Bachelorette Weekend

I'm Wiggin' Out!

   

I cannot believe that it has been months since I spent the weekend with a group of my favorite ladies & in one month we will be in Denver for a wedding!!

     My sister and 8 of my favorite girls took me on a weekend trip to Fredericksburg, TX for a weekend of wine and girl talk for my bachelorette party. Although we were not in Vegas all the rules still apply so don't think I'm going to spill the beans on what went on *wink wink*!

Molly, Bre, me, Allison, and Ashley  

     The weekend started out with my wonderful future sisters who were able to come into town early & start the party early! They took me to brunch at the cutest restaurant, Goodall's Kitchen located in Hotel Ella in Austin, with my longest friend Molly and my college best friend Bre.

    All of the girls had different times that they were able to come into town so this was a great surprise. We had the best time talking & drinking a little bubbly to get the weekend started off on the right track! I recommend this restaurant to anyone who comes into town-- great drinks and wonderful food!!

     After brunch we headed back to my apartment to pack up the cars and to head to Fredericksburg. The trip went quickly as we kept ourselves busy by singing and car dancing the whole way there ;) One we got the keys to our cabin for the weekend, we unloaded the cars and welcomed each of the other girls as they arrived.

     Friday night we spent dancing to Spice Girls, drinking wine, eating pizza and nachos, and playing all sorts of games. I could not have asked for a better group of girls in my life or to spend a weekend with!! Each of these girls brings out a different part of me that I am so grateful for :)

Cutest little weekend cabin

     Saturday we spent the day on a wine tour tasting wine from five wineries and enjoying the beautiful weather!! (It was supposed to rain all weekend but never did- yay!) We headed back to to the cabin about 5pm to get a little more dressed up. We chose to make the weekend a little more fun by wearing wigs out to dinner, this confused the people around us but we had a blast! ha

A special little note to my girls...

Henley- Thank you for being my perfect opposite! You bring out my carefree side that constantly makes me what to be more spontaneous and explore all that life has to give. I could talk forever about all that you have taught me being your older sister but I would need another blog for that! I cannot explain what it means for you to be apart of this time in my life :) 

Ashley- Thank you for showing me how to be a wonderful wife. Watching you and Justin start your lives together and build a strong union is such a blessing, especially when our generations view relationships as disposable. Thank you for being a wonderful older sister to look up to!

Allison- Thank you for being the big sister I never had. I prayed that when I found my husband that I would find my second family and the day I met you I knew that I had found it! Zack calls me your twin at times and getting to know you over the past 9 years I couldn't agree more :) Thank you for making me another sister.

Molly- You are the one who taught me how to be a friend! I cannot explain what you mean to me & what your friendship has taught me. I would not be able to build strong, lasting relationships without having the one I built with you!! Thank you for 24 years of unwavering love and a second family!

Mindy- Thank you for teaching me how to love someone and grow with them! Our friendship has lasted through the hardest times in life- full of constant changes and stress. I would not have wanted to go through the last 12 years with anyone other than you, I love you so! Thank you for always placing me as a priority in your life; walking the journey of "wife" will be just another step in life we get to take together :)

Bre- Thank you for showing me that life is too short not to enjoy every day to the fullest! I'm not sure how you somehow create more hours in the day in order to make time for everyone but you do! I could never have imagined that our bonding over the hatred of studio would lead to our friendship, but I am so grateful it did. You are the best thing that I gained at UTSOA... you know... besides the whole education thing. Thanks for always being there for me, love you!

Rosalyn- Thank you for showing me people come into our lives at every stage of life! You have taught me so much about myself and been a wonderful confidant though some of the toughest times in my adult life. Thank you for bringing out my strength and teaching me that there is always backup in your tribe! 

Katherine- Thank you for showing me that life is what you make it, not what you were dealt! You are the hardest worker & happiest person that I know! You and Everett have shown me that if you place your spouse & marriage above everything else you will go to bed happy and blessed every night.

I am so thankful for each and every one of you! 

     

(Top) Ashley, Allison, Bre, Molly, Katherine
(Bottom) Henley, me, Mindy, Rosalyn

Welcome to The Main Event

Invitations.

     Designing our invitations proved to be more of a struggle than I thought it would be! 

     Keeping time and cost in mind I started to think about what I wanted our invites to look like. I knew that I would not have time to completely design the suite with my work and study schedules like they are... unless we wanted to make it NEXT December... just kidding... kind of... So I started looking around online and comparing prices and time lines. I knew that it would not make sense to have anyone special make the suite either- because no matter how beautiful they are, they are still only invites, and they will be thrown away-- this realization lead me to Minted and Wedding Paper Divas. 

     These sites allow you to customize the majority of an already designed invite suite- right up my alley! After looking at all the different options I narrowed down the selections to something that spoke to us & our wedding- simple, clean & traditional, but also have modern undertones- I know that almost sounds like a description of wine doesn't it?? I also wanted Zack's opinion on the invites so I ordered in samples from both sites so that we could both touch/ look/ compare the differences. When the sets arrived Zack's favorites were the letter pressed, simple designed, & rectangular invitations. This differed from my original thoughts to the suite but I am so glad that he said something because it lead to what we have now- which we BOTH love :)

     Once we decided on the suite I started to customize; slowly and surly I saw the design take life, but knowing me I had MULTIPLE people in on this- from the wording to multiple spell checks! One of the options that we chose was to print our guest's addresses and also our return addressing on the envelopes, which made assembling the invites SO much easier for me!!! If you are looking for invites for ANYTHING I strongly suggest Minted and this option.

