Engagement Pictures

I have so excited to be posting our engagement pictures from the talented photographer, Mandy Owens. Crystal Jackson did my hair, and Dusti Rains made us matching Alabama Mr. & Mrs. shirts (even though she is an Auburn fan lol). We had our pictures made at Cherokee Rock Village, which is just 5 or so minutes from my hours. Enjoy them as much as we do!

Gorgeous scenery, right?

Mandy was having to warm me up for PDA pictures.

One of the few times when James is taller than I am. :)

This one is probably my favorite. I just like how it is just me and him in the moment together.
We were going to get on top of the rock we are leaning against, but when James tried climbing it he slipped and tore the back pocket of his jeans.

This one was funny because Mandy told him to act like he was flirting with me and trying to get my number.

We really wanted a fall scenery. It was our luck that the leaves really started turning colors the next week.

A big thanks for our friend Dusti from church who made us matching shirts for our pictures.

I just love this picture!

A sweet embrace!

That is about as much PDA as I would do.

This was our "serious" look.

This was truly one of the sweetest moments that I love to look back on. We are both so happy and in love, and you can see it through this beautiful picture.

I love this man!

She almost snapped a kiss! :)

Yes to the Dress!

We are just a little over 7 months away from our big day and I can safely said I have found my dress. It was my first day looking and really didn't plan on finding anything yet. I wasn't even planning on trying on anything. I went to a local store that I have bought all prom dresses and know the owner really well (plus I felt very comfortable with them since we all know that you simply can't buy a formal dress and it fits you without any weird gaps or alterations). I learned that over the last year that they have sold all their wedding dresses to another store. So my mom and I went there, but they didn't really have any dresses I liked in my size or in my price range. I saw one dress, though, that I did like and would have loved to have tried it on had it been closer to my size. I mentioned a store that was down the road as we were winding down the afternoon. When we got there, I saw 4 dresses in my size that I liked, so I tried them on while I saw them. Really, I just wanted to get a feel of how wedding dresses work. I had an open mind to trying on most anything, but I did have some things that I really wanted in my dress:
1. I wanted a conservative dress that was traditional, modest, but beautiful
2. I did not want a lot of bling-bling on my dress or designs all over the place.
3. No poofy dress for me and no skin-tight dress either.
4. A shade of white (there are so many now). I just knew I didn't want gold or blush pink or other odd colors.
5. Some sort of straps. Not spaghetti straps and not long-sleeves.

The first dress I tried on was a bright white with just a little bling on the side. It had a corset and wasn't poofy. The only thing it lacked was straps, but the corset helped to keep it together. The next 2 dresses just didn't suit my fancy. My 4th and final dress was...it is a surprise, but I will say that it met all of my requirements. :) I am keeping the details under wraps because he cannot see the dress until the day of!

Shout out to Bridal by CC in Albertville, AL for being so wonderful in helping me with my dress shopping and giving me a discount when I get all of my bridesmaids and flower girls to purchase their dresses their. Also, the groom gets a free suit/tux when all his guys get their attire there.

So my tip, don't go trying on many dresses. Decide what you like and try to stick to that, but be open to other suggestions. The store owners have been doing their jobs for quite a while, so they can tell you what looks best on your body. Happy dress hunting!