Engagement Picture Journey // May 20, 2017

A few weekends ago, Al and I took our engagement pictures. Our amazingly talented brother Khyne Daniels at K.Daniels Photography took them, and we are so in love with every single image (more to come!)

Preparing for our engagement pictures was one of the most fun experiences we've had in our engaged journey thus far. When we began talking about pictures, we both knew we didn't want anymore beach or water pictures because we have taken a million of those. We easily decided that we wanted some kind of woodsy-themed pictures, and we started looking for the perfect place. Khyne and I bounced some ideas around for a few weeks, and then one day it hit me as I was sitting outside at my parents' house in Ash. What better place to have woodsy pictures than in our very own neck of the woods? My family owns many acres of land in Ash, and I couldn't imagine a place more beautiful or special to take our pictures, and Al agreed! If you know me, you know there is nothing like home to me. I absolutely love the life my family has built in our little corner of the world, and it is so special to me to have pictures with my future hubs on the land that my granddaddy once worked on with his daddy and so on. It is truly one of the most beautiful places in the world to me! Once that was decided, we started working on our outfits and our props!

One element of our wedding that we have decided on since my last post about wedding plans is that our wedding is going to have a very southern theme. For those who don't know, the pineapple is the symbol of southern hospitality, and we are planning to incorporate that into our day in a big way! So I knew I wanted to use a pineapple in our engagement pictures to tie into the theme we are going for in our wedding (plus, pineapples are just so darn cute)! I also wanted to incorporate an "R" into our pictures because I literally can't wait until that's the first letter of my last name :) I started searching around and found the best of both worlds at a little online boutique called BeauJax. They were so easy to use and had the fastest shipping known to man. Seriously, I ordered it on a Monday and it was here by Wednesday of the same week. I would definitely recommend them to anyone in need of some cute, southern, monogrammed charm around their home.

I had a vision for this wooden plaque with our date painted on it, but sometimes life gets busy and we have to improvise. Fortunately, Walmart always an abundance of chalkboards, and I have decent penmanship. My mom also found the cutest little sign at the Mason Dixon store in Shallotte when she was out shopping one day and picked it up for us to use. I'm so glad we were able to incorporate all of these little elements into our pictures. They added the perfect amount of "us" to the pictures, and each item fit so well with the outfits we decided on!

The outfits were the trickiest part of this whole ordeal. Al and I both wanted to have shirts made that represented our wedding date somehow. I was on Etsy looking around one day and found the perfect Mr. and Mrs. shirts in a shop called Nobull Woman Apparel, and I scooped them up that day. This was literally like two months before we took our pictures, so the shirts were hanging in my closet for that long and I was dying to wear them. So glad I finally can now! We also knew we wanted an outfit that represented our everyday lives. We're both very simple, laid back people, so we wanted to show our personalities through that. This was honestly the trickier outfit to pick out because our styles are so different. Fortunately, Al has a newfound love of jeans, so I was able to find shirts that complimented jeans and each other well. Lastly, I had this picture in my head of tall grass and dressy clothes at sunset since we started talking about woodsy engagement pictures. I searched high and low for the perfect dress for this occasion. Twelve stores later, and JC Penney came through with what is now one of my favorite dresses I own. Picking out dress clothes for Al is always easy, and just like that we had everything together for our pictures (at the last minute, I might add... but I am really me if I don't procrastinate everything?)

Deciding when to do our pictures was tough because we technically don't have to send out our save the dates until early September, but I am not a happy camper when it comes to hot weather. I wanted to do our pictures as early as possible trying to beat the heat of the summer. Khyne agreed to a weekend in May, so we were able to pleasantly take pictures with as little sass from my mouth as possible :) We did get torn up by mosquitoes though... the struggle of living in the Green Swamp in the summer. However, looking back, it just made the day that much more memorable, and I'll be able to tell our kids the stories of their Daddy having mosquito bites the size of quarters on his forehead in between outfit changes and their Papa running around their Mama and Daddy spraying bug spray to keep the mosquitoes away! See, so worth the memories!

