Meet Courtney - a Sweet Lil Bride to Be!

I'll give you ONE guess as to where I met this little gem of a gal... Instagram... you got it! It's the new place to meet new faces - if you aren't on board you are missing out! Anywho, if you didn't quite get it from the title {which you are all smarty pants and I know you got it!}, Courtney is getting hitched and I am so excited to follow along with her wedding planning adventures! Seriously, if I could quit my job and plan weddings for a living, I would do it in a heart beat! I love the details and the flowers and the dresses and the cakes and the food and most importantly the FUN! I hope you enjoy meeting Courtney - and take her advice - it's good stuff!!! 

I'm so excited that Lauran is letting me take over her blog today!! 

Isn't she the best?? She has such great style, a Handsome Husband, and a cutey pie puppy! I mean what's not to love about her??

I met Lauran on Instagram which is where I have met some incredible ladies lately and discovered some oh-so-fun blogs too! 

I'm Courtney and I write over at a lil blog called Tales of Lace & Glitter. 

 (That's one my puppies Ellsworth!) 

I started my blog right after I turned 30 *cough, cough* I'm 31 now and my blog is about to turn 1 year old! I write about my life: feeling like I need to grow, learning to take on grown-up responsibilities, trying to lead a healthy lifestyle, and just overall enjoying every minute I have with family & friends! I just got engaged in June and lately I've been spending my Wednesdays sharing the latest dish on my wedding details. 

 (This is us right after we got engaged)

Our wedding is planned for June 1, 2013 and so far the wedding planning process has been relatively painless...I have learned a few lessons along the way I thought I'd share with you: 

(1) EVERYONE and I mean EVERYONE is going to have an opinion about what you should do. 

Even after you've decided on a detail and put down a deposit, they are still going to share their opinion with you. 

Sometimes you'll want the advice and others times you won't. Practice saying "Oh really? What I cool idea! I'll have to look into that. Thanks!" 

and move on... Don't say "Ugh that's a TERRIBLE idea!" 

I may or may not have learned that lesson the hard way... 

(2) Your fiance is not going to be into planning EVERY detail of your wedding like you are, and that's ok!

 Ask him his opinion, if he has one listen and try to be accommodating. If he doesn't have an opinion, don't get mad at him for not having an one. Not having an opinion over which formal China pattern you should pick does NOT mean he doesn't care... it just means he doesn't know about fine China. He'll have an opinion about the details he knows about I swear! 

(3) Pick one part of your wedding to spend the most one money on and stick to a budget on all the others! 

Ok...this piece of advice I cannot take all the credit for... I MAY have first read this in that Wedding Book Jessica Simpson put out right after she said her first set of "I do's"...Side Note: Didn't you just love her show Newlyweds?? I have a craving to watch it but sadly, in a fit of decluttering, I sold the DVDs on Amazon...

 "Till Death Do Us Part" she might not know about, but wedding planning she does! 

You could spend MILLIONS of dollars on a wedding *cough**Kim Kardashian**cough* but in the grand scheme of things we don't all have those budgets. So pick one part that's REALLY important to you, whether it's the flowers or music at the reception or your dress and overspend on that... the rest- try to stay in a reasonable budget! Trust me after you've got all the details nailed down and you write up when ALLLLL the payments are due- you'll wish you'd heeded this advice.

(3) Don't sweat the small stuff. 

This is the piece of advice I need to keep reminding myself of...  The details don't actually matter- it's the big picture you need to stay focused on. 

It doesn't matter if your bridal shower invites are EXACTLY what you would've chosen or if you don't have calligraphy on your Save the Date envelopes...What matters most is that at the end of this process you get to marry your best friend, the love of your life,  the man you just can't live without!

Thanks for reading! 

For more on my wedding planning or to hear about my journey of 'Sweating for the Wedding' or just read all my randomness be sure to hope over and check out my blog! 

