Pay attention to any opportunities you get to be generous over the course of your short engagement. Gracious gift-giving is a great way to lift your spirits, show your gratitude, and make your betrothal even more beautiful. From the bridal party and groomsmen to your parents and guests, there are a plethora of products out there to make sure everyone who helps in your race to the altar feels appreciated and loved while they cheer from the sidelines.
From your wedding shower to the bachelorette party, a short engagement can be as stressful for your besties as it is for the bride. It’s natural for all the lovely ladies in your bridal party to be invested in your nuptials but it’s still nice to go out of your way to show them how much you care about the fact that they care. There are tons of easy and affordable ways to set your bridesmaids apart from the pack with little gifts that show your appreciation.
Consider giving your ladies a gift they can carry with them and use throughout the planning process. This bridesmaid’s tumbler is the perfect example. From wedding dress fittings to the ceremony’s toast, this gift is adorable, affordable, and the perfect way to remind all the members of your party how much their presence means to you every step of the way.
While guys’ gifting can be complicated, stick with the obvious for your groomsmen’s gifts to save precious time during your short engagement. Sure, there are cufflinks, neckties, and everything in between but, want to know what guys really appreciate when it’s all said and done? A gift they’ll actually use! Grab a few bottles of your groomsmen’s favorite spirits and some of these labels for a classy-looking liquor that is sure to make your guy’s guys feel appreciated and cheery.
If anyone deserves some extra love during your short engagement, it’s definitely all of the moms involved. When it comes to gift-giving before your nuptials, make sure not to neglect any of the future mothers-in-law. These make-up bags come in sets of two to ensure both the mother of the bride and the mother of the groom know how important they are to you as a couple. Not only will these cute totes show both ladies how much you care, but they’re a great way to add a smile to their faces as they primp, preen, and prepare on the big day of your soiree.
Dads definitely deal with a lot during the planning process, too. While we all dream of finding the dads in our lives the perfect present, as I said earlier–when you’re buying men’s gifts on a tiny timeline, it’s usually best to stick to the basics. These whiskey decanters for dad are the perfect way to show appreciation to both your own father and your future dad-in-law. The timeless aesthetic and high quality of this gift belies its affordable price and makes it perfect for every dad’s kitchen, bar, or office.
While personalized party favors have been all the rage, an unexpectedly unique gift is always a treat for guests. These mini mason jars make it easy to personalize gifts in an unpredictable way. Buy your favorite coffee beans in bulk to allow each guest to try a cup of the couple’s fave brew at home. Do you or the future Mr. You have a recipe you swear by? Fill the jars with any necessary spices and provide guests with the recipe. From your favorite wine to your favorite flower seeds, these glass jars are a great way to provide perfectly personalized gifts–no printing or monograms required.
Photo Booth Props | $14
The point of providing wedding favors to your precious guests is to remind them of the precious time they had at your wedding. What better way is there to help guests capture the fun than a picture? They are worth a thousand words, after all. This set of wedding photo props is a great way to encourage guests to smile for the camera—and actually enjoy doing it! Whether you pass around a Polaroid or set up a booth, guests will have tons of fun making memories that they can take home with them when the magic ends.
]]>Take a break from frantically scrolling Pinterest. Stop Googling gowns. Put down the planner. Now, breathe. Think about the best times you’ve had at weddings in the past. As you recall any elegant event or spectacular soiree you’ve attended, you’ll soon realize that these exquisite experiences were not shaped by one specific design detail. No matter how gorgeous the groom’s cake or lovely the linens, guests are going to cherish a warm atmosphere focused on their comfort more than any other part of any party you plan.
As you embark on your engagement, keep your guests’ experience in mind to ensure the festivities are fun, magic memories are made, and you can stay sane during the hustle and bustle of your betrothal.
One of the most effective ways to ensure contentedness and comfort for all your guests is to make your wedding feel like the kind of place where everybody knows your name. Consider hosting a casual welcome party to allow guests to get acquainted before the big day. From out-of-towners to new friends and family, a meet-and-greet is a great way to introduce everybody and alleviate any awkwardness that can occur if you or your future mister happen to forget the name of your second cousin’s new wife—oops!
While there are a plethora of more formal options all over the internet, I love the whimsical design and variety of colors this set of name tags offers. Fill these in with calligraphy yourself or offer Sharpies and have guests write their own names–either way, there’s no better way to help guests feel the freedom to socialize than putting attendees on a first-name basis with each other.
Up the fun at your function by providing opportunities to play. Whether indoors or out, there are plenty of great games that will keep a grin on all your guests’ faces. Use large wood blocks to set up giant Jenga sets. Designate a corner of the prenuptial party to fun and games using coffee tables, sofas, decks of cards, and board games.
Use any extra outdoor space to allow guests to have a great time playing cornhole while celebrating the happy couple. Add some wedding flavor to the fun and festivities with these cornhole bags that pay homage to the bride and groom. While there are plenty of super cute places to buy personalized boards online, ask your friends and family if they have some you can borrow before adding cornhole boards to the budget.
Add even more friendly vibes and fun to your welcome party (or informally chic reception) with these throws. Provide a picnic to your guests and use an assortment of these cloth cuties to provide guests with a grab-and-go seating option. No matter what type of party you have in the works, layering textiles like throw pillows and blankets are a great way to add comfort and glam to every picnic.
Having your ceremony under the stars? Have a few of on hand for guests to use at your outdoor affair–no matter the season. Place throws around your winter ceremony’s seating to encourage guests to get close, comfortable, and cozy while you and your honey exchange vows. From shivering guests to a lack of lawn seating, these beautiful blankets are an effortless way to solve all sorts of problems and work wonders for a welcoming atmosphere.
There’s nothing worse than spending all day primping and preening only to start perspiring the minute you arrive. If you’re having a summer wedding, nothing will bring guests more comfort and relief than a quick and reliable way to cool themselves off (before any makeup has the time to run). These handheld fans are a cute and colorful way to make every guest grateful for the creativity you used to help them stay cool. They’re also fun to dance with…but that’s just an added bonus.
So often these days, blushing brides spend their engagements in a tizzy only to realize after their wonderful wedding whirlwind ends that the only problem was it was all over way too quickly. As your to-do list grows and your planner starts bursting, take a step back and remember the big picture. Your wedding is, first and foremost, a celebration of love with the people you love.
With a little space and some two-day shipping, it’s super easy, totally affordable, and perfectly possible to spread your big day out over the course of a weekend. From a Friday night meet-and-greet to a Sunday morning send-off, use your short engagement to plan a wonderful experience, rather than stressing out over a single event. As you and your sweetheart sprint toward the altar, make sure to catch your breath, stay in stride, and ensure that all of your guests have the opportunity to get what they really came for–time with the cute couple! (And, okay, some cake.)
Short engagements can leave lots of your friends and family with short notice. If any of your invitees can’t make it to your big day, help guests avoid guilt by providing them with the opportunity to attend one of your other weekend-wedding affairs. Set up something like this totally precious guestbook alternative at the entrance to all your scheduled soirees over the course of the weekend. Friends and family who can’t make the actual vow exchange will love knowing they were still a cherished part of your party.
Get the party started early with an effortlessly elegant evening the night before your I Do’s. For the happiest of happy hours, all you need is a few mixers for cocktails and a couple of decor details to create an intentionally inviting atmosphere. Whether on your parents’ patio, in a friend’s backyard, or strung up around your own dining room, these string lights are a super affordable way to add glitz, glam, and romance to any space.
If buying centerpieces and decor for another wedding-related soiree seems senseless to you, look for gorgeous gems you can use over and over. While this eucalyptus garland with champagne faux flowers will definitely add wonder to all your pre-and post-wedding parties, it’s also versatile and pretty enough to decorate with again! Use it as a table runner for your Friday night festivities, a beautiful backdrop to Sunday’s brunch buffet, and then string it around your door every Easter for a festive foyer. Use it to decorate your friends’ future showers. Bring it out to add gorgeous greenery to any other party you may find yourself planning in the years to come.
Make your first appearance as a married couple and give your friends and family the chance to sip champagne and send y’all off in style with a beautiful Sunday brunch. Pick up a plethora of pastries and use any of your leftover champagne to set up a mimosa bar. This mimosa bar decor is super cute and an easy way to set your send-off celebration apart. The DIY drink option keeps the ambiance light while making the setup a breeze.
Take some time for one last toast with your guests before hurrying off to your honeymoon. This pack of stemless champagne flutes is the perfect way to serve guests their brunch beverages. Guests who couldn’t make the ceremony will definitely appreciate one last chance to raise their glasses, drop off gifts, and say their goodbyes to the happy couple the next morning.
Choosing to have a Sunday morning departure doesn’t mean you should skip all the fun of a sparkling and joyous send-off. These ribbon wands will add whimsy and wonder to any post-nuptial party. Have guests grab a wand and head outside after making their mimosas to make sure that you and your sweetheart feel the love one last time as you celebrate your successfully short engagement and head into matrimonial bliss.
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The Wedding Planner Checklist | $8
Planning your big day is a lot easier if you meticulously schedule EVERYTHING up front. Everything? Everything! What’s “everything”?...
Good question. Once the excitement of your engagement has set in, many brides-to-be share in the same terrifying revelation: we don’t know how to plan a wedding. If the big day is approaching quickly, be sure to check out our ebook, How to Plan your Wedding in Six Months or Less, for a panic-free planning process.
This checklist is also a great way to develop a timeline and become familiar with what to expect and when to expect it. The list is fluid and helps you manage your matrimonial dreams without micromanaging your plans or making too many assumptions. The suggested time frames are broad–making it perfectly personalizable for even the quickest engagement timelines!
Once you’ve familiarized yourself with the planning process and outline, make sure to sit with the future Mr.You to delegate duties and thoroughly discuss all the important dates, deadlines, and decisions associated with arranging your big day. One thorough scheduling sesh will save you both tons of stress as you make your way to the altar.
Once the details are hammered out, make sure that all the important dates and deadlines make their way to a calendar for both of you. You don’t need anything fancy. This calendar is cute, durable, and gives you plenty of space to schedule everything necessary for your nuptials. Plus, it’s cheap!
Develop a shared system and schedule now for a successfully stress-free short engagement. Most of our pre-wedding jitters are nothing more than uncertainty. If you and your hubby-to-be are on the same page with a shared schedule, there will be no question about what needs to be done, who needs to do it, or when it will happen. The calendar will know it all. Make sure your calendars match. Hang your calendars somewhere visible. Refer to your calendars. Update your calendars. Become one with your calendars.
Surprise! It turns out that one of the most useful tools for planning like a pro is…a planner. The simpler the planner, the better the plan. The straight forward format, whole-month overviews, and designated pages to add details to specific days, make this the perfect planner to help tackle a timeline full of tastings and tours during your planning process.
A superb scheduling system will help you keep your engagement–related engagements and be decisive! If you’re dreaming of a fairy-tale wedding, think of indecision as the poison apple... or evil sea witch... or whatever Jafar was. Indecision is a villain. Brides-to-be can’t afford to deal with decision making drama... especially when we’re on a deadline. Assign due dates to decisions, pencil them in your planner, and voilà: choosing your venue, menu, or DJ are no longer life-and-death decisions, but simple assignments due by 4:30 next Tuesday.
If Lisa Frank taught us anything, it’s that staying organized is way easier when things are colorful. Not only are these felt tipped Flair Pens my absolute favorite way to produce pretty penmanship, but they also come in every color of the rainbow! Write your work appointments in red, decision deadlines in green, and appointments with vendors in violet. Go wild! Color coding your schedule is a great way to keep track of all of your prenuptial plans without meticulously reading every tiny detail of every single day.
I highly recommend using your iPad or PC when laying the groundwork for your wedding. Using your phone to peruse Pinterest is one thing, but a separate device for official wedding communications and bridal business protects us from burning out before the big day. Planning comes with lots of paperwork: piles of vendors’ lists and estimates, business cards, Starbucks receipts with random ideas for centerpieces and color-palettes scribbled on the back–it can be overwhelming.
With space for your iPad and phone, plus plenty of places for planning paperwork, this portfolio is the perfect way to pull your planning process together.
It’s easy to let planning take over your phone, desk, coffee table, kitchen counters, the passenger seats of your car... basically, your entire existence. Sticking to a schedule and staying organized is the best way to keep you on-track and stress free as you gracefully glide (or like me, take off your heels and run!) toward your big day.
]]>Bed frame | The best mattress ever (seriously, we have them in all three rooms + have gotten multiple friends and family members hooked) | Rug | Black and faux leather Euro shams | Set of Euro down inserts | Floating bedside tables | Bedding | Custom macrame art
Please note that while this post does contain affiliate links, NOTHING in this post was sponsored or gifted by any retailer. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases—at no additional charge to you.
Let me just start by saying that the “nesting” aspect of pregnancy is real. I thought our existing bedroom decor could live comfortably in our new home once the popcorn ceilings were scraped down and all of the beige was covered up in Snowbound by Sherwin Williams. But against all that freshness, our old bedding began to look tired, dusty, and obnoxiously blue.
I normally take my time with design decisions, and start by building inspiration boards on Pinterest. But with my due date approaching, my disdain for our bedroom growing, and a sudden need to surround myself with neutrals that I *think* was inspired by the initial purchase of this bedframe, I pretty much threw planning out the window and started scouring Amazon and Target like a crazy person. Within two-ish days, an entirely new bedroom set was on its way to Maui from various parts of the country...and I’ve gotta say, I’m IN LOVE with how it turned out. It’s the black and white bohemian bedroom of my pregnancy-induced dreams. You know you've made the right decor choices when making the bed feels like a treat and not a chore.
Throw blanket: Local find at TJ Maxx—similar here | Lumbar pillow: Target | Glider: Secondhand score—similar here | Diaper caddy | Gold table: Hand-me-down—similar here | Curtains: Target and vintage (AKA 5+ years old) Crate & Barrel
(and then more pics of our black and white bohemian bedroom with a tropical twist!)
Since moving to Maui in 2018, we had been renting a tiny house that was less than 400 square feet in size. When we found out we were expecting in February, and then the first wave of pandemic stay-at-home orders hit a month later, I literally could feel the walls closing in around us. With a good attitude and some creativity, could we have pulled off raising a baby AND working from home in such a tiny space? Sure. But we were ready to put down roots. While we never imagined that we would buy our first home in Hawaii ($$!), we truly have found the best community in the world out here and knew we wanted to stick around for a long, long time. Getting pregnant gave us a reason to put seven years of savings into something permanent, and so the house hunting began!
From a layout perspective, we knew that our condo would be pretty perfect for us from the first time we looked at it on Redfin. The decor and color scheme, however? Another story. Completely.
Our house actually came furnished, which ended up being a blessing because we were able to sell most of the pieces which gave us enough wiggle room to do some light, albeit badly-needed renovation work. Our condo complex was built in the 80s and, at the time of purchase, our unit still had the popcorn ceiling to prove it. The walls were also 50 shades of poorly-applied beige throughout, with the exception of a couple moments of glaring hospital white and one sad blue bathroom.
While we’d love to do some major reno work some day, like gutting both bathrooms and reworking our kitchen, it’s just not in the budget right now (#TheBabyIsComing). So for the time being we have poured our effort (and money) into more affordable cosmetic and design updates that still have made a big impact...at least in my opinion!
Over the next few posts, I’m excited to share how we’ve transformed our space on a budget through smart shopping and a truckload of DIY design/build projects. On that note, let’s dive back into the master bedroom transformation by first taking a look at the hallway that leads up to it!
Okay, “after” is used loosely here as I’m still planning to hang a gallery wall in this hallway. But I’m still so happy with how far this little hallway has come, and how well it sets the tone for our master bedroom!
