Happy Friday!!

Happy Friday Everyone! I feel as though it came so quickly! This weekend I'm so excited to do all things Halloween- carving pumpkins, roasting the seeds, and of course eating lots of candy! And although I'd rather watch Hocus Pocus over any Halloween movie, maybe I'll get the courage to watch an actual horror film with my husband :)

Come back next week for a beautiful real wedding, some winter fun, as well as how to make homemade tortillas (so good!). See you Monday!

Photo by Alison Conklin

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Real Wedding: Kristie and Derek

The wedding showcased today is incredibly special to me because it involves two of my oldest friends. I've been friends with the groom for 15 years and with the bride for 11. Their wedding was beautiful and fun- just like the two of them- and I was so blessed to be a bridesmaid in their wedding.

Kristie and Derek were married on May 1 at Hotel Seven4One in Laguna Beach, CA. The modern, boutique hotel was a perfect expression of the couple's style. Take a look at the gorgeous bride getting ready here. I love her belt!And here I am with some of the other bridesmaids...Kristie's bouquet of peonies and dahlias was GORGEOUS! The rest of the venue was decked out with these beauties as wellAnd take a look at the groom. Derek looked very snazzy in his Theory suit and skinny tie.And again, the Gorgeous Bride...The Beautiful Rings...And then of course, what would a wedding album be without the typical butt grab shotKristie and Derek- you wedding was beautiful. Thanks so much for letting me be a part of it- I love you both!!

Photography by Janel Conlan with Focus Photography

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Meet Christina...

Today starts a whole new take on the 'Meet the Bride' series because from Christina- we're getting a video! So exciting! Christina wore the A Little Grace for her wedding and I just love how happy she looks in every shot of her. I actually got a little teary eyed watching. Enjoy their very sweet video by Yeah Yeah Productions:

Mark :: Christina from Yeah Yeah Productions on Vimeo

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HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

Happy, Happy Friday!! This weekend we are expecting highs of 39 and snow!! And I AM SO EXCITED!!! I wish you all a wonderful weekend as well- whatever weather than may entail :)

Image via Leigh Miller Photography

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Real Wedding: Amy & Garrett

I LOVE Amy and Garrett's wedding! Country details, green trees, yummy pies, a row boat, and beautiful outdoor scenery- I was instantly hooked.

Amy wore the A Little Grace hair flower for her summer wedding in Oregon. I love the glow of the lights in the background.

Amy and Garrett's gorgeous wedding was shot by the very talented Kacy Kizer, and she did an excellent job. Just check out all the details below

  Congratulations Amy and Garrett!!! Your wedding was Beautiful!

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Sneak Peak...

I just arrived back in Jackson last night. I've been away in California so I could throw my best friend her bridal shower. I'm still gathering the pictures (hosting a shower does not allow for photography time :) but here's a little sneak peak of what the dessert bar looked like mid way through setting up

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Bridal Shower Invites

I'm very excited about the Bridal Shower I'm throwing my best friend this Sunday. She wants everything to be a surprise so I can't spill on the details or theme just yet, but let's just say it's going to be awesome! Since she's already received the invitation, I can finally post them on here. Take a look...

I'll have pictures of the invite in it's entirety (as well as the party) next week, but I wanted to give you a little sneak peak.

After spending months trying to decided on how I wanted them to look (and buying supplies to create everything myself) I found this wedding invitation sweet at Target (heart not included). Perfect! I purchased 25 invites for $20 and then designed the actual invitation on my computer using Publisher. The fonts I was envisioning were nowhere to be found in Microsoft Office, so I went over to fonts101.com (such a great site), perused through their very extensive library, and downloaded all the ones I wanted for free. Yay- free!

I purchased the glitter hearts at Pier 1. They are originally meant to be gift tags, but I placed a heart for each person invited to the shower inside the invite. The back of the hearts read, "(Name) Please bring your "heart" for a chance to win the raffle.

The invites were then placed inside the envelope, which I sealed off with big gold stickers (the kind put on award certificates when you're young).

Like I said, I'll have more and better pictures for you next week, but I wanted to at least give you a sneak peak of what I've been working on :)

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Meet Valerie

Today's beautiful bride is the very sweet Valerie. I love this first picture of her and her new husband below.

Valerie and Omar had an elegant New York wedding on September 18'th of this year. I can't believe they already have pictures back too- so lucky! Valerie ordered a smaller version of the Grace peony from my shop. And I just love how happy she looks!
Thanks so much for sending these photos over Valerie! I wish you and Omar all the best!

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Our Best Anniversary Part 2

As the rain started to come down harder and the clouds became darker (as seen below), Danny and I decided to pack up the remnants of our picnic lunch and take a drive through the Park. And every time the sun came peaking through the clouds, we'd jump out of the truck, do a little exploring, and take some pictures. I love this one I shot of Danny. The scenery is so beautiful, and you'd never know he's actually trying to fix the camera on his iphone.I've never experienced a real Fall Season before moving here, and now I can't imagine living without it.The leaves changing color...The cold but invigorating bite in the air...I love Fall. And the fact that we get to add in majestic, wild animals makes it all the betterWe saw this bear on our way back home too!
Spending real, quality time with my husband was the best gift he could have ever given me. I love Danny so much and am incredibly blessed to be his wife. Happy Anniversary Love!

