Time To Find A Home

Nathan and I are currently on the hunt for our first place as a married couple! It’s a fun and crazy time as we look for our many options.

We have found that this is definitely the most fun process for us! It gets us excited for life together and what’s in store for our future. Yes, we know it will be more than excitement and a lot of stress when it comes to bills and just being adults but we can’t wait. It’s a little glimpse into what it will look like being together and getting to start our own traditions as a married couple and preparing to start our own family.

Yesterday as Nathan and I left this apartment complex, he got very real with me. He isn’t normally the type to get emotional but as I was talking to him I just looked at him in the eyes and saw him tear up a little bit. He just explained to me how excited he is. We’re incredibly thankful and so blessed to be able to do this together at this time of our lives. Not a day goes by that we aren’t thankful for everything God has provided and given us clarity about.

As we go through these different apartment complexes, we’re paying attention to every little detail. What will be the best functionality, have the best space, the greater closet size ;), cabinet and counter space, etc. Will an apartment be perfect? No, but we want to make sure we make the best decision as this will be where we stay for at least a year as we save up for a house.

What do we choose? One bedroom or two bedroom? Well, we’ve decided that’s solely based on the pricing difference for what comes available in January. If a two bedroom is slightly higher than the price of a one bedroom, we will for sure be going with a two bedroom. Plus we will no doubt love to have that extra closet space… hehe 😉

As of now we are pretty much set on one apartment complex but will be keeping an eye out for other options. With this specific place, it has a great location near the highway for easy access for us during the week for work. That was a pretty important thing for us. Nathan travels all over the state of Georgia and highway access for him is pretty much a necessity. As for me, it’s definitely a great thing as I commute to work every morning and make my way to the square.

Do you guys have any tips for us as we go on the hunt for our first place? We’re open to many tips, tricks and suggestions!

I can’t wait to share more with you guys as we continue to go through this process!

*The photos below are the living space of one of the apartments we checked out yesterday. It was for sure one of our favorites we have looked at in terms of floor plans. Definitely liking the size of a two bedroom!

I Said Yes To The Dress!

Where do I even begin to talk about this experience? For me, trying on dresses was something I always dreamed about. Something I just couldn’t wait for. I loved watching other people find their dream dress! But now, it was my turn and the pressure was on.

I had an idea of what I wanted my dress to look like and that’s all I could envision while at the bridal boutiques. Most dresses that I did try on were nothing like what I pictured. I had a hard time finding exactly what I envisioned.

When going to the last two bridal boutiques I was finally finding dresses I truly loved. This only made it harder for me. At one boutique there were easily four dresses that I was having a hard time deciding from. I just loved each and every one of them. They were all so different too. The one dress that I was sure was the one made everyone cry. I thought I finally had the one. Well I didn’t end up saying yes to that dress because I just needed to go to one more place and see what they had.

Right after that appointment my mom, my best friends mom, sister and I headed to the other boutique right down the road to see what they had. This store is where my sister picked her dress and where I got my past prom dresses. So it definitely was a place to check out!

When we got there I walked straight back and picked up two dresses to try on. They caught my eye and it was the exact style I had been looking for. When I put the first dress on I just knew. This was it. You really do just have a certain feeling when you find your dress. It was what I was waiting for. You couldn’t slap that smile off my face. 

Shortly after all the smiles the tears came. Happy tears for sure. It was in that moment that I knew I found the one. After you put on a veil with the dress, it definitely solidifies everything.

I didn’t purchase the dress that night because I wanted to bring my fiancés mom back to see the dress before I was totally ready to say yes.

The day we went back there were a ton of girls trying on prom dresses. Well when I officially said yes to the dress one of the employees had me stand on the runway in the middle of the store and shouted out that I said yes to the dress. Talk about all eyes on you! Everyone started clapping and my mom started bawling in tears.

I am so in love with the dress I picked and it’s everything I envisioned and more! I can’t wait to walk down the aisle and see Nathan’s face when he sees me in it for the first time.

