Engagement Pics...? Let's Just Get Married!

OMG – is my wedding this Sunday?! With the way I have been running around like crazy, you would think I am getting ready for a wedding – not just simple engagement pictures. But leave it to me to make engagement pictures bigger a deal than some make their own weddings! I have yet to meet our wonderful photographer, Tera from Armosa Studios , but in my last email to her, I had to confirm that she a) didn’t think I was crazy and overly involved and 2) that I had not already run her off before an in-person introduction took place! She has been a JEWEL though, and I can’t wait to finally meet her and work with her on this! To get an idea of my insanity here’s what I have been doing for the past few weeks:
Searching for the “perfect” vintage dress – Tres and I will change outfits twice, and we wanted one “vintage” session, so I went on the search for the perfect old school dress and FOUND ONE! It’ amazing – true vintage from the 1950’s, all white with bright yellow and subtle blue flowers scattered all over it, pleated skirt, high neck, THE WORKS! When I wear it, I feel a mix of The Wonder Years and Stepford Wives – both fabulous in my opinion! But being true vintage, there were a few issues with the dress: 1) It did not fit, so I have been to the seamstress a few times to get the perfect fit. Turns out, women in the 2000’s are shaped quite differently than those in the early 1900’s. And maybe I need a longer torso and larger behind? 2) It didn’t come with a crinoline petticoat (the slips that make those dress “poof” out), so I had to find one on ebay. Well, it came in, and I have never seen something so obnoxiously large in my life. To give you an idea, I put it on with the dress and Tres just started laughing. I looked like a character at Disney World… awful! So I got to cutting. I cut so much crinoline out, the floor of our living room looked like a cloud fell from the sky, but it now works appropriately.
Searching for Tres the “perfect” outfit – And yes, guys indeed wear "outfits." If that has not been confirmed, Tres and I made it official last weekend after running to every mall, boutique, and shop to get him the perfect vintage attire to compliment mine. We successfully came home with 100 bags and now have 100 different looks to choose from. We will be making a post mall trip to return the unused clothing next week. Fun, fun!

1,000 trips to the mall – Why can’t it take just ONE store to find the perfect accessories for outfits? I have looked at every store and Memphis for jewelry, shoes, etc. Every day on my lunch break this week, I have charged through the city of Memphis like a loon hoping to compliment my outfits perfectly. Let’s hope I got it right, come Sunday!

A kite… Yes, a kite – For the vintage session, we will be pulling a kite in as a prop. Well, I waited until the last minute to order the kite and realized last night that it STILL hasn’t come in yet. I have been blowing kitesrus.com up all day today. They assured me the kite will be on my doorstep when I get home. Kites R Us – please don’t ruin a perfectly good Friday, thanks!

Location, Location, Location – That’s what it’s all about, right? Well, our photographers were wonderful enough to come to Memphis all the way from Alabama to take the photos. Amazing – yes, they are! Since they don’t know the city, last weekend Tres and I aimlessly drove around downtown Memphis looking for the perfect spots to take the photos. You would think living there and walking all over the place every weekend would have helped give us an idea beforehand. Well, it didn't, and it officially took a whole afternoon. We only found a few promising spots, so we will be doing this all over again on Saturday!


Getting beautiful – Tres and I both have both finally decided a week ago that since we are getting our pictures made, we had better make more than two to three visits a week to the gym. We have both been there every day this week and though Friday is usually a HECK NO for me, we will be going again today! Did I mention tanning? Oh yes, I have been in those skin scorching beds all week this week. Not something I normally do, but for you, engagement pics… ANYTHING! We have also both had our updated hair appointments this week – cut for him, color and cut for me! I also have hair and makeup appointments (in different places… on two different sides of the city) before the pictures. If you have never seen a crazy person, come to Memphis on Sunday, and you will not be denied!
Outfit trial run – We rarely spend a night in on the weekends – actually never is more like it, but tonight, we will more than likely be taking the wine and food to the house. We will be having a fashion show in our living room with each other as our only audience. Haha - well actually, we will just be trying on everything to make sure it looks good together. Tres is going to hate that I mentioned this on the blog (he hates unmanly comments posted, and I think I just took the cake with this one).

Ok, so after zooming my car in and out of lanes throughout the city, running from store to store, ordering off of websites, stressing that packages won’t come in on time, and making numerous beautification appointments, I think we are finally ready for these engagement pictures! All we need now is good weather on Sunday… and maybe a minister? Minus the white dress, tux, and our families, I think we will be in the perfect shape to get married on Sunday. Tan, slim, made up, well dressed, GREAT PHOTOGRAPHERS – we have it all covered!

* Note - I really wanted to post all pictures from Armosa Studios, so everyone could see their wonderful, talented work, but I can't copy and paste pics from their website. SEE THEIR WORK HERE!

(Picture Credits: ClaytonAustin, SNS Photography, Vogue, Vanity Fair)