Category: Wedding

Recap of our {Dominican Republic} Honeymoon

Posted on by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

Dominican Republic Honeymoon
Can you still call it a honeymoon when you’ve been married for 7 months?  I mean, that might be stretching it, but since it’s my blog, I get to call the shots.  J and I finally took our honeymoon.  We planned, we dreamed and then we flew our early early one morning headed to the beach.  Our flight left at 6am, which meant we had to be there a little after 4am.. UGH! I am so not a morning person. The only thing that kept me going was the fact we would be landing in Dominican Republic by noon and at the hotel within an hour.

We arrived and were handed a gorgeous blue drink before we could even check-in.  Perfection.  I am the type of girl that loves to lay on the beach, read my book and take a few naps here or there.  J, on the other hand, is more of the type that likes to be in the ocean, walking around, drinking at the bar and meeting new people.  We struggled with that a little, but survived each other.  We planned a deep sea fishing excursion for one of the days.  J thought he was going fishing and I thought I would get a nice boat ride to the middle of the ocean.  We did get a long boat ride, but the boat was smelly (like fish) and the only fish we saw was the one caught about 30 minutes from shore.  And when I say shore.. I mean, from returning to shore.  It was kind of a bust.  We did meet some fun people that travel the world deep sea fishing, which ignited a desire in J to travel to Florida and rent a fishing boat.

Dominican Republic Honeymoon
The resort was beautiful.  Palm trees, the ocean breeze and bars located throughout.  Plus, they even had a casino that J and I went to one night.  We ended up breaking even, but it was so much fun trying my hand at Roulette.
Dominican Republic Honeymoon Dominican Republic Honeymoon

I want to go back, like today.  I’ve been fortunate enough to be to the DR 3 times now.  I am never disappointed!  The beach is always beautiful, it barely rains, the food is great and the drinks are tasty.

Newlywed Myths Debunked

Posted on by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

You know what I am sick of hearing?  “Oh enjoy the honeymoon stage because it doesn’t last forever.” That statement usually precedes a bunch of chuckling or a tap on the arm.  But c’mon! I am so tired of hearing that.  Do people really believe the first year of marriage is perfect and that the rest are horrible?  Because if they do then that might explain the divorce rate in America.

myths about newlywed lifeI know that J and I look like on this blog that are marriage is great.  Honestly, I would not change one single thing about our relationship.  However, there are some newlywed myths that need to be debunked immediately.

1) It’s not all rainbows and sunshine.  Every moment of the day I am madly in love with J, but that does not mean we get along every second or do not have our disagreements.  The key is that we are communicating and learning how to disagree with one another.  Not so that we can get the upperhand over the other person, but so we can effectively come to a conclusion that is best for us as a whole.

2) Money does not cause us to fight with one another.  We have out talks about money and budgeting, but we do not fight with each other.  There is no blaming for who spent what and where it was spent.  No, our discussions consist of who is paying which bill and making sure that I actually mailed the check.  It’s absolutely silly to fight about money and blame one another.  I’ve talked before in the past how we budget our discretionary money and it still works for us.

3) Weekends are not always for running errands and working around the house.  I have seen so many unrealistic TV shows that depict newlywed couples running errands, painting a room, or building something together on the weekends.  Now, we do work around the house and maybe when the day comes that we own a house this might change.  But for now, we do not work around the house all weekend.  We really spend the weekend to be together, hang out with our friends that all work real jobs, too and travel to see family.  There are a lot of Sundays I wake up and go from pajamas to sweat pants so I can watch the football game in our big fluffy recliner.

4) You want to do everything together.  That myth is so wrong!  I love J and I do love spending time together, but I do not want to spend every waking moment together.  Plus, I’m pretty sure he feels the same way.  I think that our relationship is stronger because we do have our circle outside of our marriage.  I think what works here is that we do not mind that we have our own interests and hobbies.  That’s what is so great about it – J is really supportive when my friends are here visiting and realizes that I may want some girl time and I do the same for him with his guy friends.

With any relationship the key is balance.  I really think that J and I have it and hope that other couples find it too.  J supports my dreams and goals, and I support his.  We push one another to be better versions of ourselves and to grow.  I’m sure there are other myths out there that need to be debunked, but I’ll save that for another day.

 Background photo by DColeman.

