Friday {8/28}

Let's chat, shall we? I'm sitting here drinking my coffee, trying to summarize the millions of things racing around my mind in 5 on Friday.

So lets just chat.

1. My schedule is a mess.
This is supposed to me my third year of law school. It is supposed to be relaxed and it feels like a train wreck. For example, yesterday I left for class at 7:45am, went to a class, taught a class, ran to work, spent 5 hours straight in meetings (no lunch for me), worked at my desk for a hot second, then raced back to school for another class and a meeting until 11pm. Whew.
Obviously I ate cereal for dinner. At midnight.

The positive? I don't work or go to school on Fridays, which is wonderful. I'm just not convinced that the craziness of the rest of the week is worth the Friday off.

2. Wedding snaps.
AR & I said "I do" two weeks ago! Ahh! Friends have been sending us cellphone snaps from the wedding and it is so much fun. Below are some of my favorites:

right before we were introduced at Mr. & Mrs. Roberts!

Post-wedding walk to grab a night cap. 

law school besties 

3. Unplugging
AR and I completely unplugged the wedding day, and the 6 days after. It was incredible. To be honest, I felt a little anxious the first day because I am so used to checking my instagram feed and emails. By day 3, it felt amazing! We were able to totally focus on being together and being in the moment, rather than running for texts and calls.

Below are two of my favorite memories of unplugging in Charleston:

Long bike ride on the beach. In the rain. And we loved every minute.

Late night s'mores. This was so much fun.

The challenge now? Figuring our how we can unplug more in our everyday life! If you have ideas, please share!

4. Food I'm loving
We made this crock pot dinner this week and it was so yummy with brown rice and roasted vegetables.
I read these guidelines on making a frittata and it turned our great! AR, who hates quiche, loved it. I filled it with a cubed baked potato, bell peppers, green chilies, and cheddar cheese.
This week I want to try these chicken burgers!

5. This weekend
I'm baking bread and meeting a friend for a walk in the park this afternoon.
Tomorrow I am SO excited to meet Trisha Yearwood at the grand opening of William-Sonoma at Ponce City Market (AR says I am not allowed to sign for her lol). I am hoping to convince AR to take me to brunch before hand.
Saturday night we are heading to the movies, which we never do. Any recommendations on what to see or not to see?

How do you unplug during the week or weekend?

What are you doing this weekend?

x0x0,

Hannah

Linking up with

April & the Five on Friday girls 

The Farmer's Wife for some Oh Hey Friday! 

Meet the Mrs.

I am back! And married! 

The last three weeks have been a complete whirl-wind as AR and I celebrated with friends and family. Our guests began arriving for the wedding the Tuesday before, so we had an entire week of celebrations. 

mother-daughter moment before the wedding.

The wedding went off without a hitch. I cannot say enough wonderful things about my amazing bridesmaids, friends, and family. And don't get me started on my EXCELLENT wedding coordinator who completely made the day. I'll blog more about our vendors later, share photos, and provide tips for any future brides. 

For now, I am searching for our ring boxes (which I think the best man lost) and our cake topper (no idea where it went). 

This weekend AR and I tackled thank you notes and wedding presents. We sorted everything, cleaned all the new dishes and cooking tools, and organized the kitchen. It was a six hour project, but our kitchen looks beautiful and I love our new Pottery Barn dishes. I've made a list of recipes to try on the new stand-up mixes (hello ice cream making attachment!). 

Slowly but surely our home is getting back in order. I am back at school, AR is back to work. We are thrilled to be back in a routine, even if that just means weekend trips to Whole Foods and the farmers market. 

How long did it take you to finish post-wedding thank you notes?

Have you busted out any fall clothes now that school is back in session?

x0x0, 

Hannah 

Weekending {8/3}

It is Monday. And I am not at work. I am off for two whole weeks before the wedding. *hallelujah*

So excited to finally link up with Biana and Meghan to share my weekend! Its been a bit since I regularly participated, so I am happy to be back.

Friday was my last full day of work. I was crazy/busy the last two weeks. I spent one week working from Chicago, and another weekend sitting in my office. But I got everything off my desk and done!

The bluebook = lawyer's rulebook

I left work early after saying good-byes and headed to the nail salon for some mani-pedi time. AR was working late, so I knew I have a couple hours. FYI, there is no line at the salon at 5pm on a Friday.