Updates we made:
As far as the artwork is concerned, $80 really isn’t bad for a set of two larger prints, but I couldn’t justify it since I knew that I could do something similar. After sitting my pregnant body down in the middle of the framing aisle of Target and agonizing over my decision for a good 30 minutes (for real), I ended up buying two of these frames, which were a bit larger than the print set size, at a total cost of $40. Call me lazy, cheap or both but, instead of buying canvas or art paper, I just flipped over the placeholder poster that came with the frames and painted my own variation of tropical fronds in a similar loose and sketchy style.
I originally thought I’d be putting these pieces on either side of our bed, but ultimately, I decided to do something a little more personal in our room and ended up framing pictures from a lifestyle surfing session Taylor and I did with our friend Isaac at Isaac Haaland Studios. With the addition of a couple of 12x16 mats, the prints fit perfectly inside these (cheap!) blonde wood frames from Target. I love the way they complement our floating bedside tables, which we selected in order to conserve floor space in our room now that a bassinet will be joining us in the near future.
Another fun DIY: this faux terracotta vase, which I filled with pampas grass a la Amazon. (Seriously, what can you NOT order on Amazon.)
Mats | Floating Bedside Tables | Pampas Grass
If you’ve spent any time on Instagram during quarantine then you’ve likely already been introduced to the #TrashToTerracotta hashtag, but just in case you were as late to arrive on the scene as me...this is pretty much the best and easiest DIY ever. Combine acrylic or interior-grade paint (I purchased a few sample sizes from Lowe’s that cost less than $4 each) with a little bit of baking powder, throw a few coats on any thrift store find, and you’ve got a super on-trend vase that’s just begging to be stuffed with pampas and ‘grammed.
For the record, if you order this pampas grass, I recommend letting it sit outside in the sun for a few hours and then fluffing by hand + spraying with a little hairspray. Mine were a little compressed when they arrived, but they’ve continued to open up ever since I brought them inside. I’m super happy with this little detail!
Now, let’s take a moment for this rug.
As a professional writer, I try to avoid “basic” lingo. But y’all, this rug. THIS. RUG. It is everything I hoped it would be when I wiped my bleary eyes and entered my credit card at midnight...and then some. The texture. The color. The tassels. It’s the black and white bohemian area rug of my dreams, and the best news is that since it’s actually more of a cream/natural/offwhite tone, I don’t worry about messing it up or getting it dirty. I ordered the 6x9 size to help keep our black metal bed frame from sliding around, and I just love how it anchors the room. To give it extra cushion, we put some carpet padding underneath—a cheap (and honestly much comfier) alternative to a rug pad that you can find at any Lowe’s or Home Depot.
Well, that officially exceeds my planned word count by at least 1,000...but it is what it is. After renting for 7 years, this is the first time Taylor and I have had the freedom to do whatever we want to our home, and I’ve found so much joy in selecting each and every detail. If you’ve made it this far, thanks for hanging in there! I hope you like our beige to blue to black and white bohemian paradise of a master bedroom makeover as much as I do, and that you’ll stay tuned for more design on a dime -type posts coming soon...or at least as soon as Baby K allows. :)
Y’all, this summer will mark lucky number S-E-V-E-N years of marriage for Taylor and I, and I still get butterflies when I come across a good short engagement story! Hearing the unique ways the Lord works to bring two people together never ceases to amaze me. Saley contacted me through our website with the sweetest message a while ago, and as soon as I read a teaser of her story, I knew we had to share it on the blog.
I absolutely loved reading through Saley’s answers to our interview questions and learning more about the special, intimate details that she and her husband, John, implemented at their wedding, which was planned in just four months! It made me extra happy to hear that Saley referred to our site throughout the wedding planning process and found it encouraging as she worked to bring her own Christ-centered wedding to life. “I LOVED this website and its resources/checklist as I planned my wedding in 4 months. Even just knowing that I was in fact not the only person on earth getting married quickly, was such a little boost!!” she shared.
I’m still smiling :)
I know that you will enjoy learning more about Saley + John’s story and the personal touches that made their day so meaningful just as much as I did. My biggest takeaway: God's timing is perfect, and He truly cares about every detail of our lives. Without further ado, I'll let Saley take it away!
Length of engagement: 4 months and one week!
Wedding date: August 9th, 2019
How did you meet? We met when I was 17 and John was 21. I hadn’t even graduated high school yet! We met on a construction mission trip in West Virginia, John was leading on the trip and I was attending. He waited until I turned 18 to tell me how he felt (church rules LOL) and we started dating about a month after I had turned 18. I told him “no” the first time he asked because it all felt too soon, I told him later that I had the strongest sense of knowing that he’d be the man I’d marry. At 18, that was terrifying to me! Funny enough, after I told him no I kept referring to myself as his girlfriend by accident. It was right after that slip up that he asked again and I said yes!
How long did you date before getting engaged? We dated for 5 years before getting engaged! I had to graduate high school, and then finished college right before we got married. We had known each other about 3 months when we began dating.
How did your family react when you announced your engagement? Our families were thrilled when we got engaged. They all screamed and celebrated and cried. It was so much fun and we were so surrounded with love. They did get a little spooked when we announced our timeline, but we stuck to what we knew was God’s plan for us and what we knew was best, and they eventually joined in.
Why did you decide to have a short engagement? We decided to have a short engagement because after 5 years, we knew we wanted to be married. I was graduating in the spring, we knew we preferred a summer wedding. As a teacher, I knew I couldn’t do a school year wedding. The alternative would be the next summer, and we didn’t want to wait that long! We did not live together until getting married so we knew sooner was better for us.
In hindsight, God’s hand was completely in the timing. My Grandma who I lived with for the last two years prior to getting married passed away in September. Because we got married when we did, she got to see us on our wedding day at the hospital. She picked out my dress with me and helped me make decisions. Sadly, we have another similar situation. John's father had a severe stroke in November, and spent a long time in a coma. He is coming back to his family every day now, but we feel so blessed that he got to be so present at our wedding. He was able to dance and walk down the aisle. We can’t imagine how different our wedding would have been if we’d waited.
What are the benefits of having a short engagement? The drawbacks? The benefit was that the excitement never stopped! People were thrilled when we got engaged, and then it just rolled from the engagement celebrations to the shower, to the bachelorette! It was such a joyous romantic time.
Another benefit is that we were able to finally be married and live together and start our lives! It kept us focusing on that the wedding was just one day, we didn’t worship our wedding plans for a year, we planned it and when it was over the important thing was left: our relationship.
A drawback is that it can be an inconvenience to your family or bridal party. If they are truly supportive this shouldn’t be too much of a problem, but if it is I tried to jump in a lot with the planning and set up of our wedding shower. I knew I needed to be apart of it all due to the short time frame.
Another drawback is that with a short time frame comes a tighter budget. We did DIY on everything, and seriously thought outside the box! We asked for help in all sorts of ways.
Describe marriage in either a single word or short phrase: Choosing the other person every day.
Describe the moment you knew your spouse was "the one."
Saley: It was just an overwhelming feeling of calm, and just this feeling that we’d be together.
John: “Is it too cheesy to say that just like, the minute I got to know you, I just knew?” (Cue Saley melting.)
Most special memory during your engagement: We couldn’t decide!
Our wedding shower was really special and wonderful. Our beautiful Moms made it so vintage and glowing, it was very relaxed and fun. We felt so loved, and by opening up an entire household—our soon-to-be married life just felt so tangible!
Another fun very mundane memory was the night that we and both of our Moms sealed and stamped all our envelopes. We had them completely pre-addressed from Shutterfly (huge time saver) and created a very fun assembly line to mail them off!
Favorite detail of your wedding: My favorite detail was our foot washing ceremony. It was so peaceful, meaningful, and intimate. It slowed us down. It reminded us of the meaning of the day.
I loved how much of our wedding was homemade & handmade by my husband: the doors I came through, and our wedding arch.
John says he really enjoyed seeing every one of our friends and family there with us and celebrating.
John also says he loved having so much fun at the reception, dancing and partying! We had a close friend DJ for us off a Spotify playlist, he had a great personality and voice, and he really kept the party going. It saved us so much money and he was amazing! Think outside the box.
Did anything go wrong on the day of? Nothing really went wrong, but we did change our timeline the week of the wedding. My Grandma was unable to be at the wedding, so we left our ceremony and instead of taking portraits, we visited her at the hospital. It was so worth it, and our amazing photographer captured all our portraits later during golden hour.
Did you go on a honeymoon, and if so, was it difficult to book on such short notice? Yes! We honeymooned in Hawaii. It was an incredible gift from my grandparents, they booked us the same house that they stayed at 15 years prior. It was a little high stress to arrange it all but when it was all said and done, not that tough to do. Doing something closer would also help making it easier to book, even with a short engagement I totally think every couple should honeymoon. It was the most magical experience of my life!
If you could plan your wedding all over again, what (if anything) would you change? We have said over and over again that no matter how much time we could have had to plan, there’s not a thing we could think to change. It was the wedding of our dreams!
What's your best advice for other engaged couples? (Particularly other couples planning a wedding on a short timeline.) Our advice is to stay true to what you want! If God has placed it into your hearts to have a short engagement, then embrace it. Don’t worry about what anyone may be thinking or wondering. Keep the joy and focus more on the fact that your wedding is just one day, prepare for marriage more than the wedding. Meet with your pastors or pre-marital counseling, and that will be just as valuable as any time you spend planning. Most of all, enjoy every magical special moment. Soak them in and be present. Treasure up these things in your heart and remember them.
John says: It is totally do-able, just think outside the box. You may have to make compromises, but it can still be beautiful and all that you want.
Logistics wise: Keep a master to do list and pace yourself with it! Delegate from it, if you can. DO NOT BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR HELP!
Vendor Credits:
Photography: Rebecca Gleason Photography
Flowers: Viviano Flower Shop
My Dress: Beckers Bridal Outlet
Johns Suit: Men's Warehouse
Food: El Charro! Yum!
Ceremony: Faith Troy (Outside Field)
Reception Venue: The Big Red Barn
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This was me about two months away from my wedding date - and I had yet to discover what I’m about to introduce to you today. Amazon Prime.
Wait, you already know about it? You’re subscribed to it, too? Okay, then. You’re, like, seven steps ahead of me when I was in your shoes - and my wedding turned out okay. I think it would have been much nicer and more convenient if I had used the magic of two-day shipping, though.
To help you lift your head above water and get you started, here are some products from Amazon.com that are a great foundation to anyone’s wedding-day decor.
No, this isn’t for sandwich-themed weddings. This “sandwich board” is aptly named for all of the sandwich shops who use these chalkboards to advertise their menu. For a wedding, however, these signs are perfect for displaying cute quotes, directions for parking, seating instructions, or even a wedding menu! No sandwiches required. I especially love the white-washed wood style, but if you’d rather have a different color frame there are plenty of affordable options on Amazon.
If there is one thing I could change about my own wedding decor, I would definitely have added more greenery. These garlands are the perfect solution to add greenery to your centerpieces, archway, aisle, or guestbook table! The possibilities are pretty much endless, especially considering that eucalyptus is a gorgeous plant for every season. Although you won’t get the benefit of its calming aroma in these fake leaves, they add an ethereal vibe to any wedding. Pro tip: for the MOST natural results, mix them in with a few real strands of leaves. Your guests will never know the difference, and the sub will save you a ton of money!
This may not be the first on your list of decorative items, but having a beautiful box for my rings is something I won’t regret. It made for beautiful photographs and a special keepsake that lasts long after the last sparkler goes out and your getaway car pulls out of the venue. I made mine, but if you aren’t super crafty with wood, then this box is absolutely perfect. I especially love its modern shape and artwork as well as its deep, walnut coloring.
The versatility of dried flowers, especially lavender, makes it a perfect addition to wedding decor. I use the word decor loosely, because these flowers could be used as confetti, gift sachets, centerpiece accents, or a fragrant addition to your flower girl’s basket. They are the perfect biodegradable confetti, and they will make your venue smell absolutely heavenly!
If your wedding will have a flare for the rustic and romantic, then these wood place card holders will be the perfect decor for buffet tables, guest seating, or anywhere that needs a label. They are minimal, but add dimension that simple paper or even small chalkboard signs can’t have on their own. Paired with greenery and perhaps even more wood-slice accents, these would be perfect to add to your wedding decor!
You have the greenery, you have the wood, and you have dried flowers. To complete this rustic roundup, you are going to need something reminiscent of a crystal. Metallic, geometric, and perfect for centerpieces, these terrarium planters are the missing piece to any romantic wedding. The styling in the product photo is a little dated, but use your imagination with me. They would be absolutely STRIKING with fairy lights to bounce off the clean edges. Speaking of which…
There are a ton of options out there for fairy lights. They are perfect for dorm rooms and Christmas, but I think they stand out best in a romantic wedding. They add warmth and sparkle to match the bubbly feelings everyone gets when two hearts are made one. To help simplify your search, I found this set of two - complete with a remote control to help you and your family set the mood for both slow dances and a hype reception!
Decorating for your wedding can help set the mood, but remember that the most important part of that day is the commitment you make and the memories you take part in. It’s easy to get overwhelmed, especially during a short engagement. To help you step into this season confidently and able to focus on what’s most important, we have an all-inclusive guide on planning your wedding when time is of the essence.
Also, if you liked this post, then you will absolutely love our countdown of the best budget-friendly bridesmaid gifts on Amazon!
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Here at A Short Engagement we highly recommend investing in pre-marital counseling during your engagement. You can read more about that here, and we have rounded up a few books worth reading to help you prepare as well. Taking time to prepare for your marriage before it starts will help ease many of the struggles that most couples face early on!
Communication is vital in marriage, and this book will help you communicate love and affection to your spouse in a way that they understand. The 5 Love Languages shares simple truths, practical action steps, and words of wisdom to help you build a great foundation for your marriage.
This Momentary Marriage gives a deep look into God’s purpose and design for marriage. Marriage is more than just a partnership. It is also intended for more than just happiness, and has major gospel implications as well. This book is a great read for focusing your heart and mind on the eternal impact of your marriage.
Another great option for looking at marriage through the lens of God’s design and desires is The Meaning of Marriage. This book is very in-depth and gives practical insight on how we can challenge the cultural view of marriage in light of God’s glorious and mysterious design. This is a wonderful read for anyone regardless of their relationship status!
Having the "money talk" does not sound exactly like a super fun date night during your engagement, but the sooner you make it happen, the better! Finances are a major stress point in most marriages, but they don’t have to be. Smart Couples Finish Rich is a great tool for getting on the same page with your money and learning practical steps for long term financial success. It is full of proven advice, practical steps to take, and helpful tools that will alleviate the stress from money conversations in your marriage.
There are countless lists of conversation topics for dating topics available online, but this book is unique in that is asks tough questions that get to the heart of issues that may arise down the road, rather than just paving the way for fun discussions. 101 Questions to Ask Before You Get Engaged is a great book to work through a few questions at a time to foster meaningful discussion ahead of your wedding day. I would suggest doing this before you begin pre-marital counseling and making notes of any topics or issues that you need a bit of extra insight working through. This book is a great tool for developing open and honest communication habits that will be an incredible benefit to your marriage down the road.
Wedding prep is exciting, but preparing for your marriage is far more valuable! Invest your time and money in resources that will help you to create a strong foundation for a lifelong marriage that is joy-filled and focused on the things that truly matter.
Do you have any books you would recommend? We would love to hear! Leave a comment below with your favorite pre-wedding picks.
In the midst of all of the tasks and excitement associated with planning a wedding in 6 months or less, it is very important to put some effort into taking care of yourself. "Self-care" is definitely a buzzword right now, but it really is important. Preparing for your wedding should be a truly memorable and joy-filled time, and taking care of your body, mind, and spirit will help contribute to that.