Our Wedding Photos :: The Details

Posted on by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

wedding photosI’ve already showed off some of our wonderful wedding photos in this post here.  But today I wanted to talk about and show off some of wedding day details.  I worked hard at planning our wedding, I had help from an awesome wedding coordinator, from our friends, and from our family.  I found small touches that illustrated the type of couple that J and I are, but still keeping some tradition alive.
wedding photos wedding photosJ doesn’t care for champagne, but I still wanted to do a toast.  Our venue hosts over at the Savoy came up with this genius idea – champagne for me and Bud Light for him.  Also, I wanted a guest book that we could display in our home, that was unique and colorful just like all of our loved ones.  I hand painted a tree on a canvas, bought some ink stamp pads (and some ink removal wipes) and there you have it!  Our own personalized guest book.  Sitting with our guest book was a handmade R covered in twine that my best friend and one of my bridesmaids gave to us for one of our showers.  It fit in perfectly!
wedding photos wedding photosI designed all of the paper goods for our wedding.  I talked about that in this post here and gave a tutorial how to create a Chevron pattern.  Plus, I love sweets.  Anything with loads of sugar is the best.  Our favors were a candy bar that we had chock-filled with goodies.  The one thing I did not consider was how all of the blue and purple candy would turn everyone’s mouth different colors.  But at the end of the night we had very little candy left, so I guess no one minded.wedding photosCheers!

All photos by our fabulous wedding photographer: David Coleman

Our Wedding Photos

Posted on by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®
wedding photo
DColeman Photography

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Our Wedding Photos are absolutely wonderful. OH MY GOSH!

Seriously, I could have dreamt of anything better. Our photographer, David and his wife, Sarah are a phenomenal team.

wedding photosI thought our engagement photos were freaking awesome (you can check out our engagement photos here.) and then I saw our wedding photos.  David out did himself.  We look great.  You can’t even tell that it was barely 50 degrees outside and I was freezing.  But you know me, I wanted an outside wedding with lots of pictures so that’s just what I got.  Don’t mind that the week after the wedding J and I both came down with strep.  Oops!

wedding photos
I’ll post more photos of our wedding day details soon.

Cheers!

All photos by our fabulous wedding photographer: David Coleman

5 Tips for Picking a Florist for Your Wedding

Posted on by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

tips for selecting a florist for your weddingDuring all the planning for your dream wedding, there will be meetings with vendors, walkthroughs of venues and cake tastings; and you will need to be ready for a meeting when your are picking a florist for your wedding.

 It is important to keep your wedding priorities in the forefront.   You will need to sit down with your fiance and list what is important to you.  Check out How To Rank What Is Important At Your Wedding for an idea of how to list it all out.

Here are 5 tips to help you prepare for your meeting when you are picking a florist for your wedding:

1) Research which flowers are in season.  There may be certain flowers that you love, but they could be out of season.  You have to decide if it is worth paying a premium since they might have to be shipped in.

2) Say no.  When you are picking a florist for your wedding it’s okay to tell them you do not care for certain flowers.  For me, I don’t care for roses – it’s not that I hate them, I just don’t have an opinion on them.  I know that roses can be costly so I told my florist not to use them.

3) Tone it down.  Ask for smaller arrangements on the table.  Smaller arrangements mean less flowers, which will save you money in the long run.

4) Rent, don’t buy.  Let’s say you love the idea of a rustic look with using mason jars.  Research buying mason jars compared to renting them.  Imagine having 14 guest tables with 3 mason jars each that cost really adds up.  Plus, then there the pesky leftover mason jars to deal with.  Renting from the florist could be pennies on the dollar compared to buying all of those jars and then having them leftover.

5) Plan your ceremony just right.  If you dream of getting married outside in a garden, by a lake, in a park, or pretty much anywhere outside then make sure to get a beautiful landscape.  The less decorations you need to create your “vision” then the more savings you will have.

picking a florist for your wedding

You know what you want your wedding day to look like, so don’t be afraid to voice it.  You are paying for a service, so remember that when you go into that meeting.  It’s okay to say no to an idea that they have if you’re not crazy about it.  When you are picking a florist for your wedding you will need to be honest.  If you have a limited budget say “I have a budget of XYZ for flowers.”  They will respect that because then your florist will know what parameters to work in.

Cheers!

The Perfect Day

Posted on by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

wedding day thoughtsThe weather was absolutely perfect.  A crisp 54 degrees with not a cloud in sight.  I walked through the gate into the lush garden that was filled with beautiful fall colors.  All of our family and friends stood up to see me walk down the aisle with my Dad by my side as “Marry Me” by Train softly played in the background.

My eyes met J’s and tears instantly came from both of us.  This was the moment that I had been planning for and waiting for these past nine months.  I looked away from keep from sobbing, but every eye I met walking down that aisle was filled with tears.  It was no use – I was going to cry.

The whole day was breathtaking and was filled with love, laughter and a lot, a lot of tears.  I do not come from a crying family, but we could not convince one person of that fact the whole day.

This past Saturday, J and I were married in front of everyone we love and those that could not make the trip for many different reasons were there in spirit – we felt them with us.  Now, I am no longer engaged.  I am someone’s wife and we are a family.

It feels good.