The whole experience of taking pictures with Khyne was so easy and stress-free. We may be biased, but we really do think he is one of the most talented photographers we know. He has an eye for beauty and works so hard to get the perfect images that capture the essence of who people are. I cried over the sneak peek picture he sent me. I cried again when he sent me the link to our pictures and I looked at the thumbnail picture attached to the link. And then I was teary-eyed the entire time Al and I looked through the images because I was just so impressed at how perfectly he captured our love for one another. Khyne made us feel comfortable in front of the camera and allowed us to be ourselves. He went above and beyond to get some of the images he did, and we are so grateful that he loves us enough to do that. We are so thankful for this experience with him, and we will cherish these pictures for the rest of our lives. If you are looking for a photographer, please look Khyne up. His website is http://www.kdanielsphotography.com/. Take a look at some of the work he has done. I know you won't be disappointed. He is very versatile, flexible, and easy-going. I literally can't say enough about how wonderful of a photographer and person he is, and we are just lucky enough to call him our brother! We love you so much, Khyne Bug!

Thanks for reading about our experience taking engagement pictures! What a fun memory that we will cherish forever. I'm going to leave y'all with a few more of our favorite images for those who haven't seen them all! Only 270 days until I get to make this man my hubs!

Xoxo,

Future Mrs. Rising

Six Months of Engagement

Sunday we celebrated six months of being engaged!!! We knew when we got engaged that time would fly by, but we never knew how quickly. Our lives changed forever six months ago, and we are looking forward to what the future holds for us. We have gotten a lot done in these last six months, but we still have a lot to do! Thankfully, we have some of the best help in making our dreams for our big day reality. We can't wait to share more about the plans that have come together lately, but today I just wanted to share some of the things I have learned about Al in the last six months. It's true what they say: There is always something new you can learn about someone.

1) He doesn't understand the point of registering for anything over $30.

Registering has been a task for us. I'm not kidding when I say we've been working on it for the last two months, and we're still not even halfway done. It took Al a while to understand why I wanted to register for a nice kitchen mixer or Kate Spade table settings. He was happy with everything under $30 (until he saw the Magic Bullet and HAD to have that). Mostly this has taught me that he's more sensible than I thought, and I appreciate the sentiment of responsibility behind this attribute of his... we still registered for the Kate Spade plates though 😜.

2) He likes to be involved in the planning.

From what I hear, most guys don't care too much about what goes on in the planning stages of a wedding. Fortunately for me, Al has been very involved and likes to offer his opinion from time-to-time. Nine times out of ten, his opinion is, "I like whatever you like babe," but it's still nice to know he wants to be included. I feel like this is foreshadowing to our lives as parents because I know Al will want to be involved in every aspect of our children's lives. I knew he was like this before we got engaged, but engagement has really brought out this interactive side of him, and I love it!

3) He is less nosy than I thought.
I said yes to my dress over a month and a half ago, and Al has not once asked anything about it. We talked about it the day I found it, but he didn't want to know any details. He has never been snooping, and I genuinely thinks he wants to be surprised. I cannot wait to see his face when I walk down the aisle. I think that's what we're both most excited for on our wedding day!

4) He is not good with surprises.
The only time I've really ever surprised Al was at a party I threw for him for his 21st birthday. He literally had zero idea it was happening, so he had a great time and always says it's one of his favorite birthdays. In our engagement process, I've learned not to try to surprise him because it only stresses him out. He likes to know what is happening and what he can do to make things go smoothly, so that is what I have tried to do. While I'm sure at some point in our lives I will surprise him again, for this time in our lives I'm really enjoying making the decisions and working through the unknown together.

5) He is going to be the best husband.
I knew at 16 years old that Al would be my husband, and I knew even then that he would be a good one. Being engaged has really shown me the truth in that thought. He is really studying God's intended purpose for a husband - leaving his father and mother and clinging to his wife, loving her as Christ loved the church, leading his family in truth. I can see the desire in Al's eyes to be all of these things as a husband, and I believe with all my heart he will be. He has proven in the last six months what I've always known to be true, and I cannot wait for him to be my hubs!


I am so excited for a lifetime of learning more about this man I call mine. I hope you all liked learning a little more about him, too! I love you Kenneth, and I can't wait to be your wife!

Xoxo,
Morgan

Vendors and Dresses and Parties... OH MY!

It has been a busy two months in the wedding planning department! While I was sharing about each of my bridesmaids on the forefront, behind the scenes Al and I were busy making huge decisions about our big day! This will be quite the long post because a few weekends ago, I went dress shopping and we had our engagement party, and I am so excited to share about those experiences! To give a little spoiler: It was a dream weekend, and we are SO blessed!