Physical self-care might look like prioritizing your favorite gym class or maybe adding some yoga into your evening routine. If you aren’t much of a gym girl, you can do some easy fitness routines at home to help give you a daily endorphin boost! Grab a mat and find yoga videos on YouTube (here's a playlist of some of our favorite free workouts), mix in some resistance training with loops, or enjoy walks around your neighborhood while you tune in to your favorite podcasts.
Drinking enough water each day is one of the best things you can do for your body. Staying hydrated has so many benefits, from giving you radiant skin to boosting your energy level. It is recommended that you drink half your body weight in ounces each day, and a water bottle with time markers is a great way to help you stay on track.
Last but certainly not least, take care of your skin. We all want glowy, blemish-free skin on our wedding day, and that starts with taking care of your skin in advance of your wedding day. Drinking plenty of water makes a big difference, but also look into incorporating masks for extra hydration. This clay mask is highly recommended for deep cleaning and drawing out impurities as well. If you are dealing with more serious skin issues, take the time to get a facial or see a dermatologist.
We've written about skincare on this blog before and I will link to some of our best resources below as well:
When I was in the midst of my own short engagement I felt like I had a million things on my plate and had to move a million miles per hour to get it all done. “Wedding brain” became a very real thing. Getting organized and finding time to focus my brain on other things made such a big difference.
Organization is a big part of self-care in my world, as it allows you to relax knowing you aren’t missing any details! Start with a good planning guide, a notebook, and a calendar. Write down all of your ideas, thoughts, and important dates and deadlines. This will help you ensure that nothing falls through the cracks!
Another great thing to do for your mind and overall stress level is to find something else to focus on. Whether it is a book, a podcast, or a hobby, giving your brain time to dig deep into a subject that isn’t wedding related is a must. Find something that is interesting to you and give yourself permission to use some of your free time on that instead of wedding prep.
Marrying the person that God designed for you to spend your life with is so exciting. Marriage is such a gift that helps us to grow in so many ways. There are so many little things that can distract you from the big picture, which is why taking care of your spiritual well-being is so important as you get closer and closer to the big day! Some great ways to help keep your heart and spirit on the right track are doing premarital counseling and committing to a daily time of prayer and reflection.
Premarital counseling is such a wise way to invest in the future of your marriage. Sitting down to talk through some of the big issues that you will likely face with someone who has been there and is trained to help you and your fiance is truly invaluable! They will likely give you some books to read and different topics to work through, and help navigate potential issues that you hadn’t even thought of. Your pastor is a great resource to help you get started on this journey!
Make a habit of starting your day with a time of prayer, reflection, and thankfulness. Beginning your day with gratitude and a focus on the eternal rather than the temporary will help you feel grounded and at peace no matter what the day brings.
A wedding is wonderful, but it is just the beginning of the lifelong commitment you're making. Don’t let the process of wedding planning drain you or wear you out—instead, make room for joy through self-care as you anticipate the amazing adventure of marriage ahead of you!
]]>2019 has been all about the Kondo Method, which involves eliminating excess clutter and only keeping what sparks joy. This vibe has definitely carried over into the beauty world and has ushered in an era of pared down, effortless glam. "I think brides will continue to follow Meghan Markle's effortless style—low messy updos and simple blowouts for hair," says Kaleigh. "The same goes for makeup. A light, barely-there glow will remain on-trend going forward."
No longer limited to the gym or a bad hair day, ponytails have moved into the spotlight and are making a big statement thanks to the arrival of the power pony. Ponytails can be simultaneously functional and fabulous, and are a perfect option for the bride who wants her hair out of her face on the Big Day. In the months to come, "I expect to see modern takes on ponytails instead of half-up, half-down styles," Kaleigh shares. Try a sleek low-pony with a middle part, a high pony with plenty of volume, or a low and loose pony with soft curls.
photo: Dyan Elizabeth Photography | styling: The Styling Stewardess
photo: Stephanie Brazzle Photography | styling: The Styling Stewardess
photo: Kristen Dee Photography | styling: The Styling Stewardess
Heavy contouring, intense smokey eyes, and dark lips are moving out. In their place, "Rosy makeup will be making an appearance," says Kaleigh...and we are HERE for it! Rosy pink brings so much warmth and romance to a bridal look, and the shade is flattering on most skin tones. Plus, you can incorporate rosy shades with any look from a formal full ball gown to a breezy, beachy sheath.
The best part about these bridal beauty trends is that they will stand the test of time and are easy to achieve—the perfect blend of contemporary and classic! If you are planning your wedding on a short timeline, you will likely only have one beauty trial run before your wedding day. Take these three tips to your stylist to ensure that your wedding day glam resonates both now and in the many years of marital bliss to come!
Learn more about The Styling Stewardess, a Dallas-based team of hair and makeup artists providing styling services across the globe: thestylingstewardess.com | on Instagram: @the_styling_stewardess
]]>Celebrating with your best friends is such a special part of getting married. It is so sweet to have the love and support of your closest gal pals when you say “I do!” Giving each bridesmaid a small gift to show your appreciation, either when you ask them to be a part of your bridal party or on the day of the wedding, is a customary gesture.
If you are planning your wedding on a short engagement timeline, chances are that in addition to needing to source things quickly, you are likely trying to stick to a budget! With that in mind, we have rounded up a few budget-friendly bridesmaid gifts that can be on your doorstep in just two days with Amazon Prime!
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Celebrating with your best friends is such a special part of getting married. It is so sweet to have the love and support of your closest gal pals when you say “I do!” Giving each bridesmaid a small gift to show your appreciation, either when you ask them to be a part of your bridal party or on the day of the wedding, is a customary gesture.
If you are planning your wedding on a short engagement timeline, chances are that in addition to needing to source things quickly, you are likely trying to stick to a budget! With that in mind, we have rounded up a few budget-friendly bridesmaid gifts that can be on your doorstep in just two days with Amazon Prime. Can I get an amen?!
These sweet pearl studs are a timeless and classic option, and can pull double duty as both a gift and wedding day jewelry for your girls. At about $10 per pair, they are a very budget-friendly option. Gift them on their own or combine them with a few other small items!
This gift set provides great bang for your buck! It includes a sweet card, a knot bracelet, and a zip pouch for a total of about $4 per set—you really can’t beat that price! Write each girl a sweet note and stick a small gift card or some of her favorite candies in each pouch, and you are all set!
Personalized gifts are always a win. These zip pouches are perfect for holding makeup, purse organization...you name it! The best part is that there are a few design options to choose from and they come in different quantities, at as low as $6 per pouch.
Silk robes are one of my favorite things for a bridesmaid gift! My best friend gave me one when she got married three years ago and I wear it all the time. There are several color options available and they run around $17 a piece. Add in some face masks and fun scrunchies and call it a spa set. Super fun!
These sunnies are so fun! If you are planning to enjoy bachelorette festivities in the sun, these would be a perfect gift. They run a little under $4 per pair and the rose gold shade is very on-trend! Pair with sunscreen packets and a mesh beach bag and you are all set!
These custom wine labels are such a cute way to spruce up a gift for the wine lovers in your girl gang! Make it a theme by adding these labels to bottles of rosé and pairing with the rose gold sunnies mentioned above.
The perfect gift for a touch of sweet humor. Handkerchiefs embroidered with the words “No ugly crying” are sure to bring a laugh during the emotional moments of the day! These come in a variety of color options and cost $5 each.
Gifts are fun, but the most important thing is to make sure your friends know how much their support means to you as you celebrate the start of a wonderful marriage. Pairing a small gift with a thoughtful note and some quality time together is a surefire way to show your love and appreciation for your best gals!
Looking for more gift ideas? Check out this post on what to include in a welcome gift for destination weddings!
Braids with a bohemian feel are having a major moment in hair styling! If you are having an outdoor wedding with more of a relaxed feel, incorporating braids is a great way to add a fresh and fun twist to any updo. Take these photos to your stylist at your engagement shoot or styling trial for inspiration! This is also a great option for brides on a budget as braiding is a very easy DIY style! Check out a few YouTube tutorials on different techniques, braid and pin up a few sections, set with hairspray, and you are good to go.
Half-up hair is a bridal classic. This look would fit in any setting, from a traditional church to a beachfront ceremony. Take two sections from the front of your hair and create two loose dutch braids and pin them into place. Where they overlap, simply tuck the ends under the braids and pin. Pull out a few face-framing tendrils (a la Meghan Markle!) and let them add softness. You can then add soft curls to the remaining hair with a curling iron or wand, or simply leave natural if you have wave or curl in your hair!
This style is perfect for the curly girl looking to keep her locks out of her face! Simply divide hair into two sections, create loose dutch braids, and combine into one hair tie. Take a small piece of hair and wrap it around to cover the hair tie, then secure with a bobby pin. This style can be kept more structured or easily loosened for a more full, romantic look if wind is not a concern.
This modern updo is so fun! This look is perfect for a boho bride who marches to the beat of her own drum and wants a non-traditional look. The top bun lends an elegant bridal feel while the bubble braid brings an air of fun playfulness. To recreate this look, pull the top third of your hair into a high bun and pin into place. Then, grab the remaining two-thirds and pull it into a high pony just below the bun. Create a loose dutch braid, pulling each piece to create plenty of fullness. Add a few bobby pins to the underside of the braid to secure it in place.
This up-do is better suited for a more formal setting, yet retains a freshness that makes it modern and fun. As an added bonus, this style works with a variety of different hair types. Create a similar look by dividing the top half of your hair into two to three sections and loosely twisting back as you pin into soft buns. Repeat this with the second section, then take the remaining hair and finish with fishtail braids or topsy-tails. Loose sections are key—be sure to leave plenty of volume and fullness at the root!
You can never go wrong with a flower crown or braid crown for an outdoor or beachy wedding, so why not take it up a notch and combine the two! Take two front sections and create full dutch braids, and combine them at the ends. If you have naturally curly or wavy hair, this is a beautiful style to showcase it. Otherwise, add some in with a curling iron or wand. Pin your flower crown in place and that’s it! If you are at a destination location, it would be so fun to create a flower crown from local wildflowers for a special touch.
Looking for more tips to help simplify the planning process for your wedding day? Check out our digital planning guide, “How to Plan Your Wedding in Six Months or Less” today!
NOTE: This post does include affiliate links to some of the (un-sponsored, paid for with my own money) products I personally use and love, but it also includes links to products that did NOT help (slash actually hurt) me, which I wanted to provide for your own research purposes. To differentiate between the two, I have identified links to products that I wholeheartedly recommend with an *asterisk. If a link is unmarked, it's an FYI only kinda thing!
As I've mentioned in previous skincare posts, I have very sensitive skin and my primary concerns are keeping acne at bay and delaying the onset of fine lines. If you've read my post about how I used *vitamin C to help reverse my melasma, then you have probably seen some of the before and after photos I posted—heck, you may have even thought hey, her skin looks really great. I thought so too, honestly, which is why I was so frustrated with myself when I legitimately caused the reappearance of skin issues I had in high school...except worse.
Whether you're a bride-to-be trying to get in the best skin-shape of your life before saying "I do" or just a fellow product junkie, I hope this crazy-detailed post proves helpful to you!
My death spiral toward the worst acne of my life started as many sad stories do: by spending too much time on Instagram. One night, when I was deep in the throes of contemplating age and mortality and my desire for another slice of pepperoni pizza, I started following a professional esthetician who does a lot of cosmetic injections and skin care treatments in the area where Taylor and I used to live. This is by no means meant to be a knock on her, so I won't share her name. Unfortunately, I just didn't take my skin type into consideration while watching a tutorial she posted about DIY dermaplaning.
I've had dermaplaning done professionally in the past, so I was intrigued by the idea of being able to replicate the look on my own. Essentially, dermaplaning just means shaving the peach fuzz off your face. As a bonus, it's supposed to be good for removing dead skin cells, exfoliating your skin, and promoting cell turn over. Even though I have fair hair, I like the way makeup goes on sans-fuzz and so I decided to give it a go. I purchased this set of facial razors from Amazon and, much to my husband's horror, proceeded to shave my face.
What I should have done: Started with a patch test, cleaned out my pores with a toner/acid afterward, and waited about a week to see how my skin would react before moving forward.
What I did: Went all-in, removed every follicle of hair at once, did not follow up with a toner/acid.
In addition to doing my upper lip, I DIY-dermaplaned from the sideburn area of my face all the way down to my jawline and neck. I also did a little bit right above my eyebrows to help give them some shape without plucking.
At the time I was not using any type of exfoliating acid, and I was also running low on on my all-star vitamin C. Subsequently, I had started experimenting with a few different brands based on reviews and recommendations that were posted in a Clean Beauty Facebook group I'm part of.
As I would find out later, all of this really added up to be a perfect storm of sorts for my poor, poor skin. Let's continue.
Shortly after dermaplaning, I started to notice an increase in red bumps that I assumed to be acne. I'm really bad about picking at my face and I could not resist trying to squeeze out the junk—if I can just clean out my pores, maybe this won't become a bigger issue, was my line of thought.
In retrospect, that was actually the worst thing I could have done since—after much Googling—I believe those bumps were actually ingrown hairs. To make things worse, at the time I had also just received a few full-size samples of Knours—a product line designed around the menstrual cycle that's meant to target hormonal acne—from a friend who is a YouTuber. The company sent her these products for free, and she in turn passed them on to me to try as she has very sensitive skin and tends to stick to proven products that she knows work for her. #WhyAmINotMoreLikeThis?
Anyway, if I was being smart, I would have patch tested these products on my skin as well. But I figured, They're low on the EWG scale—how bad can they be? Because the line was geared toward hormonal acne, I thought it might be a good solution for my now increasingly-inflamed skin, so I slathered on previously-unknown-to-me cleansers, gels, mists, moisturizers, and serums. I also subbed out my *proven brand of Vitamin C for the highly-touted Mad Hippie Vitamin C serum due to raves in that aforementioned Facebook group.
Long story short, I shot a good skincare routine to heck and proceeded to implement new products on top of already-problematic and inflamed skin—a huge mistake. Pretty sure this is where that saying If it ain't broke, don't fix it comes from, but I digress.
Instead of getting better, my skin started to get worse and worse. The acne and irritation I was experiencing turned into a full-fledged case of dermatitis and fungal acne, which was marked by flakiness, a very itchy facial rash, and large red bumps that filled with clear liquid rather than coming to a whitehead or blackhead as with normal acne. Oh, and they left awful, purplish post-acne marks too. Joy.
I had a really hard time covering the bumps with makeup, and overall was just really embarrassed for the better part of five months. I had just posted this blog about my skincare routine and, to be completely transparent, I think I lost sight of what is realistic in terms of results by comparing my skin (without makeup) to filtered full-glam photos on Instagram. Spoiler alert: None of us can live up to that!
Okay, so that's how I worked myself into a bad situation. Now let's talk about how I got myself out of it.
THE MASK
Almost immediately, I thought about a product I used to clear up a similar reaction that sprang up following a professional dermaplaning appointment years prior: a *mushroom mask created by the brand Actifirm. I used this mask while competing in the Miss Texas pageant system and I remembered it literally taking my inflammation and rash symptoms down overnight. Needless to say, I was crossing my fingers AND my toes for a repeat experience!
This mask is not very cheap and it's not widely available—it can be purchased on Amazon or through the Actifirm website. It's also worth mentioning that I heard several years ago that the company's formulation for the original mushroom mask changed. Whether it was due to this rumored formulation change or a case of viewing my past skin-cidents with rose colored glasses, this time around I cannot say that I found the mask to be a "miracle" product. My woes were not cured overnight courtesy of this mask, but it did help dry out those nasty bumps and calm down some of the inflammation associated with my dermatitis. Overall I'm still really happy with this mask and would order again!