 

The Perfect Venue

My favorite part of planning a wedding is most definitely finding the dream venue. I think booking the venue is easily the best but most stressful part. I have always dreamed about my wedding and wanting it to be the most special day. I was so excited to start touring venues but I always had one in mind that I knew I wanted more than anything and that made looking at other venues extremely hard.

I figured that if I found a venue that was all around a perfect place, then I wouldn’t have to worry much about dećor because the setting would be just enough! Working in the wedding business has made it quite difficult to go somewhere without nit picking everything. I find myself doing that when I go to other weddings too!

Can you guess what venue we picked?!

Callanwolde Fine Arts Center

This venue was one that I worked at a few months back and one I kept in mind. I loved the history of the building and how beautiful it was! It was definitely a dream being on the property. The photos are from the day I worked. The atrium is where the reception was held and it was so cute and once we had all the decor up it looked so dreamy. This was definitely a venue to keep in mind!

Little River Farms

This venue was one that I kept seeing pictures of and was obsessed. I loved the modern look of the reception space and the elegance of it. When I had the opportunity to work there I immediately took it! I was so anxious to see a space that I had only seen in pictures. I loved the reception space and the gazebo was really cute for the ceremony. I went back a few weeks later to tour with my mom and Nathan’s mom so they could see the venue too!

The Greystone Estate

Greystone was easily a venue in my top three. It is fairly close to home and I loved working with the owners. I had a good relationship with the husband and wife and that made me feel like it was definitely somewhere I wanted to hold our wedding because I knew I would be treated right. Words can’t express how much I love how different the venue is and its setting overlooking the mountains! It’s dreamy for sure!!

 

Foxhall Resort

Legacy Lookout is one of the venue locations on site. I loved how many people the venue could hold and everything about the building. It was a rustic elegance and I really loved the look! The beams in the reception area were a selling point for me!

The Stables have a history to them and that’s something I loved. This is where the horses from the 1996 olympics came and trained! How cool! A few years ago the building was renovated and made into an event venue. I loved the wood floors and the shiplap throughout the building! I really liked that there was a back up spot to hold a ceremony if the weather were to change. The outside arbor is my favorite! There is something so elegant about this beautiful venue!

I kept telling myself through out this process that I wouldn’t lose sight on what this is all really about. Our covenant with God. We can all easily lose sight and get overwhelmed with planning a wedding. It really makes me sad that having a wedding is all about the money. Who can spend the most money on a single day. Is it special? Yes. But forgetting what this is all really about has happened a few times and I have to reel myself in.

I really can’t wait to marry this man of mine and I am so excited that we officially have a venue booked and a date set! I’m ready for this phase of life and letting God’s love shine through us!

Comment below and let me know what venue you think we picked!

Wedding Dress Shopping!

I am not the type of person to keep everything hush hush. Especially when it’s about something so exciting! I wanted to share this journey with everyone! Obviously when I get my dress I won’t share it all over the place but since this was our first dress shopping experience, I thought I would bring you along!

I didn’t plan on trying on dresses for a while because I knew once I did, I wouldn’t want to stop. And because we have a while before our wedding, I don’t want to start too much too quick. There’s a lot I want to wait to do so I don’t have everything done with many months left before the big day.

Being the one trying on dresses is a whole new experience. It’s a lot more stressful than I thought! Trying to find the perfect dress makes you a little crazy. I found myself picking out little things that I normally wouldn’t. I have gone with many people to watch them try on their dresses and I am telling you I cried when they came out with each dress on! Ugh why am I so emotional?

Putting on a wedding dress was something I always dreamed of. Now here I am trying on dresses to marry the most wonderful man I know.

We went to Anya Bridal in Atlanta. The main reason we were there was to try on our bridesmaid dresses for the wedding that I am in next August! While we were there we thought why not just try on a few gowns? Also Nathan’s sister had an appointment for the same day just a few hours later and she ended up saying yes to the dress! It was so exciting being able to be there when she found her dream dress.

