It’s hard to say which post is my “favorite” of all of my time blogging for the hive, so I chose the one that made me feel the most loved and supported by all of the women who followed along on my journey. After my bridal portraits, I had a bit of a freak out because of my weight, ill-fitting dress and hair/makeup combo. Looking back, I was definitely being a bridezilla, as none of it was that bad. The weight I was wasn’t bad, the dress was re-altered, and the hair/makeup was changed for the big day.
I was hesitant to even write the post because I thought that everyone would just think I was whiny, pain in the ass (and I’m sure many did), but it really helped me to not be my own worst critic by hearing all of the encouraging and supportive comments, which is why I wanted to be a part of Weddingbee all along—for the camaraderie among all of us, as we plan one of the most important events of our lives.
And, today, looking back, I really see how ridiculous I was. After two years of marriage, and a lot of “love” weight, Mr. H and I both see our wedding pics and think, “man, we were so much skinnier!”
Especially these days, as we prepare (and eat) for our new little project, Baby H. 
{Baby H, due 12/31/10 - Photography by our faves, Perez Photography}
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Yesterday I received my bridal portraits from the photographer. He did an incredible job with the photos and I couldn’t ask for a better photographer. His subject, however, I was completely upset with. That subject = me.
Last minute I decided to wear my hair down, a good decision, but I wore it curly, which is completely unnatural for me. My makeup, which I told the artist to make smoky eyes, began to smear a bit with the heat and it was just way too much. Basically, I think I wanted to be a little more glamorous then I really needed to be.
The dress, which I have been fighting with for a while, just didn’t photograph on me like I would have liked and my qualms about it in general are now more prevalent then ever.
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Mr. H and I said I do. Time really does fly - it still seems like yesterday. I can’t believe that a year ago, I was about to rehearse, walk down the aisle, and party with Mr. H.
I must tell you - the first year has not been the easiest for the Hydrangeas - there really is something to that saying, “the first year is the hardest.” We have dealt with a family death, family divorce, family health issues, weight gain (it’s like the freshman 15 on steroids), and employment changes, just in the first year. We married each other because we love each other, and, luckily, we both really stuck to our vows - we’ve been in it through the good and the bad.
We have learned so much more about each other, and, in turn, have learned to appreciate our quirks, faults and differences. Our life together, as our own family, is only beginning, and this first year has proved just that - we know we are ready for the second year, and many more after that.
I’ve loved my time in the hive, but it’s time now for me to move on to other things - I have taken a leap of faith and started my own business, but you can also find me blogging about our life here. I’ll still be poking around the hive, leaving comments and maybe an occasional post; it really is hard to just leave Weddingbee, cold turkey.
So, with that, I leave you with this…
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Well, hive, this is it. Not my final post, that is yet to come, but our final wedding recap.
It has truly been my pleasure to share the most amazing day of my life thus far with you all. From the blood, sweat, and tears that went into planning it, every step of the way, to my MUCH delayed recaps that I promised would be finished up before our first anniversary (even if I’m waiting until the week before to finish).
I leave you with a video recap of our wedding and only a handful of images. The song in the video is our last dance song, much fitting for the two of us.
*images thanks to Perez Photography, video thanks to Chris Watson
So now, for the post that I’ve been waiting to share throughout all of our recaps. Mr. H and I wanted, if nothing more, a huge party for our wedding. We love to go out, to hang with friends, to dance (I might not like to slow dance, but I can boogie with the best), have a few drinks, and make some memories. Our wedding did not fail us in the least.
After BIL Hydrangea and Mom H made their speeches, it was time to continue the dancing.
Below are the best pics from the night - but not nearly all of them. In the end we had well over 1000 images to choose from (not an easy feat)! I’ll let the images speak for themselves, and add a little detail here and there to explain.
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Details, details, details. I love the little things. Here is the last peek at some special things we had for our guests, and the last details of our reception before we get to the theme of the night - P A R T Y! While this takes the events a little out of order from the way they ran in the evening, I thought it best to leave the party to its own post.
*Photos credit to Perez Photography!
Out in the pre-function space, where our guests originally had cocktails, we setup a gelato cart from a popular, local shop. Of course, this led to me find somewhere to have personalized ice cream cups printed.
When we last left off, quite a bit ago, I mentioned our “faux” first dance. But now we get to have our first dance, for real. After all of the bridal party was introduced, it was time to bring out the folks that made everything possible, and without them, we wouldn’t be here.
As always, all photos by the incredibly talented Perez Photography!
Up first, Mr. H’s parents.
Create the honeymoon of your dreams.
