Married Christmas Cards!

Last night I came home to a wonderful bright orange surprise on my doorstep… 

I could hardly contain myself. I literally ripped open the box like Ralphie in "A Christmas Story."  Paper cuts be damned, the contents of this amazing orange box would be mine and soon enough, my family and closest friends will also possess the magic of Shutterfly! 

Without further ado, I present to you...our first Christmas Card!

{Front}

 {Back}

I love, love, LOVE them and cannot wait to send them out!

Dear Santa,

Dear Santa {Husband},

I think I've been pretty good this year, so please put some of these under my Christmas tree...

Canon EOS Rebel Digital T2i SLR Camera

Santa, thank you for braving Black Friday at Best Buy for this

Jessica Simpson Luggage

Coco Chanel Mademoiselle Eau De Parfum Spray

Michael Kors Watch

Tory Burch Leopard Wedges

Pink KitchenAid Stand Mixer

        Love,

Christina

Thankful

It is truly the most wonderful time of year! It is a time to gather with friends and family, reflect on your blessings, and give thanks to our Lord for everything He has given us. 

There is so much Matt and I have to be thankful for this year as we celebrate our first married Thanksgiving together – our marriage, our family and friends, our health, new jobs, our home, and so much more. It has truly been the best year of our lives and we are so happy, thankful, and blessed. 

I pray that you and your family have the most wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! 

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

– 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Potato Casserole

Looking for an irresistible southern sidedish to please a crowd this Thanksgiving? Potato Casserole is scrumptious,  easy to make, and pairs perfectly with turkey & gravy. My mom makes this casserole dozens of times throughout the year, and now I do too!

You Will Need:

{1} 32 z package frozen hash browns, thawed

{1} 16 oz container sour cream

{1} Bag shredded Cheddar cheese

{1} 10 oz can cream of chicken soup

{1} Large white onion, finely chopped

{4} Cups crushed corn flakes cereal

{1} Stick melted butter

Salt + Pepper

Garlic Powder

In a large bowl, stir together hash browns, sour cream, cheddar cheese, cream of chicken soup, and onion. Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Stir.

 Spoon potato mixture into a lightly greased 13×9 inch baking dish.  

In a large Ziploc bag, crush cornflakes then add butter. Seal and shake well. 

 Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour {or until bubbly}.

ENJOY, and HAPPY THANKSGIVING! xoxo

Hitched: Bridal Portraits

I am so excited to announce that my bridal portrait session was published on Wedding Row Charlotte this morning {CLICK HERE}!

Waiting to post these pictures until after the wedding was one of the hardest things ever. So without further adieu, I present to you my southern inspired bridal portraits...

 

We drove down to Fort Mill, South Carolina to shoot at the Dairy Barn. It was such a beautiful day!

 

Details...Details...Details...

The horses were so friendly!

Rockstars who made this southern-inspired shoot possible:

PHOTOGRAPHER: Dianne Personett EVENT PLANNING & DESIGN: come+together events FLORALS & PROPS: The Bloom Room & Kristen Cone Interiors VENUE: The Dairy Barn HAIR & MAKEUP ARTIST: Elizabeth Tolley

Hitched: The Dress

I had an extremely specific vision in mind when it came time to go wedding dress shopping...I wanted an ivory dress with lots of lace, taffeta, a big bow, pockets, sweetheart neckline, and a long train with lots of buttons. Sounds like something you could find on a rack, right? WRONG! I wanted to find something I adored off the rack more than anything. But, as my besties pulled dress after dress after dress off the rack, I just couldn't get excited about anything I tried on. 17 dresses later, I was left disappointed and exhausted {getting in and out of a wedding dress is some serious work}!

As we were about to leave the bridal boutique {New York Bride & Groom}, the owner, Krista, stopped us and asked if I saw anything I loved? I sadly replied no, as my friends replied in unison "she is too picky." A few minutes after describing my vision...Krista came running over to me with a size 12, full lace, Paloma Blanca sample dress off the clearance rack. She explained to me that the dress at full price was double my budget...but since the style was being discontinued I should buy it {I was so confused at this point}. She went on to explain that I was buying the dress JUST for the lace fabric, and that her dressmaker, Nacy, would order some taffeta and use the existing lace fabric to hand make my dream dress. And she did just that.  Oh, and if that wasn't enough, she custom made my veil too!

6 fittings later, my dream dress....

They say that finding your wedding dress is very similar to finding your husband - when you know, you know! I could not be more happy with how perfect my dress turned out. I am obsessed with it.

Honeymoon in Paradise

Our honeymoon in Punta Cana, Domincan Republic was just as wonderful as we had hoped. As promised {here}, I have a picture-heavy recap of the glorious week we spent in paradise...

 Of course we needed an airport picture upon arrival!

We were welcomed to our suite with a proud "Honeymooners" banner on our door! As soon as our butler left, I immediately pounced on the bed in pure joy! 

We spent all week back and forth between the beautiful beach and the relaxing private poolside Bali beds.

 

You could find us at the swim-up bars pretty much every afternoon...

A few fun shots...

We played with iguanas...and parrots!

And one of my favorite afternoons...we went on a Zipline excursion through the tropical rainforest!

Oh, and we ate {and drank} like kings and queens at all of the restaurants. We even had a few breakfasts in bed!

On our last day, we had an amazing couples massage at the spa and bought some cubans on the beach to bring home!

...and had we not missed our sweet dog, Charlie, so much we may not have come home!

Just Married!

We are back from our dreamy honeymoon in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic! The wedding was even more perfect than I could have ever imagined it to be. It truly was the happiest day of my life. I get so giddy every time I catch a glimpse of that shiny ring on Matt's finger. It feels so good to finally be husband and wife! 

Stay tuned for so many more delicious photos from all the wedding festivities, bridal portraits, and honeymoon!