The Bridesmaids Dresses

I'm so excited that we found the bridesmaid dresses!! I know that this dress will be beautiful on all of the ladies, and I can't wait to see them wearing it in the dark purple Amethyst color. No doubt it will look gorgeous! <3

The dress is made by Vera Wang and the ladies got them from David's Bridal - which works out perfectly because it is a nationwide chain and Shannon (in Connecticut) and Haleigh (in Louisiana) can both go to one near them and actually try on the dress to make sure it fits them well.

The style of the bridesmaids dresses - but not in the correct color. The color we are getting is called Amethyst!

Choosing Our Venue

Gabrella Manor

Growing up, I always knew that I wanted to get married in a big beautiful house. I could never have imagined that I would get married at Gabrella Manor. It truly surpassed my dreams.

I originally found out about Gabrella Manor from my best friend, Christy shortly after I got engaged. I told her the type of place I wanted to be married at - and soon enough she had contacted Gabrella and found out all the pricing info for me and sent me everything - talk about a good friend!!!

Within a few weeks, I had scheduled an appointment to tour the venue with my mom, Grana and sister. After that appointment, I came home and told Andy that I found "the venue". He wanted to check it out also, so I called the ladies at Gabrella and Andy and I went out there one night after work to walk through it again. He loved it as much as I did!! 

I said "yes!" to the dress

The Dress

One of the very first things I got once we were engaged was my wedding dress. I was so excited and I couldn't wait. I wanted it right away!! I went to one store, and the first time I visited I found my dream dress. It actually wasn't even a dress style I was looking for. I always thought I wanted a more form fitting dress - but after trying on a few different styles, my dress consultant, Carolyn (from Bella's Bridal and Formals in Hoover, Alabama) asked me if I would try on a dress that she thought would look amazing on me. Having nothing to lose, and figuring that she knew what styles would look best on my body I decided to give it a shot.

The dress she brought out was stunning. The details were everything I ever imagined. It sparkled, but was classy and when I put it on I felt like a princess. It brought tears to my eyes. Right away, everyone who attended the appointment with me (my mom, Andy's mom, Christy, Ashle and my Grana) knew that it was "the one."

The dress was from Allure Bridals Romance Collection.

I loved the details on my dress, like the buttons going down the back.

The best group of people went with me to my appointment! <3

For my actual gown, we decided that we would make it a little more custom by adding on a belt.

Putting on the handmade cathedral veil made it all feel so real and pulled the whole dress together so beautifully.

The train was incredible!! 

The Proposal

Finally! - Andy proposed to me at Vulcan Park in Birmingham, Alabama on February 28, 2015. We had been going on weekend outings with our best friends, Robert and Christy for the past few weeks and Andy decided that it would be the perfect opportunity to propose.

However, the day almost didn't even happen! That Saturday morning, Andy and Robert went to go pick up some furniture (or they said that is what they were doing - never confirmed this!) and I spent the morning watching a movie and doing my own gel nails ... if any of you have ever done gel nails, you know how long they can take to make them look good! Looking back, I'm so happy that I spent the time that morning doing my nails - because I had no clue that he was going to propose that day (even though I had a feeling it would be soon, so I always was keeping my nails looking nice and usually fixed them up on Saturday mornings!)

When the guys got back from "moving furniture" they were ready to go... unfortunately, I was not. Andy got frustrated with me and told me to hurry up and get ready. I told him that I didn't really want to go and that they could just go without me. He got so frustrated with me because I had already messed up his first proposal idea (a weekend in Gatlinburg, Tennessee he wanted to go on) and told me that if I didn't go I was never going to keep any friends. Hahaha!! Well, he eventually apologized and some how convinced me to venture out of the house that February Saturday.

On our way up to the Vulcan, we took some pictures and took in the beautiful scenery. Birmingham is truly a beautiful place.

 

Once we finally got to the top, we took some time to look around but I kept getting nervous because of the screws I noticed missing on the grate and the fact that you could see all the way down to the ground through the grated floor. Nerve racking!!

After about 20 minutes of being up at the top, I walked around the corner and Andy pointed out into the distance and told me to try and see if I could find his office. I sat there for a good minute looking out and when I didn't see it, I turned around to have him show me where it was. When I turned around, he was on one knee and asked me to marry him! I was so excited, I started crying. The good happy tears that happen when your heart is warm. :)

He did so well on my ring. It was my dream wedding ring that he told me was out of the question. Its a verragio ring and the sides of it are what I love so much. It looks like a princess crown.

That day is truly a day that I will never forget. I feel so blessed to be able to look back on how great of a memory his proposal to me was. <3