Dress: Martina Liana from Patsy’s Bridal // Veil: Patsy’s Bridal // Shoes: Shoes of Prey
Hard to believe that our wedding was just over two weeks ago. It seems like it was yesterday, and I should still be on the beach! I am still waiting on all the beautiful photos from the big day, but wanted to share the bridal portraits I took a few weeks before the wedding. Adria Lea Photography took our engagement photos, and it was such an easy choice to work with her for my bridal portraits and our wedding day. We took some of my bridal portraits at the AT&T Performing Arts Center, where we took our engagement photos, then we ventured to a roof top to capture all the beauty of downtown. Dallas has always been very special to me, so I couldn’t think of any better place to capture my bridal portraits than downtown Dallas. Adria did such an amazing job capturing my love for Dallas and all the details of my wedding dress. I will have a full post all about the wedding day coming soon! xoxo
I underestimated how difficult setting up a registry would be. I mean, how on earth do you decide that one fork is better than another, or if you want to eat off of white or colored table linens?! Who comes up with all these options? After going round and round in circles, I think we finally have our registry set. I learned a few valuable lessons in this process, so below I am sharing 5 tips for registering for your wedding.
Start creating your registry early and edit it often. Trust me, you will change your mind a million times on what kind of plates you would like to register for. Things will also go out of stock or be discontinued. It is helpful to start building a registry early that you can alter as needed and often. When you are editing your registry, think about grouping certain things together and cutting down on the number of places you register. I would recommend having no more than 4 registries. It is best practice to register for all kitchen items at one place such as all flatware, glasses, and serving ware at one place while all bed and bath lines at one place. I also learned that many places will send a coupon after the wedding valid for the items on the registry you did not receive, so go head and over register in case you may want it later!
Go in store to register, not just online. It is great to start a registry online. That way you have an idea of what each store has to offer and you get the ball rolling. However, we found it we much better to see things like plates, glasses, silverware and linens in person. You might decide you hate a pitcher after feeling how heavy it is, or a set of kitchen utensils might feel cheep and flimsy. Not to mention, many stores will give you gifts for coming in to register in person!
Be sure to read the return policy for each store. Some stores have funny return policies, and it might not be as easy as you think to return duplicates or things you change your mind on. Most stores have a 90 day return policy (Crate & Barrel, Williams Sonoma, Target), but some have 30 day policies (West Elm, Pottery Barn, Dillard’s, Anthropologie). Also, be sure that you are not registering for any final sale items because that typically means that item will be discontinued.
Register for things at varying price points. Think about your guest list and what is affordable for everyone. While some guests are happy to purchase all your kitchen appliances, other guests have tighter budgets and cannot buy everything on your registry. Try to group things in sets, like plates, glasses, and silverware to help guests cut costs. Keep in mind that whatever you do not receive as a gift you have to buy yourself. If you would not be willing to spend the money on something for yourself on your registry, odds are your guests will not either (this is where those registry coupons are helpful).
Make it easy for your guest to shop your registry. Be sure to create a central location where gusts can shop all registries, like a Knot website or Zola, so they are not hoping from site to site. When you set up the registry, include a shipping address where guest who are traveling or might not be able to attend can ship gifts directly to you. Lastly, consider if stores offer free gift wrap for registry gifts either online or in store as that can be helpful for traveling and local guests alike.
I hope my 5 tips for registering are helpful when deciding where to register yourself! xoxo
In 247 days, I get to marry my best friend! I have quickly realized that planning a wedding is not as simple as I had once thought, especially with only an 8 month engagement. As I learn more about planning a wedding, I will be sharing “Wedding Wednesday” posts with you every other Wednesday. To start, I wanted to share the 5 engagement gifts that I have found the most useful. In the past I have had a hard time knowing what to give friends at their engagement parties. Alex and I were totally blown away by the love and support of our friends and family who came to our engagement party, and I quickly discovered that was the best gift anyone could give! We were also very surprised and appreciative of the fun and thoughtful gifts from our friends. I have already enjoyed using my engaged mug, our Mr. and Mrs. campaign glasses, gorgeous ice bucket, but these gifts have been the most useful to me so far.
1. Personalized Notecards. After I had become use to the ring on my finger, I realized I needed to write thank you notes. I was so grateful to have personalized note-cards, with both of our names on it, to use when taking friends and family. It is a weird feeling, but from the second you get engaged, you start writing thank you notes from both you and your fiancé.
2. Planner. This gift depends on the type of bride you are celebrating. If you think she will be planning her own wedding, a planner is an amazing gift, but not necessary if you think she will hire a wedding planner. Since I will be planning my own wedding, I am very grateful to have a place to organize all my thoughts and keep track of a budget.
3. Magazines. This seems so cliché, but a good wedding magazine can be extremely helpful in the wedding planning process. I have loved being inspired, and pulling ideas from other weddings. Since I am planning a wedding in Dallas, DWeddings by D Magazine has been very useful in finding vendors and venues in Dallas.
4. Bling Brush. I was a little skeptical about putting any kind of cleaner on my new shiny ring, but after reading reviews and researching the natural product I gave Bling Brush a try. It is so easy to use and is very gentle on my ring.
5. Ring Dish. This might be a personal problem, but I had no clue what to do with my ring when I got home. Do I sleep in it? Do I shower in it? Can I wash dishes with it on? I finally decided that I could sleep in my ring, but I needed a place to put it when I shower or to clean. I am so nervous about losing something so valuable, so a ring dish was the perfect answer for me.