Our Wedding - Two Years Later

So, back in December 2016 when we got married I had the best intentions of sharing about it here on the blog. We know how that went.

Instead of just letting it slide without actually sharing it, I figured late is better than never. With that in mind, get ready for a few wedding posts in the coming days/weeks. And feel free to ask questions! Even though I am now two years past when our wedding actually occurred, the important stuff is still definitely fresh and I have had a LOT of weddings in my life since then.

In the coming weeks I will be sharing about our pre-wedding events, the bridesmaid dresses, the groom and groomsmen attire, my dress, where we registered, our engagement photos and photographer, our videographer, our wedding photographer, our ceremony, our reception venue, and our honeymoon.

In the meantime, here is our wedding video teaser by On Reel Media for you to enjoy!

We Were Wed

Photo by Laura-Anne, Photographer

On a lovely, not quite snowy enough day in December, Daniel and I stood before our friends and family. We held each other's hands, said our vows, took part in the Wedding Mass and joined many others before us in taking that integral step towards loving each other for the rest of our lives.

It was a beautiful day, with so many loving people.

Since then we have moved into our first home together, traveled for our honeymoon, celebrated my birthday, celebrated Christmas with our families, celebrated the New Year, I went back to work after a month off, I began a new semester of university night classes, we have meal planned, we have disregarded meal plans, we have been present at the baptism of our niece (and goddaughter), we have celebrated Daniel's birthday, we have traveled for a family wedding, we have visited Daniel's brother and his family, and we have done all of this while trying to figure out this marriage thing.

I always knew that marriage wasn't some magical switch where everything became perfect once we were wed. We knew that there would be some struggles, old and new. Maybe some things were easier, like not having to drive home at the end of the evening, and being able to be together while getting necessary things done around the house. But then there were the hard things. Things we anticipated, and things that we didn't. It has already been a beautifully hard and refining journey, and we're only about two months in.

The sacrament of marriage brings grace. The grace that is necessary in order to love the person before you. We have absolutely failed in many regards, but we have grown and succeeded too. Here's to a lifetime of loving one another <3.

Saying Thank You

With all of the events leading up to our wedding, I have had a lot of opportunity to write thank you notes recently. With more than one shower and a bachelorette party, we have received so many generous gifts, and we of course wanted to extend our gratitude. This has led me to realize that I have a bit of an obsession with thank you notes and stationery. There are so many cute options out there, and there is something about book and stationery stores that could keep me browsing for hours on end.

I have found that events surrounding a wedding have a bit more of a generous timeline. You still want to keep it within a month or so, but you have a little extra time.
What is your opinion on thank you notes? Where do you like to shop for them? Any particular favourites? I'm always looking to add more to the ones I have on hand!

I had never really sent a thank you note until I went on a summer mission that required asking for financial support. I sent a thank you to everyone who supported me, either financially or those who committed to supporting me through prayer. I've honed my skills a little bit and feel little less awkward writing down my thanks now, so I thought I'd share a bit here!

What to Say

I actually really like to focus on something other than the gift first. If the gift was given at or in relation to an event, thank them for attending, or if they weren’t able to attend, still mention how lovely the event was and that you wish they could have been there (nicely – don’t make them feel bad for not being there!).

Of course there are some instances where you’re really just thanking them for the gift (or service), in that case go straight to thanking them for the gift/service but then add in something else about your relationship. You could tell them how you appreciate their friendship, say you would like to get together soon, let them know you'll send an update soon, or mention that you hope you can return the favour in the near future.

When mentioning the gift, there are a few ways to go about it. You can be a little more general and just say thank you for their gift or you can actually name the item. If there were multiple items, I find it is best to keep it general. In the case of monetary gifts, I always keep it general and refer to it as their “generous gift.” For gifts that are things, I like to mention how we’ll use it or what I’m excited for about it. If it was a service, I like to mention how it helped us out, and if it was a monetary gift, I like to mention what we’re thinking of putting it towards or how it will help us in a slightly more specific way.

Timing

First of all, being prompt is best. For birthday, anniversary, special events, or random gifts, I would say that writing and sending your thank you within a week is the timeline I like to stick to. However, you can gauge the situation best. There isn’t actually a rule here, so you can choose! Just think about if you were on the receiving end, when would you like to receive it?

