A Foxy Fête: And Then There's Us

I had a really bad habit of forgetting about us in regards to this whole wedding thang.

All photos by Exclamation Imagery unless otherwise noted.

Example: I don't think I remembered to add our own names to final guest list until three months beforehand, and I definitely had to reorganize room assignments for the weekend when I realized that we actually neglected to give ourselves a room to stay in. Super.

So, it really should be no surprise that I also found myself overlooking couple portraits on our wedding day. I was so focused on all the other pictures - getting ready, wedding party, family - that our photog Laura had to remind me several times that we might want to have a few of just the two of us together. Oh gee, what a concept!

So after the wedding party pictures were done at the pier, we had a mini lovebirds-photoshoot on a nearby bench.

Now of course I loved that we were getting some quality, cutesy pictures taken, but I also loved that we had some quality time together, as well. There was even a point where Laura pretty much "dismissed" everyone else around - basically the bridal party and my dad and stepmom - so that it was just us (well, and the photogs). And you know what? It was nice. It was really, really nice to just be on our own for a  hot minute, no matter how brief.

Laura also worked her magic after we moved locations and were done with family pictures by the lock house. I think she could tell that I was getting a bit antsy towards the end of it all, and as everyone was heading back to their cars or the school bus to go back to the venue, she quietly pulled Foxy and I aside for a few more photos. 

Again - and I don't think I can stress this enough - it was so lovely to just have a few quiet moments together and on our own. At this point in the day, I desperately needed it - something both Laura and Foxy seemed to sense. Just standing there, holding Foxy's hand, somehow made my earlier stress simply fade away and made everything just seem right with the world.

At this point, Laura (who I should really just start calling my photographer-fairy-godmother) realized that we were still missing another few key pictures. Those would be the bridal portraits. Geez I'm bad at remembering things!

Fortunately, the lock house proved to be an excellent background to get a few of these squeezed in, as well!

I both love and hate this picture - the crazy person in me just sees the disheveled bangs!

And then, as quiet, calm, and much appreciated as those last few moments were, it was all of a sudden time to hustle and get a move on. We were getting married in less than an hour, after all!

Did you ever find yourself forgetting about you in regards to the whole planning process, or on the actual wedding day?

Miss a recap? Catch yourself up!

It's Wedding Week! - The week of the wedding started out pretty hectic, but we made it through (relatively) unscathed.

We're Cool People (who had to deal with a slight change of plans) - On Friday, we made our way to the venue, had a relatable moment on the radio, and learned about some last minute changes that we made an effort to take in stride.

Practice Makes Perfect.. And Crabs Don't Hurt, Either - After most everyone was settled in on Friday evening, we had our rehearsal followed by the best dinner ever - a Maryland crab feast!

Rise and Shine! - Wedding morning was soon upon us, and I woke up at the crack of dawn ready to get prettified.

Pretty Women - Over the course of the next several hours, myself and the girls hung out, got our hair and makeup done, had a photo shoot, and drank champagne.

Dressing Up - Soon enough, it was time for me to slip into my dress!

Dapper Dudes - At the same time, Foxy and his guys were ironing and getting into their suites - and Foxy was opening his wedding day gift!

The First of Many Looks - We had our first look, and both felt so much better after being able to see each other for the first time that day.

A School Bus Photoshoot - Our vehicle of choice for the day was a school bus, which we turned into a photo op both inside and out!

Smiles and Sun - The photos continued by the lighthouse and pier.. with sunglasses and a few funny stories along the way.

ALL The Family - We then met up with family at the lock house for even more pictures, and I started getting a bit antsy and having problems with my dress.

Photo Hussy

I'm sure you could consider me vain. I very much care about my appearance, and will take as many repeat photos as it takes for me to find an "acceptable" one. Oh, the joys of digital cameras.

Well I'm not really going to have that option at the wedding. I'll be trusting our photographers and wedding guests completely. Hence, I need to make sure I look as good as possible. Obvs.

A few things I'm worried about:

1. Getting a cold sore. Not just fever blisters or canker sores.. I'm talking full blown, caused by genetic herpes simplex virus 1, can only get rid of it with prescription meds type of cold sores.