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Our Best Anniversary Part 1

October 4th, a week ago from today, was our 2 year wedding Anniversary. Because we're on a budget, we decided to forgo the normal expensive dinner and presents routine and do something more affordable and thoughtful.

This is how our day went.

I wake up first and walk Maverick every morning. But on Monday I woke up to find Danny already gone with the dog. The simplest thing was already making me feel like it was my birthday. I decided to take this time for a nice, long, hot shower. When Danny returned, he had orange juice, strawberries, champagne, and a beautiful bouquet of flowers in which he had gone down and picked out each stem. Seriously, was this my birthday or our anniversary?

As we sipped mimosas and discussed our plans for the day, I gave Danny my present... Patagonia base layers lol. Not the most romantic gift, but something I knew he desperately wanted. He loved the shirt so much he ended up wearing the entire day. Mission Accomplished.

Next, we packed up a gourmet lunch and headed out for Teton National Park. And because it's Autumn, we were greeted with the most beautiful scenery.

The Grand Tetons:The Snake River:Because the tourist season is over until winter hits, we were able to have this perfect picnic spot all to ourselvesWe lunched on Danny's homemade salad and dressing (he makes the BEST salads), pesto artichoke pasta, kettle chips, a giant chocolate chip cookie, white wine, water, and our favorite sandwich, the Sicilian, from a local market here in townIt was perfect- we enjoyed this lunch more than any fancy meal we've ever had. And the fact that we could just sit there, talk, and eat- with no one else around was so romantic and meaningfulThis was our view from our picnic spot. So serene and beautiful... after our picnic lunch, we went down on the beach below with a glasses of wine to enjoy the beautiful view and watch the incoming storm I stopped prancing around the beach in my Hunter boots just long enough for Danny to take this shot
Next... our Anniversary Picnic turns into a photography date through the Park :)

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Have a Wonderful Weekend

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Next week I'll be back to regular posting and I'm very excited to share with you everything I've been planning for my best friend's Bridal Shower next Saturday. Lots of good stuff :) See you next week

Image found here

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Grandma Chicken

A couple weeks ago I lost my Grandma Chicken. Danny and I had just finished dinner when I got the call from my dad that the she was in the hospital, and not doing well. Although my Grandma has had different health issues for some time, this came as a huge surprise. I was already planning on flying down in a week or two for a major surgery she was supposed to have, but for some reason or another, a very simple surgery that was only supposed to take a couple hours, had turned into a 2 day hospital stay, and her body was not responding well.

Because we live in a small town, there were no flights leaving that night. So Danny packed up the car, I finished creating the flowers that needed to be mailed over the next couple of days, and we were on the road in less than 2 hours from my dad's call.

But it wasn't enough. Five hours into the 16 hour drive, my dad called again to say that my Grandma Chicken had not made it. I don't know if I've ever felt more helpless. I sat in the passenger seat crying, sad that I was not able to say goodbye, and missing the woman who'd meant to so much to me. Danny tried comforting me by driving as fast he could and holding my hand.

She was full of joy, and love, and constant selfless acts. My brother and I were their only grandchildren so we were of course spoiled beyond belief with their love. I was as close with my Papa and Grandma Chicken as I am with my parents. Because we moved in May, I hadn't seen her in over 4 months- the longest period of time we've ever gone without seeing each other.I visited her and my Papa almost every other day growing up, and then throughout high school and college, weekly. It was only after Danny and I were married that our visits grew to every 2 weeks to a month because of our busy work schedules. Losing my Grandma Chicken has made me feel like I've lost my Papa all over again... I'm heartbroken.

My Grandma Chicken was an amazing woman (I explain why we called her Grandma Chicken here). She was born in Hiroshima, Japan and met my Papa, an American soldier, at the end of WWII. One of my favorite stories comes from this early period of their life. Although she spoke pretty good English, she still confused certain words. And when my Papa told her he was a "mapper" for the United States Army, she thought he was a mopper and was horrified to tell her family that she would be marrying a janitor. But because she loved him so much, she married him anyway. It was only after they were married that she realized he was a "mapper" and not a "mopper"- a big relief :)

My Grandma Chicken instilled a lot of Japanese culture into my upbringing. And although I am only 1/4 Japanese, it is the heritage that I identify most with. I grew up watching Japanese Sesame Street. The first instrument I learned how to play music on was the koto, and I still read my magazines from back to front.

She was an amazing cook, crafty, bargain savvy, and stylish. Her house looked like a collection of pieces from Anthropologie, even though she'd never been in the store. They were just pieces she'd picked up along the way, an advantage of being a traveling army wife.

She was generous, and thoughtful, and funny. Always serving and bringing laughter into the house. She displayed our elementary artwork in frames along the family room wall. Never let us help with dinner or dishes. And always thanked us for calling, something I always teased her about. If I become half the woman she was, I'll count myself blessed. I miss her and my Papa so much.

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