Save the Date quickie

Yesterday Derek and I headed up to Georgetown for a super fun save-the-date mini shoot with our wonderful photographer Kelly Cameron! She posted the sneak peeks today and they are fabulous...

I'm pretty sure Kelly was the first vendor I picked for the entire wedding. I met her back in November when my mom came to visit. My mom, Debbie (my future mother-in-law) and I went to a bridal expo in San Antonio. Of all the vendors there, Kelly made the most lasting impression of all. She is friendly, quirky, energetic, sweet and most of all, incredibly talented! Her work is absolutely amazing (which I suggest you visit kellycameron.net to see more). She has an artistic style and works very hard to capture the true personality and essence of her subjects. Aside from her amazing work, she is one of the nicest, most fun people you will ever meet. Personality is very important in a wedding photographer as you will be spending quite a bit of time with them leading up to and during the wedding. Shooting with Kelly is like hanging out with a friend! I am beyond excited to have her as our photographer. Check her out, she is truly awesome:

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Save-the-date blog post

Always a flower girl...

Growing up, I was a professional flower girl. Or at least I thought I was. 

I was bit by the wedding bug at only 2 1/2 when I was a flower girl in my cousin Kristen's wedding. Even as a toddler, I loved to party. I wasn't supposed to go to the reception, my parents had planned on dropping me off with a babysitter soon after the church. They tried to get me to go to sleep first by driving around, but I was not having it. I knew there was a party about to happen and I sure as heck wasn't going to miss it! They ended up canceling the babysitter and had to bring me along to the reception. And you can bet your behind I was leading the "New York, New York" kickline at 2 a.m. My mom likes to say I put the grown ups to bed that night.

From then on, if there was a wedding, I wanted to be a part of it! If I heard that someone was getting married, I asked if they needed a flowergirl! Even if I didn't know them.

When I was 5 I got to be in two weddings!

I was in my cousin Lauren's wedding and I actually still have some very vivid memories of it! I remember dancing to the Spin Doctors (It was 1993 after all) and watching my dress twirl. I had a band-aid on my chin because I had split it open a few weeks earlier (for the second time, mind you) and I remember my mom got me to cut my ratty, long hair by telling me that Lauren said I couldn't be in the wedding unless I did. I wonder if Lauren and Mike knew back then that one day I would ask to move into their guestroom in return for my services as flower girl...

A few months later my cousin Ed married Grace! I remember being so confused that we didn't have to get on a plane for this wedding. Before this, all the weddings were in Houston and Pittsburgh, but Grace was from Long Island so we got to stay close to home for this one!

For my cousin Lynn's wedding, I graduated to junior bridesmaid. I was all of 7 years old after all. This time I actually had a bouquet instead of a basket, which was a HUGE deal to me. My sister Jeanine was the flower girl and you can bet I passed on my infinite wisdom to her.

When my cousin and godmother Susie married her husband, Bill, I was a junior bridesmaid again. I was 8 but my partner, Bill's nephew, was 13. Being super awkward, I got shy when it came time to dance with him and started crying. Lauren had to fill in for me (I am still eternally grateful). Susie and Bill just had their 15 year anniversary this past September!

When I was 13, I was a full-fledged bridesmaid in my cousin Bill and Lynnann's wedding. I was the only bridesmaid with braces! Since this wedding, I was the next cousin on my mom's side in line to get married. Next March, the Hald clan will finally have another wedding to go to!

Thank you to my cousins for all of these photos and for the practice (now that it's my turn, I feel incredibly prepared)! They flooded my Facebook wall a few days after Derek and I got engaged :)

I said yes to the dress!

I've known for quite awhile now what I wanted my wedding dress to look like. Perfect, right? Not necessarily. I was really starting to worry that the dress I envisioned didn't exist. I had already tried on a lot of gowns in my time, since I modeled bridal as a teenager (weird, I know). There were some that had the bodice I wanted but not the skirt. Then there were others that had the perfect skirt but not the bodice. Although the idea of having a gown custom made for me by Vera Wang herself is quite appealing, it wouldn't exactly be realistic or economical.

Luckily for me, I came across this ad in Martha Stewart Weddings.

Tara Keely by Lazaro Spring 2012

That was my dress! I knew it! All it needed were cap sleeves and a keyhole back (which I learned from previous experience would be a simple fix).

I did some research and found out they had it Blush Bridal Lounge, right here in Austin! I couldn't get myself in the store fast enough to get that dress on my body.