     Once you purchase you are able to email back and forth with designers on the Minted team to add/ change/ review all of your information and options before you send them to the printer. Each revision I was given two versions of each the invites, the directions, and the RSVP card that they would send to select which version I approved based on feedback I gave. Being type A I went through multiple revisions, so I appreciate that the team putting up with me haha!!

     Once our invites came in I noticed that there was one small issue... They had printed the wrong version of or invites. It was a very minor change-when I mean minor I mean that it said "and" not "to". A change that most people would never notice as my mom said, she even showed a few family friends to prove her point... but me being type A I sent it in for a change. Zack says  that I am now Type A+. Minted was great and sent all new invitations within a week, which was great timing because Zack's bachelor party was coming up!

     

     While Zack was gone at his bachelor party last weekend I put our invites together while drinking wine & watching chick flicks- you know the proper way! I would write a post about his weekend but he went to Vegas & we all know what they say sooo that wont be one I write. I will say that he had a great time and I am thankful that Mike and Jason took the time to go and celebrate with him!!

     Today we sent out our invites! We cannot believe that in 17 weeks that we will have all of the people that we sent invites to surrounding us as we say our vows & start our lives together! Our count down has officially started so that means that my blogs will start to rev back up after a summer of slow planning! 

     Stay tuned for all the inside scoop on my bachelorette party, my bridal shoot, meeting and planning out our florals, wedding ring shopping, the bridal shower, our engagement anniversary, and the holiday countdown to the wedding!!

     I hope that everyone is enjoying these posts as much as I like sharing! 

Wishing you a blessed and safe Labor Day weekend!

"And If Not..."

I have struggled with the thought of this post because it is not exactly wedding related, but it has been on my heart for the past 3 weeks, so I feel a small conviction to continue.

"And if not..."

     I usually try to start each blog post with a bible verse, especially if I feel like it pertains to the subject of the post. This one will be written about a bible verse instead. The phrase above is daunting at times to me... and if I am being honest it is because I know that if it comes to that I am no longer in control, and for a type A+ person that is not something easily let go.

     Recently I have found that this statement can also be a question, and this question can be answered. For me this answer usually comes in the form of a plan B..C...D...E when it should really come from Daniel. Daniel 3:18 to be exact. This verse reads:

  "And if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up."

      Although I am not having to refuse to worship an idol like in the story, I do place things {voluntary idols} before God. I find myself all to often praying that MY hopes and dreams line up with Gods instead of the other way around. 

     Having goals that you push yourself to achieve, like for me it was passing all of my licensing tests this year, is NEVER a bad thing. I  believe that God truly wants us to succeed in all things that he places on our hearts to pursue... "and if not..." or we happen to not succeed the first time, we have to remind ourselves that God is still good. He is worthy of praise. Praise that you might have to search for after a set back but it is there. It rests in the fact that He helped you get to the point of applying yourself, to give yourself the chance to succeed, and in time, in His perfect time, you will find your success.

     I hope that his resonates with someone else and helps you find the silver lining of your first attempts!

Delaney

To Chase the Light

From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same, the Lord's name is to be praised.

Psalms 113:3

Light Chaser | Photographer | Friend

     From the day Zack and I started to talk about our life together the bride in me started dreaming of our wedding. This wedding in my head has changed about 10 times over the years too- but who is counting?? One thing I knew needed to be at the wedding, besides him and our immediate families of course} was THE photographer. This stemmed from stories my mom told us of their wedding day and how their photographer showed up to their wedding completely drunk.... their wedding album now holds only 20 photos that capture their beginning, and I decided that a wonderful photographer was my first to find. 

     My search actually started by Instagram oddly enough; I figured that the fastest way to get some names would be to search a platform based on pictures. After a couple days of searching through hashtags and looking at who the photographers follow themselves for inspiration, I started to reach out and connect with a few. 

Picture taken from Ashley's Website

    

     One of the few I emailed reached out to me within a couple of hours. Her name was Ashley Sawtelle. Over the next couple of days we emailed back and forth connecting on nothing other than... Austin! She actually grew up here, but moved to Denver with her husband 8 years ago, so we knew that she was a step above the others just from that ;)

     We continued to email, call, and Facetime over the next week, where she showed me her love for expressing beauty and nostalgic intimacy through photography; she also expressed how the light can showcase everything, "always find the light." Ashley probably does not know this to this day, but she was also our ray of light where things were starting dim. She was the first vendor we talked to that was willing to work with us to create something that would work for our day.  

     After a month of talking we met for coffee at Denver's Union Station and from that meeting I just knew that she was meant to be a part of our wedding! Ashley was the first contract that we signed and I counted the days until we got a chance to work with her. This day came in April, but will be told another day.

     Ashley, I have no idea if you will ever read this blog post but I would like to say, from the bottom of my heart, that I know that God put you into our lives for a very special reason. You have not only became a great friend but also a teacher. You have shown me how the light you seek in your photos is a physical manifestation of beauty in the words "I do." At turning points in the day, just as marriage is a turning point in life, your perspective has to change in order to embrace the beauty that lies in the new {and possibly even scary unknowns} of the future. Both of these have to allow change in order for a new world to be created; from day into night and from two into one.

Forever grateful | Delaney

* Stay tuned for all the adventures on TheRoadToRoberts*

   

April showers bring.... Wedding flowers!