I won't go too in depth, but I tend to get these when I get stressed. Before my doctor recently informed me of the wonder that is Valtrex and how well it works for the kind of cold sores I get, I would be stuck with those suckers for weeks. It hurt, it looked like I had a fat lip, it was disgusting. Naturally, I started getting worried that one will show up around the wedding. The meds definitely help - I just take a few pills when I feel the cold sore first coming on - and it's usually only bad for a day or so now (instead of two weeks). Still, no amount of lipstick or makeup can cover that baby up once it's there. So, to all that is good and pretty in this world, please do not let this happen!!

Go Mets!

2. "Asian-flush" red face. I promise this isn't racist - it's seriously called the Asian-flush (or glow), even though I'm not remotely Asian (or am I??). It tends to happen when alcohol is consumed, which I definitely plan on doing at our wedding. Sometimes I'm fine - fill me up with some drinks and I look like any typical, tipsy normal person. But sometimes? Oh my gosh you guys.. I get red. Combine that with the red hair and I look like a freaking tomato. The thing is, like I said, it just happens randomly. I get red or I don't, and there's nothing I can do about it. Some people have suggested taking Pepcid AC at least 20 minutes before I start drinking, but I'm a little wary. I can't really do a test run for this because the flush is so unpredictable. Needless to say, tomato face = not attractive = bad pictures. Harumph.

Yes this was college but still SO not attractive!

3. Losing my baby tooth and having a gap-y smile. Yes, I still have a baby tooth.. my left bicuspid (canine) to be exact. Apparently the adult tooth is up there in the gums, but laying horizontally and hence, cannot and did not push the baby tooth out. Like an idiot (who hates pain and surgery), I never got it taken care of even though I've known about it since I was about 12. Very long story short, if I had it dealt with now, I would need braces. And not those fancy invisible ones.. we're talking full on metal mouth, people.

Um, no. Because they wouldn't be off in time for the wedding, and I am decidedly not getting married with braces. Just not my thing. So even though the dentist tells me the baby tooth still seems in good shape and should be as long as I take care of it, I freak out every time I take a bite of an apple (or any other hard, crunchy thing for that matter). Purely terrified.

Ok. So now I'm having a vision of me being red faced, cold sore ridden with a gap-y metal-y smile at the wedding. Oh please, no!

Anybody else have any vanity related worries for the big day? Tell me I'm not totally superficial and vain?

Featured!

So remember I told you that I might have some exciting news??

Well I do.

Today, on none other than the amazing wedding website Lovely Little Details...

...mine and Scot's engagement session by Anni Cee Photographie is being featured! So please go on over, check it out, say hi to Jacin, and leave some love!!! She wrote such a sweet write up about us (thanks lady!), and I only wish I knew this girl in real life (Facebook is close, right?!).

Engagement, take 2

I've been holding out on you.

But only for a week, so it's ok.

See, my good bloggy friend Anni was in town last weekend and was looking to do a photo shoot with someone to help build her photography portfolio. I? Was more than happy to oblige. Was there ever a better excuse to get a second engagement shoot done?! I think not.

We agreed to meet up last Saturday morning bright and early (cough:after a late night out:cough) at our local farmer's market to do a sort of "real life" shoot.. a light year different from our original one. Anni really wanted to catch the early morning sunlight, but it turned out to be a pretty dull and rainy day. No matter! This girl is amazing at what she does and the vibrant colors at the farmer's market totally offset the dreary day. It also helped make myself and Mr. Foxy more comfortable getting our pictures taken (ok who am I kidding, just Foxy. I'm a photo hussy.) since we already "knew" Anni. I'm telling you, it makes a difference!

So.. enough jibber jabber. Here are some of my favorite shots!

Ok. I may have a lot of favorites. But Anni is just that amazing! She took my hungover arse and Foxy's sleepy butt and somehow made us look cute and adorable and in love (well we ARE in love). Point is, I'm super excited to have this set of pictures in addition to the other ones!

Thanks Anni! (And btw, anyone in the Chicago area looking for a great photog.. Anni's your girl!)

Picture perfect!

The future in-laws were in town for the weekend at the end of March, and there was talk about showing them our venue after I got off work that Sunday.