Usage: As needed (max 1-2 times per week)
THE PEEL
I also decided to try Actifirm's signature product—the *Z-Peel enzyme exfoliator at 15% (also available here). This peel is created from mushroom enzymes and I was absolutely sold on the promises of the product:
"Evens tone and texture and helps increase firmness and elasticity as it hydrates, moisturizes, and reduces the appearance of fine lines. Quickly brightens skin, leaving a smoother feel and an optimal surface for makeup application. Lavender, aloe and chamomile extracts calm and soothe skin. Gentle enough for daily use on most skin types."
Yes, please. Because I had used this line before and previously purchased it through a licensed esthetician, I wasn't too concerned about how my skin would react. In typical fashion I went all-in with this peel, and I'm happy to say that I did not have a negative reaction to it at all! Even better: it really helped me shed the layers of discoloration that were left behind by the post-acne marks. This continues to be a *go-to product that I use after I've had a lot of sun exposure!
Usage: As needed (max 1-2 times per week)
THE OLD FAITHFUL(S)
Next, I went back to WHAT WORKS for my skin and repurchased a bottle of *Klair's Freshly Juiced. You heard it here first: I will never cheat on this vitamin C again (unless I wake up one day and find that I am suddenly able to afford Skinceuticals).
You guys, I have tried at least four different types of vitamin C in my quest to kick melasma to the curb. I tried the Triple C Lightning Liquid from Soko Glam. I ordered this product from Amazon which I do NOT (x 1,000) recommend and immediately sent back—the serum was a milky, just nasty looking color when it arrived and there is no way I would have put on my feet, much less my face. It also smelled like a funeral parlor filled with decaying roses, so there's that. Next, I tried the Mad Hippie product I mentioned previously. I had a lot of hope for this one since it came so highly recommended, but it didn't do much of anything for me. It felt a lot greasier and oilier than the Klair's brand, and I found that it sat on top of my skin instead of soaking in and hydrating it. Since I didn't have a full-on negative reaction to this product, though, I'm continuing to use it on my neck and chest instead of tossing it.
I also temporarily subbed out my moisturizer for this product, which Soko Glam recommended for acneic skin (watch Prayva's story to see what inspired this decision). While it did not made my breakouts worse, I don't know that it actually helped either. Also, it has alcohol in it (not my fav) which makes my sensitive skin sting a bit. So once again, I returned to my proven *Klair's moisturizer. As a summer alternate, I'm also a big fan of this *snail essence. Don't knock this ingredient until you've tried (and loved) it!
Usage: Daily
THE NEW STAPLES
Last but not least, I added two products from Paula's Choice to my routine that have probably made the biggest difference in regard to my skin condition as of late: this *2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant and *10% Azelaic Acid Booster. I have already reordered both!
Azelaic Acid is a completely new ingredient to me, and I came across it while doing some serious Googling about the differences between true acne and dermatitis/fungal acne. Based on what I read, it sounded like Azelaic Acid would be perfect not only for my active acne and inflamed hair follicles, but also for the post-acne marks that each left behind. I find that it works perfectly when I put it on right before my moisturizer. As for the BHA Exfoliant, it has a reputation as a cult beauty favorite for good reason! Instead of stripping my skin, I actually feel like it helps to rehydrate my face while simultaneously cleaning out my pores of gunk. If you're looking for a nice glow and some help preventing both acne and fine lines, this is the product for you. It's officially a new staple for me!
Usage: Daily | Note: I use the Azelaic Acid as a spot treatment right before applying moisturizer. To apply the BHA Liquid Exfoliant, I pour a little product on a cotton pad and wipe it all over my face like a toner, being sure to extend up to my hairline, underneath my jaw, and behind my ears. To avoid over-exfoliation, I do NOT use the BHA Liquid on the same day as the Z-Peel.
MY CURRENT ROUTINE
Morning
Evening
THE FINAL WORD
Okay, so this is officially the longest blog post ever. Before signing off, though, I feel like it's really important to touch briefly on the dark side of skincare.
Marketing.
We are in the throes of a massive "Clean Beauty" movement, which for the most part is pretty cool. New trends equals more product innovation! However, please be aware that there is so much money and so much hype surrounding the entire beauty industry (looking at you, CBD oil). I'm speaking to you here as a fellow frustrated consumer who has frequently bought into the idea that the latest "miracle ingredient" will cure my problems instantly, only to be left with a feeling of disappointment, a lighter wallet, and/or a horrible reaction.
At the end of the day, the fact that a product is labeled as "clean" or "organic" does not necessarily mean that your skin is going to like it better than any other product. We all have different skin types/needs/concerns, so do your research (and for Pete's sake, patch test!) to find out what's right for you. The same things that worked for me, a beauty blogger, or a popular esthetician on Instagram might not be right for you.
I hope this helps anybody else out there who is struggling through adult acne, fungal acne, dermatitis, or a crazy combo of all three like me! If you have a routine that works for you, I'd love to hear about it in the comments.
]]>Featured Photo: Suggs Photography
To hire a wedding planner or not to hire a wedding planner. For couples saying “I do” on a short engagement timeline, that is the question.
Taylor and I planned our destination wedding in 4.5 months. We didn’t officially hire a wedding planner, however, a close family friend who owned an event production company at the time did provide us with a lot of assistance in the design and planning department. My mom also did a ton to help us stay organized and on track throughout the process. I was working as a freelancer for a publishing company based in Dallas at the time of our engagement, and in between juggling article deadlines, planning our wedding, and booking a major vacation (AKA our honeymoon in Mexico), I had a lot going on. I had actually considered hiring a wedding planner who was based near Hilton Head (our wedding destination), but during our interview she wasn’t able to fully articulate to me what she could do that I couldn’t do on my own.
Because of that, I decided to go more of the DIY route. I’m organized and enjoy designing and planning things, I thought. Heck, I even ran recruitment for my sorority in college!
Silly, silly girl.
Now that I’ve actually gone through the wedding planning process myself, and have spent the better part of five years working as a social media manager for a major event planning company in Dallas, I have a better understanding of what a coordinator brings to the table and the value of the services they provide...and I can unequivocally state that I do recommend hiring a wedding planner if you will be engaged for six months or less.
While you might be tempted to think that planning a wedding quickly gives you a pass to forgo hiring a wedding planner, I personally think that a shorter engagement makes a wedding planner all the more essential. Here are a few of the many reasons why!
I consider myself an organized person, but there is SO much that goes into executing an event as complex as a wedding. Just deciding what you want to include in your welcome gifts will feel like a huge task, not to mention—pause for deep breath—creating a guest list, following up on missing RSVPs, booking a hotel block, keeping track of food allergies, determining if round or square tables are best suited to your venue space, thinking through lighting needs, securing a backup power generator, ensuring adequate restroom availability, solidifying a rain plan, hiring babysitting services for the flower girl and ring bearer…and the list goes on. Keeping track of all this information (and staying on budget while you’re at it) is a full-time commitment, so before you decide to go completely DIY, honestly consider whether or not you’re prepared to take on a second high-pressure job that comes without pay. On a semi-related note, scenarios and snafus that might constitute an “emergency” in your book probably wouldn’t even make a seasoned event planner bat an eyelash extension. So just go ahead and delegate—the only thing you have to lose is some extra stress.
Wedding planners maintain a list of preferred vendors they have worked with previously and can personally vet. Also, fun fact: When they’re not busy working on your event, or—you know—having a life of their own, your coordinator likely spends a good chunk of his or her time networking, communicating, and relationship-building with other event pros at various industry functions. In other words, these people all know each other. As such, they will be able to quickly ascertain whether or not the vendors you want and/or need are available on your date, if their proposals are likely to come in at or below your budget, and so on. Due to their existing relationships and partnerships, they are also likely to obtain faster email response times and better prices than you would ever be able to land on your own.
Bottom line: Even if you are the most organized girl on the block, unless you are directly associated with the event industry, you will not have the same negotiation power that your wedding planner has worked so hard to earn. Let your wedding planner put his or her relationships to work for you—I promise you won’t regret it!
On the morning of my wedding my mind was inconveniently bombarded by an array of small details that I had not previously thought about. I needed signage to go next to the wedding photos of my grandparents. Someone needed to write the brunch menu on a chalkboard. More signage was needed for the guest sign-in table and gift drop area. Umm...wut. Talk about a scramble. These are the types of little details that you don’t want to be thinking about on the morning of your wedding—and if you hire a wedding planner, you won’t have to because they’ll all be taken care of in advance!
If you are cool with personally ensuring that all groomsmen have their proper attire, and that your bridesmaids are dressed and ready at the right time, and that all emergency-type scenarios have been pre-anticipated and planned for, then go ahead and plan your own wedding. If reviewing contracts, distributing vendor tips, overseeing set-up and breakdown, and troubleshooting transportation is your thing, then you’ll have a blast working without a wedding planner! But if the opposite of all that is true? Then by all means, hire a professional planner to take care of these details, and spend more of your time on the things that make your heart sing.
Trust me, I know what an asset moms can be in the wedding planning process…but working exclusively with someone who is so emotionally tied to your wedding can also create a lot of drama. When it comes to creating seating charts, culling the guest list, politely declining design suggestions that are so not your style, and MANY other scenarios (like this one), it’s extremely helpful to have somebody on your team who is unbiased, impartial, and willing to advocate for your vision—even and especially when that vision conflicts with the desires of your closest friends and family members.
Take, for example, the venue space. You could spend, like, 99 hours googling venues ranging from barns to ballrooms only to find that they’re all booked solid through Christmas 2025, or you could trust your wedding planner (thanks to those aforementioned relationships) to identify the venues that are available on your date and best suited to your overall vision. Catering packages, furniture rentals, floral designs—this is the stuff your planner lives and breathes. They’ve seen it all, and thanks to that exposure, they’ll be able to help you cut through the noise and quickly narrow down the plethora of options out there.
So there you have it: the top five reasons why I think you should hire a wedding planner if you’re planning a wedding in six months or less. Yes, you will give up some control by hiring a wedding planner...but you’ll also regain time for focusing on the most important aspect of the wedding planning process: preparing for marriage. Remember, a shorter planning time frame does not mean fewer problems; in fact, it can mean even more logistics. My suggestion? Bring an expert on board to help you, and keep your focus on saying “I do”.
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Honestly, when I first heard that Tim Tebow was off the market, the Karley of 6 years ago needed a moment of silence to mourn his loss...ahem, engagement. Me and every other Christian female, right? But seriously, I am so happy for these two.
Funny enough, Timmy Tebs played a role in my own love story. It goes like this: I was home from college, single, and laying on my parents’ couch when I had the inspired idea to create a list on my iPhone titled “People I’d go on a date with.” Tim was the first name I wrote down #ofcourse. As I continued down the list, Taylor’s name randomly popped into my mind, which is weird because I hadn’t seen him since I was 15. I proceeded to walk into my dad’s office and say, “Give me a reason to contact Taylor Kiker.” He did, we reconnected, our families took a joint vacation together, we fell in love in a God-ordained kinda way, and we got married after a short 4.5-month engagement. (You can read the longer version of that story here.) So thank you, Tim, for headlining the list that led me to the love of my life. I’m so happy that you’ve found yours!
Now, back to the task at hand: pretending to plan Tim Tebow's dream wedding. Before we talk about some of the day-of details I'm expecting (hoping) to see, here are just a few of the reasons why I think Tim Tebow will have a short engagement!
1. He's a virgin. Starting with the obvious fact(s) since that's what the media is ALWAYS hyping. So, yes: Tim Tebow is a committed Christian and a very publicly-professed virgin! I can't speak to Tim's thoughts or experiences but I can speak to my own, so that's what I'll do for just a sec.
I, too, am a Christian who was a virgin before getting married. Before you get the idea that all Christians are just suppressed weirdos racing down the aisle to rip each other's clothes off, Taylor and I did not plan our wedding in 4.5 months so that we could have sex as soon as possible. We did, however, recognize that hanging out in that almost-married-but-not-yet realm of engagement for longer than necessary could make it easier to compromise physically. Taylor and I were doing deep dives on an emotional and spiritual level while we were dating and engaged, but the fullness of our physical connection had yet to be realized and brought to completion through marriage. We wanted to honor the Lord and each other leading up to the altar, and saying "yes" to a shorter engagement felt like a really great way to achieve both of those aims.
I'm no mind reader, but I can imagine Tim taking a similar view!
2. Tim and Demi-Leigh moved quickly in their dating relationship. Tims and Dems (do you think they're cool with me calling them that?) had only been dating for 9 months when he popped the question. He knows what he wants (a lifetime of marriage) and who he wants it with (Demi). I can't imagine him putting the brakes on now that they're so close to the finish line—which, really, is the starting line of the very best part...their life together as husband and wife! It's clear that these two really value marriage, and for that reason, I don't see them delaying the official beginning of their life together.
3. Short engagements really aren't that out-of-the-box anymore. I honestly think people are over the "12-18 month" planning timeline. This includes celebrities! Super recent example: Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra got engaged in July of 2018 and exchanged vows in early December in a lavish multi-day celebration. And then there's Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin-now-Bieber, who tied the knot in a civil ceremony just 2 months after getting engaged (supposedly with a larger party soon to come). There's a lot of precedent for just getting the thing done, and I can see Tim and Demi-Leigh AND their (lucky, presumably celeb) wedding planner being encouraged by that fact!
4. Tim sorta already said he wants a short engagement. His direct quote to PEOPLE magazine was, "I’m really ready to get married, like, any time now, but we can make sure that it’s exactly what she wants.” So basically, it's on.
Okay, those are all the reasons why I think Tim Tebow is going to have a short engagement. Now, just for fun, let's think about what Tim and Demi-Leigh's wedding might actually look like!
Photos via @timtebow on Instagram, @demileighnp on Instagram, Grace Loves Lace, Four Seasons Resort Seychelles, and @dfwevents on Instagram as photographed by Grant Daniels Photography
Demi-Leigh is absolutely stunning, and she's worn a lot of insanely glam gowns thanks to her role as both Miss South Africa and Miss Universe. It might be tempting to assume she'll draw inspiration for her wedding gown from some of her previous pageant wear, but my gut says she'll go with something completely set apart from those styles.
Having competed in pageants myself, there are just different considerations in mind when you're choosing a competition gown versus a wedding gown. Again, purely going off personal experience here, but when I competed at Miss Texas I was looking for a gown that would show off my figure and physical features to their best advantage. What kind of material would best catch the stage lights? What silhouette would wow the judges and make me stand out from other girls on stage? By contrast, when I was shopping for a wedding dress, I was just looking for something that made me feel like me. And that meant selecting a simple, empire-waist gown with pockets over the more form-fitting styles I had worn during competitions.
Back to Demi-Leigh: Tim told PEOPLE magazine that the 7.25-carat ring he recently slipped onto her finger is "internally flawless, just like her." Le sigh. THAT is what he loves most about his bride-to-be (her heart and spirit), and THAT is what I think is going to shine through on Demi-Leigh's wedding day!
According to PEOPLE, Tim and Demi-Leigh are currently considering a destination wedding "possibly in the Caribbean," so let's go in that direction...with a twist. I'm wondering if the Caribbean thing is a red herring, and because of that, I'm going to plan their dream destination wedding in beautiful Seychelles. Since it's located off the coast of Africa, getting to the Seychelles archipelago will be convenient for Demi-Leigh's South African family and I'm sure that Tim's supportive family is up for the adventure of traveling to an exotic locale. Seychelles is blessed with a year-round tropical climate, which suits the short engagement timeline I've given them—there's no need to wait around for ideal temps, because perfection is ever-present!
Now, for the venue. Since (in my mind) they'll be planning their wedding quickly, I'm going to recommend that they choose to say "I do" at a luxury resort like the Four Seasons Seychelles, which will be able to offer turn-key service in the event production department. When planning a destination wedding on a short engagement timeline, it's helpful to consolidate your vendor list as much as possible. By choosing to wed at an established and respected resort like the Four Seasons, Tim and Demi-Leigh will gain immediate access not only to gorgeous venue spaces, but to world-class catering services and pastry chefs as well. For their honeymoon, I'm recommending an escape to the more intimate Fregate Island Private—literally my dream vacation destination!
