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There’s nothing better than spending a beautiful afternoon photographing a super fun girl! I had such a blast with Hannah & her mom, & there were times that I realized we were all standing around talking more than taking photos. Whoops! Or, should I say, “Whoop!” Hannah is on her way to Texas A&M & I quickly passed on as much knowledge of things to do, places to go, & organizations to join. Congratulations, Hannah!
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Several weeks ago, I received a Facebook message from my friend Rachel informing a group of us that she & her new husband were visiting College Station & wanted to celebrate her birthday with Salsa dancing. Of course I said yes! I hadn’t been in so long that it was high time that we go. But first, Jake & I had a formal to go to.
Jake’s sister is part of the Philadelphia Sisters & Friday night, after a delightfully romantic take-out dinner of Subway in the corner of the Astin Mansion, Jake & I manned a photo booth for a few hours.
Saturday, after a wonderful lunch at Fuego, Jake played video games while I stressed over taxes. Five hours later, I finally hit a breakthrough & we celebrated by going on a walk. I know, we’re super exciting people. Side note: Quickbooks is awful. Don’t use it.
We met up with a few people for dinner, then headed home to get ready for Salsa. We had two hours before we had to be there at 10, but because I was feeling tired, I debated on taking a shower. I was just going to get sweaty again, so why bother? “You sure?” Jake kept asking. “No, let’s just go watch Once Upon a Time, then I’ll go change clothes.” I don’t know if it was planned or not, but Jake’s roommate had commandeered the TV & Once Upon a Time wasn’t an option. I finally went back to Jessie’s & showered. It’s a good thing I did.
Salsa was wonderful, as usual, & after a few open dance floor songs had played, Jake & I decided we were tired & hot, so we stepped outside. Two feet from the door, Jake suddenly whips out a journal & smiles, “I want to read you something.” “…ummm…ok? But let’s move down the sidewalk a little bit.”
Jake starts reading, “July 31, 2012.” What happened on July 31? I don’t remember that date…? Hmmm… By this time, he was halfway through the first paragraph & I was totally lost. From the few words I was hearing, I finally realized “Oh my gosh! Is he proposing?!?!”
“I apologize in advance for how long it will actually take for me to ask you to marry me.”
Oh. It’s not happening. But this is still sweet!
What I hadn’t realized was that this entire journal entry was written on July 31, 2012. In other words. YES, IT WAS HAPPENING. Then, I looked up & saw a camera poking around the corner. WILL??!?!?!?!!
As Jake pulled me down the sidewalk & down the steps, I noticed some musicians set up. I kind of dismissed it with a “Oh, it’s Bryan, people are always playing instruments on the sidewalk. NO WAIT! I KNOW THEM ALL!”
By the time I realized Jake was actually proposing, I kind of quit listening. Not because I wanted to, but because I was in such a state of shock! I’m sure what he was saying was beautiful & well rehearsed. In the photo above, I actually remember telling myself to pull my hands away from my mouth so I would end up with photos of my full face. Always aware of the cameras!
So, in the end, I found out that Rachel’s Facebook message to everyone was all Jake’s idea. She took it a step further & included people on the list that I didn’t know so that I wouldn’t get suspicious. Jake’s sister had treated me to a mani/pedi on Friday as “payment for doing her hair & makeup for the formal.” My sister Ellen was extremely sneaky in helping me pick out an outfit to wear Saturday & masterfully handled my sudden how-funny-would-it-be-if-Jake-proposed-because-my-nails-are-done comment. Excellent work was done by all.
Some celebratory photos with the family!
Many thanks to Will Todd for being there on this incredibly important day. And good job to Jake for completely taking me by surprise!
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One of my best friends from life is expecting her first baby & it’s a girl! I am soooo excited! However, she & hubby left yesterday for a 6 day drive to Newfoundland, Canada, where they will be living for the next 3ish years. Not too happy about that, but the shower was a hit!
I was very satisfied with how the invitations turned out! All paper goods were from Paper Source.
This picture is just so delicious to me in so many ways. Please note the aluminum foil covered dish in the bottom left corner. I forgot to get a better picture of that, but that is homemade spinach dip by yours truly! I was so very proud of myself! The fact that none of it was left told me that everyone else thought it was edible!
The balls are clear Christmas ornaments that my sister poured paint into. Note: they do take FOREVER to dry, so don’t wait until the last minute to do them. I think some of them had been drying for 4 days & were still dripping.
Stuffed jalepenoes!!!! Oh wow are these good.
I really didn’t like any of the baby shower games I came across except for the Bingo idea. Have your guests fill in what items they think mommy-to-be will get before presents start being opened.
We also had a name suggestion jar that were read aloud at the end of the party. Turns out Elizabeth was one of the top choices.
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For those of you in Dallas, I am planning on being there all of next week (March 10-15). If you are wanting bridals, engagements, or any other type of portraits taken, book something for next week! No travel fees!
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I was very excited to walk into Rachel’s hotel room on the morning of her wedding to find gloriously large windows. The light that came in through said windows provided so much excellent light that I knew the photos would look great, & I decided to use these photos as an example of what to look for in the ‘getting ready’ room that you provide for your girls on wedding mornings.
If you have a choice, opt for the room with the most light. This will greatly help out not only me, but your makeup artists & hair dressers. Natural light is the best when it comes to getting your makeup looking the most (for lack of a better word) natural. I also love how dramatic some of the photos, especially in black & white. Love!
Hair by Jenna Chavarria at Shapers Hair Salon
Makeup by Kim Maracchini
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