The night we got engaged...

Just for memory sake I thought I'd add our Engagement story here.

 

Dallin did such a perfect job at planning this special night.  He is so awesome!  While he was in the planning phase of the proposal he would drop little comments like "So do you want your family there or just us?"  He is so thoughtful.  I actually did want my family there.  But when the night rolled around my little sister was in her pj's just chilling while I left and my Mom told me to have fun and she was off to visit her best friend so I thought for sure they weren't coming.  But let's start from the beginning...

 

Even though I knew it was coming I didn't know what he was going to do so he took me on a trip down memory lane.  We started by going to La Jolla Groves at The Gateway (now closed but there is still one in Provo).  Our first date we went to a burger place down town and the chalk festival at The Gateway.  We had the most amazing fancy dinner of pasta and macaroni and cheese at La Jolla Groves!

 

While we were driving back to Sandy he stopped at the church that we had our first real conversation at one FHE and had a special secret agent make it all fancy with our dessert-DOUGHNUTS!  Even though it was cold it was so much fun to reminisce about the last time we were there and how we talked till midnight in that parking lot. 

 

We made another stop at Granite Park where we first became "official". I remember walking around and thinking how gorgeous the stars were, it was a perfectly clear winter night.  We walked around for a little while and found some flowers the special secret agent placed for Dallin. 

 

We headed over to Draper and I thought for sure we were going to the place we first kissed but he stopped at the Draper temple.  My childhood temple that holds a special place in my heart.  He said he just wanted to walk around for a second while we were up there.  When we reached the north side with the beautiful view he popped the question.  Funny story so while he was getting ready to propose I saw my little sister run behind a pillar and I knew they were all there. It was the best!  They were able to take all these cute pics, and somewhere there is a video of it.   I love my cute fam!

 

After we drove up to the place we first kissed overlooking Alpine and had our first real kiss as an engaged couple.  I can hear all the "ooo's" and "aww's" now.  haha

 

It was perfect and I love this cutie of mine! And thanks to all the people that helped Dallin make this happen so smoothly-he had his best friend Jared be the secret agent of the night and he was perfectly on time to every spot. 

 

December 23, 2014

 



 

Candy Wrappers

I remember my Mom coming home from a wedding reception a long time ago with a personalized candy wrapper on a little candy bar.  I thought it was the cutest thing ever!  So when our big day came along I knew I wanted to take that idea and run with it.  My mom, mother in law, sister and I all brainstormed and came up with a few different ideas.  My cute mother in law printed all of them and designed them so they looked exactly how we wanted them, with the perfect colors, sayings and pictures!  She even thought to put a little picture of Dallin and I to personalize it just a little bit more. 

 

 

We also put some on the bottoms of Hershey Kisses. 

 

 

 I love that you can personalize simple candy bars for any kind of event or gift.  You could customize them for a birthday party, birthday gift, church lesson, school activity, or anything.  It is such an inexpensive and cute way to add a little flair!

 



January 2016 Ipsy Glam Bag

You guys!! Ipsy is where it's at!! This bag was pretty decent, but I'm telling you both my sister and sister in law tried it out this month and it was SO fun talking to them about what each of us got in our bags.  Keep in mind I got a couple extra perk items.  But don't worry your bag can look like this too!  When you review products that you received on the Ipsy or Birchbox websites or refer a friend you accumulate points and can use those to get new samples like that GLAMGLOW mask below! I received the mascara for a promotion they had running for a few weeks in December, both you and your friend got to try a new mascara!  We all know I love a good sample!

 

Included in this bag:

-theBalm Cosmetics in Mr. Write (Now)-This is a pretty light brown eyeliner with a perfectly thin point to make your eyeliner look on point. 

-AVEENO Daily Moisturizing Lotion-I'm torn on this one.  It's a tried a true for me, but I have like 5 of these mini bottles at my apartment right now.  I guess I was kind of hoping for something out of the ordinary.  I do love this lotion and you can find it at the drugstore so that's a win-win!

-Beau Gachis Paris-Smudge Brush-This brush surpasses my drugstore brushes.  I never thought I would say that!! It blends out all the shadows so nicely and just feels like nicer. 

-Hey Honey Skincare-Open Your Eyes Eye Contour Lifting Fluid-This skincare item is meant to be used under your eyes to give you a radiant glow and lift your eyes.  It definitely helped my early morning eyes these last couple of days!

-City Color Cosmetics-Eyeshadow Trio in Falling Leaves-I am such a fan of eye shadow and this trio was perfect for me.  Three perfect shades to make a complete look for morning or night. 

Bonus Perks!

-em Cosmetics Lash Gallery Clean Volume Mascara-Referred a friend bonus gift! This makes your lashes look so long and defined!

-GLAMGLOW SUPERMUD Mask-Redeemed points and seriously can't wait to try this!! It smells like licorice and I've heard great reviews so far!