Wedding at FS Seychelles | Photo via Four Seasons Resort Seychelles
Now THIS is where I think it's appropriate to take a few cues from Demi-Leigh's pageant background and overall sense of personal style. As the gown she chose for her final walk as Miss Universe demonstrates, this girl is not afraid of color.
Overall, though, she seems to favor dusty neutrals ranging from cream, to wheat, to burnished bronze and gold—ultimately this is the color palette I think she'll go with. It pairs so beautifully with the natural greens and blues of a destination venue, too, as seen in the below inspiration photo from DFW Events!
All photos via @demileighnp on Instagram
During the ceremony, I expect guests to hear a Gospel presentation that speaks to marriage as a symbol of Christ loving the church. I believe their Christian wedding vows will reflect this Gospel message as well! These two both have such big hearts and are very involved with a variety of non-profits and charitable endeavors. I can definitely imagine Tim and Demi-Leigh celebrating their nuptials alongside attendees from previous Night to Shine events, and asking that donations be given to the Tim Tebow Foundation in lieu of traditional wedding gifts. Last but not least, just for fun, when it comes to the groom's cake I'm imagining an edible Heisman Trophy lookalike with a baseball bat propped up against it to speak to Tim's passions past and present!
I could go on and on, but I think that's probably enough fantasizing for one day. I pray that these two will continue to bless others and point to Christ in and through their marriage and the way they love one another. Cheers to the happy couple...I, for one, can't wait to see what their wedding day is REALLY like!
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1 MONTH BEFORE YOUR WEDDING
Get your marriage license—Allow at least 24 hours for processing.
Check and double-check RSVPs—Follow up with any invited guests who have not yet responded.
Confirm, confirm—With every vendor on your list. Try to send in as many final payments as possible.
Stock the reception bar
Assign reception seating—Or if you’re opting for open seating, consider creating signage so that your guests don’t spend time needlessly searching for their seating assignment. Create individual menus or a large menu board at this time as well.
Purchase gifts for bridesmaids
Attend your bachelorette party
WEEK OF YOUR WEDDING
Distribute a wedding week timeline—You know the schedule by heart, but does everyone else? Hand a printed timeline to anyone and everyone involved, just in case. This includes each member of your wedding party!
Pick up your dress—By this point your frock should be fitted, hemmed, and steamed to perfection. Ask your tailor for a heavy-duty plastic hanging bag to keep it protected and pristine.
Photographer check—Create a list of can’t-miss moments and put it in his or her capable, camera-clicking hands.
Reconfirm, reconfirm—Send in your absolute, 100%, no chance of changing, final headcount to the caterer at least three days before the Big Day.
Here’s a tip—Pre-determine tips for vendors. Seal the tips in labeled envelopes and ask your wedding planner or a trusted family member to distribute them after you’re unwinding in the getaway car.
Drop off welcome gifts at your guests’ hotels—Welcome gifts are becoming increasingly common, especially when the bride and groom are hosting a large number of out of town guests or having a destination wedding! Ensure that the hotel staff knows to place a gift in every room on your room block list prior to guest check-in.
Pack for your honeymoon
Spa day—Get your nails done a day or two before your ceremony, and while you’re at it, how about a massage? You deserve it!
If you use one of these, be sure to tag us in a photo/story on Instagram so we can see how ca-yoot your phone looks and repost on our page! @ashortengagement
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photos: Isaac Haaland Studios
A little background: Taylor and I are members of a Bible study group led by the Rands. A few months ago Emily started asking the married members of our group if we had our wedding gowns with us on Maui, then requested that we save the date for their anniversary in November. Rather than toasting their nuptials solo each year, Michael and Emily invite their married friends to dress up in their wedding attire and join them in hitting the town for an evening of celebration. It's a tradition they started on their first anniversary and they've upheld it every year since!
Getting to wear "the dress" again is only part of the fun. Dinner follows—always at a Thai restaurant—and a fun activity concludes the evening. This year (their sixth anniversary) we were treated to a fun sunset photoshoot on the beach and we also went to a trampoline park together! SO much fun. People were smiling, clapping, and taking selfies with us all evening. Oh, and the service at the restaurant we went to was impeccable...super speedy. There really is something special about a wedding dress!
After experiencing this unique tradition for myself, I had to interview Emily and get the scoop on how it all began. Read on to learn more about the Rands' short 4-month engagement, DIY wedding, and the origins of what seriously might be the coolest anniversary tradition of all time!
Karley: You guys were only engaged for 4 months. What made you decide on a short engagement?
Emily: "We actually wanted to have an even shorter engagement but none of our family could make it in time, so four months was the earliest we could make it happen. We knew we wanted to get married and had known for a while, but I was trying to make the Olympics that year (Karley's note: Casual, right? Emily is a talented runner.) and I didn’t want to get distracted from planning. I got injured that year though so my season ended early, and Michael proposed literally the last day I had practice. We had a lot of resources around us—people who planned events for a living or were involved in the wedding industry somehow—so I wasn’t worried about pulling it off quickly. In hindsight, I’m glad we had the four months because it was a really fun time. I was actually a little sad after it was done because I wanted to keep doing crafts and planning things!"
K: How much of your wedding did you DIY and how much did you delegate?
E: "I pretty much did it all, but since I was doing college ministry at the time, I also had a lot of college girls who always wanted to help me. Instead of going to get coffee I would say, 'We’re going to do this craft' and have my 'minions' do things. I went dumpster diving a lot and found a ton of wine bottles and beer bottles and other random stuff, so the majority of our decorations were free things that I turned into decor. We knew a person who owned a dahlia farm, and since most of the blooms were on their way out in November, they let us come and pick what was left for free to use as our flowers. We didn't do a meal, just dessert. I made a bunch of Oreo truffle balls and some of the college girls also wanted to help, so I gave them suggestions and money to cover the cost of food and they just went crazy. For drinks, we went around town and asked random people with apple trees if we could have them, then pressed them ourselves with friends so that we could serve fresh-pressed apple cider and carbonated apple cider at our wedding."
K: What about your wedding venue and bigger rental items?
E: "The venue was our church's camp, so we got a really good deal on that. We built a wooden pergola for the ceremony that we added fabric to, and we also created some of the other items featured at the ceremony and reception. Michael’s parents brought their sailboat in as part of our decorations and we used that to hold gifts. Also, three of our friends had weddings leading up to ours, so they gave us a lot of tablecloths and things they had purchased. When creating the DIY decor, I really tried to make things that we could use to decorate our house with later so it wasn’t just a one and done thing after the wedding."
K: That's so cool, and it's also so reflective of your anniversary tradition! Most brides only wear their dress once, but you've worn yours seven times to date. Where did that idea come from?
E: "Our first anniversary was approaching, and we had a couple other friends who had gotten married around the same time as us. We were all talking about how we wanted to wear our wedding dresses again and tossed around the idea of going out on the town in our gowns. Michael really wanted to plan our first anniversary, so he talked to them without me knowing it. I came home on our anniversary and he said, 'Get in your dress—that’s all you need to know.' He surprised me by driving to our friend's apartment, where all of our friends were waiting in their wedding attire! We went to a Thai restaurant for dinner and went bowling afterward. Michael also invited our bridal party and they all came in their wedding attire too.”
The Rands' first wedding anniversary—where the tradition first began!
K: Since starting this tradition have you ever skipped a year?
E: "We have never missed a year. For the first four years we always had one of the 'original' couples coming with us. On our fifth anniversary one of the couples had just had a baby so they couldn’t come out, but we went to their house in our wedding attire so they could have a mini celebration and be a part of it."
K: This year marked your first anniversary celebration in Hawaii. How did it compare?
E: "It was still just as fun and exciting with all new couples. In the past we've only had three other couples participate, so to have seven couples was amazing. My goal is to have it grow every year, but it never really worked out that way, so to have six other couples on our sixth anniversary was like a dream come true!"
K: Is this tradition a forever thing, or do you have an end date in mind?
E: "We will keep doing it until I can’t fit in the dress or it falls apart. I would like to at least make it to year ten. The biggest thing is that I'm having trouble trying to think of other new activities—so far we've done bowling, mini golf, an arcade, desserts, laser tag, and a trampoline park!"
At the arcade celebrating year three!
K: What advice would you give to other brides interested in replicating this tradition?
E: "Have fun with it! If you’re super concerned with preserving your dress you’re probably not going to have a good time. Also, don’t be embarrassed to go out in your wedding dress. The thing I love is that it's not only fun for me, but it makes everybody else’s day too. One year a little girl came up and asked if I was a princess. The reactions that you get are so good—seeing multiple brides is such a cool thing, they just love it. You pay so much for your dress, and you’re not going to make that much money selling it back, but if you can continue to get more use out of it it’s so much more fun. There are so many more memories you can make in your dress other than on that one special day!"
Based on my experience as a guest bride, I would also suggest hiring a photographer and maybe even a videographer for the day! It was such a treat to get photos back from Isaac Haaland Studios and relive the entire experience. I've included one of my favorites of Taylor and me below, and you can also catch a behind-the-scenes look at the day on film courtesy of my friend Jenn Rogers' amazing YouTube channel, Above the Waves!
Thank you, Rands, for blessing us with this unforgettable experience. We treasure your friendship and loved celebrating you—cheers to wearing out our wedding gowns with love and memories!
Click the button below to download our free 6-month planning timeline!
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A wedding invitation isn't just a ticket to free cake for your guests (although, there is that). It's also a signifier that there are parties to attend, gifts to purchase, and—in the case of destination weddings—plane tickets to reserve, rooms to book, and travel plans to finalize. With these things in mind, if you will be hosting a destination wedding, it's a great idea to acknowledge this effort by welcoming guests with a little gift of your own!
This post contains affiliate links. Read our disclosure here.
Taylor and I got married on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. For us and many of our guests it was a true destination wedding, as I am originally from Texas and Taylor is from North Carolina. Guests who drove from North Carolina could expect a journey of about five hours by car, while Texans said "I do" to a pricey flight...and don't even get me started on my sorority sisters who flew in from California. We were truly honored by their effort to join in our celebration, and had so much fun curating items that were sure to surprise and delight after their long journeys.
Okay, enough intro. Let's dive in and discuss a few ideas for YOUR destination wedding welcome gifts!
Real talk: As much as your friends and family love the two of you, and as excited as they will be to celebrate the beginning of your life together, the truth is that they're very unlikely to reuse a tote bag with your name and wedding date emblazoned on it. Wedding expenses can really add up (understatement of the century), so don't waste your budget on an item that has a 90% chance of ending up in your guests' next Goodwill clean-out pile. Instead, I recommend selecting a graphic, pattern, or phrase that's more universal. A bag printed with "Aloha" for a Maui wedding, the outline of the Lone Star State for a Dallas "I do," or even a simple striped bag with nautical flair all come to mind! (A less expensive option? Cardboard gift box containers or paper bags. Seal them with a custom sticker to up the presentation!)
That's not to say that EVERY aspect of your destination wedding welcome gifts have to be generic, though! Bag tags, stickers, and water bottle labels—i.e., items meant to eventually end up in the trash or recycling bin—all present excellent opportunities for you + your beloved to go to town with customizations of the name, date, and welcome message variety.
Calligraphy tag | Palm sticker | Tropical pink tag | Water bottle wrap
Your guests will be hungry when they finally arrive at their hotel rooms, and let's be real—no one wants to pay $7 for that pack of mini fridge M&Ms the hotel tries to tempt you with! Give your guests some instant snack-ification by providing an assortment of bites and treats. Go on a CostCo run to pick up individual packs of trail mix, pretzels, and chips, or get a little more custom by going the his-and-hers route. His favorite chips + her favorite salsa. His favorite candy + her favorite popcorn. You get the idea!
As a nod to both of our roots, Taylor and I gifted guests with Texas chips and salsa and a jar of North Carolina honey, plus water bottles with custom labels. It gave guests a taste (pun totally intended) of our hometowns, and help hold them over until our rehearsal dinner, too.
Themed items are always fun for destination weddings! Custom koozies, sunglasses, flip flops, frost flex cups...go crazy, but not TOO crazy. Remember, your guests will have to find room in their bags to bring any non-disposable items home with them!
Think travel-sized bug spray for a ranch wedding, sunscreen for a destination "I do," small Advil or Tylenol packets for dance floor induced foot pain and headaches, and hand sanitizer because #LIFE.
Also, since many of your guests will be visiting your wedding destination for the first time, you'll want to include plenty of helpful tips and local insights! Up for inclusion: an itinerary that includes the wedding weekend events ALL guests are invited to (the welcome party, ceremony and reception, and send-off breakfast all come to mind), coupons or discount vouchers to area restaurants, and a map of the area highlighting some of your + your fiance's favorite dining spots, boutiques, and activities (turn to Etsy to obtain a design that's as pretty as it is practical!).
One of the best things we included in our destination wedding welcome gifts also happened to be a really fun DIY project: room key wristlets! Help your guests avoid low-key "Who has the room key?" panic attacks by providing them with a wristlet for carrying their key card around the hotel. Here's a picture of me with my momma sporting one of the wristlets we made together for my wedding!
Me + my momma wearing our room key wristlets!
Click to download in PDF form!
There are a couple of things behind this series, starting with the fact that Taylor and I recently moved to Maui!
This post contains affiliate links. Read our full disclosure here. With that thereby disclaimed (is that a word?), NONE of these products were sponsored—all were purchased with our own money, and this post reflects our honest opinions about each and every one!
While every day we've spent living out here has truly felt like #JustAnotherDayInParadise, our literal across-the-country move has also thrown us right back into the newlywed phase of homemaking. We sold everything before moving to Hawaii—rugs, lamps, bed sets, knick-knacks, whoseits and whatsits galore—and moved out here with four suitcases of clothes and one photo in a frame (I kid you not). Rebuilding our ENTIRE household from scratch was like registering for a wedding, but without the benefit of having other people pay for everything. (lol, but seriously.) With that said, our move to Hawaii caused me to consider what's truly essential when beginning a life together, which also caused me to rethink + rewrite the registry section of our eBook, How to Plan Your Wedding in Six Months or Less.
Second, while I love talking wedding planning, most of the butterflies in my stomach take flight when I start thinking about life after the aisle. That's the space I've been living in for five (!!) years now, and from that place, I have to say to my engaged gals—the best really is yet to come. Is decorating a home an integral, foundational aspect of creating a strong marriage? Well, no. But is it fun? And does it build communication skills? And does it teach the art of compromise—particularly when your vision for the perfect living/common room goes head-to-head with your husband's desire for an ugly office chair? Speaking from experience here, YES.
In this series we'll be talking about everything from registry items to recipes, but first up, let's talk about the really fun stuff—home decor and furnishings!
5 Tips for Furnishing a Small Home on an Even Smaller Budget
Allow me to set the stage. Our ohana—that's the name of the small, separate mother-in-law cottages found at the front of many homes in Hawaii—is maybe 600 square feet. Maybe. When you walk through our front door you are standing in our living/dining/everything room, which opens directly into our sliver of a kitchen. One bedroom and one bathroom complete the unit. Although our little home still isn't completely set up, here are five things I've learned throughout the process of furnishing a small home on an even smaller budget:
1. You don't have to get everything at once. We started with a few essentials—a mattress, bed frame, couch, and TV—and slowly purchased more items as our budget allowed. I am not lying/exaggerating/trying to be funny when I say that we used an empty cardboard box as a TV stand and a Tommy Bahama beach chair for extra seating during our first two months in Hawaii. It wasn't ideal, but it did prevent us from spending too much cash all at once. It also encouraged me to do more price-comparison shopping than usual, and to wait to buy pieces we really liked rather than "quick fix" items that would only work temporarily.