You can also follow me on PINTEREST or over at Instagram: @Cookie1881

Courtney really took the words and advice right out of my mouth! It is humorous to me though, that we as brides and soon to be brides pretty much deal/dealt with the same issues during the wedding planning process! I'd like to look at it now as a type of "Rite of Passage" into becoming a wife! A lot of this advice can be applied to marriage too! It's a perfect training tool for life with your spouse and the new combining of families!! Make sure you head over to Courtney's neck of the woods and leave her some love!!! Happy Thursday my dears - Almost Friday!!! 

I am not booking for April guest poster/sponsors! If you are interested in being part of The Real Young Housewife of Southern VA family for the month of April, please e-mail me at Lauran.Huffman@gmail.com! 

2012 ~ A Year in Review!

I feel like it was just yesterday we were celebrating the New Year for 2012 and now here we are staring 2013 in the face! Can time slow down please?! 2012 was a fabulous year in the Harrell household and I am more than excited to see what 2013 has in store for us!

In January, we threw my mom a HUGE 50th Birthday party!!! It was a success and she was beyond thrilled to celebrate such a milestone with her friends and family!

In February, we celebrated our 6th Valentines day together and 2 years of being engaged!

In March, I began blogging regularly which has opened lots of opportunities for future endeavors!

In April, our wedding day was featured on Heart Love Weddings!

In May, we made our modeling debut in a local magazine publication, Suffolk Living Magazine! It was beyond fun and surreal to see ourselves in a printed publication! The hubby was also promoted at work!

In June, we celebrated our first year Wedding Anniversary with a Annimoon trip to Charleston, South Carolina. This city quickly became my favorite place in the states! We documented our trip with a photo shoot by the fantastic Dana Cubbage Photography! I was also promoted at my place of employment!

Our wedding day shoes, our toasting flutes, and our wedding video! 

In July, we celebrated the hubby's 26th birthday with a weekend trip to D.C. to see his team, the Braves, play the Nationals! We also celebrated Baby Reef's 1st birthday with a pool party at his brother's house!

In August, we joined my in-laws in Emerald Isle for their yearly family summer vacation! My best friend also came down to visit for a weekend and we celebrated the engagement of two dear friends!

In September, we bought a new car!

In October, we traveled to the hubby's Alma Mater, Hampden-Sydney College for our third annual Homecoming weekend, with his baseball buddies and their wives!

In November, I cooked my first Thanksgiving Day turkey and pumpkin cheesecake which both turned out to be delicious! We also attended our first black tie event!

In December, we celebrated my 28th birthday and our 2nd married Christmas together!

I can already see 2013 being a fantastic year for us and I truly hope 2013 brings millions of blessings to all of you! Thank-you for making this past year so much sweeter - see you lovely fans next year ;) !!!!

"For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne, We'll take a cup o'kindess yet, for auld lang syne!"

So Surprised I Cried... Go Figure!

I've been waiting and hoping all week that one of my best friend's Tatiana, over at Lipstick and Sippy Cups would post about her "We Set a Date"/Engagement party from this weekend! Mainly because I needed to steal a group photo from her and because I wanted her to talk about it before I did!! Anywho, now that she posted, I can blab away! {Be sure to head over and check out her post! She had the cutest spread and layout and the food was amazing!!!}

So I've known for about two months about the party, as Tat had asked if we had plans that particular day/evening. At that point, I'm pretty sure it was May, so I said NO! Then, dummy me, forgot to write it down and scheduled my wisdom teeth removal two months later for the day before their party! I told her it didn't matter if I had the chubbiest cheeks on the planet and was drooling all over the place - WE WOULD BE THERE! 

Well Saturday rolls around and surprisingly my teeth aren't hurting... BUT I have a mind splitting migraine! I tried everything to get rid of it and after getting sick from the intensity of the pain an hour before we had to leave, I made the decision to send the husband without me. I then laid down with an ice cold compress to my head and neck and dozed off, thankfully to wake up an hour later headache free! I got myself together as quickly as I could and we headed out the door... late... but we were both going! Wooohooo!

