This year was amazing. I had lots of things to be grateful for, and one of them is all of you readers! This was my first year to do a blog, and I knew that it would be a huge commitment. I gave it as much love, time and energy as I possibly could, and I’ve loved every minute of it!
Over the last year, these five articles were your favorite. It was so fun to look back and see all your comments and see what you guys liked best!
Even before I got engaged I wondered what style of bride I’d be when the time came. Just like everyday fashion, there are categories like romantic, dramatic, traditional, bohemian, trendy, sexy, and so on. Of course my advice to myself (as well as others) is to be true to me and who I am, but when it comes to style I find myself fitting into all of these categories — it just depends on what day it is!
I narrowed it down to my top five bridal personalities and created a mood board for each style using various dresses, accessories and other items. I am attracted to different aspects in all of them.
Come on, past brides… help me out! How on earth did you decide?! I found this mood board site for inspiration:
When it came to planning my engagement party, I turned to the event executor extraordinaire, Troy Williams of Simply Troy. His parties are always beautifully done, original, extremely thoughtful and most importantly — fun!
We discussed that family & friends were the most important aspect to Brooks and myself when it came to the party. We wanted everyone to be comfortable, excited and have a great time. Our overall goal for the evening was to host a celebration filled with love, good food and cocktails.
The first step was locking down a space and I must say, Troy hit the jackpot when he secured Eric Buterbaugh Florals. It has a stunning rustic outdoor garden and a cool, glamorous indoor gallery. It felt like we were in someone’s beautiful home, which was exactly the vibe we were going for. Once Troy locked down the location, the inspiration started pouring out of him and the party really began to take shape.
Last week Brooks and I celebrated our engagement with a bang! We hosted an insanely fun party for some of our family and friends in LA. There were many choices to be made when it came to planning for the party but the first one that came to my mind was of course, what should I wear?!
I immediately called up my friend and fashion stylist, the wonderful Anita Patrickson. We decided to start looking for a timeless, classic dress that also felt fun and sexy. Anita said her goal was for me to be able to look back at the pictures in 20 years and love them, rather than cringe at a “trend” that was fleeting. Knowing me as well as she does she also knew it was really important to be able to dance up a storm (which we did, obviously) and have a great time in what I was wearing. The less fuss, the better!
We both loved the shape of this dress. It felt very ’90s Kate Moss — cool, sexy and edgy, yet simple and elegant.
Although I knew Brooks was the one the day I met him, I had no idea what to expect as far as when and how he’d pop the question. Well… let me tell you guys, it was magical and sweet. We were at home, romantic and relaxed, which is perfectly very “us.” We stood on the deck, watching the sun set over the lake and listening to our favorite songs. Not even for a second did I expect that beautiful, serene scene was about to become one of the most meaningful moments of our lives. In fact, I was so taken aback when Brooks got down on one knee I completely blacked out! It was like a rush of heat and a wave of uncontrollable emotion swept right through my body. I didn’t have any words at first (me! no words!). All I could do was explode into his arms and experience pure joy from head to toe.
Being engaged didn’t truly hit me until I started saying “fiancĂ©” out loud. “My fiancĂ© loves that song. Let me check my fiancĂ©’s schedule. Have you met my fiancĂ©?” It’s crazy! I have to say, being engaged actually does feel different. There is a sense of strength in us, a feeling of being further grounded but most of all, it just makes me really giddy!