Florals 

     If you are like me then you have NO idea when it comes to flowers, especially specialty flowers like wedding flowers...(!!) You might even be more like me and think that they are not even all THAT necessary. I do admit that I like the idea of the some flowers but they should not cost more than your catering or dress.

Just sayin'.

     We lucked into a wonderful florist who was willing to work with our "lower budget" in traditional wedding costs, through our photographer Ashley Sawtelle. Her name is Nora Case. I fell in love with the architectural and artistic way that she arranges her pieces. We talked though some of the ideas that we both had that fit with the season and the look that we are trying to achieve and settled on a couple of ideas- for now. A million times over thank you to both of these ladies for what they have already done for Zack and I.

The Vision.

     Although I have no concrete plans to what we will have for our wedding day, we are looking into something similar to the ones that you see in this post. Nora and I will make a date in the fall to go shopping for all the beautiful things in her world.

     This actually reminds me more of the scene from "The wedding planner" where Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Lopez are walking around a flower mart picking up flowers and castrating statues... who knows we might have the same outcome ;)

     White flowers with a good deal of greenery is what I feel looks most natural, especially in the winter months. I believe that this will make everything look clean & elegant with a modern twist on classic.




      The church we are getting married in is very simple in design, and I would like to enhance that aspect. As all girls these days my pinterest is filled with all of the  possibilities that this means- don't worry most of these are on a secret board so that others following me do not think that I am crazy. Okay, well completely crazy. We are all a little crazy, aren't we?

     I know that whatever actually comes about that I will just adore everything. I cannot wait to talk all of these ideas through in the next 6 months!!! Its still amazes me that it has already been 6 months and that is how long we have to go!! I am so thankful for everyone who has been a part of our process; the love and support that have come from all over is still overwhelming at times.

Thank you for reading and venturing down the sappy road every week :) 

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day 

Special post for our two moms, Tammy and Sandie. 

     We cannot thank you enough for all that you both have done for us, separately and individually. Over the course of our relationship we know that the love that we share would not be as great without you both; you showed us how to love each other by the way you raised and loved us since day one. Last but not least we want to thank you for creating the other half of our hearts; we have the greatest examples of love for our future children in the two of you and also for each other the way you love our dads!

We love you so much!

      To all the moms out there I hope that this weekend was extremely special. This year Mother's Day and Father's Day are extremely special to me and makes me really reflect on the past nine years. I will officially gain a mother and father- although I have had them for years! I am so very lucky that I have the relationship that I do with my in-laws (to be) and wish the same for everyone. 

Cheers to all the moms, you make it look so easy!

To Have & To Buy From This Day Forward

              The Registry

     This weekend was the first few days of Zack's two week break from school :) YAY! This also coincided with the end of my licensing tests so we actually had a free weekend; the first in 4 months to be exact! I was surprised to get the suggestion from my better half to spend this weekend registering and wedding band shopping. Yes you read that correctly, I did not suggest or force Zack to go with me hehe :)

     A couple months ago we decided that we would probably not register because we will be combining two house holds into one and we pretty much have everything... but after talking with our friends & family, and taking inventory of what we already have together, we decided that replacing our cookware would be necessary within the next 5 years anyways (thanks target but sometimes you just do not hold up for more than a couple years!)

     I never thought that registering would be as difficult as it was!! Honestly I was uncomfortable the whole day and will probably be uncomfortable throughout the whole process, but I have never been good at gift receiving so that does not surprise me. Zack had fun though and watching him talk about, "'We can use this when we have people over for football games!... and...'We can use this when I cook on the grill!'"made the whole thing so much more fun. He plans our future in ways that he does not even realize :)

     

     We learned all sorts of things while registering, like how much we both miss cookies and can not wait to be off of a wedding diet ;) We also learned that we have been holding knives all wrong while cooking. Who knew you "pinched the blade"?! What I liked most about registering is thinking about being able to start cooking as a family!

     After we registered at a few stores we went to go look at some band choices, which is where we swapped positions. Zack is having a hard time deciding what his style is, and what he would like to wear for the rest of his life- this put me in a better mood thinking of placing that on his finger in a little over six months!!!!!

     We got to relax the rest of the night with friends drinking wine and celebrating life, love, and all the possibilities that the future holds for all of us. We are praying for the housing fairy godmother to shine a light on us in the next couple of months so that we can find a place that will be where we start our lives--- and a place to put all the things that we registered for--- :)

     One thing that is for certain is that we will appreciate every gift that we receive more than you will ever know, God bless and thank you!! ~ Delaney & Zack

      

While [Everyone Else] Was Seeping

So if you haven't noticed I have kinda been MIA the past few months... and if you actually have not noticed then we need to talk about my writing hooks ;)

Anyhooo.

The explanation 

     I have been studying what little tooshie I have off people!! A year ago I decided that I was going to start my licensing exams and go as far as I could; and Monday I took my final test! I am proud of myself for accomplishing this goal and hope for good news in a couple months. This step up would be rewarding for me on a professional level, and also on a personal level by helping to "launch" zack and I into a more stable future as I support him though the rest of his school.

     I have put most of our wedding plans a side- I know I said it- but it was for a good reason! We have both been planing for our futures:) Dispite taking a break from planning for the better part of four months, I have stuck gold a couple times along the way! I was able to sneak away and even have my second dress fitting!!!! I will go into this a little more in another post, but to answer everyone's question of whether or not I would have dress envy.... I did not and I am sooo happy! I got to spend the weekend with my parents and it even snowed- go figure!!