2. Style matters, but comfort and function matter more. Thinking specifically about our futon here. Keep reading and you'll see what I mean.
3. Multi-purpose furnishings for the win. Two birds, one stone. You know the drill! This pack of two foldable storage ottomans has been indispensable for us. They look cute, are comfy to sit on, and are perfect for storing linens and other items at the foot of our bed. A beautiful marriage of fashion and function that helps save on budget and space, too!
4. Stick to a consistent color scheme to keep the space feeling unified. In our house I used shades of blue in every room. Our bedspread, shower curtain, and rug (and formerly our couch, but we'll get to that in a minute) all feature hues of blue, which I find unifies our space and creates cohesion from room to room.
5. Embrace statement pieces. While keeping things clean and minimal (and white) does work well for small spaces, you don't have to be afraid of going big and bold, either! A bright rug or fun accent wall can lend a heavy dose of personality to a small space without demanding a big chunk of your budget.
And speaking of statement pieces...Y'all, at the risk of sounding like a #basic Instagram person, THIS RUG. Specifically, this rug—the Momeni Margaux Geometric Rug in Navy. I ordered ours from Bed Bath & Beyond and I. Am. In. Love.
I thought it looked cute on my Pinterest board, but it looks 100 times better in person...it's both plush beneath my feet AND pleasing to my eyes. The vibrant colors and fun geometric design make a statement and help differentiate our living space from Taylor's office space in our (super) small abode. More photos of that space to come in the future!
In addition to a statement rug, I also decided that downsizing to a one bedroom home presented the perfect opportunity to go for a statement wall (and try out something a little on the trendier side in the process). Enter removable wallpaper. I went with a pineapple design from Target that blends the good kind of kitsch with a classic color scheme. Was it easy to apply? No, no it was not. And I would question the integrity and/or sanity of anyone who says otherwise in online reviews. But do I believe the final look was worth the struggle? Yes, yes I do. The coral throw blanket with macrame trim on the couch is from the same Target line (Opalhouse) which I am presently on the verge of giving all of my money to.
I have either a gallery wall or a large statement (there's that word again) art piece planned for the blank spot above the couch, but until that coin toss has been decided, this is where we're at.
Now, let's play a quick game of love it or leave it.
LOVE IT: I am obsessed with our transforming coffee table in a way I never thought I would be when my husband first mentioned his goal of finding a multi-purpose piece that could function as both a coffee and dining table. "It will be ugly and practical looking," I thought—and yes, I meant "practical" as an insult. The reality, though, is that while our coffee table IS practical, I actually find it visually appealing. In the previous (larger) home we were renting, we used this same table as a coffee table/conference table in our home office. Now, it functions as our coffee table, dining table, and occasionally as a pop-up work desk too. The height is adjustable in coffee table form and it also folds out into a complete four-person dining table—the perfect space-saving solution for our living-slash-everything room! This time around we ordered our table in white oak from Bed Bath & Beyond, as they are one of the only online retailers that offers free shipping to Hawaii. Score. We ordered our first transforming table from Amazon, but the pricing on Amazon tends to fluctuate pretty dramatically—you might want to do a little price comparison of your own before making a purchase!
LEAVE IT: Believe it or not, that lovely navy blue futon in the photos above is no longer with us. R.I.P., chic futon—I loved your mid-mod look and cool girl style, but you made my butt go numb when I sat on you for longer than five minutes. We have since replaced the futon with a brown-gray sleeper sofa from Costco that looks a little old-manish but is INFINITELY more comfortable. I'm still waiting on the arrival of a few throw pillows to make it a little less retirement community up in here, but I'll do another post with updated photos and decor as soon as they arrive. Although I would NOT recommend this sofa for a full-time couch, I'm going to go ahead and drop a link to the Brittany Sofa Futon by Novogratz just in case you are a college student (because, man, you really can't beat the price of this thing), someone looking for a couch/futon for their home office that will rarely be sat or slept upon, or someone willing to completely sacrifice comfort for style...like I admittedly did for the first three months of our time on Maui.
Well, that was about 2,000 more words than I planned on writing, so if you stuck around until this point, thanks! I hope you'll check back in for more updates on how we're rounding out our small space. Lots of storage solutions, cheap and chic finds, and DIY art projects to help you furnish YOUR newlywed nest are yet to come!
PIN ME
]]>As part of our interview, I asked Dana to describe marriage in either a word or short phrase. She chose "Gospel Re-enactment"—such a perfect picture of the giving of self that marriage requires. Through marriage, the Father gives us the gift of a companion not to be our savior, but to point us continually toward the Savior. The only One who completes. The only One who fulfills. He is good!
Get ready to be blessed, and to marvel at the creativity and the goodness of God.
Short Engagement Stories: Dana + Tanner Arnold
all photos: Kelsey Page of Kapp Visuals
How long were you engaged?
82 days! Roughly 2.5 months. We got engaged on August 22, 2017 and married November 11, 2017.
How long did you date before getting engaged? Had you known each other for a long time?
We met around Thanksgiving of 2016, we got engaged 9 months later, and married 2.5 months after that. We actually were one week married when we celebrated our year of meeting!
What kind of reactions did you get from family members when you announced your engagement...and your quick wedding timeline?
My family was really excited about our engagement. Tanner and I both have always taken the road less traveled. The night that we got engaged, our family asked when we wanted to get married. They were a little surprised to know that we wanted to tie the knot before the end of the year, but they totally embraced our decision. My mom is an incredible hostess/party planner, so I really owe our beautiful wedding to her hard work and attention to detail! When Tanner and I first met, we knew right away that we’d get married. It sounds kind of crazy, but we just knew. I think our quick confidence initially freaked my parents out, but after they got to know Tanner, they “got it.” He is the most incredible man I have ever met, and they are over the moon that we found one another.
How did the two of you meet?
We met through Christian Mingle—sort of. In the summer of 2016, my sister dared me to make a profile. I purchased a brief membership that lasted 3 months or so, but after a week of being on it, I actually silenced all of the notifications. It stressed me out and I just wanted to meet someone “organically,” through church or volunteering. A week before Thanksgiving, I received an email through my music website. It was from Tanner! A friend of his had a Christian Mingle account and he decided to look through it. He came across my profile, and since he didn’t have an account, he did a little bit of research (stalker much?! haha!). He found my music website and used the contact page to reach out to me. I was really touched by how much effort he put into finding me and reaching out. I’ve always longed to be pursued by a godly man. We talked throughout the week and he was unlike any man I’d ever met. He asked all kinds of questions that actually mattered—about my faith, my view on finances, health, kids, family...everything! I was blown away by how confident he was in what he wanted.
In all honesty, at this point, neither of us were attached to making anything work—so we both spoke openly and honestly about our answers. It was crazy how we connected on just about everything. On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, Tanner drove 5 ½ hours up to Chicago (from Southern Illinois) to meet me in person. We went out for pizza and walked all around the city. He stayed in a hotel that night and picked me up the next morning to go to church together. We went to a coffee shop and talked for hours. That night, he met my parents and got to know my family a bit. Before he left, we prayed together that God’s will would be done. We had really strong feelings towards one another, but we didn’t want to be blinded by those feelings. Anyway—the feelings didn’t change, they just strengthened over the following months. We both are big dreamers and doers and want to make an impact for God’s Kingdom. It just works. And the rest is history.
Why did you decide to have a short engagement?
We didn’t want to wait any longer! We’d been dating long distance for 9 months and well, when you know, you know! It felt silly to keep leaving each other after visits when we knew we were going to spend our lives together.
What are the benefits of having a short engagement?
The benefits are many! Our main goal with our wedding was to give all the glory to Jesus. He is the reason we met, He is the One who gave us the gift of each other, and He is the reason that we love one another, we love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). We wanted to get started on our lives together as soon as possible. We know that life is short, like vapor, and we know that Jesus has a plan to use us as a team for Him and His purposes.
When you taste real love, Jesus’ love, the wedding planning process becomes so dim in comparison. I’d grown up thinking that my wedding day would be the best day of my life, but that’s only because I hadn’t yet experienced a personal relationship with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We knew that even if it rained and only three people showed up, it didn’t ultimately matter. The point of our wedding wasn’t to look our best, be in our best wedding shape, or have the most luxurious invitations. The point was to celebrate what Jesus has done in both of our lives, and the fact that He brought us together. We were excited about our wedding, very excited! But we were and are most excited about what He’s doing through our marriage.
What about the cons of having a short engagement?
The only tough part about having such a short engagement is that some of my favorite people weren’t able to make it. That was a little sad because I would’ve loved them to be there. But in all honesty, they’re still a big part of our lives, and ultimately, if we understand that a wedding is just a day and a marriage is a lifetime, our perspective changes. Even if we knew everyone could’ve been there if we decided to have a year engagement, we wouldn’t have done it because our priority wasn’t for a perfect day, it was for glorifying our Perfect God.
When did you know that Tanner was "the one?"
It’s hard to say when it was that I knew Tanner was “the one.” I’ll always remember sitting across from him at a little coffee shop on a cold day, holding his hands, and talking about our future together. Knowing that he loves Jesus more than he loves me makes me feel safe. His love for the Lord and for the people in his life inspires and encourages me more than anyone before. He’s not afraid to look silly and he’s not the kind of guy who ever tries to fit in. It’s refreshing to meet a man who is so comfortable in his own skin. A man who always does what he says he’s going to do (always). He’s the kind of guy who doesn’t just dream big, he does big. He knows that all things are possible with God. And he lives in such a way. When you’re around him, you can’t help but reach for your own dreams. He really is the most inspiring person I know, and I love that I get to call him mine :)
Do you have any special memories from your engagement season?
We got engaged when we were on a trip with Tanner’s family to the Grand Canyon! His whole family made me believe that his sister’s boyfriend was proposing on the trip, so I thought I was in on a big secret. BUT, the joke was on me! He proposed at sunset on the Grand Canyon. No selfies. No cameras. No one else around. Just us. It was breathtaking. We went to a beautiful restaurant that overlooked the canyon, and guess who was there?? My parents! He had my parents fly out to Arizona to surprise me on the day we got engaged. I felt so special!
What was your favorite wedding detail?
The ceremony and the music! I’m a singer-songwriter, so it’s hard for the music to not be my favorite detail! I took a lot of time to plan the music choices for our ceremony, and we had the most incredible man who sang and played guitar. As I walked down the aisle, he played a slow version of “Priceless” by For King and Country. Before the ceremony began, we worshipped to “King of My Heart,” and as we braided our God Knot (Ecclesiastes 4:12), he played “Divine Romance” by Phil Wickham. It was absolutely beautiful. I loved that Jesus was the focus of our ceremony, not us.
Did anything go wrong on the day of your wedding?
Not that I know of! Oh, except that I had a major flare up of my Crohn’s Disease a few days beforehand, so I didn’t get to eat! I was living on smoothies and juices for the week of our wedding. It was pretty scary because we weren’t sure if I’d have to be hospitalized, but by God’s grace, the medication my doctor prescribed held over for the time of our wedding and honeymoon. I was in excruciating pain for that week but it made the day even more special. I’m always aware that life is precious and we have to cherish the good days.
Did you go on a honeymoon, and if so, was it difficult to book on such short notice?
We did!! We went to Maui. It was a totallllll dream come true. My husband took the initiative on this part of our planning, which was a huge help. We set a budget for our Honeymoon and managed to stay within it. He had some help from a travel agent friend. If it’s too expensive to book, I’d suggest doing a mini-moon to somewhere you can drive and then plan a bigger trip for a date in the future! I’ve known a lot of couples who have done that.
What's your best advice for other engaged couples who have said "yes" to planning a wedding quickly?
B R E A T H E. And make quick decisions. I’ve known a couple of brides who freak out about every little detail and it drives them insane, not to mention creates a ton of friction between the bride and groom. At the end of the day, the napkins, place settings, colors, and all of the stuff that we’re made to think are soooo important are just silly. They can stress you out if you don’t put it into perspective. Come up with a mission statement for your wedding. Ours was to glorify Jesus and to make our day more about honoring our guests than about us. For example, we didn’t have a grand entrance into the reception, we walked in with everyone else, because we didn’t want to have all of the attention on us. I’m not saying a grand entrance is a bad thing, it was just a choice we made influenced by our mission. I stayed up super late a couple days before the wedding to write a note to each of the guests for them to receive as they sat down for dinner. It was really important to me for our guests to feel seen and loved, so that detail was worth staying up for. I also recorded a song that I had written and gave out free download cards to our guests as a gift. Decide what is important to you and focus on getting those things done. Really pray about which details you want to focus on and which decisions can be made quickly. It will save you a lot of time and stress!
About Dana
Dana Marie Arnold is a singer-songwriter, blogger, and self-proclaimed professional encourager! In her own words, she is “head-over-heels in love with Jesus.” Dana tells stories and offers hope through writing and singing country-pop and Christian worship music. She feels most alive with a guitar in her arms and a song on her lips. Jesus has transformed the pain of her past and used it to write a beautiful story. She believes that each person has total freedom and joy available to them through Christ. So, she’s on a mission to share the awesome love of God. Stop by her digital front porch, kick up your feet, and feel free to pick up some music and an inspiring message while you’re at it! | Find Dana on Instagram: @lovedanamarie
Planning your wedding in six months or less?
Our digital guidebook features 70+ pages of instruction to help you navigate a short engagement (and actually enjoy the planning process). Inside the guide you'll find condensed planning timelines, checklists, creative gift ideas, suggested registry items, budgeting insights, information about how to officially change your name after the aisle, and other workbook materials that will make your quick wedding planning process as simple and straightforward as possible. You can also grab our FREE 6-month wedding planning checklist right here!
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More than anything, Taylor and I wanted our wedding ceremony to be a testament to and celebration of the Lord's goodness in bringing us together; a living picture of the way Christ loves the church. Our love story was written by Him—would be impossible without Him!—and we wanted to communicate that to our guests in as many ways as we could. One of the ways we chose to do this was by writing our own wedding vows.
If writing’s not your thing, the prospect of penning your own promises might seem intimidating. But scripting your own vows also happens to be one of the easiest ways to publicly celebrate all the things you love about each other—and your love story. Not sure where to begin? Follow the formula below. It’s proven to bust even the most stubborn writer’s block!
How to Write Your Own Wedding Vows
Step One: Review examples of traditional vows. This will give you a good idea of the length you’re shooting for, and will also help you identify the specific promises you’d like to make to each other. A popular choice:
I, [bride], take you, [groom], to be my husband; to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward, until death do us part.
Step Two: Write down all of your fiancé’s most irresistible qualities (or if you’re aiming for a lighter ceremony, consider his loveable quirks). Use your list to create unique promises, then fold them into the format of the traditional vows you’ve studied.
Step Three: Put on your serious thinking cap and discuss the following question with your betrothed: “Upon what foundation do we want to build our future?” Reflect and write accordingly.
More than words spoken on your wedding day, your vows are the promises you’ll return to again and again throughout your marriage; a verbal representation of the covenant you’re committing to uphold in good times and bad. After reading over a few samples, Taylor and I turned to the Bible for inspiration to finish writing our vows. For your consideration, here is the promise I made to Taylor:
According to the will of God and my desire, I, Karley, take you, Taylor, to be my husband. Leaving my father and mother, I cleave to you. Through every year and every circumstance, I will remain constant in my commitment to you. I will always hope all things and believe all things in you and for you, turning your eyes constantly to Him who gave us one another.
All finished? Considering ordering a set of notebooks that you can use to record a printed copy of your promises (and reference on the Big Day). I love the look of these vow booklets which are available as a set of two on Amazon, and this design from Etsy shop PaperPlumCo is really elegant, too!
Inspired by these Christian wedding vows?
Click the image below to download a free sample his-and-hers script, which is editable using Microsoft Word! Edit or add additional verbiage to our text, insert your names into the blanks, then print and hand a copy to your officiant. You'll find more great examples of Christian wedding vows right here.
