // Table Linen

Chris' Tux

Hey... that's my handsome HUSBAND Chris ;-)  And you can call me Mrs. from now on! CHEERS!

Bride to be!

We're coming up on 2 weeks away!!! AH!! I can't believe how quickly these last few weeks are flying by!  I'm getting so excited for the wedding!  Today I'm sharing some of my favorite pics from my bridal shower a few weeks ago, as well as my full outfit details!  A huge thank you to my Maid of Honor, Kristina, for coordinating everything, and to all of my bridesmaids!  All photography is by my good friend Brandy (Darmon's Photography)

{Outfit details: Skirt // Shirt // Tank // Necklace (similar)}

Happy Friday y'all!!! What are your plans for the weekend?  I'll be continuing the wedding festivities with some bachelorette partying! Can't wait!

Walking in a wedding wonderland

 It's seven weeks until my big day.  Actually, 51 days to be exact! ...according to my wedding website, which, by the way, gives me a heart attack every time I look at it!  I'm deep in planning mode and I'm nailing down all the details for our fancy day!

Today, I wanted to share just a quick couple of tools and resources that I've really found helpful during my planning in hopes that engaged girls will walk away with some advice.  So here we go!

1. Ask yourself "Who do I know?"
When I started planning, I immediately thought of people in my life that I could go to for help.  The adult world is all about networking, and a wedding is the same way.  Who do you know that can help you?  Do you have someone with planning experience?  Do you know someone who does hair?  Do you know a photographer?  Once I started actually brainstorming the people in my life that I knew were somehow related to the wedding industry, I realized how many people I knew that could have a hand in my wedding!  The great thing about this is checking off vendors from your list right away!  I have a great friend that is a photographer, and I know girls from high school who run a family bridal boutique, my Mary Kay director is a makeup artist, and my hair dresser travels and does weddings, I even have a friend that sells jewelry!  When I really thought about it, I had a huge number of vendors that I could already check off my list.  This relieved a lot of stress when it came to attending bridal shows, since I was able to focus on only a few key vendors such as cake and floral.  Not to mention, I'm all about giving friends my business!

2. TheKnot.com
As soon as I was engaged, my photographer told me to register on the theknot.com and she was definitely right!  I've noticed there are lots of websites out there to help with weddings but it seems like the people at The Knot have done it correctly.  You can shop for vendors in your area, shop for everything from your dress to bridesmaid details, as well as utilize tools like their reminder emails, checklists and website builder.

3. Wedding Planning Binders & Books
It's really great having technology and the ability to access websites everywhere we go.  But some people may forget that having a physical place to keep your wedding ideas and info is SO important.  There are lots of choices out there... I actually refrained from buying one right away, because it's often given as an engagement gift nowadays, and yep, I received The Ultimate Wedding Planner & Organizer in the mail from my future sister-in-law.  In the end, it really seemed to be the only binder I needed!  I did purchase one book on my own and that was The Knot Complete Guide to Weddings.  Binders and books like these keep you organized but also have tons of checklists and guides for everything you need!  I might feel like a student again, carrying around my bag of books everywhere I go, but it has been so helpful!


4. Etsy and Pinterest
These tips are probably pretty self-explanatory.  These have been the two greatest inspiration websites in all of my planning.  Pinterest is great for ideas of decor.  This was the most helpful tool when meeting with my floral designer and expressing to her exactly the look I wanted.  It's also fabulous for things like cakes and photography ideas.  Etsy is fabulous for shopping for handmade items and detailed touches.  I have utilized it for things like Save-the-Date cards, invitations, cake toppers and handmade decor details for the reception.

5. Posh Bridal Show
Now, I could just recommend going to any and all bridal shows... and there's nothing wrong with that!  The more shows you attend, the more vendors you'll meet and I'm sure the more ideas you'll get.  But you'll also experience more calls from vendors following up than you may enjoy.  I was lucky enough to run across a local Bridal Show that does it differently.  My first bridal show I attended was the Posh Bridal Show in Fort Worth.  Posh shows are local here in North Texas and they travel to different parts of the metroplex every few months.  I didn't realize at first how different they were until I attended another show a few months later.  Posh Bridal Shows are a boutique-style show, with limited vendors.  Many bridal shows are completely overwhelming; there's dozens of vendors, all trying to grab your attention with prize wheels and deals.  Posh is different.  It was much more relaxed and, in my opinion, tastefully done.  Each vendor was amazing and friendly and you really get to go in depth with them on info.  I really appreciated the controlled environment and the classy feel of the event as opposed to mass chaos that can happen elsewhere.  This show is where I met my floral designer!  And not going to lie, I did enjoy the show a lot considering I ended up being the grand prize winner and receiving a gift from every vendor!  But despite the free stuff, I'd still recommend it as the best bridal show I attended!  I highly recommend shopping around for a smaller, more boutique-style event like this!  You'll surely get more accomplished and walk away feeling informed instead of more confused.

Wedding planning is a little crazy and can be completely overwhelming.  If you're not hiring a planner and doing everything yourself, like me, you need to be organized from day one and you most certainly need to utilize tools like these!  This is what I have found most helpful, and hopefully newly engaged women out there will find me helpful!  Happy planning, y'all!