     I also need to throw a HUGE shout out to my future hubby. He is officially 5 semesters done with his DOCTORATE, and also makes me a priority; for those of you who, like me, have had no experience with a doctorate's degree it is so not easy. I have willingly been the third wheel to that relationship and know how much time and work goes into it (not to mention his part time job). With all of this he still makes time for a weekly night dinner with me, and has planned his whole break around our wedding. I'm telling you, I'm the lucky one!

     During my absence from our blog we have settled on a wedding day caterer, florist, and photographer.  I will be posting separate about all of these and hope to talk about a special project that Zack and I got to be a part of a week ago real soon!

Thank you for reading and venturing down the Road to Roberts with us!

Stay tuned :)

Engagement Party

The Engagement Party

Exodus 23:14 - "Three times a year you are to celebrate a festival to me."
 This is a verse that has stuck with me for a couple weeks now because it proves that He created the seven festivals for the people to observe each year to celebrate. He loves celebrations! "It was His idea from the very beginning, and when we come together to celebrate what God is doing in our lives, it brings him joy"- Leah DiPascal, Proverbs 31 Ministries

02.13.16

     This weekend we were blessed to have been thrown an engagement party by some of my wonderful work family. About a month ago I was asked if it would be something that Zack or I would want to do, and my first reaction was that I did not think it was necessary and that Zack would not want to have something "all about him". After some talking we both agreed to accept the very nice offer! At the beginning of January Rosalyn, who spear headed the whole thing, asked for a list of our friends and family that we would like to celebrate our engagement with; of course I wanted it to be EVERYONE but knew that was not possible and the hard part of "who was put on the list" would start. In the end Zack and I decided that we wanted to invite the people who would not be attending the actual wedding, so that we got to celebrate with all of the people that we love.

   

     The start of the list included family and friends that we have grown up with, and from there we started adding friends that we have acquired over the years. After we decided "who", we knew that there would no way that everyone could come but we still wanted them to know that we loved them and wanted them to be a part of the celebration. This is one of the things that I would also CAUTION all future brides on because, I am not certain that I handled this correctly... Make sure that your hostesses and you have the same number of invitees in mind**** so that there are no surprises for your hostesses or down the line with the location (more to come on the latter in a bit).

     I have been blessed with some amazing work friends, actually family, and would like to brag on them for just a minute. All three of these gals are older than me and married but have always been some of the biggest supporters of our engagement and new life together at what some consider a young age. Each offer words of advise about the wedding, the honeymoon, the first year of marriage, the good and the bad- they never lie and are always available for a freak out/ vent session/ or sappy talk! I love these girls and am so very grateful for them in my life! 

Our Hostesses
Mika, Rosalyn, and Katie

     After the invites went out the RSVPs really started to surprise me! We had invited people from states away and college friends that no longer lived in the same city that said that they were so excited to come, soooo going back to the **** earlier of making sure that you and your hostesses are all on the same page. The reason for this part of the story is because I seriously had no idea that there would be so many "yes's". The party was set for February 13th, 3 months after Zack and I got engaged, at Punch Bowl Social for 25 people.    

     Last Sunday the final count was 40, so we all had to quickly relocate. I am so very grateful for my hostesses that made sure that I did not do something silly like cancel the whole thing- don't worry it only crossed my mind a few times ;) These girls swooped into action and made everything so much better than I ever expected! Luckily we were able to find a restaurant that would let us make a reservation for a very large group, the Saturday of Valentines Day weekend. Thank you so much to The Brick House Tavern in Austin for allowing us to take over with our group! 

    The night was perfect! Great friends, great food, great drinks, and so much love! Zack and I both know now how hard it is going to be to talk to everyone on our wedding night haha. Thank you to everyone who offered us sweet tidbits of lessons learned over their past 30 years of marriage to those who only had 30 days of marriage, each of you gave us so much to take to heart! I am not one for Valentines Day but I can honestly say that it was probably my favorite way that I have ever spent the weekend leading up the the holiday! 

Thank you for everyone who came to celebrate with us! I wish I had a picture to capture you all!

Tammy and her best friend Kristi Porter

Henley and Molly

The Weedens, Mindy & Lukas

Sandie and a few of her best friends
Debbie Combes and Polly McGuire

Zack's PT Crew: Emily, Kristen, and Ben

* Stay tuned for all the adventures on TheRoadToRoberts*

The Company We Keep

    Weeeellll "people let me tell you 'bout my beeeeeessssstttt friend".... or at least a few of them :) This post is all about two of the sweetest girls, who also happen to be some of the best friends I have acquired over my (almost) 24 years. 

     You know those people who just have amazing talents that you just cant help to be a little jealous of? Yea me too! How about the friends who you don't live near but you get together and then just pick up where you left off?? Yep we have that in common too! Okay, what about the kind of friends who are so happy to help that they are almost more excited than you??? Omigosh then we must have the same friends!!!

Molly.

    Molly Katherine McGuire. Remember that name, because one day she will rule the world- okay, at least New York City! This girl has literally been around since day 22 of my life OMLY because she was born that many days after me. Our parents have been best friends for many many years and we have carried on the tradition despite going to rivalry schools from pig tales to graduation caps. She is one of those that we don't have to talk everyday but the second we start you better just grab a seat because you will be waiting on us to stop for a while :) ANYWAY time for me to brag on this wonderful human being. Molly is a magician when it comes to styling in the hair, make up, and editorial world. Check out her website here: http://www.mollykmcguire.com/ and if you want to know how she does it all you can also check out her youtube channel!! 

