{Fab*Bride-To-Be!} An Engagement Spotlight on Liz!

I'm most excited to introduce Liz, our first Fab*Bride-To-Be! The eventual goal of Fab*Bride was to expand to more than just brides who just got married, but also ladies who are currently engaged, mothers, and other real women out there living their best life possible through major milestones.  This is what makes Fab*Blog so personal, because we are most interested in all of events that everyday people go through.  And Liz is certainly no exception. She's so poised, candid, and absolutely adorable (even through e-mail).

She was nominated to us by Erin and Randy from he & she Photography, a husband and wife duo based out of Orange County, California.  They sport a fashion meets photo-journalistic style, and Liz and her fiancée Rich were ideal candidates to pose for them.  Erin had many lovely words to say about Liz:

Liz and her fiancée, Rich, were simply a pleasant surprise. We hadn’t met them before shooting their engagement session, but just from talking on the phone with Liz I could tell she was full of spunk and excitement. The most notable qualities about Liz, other than the fact that she’s absolutely gorgeous, are her playfulness, generosity and ever-present bubbling laughter. She’s the kind of person who exudes such a warm and positive energy that you can’t help but catch onto it!  At the end of our engagement session, we talked while sipping on Jarritos sodas that Liz and Rich shared with us.  Liz didn’t ask about when they’d receive the pictures, or any business related questions.  Instead, the first question out of her mouth after the shutters ceased their snapping was, “Did you guys have as much fun as we did?”   We of course said we had a blast, and Rich piped in that during the drive to our second location of the shoot, Liz kept asking, “Do you think they’re having fun? I hope they’re having fun!”  It’s that kind of thoughtfulness that exhibits Liz’s generosity. She thinks of others before herself.  It’s fair to say that Randy and I were in shock of how awesome Liz and Rich were.  We feel so fortunate to have befriended them and to be a part of their wedding.  Even the next day after the shoot, Liz sent us an email reiterating again how appreciative they were, how much fun they had, and how they’d love to go hiking with us sometime!  Her thoughtfulness and excitement are what make Liz stand out as one of our most unique and unforgettable brides.  Shooting a bride during her engagement session is typically a little different than shooting her on her wedding day. The anticipation and distraction of the details of the wedding day can understandably inhibit brides from fully relaxing during their pictures.  It’s then our job to help her relax so that her joyful emotions can emerge through the pictures.  Randy and I absolutely love our engagement sessions because of the relaxed environment. Our engagement sessions are really more like hang out sessions. They are a wonderful opportunity for us to get to know our couples and capture candid, fun photos!  Liz and Rich’s wedding is going to be at The Darlington House in La Jolla, a charming Spanish villa.  They are currently in the midst of hand making Spanish-themed flags for part of the decor. Liz is super stylish and creative, so I get the feeling their wedding is going to be very intimate with fun, hand-made details! We can’t wait!

Without further ado, Liz and her wonderful answers to the grueling ten questions!

 
First things first, we adore your outfits that you chose to wear for the shoot.  One is so casual-chic…blending with the rugged surroundings, and the other is so dainty, feminine, and Hollywood.  How did you decide how you wanted to style yourself, as well as Rich?  Rich and I really wanted these pictures to reflect who we are, and what we normally look like...  perhaps just jazzed up a bit!  All the clothes we donned for our shoot were things we couldn't wait to put back on!  I always find myself drooling over sweet, feminine dresses so that was the easy part for me.  In this shoot we were hoping to communicate our vision for the wedding -- charming, romantic, maybe a little bit whimsical--and we also wanted fit in with our surroundings [as much as you can in nude, patent heels up in those hills!].  We started with my dresses... the blue, a $30 STEAL from the Anthropologie sale rack--yum! and from there, we pieced together Rich's outfits to not only reflect him and his sense of style, but to complement my outfits.  We wanted to look like two peas in a pod, did it work?!  :)