I’m Getting Married in the Morning

Posted on by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®
Getting Married
DColeman Photography

or really in the afternoon.  Tomorrow is our wedding day.  We will celebrate with one another and party with good friends and family.  I am so excited about the life that is ahead of us.

J, I cannot wait to start our life together.  We have been through a lot in this past year and a half, but I could not imagine my life any different.  Honestly, I don’t want to.  You are my best friend, my soul mate and my life partner.  I am glad that I found you that night and your honesty with me.  Our future will be bright because of the love and bond we share.  No matter the obstacles that are ahead of us we will face them as a team and we will not fail.  I know that I gave you a hard time about changing my last name, but I am truly excited about being your wife and your family.  I love you with all my heart.

Pause for a Wedding

Posted on by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®
engagement photo
DColeman Photography
engagement photo
DColeman Photography

I have a very good excuse for not having a post ready for today.  I promise, it’s a good one.

J and I are getting married Saturday.  We will be headed to the town that we will become Mr. and Mrs. in.  We will spend time with our closest family today while finalizing all the details for our perfect day.  I am counting my blessings that we hired a wedding coordinator to help us with all the small details.  Normally, I am on the ball and thrive with small details, but I have my heads in the clouds today.

I told you I had a good reason for the lack of post.  And this reason will stay for the rest of the week.  Sorry!

Cheers!

Bachelorette Party – NOLA Style

Posted on by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

bachelorette party - new orleansIt has taken me a full week to recover from my amazingly awesome bachelorette party down in New Orleans.  I am pretty sure that most of us left parts of our liver down on Bourbon Street.

I have to admit that I have some of the world’s best friends out there.  I mean, no offense to your friends or anything, I’m sure they are great.  But my friends are top-notch.  We headed to NOLA on Friday and after a 2 hour delay at the Dallas airport we finally landed.

bachelorette party - new orleans
sisters!

We drank our way through Bourbon Street on Friday night, went on a historical ghost tour on Saturday night and then went down to Magazine Street and Lafayette Cemetery on Sunday.  It was a crazy, wild trip and it took me until Thursday to not feel exhausted and also to rehydrate.
bachelorette party - new orleansThen we headed to a Burlesque show.  The woman singing was outstanding!  She blew the dancers performances out the window!

bachelorette party - new orleansOh and New Orleans is so cool for weddings.  Apparently, the bride and groom get to march down the street with a band behind them and their family and friends waiving white handkerchiefs (napkins?) in the air.  So stinkin’ cool!
bachelorette party - new orleansOh and there are these romeo spikes on the columns for old-time homes.  They were the system to keep horny teenage boys out of their daughters’ windows late at night.  Genius!

Cheers!

The Magic of Being Alone

Posted on by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

The Magic of Being AloneEvery once in awhile I get in one of those moods that I just can’t shake off.  It’s frustration mixed with sadness, a sense of being overwhelmed, and desperation.  Usually the onset of these type of moods comes from a couple of hard days at work where I just can’t seem to do anything right, too much time at home, not enough time at home, or too much to do and not enough time to do it.

Here we go, my complaints:

I work from home most days.  I have an office that I can go to, but most days it’s just easier to stay home with the pups.  So there are a lot of weeks that I am spending too much time at home.

Then I travel a lot.  A lot for our wedding and a lot for work.  I have to travel back to our old town every other week and stay for 2 days each time.  It gets hard being on the road for 12+ hours a month just for work and then add road trips to see family on top of that.

It’s hard to be diligent with every moment of my work day when I am not in the office with the file in my hands and little distractions.
The Magic of Being AloneWith this wedding less than 20 days away there is a lot to get done, crafts to finish, lists to make, packing to do, and making sure that I fit into my wedding dress.  It’s a lot to get done.

What I have to tell myself on days like these:

Although, I feel that I am not accomplishing as much as I was in the office, but I know that it’s little difference and my work quality is improving because I feel that I can take more time to complete each task.

The wedding is a celebration of J and I.  All that matters is that our friends and family are by our sides and we party the night away.  That does not require crafts or extra time organizing – it’s been taken care of and is ready to go.

I have an office and the days that I feel like I am not getting a lot done then I need to head over there and force myself to stay.  It’s nice there, quiet and doesn’t have 2 dogs that need attention.

The travel is temporary.  Work will not always have this much traveling and the wedding traveling will be over the moment on November 3rd when we walk through our front door.

Small thoughts that are totally “duh!” moments, but nonetheless they are necessary to repeat to myself.  The feeling typically does not last long and requires a quite moment by myself to snap out of.  I find that being myself with things that I enjoy doing help.  Like tonight, I packed for my next trip, watch the game on TV, went tanning (I know, I know not good for me.  But sometimes you just need a jolt of UV rays to make you feel whole again.), and worked on my blog.  J is out with friends, doing his thing.  The house is quiet and the dogs are sleeping.  It’s peaceful.

Cheers!