    Needless to day she has been a part of every stage of mine and Zack's relationship and has also been one of our greatest cheerleaders.This girl has graciously accepted being a part of mine and Zack's wedding, I mean she would have been a bridesmaid if we were to do anything like a normal couple... but she is taking on the hole of my stylist and I couldn't imagine having anyone other person in charge of making me the most beautiful I have ever been! I cannot wait to see her in a few weeks and start off the year of celebrations. <3

Haley.

    Haley Ottmann, formerly Haley Howell is a probably one of the most genuine human beings that has graced this earth! I met Haley about 5 years ago while in our first interior studio of our architecture program at The University of Texas at Austin- I know what a mouthful! Haley started out a little reserved, compared to me almost everyone in the studio was HA, so we were not very close until the next year when we discovered that we lived just around the corner from each other and would walk home together. When the rest of our graduating class went to study abroad and we took an architecture studio we became almost inseparable!! During this year Haley and I even got our guys together, this is when she also became a part of mine and Zack's relationship. Haley helped me also grow closer to God and reminded me the teachings of His perfect timing and how all of the times in life that the Lord makes us wait "He will give you the desires of your heart".

   Haley now works in Huston at an architecture design firm and has started a photography business with her husband Rob. She is talented without question, but what I love most about her photos is that they are the physical manifestation of the love that she has for love. Haley has graciously agreed to take time out of her busy schedule to meet Zack and me to take our engagement photographs!! You guys do yourselves a favor and take a look at her beautiful site here: http://www.haleyottmann.com/

Zack and I cannot wait to include our friends in our wedding! What other way is there!?

*As always check back next week for the latest scoop on #TheRoadToRoberts*

Friends, Family, & Fiance

New Adventures

Life.

     With the start of the new year we have both started our routines for the year including workout schedules, clean eating habits, school, testing, work, and making time to enjoy this exciting year!

    The past few weeks have been pretty crazy here in Austin! I have gotten back into the FULL swing of work after the holidays, which keeps me pretty busy. Zack has also started back up with school soooo we will stop seeing each other again pretty soon ;) haha I have also signed up to take the last two of my licensing tests in April, which means that I will be hitting the books soon myself! I wanted to make this a personal goal so that I can be completely licensed by the time my name changes! Eeeek!! :)

    We are very excited to start the wedding celebrations in about a month! I have been blessed with great work friends that have chosen to throw Z and I an engagement party, which will be here in Austin. This will be a great way to have a chance to celebrate with friends that will not be with us on our wedding day. We cannot wait to see those who can come and are thankful for Rosalyn, Natalie, Katie, Kaylyn, and Mika for thinking of us and our families! Since this is my first shower I have now had my first experience in shopping for hostess gifts for these ladies as well- and boy let me tell you it can be a lot of pressure! I am a perfectionist, so that does not help me ha ha, and having friends who are different from each other makes you think creatively ;) I have had a lot of fun searching for these items and putting together something to thank them each for their time and friendship; I hope that they enjoy it! 

    

Wedding.

    Updates on the wedding plans include finding my shoes, one small step for woman and one giant leap for woman-kind! This was so much harder than I thought it would be, but being a Railey we want to get things on sale instead of full price (thanks blood line), so I hit the Nordstrom "Half off Annual Sale", of course! I have also been able to set the date for my second fitting now that I have them, because my seamstress was not too thrilled that I came to the first fitting without them- until she found out that I had found the dress the day before- ha ha! I will travel back up in the middle of March for this and to celebrate Henley's 22nd birthday!!! How did that happen??!!??

     Another detail that has started is the HONEYMOON!! :) Zack has taken this under his wing so that it can be a little surprise, although we are looking at a beach! We started to look into Europe but knowing myself I might A. Not ever come back, B. Spend way to much money trying to "go see it all while we are over there." soooo we decided to put that trip off for a couple years after Z graduates so we can save up! 

I am excited to see where he picks, but I am more excited to just start our first adventure together! I will admit that planning a trip out of the country for the first time with out your parents makes you feel like a 2 year old again- "Mom what do I look for?", "Is this good?", "But Trip advisor says this..." haha 

    I am thankful for my friends, family, and fiance!

 

    

Happy New Year!

"A new year is 365 new chances."

Merry Christmas.

     I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas (or whatever holiday you celebrate) and a Happy New Year surrounded by friends and family! Our Christmas vacation started Wednesday the 23rd and ended short on the 27th because of Goliath the winter storm. We flip flop holidays now that our families don't live in the same town anymore, so this Christmas was spent in Odessa with Zack's family. We had an amazing time spending the time with everyone, especially those that we do not get to see except for once a year.

     Zack's family has food traditions for sure! Christmas eve they ALWAYS have a wonderful shrimp boil that Z -- Okay me too-- looks forward to all year, and on Christmas the tradition is to make fajitas! Tammy always goes above and beyond with sides and snacks, you have no idea how yummy, so next year [resisting] is going to be sooooo tough!!  We love sitting around the table and catching up with those who are staying and those who drop in. The crew this year was Zack's two older sisters Ashley and Allison, Ashley's Husband Justin, Zack's cousin Jason, his wife Megan, and their son Tucker, and  last but not least Tammy's parents. Ashley and Justin live in Odessa, so we always get to spend time with them when we venture back to Odessa. Allison lives in Washington DC, so she flies in the week of Christmas to spend until after New Years with their family. Nena and Papaw live in Ruidoso and split holidays with their three girls at the Holidays, so we lucked out that they were "scheduled" to spend this Christmas in Odessa this year.

