I said "Yes" to the Dress!

Perhaps it was all of that royal inspiration floating around this weekend, but after my Saturday morning mother-daughter coffee session, I told my mom that I had made an appointment for us to visit Ella Blu. I hadn't done too much shopping for dresses until this point, but for some reason, I was in the mood to look around.

I had visited Kara's Bridal and became friends with the fabulous owner, Kara Heist, but I had yet to find that instant attraction to a dress. While, I didn't have any particular expectations for Saturday beyond getting a feel for what Ella Blu had to offer, the wedding-dress fairies obviously had different plans in mind.

I picked out approximately ten dresses to try on. While my mom was pushing for something made of satin, I knew El Paso's the summer heat during an outdoor wedding wouldn't be kind to this gentle fabric.

Ella Blu's owner, Sohpia, opted to show me a dress which had just arrived the night before and which she pronounced as "her favorite dress in the store." Our amazing consultant Laura, quickly added it to the collection of dresses I had been putting aside.

When my mother and I entered the dressing room, I knew we were in for some work. Getting in and out of those things is no easy task and poor Laura must have biceps of steel to be lifting and tying those gorgeous gowns all day.

When asked which dress I would like to try on first, I had no particular preference. None of them had caught my eye in their sheer covers and I couldn't really tell what they looked like yet. Because of my own indecision, I went with Sophia's suggestion.

The dress was made by Martina Liana. It was the first dress I tried on, and it was perfection. 


They always say that when you find the dress, "you just know." I never believed that saying and on Saturday, I was completely humbled by its reality. I tried on the others, but none of them sat so perfectly or matched my own interests like dress #1. I couldn't take my eyes off of it.

I want to avoid saying too much about the dress because of the ever-so-slight possibility that Marc wonders what I am doing typing away on this blog all of the time and decides to take a peek. What I can tell you, however, is the following:

• I wanted strapless dress, but my dress has shoe string straps.
• I wanted a mermaid silhouette, but my dress has a dropped waist. 
• I wanted a little lace, but my dress has zero lace. 
• The dress is made of raw silk and organza. Its dramatic and it is *me* 

My dress was nothing I expected and it was everything more. Overall, though, I can't say enough about the wonderful help I've had in finding a dress both from Kara, Sophia, my friend Sarah & my mom. I can't wait for Marc to see it. <3

Cake Boss

I am so excited to share that this last week, a dear friend/ knower of all things wedding/ and owner of Belle: The Magazine, Alex, asked me to take part her upcoming event: The Wedding Show: El Paso's Only Luxury Bridal Show. 

My task? To serve as a judge for the city's upcoming "Cake Design" competition.

Umm... yes please!

Now, not only do I have a major sweet tooth, but I also have serious wedding fever. I can't wait to see what El Paso's cake artists and master bakers have in store for us. I am so thrilled to be involved in selecting El Paso's "Ultimate Cake Designer."

The Wedding Show: The Ultimate in Bridal takes place in El Paso on Sunday May 22, 2011 at Butterfield Trail Golf Club. If you are interested in attending, the show will also feature competitions in Bridal Tablescape and Photography which I can guarantee will be OMG-inducing.

Floating Bubbles

How gorgeous are these bulbs when arranged together to look like floating bubbles? The event designer placed a airy pink flower inside of one to give each accent an extra sweet touch. While I'm not planning anything like this for my wedding, I think these would make give any outdoor soiree a soft and romantic feel.

Courtesy WeddingsFresh Blog

Dress Love: Johanna Johnson

I can't help but swoon over these vintage-inspired dresses from Johanna Johnson's Templar 2011 collection. Mermaid silhouette? Not exactly. But oh-so dreamy....

Color Board- Lavender

So much to do, so little time...

Between working full time at Western Refining, running TSM with Jessica & Farzad, writing for What's Up, working on my MBA and trying to stay in shape, getting to the grind on wedding planning has become extremely difficult. Luckily, though, having sweet friends like, Melissa Armendariz, keeps me excited and focused. She shared this adorable bouquet on my Facebook and I'm in love. Something like this in a blush or lavender color would be amazing.