I was given bits and pieces of advice for my own bridal portrait session from my photographer and various brides before I actually went to take pictures in my dress before the wedding. A couple of friends who have gotten married were surprised to hear of some of the tips, so I thought it might be a good idea to share with the hive as well! Here are some suggestions for your shoot:
1) Try to choose a time of year with mild weather. Sometimes this is easier said than done. It pays to try for a cooler time of year when you are wearing a heavy dress, and walking around for a long period of time outdoors. While the heat is not always avoidable, try your best to schedule the shoot during mild weather, even if it means taking your pictures months before your wedding. (Although I tried to plan for the cool weather, my luck it was record heat on the day I took my photos - 4.5 months before our wedding!)
2) Bring at least one person along to be your “assistant” for the shoot. I was fortunate enough to have both my mother and my best friend there to help me. Excessive? Maybe so, but oftentimes, you will shoot your pictures in some unclean areas, and it pays to have the extra hands around to help carry your belongings and keep your dress off of the dirty floor.
3) Pack a bag of items to bring with you. This can included water, baby wipes (you’ll be amazed at how easily your hands get dirty when you’re wearing a white dress), makeup, tissues, deoderant and flip flops (those heels start to hurt after a while). Add to this whatever you think might come in handy… it’s always good to be prepared.
A few months ago, we got the news that our wedding was going to be featured in The Knot Texas magazine. A few weeks ago, we got an email from our photographer asking if we’d received our copies yet. When we replied that we had yet to receive it, Cesar and Tanya let us know that, not only was it in the magazine, it was a five page spread!
Here’s the spread, and you can also check it out online:
Read more…
Hello hive! Many of you might not remember me, but this is Mrs. Hydrangea here. It’s hard to believe that it has been almost eight months since we said, “I Do”; it seems like just yesterday. After our September ’08 wedding, life caught up with us and I never finished my recaps, which were always there in the back of my mind. Now that life has adjusted, there is just not any good excuse to keep the last bit of our wedding from the hive!
For those of you who might not know me well, here are a few links to catch up with where I left off:
Now, it’s time to get back to the recaps, and to one of my most favorite parts of the evening, the introduction of the wedding party. Little did our wedding party know, we had a little plan to make the intros interesting, thanks to our amazing DJ, Andy Austin. We filled out questionnaires for each member prior to the wedding in order to give them a mini-roast instead of just announcing their names, but that wasn’t the only trick we had up our sleeves that evening.
Okay enough of me explaining, I’ll let the photos (thanks to Perez Photography) do the rest…
I received this in my email today:
The company that we bought our cocktail napkins and matchbooks at is offering some great discounts and I didn’t want the hive to miss it!
Read more…
It looks like the majority of Dallas WB readers that wanted to attend Bride Wars with us aren’t able to make it this weekend. So, how about we try to reschedule instead?
Mrs. Avocado and I would really like to meet the rest of you and have a big group of gals to attend! We’ve started a new thread in the DFW Weddingbee forum so that we can all compare schedules and come up with the most convenient time.
The more, the merrier - so check out the thread and let’s set a date!
I just found out that our “trash the dress” session made it online!
I didn’t even know that www.trashthedress.com existed! It’s a pretty cool site and you could definitely get some inspiring photos for your own wedding day/ day after shoots! Thanks to our photographers, Cesar and Tanya, for submitting it and congrats to them for taking such awesome pics that they were chosen to be posted!
Happy Holidays to everyone and we’ll see you in 2009
Okay, I keep teasing you with these interruptions from our wedding photos. I apologize for that, but it is always with good reason, right?
About two months after our wedding, we decided to do a “day after” photo shoot. I wanted to put the dress on one last time before storing it away forever, and Mr. H and I wanted some really great shots of the two of us, since our wedding day was so busy and we only got a few posed pics together.
Since we have possibly the coolest photographers ever, Perez Photography, we set out one afternoon in our wedding getup, which, I’ve never had much luck shooting in. I took my bridal portraits in May to avoid the summer heat and got the hottest day ever, then we scheduled these pics before it got too cold outside only to face a cold front with the chilliest wind I’ve experienced in a while. Totally worth it, both times.
Untitled from Chris W on Vimeo.
I hope that you all enjoy it as much as I did. I promise that the last couple of wedding posts will be here soon, but this sums up our day as about as best as I could. We’ll see the full video tomorrow, so don’t be surprised if I bring more posts out about it.
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Mrs. Hydrangea, Dallas Age and Occupation: 26, Administrative Assistant Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Network Analyst Engagement Date: June 2007 Wedding Date: September 2008 Blogging Since: January 14, 2008 Venue: Catholic Church and Reception at The W Hotel About Me: Mr. H and I come from very different cultures and backgrounds so I'm excited to plan our wedding with a balance of both traditions. My mom has always been a DIY queen, and I'm just now starting to get into it with a new house and a wedding to plan!
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