Once we got there we were greeted with lots of hugs and hellos! And then Tatiana immediately gave my a pretty little gold bag with hot pink leopard printed tissue paper. I was a bit perplexed as this was not a party for me, but for her! She stood there as I opened it with a huge grin on her face. I'm pretty sure she thought I wasn't opening it fast enough! As I pulled the card out of the envelope, I was greeted with the phrase, "I can't say "I do" without you..." which sent me into immediate tears as I knew what this meant! My dear friend asked me to stand by her side on one of the most important days of her life and be a bridesmaid!! Of course I said yes!!! She also gave the bridesmaids Champagne flutes monogrammed with our initial and tank tops that say Bridesmaid on them!

The Card, The Bag, The Flute! 

The Tank top! SN: She painted the top and the champagne flute herself! 

 You may be wondering why I started to cry, well here goes. Tat and I haven't known each other for years like many close friends. We've actually probably known each other maybe a year and a half, but in that year and a half our friendship has grown into something I can't even fully explain! We both completely get each other. We are very much on the same level with our views, expectations, goals, ideas, etc. It's pretty awesome to meet someone who, other than myself, still sends out snail mail! Tat is pretty flippin' awesome and I am beyond blessed to call her one of my closest, best, loyal, dearest, and genuine friends! I can't wait for all the planning, and parties, and crafts, and dress hunting's and planning and planning and planning we will all be assisting her with in the next year! For her to ask me to be a bridesmaid was beyond flattering and touching to me. Words can't even begin to explain how grateful I am for her and her friendship.

The Maids with the Bride
Ashley-Rocky-Tatiana-Me-Tasha

Annnd just in case you were wondering we didn't arrive to the party empty handed. Remember how I mentioned that I was working on a large craft last week? Well yea... it was for Tatiana and Kevin! Many of y'all don't know this but I paint on glass! I've created lots of wine glasses and serving platters and I usually give them as Engagement gifts, Bachelorette Party Favors, Showers, and sometimes Wedding gifts. I've even sold a few too! We also threw in a bottle of Jack Daniels and Three Olives Vodka since it was a Stock the Bar party. And I can't forget, since Tat is a huge new lover of Tervis Tumblers, their very own pair of Bride and Groom cups! 

Monogrammed Platter with New Last Name Initial and Year of Their Wedding! 

Best Cups on the planet!!! If you don't know, now you know!

I know I won't be writing too much about Tat's wedding planning process as I want that to remain private for her! But I have no doubt I share what I feel is appropriate!! Have a Terrific Thursday!!! Almost to Friday - y'all can do it!!!

XoXo,

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

Howdy Hoooo! I feel like I haven't written a WILW post in awhile... it's been two weeks... but who's really paying attention to that?! I hope that everyone has been having a wonderful week so far!!! Can't believe we are on the downside of the week already! As you know... time flies!

What am I loving this week, you ask? Just take a look below!

1. The outpouring of comments, facebook messages, and texts I received on Monday about my post! For starters, it really is comforting to know sooo many of my readers feel the same way at times! I really believe women just don't like to talk about it, that's why we feel we are the only ones experiencing these emotions of failing! Secondly, y'all readers are some of the best cheerleaders out there!! So supportive and uplifting. Since y'all were so honest in sharing your own feelings I've come up with an idea to implement on my blog! Right now it's just that... an idea but I think it could be great way to keep each other motivated! My mind is a ticking right now and I'm excited to try to develop this into something real!

2.  Getting my wisdom teeth pulled next Friday! Yes... I am loving this {crazy right?} mainly because these jokers give me the worst migraines ever! The pressure they are causing in my jaw is insane! I am a little nervous to have them pulled, as I am not going to an oral surgeon and won't be knocked out! I'm not one of those folks who is scared to go to the dentist so I think I'll be okay! I'll be sure to take photos of what will be some of the chubbiest cheeks you've ever seen! I only have to... just so I can laugh at myself!

