{ I can hear the wedding bells...}

EVERYONE has been asking about how the wedding planning is coming along. Here's what we've figured out so far....

We booked our venue in the first week we were engaged. I already had my heart set on a place here in Lindon, Ut called Wadley Farms. It's a beautiful historic farm with acres of gorgeous gardens and vineyards. We will have our ceremony in the gardens, and a reception there later that night. Here's the link if anyone wants to check it out. Wadley Farms 

We decided on wedding colors. All neutrals with a touch of gold accents. So, my bridesmaids will be in all neutral colors- champagne, beige, nude, gold, etc. Im letting them pick their dress with my approval, of course. I found this on Pinterest, of course, and this has been the inspiration. 

We booked our photographer. Most of you have seen our engagements we did with Aubrey Taiese. She was great and I cant wait to do our bridal session.

My dress came in! It's hanging in Cole's old bedroom at his dad's house so, that he's not tempted to look at it! I'm so paranoid he's already looked at the pictures I have of it on my phone. It's gotta be a huge reveal when he finally does see me in it.

 Im still working on my shoes and jewelry but, I did buy the Allure bridals belt that I tried on at The Brides' Shop. It's to die for. So gorgeous.

          

We've got our bridal party selected. Cole has one Best Man and six dudes and I have one Matron of Honor and six bridesmaids. Big party, I know! I wanted to do something cute to ask my gfs to be in the bridal party and I found THE cutest cards that I sent out to all my girls asking them to be next to me on our big day. Seriously, how cute are these? They were a total hit with my girls. Here's the link to the Etsy store I ordered from. They were shipped fast and great quality. I'd definitely recommend them. They had other cute cards too, like Thank you cards, etc.  

I think I have my hair and makeup artist selected but haven't booked her yet. 

We also booked our videographer. I am probably most excited about this. I really really want to do a "First Look" video where you have someone film the bride and groom before the ceremony and the reaction to seeing the wedding dress. So we are going to do that, as well as, film our ceremony and our reception. 

                                  I love the look of this bouquet

We have our florist, who is a friend of mine. Megan Warner. She and I worked together at Center for Change and she has a great eye for the art. I HAVE to have peonies in my bouquet because they are my favorite. On our one month anniversary back in February, Cole paid a crazy amount for a bouquet of them and had them shipped here all the way from California to surprise me. Peonies only bloom in the spring so, it was the cutest gesture.  

We are waiting to get Cole's suit because he works out so much, that I just want to wait til the wedding is closer. If we bought one now and had it fitted, he may gain more muscle and get bigger and then, we'd have to get it altered again. So we are just gonna wait. But, he's going to be in charcoal grey suit and his dudes will be in the same color suit pants, but not full suits. It's more of a casual groomsman look. 

SOOOO many details! We are having a rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding. Possibly at Thanksgiving Point but, still deciding. I have a pretty good idea of what I want our centerpieces to look like but, I'll be working on that with Megan, our florist. We have a bakery in mind for our cake, but not booked yet. We are doing a dessert buffet for the reception. We are still working on honeymoon plans, as well. 

Well, hope everyone is doing well. I love you all! 

Xoxo, 

Natalie 

{ looking back }

For as long as I can remember, I've been dreaming about the day I get married. As a little girl, I used to sit and cut out wedding dresses out of bridal magazines and kept them in a box under my bed. I'm a girly-girl to the MAX, always playing dress-up, changing my outifit 5 times a day and spending hours playing with my hair and makeup. I've always been a hopeless romantic, who believed in fairytales and true love. The girl who wore her heart on her sleeve, who fell hard and fast. As I've gotten older, and had my heart broken a few times, I've been more cautious about dating and even at times, closed off my heart because the idea of having it not work out again, was just too painful. 

When I met Cole, I was in this place of not really even wanting to date because I just felt exhausted from putting myself out there and not finding what I was looking for. But, after Cole and I went on our first date, I knew there was something different about him. We had this instant connection that I wanted to explore. I was so scared that I'd have my heart broken again but, I knew that I'd regret not giving this a shot. It's hard for me to admit but I fell for him quicker than I think I even realized. It was so refreshing to be with someone who was looking for the same things I was. We both wanted to be in a relationship that was meaningful and fun and fulfilling. I wanted someone who wanted to be committed to JUST me, (most the boys I had dated in Utah had one eye open for the next best thing!). Someone who valued me, someone who was willing to be there when things got tough and didnt run off at the first sign of trouble. Someone I just couldnt get enough of. Someone who would love me for me and that I didnt have to put on a show for. Cole was all of these things and more. He was sweet, kind and thoughtful and constantly, going out of his way to show me he wanted this to work between us. (he still does the cutest little things for me all the time). Cole helped allow my heart to be open again and I felt safe with him. I didnt feel like I needed to prove my worth to him. He made it easy to fall in love with him.

Anyway, Im totally rambling, but its November! The month of gratitude and giving thanks for all the blessings in our lives. Ive just been thinking about how grateful I am for the way things have worked out in my life. Our choices determine the course our lives take. Ive thought about this a lot. I know if Cole and I had made just a few different decisions in our lives, we may have never met. But, I couldn't be happier right now, planning the wedding I've been daydreaming about since I was a little girl. But, more importantly, that I found a man who is everything Ive ever wanted. The man I'd been searching for since I heard my first fairytale, my prince, my true love.

XOXO, 
Natalie