If you'd like to learn more about Ipsy or sign up for a bag of your very own you can go to their link here! 

January 2016 Birchbox

New year, new month, new Birchbox!  Here are the products I received in January's box and what I think of them!  What did you get in your box!?

 

This box included:

-Ciate London Mini Paint Pot-True Blue-I've heard so much about ciate nail polish for so long.  I couldn't wait to finally try it for myself.  I got a sparkly dark blue color which is out of my norm but I loved it!  You can definitely tell it's higher quality nail polish!

-Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre-This product is somewhat confusing to me.  You can use it as a moisturizer, primer and also a makeup remover?? I tried it as a primer and didn't notice too much of a difference.  I'll keep working with it, I guess.

-Eyeko Fat Liquid Liner-I really like trying new eye makeup.  This one is interesting to me because I usually like my liner as thin as possible but with this you are able to build up quickly and make any designs you like.

-My Daughter Fragrances Always Loved-I'm sorry but I despise perfume samples.  Not my scent, not my fav, not my thing.

-Whish Three Whishes Body Butter-Almond-I love the scent of almond anything.  I typically think of a sweeter almond scent but this was gentle and still hydrated my skin like a dream!

If you are interested in learning about or receiving your own box you can find out more info here!

Winter 2016 Walmart Beauty Box

The Walmart beauty box has quickly become one of my favs!  For starters so many samples! And for only $5.  I had the wrong idea about their process before BUT it's actually for the best.  When you sign up you actually are signed up automatically for as long as you'd like and boxes will just keep coming to you quarterly.  If you only wanted one or wanted to stop you can easily cancel.

 

I love that you get to try products that are more affordable and you're even more likely to purchase them in the future!

 

 

Included in this box:

-Pantene extra strong hold hairspray- The smell is kind of strong and older but I like the hold and freshness it gives to my hair.

-Aveeno Skin Relief gentle scent body wash and lotion in nourishing coconut-I couldn't wait to try this new scent!  I love all things coconut, and this scent is just barley there-not too overpowering.  I do like the body wash and surprisingly it is more floral too.  I'm not a huge fan of the scent of the lotion though.

-nspa by Nirvana Spa Exotically Creamy Coconut Rich Body Butter-THIS SMELL!! Ah! It smells like vacation and sunscreen and summer.  I want to wear it all the time! It makes your skin perfectly soft too!

-Goody Slideproof hair bands-I'm always in need of new hair bands! The little teeth like grips will be a cool thing to try!

Foil Packets included:

-Olay Regenerist Luminous Tone Perfecting Cream Moisturizer- For brighter healthy-looking skin.  Claims to fade the look of dark spots and discoloration in 8 weeks!

-Olay Regenerist Advanced Anti-Aging Micro-Sculpting Cream Moisturizer-  For younger looking skin.  Claims to lifts and sculpts for younger looking skin, and you should see visible wrinkle results day 1!

-L'Oreal Total Repair 5 Restoring shampoo, conditioner, and damage-erasing balm-I can't wait to try this!  These products claim to target the top 5 hair problems:  rebuilds fibers, strength, vitality, silkiness, and shine. 

-Jergens Wet Skin Moisturizer with refreshing coconut oil and nourishing monoi oil-Claims to lock in hydration at skin's peak moisture moment for luminous skin.  Cool idea!

 

I'd say another successful Walmart beauty box!
Now if I could only get my hands on one from Target!!

Taking Bridals/Groomals the Easy Way

We took our Bridals/Groomals at the Temple Quarry at the base of Little Cottonwood canyon.  It was the perfect place to catch the mountain scene without stomping around the mountains in a white dress!  We loved how they turned out and again Jenn did an amazing job!

After taking these and looking back on what worked and what didn't I thought I'd share some tips to make it as easy as possible for everyone involved.

 

Taking Bridals/Groomals the Easy Way

 

-Scope out locations a couple months before to see what kind of feel you want to go for.  Remember some (MOST) venues charge for you to take pictures on their property, some photographers cover the fee but some do not so keep that in mind while planning and budgeting. 

 

-Make SURE you have your dress ordered and that it will arrive with plenty of time to spare if possible!  Remember to consider that alterations take time and rush orders can have additional fees. 

So plan ahead!

 

-Coordinate schedules well before expected date.  Contact everyone from the suit vendor, wedding dress shop, photographer, videographer, hair and makeup help (if using).  Make sure you're all on the same page and the timeline is mapped out.

 

-A few weeks before the Bridal date make sure you have all accessories for both the bride and groom.  Order your flowers for that day, remember the bouquet AND the boutonniere. Double check jewelry, tie, shoes, everything! Do a test run if possible and try on everything before so you can make sure it works! If you decide to have the groom wear his ring remember that too.