     We had wonderful weather on Christmas Eve so we spent much of it outside playing with the dogs. Jason came over and chatted with us for a couple hours before we ate dinner, and gave us advice on things that they have learned though out their 5 years of marriage. His advise matched what most people have given us, so we know he wasn't lying haha just kidding! We love hearing everyone's stories of their engaged days and and their lessons learned after marriage. We also got to catch up with Megan and their little one too when she came over before dinner too. Its always fun to be around kids and see the kind of patience and fun Z has with them, he will be a great father one day- Don't worry we still LOVE the option of giving them back to their parents, we are in no rush to start a family!  

     On Christmas we were able to ask Allison and Ashley to be a part of our house party, and they said yes- yay! This is not usually done, especially when you do not have bridesmaids, but I felt like I wanted to ask them to be a part of the showers and parties like Henley is. I love these two and could not be happier that I get to gain two older sisters! We also got the chance to ask his Nena and Papaw to be our officiant and guidance/marital counselors, this was very important and special to the both of us on such a personal level, and we are so blessed for their excitement and acceptance in such important roles. 

* The Robert's Wedding definition of House Party * 

These are people that Zack and I would have chosen as bridesmaids, groomsmen, ushers, or any special part of our wedding. These are people who have been a part of our relationship and who support our future. They will not stand with us but will be a part of showers and parties throughout our engagement and the wedding as they choose.

Happy New Year.

     We both had to work the week between Christmas and New Years so we were back to normal on Monday, although both of our jobs were pretty slow so we both feel okay about taking off that week next year! We planned on spending New Years Eve with friends who will be with us the following year, and were grateful that we could. Rosalyn and Christian invited us over to cook dinner and then spend a nice and relaxing evening with friends (and puppy dogs) ringing in the new year, and starting our countdown at 365 days!! 

     Rosalyn has been a big help and supporter with our future and in questions with planning our wedding. She also graciously said yes to being a part of our wedding party, and we couldn't be more thrilled to have her and Christian be a part of our day and marriage after! We are also so excited to be a part of their new adventure of 2016-- they are expecting their first child, a baby boy due May 1st! This year is looking to be one of the best years for all of our friends!

     We were also able to catch up with Mindy and Lukas this holiday weekend for brunch. This was a fun morning full of catching up and talking about what 2016 holds for each of our stages in life. Mindy and Lukas moved back to Austin about six months ago, and are now three months away from closing on the house that they are building in Round Rock- see a big year for our friends! Zack and I were both blessed to be a part of their whole dating relationship, their engagement as a bridesmaid and groomsmen, and now their marriage. We both want them to be a part of all that we are experiencing in our engagement and future as well, and were blessed when they wanted to be a part of our wedding party as well.

     We wish you and yours all the blessings in the world for your 2016!
Cheers!

The Golden Unicorn

A wedding dress is both an intimate and personal for a woman - it must reflect the personality and style of the bride.

~Carolina Herrera

The Dress.

        There is nothing like seeing yourself in a wedding dress for the first time. It is like stepping into a whole new world where the ground is a combination of silk and tulle and the clouds are made of lace. Also seeing yourself once you step up onto the pedestal all clipped into the beautiful pieces really makes you realize that you are "the bride."

     I had always planned for my mom and sister to be there to help me choose my wedding dress, it is the most special time, and to have them both there was exactly what I always hoped for, pure joy! They helping me envision walking down the isle with my dad to my future husband in each dress. With Henley knowing that she will have a very busy schedule next semester finding time for all three of us to meet in one spot was going to be a difficult challenge to coordinate. So we decided to plan a weekend when Henley was on break to start looking; it turned out that his week was the best for all of us so I packed up and headed to Denver. This trip was to try on dresses in order to find out what shape I liked most on my body… I mean we are a whole year away I DID NOT need to find "the one" this weekend!

A&B

     I made three appointments for Friday and Saturday at different shops that so that I could get a feel for what I liked. The first shop was A & B, a great little boutique dress shop with lots of different shapes and styles in many designer's lines. I went into the experience with no preconceived plans of what I wanted to wear so I started by trying on one of every shape, I recommend this for everyone because you might surprise yourself! My stylist, Bre, helped me try on about eight dresses narrowing down the styles that i felt best in and that Henley and mom said fit my shape the best- these turned out to be a fit and flare, and …wait for it…. a ball gown! I know I was surprised too!! I felt that the two were so different that it was going to be hard to nail down the type I wanted for our wedding day. I liked that the ball gown was fun, playful, and that it offered the "bride look." You know the one that makes you really feel like that bride, the one that you saw on tv for many years as a little girl. The fit and flare was sophisticated, elegant, and gave me a womanly figure-- I have never seen that before. Within the two styles we narrowed it down to two dresses and left the store. I felt great narrowing things down and knew that I was making progress in my selection process, and did not feel discouraged walking out without a dress because I wasn't there to find one this weekend!