I was all for this plan, as the last and only time we have been to our venue was the previous June (2010), when we initially toured it and met with the DOC. I figured this would be the perfect chance to reassure myself that I indeed love the place (hey, booking two years out leaves a lot of time for reconsidering!) and to poke around town a bit to find good picture taking locales!

First off, I don't have a personal picture of this (bad blogger), but remember how there are three houses that are a part of the Vandiver?

Images via Vandiver Inn

Well, the Vandiver Mansion was/is greener than it looks in the photo there, but the other houses were definitely white when we first visited last year. Totally fine, whatever, no biggie.. I guess they didn't really look like they were all a part of the same 'complex', but I wasn't worried.

However! The first thing I noticed when we got to Vandiver that Sunday was that they resided and repainted all three houses, so they are all a gorgeous sage green color with accented windows!! It's something small, but it excited me beyond belief. The houses look SO good when they all look the same. So.. major pointage, Vandiver!

Images via Vandiver Inn

We also poked around and found the lighthouse and pier that I'm determined we will be taking pictures at. We were there at dusk in early spring, but fully intended on going back this past June during the day sometime to see exactly what it will look like.

How cute is the area?!

Pictures in front of the light house perhaps?

And maybe a first look on the pier?

Beautiful view where the Susquehanna meets the Chesapeake!

I definitely need to find a way to get pictures on the rocks without getting my dress dirty.

The in-laws!

Oh hai.

I couldn't wait to go back when the trees and grass would be lush and green and get a better idea of how everything would REALLY look!

Did anyone else visit their venue ahead of time to scout out picture locations? Or did you go someplace else entirely for photos?

How engaging!

So I discovered this gem of a Groupon deal last April - a $425 one-hour photo session with Brooke Bready Photography for the low price of $65. That's a discount of 85!%!! Craziness. I was checking out the amazing deal, loving Brooke's amazing photography, and ultimately decided it was the perfect opportunity to use for an engagement photo session.

The kicker? I wasn't engaged yet.

Here was the rationale behind my thinking: we were on track to get engaged/be married, the Groupon was good for a year (and if we weren't engaged by then, well then, grrrrr), and if for some reason I actually was not engaged by April of 2011, I would get my friends together and have a BFF glam photo shoot. Genius. And no, I did not tell Mr. Foxy about buying this for fear of appearing psychotic.

However! It must have been good luck or something, because 9 days later, on April 18th, he proposed. I was able to schedule a session for September with Brooke, admitted my pre-engagement engagement-photo purchase to Foxy, had a good laugh, and was so excited to get our pictures taken at Brookside Gardens in Maryland.

Then I found out three days before the shoot that Brookside was hosting a "Children's Day" and the park would really not be the ideal place to have an engagement photo session. They basically denied our permit request (not that we really needed one anyway..) and I was kind of bummed. After some searching online, I found some great e-pics of other couples by the C&O canal in the Georgetown area of DC. This was already one of my favorite parts of DC, and figured it would actually be better than Brookside Gardens because of the water, unique architecture, little bridges, etc. So off we went!

I got a CD of the pictures within two weeks (longest two weeks everrrrrr) - here are some of my faves!

This is honestly one of my favorites, because Foxy and I are almost permanently making

weird faces at each other. It's how we communicate ;)

I like to call this our "indie/alternative CD cover shot"

This one has a funny story: we were on the corner of M St and Wisconsin Ave (very busy intersection) at 7pm on a Saturday night.. so yea, it was busy and we were trying not to die with all the people and the cars but still look cute. So as we are being disruptive to all the people walking by, one guy just comes in and starts moving my body and posing me, telling my "ANGLE YOUR BODY IN!" "STEP YOUR FRONT FOOT FORWARD!" "YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG!" "LOOK AT HIM AND SMILE!" There we were, feeling like awkward turtles to begin with (poor Foxy, this was like nightmare central for him) and this guy just starts yelling at us (in front of like a hundred people) that we suck at posing. He eventually gave up and walked away. And this was the result. Slight fail, I think. Oh well!

Definitely love them!

So the question is.. did you "preplan" your engagement at all?!