I made an appointment and my friend Sarah came along with me (she took the photos!). I went in with an open mind. I didn't want to get my hopes up in case for some reason it didn't look as great in person or on me.

Erica, the owner suggested I pick out a few other dresses to try on first. So I did.

Let me just say, every gown in that store is absolutely stunning. Each one I tried on was beautiful, but I knew none of them were my dress. 

The time finally came to try on the dress I came in for. They even had a mock keyhole to demonstrate what it would look like with my redesign:

It was perfect!! I knew it before Erica even had a chance to zip me up. This was my dress, I was done shopping!

The even cooler thing about this dress was that Blush's sample was a different color from the standard. The gown is meant to be ivory, but they ordered theirs in a color called "vanilla" which has a slight peachy-pink undertone to it (very subtle!) which is perfect for me, the queen of pink!

My mom is visiting in April and we have an appointment to go back so she can see it. Then we'll be placing the order! I am so beyond excited to own this dress. I can't believe I found it!

Dancing with the Star (Hill Ranch)

Star Hill Ranch

Just a week after we got engaged, we found our venue and set a date! I had been looking at a few spots online but Star Hill was kind of in the lead from the beginning for a few reasons. Once we visited (and it was the first venue we visited), we knew it was perfect for what we envisioned for our wedding.

The whole ranch is made up of historic buildings that have been relocated from all different parts of Texas. It almost feels like it's own little town, complete with a Main Street. The venue is super versatile and can accommodate very large groups (which is awesome since we both have pretty big families). We want to have an outdoor ceremony, but in the event that the weather doesn't agree there are options for moving it inside without feeling like we've had to compromise.
I think one of my favorite buildings is the Groom's Quarters. Originally the Bee Cave Post Office, it is set up like a mini saloon inside, complete with a bar. It will be perfect for Derek and the guys to hang out in before the ceremony and as a separate, quieter bar area during the event. I have to admit, I kind of want to steal it for the girls instead.

Another draw for the venue was that it is only 25 minutes from Downtown Austin. Considering the large amount of out of town guests we are expecting, it will make things very easy. We can have a block of rooms at a hotel downtown (eliminating the need for anyone to rent a car considering all of the great things in walking distance) and then hire a shuttle for the actual wedding!

I truly believe Star Hill Ranch will be the perfect setting for our dream wedding. Adam, the owner is super friendly and helpful. He was especially accommodating for our long distance situation with my dad being in New York. He was more than happy to email any necessary documents to my dad during the process so that I didn't have to be bothered with scanning and whatnot.

So, it's official! March 15, 2013 I will be marrying the greatest guy in the whole world at Star Hill Ranch in Bee Cave, Texas.

First things first...

 Derek proposed about three weeks ago. We went out to The White Horse in East Austin for what I thought was a simple night of dancing and drinks. The band playing was called The Derailers. I can honestly say I was NOT expecting a proposal that night. When we got up to dance, Derek handed my camera to a woman who was sitting nearby and asked if she would take some pictures of us dancing. At one point he twirled me and when I came back around to face him he was down on his knee. That first photo is 100% candid, that was my actual reaction. And the next few show what happened next!

Little did I know, there was a lot going on behind the scenes that night. Derek had filled the woman who took the photos in on his plan while I was in the ladies room earlier on. He also spoke with the band before they went on and made sure they played a song that would be a good opportunity to pop the question. After he proposed they even announced our names and said congratulations!

But the surprises didn't stop there!
The next weekend, Derek told me he was supposed to pick up some materials for work at the airport. One of his boss' friends was a flight attendant for Continental and she was going to be hand delivering it to him at the airport. So on Saturday we went to the airport to meet up with this lady. Her flight was delayed so we went and grabbed a drink in the airport bar while we waited. All of a sudden there was a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to see a 4'9" blue-eyed, blonde... my bestest friend in the whole world, Allison!

There was no flight attendant messenger, it was all a cover for this wonderful surprise! She flew in all the way from California to spend 24 hours with me.

And THEN, we went to Derek's parents' house to "pick up a giftcard for a dinner reservation in San Antonio" and I was again surprised with an engagement party!

It was awesome! My best friend in town for the night and a surprise party.

I am beyond excited to marry Derek. With all the effort I'm putting into the wedding, I don't want it to seem like I'm not seeing the big picture here. I always knew Derek and I were perfect for each other, even if I wasn't quite ready to admit it at first. He has made me the happiest I have ever been and I am so lucky to have him for the rest of my life. I couldn't have designed a better husband in a lab, Frankenstein style :-P