Since it was my first outing I wanted to try a little bit of everything. Every style you could think of! Sleeves, strapless, mermaid, satin, lace, etc. I have a feeling finding the perfect dress will be a lot harder than I imagined! I just love everything!

I hope that from here on out I can figure out what I really love and what I want. Anything that I thought I liked, I ended up not liking. Weird how that works.

One thing I do love, is bling! I found myself gravitating towards the gowns that had some sparkle on them! The dresses I really loved I didn’t add any photos of. I want to keep the style I pick a secret 🙂

We also were able to pick out my wedding colors and the colors of my bridesmaids dresses and the groomsmen’s attire! I have gone back and fourth about what I wanted to do for colors and I can say I am 100% satisfied with what I chose!

I loved watching my mom as I was trying on dresses. As I was walking into the dressing room she just started to cry. Her baby girl is growing up and I know she’s so sad to let me go but so happy for this time in my life. I love having her by my side through everything. & when she cries while I’m trying dresses on, I’ll know it’s the one.

I would suggest everyone who lives in the Atlanta area to go to Anya when in the hunt for your perfect dress. They have a ton of dresses to choose from and you can always count of having the sweetest person there to help.

I had a ton of fun and loved having some really sweet people with me while I was trying on these beautiful gowns! I am beyond blessed and so incredibly thankful to be able to experience all of this.

My Most Recent Read

I’ve realized that having a plan doesn’t always work out. No matter how much I plan, it just doesn’t seem to go my way. I realize more and more everyday that God has a perfect plan for me and it’s the only one that matters.

Last night I was reading my bible. I read the book of James after meeting with some wonderful friends of mine and said it would be a good one to read. I have never actually gone through and read an entire book of the bible. You would think after all these years of being a christian, that wouldn’t be such a hard task. It seems as if recently my passion and love for God has grown so much more and I just can’t get enough.

The beginning of James talks about trials. James 1:2, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,  because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” Going through life we are going to face so many trials and oh man will they test our faith. Just recently I have gone through something where I needed God more than anything. There were moments where I didn’t trust him and I feared that I wasn’t going to be okay. God will put you through these things but you just have to realize that you can’t ever let go of Him. I remember laying down at my doctors appointment so scared but praying and singing Good Good Father. I had to remind myself that God was with me in that moment and I needed that reassurance. Always have faith. 

When I reached James 1:26-27, “Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world”, I had to pause for a moment. I thought about who I was in high school. I know for a fact I didn’t live by the word completely. I wish I was stronger in my faith during those years but unfortunately I wasn’t. I thought about the many people around me that call themselves Christians but don’t live by the word. I can’t say I am perfect in any way but when I see someone go to church every Sunday and then go home and act like a completely different person just breaks my heart. We need to show a constant representation of God and his love. We need to let his light shine through us! We can’t do that if we don’t truly live by the word of God.

As I went on reading and got to chapter four I read James 4:12, “There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?”. This is something I know I struggle with and not afraid to admit it. I wish I wasn’t so quick to judge people by their lifestyle. Whenever I see people drinking I just can’t help but think why? Why can’t you try to find joy in something else. Something that truly makes you happy and isn’t a temporary thing. As a christian that’s what we get the most hate for, judging others but in the bible it clearly states not to judge your neighbor.

James 5:19-20, “My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.”

The book of James was a perfect and easy read. One I recommend now after reading it and seeing how many things I could relate to. My thoughts were all over the place going through it but I realized how much I needed to read it. God is working in my life right now and I know that. I know that as I sit and wonder what the heck I’m doing in my life, he already knows and he’s preparing me for the future.

The verses I have written down are ones that stuck out to me and were ones I really loved. Go through James and see what ways you relate. Any time you feel called to God’s word just sit, open your bible and read.