Our Engagement Pictures

Considering I teased y'all with peaks of my outfits and never delivered the goods, I thought I would finally share some of our engagement pictures. We really loved how they turned out and ultimately loved the opportunity to spend time at our wedding venue scouting out fun places to shoot pictures. I'll share some basic engagement shoot 101 tips and tricks based on what I learned from the experience.

Timwill Photography

1. Alcohol helps. Seriously. This was post mimosa and I can't tell you how much I detest the pre-mimosa pictures. The last time I had my picture professionally taken was in college when I had to take my sorority president picture. And even then I ended up looking like an awkward turtle. Mostly because I am an awkward turtle.

Timwill Photography

2. Don't be afraid to show that you love each other. But let's keep it church appropriate, people.

Timwill Photography

3.  Don't be discouraged when your man friend scoffs at the idea of three outfit changes. Just make him do it. Chances are, one outfit will be a bust and then you'll have two to fall back on. Unless you're just way more chic and awesome then I am. Then please, give me tips.

Timwill Photography

4. Get creative. I wanted to get a little fancy which typically isn't the norm for an engagement sesh. In the end, I had the best time in my Rent the Runway frock and Will ended up deciding he was going to wear a tux to our wedding after all.

Timwill Photography

5. Listen to your photographer. If something feels weird (like holding hand five feet away from each other, for example), just do it. They know what they're doing and even those silly "serious faces" can end up being your favorite. It's even better when your favorite pictures is also your fiance's favorite. This is our winner of the bunch. It also doesn't hurt when your manfriend is devilishly handsome.

Timwill Photography

6. More than anything, have fun and don't forget to be silly!

More of our pictures can be seen here on Style Me Pretty!

Hermes: Festival des Métiers

 

This past Sunday I attended the Hermes Festival des Métiers event. Festival des Métiers translates to "Festival of Crafts" and it was just that, very festive and very crafty! The traveling exhibit featured Hermes craftsmen who showcased their incredible talents to the public. We were able to get up close and personal with the man responsible for many a beautiful Birkin, observe how those gorgeous silk scarves are made, and gaze at the amazing workmanship of Hermes knitwear. The exhibit only toured New York, San Francisco and lucky for me, Houston!

 

The carpet in the tent featured a repetitive motif of the craftsman's tools. 

That's a Birkin in the making!

A little factoid I picked up is that each craftsman is loyal only to one product. The man that makes your Birkin, does not make your wallet. That same mane who makes your Birkin stays with your handbag from start to finish. No assembly lines make for some seriously dedicated quality.

 

The silk screening tutorial was a favorite to all.

I really got a sense of the intricate detail and concentration it takes to complete an Hermes product. It's a luxury brand for a reason. You're truly paying for the artistic talents of a select group of tradesmen.

A few inspiring shots...

An itty bitty teeny weeny knitwear prototype! I really hope someone gets to put this on a baby. Could you imagine a teeny tiny nugget rocking this frock? I can't. My brain would explode with the excessive adorableness.

Of course, I couldn't leave Hermes without admiring my china pattern of choice. I'm in love with it even more after seeing the care put into it's production.

What is your most admired Hermes good? 

If you want more information about the exhibit, visit here.

Engagement Outfits

one | two | three

I am SO excited and SO nervous about our engagement pictures this Sunday! The curse of our long engagement has resulted in lots of time for advanced planning. That planning has resulted in THREE outfits for our engagement shoot. Am I insane? Maybe. But when can I wear a gold sequined gown ever again? That's what I thought.

More inspiration for our shoot:

01 | 02 | 03

You're just going to have to wait for the rest!

Watson v. Hardwoods

Lookie!! Hardwoods at the man home are dark and lush! Well, almost officially dark and lush. They weren't even dry here and they should be good to go on Saturday. I'm totes excited.

There's only one thing standing in my way when it comes to living in harmony with gorgeous dark hardwoods...

This guy. I'm pretty sure his first order of business will be trying to destroy my joy by going from zero to greyhound speed when he runs and pounces on his bone. There's only one solution. Don't judge me.

Do you have a better idea?