]]>Although "traditional" wedding planning guides typically encourage brides to start shopping for gowns up to 9 months (!!) in advance of their wedding date, that timeframe clearly doesn't work for those who have said "I do" to a 4.5-month engagement (like yours truly).
photos: Suggs Photography | gown: David's Bridal | belt: Enzoani
To keep the words “wedding gown” from turning your smile upside down throughout your speedy wedding planning process, there are a few things you should keep in mind:
1. “IT’S JUST A DRESS”
Yes, you are shopping for your wedding dress. And yes, it will commonly be referred to as the Gown of All Gowns. But you’ve seen your mother’s wedding portraits, right? Chances are, you wouldn’t wear her circa 1980-something dress today without some serious sleeve de-puffing and the removal of at least half of those lacy layers. Her dress wasn’t magical and yours won’t be sprinkled with fairy dust, either. So lose the stress and say goodbye to all that pressure to find something “perfect.” If it makes you feel beautiful and like the best version of yourself, it's a winner in my book!
2. LIMIT YOUR SEARCH
Here’s a handy rule of thumb: Don’t spend more than 10 percent of your engagement searching for your dress. Planning on a 3-month engagement? That means you shouldn't spend more than 9 days searching for your wedding dress. You've got this!
3. KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR SAMPLE SALES
Most bridal boutiques and salons will post information about upcoming sample sales on their Instagram accounts, but if you don’t have time to sit around and wait for an update, make a proactive phone call to four or five salons in your area and ask if they’ll be hosting a sample sale at any point in the near future.
4. DON’T SNUB LARGE CHAIN RETAILERS
I say this because, um, I did. Although I did not speak the words out loud, in my mind, I said “no way” to David’s Bridal without ever actually setting foot inside of a David’s Bridal location. Frankly, I just assumed that since some of their gowns were cheap, they would look cheap. I’m not too proud to admit that I was wrong! Many top designers have partnered with David’s Bridal to produce lines that combine high quality with reasonable price tags. I personally walked away with a White by Vera Wang gown (with pockets!) that cost around $600, but made me feel like the proverbial million bucks. Even better: since David’s Bridal is such a large chain, they have a lot of buying power. Whereas associates at other boutiques had quite literally taken a step backward when I told them I needed my gown within six weeks (rather than six months), my timeline wasn’t a problem for David’s Bridal. Moral of the story? Don’t knock big retailers before you try them. (This is a totally unsponsored plug for David’s Bridal, by the way. Just thought you should know!)
5. CONSIDER AN ONLINE RETAILER OR RENTAL COMPANY
Brides today have more choices than ever before thanks to the fact that online gown providers have seriously stepped up their game. Australian brand Grace Loves Lace comes to mind—if you’re a fan of boho weddings and beachy vibes and you’re not already following them on Instagram, I suggest changing that right now! GLL and other gown retailers who primarily sell online do an excellent job of providing detailed size and fit information; some can even connect you with a virtual stylist to ensure that all of your questions are answered and your order is perfectly placed.
Alternately, if you aren’t planning to professionally preserve your wedding gown, or you’re just not overly sentimental about the idea of a wedding gown in general, then borrowing or renting might be for you. Rent the Runway has a beautiful selection of evening wear to choose from that could work for both the wedding day and the entire wedding weekend, while other sites like Borrowing Magnolia boast collections of rental wedding gowns exclusively catered toward brides-to-be (as well as fitting and try-on methods that are pure genius).
6. BUY OFF THE RACK.
There’s NO shame in buying a ready-to-wear gown off the rack from a department store. If your engagement falls around prom season (March-May), you have an extra high chance of scoring a white gown at a decent price while shopping at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Macy’s, et al. Don’t forget to check out the selection offered by discount chains like Saks Off Fifth, too!
Prefer listening to reading? Let's talk about it!
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I'm excited to be sharing words of wisdom from a very special guest blogger today: my mom, Ann! I LOVE my mom and we're very close. Naturally, she played a huge part in the planning process for my wedding—the "I couldn't have done it without her" statement definitely applies. With that said, my 4.5 month engagement was not without its share of ups, downs, and disagreements over the practicality of sending guests home with starfish-shaped bookmarks. I'd go into further detail, but my mom's already got it covered below. ;) Read on for HER thoughts about the most appropriate role for the mother of the bride + her top tips for working with your mom to plan a wedding (no arguments required)!
wedding photos: Suggs Photography
The mother-of-the-bride dance is a nuanced one. And I’m not talking about the literal one that takes place on the day of her daughter’s wedding day. No, it’s the figurative one she does with her darling girl during the planning process that leads up to that momentous day.
Some days it’s a beautiful ballet between mother and daughter; suggestions and ideas are flowing back and forth between the two and all is right with the universe. And then there are those days when it’s one-step-forward-STOP-NOW-AND-
That’s the key, I suppose: letting our daughters take the lead and following along without stepping on their toes. After all, it’s HER big day; we’ve had ours and now it’s her turn as the bride-to-be. Most likely she already has firm ideas about how she’d like the day to go. Still, she may want a safe place to bounce ideas off of outside of her future husband-to-be, and that’s often where a momma can be most helpful.
Take note, though: By and large, if she wants our opinion she’ll ask for it. So, a good rule of thumb is to remember that giving an opinion when asked is one thing; giving it repeatedly without being asked is all together different; and doing that—combined with insisting upon it—is a recipe for disaster!
I know of which I speak. When Karley was planning her wedding, I asked her what she wanted to do in the way of wedding guest favors. She replied that while she liked the idea, she thought it was an unnecessary expense and an area that they could save money on...very wise and prudent AND delightful to her father’s ears. But, being ever so “helpful”, I told her I would do some research and see if I could find something cute but affordable. And I did and they were. But do you know what? That’s something that sticks out to her even today; that those “cute, affordable” starfish-shaped bookmarks were MY idea, not hers. She’s not ungrateful about it but simply acknowledges that it wasn’t her call or choice.
So, what’s a M-O-B to do then? First, A-S-K! Ask your daughter how and where you can help the most and what role she needs you to fill. My own personal experience included assisting my daughter in these areas: assembling the welcome gift bags she and her fiancé gave to their guests; overseeing the spa day arranged for her bridesmaids; and running point for the day-after breakfast. But, since all daughters aren’t created the same, some will need more assistance and some less. That’s why asking her is key.
Next, listen. Listen to her discuss her thoughts and ideas without interjecting your own. This isn’t always easy and as I admitted, I'm guilty as charged, but this approach can definitely lay the groundwork for eliminating unnecessary tension and drama. That said, when asked for an opinion, I think it goes without saying that being as open and direct as possible is always the best course. For example, if something won’t fit within the budget, it just won’t, so often give-and-take compromises must be made. Just be sure she’s the one giving and you’re not taking!
And third, carry out any and all agreed upon tasks with as much love, support and encouragement—and the least amount of complaining—as you possible can. Because at the end of the day, I believe that’s what will help make for one of her most wonderful of memories...that the wedding planning duet you danced together was delightful!
Because "yes" just doesn't cut it anymore. (#amiright) I’m not gonna lie, “yaaasss” or any iteration thereof has been hovering around number two on my list of “Instagram-isms I most want to ban” for awhile now—narrowly edged out from the number one spot by “tribe,” closely followed by “I literally can’t even.” But with that said...I really love these cheeky + on-fleeky t-shirts for brides-to-be, y'all.
]]>I’m not gonna lie, “yaaasss” or any iteration thereof has been hovering around number two on my list of “Instagram-isms I most want to ban” for awhile now—narrowly edged out from the number one spot by “tribe,” closely followed by “I literally can’t even.” But with that said...
I really love these cheeky + on-fleeky t-shirts for brides-to-be, y'all.
I designed these wedding t-shirts pretty late the other night—best guesstimate, around 11ish pm, which is typically when all the "is that a really good idea or is it just the pizza?" -type inspirations start doing backflips in my brain. Now that the printed samples have arrived on my doorstep and I've had the chance to throw them on the floor and take pictures of them (more elegantly referred to as "styling a flat lay"), I've decided...it's not the pizza. These are really stinkin' cute, you guys.
I love the tanks for and fitted tees for summer (how cute would that racerback be as a swimsuit cover up?), and of course the men's tee is a must for cheesy couple pics. Styles for brides + grooms are all available in our shop! If you decide to rock one of our "I Said Yasss" t-shirts for your bachelorette or wedding weekend (or just any weekend!) be sure to let us know by tagging us on Instagram! @ashortengagement <3
]]>For those of you who are blessed-and-highly-favored enough to not know what melasma even is, let me break it down for you. Melasma is a brownish discoloration of the skin that appears primarily on areas that receive heavy sun exposure. It can be triggered by hormones (including birth control) which is why it's sometimes referred to as a "pregnancy mask." Lucky me...I got to wear the world's most unflattering pregnancy mask smack dab in the middle of my forehead for over a year without even being pregnant.
Backstory: Taylor and I backpacked through Southeast Asia during the late summer of 2016, and I was less careful about using sunscreen on that trip than I should have been. After spending a month stateside, we set off on another extended trip—this time to Australia and New Zealand, where the ozone loner is extremely thin and the sun shines with mega-watt power. While browsing around a makeup store one day with particularly unflattering florescent lights, BAM. There it was. A massive, blotchy brown spot that my makeup wasn't even close to concealing. While I hoped that it would fade on its own once we returned home, like a tan or a sunburn would, the reality is that it stuck around and took every opportunity it could to grow and darken.
I'm all about inner beauty, but I'd be lying if I said that my self-esteem didn't take a hit courtesy of this thing. I started wearing makeup while I was at home by myself just because I didn't want to see "my spot" (as I started calling it) when I looked in the mirror. I also began Googling things like "how to reverse melasma" and "does melasma ever go away" on a fairly regular basis, and eventually decided to give Vitamin C a shot.
If you are dealing with melasma (or any type of skin discoloration) and planning a wedding in six months or less, I can't promise you that incorporating Vitamin C into your skincare routine will make your discoloration 100% disappear by your wedding day. From personal experience, however, I do feel confident in saying that I believe skin discoloration can be noticeably lightened within that timeframe!
Here are a few extremely up-close and unflattering Before-and-After views of my forehead that shows the difference using Vitamin C consistently for one year has made. These photos were taken in natural light with NO editing. Obviously...otherwise that acne would be outta here. (And speaking of acne, if you're struggling with congested skin and you're unsure whether it's acne, fungal acne, dermatitis, or some kind of whacked out combo of all three...I've been there! Be sure to check out this post for a crazy acne-centric before and after and an update on my skincare routine.)
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Here's another no-makeup picture from further away that I think really shows the difference. Happily, using Vitamin C has also helped to reduce my acne and redness, improved my overall skin texture, and—naming and claiming it— is helping me prevent fine lines!
Okay so after ALL that build-up, the product I've been using and loving consistently is K-Beauty fav KLAIRS Freshly Juiced Vitamin Drop. Disclaimer, that's an Amazon Affiliate link, but I am in zero way paid to promote or talk about this product. (But, like, if you want to discuss that...holler.) I pay for all of my own products and genuinely, absolutely love this one. It's a hero for me! You can also purchase Klairs products via Soko Glam. Their website is AMAZING. I'm not an affiliate of Soko Glam but I am a big-time frequent flyer of their website (as my husband can testify). They always include free samples with your purchase and have a great rewards program.
QUICK NOTE: If you do happen to peruse Soko Glam, you will probably come across another Vitamin C serum called the Triple C Lightning Liquid. I was actually one of the first people to purchase this product when it launched, and I wanted to love it—I had already started seeing great results from my Klairs Freshly Juiced which contains 5% ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), so the promise of a formulation that contained a full 20.5% of the same ingredient sounded like a sure thing. Unfortunately, the first serum I ordered arrived damaged, and the second replacement batch yellowed after just two weeks of use—a sign that ascorbic acid has lost its potency. I ended up throwing it away and quickly switched back to Klairs. I won't be making the switch again, but, hey...maybe you'll have better luck!
HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR VITAMIN C
(and see results ASAP)
The ONE positive that came from my melasma-fighting experience is that it caused me to really buckle down on my SPF usage and to ramp up my skincare routine. I now wear SPF 50 daily and never go outside for extended periods of time without a hat, which I think my 70-year-old self is going to appreciate.
If you end up trying any of these products for yourself, be sure to let me know! I can talk about how to plan a wedding in six months or less allllll day long...it's true. But I just might be able to talk about skincare for even longer.
CALLING ALL SKINCARE JUNKIES
PS: Just wanna talk about skincare 24/7 and ditch the wedding planning chat? Enter your info below to join our Skincare Junkies list and get occasional emails ooh-ing and ahh-ing over new product lines, skincare breakthroughs, before and afters, and the like. If you get a weird thrill from reading through the ingredients listed on the back of your fav products, this is the community for you.
featured photos: Hannah Mayson | blog cover photo: Russell Heeter
First things first: how did the two of you meet?
"Matt and I met at a church small group the summer of 2013. It was a brief encounter, and neither of us thought much of it. Fast forward to the summer of 2014 when Matt and I ran into one another at a Rangers game in Denver (we are both native Texans). I had actually posted a picture with my dad using the hashtag #texasforever, and when I looked at the other trending posts at the end of the night, I found Matt’s Instagram post of the game as well—also with #texasforever. We then mutually started to follow one another and keep in touch via social media! Jump to the spring of 2016 and we reconnected again, this time in Vail Village, over his pup. We started dating shortly after and haven’t been apart since."
What made you decide on a short engagement?
"We knew pretty quickly into dating that we wanted to be together forever, and we didn’t want to prolong it! Matt and I dated 'long distance' from Vail to Denver for a year before Matt got transferred following our engaged. Having grown up in Colorado, I always knew I wanted an autumn wedding (with October as my dream month), and so we figured that a spring engagement at our one-year mark would allow for us to have a short engagement and a beautiful fall wedding to look forward to!"
Read 6 more reasons for a short engagement right here.
What are some of the most difficult aspects of planning a wedding quickly? The benefits?
"During our engagement, we observed how truly time consuming wedding planning is. It’s all your family and friends ask and talk about, and while we were so grateful for that season, we truly could not wait for life to feel like life again! One of the biggest benefits of a short engagement was knowing that we got to start our lives as best friends together come October. It was a total blessing to have both families involved in the wedding planning process, but we could not wait to do life with one another in the same home where our conversations didn't just revolve around the wedding. Pre-marital counseling was SO good in this regard and helped us to shift the focus from the 'big day' to our marriage."
How did your parents respond when you shared that you would be planning your wedding in just 7 months?
"Both of our parents knew pretty early on that we were meant to be married, so they were absolutely thrilled when we got engaged. Matt involved both sets of families in the proposal (his parents drove out from Austin to Breckenridge for the engagement); our family’s approval and involvement in our relationship was super important to both of us."
Describe the moment you knew your spouse was "the one."
Christine’s Answer:
"About three months into dating, I left for camp with my high school students for a week. It was the first weekend Matthew and I had spent apart, and we weren't able to communicate during that time. As the camp was 'unplugged,' all Matt and I could do was pray for one another. Matt had a busy week at work, and I was serving at a special needs camp with my high school students. The time alone allowed us to reflect on our relationship. Each night I would head back to my cabin and look at the stars. I remember thinking how big and how good God was for bringing me Matthew. I had never felt that way about anyone before. At the end of the week, I received a care package from Matt with a long letter that he wrote about his feelings for me and our future. I had never felt so known or loved, and I knew I never wanted to be apart from Matthew from that moment on."