Little White Dress

     The second shop was called Little White Dress, a little bigger shop but not one like Kleinsfield where you feel overwhelmed! My Stylist Sara was darling! She wanted to keep going on the progress we made at A & B, so she pulled ball gowns and fit and flares with lace, bedding, tule, and anything else she could find. She also told us that we came in at a great time, because they were having a sample sale of three designers. This made it fun for her too because all the dresses had been delivered the night before so she had not even seen some. She showed us the section of the dresses and mom, Hen, and I picked our favorites, and she pulled them into my fitting room along with the ones that she found. I was really good at knowing when I didn't not like the dress or when it was beautiful but not MY dress, so the turn around in some of the dresses was very quick haha! I had fun being the first person to try on most of the dresses because they were in beautiful condition; I found three that I really liked and they were once again the two different spectrums. Sara helped us narrow the selection to a fit and flare because it gives a timeless, classic, and iconic style that will always represent elegance never be trendy. This grace and elegance is what I wanted to resemble going into my new life with Zack and it fit our day perfectly as well. 

IF you have not caught onto my subtle hints in previous posts by now our wedding date is

 December 31, 2016!

     What Sara did not tell us until I was about half way through with my selections, was that within some of the dresses were ones that were "Signature, and one of a kind dresses" mixed within the sample dresses. These "were designed but could not be mass produced because the materials were either too expensive to use in large quantities or the materials were not available for more than one dress." I of course had narrowed my selection down to one that fell within that description! Since the dresses came in the night before AND I was the first to wear them they had not placed prices on the dresses yet… Sara knew that the original price of the dress was $8,000 but the within the sample sale she estimated the price of the dress was $2,800 for the next two days. This was already over my $1,500 budget I set for myself. As I was standing in the dress, in the exact time of day and light that we will see a year from now, Henley snapped a picture of me. She had had done with all the favorites of the day, and handed it to me so that I could see myself in each dress; expecting another normal picture I did not expect the reaction that followed. As I saw myself in the picture I instantly started crying… NEVER in a million years would I have thought I would have been a girl that cried in a dress!! This made the rest of the store tear up as they knew that this was my dress.

     I instantly remembered the price tag on the dress and that we were still a year out still from our wedding date. This made me start coming up with reasons not to like the dress and hesitate saying, "Yes this is my dress." The only thing was that the dress I had on was perfect and Henley and mom knew it, but they let me say that I wanted to wait and go see the chapel in person to know if I saw myself in the dress there. Sara even agreed that I needed to see the chapel and know for sure that this was my dress. She also warned me that she could not hold the dress for me because it was a one of a kind and in the sample sale, and that if I left and another girl walked in and chose it that she would have to sell it to her. As I was changing out of the dress and getting dressed, I heard Sara say that she thought that she lied to us about the price because they had not tagged the dresses yet... this of course made me sad knowing that it was probably closer to its original price. I could see my mom and Henley were thinking the same thing when she finished her sentence with, "but in a good way! I'll be right back!" I continued to get dressed and put on my shoes, stealing glances at the dress hanging on the door. As I left the room Sara came back over beaming. She told us that she had fantastic news that even gave her "goosebumps on her cheeks," the dress was on sale for the weekend for $1000...(!) So if we back track this would make a $8000, one of a kind gown, that fit me almost perfectly, and now in exactly what I wanted to pay- Sara said that they called these brides unicorns because it never happened!


     Needless to say this girl took her unicorn home and I could not be any more excited about it!! The icing on the cake is that they were able to squeeze me in for my first fitting the next day so that I would not have to make a special trip back to Denver. During this appointment I was able to FaceTime with Tammy and Allison, Zack's mom and middle sister, so they were able to be a part of the special time as well! :) This made me very happy being able to share finding my dress with all the girls I love so much! Special thanks to Sara Bearrs at Little White Dress for helping me find the dress I will walk into my future in!

* Stay tuned for new updates on #TheRoadToRoberts *

The "I Do"s and I Don'ts so far

This week has been a little less wedding planning and a lot more work so we have only figured out a few more details, and with that...

"To Do" or not "To Do"...

     This is our question! We have just begun on the planning front and for only being engaged for a month I feel like I have exceeded the timeline that websites like The Knot and Southern Brides has laid out for me -  #OverAchiever. The speedy time line is my own fault because I have a goal to have most of the big things figured out by the end of this month because I am studying for my licensing test. Actually I found out this week that I passed my first test!! I am applying for the next two to take in April so (hopefully) I can be fully registered by the end of the summer & more importantly before I change my last name! ANYWHO back to the reason y'all read this thing hehe.

     Colors.

     We have chosen our colors! We are going for classic and elegant in our "theme" 

     The main colors will be gold and white, but to give a little depth we are adding indigo/dark navy instead of black for a modern twist to the classic pallet. We would love to have not only a wedding reception but a celebration into the new year with our closest :) We would like a black tie wedding for a more formal feel and true NYE traditions-- BRING ON THE SPARKLES!

The Reception.

     I am currently on the hunt for a caterer for our reception. We are looking into a small cocktail hour while we are taking pictures at the church so that our family can get to the lantern House and enjoy each others company while Zack and I are finishing up the group family photos and a few of us as a newly married couple (yay!). I am hoping that we can get the separate family photos before the ceremony so that we can get to our reception without making everyone wait too long! I don't know a lot of what we want but I do know some things that I know we can live with out:

Don'ts

1. Cake- We will not be having a traditional brides cake. I don't particularly like cake, especially wedding cake so we will be doing something different for the traditional cutting of the cake. This is not to say that there will be no dessert, that's just silly! We will be doing something that we both like for a little sweet ending to the night.
2. Stuffy wedding food- I am hoping to find something that is either with a caterer there in Denver, or a restaurant that we like so we don't have to have the normal steak, chicken, asparagus, and mashed potato dinner.
3. Come one Come all- to keep the numbers down we are not inviting the whole family on either side. Although neither of us have a large families we do have large extended families, and as I said in a previous post, to make sure that we are sticking to our gaol of 50 people we will not be extending invites to everyone. 
4. Bridesmaids & Groomsmen- Zack and I will only have two people standing with us during the ceremony, I have chosen mine to be my sister Henley and Zachary is still choosing which person he wants to stand by his side. 

