Epic Engagement Session

When we started planning, we talked about what our priorities were for the wedding. Generally, here's how it shakes down 1) create a meaningful ceremony, 2) have a really good time with our friends and family, and 3) get really awesome photos! I was so excited when my top pick for photographer, Chelsea Nicole, was available on our wedding date. And she was willing to do a very last minute engagement session with us while we were there on our scouting trip in January! Score!

I was super excited for the photo shoot...I was not so excited for the weather. See, if you know anything about me, you know I'm always cold. So the fact that it was freakin' snowing in Las Vegas was not exciting for me. But, I figured it would be worth it for some awesome pictures. And how long could an engagement session take? Answer: A long time. Should have asked about that ahead of time ;).


That rock took a lot of effort to climb. And when I say climb, I mean, Erik and Chelsea pushed my butt up there.

We started out at Red Rock Canyon. We drove around the scenic drive and jumped out at different locations. Then Chelsea suggested we try to get a little bit closer to the rocks and asked if we were willing to walk a bit. SURE! ...a million hours later... At least that's what it felt like. I was freezing cold and hiking in heels. And climbing on rocks. The sun had set by the time we started hiking out, and it was completely dark by the time we neared the end of the trail. Thankfully, Chelsea had a light for her camera that she was able to shine to help us get back to the car. But for a while there, I was convinced we were going the wrong way and wouldn't make it out. Coyotes would eat us. But fortunately, before panic could really set in, we made it to the cars!

It would have been nice at this point to head back to the Mirage (where we were staying), hit the spa, and get a massage. But, me being the photo-lover that I am, had signed us up for a two-location shoot. It was time to head down to Freemont Street! This required a costume change. So we stripped down at the cars into our suit and cocktail dress. You know, you might think the hike, in heels, in the dark, was the low point...but no. My dress wouldn't zip up. The zipper was stuck. So Erik yanked and yanked and yanked on it. And Chelsea gave it her best shot too. But no luck. Finally, I encouraged Erik to give it as much brute force as possible. And what do you know? The zipper totally broke! Fantastic. We're a good 45 minutes away from the hotel. And even if we did get back there, I didn't bring a back up dress.

REMAIN CALM. Lol. That's what was running through my head. DON'T FREAK OUT. Chelsea offered me her coat and said we could hit up a drugstore when we got to Freemont Street for safety pins.

Flash forward to Freemont Street. We stopped in a Casino, got a round of margaritas, and got to chat with Chelsea a bit more. After the hiking, and the cold, and the zipper...I really needed that drink! It was good to take a few minutes and just unwind for a bit.

Soon enough, we were back out into the cold in search of safety pins. We found them at the drugstore, and Chelsea expertly pinned me up. Meanwhile, a spongebob character (sans his/her? spongebob head) was chatting it up in the check out line. Oh Vegas.

"Hey, Erik, can you feel your extremities? Yeah, me either."

After that, we basically walked down Freemont Street and posed for pictures. I felt fantastically awkward. It's hard to sit down and cuddle in the middle of the street while strangers are watching! For most of the photo shoot, I was feeling awkward and uncomfortable. Chelsea was great; but, it's just a strange experience having someone follow you around and take your picture.



I guess cuddling and kissing is probably not the worst thing people have seen on the streets of Vegas.



In the end, that is exactly why I am so happy we did the engagement session with Chelsea. I would hate to feel uncomfortable on our wedding day. So it was great to have a "practice" photo shoot and get to know Chelsea.



Last shot of the night. I'm wearing Chelsea's coat.

We started out around 3:00 or 4:00. We went straight out to dinner afterwards, and it was well past 9:00. It may have been the coldest day of my life! My feet were killing me (mostly because I was wearing 4 inch heels on Freemont). Oh, but did I mention? OUR PHOTOS ARE AWESOME! I would do it all again in a heartbeat.

P.S.--We are exactly 100 days away from our wedding!!!! Eeeeep!

P.P.S.--Check out Chelsea's blog for her latest work. How excited are you to have her take your picture?!?



Should have packed hiking boots.



What we've been up to...the kinda (but not really) short version

Hello! And welcome to our very first blog post. As we get ready to send out our save-the-dates and launch our website, I figured it was a good time to get together a post. I realize no one will be aware that this site even exists until they actually receive their save-the-date....but let's just pretend someone is reading this.

From here on out we're hoping to use this blog as a way to keep our family and friends involved in wedding planning...to keep us motivated to work on our HUGE wedding to-do list...and hopefully to make the whole planning process more fun and less stressful.

So to start here's the "short" version of what we've been up to.

First a little background on why we're getting married after all of these years. We've been talking about having a Vegas wedding (and generally, a wedding) for many many years, but practicality always seemed to get in the way (i.e., I was in grad school, we wanted to save for a house, etc.). Finally (only took about 8 years...we're slow learners I guess), we realized two things: 1) there will always be a more "practical" way to spend our money besides a wedding; but 2) we really want to share our wedding ceremony with our family and friends. So with that in mind, we decided we would shoot for a small Vegas wedding. We decided we wanted to talk to our families in person and feel them out (in regards to Vegas) at our annual holiday visits.

My mom basically beat me to the punch when I took her out for coffee to talk about the possibility of a wedding. I think she said something like "So, do you think you and Erik will ever get married?" LOL (Love you mom!). Long story short, she was on board for a 2011 wedding.

By the time we made it to PA, we had pretty much made up our mind that we wanted to do a destination wedding in Las Vegas. Erik talked to his Dad and Lisa first, and then we had a lot of fun sharing the news with the Brandt and Franczak families.

Christmas Day with the Brandts.

I figured, while I was around friends and family, it made sense to try to squeeze in some wedding dress shopping. So I rounded up Cara (BFF), Chris (BFF), Lisa (Erik's stepmom), and Olivia (Erik's sister). It was 50% fun, 25% overwhelming, and 25% terrifying. Next time, I'll be more prepared.

I'm currently shopping for a parasol to complete this look. (kidding)

After Pennsylvania, we were off to Las Vegas for a top secret scouting trip! Okay, it wasn't really top secret. Lots of people knew we were going...and a few knew why. But I felt like I was on a secret mission.

Jan. 2: Thank goodness for inflight wi-fi! Researching vendors and setting up last minute meetings.

To sum up the trip, it was a whirlwind of scoping out chapels, ballrooms, and restaurants. Plus, we were trying to squeeze in an engagement session with a really awesome photographer (we did! more on that epic day later).

Jan. 4: Erik at Planet Hollywood's chapel.

It was an exhausting trip. But I am so glad we went. I don't think we would have decided on The Platinum if we didn't see it in person. Oh and as an added bonus, we got to hang out with my mom and Ed! (They were in Vegas/Laughlin for New Year's...party animals.)

Jan. 2: Dinner at Firefly.

Back to Spartanburg (and reality) where we had to make decisions, come up with a firm budget, and figure out how to stick to it. After going back-and-forth about the pros and cons of the different venues, we finally decided on The Platinum. In the end, we'll get more for our money there...and uh, did I mention it will be on a roof...at night...overlooking the Vegas strip? How awesome is that? (more on The Platinum soon).

Because we're dorks (okay, mostly me), we (I) took pictures of the contracts. This is us signing the contract for The Platinum and Chelsea Nicole Photography.

Jan. 28:

So that brings you up to speed! Since then, I've been a deadbeat bride. LOL. Don't get me wrong...I'm super excited about this wedding. But planning it?...not so much. All of that is about to change now that we're about 7 months out. So stay tuned, and cheer us on (in the comments section please!) as we try to pull this whole thing together.