Saturday we woke up for an 8 mile run. I've had some rough runs lately... with wedding planning stress, Atlanta heat and humidity, and less cardio during the week (I've become a strength training queen), my runs have been tough. But the weather was beautiful and we enjoyed 8 sweaty miles together.

I showered quickly and went to what I thought was my last fitting. My sweet bridesmaid and bestie went with me to learn to bustle the gown and hold my hand. Seriously, so lucky to have this lady with me through this process. Sadly, this was not my last dress fitting. I had lost a bit of weight, so I needed the waist taken in some more and I wanted to make a change to the top. Thankfully, my alterations lady is incredible and so accommodating. If you are planning a wedding near Atlanta, let me give you her information!

That afternoon, we did AR's final tux fitting (he looks sooooo good. But I might be bias ;)). Then we headed off to Cirque du Soleil! We had tickets to their new production, Varekai. To be honest, I am not so sure AR loved it. The talent was incredible but he felt he needed more of a story line. We followed the show with dinner at Gypsy Kitchen and coffees at Corso in the streets of Buckhead.

Sunday was church, brunch, and lots of errands. AR's groomsmen gifts are complete and mine are just waiting on a few things to arrive in the mail!

Are you a post-dinner dessert or coffee person?

Have you been to Cirque du Soleil? Thoughts? 

x0x0, 

Hannah

Countdown to the Wedding: July Goals

Checking in with my June Goals and sharing plans for July!

June Goals:

• Schedule venue walkthrough with the planner and the florist
• Attend marriage preparation session with our pastor
• Plan farewell brunch for Saturday after the wedding
• Take invitations to calligrapher for envelope addresses 
• Mail invitations
• Order the cake(s)
• Choose AR's tux 
• Schedule dress fittings with alterations
• Finalize reservations for our mini-moon 
• Finalize hair & make-up and schedule trial run 
• Have an amazing time in Miami with my girls! 
• Pick out my wedding shoes to take with me to alterations 
• Send out checks for 60-days before wedding payments 
• Check with hotel on reservations and remind guests to book their rooms!
• Pick out wedding bands for AR and I! 
• Plan signage with the calligrapher and planner 
• Continue working out 6-days a week and eat healthy. Limit sweets to weekends only.

Okay, I was feeling super unprepared until I looked at this list. We are on our way!! This month was so busy with decisions and it was high-stress. I honestly don't know how AR puts up with me sometimes! 

For July:

• Complete walk-thru with planner, caterer, florist, venue coordinator, and decorator. Done! This was so much fun! 
• Finalize menu - we want to change one item
• Order Rehearsal dinner dress
• Attend dress fittings
• Finalize morning-after brunch
• Call people who have not RSVP'd
• Make welcome bags for the hotel rooms
• Order bridesmaid/groomsmen gifts
• Order jewelry for bridesmaids
• Pin hair ideas
• Schedule hair and make-up trial run
• Confirm cake design
• Finish weekend time-line with the planner
• Make nail/tan appointments
• De-stress :)
• Continue healthy eating and workouts: no more sweets or white carbs, with plans to cut dairy three weeks out (cutting dairy always brightens my skin!)
• Planning call with photographer to go over must-have shots and our vision for our big day
• Select songs for ceremony and reception
• Start seating chart

Other Months:

June

May
April

And that is it for now! What is one thing you forgot to do until right before your wedding?

Hannah 

--image via

Our Engagement Photos

AR and I had an easy time choosing our wedding photographer... kind of. I went though a million Atlanta wedding photographers, scheduled meetings, and couldn't find my fit.

I had been following Jennifer Blair on instagram for a while (her work is incredible), and she was a friend of a friend. One day, she posted a photo of a wedding and I thought "thats is it, this is who I want to do our wedding." I caller her up, never imagining that she would agree to come to Atlanta for our wedding!

Needless to say, I am thrilled that we are working with her. We went to Savannah in May and spent the morning at Forsyth Park and Wormsloe Plantation. Here are a few of my favorites:

Photo Credit: Jennifer Blair Photography :: Website :: Blog ::

x0x0, 

Hannah

Five on Friday {7/19}

Happy to be linking on today for some weekend action. Does anyone else feel like summer is flying by? It is ridiculous!