Exiting the Roommate Highway

I have been getting very sentimental as my last weeks of having roommates quickly pass by. It's strange to think that I've been pretty much living with friends for the past eight years of my life. I can hardly imagine what life will be like without having a co-comentator while watching dumb Bravo shows or not having someone there to tell me when my outfit is jacked. Don't get me wrong, I'm giddy thinking about starting the rest of my life with the man person, but it's bittersweet to think that I'll never quite have the same experiences with my best friends as I've had the past eight years. 

I've ended my roommate years in the best way possible and in my favorite living space ever. I haven't really shared any pictures of our house because I've never quite felt like it was "done". Pictures never hung, a hodge podge of accessories, draperies that were too long...but I ended up realizing that's what has made this house our home. The little imperfections that make you feel comfy and cozy in your space. As I leave my favorite home, I love that my very first roommate ever is taking my place and joining my last roommates ever. Don't you love when life comes full circle like that?

So, to all the sweet friends I've lived with, thank you for the amazing memories you've given me in addition to you friendships. I love you all so much. Please come visit me even if there is a stinky boy in the house...and we all know I would never talk that way about Watson.

A Walk Through Chicago

I recently spent my Labor Day laboring through the streets of Chicago. Except not really. I spent most of my time laboring through large cocktails and tacos and a whole bunch of mac and cheese. I was lucky I was able to actually go on a brief stroll through Lincoln Park in attempts to combat the lard that was settling in my body. 

I stumbled across this charming little street (local Chigoans? No clue...) and found lots of fun inspiration from the charming brownstones that make Chicago so swoon worthy. 

I thought the burst of color on these balconies was a fun hello on a particularly gloomy day.

Who doesn't love a little black window action? Me likes. Especially the arched windows and door.

I'm so jealous of people with big bay windows. Such a cozy area for a warm sitting area. Or a lush banquette would be a delightful option for an afternoon cat nap in the window.

 I would paint her. And she would say, "oh muh guuuh, thaaaaanks!"

 

This sister and brother combo were pretty adorbs. 

And then I came across this.

And got real personal and all up in their bushes.

Have you seen someone take so many pictures of boxwoods? I just love me a manicured hedge. Raawr.

I mean, who has a chevron boxwood garden?!

These people. With impeccable brownstone taste.

Will you be my Bridesmaid?

So, there's something you should know about me...I'm "that" girl. You know, "that" girl who is psycho with a glue gun and actually uses coupons to craft stores and may or may not have spent a week hand painting gifts for my little sister in my sorority. Definitely "that" girl tendencies. Therefore, it has always been obvious to me that I was going to be "that" bride.

More than anything, I love handmade gifts and don't think anything says "you're really important to me" than spending the time to make something with your creativity and your own hands. So, when it came to asking my favorite ladies to be part of my day, I knew I wanted to ask them in a special way.

I've loved the recipe boxes from Rifle Paper Co. for a long time now and wanted to treat my bridesmaids to a similar keepsake. I bought unfinished boxes from Michaels and used nails, chain, and other torture devices to beat the boxes up a bit. I then used a Minwax stain in Dark Walnut to accomplish the dark hue. I spent the next 18 years hand painting the outside of the boxes with Rifle-like florals and used a paint pen to script the girls' names.

On the inside, I came up with little cards asking each girl to be part of my day. I wanted a nod to our wedding location and since we're getting married in Georgia, I opted to use spanish moss as the box filler. All of the girls received little bottles of champagne in honor of Will and I getting engaged at Schramsberg and just generally because champagne makes the world go round. This sweet bridesmaid received a reed diffuser because she lives in Italy and I was worried of a mid-flight champagne combustion.

I also included a card with our wedding date and location, a little lookbook of my bridesmaid dress code of conduct (I told you I was "that" bride...), and finally a who's who of bridesmaids so everyone has a brief meet and greet for those that don't know each other.

My favorite thing from this entire process has been asking each sweet friend to be part of my very special day. I have incredibly emotional and hilarious memories from each girl, including one hysterically crying and convulsing and another asking if a butterfly was going to fly out of the box when she opened it. To be honest, I was kind of upset that I didn't think of the butterfly idea earlier, but, c'est la vie.

In the end, I'm so excited I was able to give a gift to my friends who are giving me the great gift of their support and love during this time in my life. More than anything, I'm glad I went through this little process and realized from start to finish these boxes took me a month. My DIY ambitions have been readjusted and my glue gun is taking a break.