So as some of you may know, back in May I canceled my wedding and was devastated....well, you girls were right, we were stressed about the up-coming wedding and needed time to plan the wedding we wanted and not the one our parents were trying to push on us. So we worked everything out and now the wedding is officially back on...for real, this time!!! lol

We decided to have a destination wedding.....Maui, Hawaii.....I love the idea of getting married in a tropical location...white sandy beaches, sun setting in the background just me & him exchanging vows......now that sounds romantic!

I also really wanted to thank all of my PW friends for supporting me thru this...It means more than you know...big bear hugs to all of you beautiful ladies...sending much love your way :)  

This has been a wild rollercoaster ride and I have learned alot. My advice to all brides-to-be would be to make sure your wedding is the way you want it and not the way someone else wants it to be....Always stay true to your unique style and dont over extend yourself. Remember it is your day and anyone who tries to take that away from you, doesnt deserve to be at your wedding.....

Happy Planning ladies!! 

Hi Ladies,

Im Brandy from Chicago, pro fashion stylist by day and amature wedding planner by night..lol...but seriously, I have been planning my wedding since I was 5 yrs old….lol…but didn’t meet my prince charming until much later. So you can only imagine how excited I am. My fiancé and I met online 2 years ago and just started out as friends. One day, after a yr of being just friends, he calls me out of the blue, to ask me out on a date.  I told him I don’t date my guy friend...lol...and I honestly thought he was joking so I just blew it off and went on about my day. He continued to pursue me and I continued to turn him down. He asked and asked and after about 2 months of him asking, I finally decided to go out with him.

 The date was crazy, I was running late, and I think he thought I wasn’t going to show up.  Since the reservations were in his name, I called the restaurant and said that I was Mrs. Connors and that I was running late and would be there in 15 mins…lol…not even thinking I was predicting my future.  He was so nervous; he had left the flowers & candy that he had bought for me @ his house. Once we sat down, had a drink and got relaxed, we had a blast with each other…laughing & joking. That 1^st date with him, actually ended up being one of the best dates I had ever had. The day was Saturday, September 3, 2011 and we have not parted ways since.  

 We fell in love and he proposed very quickly….. After 2 months of dating, to be exact. Who knew you could have your best friend and spouse all in one. He looks at me and thinks that I am the most beautiful girl in the world. I am truely blessed to have him in my life. 

www.cbconnors.com

 It was a cool, rainy Sunday September afternoon…..I had to get up and run to Chicago to go pull clothing for a huge photo-shoot that I had Monday morning. Chris called to wish me a lovely day and asked me to swing by his house after I was done, so we could spend some time together. I said “will do.”

 Fast forward to dinner time, I’m leaving the city and on my way to Chris’ house. He calls and says, “Hey, why don’t we go have dinner somewhere, your choice”…I was starving, so of course I said yes.  So while in the car on the way to the restaurant, Chris casually asks me ‘Hey, so if I asked u to marry me, what would you say??”. I laughed hysterically, thinking he is just being his goofy self. I was like “sure, let’s go to Vegas next weekend and get hitched, we can have Elvis marry us with Cher and Tina Turner impersonators as our witnesses.” He cracked up laughing as we pulled into the restaurant parking lot. As we sit down and begin to browse the menu. Chris says “Hey, but seriously, I have been thinking about how much I love you, and how much you mean to me and how I don’t see myself with anybody else.” I reply by saying, “Awww”, and give him a big kiss on the lips….just thinking he is being the complimentary boyfriend that he already is. Then he looked into my eyes, grabbed her hand firmly and said, “I don’t have a ring right now, but, I am in love with you, can’t live without you and want you to be my wife and want to spend the rest of my life with you.” I, with a shocked look on my face as the waitress comes by to take our order…..OMG; I was thinking to myself. Is this really happening, right now? Did he really just ask me to marry him?? I thought…yes, yes, yes…. but no words could come out….LOL. He looked at me with anticipation and confusion. After about 2 of the longest minutes of his life, probably. I finally let out a deep breath with tears in my eyes and said “YES, I love you too and don’t want to live without you either…so yes, the answer is yes!!!”

The ring followed a few days later, and Chris took me to his jeweler and let me choose what ring I wanted :)

There it is….

1.5 Carat Diamond Engagement Ring with quad center and side stones...im in love!  

Amethyst & Ivory...with hints of sparkly silvers & golds

Dress change...lol....ok, so originally I was going with the one-shoulder "Fauna" dress by Pronovias, but when I tried it on, it was all wrong....Enter Vera Wang....BAM!! After about trying on 100 or so dresses and never thinking I would find anything, I saw her and knew she was "THE ONE" 

Check out the dress below, someone famous wore it as well :)

I said YES to the dress...I cant wait to wear it. I dont think I am gonna take it off...lol

I am going to have the belt added for a little bling, bling...The seamstress said she can cut the belt and attach it to the dress for me.....this dress is gorgeous and the pictures do not do it justice, I am so excited!!

Oh, how I love thee :)

Bridesmaids Dress By Vera Wang

Bridesmaids shoes "Fern" by Nina

Flower Girl dress "Areliz" by Elizabeth St. John Collections...too cute :)

Calvin Klein Two-Button Super 100s Notch Lapel

Calvin Klein Purple Stripe Tie...for the groomsmen

Fit for a King & Queen.....Almond flavored with vanilla buttercream filling...yum!!!

Tables will alternate with low and high centerpieces

So after searching for months we finally found a venue that we both loved.....here are a few pics of the grounds to give you a taste of what everything looks like. I love the fact that they let you decorate however you want and use any vendor of your choice...we are going to totally redo the ballroom area and turn it in to a mid summer nights dream....its gonna be fab :) 

So, since I am a fashion stylist and have worked with many photographers, I wanted my wedding photographer to be someone I knew and was comfortable with and of coarse a great discount is always nice...lol...so we decided to go with one of the coolest photographers in the Chicago land area....check out some of his work below... We love Mark, he is awesome and so so funny :)

http://www.henselweddings.com/index.html

Ceremony will be outside in the evening...we are trying to catch the sun setting just as we say "I Do" 

So, since I found the Vera Wang dress that I love oh so much, I have decided to not do a reception dress. But these dresses are still too cute. Maybe Ill get one to wear out on the town :) 

From LMK Gifts http://www.etsy.com/shop/shadow090109

Going for the smoky evening eye, with a lighter lip

Loving the side swept hair styles....