Do's

1. Family style food- We are thinking of having a more family style serving for dinner more than the buffet or plated dinner. This way those who don't know each other can mingle a little easier, although I feel like most of the people will know each other pretty well :)
2. Breakfast for dinner- This is something that I have been considering the past week or so. Zack and his family have big breakfasts when everyone comes together and gathers around the table to talk. I think that it would also be a nice change from the traditional holiday dinners!
3. Toasts and Dances- I would love for our night to consist of people telling stories or saying what they feel and dancing into the new year. Zack is not the biggest fan of this part of the ideas, something that him and my father are way to similar in, but I am hoping that he will come around. 
4. Love. Laughs. & Light- This is just what it sounds like, I believe that if we focus on these aspects of the day there will be only memories of what a magical night that we all share.

Stay tuned for news and updates on #TheRoadToRoberts

Ruth it is!

Ruth said, "Entreat me not to leave you, or return from following you: For where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge: your people shall be my people, and you God my God."

Ruth 1:16

"I do"

Ruth Chapel

     The verse above is the exact reaction Tammy, my future mother-in-law, had to the pictures that I sent her of the chapel that we found to hold our wedding ceremony. This reaction was more priceless and perfect than I could ever imagine, because the name of the chapel is The Ruth Memorial of Parker. She went on to tell me that that verse was one that was part of her and Mike's ceremony almost 30 years ago; we instantly knew that we were meant to say, "I do" in this chapel!

     Last week while frustrated with venues in the area, I wanted to research places that we a little more traditional- I know this shocked me too, I never thought of me as a traditional bride growing up!! With my research I remembered passing a little chapel in the town square of Parker while on our carriage ride last year at christmas; a beautiful, intimate, white painted chapel with Christmas lights and covered in snow. 

     My mom and I decided to set up a time for her to go view the chapel and FaceTime me to get the feel of the space- thank you technology! The instant that she took me into the chapel I could feel myself walking in the space a year from now looking down the isle to my new life. The only other thing we needed to make sure of was that the date we had in mind was still available, and to sign the contract if it was; We are happy to announce that on Monday we will be signing contracts to hold our wedding at Ruth's special chapel!! 

    

     The interior is as simple and charming as the exterior with its wooden floors and pews that seat our exact wedding party size. It could not have been more perfect if it were planned for us over 100 years ago. The day that my mom took these pictures it was overcast and cloudy, but the light that shone through the windows made it seem like it was the middle of summer! 

     We are able to to rent the chapel for 4 hours on the day that we have been talking about for years! Needless to say we are so excited!! The next step was to find where we could hold a small reception to celebrate after, because the chapel is just a chapel not a church like we have today where there are other spaces attached. We wanted something that felt as intimate and special as the chapel that we found so the search started! 

     

     My mom and I started talking about places that we could rent that was not a formal ballroom... so not me or Zachary! I got so frustrated last Sunday that I was ready to run away and elope!! Zack called me dramatic, gave me a pep talk, a big hug, and told me to calm down and that everything will work out as it is supposed to- naturally he was correct (yes I realize that this is is writing). During my minor freak out I spouted off saying that I was just going to plan the reception in my parents neighborhood pool house. My mom, the always problem solver, quickly turned that into an actual solution by suggesting that we plan it at the next sub division over's Club house, "The Lantern House."

The Lantern House

     The Lantern House is the club house for the Stepping Stone Community, which was still being built the last time I was there. The building in general is architecturally interesting right off with large picture windows and vaulted ceilings with clearstories, that make the center of the building look just like a lantern candle holder when lit at sunset. The views from these windows are as beautiful inside as they are out. 

     The lady who spoke with my mom told us that the same day the chapel is available the Lantern House was available, our own little Christmas miracle! My mom toured me through the space via FaceTime once more and while we went through the space I think her face lit up as much as mine! 

     The interior of the Lantern House has a full kitchen, two large living/sitting rooms, and an office (that we can transform into a bridal suite), a dance floor, and dinner area. The space also has a beautiful fireplace and outdoor deck with a fire pit that we can use- yay! I have actually always dreamed about a fireplace in the winter to bring more life to the space. There is something about the Christmas lights outside and fire inside that makes Christmas and winter feel more warm and full of love, the perfect theme for a wedding if "I do" say so myself- pun intended! :)  

     We walked the space, discussing which area could be what, while Karen, the HOA director of the Lantern House, talked about how we could use this and that or they would move everything out so that we could use the space as we chose. We spent a good ten minutes talking about what we saw and how we could turn the cozy little, almost house, into our reception space! 

     Finding these spaces took taking a step back from what a "traditional" wedding has come to be i.e venues and all that they offer. By doing this I feel that Zack and I are happier and more excited to create a day that truly speaks to us and the start of our marriage. By going back to what weddings were like traditionally I feel that we are starting our marriage like both sets our parents, which have been happily married for 30 years and have set the best example for both of our families! We are so blessed and excited!

*Stay tuned for more stories and developments on The Road to Roberts*