 

-Think about time.  Your photographer and videographer will know all about this, but there are two specific times that are perfect and golden for pictures and videos.  And that magic time is usually around sunrise or sunset-it's called the golden hour! It's when the lighting hits just right and the results make your pictures pop.

 

-While considering the golden hour make sure to schedule your photographer and videographer at the same time.  We couldn't because schedules didn't work out as we'd hoped but man it would have been easier if we could've done them both at the same time.  My hair wouldn't have fallen flat, we could have got the same footage.  BUT I did love the variety of two locations so that is a bonus!

 

-Take a family member or a friend.  Even though this is kind of a boring time for them it helps a ton when you need them to hold the bouquet or other necessities. My mom came with us and she was a total angel, she made sure everything always looked right and we had everything we needed.

 

-Bring an emergency kit full of makeup for touch ups, baby wipes in case you get something on your dress, safety pins to pin back any loose clothing, snacks and water.  This sounds nuts but I wish I would have brought insect repellant.  When I was in the big field in the pictures below I got a pretty stellar mosquito bite and I wished I planned ahead.

 

-Protect the dress!! The last thing you want to do is get a hole in your dress or get it dirty before the big day.  I've heard horror stories of people washing their dress before the wedding and they had to get it altered AGAIN because it shrunk.  So try to avoid that.  We were at a location with a lot of dirt, rocks, twigs and so on.  We brought a white sheet with us and someone would lay out the sheet, while I would hike up my dress and slowly get in place on the sheet, then we'd tuck in all the edges of the sheet so it looked like nothing was out of the norm.  I've also heard you can use a shower curtain, whatever you have on hand works.

 

SO in recap just plan ahead and have fun.  Don't sweat the small stuff and try to keep on schedule. And finally wait for the pretty pictures to come...

 



Engagements

I absolutely loved our engagement pictures.  They turned out exactly as I hoped.  Jenn had some perfect locations for us to catch what we wanted.  She did so amazing and flash forward to just a few weeks ago...we lost our files for the engagements and Jenn STILL had them.  She totally saved the day.  She is such a sweetheart too!! If you'd like to see more of her work you can find her at Barnhouse Photography!

 

2015 Highlights

Happy New Year!! Before we jump into all things new and 2016 I wanted to take a second to remember a few highlights of 2015.

It was such a huge year for us, and I don't want to forget any of it!

January-

Dress shopping!  This was the first "wedding thing" I had heard so many horror stories about so I wanted to check it off my list first thing.  Well.  I found the dress pretty quickly but it still turned in to a horror story!! It almost didn't make it for my wedding in JULY!  Yes I did order it in January.  Apparently we should have been advised by our sales lady to rush the order, but she said we were fine.  I love my dress I really do but I did not like the headache that came along with it.  After many frustrating phone calls to the shop with the same answer, it finally arrived two short weeks before the big day, which was a complete nightmare for scheduling my bridals and alterations.  If you go to Latter Day Bride in SLC-do a rush order no matter what!!  Or go somewhere else and don't worry about the stress and headache. 

 One of my best friends Chelsey, went on her mission.  It was so fun to be together with some of my absolute favorite high school friends again.  Our schedules get so crazy we hardly ever see each other.  So it was so nice to have a reason to get together!

February-

We celebrated our first Valentine's together as a couple.  We made Valentine boxes for an FHE activity our ward had.  We loved getting creative!  Since Bethany's birthday is on Valentine's Day we celebrated a different night and went to Alamexo for a special dinner in SLC.  If you haven't been its a must if you're a guacamole lover!

This year was full of birthday parties, baby blessings and family things.  We love getting together as a family.  This was on Adam's blessing day.  Brittany gave these adorable little jars to each sibling!

More wedding planning!  I can't tell you how many random pictures to price match, remember colors, and so much more!  We also started planning colors for the different room because we registered at the end of February.



March-

More wedding things!!  Deciding on colors, and Emma was the perfect little helper to test out the little girl dresses.



My adorable "Seagull Flock" gave me THE sweetest bridal shower.  These ladies hold such a special place in my heart.  Bev made the most amazing slush and served some yummy treats and we had such a fun time together.  We even played a super fun game that Kris brought, that was a fun way for all of them to get to know Dallin a little bit better.



With all the wedding planning I had to take some time out to bake and de-stress!  These were a HUGE hit!  I've made them several times since then, and hopefully I'll post my revisions soon.  But until then the original recipe for these delicious Peanut Butter Brownie Bites are from Your Cup of Cake!





April-

We got our engagements done and I just love them.  Update on this somehow we lost them recently on our computer and sweet Jenn our amazing photographer STILL had them on file.  She totally saved the day and helped us so much.  She's a complete sweetheart!  Anyway she also did a perfect job on our engagements and I hope to share more of those sometime soon as well!