As someone who is freshly engaged, what are wedding trends that Californians are picking up on?  Do you see these trends coinciding with ones that you see in blogs and magazines?  Honestly, I feel like one of the biggest trends I've seen lately is making your wedding YOUR OWN!  Customizing that special day to you and your significant other!  I think weddings were becoming very cut and dry, they all seemed so much alike.  Now it's all about doing things that are special and true to you.  To go along with that, another trend is DIY [do-it-yourself] projects... creative things to take on, little or big projects that make your day unique.  Blogs are all over these trends -- blogs get these trends out into the world and inspire brides everyday.  I think wedding blogs have served as my biggest inspiration and lifesaver through my wedding planning... they changed the way I thought about weddings in the most delightful way!  I have to say, because of this I didn't spend a lot of time looking through magazines... and I think magazines kept me in a box that blogs helped me get out of!  No offense to the wedding magazines out there :)

Let’s backtrack a little, tell us your engagement story!  Where to begin?!  Well, Rich told me 4 months into our relationship that he thought he was going to marry me and I kinda freaked out!  At that point, I definitely wasn't ready to sound the wedding alarm but I knew in my heart that I totally loved him.  Eventually, a year after dating the tables turned and I was BEGGING Rich to get down on one knee!  So after we found the perfect ring online, I knew it was coming soon!  At the end of August it became clear that he had purchased the ring when I went onto the website and it said SOLD in bright red letters.  Looks like Christmas came early this year!   So knowing that Rich had a hard time keeping secrets from me, I would tease him while hanging out in his room by chanting "Where is the box... where is the box..."  Not only that, but I would stalk wedding blogs all day long and bombard him with wedding information.  Despite my best efforts, Rich wouldn't tell me who, what, when, or where about the proposal.  So on Sunday, August 23rd we were on our way to my early birthday dinner with his parents [or so I thought] when we pulled up to a place I definitely knew from somewhere.  We had arrived at one of my favorite wedding venues, a sweet little hidden gem called Temecula Under the Oaks.  SURPRISE!! Rich had arranged a private meeting with the sweet husband and wife owners to get a tour... but after a quick meet and greet they left us alone.  I spotted a sign under a tree that read, "Where is the box?" with red yarn trailing behind it.  Basically, Rich was getting back at me for all my teasing and sent me on an hour-long tour through the property following the red yarn, opening up "boxes" along the way filled with little gifts.  The final box was filled with the best gift of all -- a beautiful ring!  He got down on one knee and asked me to marry him....ummm YES please!

How far along are you in your wedding planning process?  Are they any tasks that have proved themselves easier or harder than you thought they’d be?  I'd say we're about halfway there!  We've gotten most of the big things out of the way [date, location, caterer, photographers, DJ, dress, etc] but we just started thinking about invitations, so that's the next big hurdle to get over!  The wedding is March 6th, so we are definitely pushing the envelope! [ no pun intended :) ]  I think the entire wedding planning process has proven to be harder than I imagined, which is why Rich and I have continued to remind ourselves of the fact that we are getting MARRIED, not just having a wedding!

We don’t want to spoil it fully, but can you dish a few details about your wedding dress and your journey to find the perfect fit for you?  The journey for the dress began about two months after we got engaged because my best friend and Matron of Honor, Emili, FORCED me to go and try them on!  I have to admit I was pretty nervous about trying dresses on, I was scared I wouldn't find anything!  It turns out Emili was the perfect friend to go with, being that she had just gotten married a month earlier.  She pulled a million dresses to try on (no, it wasn't a fancy appointment-only bridal store) and starting throwing them over my head!  It was such a fun experience and I ended up falling in love with the LAST dress I tried on--which was a dress that I never imagined would look good on me!  And get this, if I had ordered the dress an hour later, it wouldn't have shipped out in time to wear on my wedding day!  Thank God for perfect timing!


Planning a wedding can be stressful when you’re trying to appease more than just yourself.  What are some helpful tips that you can share with other Fab*Brides-To-Be out there to de-stress while tackling the monster to-do lists?  It's funny because I never understood why brides got so stressed out over planning a wedding!  I would tell my girlfriends, "Come on, it's supposed to be fun! Don't get stressed." But boy did I learn my lesson!  A month or two into planning I was a total mess!  How was everything going to get done... and get done like I wanted it to?!  I didn't like the way it was making me feel, so I took a few BIG steps back and just focused on the reason for the celebration... the marriage.  Realizing that at the end of the day it was all about me and my fiancée, and starting our life together totally changed my outlook on everything.  Planning became fun again and I stopped worrying so much about all the checklists, and worried more about the meaning behind them. 