But before I get to that, I want to share with you all the other things we have checked off our to-do list. Within the last two months we have hired our ceremony musician and DJ, booked our photographer and videographer, landed on a color scheme, picked our rehearsal dinner location, found bridesmaids dresses, almost completed our wedding website and registries, said yes to the dress, and celebrated with our loved ones at our engagement party! While that seems like a lot, the planning is only just beginning. My advice to any new brides out there: Let anyone help you who is willing to help! I have never been so thankful for such involved family members and friends! It truly makes this process so much less stressful and more enjoyable. I have created even deeper bonds with people in my life through this journey, and that is what is so special about it all to me. We are so excited about everything we have nailed down so far, and we can't wait to see our vision turn into reality. My favorite thing about the past two months is that a few weeks ago we celebrated the ONE YEAR mark! I was so emotional that day because I know that these months and weeks and days are going to fly by! In just a short time, Al and I will be husband and wife, and we literally cannot wait! Every day we ask each other, "Can we just get married today?" The answer has obviously always been no, but it makes me so happy to know that with each day that passes, we are one day closer to our big day!

On March 4, I said yes to the dress! I knew from the moment I got engaged that I wanted to get my dress from Coastal Knot Bridal. I interned there over the summer, and I loved the way they did business and how much they genuinely cared about each of their brides. It took everything in me not to book my appointment to try on dresses the day I got engaged! I think I ended up booking it on New Years Eve because I just couldn't wait anymore. I invited my mom, my sister Kayla, my sister Courtney & niece Lorelei (via FaceTime), my future mother-in-law, and my future sister-in-law to come to my first shopping experience! I'm so thankful I had all of their input and encouragement to help me find the one! The week or so leading up to trying on dresses, I had SO much anxiety. I am a fairly indecisive person, so I really thought this was going to be the longest process of wedding planning for me. I was nervous that I wouldn't find any that fit me right and that I wouldn't know when I put on the one. This was also a HUGE deal for me because I have known since I was sixteen that I was going to marry Al Rising, and I had been dreaming about this day and my dress for all these years. I really wanted it to be perfect and "the one."

Luckily for me, all the nerves were eased the second I walked in the door. Mrs. Leslie D'Agnese was the person working that day, and it ended up being a little reunion for everyone. She and my mom knew each other from many years ago, and she and Al's mom went to school together, so that in itself eased all the immediate angst. She was so helpful and relatable, and I'd do the experience over a hundred times because of how easy she made it for me. With the help of my entourage, I picked out probably 12-15 dresses. Since I worked there a little last summer, I was familiar with how the process worked and knew I just had to get started somewhere. Trying on the first dress was one of the most surreal moments of my life. I can't really put my feelings in that moment into words because I had honestly only felt that way one other time, which was when Al asked me to be his wife. It was something so special, and I'll never forget it for as long as I live. I'll also never forget the look on my mama's face when she saw me in a wedding dress for the first time. Honestly, the dress I had on was not flattering on me at all, but her face was so precious. I love that woman 💓. I tried on about 3 dresses before I got to the one that would end up being "the one" by the end of my appointment. 

When I put on what I now refer to as "my dress," I knew it was special. I had real life heart eyes over this dress, y'all. It was the first dress I really wanted to try on with a veil (anyone who watches Say Yes to the Dress knows this is a big deal). They aren't lying when they say there is something about a veil that makes it complete. In my heart, I knew this was my dress, but I was so scared to commit because I had only tried on 3 other dresses. They asked me if I was saying yes to the dress, and I told them I wasn't ready yet. So I went back to the dressing room and tried on about 9 or 10 more dresses. I found one other one that I really liked that ended up being my comparison dress, so at the end I tried on the comparison dress first. I saw it with a veil and took a good, long look at myself, and I just knew what my decision was. I went back in the dressing room knowing that I would be putting on the dress that I was going to say yes to! Normally, I'm a very emotional person, but I think I was just trying to soak up every ounce of that day that I didn't really get emotional. I walked out, put on the veil, and knew this was it. I said yes to the dress, we popped the champagne, and it was one of the best moments of my life!

