He put a Ring on it!

I have the sweetest husband. He likes to plan nice weekends for us to go enjoy together when we both have a few days off together. Last year he took me to Cancun, in February he took me to San Antonio for Valentine's Day.

So, when he said he wanted to go away for a weekend over Easter, I agreed right away, not thinking anything out of the ordinary. In the morning we agreed to sleep in, and as soon as we woke up I gave him his Easter basket!

Side note: Easter has always been a fun holiday for me, especially being a pastor's daughter (yes, I am one of those). My parents *excuse me* I mean, the Easter Bunny, would always hide my basket in the house for me to find. And it became a tradition every year to get a chocolate bunny. One year my mom introduced me to frozen chocolate- and every year I began putting my bunny in the freezer so I could eat it frozen later.

This year, our first Easter together, I packed B's basket with all sorts of silly things. After I gave him the basket, he told me that I had to wait for mine until we got to The Hollows- the place where we were staying for the weekend. So we finish packing and go on our way.

The Hollows is a vacation spot on Lake Travis, a large, gorgeous lake in Texas. We checked in at the front gate- little did I know that he had rented our own condo! We actually had to drive about 3 miles from the visitors center. We get there...and this is not any condo.

TWO bedrooms, TWO bathrooms, a LAUNDRY room, a GARAGE, a full kitchen, a BBQ grill and a huge porch with a dining area and a couch too! I was in awe (and yet still clueless that anything was up).

So with an open mouth, we proceed to unpack our bags and explore our new surroundings. Ben brings in my Easter basket and hands it to me. Explains: its not as packed as the one you gave me because this weekend is your Easter present (duh). There was a large chocolate bunny sitting on top of my basket. So B asks, "Why don't we go explore the Hollows and find a place later to watch the sunset and we can bring the bunny and eat it?" And I say, "Okay! Good idea. Let's put it in the freezer!" He looks at me strangely but proceeds to put the chocolate bunny in our freezer.

After spending the day exploring, we found a spot to watch the sunset. We cooked a delicious dinner in our kitchen, grabbed the bunny, and headed out to our special spot to enjoy the rest of our evening.

We chose a spot called  "the amphitheater", a hollowed out place with a beautiful view of the lake. After sitting and talking for awhile, B asked me if I was ready to eat the bunny. I said, sure! (STILL utterly and completely clueless). Then he goes, "Do you want the feet or the ears?" And I said, "The ears." Then, "I'm going to show you a trick. Count to three..."

1...
2...
3...

He breaks the bunny open, and nestled inside was the most beautiful, unexpected sight. A little black box. And inside, is the most beautiful ring I've ever seen.


And the rest is history :) I said, "yes!"

It's All in the Details

I have a whole new appreciation for DIY weddings and details. We had a small wedding with less than twenty people- and that was stressful! Luckily, many of the small details we were able to do ourselves.

one. instead of ordering my bouquet and our table centerpiece flowers, we were able to go to a small wholesale place in downtown Orlando. Yes, I spent the day before my wedding in a floral freezer with a winter coat on, picking out flowers for my wedding. How many brides get to do that!? We got 75 roses and many other flowers for less than $60.

two. we arranged our own flowers and bouquet. I sat on the floor and hand tied my bouquet together, and added all the pins. We tied raffia bows around mason jars and my family helped us set the tables.

three. we bought a super low-cost wedding arch at Hobby Lobby- but with a little tulle, ivy, and fresh flowers- it was perfect for our ceremony.

I never had any idea just how many details come with a wedding- I can't imagine how any of this could have happened without my family. I was so worried that everything wouldn't pull together- but it did- and it was a perfect day. DIY may seem cheaper, but you can't forget how much extra time it takes to actually "Do It Yourself." I've already hired a wedding coordinator for next year- and she'll decorate for me! More on our special day later :)

Save the Date Explosion

I wanted to share my fun little Save-the-Date/Wedding Invitation project that I did for our family who attending our wedding last month. I got the idea here.

Although I wasn't able to find confetti poppers, I used the little tin cans used for wedding favors. I got many compliments on these, but I definitely wouldn't suggest them for larger weddings! It took me about 4 hours to make 10 of them, but they were a special surprise for our family.

When they pulled on the tab, all the confetti spilled out! And yes, I hand punched all the confetti hearts. I now know my way around Hobby Lobby. I wrapped the invitations in brown paper and raffia and sent them off!