Weddings are also a little different, there is a larger socially acceptable time period for a thank you card. This may have something to do with the sheer volume of thank yous usually coming after a wedding, and also the whole settling into life as a newly married couple, maybe even coming back from a honeymoon too. Even still, some websites say that as long as you get the thank you out within the next year you’re good, but I’d say that’s still pushing it. Stick to as soon as you can after the wedding, and try not to exceed three or four months.

Other Tips

- Spell names correctly
- Keep your audience in mind (maybe save that funny and slightly vulgar thank you card for someone other than your conservative aunt).
- Sometimes it’s even sweet to include a picture of the gift being used (a toy for your child, an outfit for your dog, flowers in a vase).

- Even if you don’t like the gift, send a thank you! And don’t let your opinion of the gift show in your thank you (no one likes rudeness in the form of passive aggressive thank yous).

- Don’t OVER thank. There is such a thing as overkill and you don't want to get caught in a revolving thank you door.

Other Ways of Saying Thank You

Sometimes a thank you card might be a bit of an overkill (see above), or the person you’re wanting to thank doesn’t have a permanent address. Whatever the reason, sometimes you just don’t want to send a thank you card, but you still want your gratitude to be known. You can send a text, an e-mail, give the person a call, or set up a coffee date where you treat… Thank you cards are not the be-all-end-all, they’re just a nice gesture! And on that note, not everyone feels the same way as you, so if someone else doesn’t say thank you in any way, try your best not to take offense – more likely than not it just didn’t cross their mind. (It is best to assume innocence).

Living Life Lately

So, it looks like I didn't post anything in June. I guess that's what happens when you're busy living life!

I have been up to a lot in the past month, and this last week especially!

We had our engagement party, which turned out to be a great evening, complete with some DIY projects like this tassel garland.

I did makeup for a couple weddings, and attended a few as well.

 Chelsey Dawn Photography

Chelsey Dawn Photography

Laura-Anne Photographer

I bought many succulents for our wedding centrepieces, I repotted a couple succulents and cacti, and I prepped the small terracotta pots for our centrepieces.

In this last week, I did graduation makeup and hair for one of my dance students and attended her graduation in Hepburn, SK.

On Wednesday, Dan I attended the free screening of The Wizard of Oz at the Bessborough Gardens to celebrate 30 years of the Sasktel Saskatchewan Jazz Festival. The weather was absolutely beautiful and we had a fantastic time!

Then, on Thursday morning, I was off to Gravelbourg, SK to get ready to celebrate my best friend's wedding. The weekend went by so fast, but it was absolutely beautiful. Friday was Canada Day, but we were so focused on the prep for the wedding that we didn't do much celebrating with the red and white. The rehearsal dinner was a tasty barbecue, though, which is very Canada Day-esque.

Tann put so much thought and work into every little moment and detail, and not bit of that was lost in the total effect of the day. She was the most beautiful bride I have ever seen, and I definitely had trouble keeping my eyes dry. I cannot wait to have her stand beside me in December as my matron of honour.

We even started the wedding day with a mimosa bar courtesy of yours truly while we got ready.

After a fantasticly fun night of celebrating and dancing, we all pitched in to take down the decorations at the town rink, and then Dan and I were off to head home.

How was your weekend? What have you been up to lately? Did you do anything for Canada Day/are you doing anything for the Fourth of July?

Pre-Wedding Events - To Gift, or Not to Gift?

I'm continuing on from my recent post about Bachelorette Party Gift Ideas and bringing you an overview of gift-giving for pre-wedding events. I hope to hear about your experiences in the comments!

There are many pre-wedding events these days; I have heard of engagement parties, wedding socials, combined stag and does, separate stags and stagettes (or bachelorette parties), wedding showers, and a quick Google search turned up even more festivities. How does one decide which events to bring a gift to? And what is an appropriate gift for each event?

The short answer is, it's completely up to you! The bride and groom are honoured by your support and attendance, and expect nothing more. That being said, if you desire to give the couple a gift (or multiple gifts for different events), what is appropriate?

Each geographic area and social group has a slightly different set of guidelines when it comes to gift-giving at these pre-wedding events. If you are truly at a loss, you could ask someone in your social circle what they think, or you could do a Google search including your particular area.

I am from the province of Saskatchewan in Canada, and I have found some generalities that usually ring true, but there are still some slight differences that I will try to note.