3. Our weekend get-a-way to Emerald Isle! Todd's mom's side of the family goes down here every summer {by the way, its in North Carolina... not far from Jacksonville}. The last several years we've only been able to go down for Friday - Sunday because of our vacation time and the fact that we usually try to take trips with just us at some point during the year. It is by far one of my favorite beaches! It is very quaint and not touristy at all and the house we always stay in is breathtaking and sits right on the beach! It literally is an oasis of relaxation! It's also a great time to spend with his family! We don't see EVERYONE nearly enough, as some live out of state so it's always a really great time with dinners, games, and plenty of beach time! I promise to take and share photos!!

The "Sand Dollar" - where we stay every year! 

4. Having a homecooked meal three nights already this week! The best part?! The hubby cooked one all by himself on Monday!!! It was spaghetti! We've got to start him off easy. He did a fabulous job and I was so proud that he was able to cook an actual meal in the KITCHEN without me even being home!! I think he was pretty proud of himself too!

5. Two of our dear friends Bo and Sydney getting engaged!!! It actually happened about two weeks ago, but since I didn't do a WILW post last week I HAD to include it today!! Todd and Bo have grown up together, they went to grade school all the way through high school together and played ball for their colleges against each other {since they were in the same conference}, not to mention Bo stood by Todd's side, as one of his groomsmen on our wedding day. Sydney is one of the sweetest gals I know! She is so fun to be around, loves good fashion, and graduated from the college I first went to, George Mason! Todd and I knew that Sydney was the one for Bo not long after they started dating! We could not be more excited for them and this new adventure they are starting together!!

I stole this picture from their facebooks! Right after Bo proposed with a cupcakes {her favorite things} in the shape of a diamond ring! 

See y'all back here tomorrow!!!

XoXo,

Our First Year of Wedded Bliss!

Today, June 11th, is our 1 year wedding anniversary! Currently we are celebrating this milestone in Charleston, South Carolina! Because I didn't want to leave y'all for a whole week, I thought it would be fun to dedicate this WHOLE week to our wedding!! Starting with our Engagement story and photos!! Enjoy my darlings!!


I had been busy juggling a full school load in my last semester at Old Dominion University and working full time at California Pizza Kitchen as a super server. Todd had been very busy as well, adjusting to a new position at work and coaching baseball, so neither one of us were able see each other a lot. Valentine's Day was fastly approaching and I decided we should at least go out to dinner to celebrate our fourth Valentine's Day together, plus I had Sunday the 14th off from work and thought it would work perfectly. Todd, to himself, thought that going to dinner on the 14th would be a hassle so he decided that after I got home from class on the evening of Thursday the 11th, we would go do dinner and celebrate a little early. He planned to take me to The Cheesecake Factory at Town Centre in Virginia Beach since that is one of my favorite restaurants. While at dinner we ate and talked about the week and laughed and joked like we normally do when we are together. After dinner, as we were leaving, Todd suggested we walk over to where the fountain is located in the middle of Town Centre. I thought it was a bit bizarre and, not to mention, cold and suggested we just go back to the car {I am so stubborn}. Todd prompted me on by saying he wanted to look at the stores around the corner. Eventually we made it to the fountain where Todd told me to sit down. Of course, because I am so stubborn, I had to ask why? He told me to just sit down and that we needed to talk. Immediately I got wide eyed, started to cry, and sat down. At that moment Todd got on bended knee, pulled out the most gorgeous ring, told me how much he loved me and wanted to spend the rest of his life with me, and asked me to be his wife! Of course I, through tears, shock, and laughter, said Yes!!!! It was by far, the most amazing moment of my life and his too!

In July of 2010 we ventured into Old Town Portsmouth with our Wedding Photographer Dana Duncan  to capture our Engagement photos! We picked this area mainly because of the beautiful scenery and architecture. It sits right on the water as well and we knew we could get some seriously beautiful photos out of the session! Here are some of our favorites! 

Be sure to visit tomorrow so you can see the details of our wedding day!!! I promise you won't be disappointed!!! 

Hope everyone is having a spectacular start to their week!!! Don't forget to enter the Target Gift Card Give Away!!! 

XoXo,