My Pending To Do List: 

1) Have my engagement ring appraised & insured 

2) Attend "Before You Say I Do" classes at Abundant Living Faith Center March 4, 5 & 6 

3) Select location & schedule engagement photos with Shutterbug Photo

4) Engagement Party: Set a date, draft a guest list, and order the invitations

5) Visit Kara's Bridal- the owner contacted me via Facebook and invited me to come visit her boutique. She seems amazingly helpful and professional. I can't wait to go discuss some wedding details with her. 

Hanger Update #2

As I previously mentioned, I was finally able to locate the custom wedding dress hanger that I fell in love with early in my planning. While the site noted that the product was sold out, the seller wrote me an e-mail to  let me know how I could score the little touch that I can't live without. Look below for a copy of her note to me, and if you are interested in purchasing one of these hangers as well, visit her shop at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/lilafrances

SUBJECT: Custom Wedding Hanger

Hello Amy,

Thank you for your interest. This week's supply of The Original Silver Lingerie, Wedding Dress Hanger has SOLD OUT. The hangers will be made available again each Monday at 10 a.m CST on a first come, first serve basis. Just a friendly reminder that there is an 8 to 10 week wait from the time the items are purchased until they are completed and shipped, so please plan accordingly as we are unable to take pre or rush orders.

Thank you!

All the best,

Anna

Shutterbug Photo

Of all the things I am undecided about regarding our wedding, there is one thing I'm sure of. Janelle Ayala, owner of Shutterbug Photo El Paso, will be the one taking our engagement pictures and capturing our wedding moments and I couldn't be more excited. 

I met Janelle, and was instantly amazed by her work, when we hired her as our Staff Photographer for The Stanton Magazine. I'm a regular visitor to her blog http://littleshutterbug.tumblr.com/, and I anxiously await her new work product every month.

Now for the scary part.

None of the pictures below feature bridal portraits because.... I am going to be Janelle's very first bride. While some would be worried, I am thrilled. She's one of the most talented photographers in El Paso & she's also the one that everyone else is looking out for. I can't wait to help her launch a new venture photographing weddings. Marc and I feel so lucky to be in such good hands.

Below you can see a few of my favorite shots by Janelle that I feel really capture her range & her ability to save the most perfect moments for later. The only thing we're going to need now is an assistant photographer who can compare...

Just for Fun

Just thought I would share this... too cute & funny.

Image courtesy StyleMePretty

The Proposal

For those of you who may not know, Marc & I met at Abundant Living Faith Center where we are both volunteer teachers in the Children's Ministry. On the day we met, I called my best friend Sarah and told her I had just met the guy I was going to marry but "he didn't know it yet."
It took him about a year to figure it out.

On December 8th, Marc picked me up from work and told me we were going to Las Vegas RIGHT NOW for my birthday (Dec 24th). I brushed it off and didn't believe him- That would be way to big of a surprise! It probably took him about 8-10 times of telling me, "No, I really am serious" before I started to get excited.

With intrigue,  I asked him what I was supposed to do about work (it was a Wednesday afterall).  He simply replied, "I already took care of it." I then asked him about my clothes (a slightly larger concern) and he told me he had already packed my bags for me and they were in the trunk of the car. I was overcome with complete excitement by the point and my face was starting to hurt from all the smiling.

We flew out about 2 hours later. We had in flight cocktails and made plans for going out later that night. When we arrived at our hotel, though,  it turned out that Marc had other plans for the evening.

I went into our suite to find the most beautiful bouquet of flowers, chocolate covered strawberries and champagne waiting for us. My response:  "Wow! This is the most amazing birthday surprise...EVER!"

Marc poured us two glasses of champagne & proceeded to toast, "To Us."

But what about my birthday?...


Well, that's when Marc proceeded to tell me that this amazing surprise wasn't really a birthday surprise. He got down on one knee and pulled out the most beautiful diamond I had ever seen- a cushion cut (*exactly what I had always wanted*). He then told me millions of amazingly sweet things but to be honest, I have no recollection of most of them!

I was just so excited to get to the part where I could finally just say "YES!"


We celebrated in Vegas for the next four days. Another one of the highlights of our trip was our engagement dinner. We went to the Mesa Grill in Caesar's Palace (Bobby Flay's restaurant) and it turned out that Bobby Flay was there himself- what a perfect meal to start off a perfect life together.

Bobby Flay at our Engagement Dinner

Marc's proposal was so exciting and such a big surprise! Everything was beautiful & so well thought out.
 I can't wait to marry him.