Engagement Party
The engagement parties that I have attended have usually been pretty low-key; it's an excuse for everyone to get together for a good, prairie party, and gifts are generally not given. Close friends and family have sometimes been known to bring a card which can be accompanied by marriage advice or preparation books, a bottle of wine, or something small to help the party along (think a cheese board, food for the party, a specialty liqueur, etc.)

Wedding Social / Stag and Doe
To be honest, I had never heard of these until some of my friends and family from Manitoba and Ontario were getting engaged and married. This just isn't really a Saskatchewan thing. However, from what I've been able to gather, these events serve as a fundraiser for the wedding where both the bride and groom attend with their friends and family. Guests purchase tickets to attend and there are fun activities at the event such as casino games, carnival games, 50/50 draws, a cash bar, and more. These activities vary based on the provincial licensing board (which may explain why Saskatchewan doesn't really have these events). This event often (but not always!) takes the place of both the engagement party and the next event I'm going to talk about, the bridal shower.

Bridal Shower
The bridal shower was once a pretty big deal around here, but in more modern times it is sometimes skipped in the pre-wedding festivities. Traditionally, this event was hosted by the bridesmaids and/or the mothers of the bride and groom for the bride, and a very wide and general invitation was sent out to women of the community (the older ladies from church and the little girls once babysat by the bride included), whether invited to the wedding or not. The gifts for this event were typically purchased off of the registry, or were simple/small things that are often overlooked but quite necessary to help a home function (lots of tea towels and wooden spoons!). These days, houses are often well-equipped by the time a wedding happens, so gifts of this nature are not as necessary and sometimes the event does not happen altogether. I have still attended quite a few bridal showers, but they have usually been for brides that have not lived with their fiancé before marriage. Even if the couple has not created and filled a home together, they often have their own household items to combine, so the gift giving has still changed. Gifts directed more towards the bride are extremely common, like aprons, beauty products, spa gift certificates, date night packages, hobby sets, etc. Sometimes the person organizing the bridal shower will give ideas for gifts, if you wish to bring one, or else it is appropriate to ask them if nothing is shared directly.

Stag & Stagette/Bachelorette Party
These are the parties for the groom and the bride where the other is typically not invited. Seen as a "last wild night" for the soon to be married, these parties come in all shapes and sizes. Gifts are rare for the male parties, but the stagette (or bachelorette party) sometimes has a gift-giving component. If there are gifts at the bachelorette party, it is typically lingerie for the bride, or something in that vein. If this is something the group does, there is usually mention of it by the bridal party or the person organizing the event. They will typically share the brides sizes and mention what her tastes are. This party is usually for the younger women, and those closer to the bride - but sometimes the mother of the bride, the mother of the groom, and other important, mature women are included (which might affect what type of gifts are received lol). Check out my post on Bachelorette Party Gift Ideas to help you decide on a gift!

That's my experience with pre-wedding festivities and gift-giving! How about you, what are your experiences? Are there any pre-wedding events that are typical for your area that I didn't mention? Topics such as this fascinate me, so I would love to hear what your areas and groups of friends do!

We Are Engaged!

Daniel and I are engaged! He completely surprised me and I wouldn't have it any other way.

We had talked about marriage, and we knew that was where we were heading, but I had no idea about the timing. When Daniel asked me to marry him after Mass and Adoration on Holy Thursday, I was completely surprised and said "Yes, of course!" We tried our best to properly observe the solemnity of Good Friday, while still rejoicing and telling our family. With this in mind, we held off telling our close friends until Easter Sunday (okay, maybe a few were on Saturday!) when we could properly rejoice and celebrate.

We're still in the early stages of planning, but are looking at a December 2016 wedding. If any of you have planned a winter wedding, please share your tips!

I have mentioned Dan in the past, though not by name, but, for the most part, I kept him off the blog. He's not really that into social media and it just made sense. It will likely stay that way going forward, but he gave me the go-ahead to announce our engagement here :).

We are super excited to take this big step together!

P.S. I did not mean to time this post so well with other wedding-related posts! (Bachelorette Party Gift Ideas yesterday, and Pre-Wedding Events - To Gift, or Not to Gift? tomorrow) I have quite a few very close friends getting married in the next few months, so that was the inspiration for those posts. Kind of fun how it worked out!

Bachelorette Party Gift Ideas

A lot of my friends are getting engaged and married these days, and with these engagements comes all the fun pre-wedding festivities! One such party is the bachelorette party (or stagette, in some places). Around here, gifts of lingerie or other similar items are sometimes given to the bride at her bachelorette party, so, I thought I would round up a few fun gift ideas!

