bridal shower deux

I'm still dreaming in pink after the shower that very good family friends, Patsy & Emily, hosted for me. The day turned out perfect, and was all wrapped up just minutes before the biggest summer storm rolled in. The food, the decor, the family & friends - it was all so wonderful (& overwhelming - I don't think this girl will ever get used to that kind of attention!). Patsy & Emily are full of fabulous ideas, and clearly when they put their heads together they are capable of amazing things!

The string art that emily whipped up the night before! That would have taken me weeks!

Myself and the shower host!

Lovely shower hosts!

Me and my maid of honor!

We are clearly having a very involved conversation

Everything was so yummy! Those pink squares are "Stephanie" bars that my grandma made the day before I was born. She used pink icing in hopes that my parents would have a baby girl! 

The youngest shower guest!

 

One of the most fun parts of this shower was the 'wiener roast', everybody loved it!

More string art! Can't wait to use these at the wedding!

My little gift helper (and flower girl)!

I was lucky enough to have some beautiful vintage teacups passed down to me from family friends!

Crafting my 'bridal veil', lucky me!

This is, apparently, a traditional game. I think its just an excuse to make me look silly and give everybody else a good laugh. It worked!

I can't stop saying what a wonderful day it was. I am so blessed to have such amazing friends & family!

surprise!

My amazing, talented, and creative friend Michelle & her Mom, Genelle, threw me the most amazing girly bridal shower I could have ever dreamed up! From the surprise to the food to the decor, I was seriously in awe. I was under the impression that I was picking Michelle up at her parent's house last Sunday. We were supposed to be going to take a peek at the progress on Michelle & Morgan's new home. However, I pulled into her parent's driveway and this gorgeous group of ladies was waiting for me!

serious shock when I saw all my beautiful friends standing in Michelle's driveway

this was michelle's mom's wedding dress - just the start to the unbelievably creative decor 

my mom's fancy cupcakes - they taste even better than they look!

who knew a frying pan could get this girl that excited?

to hang my dress on!

Emily & her baby, Quinn!

Michelle & her 'baby', Peanut. Peanut is going to have to learn to share because Michelle is expecting and is due in November!

this dress was such a great idea...but kind of creepy at the same time?

okay - I love this picture! The look on Quinn's face is hilarious!

I just can't stop saying how blessed I am to have such great friends & family. I love how our upcoming wedding is bringing everyone together, it's so much fun! Maybe we should get married every five years? I think Marcus would beg to differ - my stress form wedding plan is enough to do us for a lifetime! And now, I'm off to see Michelle & Morgan's house for real this time!

two months.

two months. 6o-ish days. 1440 hours until we get married. so excited I can hardly contain it!

mirror, mirror.

This weekend I found myself at my parent's neighbor's home to peruse her vintage collections for our wedding. Colleen's home has been in decor magazines a handful of times, she has a booth at an antique mall in Ft. Langley, and sells to decor stores in Vancouver. Her collection of refinished antiques and glassware is seriously breathtaking, and overwhelming! What caught my attention the most, were the beautifully repainted antique frames that have been transformed into gorgeous mirrors & fun chalkboards. I love vintage mirrors. I would rather hang a pretty antique mirror in a large beveled brightly colored frame, than a piece of artwork any day. 

so unexpected in a bathroom, but makes a serious impact. 

besides vintage mirrors, I also have an obsession with loud wall paper

this mirror breaks up the print and offers a touch of glamour with the reflection the light fixture

 

again, this mirror breaks up a loud print and adds elegance to the space

I love the idea of leaning a mirror on the wall behind the head of the table, your guests get a chance to observe all the conversation at your table!

okay seriously? who is lucky enough to own that many beautiful gold vintage mirrors. In my dreams!

So I am on the search for something pretty like these to hang above our fireplace, and it wouldn't hurt if I could find one for our dining room..oh and one for our entryway. The list goes on! 

Colleen, of Vintage Home, will have a booth at the Scout Handmade + Vintage Market this upcoming Saturday - and you'll find me there searching for a mirror!

my new favorite treat.

With a little less than 3 months to go until the big day (and not to mention a vacation where we'll be in our bathing suits the entire time), we are both hitting the gym and trying to eat clean and healthy. I have a sweet tooth that is pretty hard to control, but I have tweaked one of my favorite banana muffin recipes to satisfy my sweet tooth without the guilt. Subbing all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour, and using applesauce instead of oil deems them 'healthy' in my books. These are seriously so yummy & moist. I usually have to make a new batch every weekend (they freeze great) because we love them so much. A cup of vanilla tea and one of these muffins after dinner curbs my sweet cravings!

playing on repeat.

    
"Now That I've Found You" - Nikki Reed & Paul McDonald from Glass Jar Photography on Vimeo.

can't stop listening to this song! the chaos of wedding planning can make you forget about the reasons why this party is happening in the first place, and this song brings it all back into perspective. what can I say? I love a good love song. 

yes, I still want to blog.

It has been over a month since my last post, yikes! If anything, that can explain how busy life has been. We are almost ready to send out wedding invites with the blog address, so I figured I should make some time in this hectic schedule to at least make it look like I use this blog. Marcus has been beyond busy with his new solo real estate venture, but he has definitely been rewarded for all of his hard work - #1 realtor for march 2012 (shhh, he'll kill me if he knows I put that on here). I am so proud of him, he is seriously so great with people and knows the business inside and out. Spring has finally arrived in our backyard, the grass is growing like crazy and the tulips have started to come up. As pretty as it is to look at, there's a lot of yard work to get going on, which also has Marcus busier than ever. Your probably wondering why I'm not Marcus' eager yard work assistant?! Unfortunately I am stuck inside wrapping up the last couple weeks of my UBC classes. One more literature review to write and I am in full wedding planning, no distractions, mode. I am also very excited to try to keep this blog a little more up to date. Can't wait! 

We managed to get away in february for some much needed R&R. A quick trip to Harrison Hot Springs Resort & Spa left us feeling rejuvenated, and gave us a kick start to make it through the rest of winter. 

The lake is seriously so beautiful in winter, a bright turquoise color. Chocolate strawberries and champagne were waiting in our room for us when we got back from our couples massage. Perfect. 

I've been getting so used wearing scrubs all day, changing into my workout clothes after work, and then coming home and putting on pjs. It was so nice to dust off some nice clothes and heels for an evening. Oh how I have missed them! Marcus has a love for jazz, and the copper room restaurant has a resident jazz band. Needless to say conversation over dinner was minimal because he was in a 'jazz coma', but it was nice to see him relax a little.

I've missed blogging so much, it's a little creative outlet that I have been craving amidst dental hygiene research. One more paper to go, and I'm sure you'll see a lot more from me. Happy Easter!