Meanwhile we always tried to keep going to our ward activities.  We loved when we hiked up Bells Canyon for FHE one night.

I also loved this fun garland from a RS Stake Presidency meeting.  Is it crazy I miss those meetings and all the fun things our Stake RS Presidency would do!?

More wedding things.  I can't tell you how many random pictures I have on my phone like this.

May-

Dallin graduated from the U!  Such an exciting time, I am so glad I was there for it!

 

My sweet friend Lana Jones who used to be my Young Women's president hosted a bridal shower for me for all of my ward friends!  It was SO fun to see all the ladies that I've grown up with and that have helped me with church things.  I wish I had a picture!!!

My sisters in law and my mother in law hosted a super cute shower for Dallin's side. They served some amazing and creative desserts all around my favorite color-PINK!

They also played a super fun game!  They bought a ton of different food items, wrapped them in white paper so I couldn't see the label and wrote on the bottom what it was.  Each guest had to pick an item and try to draw what it was.  After everyone was done I got to guess what it really was from their picture.  And they also gave Dallin and I all the food!! It was so perfect and nice of them.

 

I received my Endowments at the Draper LDS temple.  It was such an incredible night spent with the people I love the very most-my family, at my very favorite place. 

My sweet friends gave me the cutest bridal shower.  My friend Madi planned the whole thing and Gabby did all the adorable decorations.  I cannot believe that this is the ONLY picture I got. :( Gabby had adorable hot air balloon and pinwheel decorations everywhere.  Madi had amazing food and games planned we could all play in her perfect backyard.  I loved every minute of it! 

I gave my very last lesson in the YSA ward and I wanted to go out with a bang!  Little did I know that the next week I'd be caught on the spot to give a lesson because a teacher wasn't scheduled.  Mental note ALWAYS have a lesson ready! 

Since I knew I was being released as the YSA relief society president in my ward I wanted to give my presidency a little gift for each of them.  I put a note in the back for each girl of how much they taught and helped me throughout our time in the presidency and how much each of them meant to me. 

 

June-

By June wedding things were in full swing, and with me being released from my calling I could finally focus all my attention on the wedding!  My Mom and sisters planned THE cutest tea party for my Nelson family shower.  I have always wanted to have a tea party of my very own and geez Louise was I happy about what they did.  I'm hoping to find more pictures because they did such an amazing job!
 

After my dress was finally here and altered we had to run and take our bridals/groomals!  We loved getting all dressed up and taking a day off work! :)  Here are some of our favorites!  Jenn did such an amazing job.  We went to the Temple Quarry up Little Cottonwood canyon.  It wasn't a typical location but I LOVE what she caught! 
 



July-

 The day we planned and looked forward to for so long finally came!  We got married!!  If you want to see more from our special day you can go here and here!

Then we were headed off on our honeymoon.  We spent a night in SLC at Little America, then we spent a few days in Deer Valley.  It was completely dreamy and perfect!  We loved where we stayed, we had all this to ourselves.

 

We also passed our first year mark when we started dating, so we hiked to one of our favorite places up Little Cottonwood Canyon known as "The Old Mill".  Dallin also surprised me with the most gorgeous roses. 

We moved to SLC in a super cute older house turned triplex and have loved every minute of exploring the city and enjoying being together all the time.

August-

The Strong Family Carnival was super fun!  My sweet mother in law said I could invite Emma and she loved it all so much! She planned so many fun games and treats, everyone had a blast!

When we went on our Honeymoon we got a gift card for Summer Activities up at Deer Valley but it was so rainy when we went we decided to go up in better weather and have another little getaway.

We took the lift all the way to the top and the view was completely breathtaking!

We went to Bear Lake with my family and stayed at our favorite family friend's cabin.  We went to the Lake for the first time and we loved it, Emma said she wanted to stay in her pool Dallin made her all day long. 

 

Dallin came out of the lake with this and said it was a Lake bouquet just for me.  :)

Meanwhile Adam and I had a blast playing in the sand.

On our way back through Logan Canyon we found this super cool spring..  While we were there this super nice biker dude and his girlfriend talked to us and he told us one day he was stopped here and someone came out of the huge whole/spring back in the shade there, complete with scuba gear and all. 

We also got our fair share of walks in the golley.  Man I miss that!

 

September-

With us exploring SLC we decided to hike Ensign Peak and it was beautiful!  I'm telling ya this city life might just be growing on me, maybe...

We really worked on furnishing our apartment too.  I'm pretty sure our apartment could be in an IKEA catalog, they have so many great things for super cheap.  We had so much fun putting them all together!



October-

Update on Dallin's big test-HE PASSED! WhoOo!

October Highlights here!

November-

November Highlights here!

December-

December Highlights here!

 

Here's to a great year behind us and we're hopeful for an even better year ahead!