Lingerie
If the bride is the type of person that would want lingerie, then this is a great time to gift it. You'll want to make sure the bachelorette party is the appropriate event to do so, though, so if you're close enough with the bride you can ask her directly, or you can ask the people organizing the bachelorette party. The people planning the bachelorette party will probably share the brides sizes with the guests if lingerie would be a welcomed gift, but, if not, it is acceptable to ask the bride or her bridesmaids what sizes you should purchase. If you're uncomfortable asking for sizes, you can go with one of the other ideas :)

Where to buy: Local lingerie stores are great, but I prefer to shop online for these gifts to ensure my gift is unique (there are only so many options at Victoria's Secret and La Senza!) Not all lingerie is able to be returned, for health reasons, but be sure to get a gift receipt where possible.

Couple Time Gifts
I wasn't sure about what to title this section, but I mean things like massage oils, bubble bath, candles, and relationship books.  You could even make up a fun gift basket with a few items in it!

Where to buy: These items are pretty universal, but go with brands you know the bride likes, and, if scented, go with scents the bride likes also. If going with books, make sure they come highly recommended!

Non-Sexy Gifts
Mother of the bride? Or of the groom? Have you known the bride since birth? You might feel more comfortable giving the bride something a little less "bachelorette party" and that's totally fine! You could gift the bride a cookbook, relationship books, an apron, classy and beautfiul pajamas, or anything really! Gifts aren't always necessary, but if you still want to join in you can give something more along the lines of a bridal shower gift.

Where to buy: This is another category that can be found just about anywhere!

Party Gifts
A fun veil to wear during the bachelorette party, a "future Mrs." sash, a special cup to drink out of for the night, a garter, shot glasses, a tiara, pins, light up "diamond" rings, etc. Something to make the party fun and the bride stand out! Just proceed with caution and assess the bride's personality - she might want to keep it ultra classy or might not mind getting a little silly, if you know what I mean.

Where to buy: I have seen these items at dollar stores, Michaels, Walmart, party supply stores, and online. If you plan enough in advance you can even get customized items!

Wedding Day Getting Ready Items
Matching pajama sets for the bridal party, a beautiful robe to get ready in, a sleep mask to help with beauty sleep the night before the wedding. The bachelorette party is leading up to the big day, so your gift can go beyond the party!

Where to buy: These items can be bought at department stores, lingerie stores, and online.

Do you bring a gift when you attend a bachelorette party? Have you ordered anything from Adore Me before?

Please note: This post is not sponsored, but Adore Me did reach out to me to share about their giveaway. All opinions are my own.

Road Trip Recap: Lethbridge and Okotoks, Alberta - October 11 - 14, 2013

This past weekend was spent on the highway headed to Lethbridge, AB for the wedding of two of my friends, Brandi and Kyle. I drove up with Amanda and Micah, but since I can barely keep my eyes open in a moving vehicle (other than when I am the driver of course!) I don't really have much to say about the drive.  We did stop in the town of Kyle, however, to take some photos - we were headed to his wedding after all!

The wedding was absolutely beautiful! Truthfully one of the absolute best I have ever been to. The ceremony and Mass showcased their love and faith so wonderfully, I couldn't imagine something more "them."

The dinner and dance were just as great. Kyle and Brandi really know how to throw a party! I really enjoyed being able to see friends that I don't have the opportunity to see very often. Everyone seems to either be living in a different city or town or we're all too busy with our "grown up" (still don't quite fit that one) lives that we just don't get to see each other much.

I have some of the most amazing women with beautiful souls in my life. I really wish every one of you could have the chance to know them all! I am constantly in awe of how blessed I am to be able to call them my friends.

On Sunday Amanda, Micah, Masson, Rebecca, and I headed out to Okotoks, AB to stop in at Amanda's parents' house to spend the evening celebrating Thanksgiving with her family before heading off in our different directions on Monday.  As always, spending time in Okotoks was a blast. I don't have any photos to share but a few things I'll throw out there are: mullets, turkey, wine, South America, living room jam sesh, cards, late night lake walks, girl talk, and sleep talking.  Intrigued, right?

How was your Thanksgiving weekend? Or, if you're living somewhere that celebrates Thanksgiving at a different time, what are your plans for Thanksgiving?

Update December 2014: Check out Brandi's blog, for one day!