Matthew’s Answer:
"I knew within the first month that Christine was exactly what I was looking for (but not 'the one' just yet). This feeling wasn’t the high of a new fling but rather a true connection that we both felt. She was and is someone that thinks about others' needs over herself, especially her partner. I’d never dated someone that was not a 'taker' before and Christine made me feel like I could do no wrong in her eyes. I knew she was the one when she began to show her spontaneous, adventurous side. I’ve always been the adventurous type and thought initially Christine may not have the 'wild' side I was looking for. This side of her was all I needed to see to know that she was the one, because she far exceeded every other expectation. This wild and adventurous side came to fruition on a number of occasions...the first time I skied with her because she could ski blacks and didn’t complain once all day. When I saw her have a few glasses of wine and let loose around me. When she played air guitar for hours to classic rock at her parents' cabin in Breckenridge—and I mean hours. When she asked me to go shoot shotguns at her favorite sporting clay club, which is every man’s dream. When we hiked our first fourteener together with my dog, Ranger. All of these events compounded into me seeing the side of her that I needed to see. I still am reminded she is the one when I see this adventurous and fun side of her. I know she will always have the faith, integrity, character, empathy, and friendship that I’ve desired, but it’s the adventurous side of her that really got me."
What's your best advice for other engaged couples who are planning a wedding on a short timeline?
"Make a list of a few things that are important to you, focus on that, and let everything else go! There were three things that I knew I wanted to be a part of our big day, so I focused on those things early on, and let everything else fall together. An example of this is how we worked with our florist. She’s a professional and knows what’s in bloom and what colors work well together, so I literally told her to do whatever she thought was best and entrusted that to her! The same can be said with other vendors—they’re the pros! Also, pre-marital counseling. It was so helpful (and fun!) to have a third party evaluate our relationship and give us tools for our marriage."
Learn more about what to expect from pre-marital counseling and download our free conversation guide here.
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I'm so excited to be featuring an interview with our friends Allison and Thomas today! We met through a church life group, and Taylor and I have watched (and admired) as they have grown through several different seasons—deployments, graduations, moves, job changes, and more!
photos: Amy Daring Photography
We actually got to know Allie while Thomas, a Marine, was still deployed. At the time, I was a little in awe of the fact that she continued to regularly attend our couples Bible study despite her husband's absence. While I would like to believe I'd do the same if Taylor was serving in the military, I think the reality is that I would frequently back out of couples-centric commitments, bounce on community, and bury myself in unhealthy pastimes like mindless social media scrolling and drowning in my own self pity. Allie is a rock/star, though—as in, a rock AND a star—and continued to show up, engage, and build community on behalf of both herself and her husband until Thomas returned. Wow.
In short, I just love their hearts for the Lord and for each other. If you're engaged to someone in the military and doing a little unconventional wedding planning of your own, I know you'll find encouragement in their short engagement story!
Marriage and the Military: How to Navigate a Short Engagement When Your Fiancé is Deployed
Allison + Thomas | United States Marine Corps
How long was your engagement?
We were engaged for 7 months.
What made you decide on a shorter engagement timeline?
We were so ready to start our life together—but to be completely real, it’s also when Allison's lease was ending.
Was Thomas home or deployed during your engagement? How did that impact your planning process?
Thomas was gone for 4 out of the 7 months we were engaged. Two of which, we had absolutely no contact. That forced us to talk early on though, and I knew what was important to him and what kinds of things weren’t as important. That allowed me to make decisions, if necessary, when we couldn’t communicate in that moment.
Best and most difficult part of being engaged:
The best part was the anticipation of finally getting to do everyday life with each other. The hardest part was trying to please our families’ wishes and desires for our wedding day.
Best and most difficult part of being married:
The best part is being truly known on such an intimate level, and being loved despite your imperfections. The most difficult part is realizing how selfish we can be and dying to the mindset of life being just about you.
What is the number one thing military brides-to-be should know while planning their weddings?
Make sure your fiancé is in open communication with his chain of command as you plan dates and timelines for your special day. Also, having the ability to adapt and change plans with grace will serve you, your spouse, and your marriage well.
Beyond the wedding and looking toward marriage...what do military brides-to-be need to know about the life they are committing to? How can they mentally and emotionally prepare for this?
My advice to any military bride is that when you say "yes" to someone that is in active duty, you are essentially saying "yes" to this lifestyle. You are saying yes to many lonely nights and meals for one. You are saying yes to missed birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, and more. You are saying yes to so much sacrifice, and sacrifice is not glamorous. But, you are also saying yes to multiple honeymoons (AKA every time they come home from being away). You’re saying yes to the honor of supporting and sacrificing time away so that every person in our country can live in freedom. You are saying yes to being a physical and emotional safe haven for them to come home to. What an honor.
Is anyone else openly weeping right now? Pin Allie's beautiful words below, and be sure to download a free copy of our 6-month planning timeline, too...as soon as you've dried your eyes and can see straight again.
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]]>Today's post marks the first installment of our new Bridal Beauty series! I polled you guys on Instagram and—insert Praise Hands Emoji here—beauty + skincare was the topic y'all wanted to focus on first. (Even before speedy dress shopping, which we WILL get around to.) At a dinner party, I was once asked: "What would you spend the majority of your expendable income on if you were crazy rich?" Obviously, if given the opportunity I would have said providing clean drinking water for all or something equally noble, but before I could answer my husband chimed in with, "Beauty products." He knows me so well. So let's kick this series off with THE treatment that has made the biggest impact on my skin as of late: an All-Natural DIY Brown Sugar + Sake Scrub.
]]>At a dinner party, I was once asked: "What would you spend the majority of your expendable income on if you were crazy rich?"
Obviously, if given the opportunity I would have said providing clean drinking water for all or something equally noble, but before I could answer my husband chimed in with, "Beauty products."
He knows me so well.
So let's kick this series off with THE treatment that has made the biggest impact on my skin as of late: an All-Natural DIY Brown Sugar + Sake Scrub.
This post contains generally helpful/informational links + a few affiliate links. Read our disclosure here.
Yes. YES. It's a do it yourself treatment that actually works. (Giving the side eye to you right now, apple cider vinegar "toner" that almost gave me a third degree burn.) This scrub is the real deal. Before sharing the recipe + application instructions with you, I want to give a shoutout to South Korean beauty influencer and YouTuber extraordinaire LaMuqe—I adapted this scrub from a recipe she shared in this adorable video, which she apparently got from an ageless lady that runs a food truck in her hometown.
#Verified
A FEW NOTES BEFORE WE DO THIS THING
SUBSTITUTIONS: The biggest change I made to LaMuqe's recipe was the substitution of dark brown sugar for the black sugar called for in her video. Unfortunately, black sugar isn't readily available (i.e. wasn't in stock at my local Whole Foods or Kroger). If you have an H-Mart in your town, though, I'm sure you could find some! I also use Japanese sake rather than Korean rice wine—you can't go wrong either way.
SKIN TYPE/CONCERNS: So that you know what I personally am working with...I am 27 years old, have extremely sensitive skin, and cannot tolerate common topical acne treatments like Benzoyl Peroxide. Discoloration/Melasma, uneven tone, and acne are my primary skin concerns. While aging isn't the most pressing concern for me right now, I'm very into the idea of keeping fine lines and wrinkles at bay for as long as possible.
WHAT DARK BROWN SUGAR + SAKE DO FOR YOUR SKIN
DARK BROWN SUGAR: According to my friends (just kidding, they don't know me) at Beauty Counter, brown sugar gives skin a boost of hydration and encourages cell turnover to create tighter/firmer skin. Thanks to its molasses content, brown sugar also contains minerals that are not found in white sugar—these include calcium, potassium, iron, and magnesium. Last but not least, brown sugar naturally contains the bacteria-fighting + anti-aging wonder that is glycolic acid.
SAKE: I'm not crazy about the taste of sake, but I am NUTS about what fermented rice does for my skin...and so are the makers of the mega-expensive beauty product with a cult-like following, SKII. Long story short, SKII's formulation was inspired by a visit to a sake brewhouse. Researchers noticed that while the brewers' faces were wrinkled, their hands—which were frequently immersed in sake—remained soft and youthful. I think you see where they/I am going with this. Sake isn't just for chanting "sake bomb"—it is the bomb. According to my other (cyber) friends at 100% Pure, fermented rice reduces the appearance of sun and age spots, brightens and tightens skin, and actually soothes inflammation caused by acne and other skin concerns. I'll drink to that.
THE RESULTS I'VE SEEN
The number one thing I love about this scrub is that I see results immediately after using it, every single time. I'm not sure how, why, or when a "baby's butt" came to be the ultimate measuring stick by which we measure the success of our skincare endeavors, but that's exactly what this scrub will get you. My skin is so soft and glowy after rinsing off this DIY scrub. The next morning after use, I typically find that active acne/blackheads have become less inflamed. Plus the glow is still intact! As for more longterm results, I do feel that using this scrub in combination with a Vitamin C serum has significantly lightened my melasma.
THE RECIPE: ALL-NATURAL BROWN SUGAR + SAKE SCRUB
This formulation should last you 1-2 months, if using on a once-per-week basis. No need to refrigerate—I store mine under my counter along with the rest of my products.
Items Needed:
How to Create + Apply:
**Quick note: Applying this scrub can be a little messy/drippy. With that said, I typically use it right before showering!
1. Gather all ingredients/materials. Use a wooden spoon to fill an empty glass jar almost all the way full with brown sugar. Do not press down or "pack" the sugar. You want some space in between the granules!
Keep going past this point, almost to the top.
2. Pour sake directly over the top of the sugar, stopping when the sugar is covered. Cover jar with lid and store for two days before using.
**Note: Sugar will begin to "melt" and sink to the bottom once sake has been poured. This is good and what you want to see happen—no need to add any additional sake or sugar. Allow mixture to sit for two days before using to allow the sugar granules to soften a bit.
3. After two days, your scrub is ready to use! Make sure to pull your hair back and start with a clean face. I like Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser, Clinique Cleansing Balm, and KLAIRS Deep Cleansing Oil for gently removing face makeup without stripping my skin of moisture.
4. Using your wooden spoon, scoop up some of the sake/sugar liquid and use it to coat/prime your face and/or neck for the scrub. The mixture will be thin and watery initially, but will turn into more of a syrup as time goes by.
5. After "priming" skin with liquid mixture, dip your wooden spoon into the bottom of the jar and scoop out a dime-sized portion of sugar scrub. Use your fingers to lightly massage the sugar into your skin for up to 2 minutes. After you have finished exfoliating, let the scrub dry/firm up on your face like a mask for 10 minutes.
**Note: Your hands will be messy at this point—rub them together before rinsing to get a little bonus hand scrub action in!
This photo included for instructional purposes only. If you love or value me at all, you will not Pin this image. LOL. But seriously.
6. Allow scrub to harden into a mask for 10 minutes, then rinse off with warm water. Pat skin dry and follow with moisturizer. Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Cream is my hero moisturizer! Never breaks me out, doesn't irritate, and actually calms my redness and sensitivity.
Again, not the most flattering picture, but do you see that insta-glow? I'm obsessed!
That's it, y'all! One set of ingredients should allow you to create multiple batches—I'm already on my third scrub, and I still have enough sugar left for at least one more. Whether you're a beauty-loving bride who's planning a wedding in six months or less, or just a fellow skincare addict, please let me know what you think if you happen to try this all-natural brown sugar and sake scrub for yourself! I've already gotten my mom hooked and I'm betting that you're going to love it, too.
CALLING ALL SKINCARE JUNKIES
PS: Just wanna talk about skincare 24/7 and ditch the wedding planning chat? Enter your info below to join our Skincare Junkies list and get occasional emails ooh-ing and ahh-ing over new product lines, skincare breakthroughs, before and afters, and the like. If you get a weird thrill from reading through the ingredients listed on the back of your fav products, this is the community for you.
After we had been going to pre-marital counseling for a bit, our counselor-slash-pastor recommended a few resources to help us continue the conversation(s) we had started in his office. This vlog covers some of the books we used and how NOT to come to the wrong conclusion when identifying your own love language (#SexIsNotPhysicalTouch). You'll also find more info + links to the most current versions of all the resources mentioned in this video, as well as one bonus book that I forgot to mention at the time of recording. Ha! Enjoy!
]]>This post contains affiliate links. I feel annoying saying that, but there you go. Also, I spent 20 minutes figuring out how to properly do this disclosure. Proceed...
Welcome back to our pre-marital counseling series! If you missed the first installment on what pre-marital counseling is and what kind of topics you can expect to cover during your session, get caught up here.
After we had been going to pre-marital counseling for a bit, our counselor-slash-pastor recommended a few resources to help us continue the conversation(s) we had started in his office. Press play on the vlog below to learn more about some of the books we used and how NOT to come to the wrong conclusion when identifying your own love language (#SexIsNotPhysicalTouch).
Below you'll also find more info + links to the most current versions of all the resources mentioned in this video, as well as one bonus book that I forgot to mention at the time of recording. Ha! Enjoy!
Marriage Prep 101: Recommended Books and Resources
The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts: Is The Five Love Languages the most popular relationship book ever written? It's highly possible. With that said, I'm betting you've heard of this one! But I'm also betting that you might not REALLY know what your REAL love language is. (Or maybe that's just my husband?) Overall, the information presented in this book is pretty basic, foundation-level stuff. It's a good starting point for further conversation with your spouse-to-be, though. Expect to discuss: how you give love, how you receive love, what makes you feel "full" from a relationship standpoint, and how you're likely to respond when your love tank is running on empty. For those of you who used to enjoy Xanga quizzes as much as I did, you'll be happy to know that a Couple's Personal Profile assessment is also included.
Sheet Music: Uncovering the Secrets of Sexual Intimacy in Marriage: One of the best books recommended to me by a friend! This is a great resource that is written by a psychologist from a Christian point of view. It speaks to a variety of sexual histories, unpacks a lot of the mental and emotional baggage brought into the bedroom, and answers a lot of questions you might not feel comfortable asking otherwise. Overall, this book is intended to help you and your spouse-to-be approach intimacy with the right expectations...and with excitement! Like I said in the video, my friend recommended waiting to read this book until we were en route to our honeymoon. The author puts it this way in the foreword: "If you're currently in pre-marital counseling, read chapters 1-4 and the 'For Men Only' and 'For Women Only' chapters. But please stop there—and wait to read the rest until after you're married."
For Women Only, Revised and Updated Edition: What You Need to Know About the Inner Lives of Men and For Men Only, Revised and Updated Edition: A Straightforward Guide to the Inner Lives of Women: These are companion books and I highly recommend getting both! This was one of my absolute favorite resources we used during our engagement. Taylor and I read our respective books separately and highlighted sections we wanted to come back to for further discussion. Afterwards, we exchanged books and wrote notes beside sections that definitely did or definitely did not personally ring true for us. I will raise both hands in the air and admit that I grew up pretty sheltered—I had heard terms in church like "men are visual," but honestly didn't fully understand what that meant. This set of books helped lessen my insecurity ("What if he's attracted to someone else? What if I'm not always 'enough' for him?") and boosted my confidence and trust in Taylor. Both good things!
The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God: Not mentioned in the video but still worth adding to your resource pile. Like The Five Love Languages, this book was specifically recommended to us by our counselor/pastor (and, like, every other Christian couple on the planet). With that said, I WILL BE HONEST: I found this book hard to get through when we were engaged. Kind of...boring. (Here's hoping I don't get kicked out of the Sunday School Star Reader Program for admitting that.) With that said (ahem: confessed), it's very deep, very rich, and very theologically sound—and for those reasons, I am planning to read back through it again this year since the first time around I was apparently in an "I can't sit still long enough to read complex sentences" frame of mind.
Keep the Conversation Going!
Click the button below to download our free "Preparing for Pre-Marital Counseling" Conversation Guide, which includes a special excerpt from our comprehensive wedding planning eBook—an interview with our pre-marital counselor!
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Any other pre-marital resources or books you guys are loving? Comment below and share your favs!
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