1. Engagement Photos
Remember when I told you that AR and I were heading to Savannah to shoot our engagement photos? Well, the photographer has been teasing us with instagram snaps for the last two weeks. We finally saw the final photos this week and I die.

 I will share more of my favorites tomorrow, but these were a few I just couldn't wait for. You can see our photographer's favorites on her blog post here.
If you are planning a wedding, please reach out to Jennifer Blair. Y'all, this woman is the real deal. She is amazingly talented and the sweetest person. And she travels all over for weddings, just sayin' :)

2. FitBit Flex
I just ordered a FitBit Flex (they are $20 off at Target right now!). I pick mine up today. Any thoughts on these? I need a cute case, because the black rubber is not adorable. Ideas?

3. Miami Bachelorette
I went to Miami last weekend with 5 amazing girlfriends. We had such a great time! We stayed at the Biltmore, spent some time at the pool, had a spa day, and went out on South Beach.

4. This Recipe
AR and I tried this recipe for Lentil and Chickpea Stew this week. It cooked up perfectly in the crockpot (we did double the peppers - but we like spicy) and we enjoyed it with brown rice. Yum!

5. Weekend Plans
AR and I celebrate 4 years this weekend!! We met in a coffee shop in Houston, Texas on Father's Day 2011. Who would have thought we would be getting married 4 years later?
This is our first weekend together in three weeks, so we plan to celebrate with a trip to the farmers market, a long run, and a date night on Saturday :)

What are you doing this weekend? 

Do you use a fitness tracker? What are your thoughts?

x0x0, 

Hannah

Thanks for hosting the linkup ladies!

Countdown to the Wedding: June Goals

First of all, I want to confess that I did a terrible job on my wedding goals in May. Really terrible. But that is okay, June is here and I am going to be on top of it!

Lets review May:

May Goals

• Book the rehearsal dinner location - done! We are heading to a favorite local spot :)
• Schedule venue walkthrough with the planner and florist.
• Take engagement photos in Savannah - ahh! Read about that here. 
• Buy tickets for Miami bachelorette. Heading out on Friday night and I can't wait!!!
• Attend first marriage preparation session with our pastor. - scheduled! but not done. 
• Plan farewell brunch for the Saturday after the wedding. 
• Continue 5-6 workouts a week with 3 strength training and 3 cardio sessions a week. Class Pass has been amazing for this and I can really feel the results!
• Amp up skincare routine, including deep cleanses and exfoliating. 
• Book mini-moon hotel. - we picked the hotels (we are doing two), but haven't confirmed yet. Oops. 
• Finish our wedding registry.

So I didn't get everything done.... But I did complete some things that were not on the list, like getting my wedding dress in (AHHHHHHH), and getting our invitations ordered and delivered. 

For June, I need to check off the last few bigger details so I cam focus on finalizing decor and little details in July. June is a really hectic month for AR and I - we are traveling 3 weekends during the month. I want to make sure July is a time to relax and enjoy each other. 

June Goals:

• Schedule venue walkthrough with the planner and the florist
• Attend marriage preparation session with our pastor
• Plan farewell brunch for Saturday after the wedding
• Take invitations to calligrapher for envelope addresses 
• Mail invitations
• Order the cake(s)
• Choose AR's tux 
• Schedule dress fittings with alterations
• Finalize reservations for our mini-moon 
• Finalize hair & make-up and schedule trial run 
• Have an amazing time in Miami with my girls! 
• Pick out my wedding shoes to take with me to alterations 
• Send out checks for 60-days before wedding payments 
• Check with hotel on reservations and remind guests to book their rooms!
• Pick out wedding bands for AR and I! 
• Plan signage with the calligrapher and planner 
• Continue working out 6-days a week and eat healthy. Limit sweets to weekends only. 

Whew, that is quite a list! I am a little overwhelmed by how many things I have left to do, honestly. Wedding planning has so many little details, I swear. 

x0x0, 

Hannah 

--Image via

Weekending... lately {6/8}

Happy Monday gang! I've missed posting my weekend for like THREE weeks in a row - fail - so this is more of a "weekends of late" post than one weekend.

