Time is FLYING!

I can't believe yet another month has gone by, this month we started our dance lessons and have been having an awesome time learning the ropes of ballroom. Chantelle and Alex (our oh, so talented instructors) are doing a wonderful job teaching us the basic steps of leading (and learning to let someone lead) as well as teaching us our first "dip". We'll be dancing like professionals in no time with this dynamic duo! Our next lesson is next week! Can't wait to see what's next! 

PS I do not know why it didn't occur to us to take a picture at our first lesson, but there will be pictures at the second one!

Dance Lessons

Jared and I will be starting dance lessons next month! One of my oldest friends, Chantelle, has been been dancing since... well, since around the time that she could walk. She dances now professionally and is astounding! As a side note, if she happens to be performing here around the time of our wedding, we should all take a group trip to see her. The company she works with is fantastic and absolutely worth seeing. Chantelle will be teaming up with one of her dance partners, Alex, to tech Jared and I the ropes of ballroom and to choreograph our first dance! I can't wait to be dancing again and am so excited for the finished result (not to mention the chance to work with such a phenomenal duo)! 

Dresses, Dresses and MORE Dresses!

Last weekend some of my favorite people and I went dress shopping and made some serious progress! While I am not going to discuss the final selection of dresses, we had a lot of fun trying on style after style and fabric after fabric! The store we went to is home to hundreds of bridesmaid dresses and an equal amount (if not more) of bridal gowns. It's pretty impressive how many dresses can be squeezed into any given space and boy, oh boy, did we take advantage of it! Following our dress extravaganza, we had lunch at a fun little Mexican restaurant nearby and contemplated our choices. With as many dresses as there were, it's a wonder we made it out of the store in under a few hours! Definitely time well spent! I am posting pictures of a few of the dresses that didn't make the cut... just to keep everyone in suspense! :) 

Band or DJ?

Well, we've found ourselves a wonderful photographer and a kick butt stylist for me, now it's on to search for the next biggest thing... music. I think that more often than not, these people are the hidden geniuses behind every wedding. They are responsible for getting you through every detail of you reception from the first dance to the money dance, the bouquet toss to cake cutting. There's a master plan and the band/DJ is the person that keeps everyone on track. A lot of responsibility for an A type personality like myself to put on to another human. If we went the route of the band, we would likely hire a jazz group who plays a lot of Sinatra and Dean Martin. My concern is that people will be less likely to fill the dance floor with this type of music being the entertainment. What do you think? Band or DJ?

Engagement Photos

I have gotten loads and loads of comments about how wonderful our pictures have turned out. So, I wanted to take a moment to talk about our experience taking these pictures. To start, we took our pictures in San Francisco at the Palace of Fine Arts and the Sutro Baths. Now, I know what you're thinking... What are the Sutro Baths?? I asked the same exact question. Don't feel bad, this doesn't make you a bad Bay Area native. The Sutro Baths are located just below the Cliffhouse. It was originally an incredibly large public pool area, which sounds terribly boring, but hear me out.... The structure has since been taken apart and has withered away in some regards, so what is left are concrete supports for the building. Concrete supports not sounding much better? What if I said that the supports allow you to sit with the ocean waves crashing below your feet? That's better... right? The area is really neat and actually has a small area above the water that you can go hike around. If you plan on ever going to this area, I would advise not wearing sandals... shoes with traction are much better for walking on concrete.

But, more than the gorgeous scenery, we had two fantastic people working with us: Tiffany and Tom. I met Tiffany and Tom and a Bridal Fair that I had gone to back in May. They were absolutely fantastic to talk to, not pushy about hiring him as the wedding photographer or her as my stylist. Instead, we got off on tangents about the mansion and this girl that was selling work out T-shirts. The next day, I found out that I had won the free engagement session that Tom was promoting. I could not have been more excited! So, we set up a time for Tom to meet with Jared and I to get the run down for the shoot. Once we met and started talking, I told him about wedding shots I saw on Pintrest, it turned out that Tiffany had pinned the same ones! 

Jared and I said from the start of planning that photography was going to be an extremely important piece to our wedding, so much that we would have been ready to change a venue to afford the right person. These photos you have for the rest of your life, they inhabit your coffee table, your walls and eventually they'll be put in the hands of your children. Trusting a photographer with the ability to capture all the moments that come with a wedding is a huge responsibility. All I can say, is that after the experience we had with Tiffany knowing exactly how to do my hair and make up (without me even needing to say anything!) and Tom scooting along the grass on his back to move along with Apollo (just to get the shot!) was beyond what I expected to receive. I am so glad that they will be able to join us for our wedding as I could not have dreamed up a better team to work with. 

For those of you interested in Tom's photography or Tiffany's styling skills, I encourage you to check them out online: thomasgaughanphotography.com