Finding the perfect photographer can be tricky and labor-intensive.  Tell us how you came across he & she photography.  What were elements of their photography that stood out to you in the sea of photographers out there?  Finding the perfect photographers was a top priority for me -- it was so important that I had the right person(s) there to capture such an important day.  I had definitely put in the time looking at wedding blogs to know the type of photography I loved, and Erin and Randy of he & she Photography embodied that.  I had seen their work on several popular wedding blogs and loved the way they captured all the sweet moments of a couple in such a creative and beautiful way.  I LOVED the way they utilized natural light, such a soft and pretty look.  Not only did I love their photography, but after spending some time reading their blog I knew I wanted to hang out with Erin and Randy and get to know them!  What could be better than having some really awesome people photograph such a momentous day?!

Erin tells us you are quite the creative gal.  Share some of the artistic details that are uniquely you+Rich that you hope to incorporate into your wedding.  Do you have any favorite DIY projects, favorite online finds, or color schemes? How are your invitations fitting in with your overall wedding concept?  I definitely enjoy the creative life and so does my fiancée Rich!  We really wanted to make this wedding our own, a true reflection of who we are.  Rich has a degree in Aerospace Engineering so he has always been fascinated by planes, and my beloved Grandpa worked for Lockheed on airplanes so we definitely want to try and incorporate that into our wedding.  We started brainstorming and quickly realized that we had something in common with planes, or really anything that flies or floats!  In getting married, Rich and I are taking off together and starting a new life, we are embarking on a new journey -- going up, up, and away together!  We loved this idea, which is why the theme for our wedding is "up, up, and away."  We incorporated this into our engagement shoot with the balloons, which we then turned into awesome save the dates.  Also, our wedding is going to be more like a really fun party, and what great party doesn't have balloons?!  Rich currently works in the film industry in L.A. and I hope to get a job in the media/marketing industry there, which is why we decided to shoot our engagement photos up in the Hollywood Hills!  In tying the knot, were tying it all together!!  Finally, a love for candy and soda [wow, we sound healthy] is something Rich and I also have in common, and we are definitely bringing that to our wedding by having a soda bar and candy table.  Love is sweet, isn't it! 

For some, picking their bridal party is one of the hardest parts of the process.  It’s imaginable that you don’t want to offend someone, but you only want the cream of the crop up there as you devote your life to your best friend.  How did you narrow your wedding party down to a select few/group?  If you’ve chosen bridesmaid dresses, how are they tying in with your dress and the style of your wedding?  Bridesmaids were an easy decision, there was no question of who was going to be standing up there with me!  And finding the bridesmaid dresses was actually one of my favorite memories so far!  Two of my bridesmaids and I went to Anthropologie on a whim to look at dresses and we found the perfect one!  I made sure to bring two girls that knew exactly my vision for the wedding, so it was pretty easy when they put on the dresses because we all knew they were PERFECT!  My muse for wedding colors actually came from adorable vintage wallpaper in the bridal suite at the Darlington House [my venue in La Jolla, CA].  The colors in the bridesmaids dresses match almost exactly to the colors in the wallpaper!  It was like those dresses were made for my wedding!



Describe a Fab*Bride-To-Be (you!) in three words:  Creative, Romantic, Joyful!

A huge thank you to Liz for being so lovely!  Your engagement shoot is so adorable and it sounds like you're taking your wedding to new heights!  We cannot thank he & she enough for nominating Liz as this week's Fab*Bride-To-Be!  Your photographs are light, airy, and truly tell a fashionably artistic story.  The Hollywood backdrop has such a classic feel, yet the style of the photographs makes a modern statement.  To see the rest of Liz and Rich's engagement session, visit the he & she blog for lots more eye candy.  We can't wait to follow up with Liz and Rich's wedding as she transitions to a Fab*Bride!

If you would like to make a nomination, please contact me at antoinette@invitationconsultants.com, or DM me on Twitter @atelierantoinet. Feel free to leave a comment, as well. The rest of the crew would love to hear from you too!Until the next post, stay Fab*ulous!

Comments

[Kyle Krukar]

LOVE the photographer

[Brittany]

SUCH a fun shoot! And reading her story makes me excited to see photos of the upcoming wedding! I'm sure it will be fabulous!

[Dawn]

They had such great photos, especially the ballons. I can't wait to see what they do for their wedding!

[Kaity]

adorable. absolutely adorable.