I should start by saying that this weekend was gloriously boring. AR went on his bachelor party to New Orleans and I had a wonderful time staying home alone.
I ordered hummus and soup from my fav takeout place on Friday night, opened a bottle of wine, and had some excellent RHWNY binge watching. I did an early morning long run on Saturday all by myself. I finalized wedding details. I went to lots of yoga classes. It was great.

But on to more exciting weekends...

{5/22-5/24} Savannah 
AR and I went to Savannah two weeks ago for our engagement photos. We absolutely LOVE our wedding photographer and can't wait to get the photos back (check out her work - is is amazing!).

We stayed on the river front, which was absolutely perfect.
AR organized dinner on Friday night, and we enjoyed
an amazingly decadent meal at Vic's 

One of the locations we shot at on Saturday morning
{Wormsloe Plantaiton}

Another gorgeous location shooting location
{Forsyth Park}

Exploring on our own after the photo shoot. First stop? brunch!

Day trip to Tybee Island for some beach time.
It was absolutely gorgeous weather. 

Story behind the trip: We were scheduled to take photos on either Friday night or Saturday morning. I was hoping for Friday night because of lighting, so AR left work early and we headed for Savannah around 1pm. Normally, this ride takes us 3.5 hours. But, traffic and construction were a MESS and we drove for almost 7 hours. It was honestly so terrible.

I called Jennifer almost in tears and she was so sweet to reschedule with us for the next morning. Bless her heart! We started at 8am on Saturday to get some good lighting, and it still turned out great, thankfully :)

{5/29-5/31} Chicago & Cake Tasting

I started a new job at the end of May. I am summering at an awesome firm and it is a dream come true to work there. I started my training in Chicago on Memorial Day:

Chicago River on my first night in the city

This view is everything

Then of course, when I got back, we did some cake tasting... I will be blogging about our cake selection process this week!

Starting from the top: strawberry, Kentucky bourbon, red velvet, champagne.

AR always likes cream cheese frosting :)

Too many flavors to name!
Highlights: almond, cream cheese cake, chocolate chip, lemon, and marble.

What was the best wedding cake you have ever tasted? Flavor? Icing? Filling?

Where did are/are you taking your engagement photos?

x0x0, 

Hannah 

Building a Wedding Registry

Building a wedding registry is surprisingly overwhelming. AR and I showed up for our first visit and were so overwhelmed. After some careful planning, we went back and finished it up in an afternoon.

During our planning, I spoke to friends and family, and did some of my own research. Gift giving for a wedding can be stressful for guests and it can be stressful for the bride and groom. Here are some of my tips on making it simpler.

First of all, you need to register. And do it early. People will want to buy you gifts and selecting gifts without a suggestion is stressful. AR and I went for our first registry round about 5 months out. When we went back this weekend (3 months out), some of the items were already purchased. If you are having parties and showers, you may need to reregister closer to your wedding.

via

Select store thoughtfully. At first, I was in love with Crate & Barrel, until I realized there were not any in the state of Louisiana, where many of our friends and AR's family live. It didn't make sense to do the bulk of our registry there. While online ordering is an option, many people prefer to go into the store. Chose stores that have broad geographical availability.

We selected three stores: Macy's Pottery Barn, and Target. Bride's Magazine says to do no more than five stores and Emily Post says to do no more than three. It is absolutely okay to do something non-traditional, but do a traditional registry as well. Consider completion discounts and return policies with you are selecting your stores - this can make a huge difference, especially if you get 8 out of 12 wine glasses.

Register for a variety of gifts. Traditionally, the thought it one gift per person. Emily Post, etiquette expert, recommends giving your guests options so that they can select something they want to give you. Select a variety of price ranges so that your guests have options for their budget. Pick items that you will love and use - things that you actually want.

If you register at a department store, like Macy's or Nordstrom's, they will supply a list of suggested registry items. The woman who assisted us at Macy's was fantastic. She gave us tips about selecting things, and she had many ideas for things we never even knew we needed. The Knot also has a sample registry checklist here. 

via

Break some rules. Who says you need fine china and every day dishes? If you already have a set that you like, don't register for a new one! I decided to skip the fine china and chose an every day set from Pottery Barn. While I love beautiful dishes, I don't have space for two full sets in an apartment. And to be honest, I don't do formal entertaining. So the traditional white Pottery Barn dishes will be just perfect for our needs.