I wanted to share a couple of my favorite moments from that day with y'all. The first one is my niece's reactions to what was going on. She kept coming up to the phone on FaceTime saying, "Mimo. Mama, what's happening?" Clearly she hasn't been watching any Say Yes to the Dress. She said this for most of the dresses I tried on, which really made me laugh. At one point I tried on a dress, and she looked at the phone and said, "Nope." So obviously I couldn't pick any dress that was not Lorelei-approved. But the best moment was when I put on my dress for the first time, she came up to the phone and said, "Mimo. Princess!" I should've known then that would be my dress. I love that sweet girl, and even though she probably won't remember, I loved having her help picking out my dress. My second favorite moment involved my sisters. It doesn't take long to figure out I am the baby of the three. Both my sisters are loud and opinionated, and I wouldn't have them any other way. They gave me helpful input for every single dress, and they never once disagreed with any feelings I had. When I tried on my dress the first time, I kept it on for a LONG time. I really didn't want to take it off. After a little discussion about what everyone liked about it, both my sisters got quiet (very unusual). I asked Kayla why Courtney wasn't talking, and she told me it looked like she was getting teary-eyed. She showed me the phone, and she was a little bit. We didn't dwell on those emotions, and we haven't talked about it since, but that is something I will never forget. The final favorite memory I want to share is the moment I said the words "yes" to my dress. I knew my mom and Al's mom would cry because they both are emotional ladies, but it is now one of the sweetest memories I have. I can't speak for their feelings, but I could see the joy in my mama's eyes and that was enough for me. I wish I could bottle that look up and keep it forever. Such a precious memory for me, and I know they would say the same for them.

Overall, trying on dresses was one of the best experiences of wedding planning so far! My advice for wedding dress shopping to any future brides-to-be would be to only take people with you who you know will encourage you and build you up. It's a vulnerable and special moment that you'll want to cherish for the rest of your life. You don't want to feel pressured or unsure because of someone else's opinion. Also, don't be afraid to share your likes and dislikes about dresses because it will only help you to narrow it down to the one. Soak up every single moment and really feel the emotions that come because you'll never get that experience again!

Mama, Kay, Court, LL, Lana, and Lauren: Thank y'all for making me feel like the princess that I think I am 😉. I am so thankful for the opinions, advice, support, and love y'all gave me that day. I'd do it all over again just to experience it with y'all. Only 346 more days until we're all dressed up together!!!

  

The next day was our engagement party, and it was so wonderful. My parents hosted it at our home for our bridesmaids and groomsmen, and it meant so much to Al and me that they were willing to do it for us. My mom put a lot of effort into decorating and planning, and I loved how everything turned out. We had a gold & white theme, and she and my Aunt Wanda worked together to make beautiful arrangements for the tables. The morning of our party, my mom, dad, sister, and I were outside for a good portion of the morning putting up decorations. The four of us make a pretty good team, and we were all able to get the same vision and go with it. My mom is the queen of the kitchen, so I knew food would not be an issue. My dad grilled burgers and hot dogs, and my mom made all kinds of dips and appetizers. We never are lacking in the food department, and I know everyone really enjoyed getting their bellies filled!

We had a majority of our bridesmaids and groomsmen show up. It was so nice to finally have almost everyone together to mingle and get to know each other. The boys played ball in the yard and goofed off (nothing less than what I expect from Al and his friends), and my girls and I just hung, talked, and chased after Sophia. The day ended with a backyard football game, which makes my southern heart so happy. It was so fun to watch everyone interact and be together. It's very rare for mine and Al's families to be in the same place, and even rarer for our friends to be in the same place, so it was everything we wanted. It was very simple, low-key, and laid back - all words that I would also use to describe mine and Al's life together. I feel like in this instance, a picture is worth a thousand words... so please enjoy these pictures from our party [photo credit for most pictures: K.Daniels Photography].

First of all, we want to say thank you to my mama and daddy for hosting our party. We are so grateful you opened up your home to all our friends and made it feel like home to them too. Y'all have done so much for us, and we will never be able to thank you enough. Al and I love you both more than y'all will ever know!

Secondly, we want to thank all our friends who came and celebrated our engagement with us. We have been blessed with the best friends, and we couldn't imagine sharing our wedding day and all these festivities with anyone else. Thank you all for being so good to us. Your friendships are priceless to us, and we wouldn't be who we are without y'all. We love each of you so, so much!

Lastly, we want to thank everyone who contributed in some part to making our party what is was. To the people who cooked, provided tables, lent cornhole boards, and just put in some last minute contributions to make everything go smoothly: We are so thankful for all of you and love having you all as a part of our lives.

To all of you who made it to the end of this post, thank you for reading about this time in our lives. We want these experiences to be well-documented so years from now we'll be able to look back and read through these posts and remember every detail. We are so excited for everything that is to come. We can't believe that we're nearing 11 months until our wedding day. We are actually counting down the days and know that it will be here so soon! Until next time, wish us luck on finding a caterer and starting to plan all the little details... we'll need it!