Finally, your wedding is not about the gifts. It is about celebrating your love with others. Some people won't send a gift, other people will be extravagant. Don't let that determine relationships and friendships.

Where did you register?

As a guest, what do you like to see on a wedding registry? 

x0x0, 

Hannah

Countdown to the Wedding: May Goals

Yesterday, we hit the 100 day mark!!! I cannot believe it!

Checking in on all of my wedding planning for the month and sharing goals for May. Let's see how I did.

(You can read about my March and April goals here)

So I am going to be honest... I didn't do so hot. With finals looming, I didn't cross off everything on my list. Here is what I planned to do:


April Goals

•  Finalize the DJ for the reception
•  Order invitations - still working on this. I've narrowed to 3 options and just need to pick one.
•  Book the calligrapher - nope. 
•  Start planning outfits for our engagement shoot --> Cannot WAIT to tell y'all more about this!
•  Survive finals at the end of the month. 
•  Maintain workouts with said finals. Not trying to up mileage in light of exam time, just trying to maintain 5 workouts a week and about 25 miles/week. My running mileage was a little lower, but I maintained 5-6 workouts a week. I joined ClassPass and have loved the challenge of new classes. 
•  Start cutting sugar. My skin looks better with less sugar, so I am limiting sweets to the weekends. This is hard for me, y'all. I love sweets. Doing okay on this. Still room for improvement :) 
•  Finalize bachelorette party plans! Heading to Miami in July with all my ladies. Still need to buy tickets. 

I plan to catch up over May. I have two solid weeks off before I start working for the summer, and I plan to stay busy on wedding fun those weeks. I want to start thinking about some of the small details for the weekend reception and ceremony.

May Goals

• Book the rehearsal dinner location - done! We are heading to a favorite local spot :)
• Schedule venue walkthrough with the planner and florist.
• Take engagement photos in Savannah - ahh!
• Buy tickets for Miami bachelorette.
• Attend first marriage preparation session with our pastor. 
• Plan farewell brunch for the Saturday after the wedding. 
• Continue 5-6 workouts a week with 3 strength training and 3 cardio sessions a week.
• Amp up skincare routine, including deep cleanses and exfoliating. 
• Book mini-moon hotel.
• Finish our wedding registry. 

--via--

x0x0, 

Hannah

Countdown to the Wedding: April Goals

Hello All! My app from the Knot just alerted me that my wedding is in 128 days y'all - 128 days! 

It also keeps reminding me that I need to establish a beauty plan for my wedding. How about a beauty plan for my life? I am still trying to master blowdrying my hair on a daily basis. I've got bigger fish to fry.

Anyways, I wanted to share updates on the wedding plans and goals for this month.

March Goals 

• Booked our pastor to officiate the ceremony
• Booked a harpist for the ceremony and cocktail hour
• Ordered bridesmaid dresses : this was an ordeal, but its done. 
• Booked our wedding photographer
• Remained consistent with workouts: ehhh. I've been working out, but mileage has been low. 

Source: Southern Weddings Magazine

April Goals

•  Finalize the DJ for the reception
•  Order invitations
•  Book the calligrapher 
•  Start planning outfits for our engagement shoot --> Cannot WAIT to tell y'all more about this!
•  Survive finals at the end of the month. 
•  Maintain workouts with said finals. Not trying to up mileage in light of exam time, just trying to maintain 5 workouts a week and about 25 miles/week. 
•  Start cutting sugar. My skin looks better with less sugar, so I am limiting sweets to the weekends. This is hard for me, y'all. I love sweets. 
•  Finalize bachelorette party plans! 

Source: Southern Wedding Magazine

What are your April Goals?

x0x0, 

Hannah

Wedding: Calligraphy

Aaron and I are in the process of picking out invitations. This process is much more challenging than I anticipated. The current project: selecting a calligrapher!

Because our wedding is in August 2015, I need to select someone asap, because summer is busy wedding season.

Here are some pictures of envelop calligraphy I love!

1.

source: etsy

2.

source: etsy

3.

source: Style Me Pretty

4.

source: etsy

5.

source: Post Man's Knock

Did you have the calligraphy done for your invitations and/or envelopes?

x0x0, 

Hannah Wahlen