katierose0324's biography
I also own a small photography business, Fenwick Photography, and I give a discount to PW brides :) And, I TRAVEL :)
Go to: www.fenwickphotostl.com for inspiration or to inquire! I love meeting PW girls!
Kate and Colin, St. Louis, Missouri, March 13, 2010
GETTING READY:
I woke up around seven and to be honest, it felt like any other day. I wasn't nervous, no butterflies, no angst. My sister and I climbed into bed with my mom and dad and talked for a while. We ordered a huge breakfast and my god brothers and sister came up to our room for a while and we horsed around. It was all very normal, except for the wedding dress hanging in the corner to remind us all of what day it was :)
At ten the hair dresser arrived and started hair styles. He was awesome! He's my mom's hairdresser and we had him come up from Springfield (Missouri). He stayed in the hotel and that was VERY useful as we ended up calling him back several times after the hairdos were finished to fix little imperfections. I would recommend this (hiring someone for the whole day) for parties with a lot of girls because you have to start hair and makeup EARLY. Naturally, things will start to fall apart later in the day :)
As some of you may know, I was VERY indecisive about my hair, all the way up until the moment I sat in the chair on my wedding day. And then? I was still very indecisive. I had a million ideas, a million pictures printed out and absolutely no idea how to articulate what I wanted. This led to what we're calling Hair Crisis 2010. The stylist did what was actually a very beautiful style, but not what I had envisioned and I seriously just CRACKED.
To my credit, I hadn't had ONE meltdown in the whole planning process, which is amazing for me. I'm usually very tightly wound and very type A, so people were expecting a few blowouts. But, they never came until HC2010 haha, and they didn't come once after HC2010 either! My disappointment about the hair (which was really nice...really...it just wasnt what I had in my head) and my angst over hurting the guys feelings all wound up with how overwhelming the day was = sobbing like a baby on my mom and grandparent's shoulders.
Finally, I wiped the tears away and sat back down in the chair. I picked the EXACT SAME STYLE that I had originally wanted, two years earlier when I started planning the wedding. Just goes to show you...DONT over think it, haha!
Then my makeup was done, by the absolutely amazing, fabulous Holly Speaks of Procoulour salon (see my vendor list below for a link). It was so beautiful and I am telling you, it didn't go ANYWHERE, the whole day...even when I sobbed through my vows.
Then the photographer arrived and it was time to get dressed! I know a lot of girls feel like their whole day goes by in a flash, but I didn't feel that way. I took my time, relaxed and took it all in and I feel like I have very clear memories of the whole day.
So, without further ado, here's the rest of the recap, ILLUSTRATED VERSION! :)
The men's boutonnières and the letter that colin wrote me and had delivered with a really beautiful bouquet of flowers :) Awwww...I LOVE him for doing this.
Stepping into my dress!! I was SO EXCITED, my heart was pounding a mile a minute. And look how pretty my sister is. Sigh...
My pretty shoes...that BROKE about three seconds before I walked down the aisle. More about that later :)
Look at those lashes! Woo! haha.
Everyone is asking about this pin. This is the pint hat all the women in my family have worn on their wedding day...about 50 or 60 of us!!
My cousin and sister in law looking on. All the girls watched me get dressed...it was sweet :)
Mom putting my shoes on :) My mom and sister insisted on being the ones to help me get dressed. I recommend picking someone who is near and dear to you to help you with this. It's a very special moment! I've seen too many girls who have someone random help, and somehow I feel like that diminishes how special the moment can be.
Buttoning things up! This is my "excited" face, apparently.
"Don't cry! Don't cry!" My mom and I surveying the finished product.
We have a very close family friend (considered a sister) who pulled me aside right before we left the room to give me this beautiful ring.
The veil!!
Almost forgot perfume! My bridesmaid jessica, right before she spritzed me in the eyeball. It's cool, my face smelled soooooo good!
I love these two, mostly because they just embody how crazy and wonderful this whole process is. Annnnd...I love the light on the veil.
My mom and dad's reactions to the finished product. I love them so much...they worked so hard to throw us this beautiful wedding, and I couldn't ask for more wonderful parents :)
"Smell my bouquet!" It smelled soooo good! Here we are in the glass elevator in the hotel...people were clapping and yelling as we went down!
My reaction to all the clapping and yelling below, and my mother in law's (in the green) reaction to seeing me for the first time :)
GETTING MARRIED:
We were married in the Jewel Box in Forest Park, St. Louis, Missouri. It was BEAUTIFUL.
My handsome groom before the ceremony.
Our little ringbearers :)
Seeing his bride for the first time :) I know everyone loves a first look, but I'm convinced that these pictures are the product of NOT having a first look. The only way he has been able to describe how he felt when these were taken is "awestruck". :)
Seeing him for the first time:
Our beautiful, beautiful, BEAUTIFUL venue:
My Auntie Mary read our Neruda poem and it was BEAUTIFUL. As you can see, very moving :)
Mother in law during our vows :)
LOST IT during the vows...taking a hankie break to sob for a while before I finish things up.
My sister on the right, perpetually about to burst into tears the entire ceremony. And Colin's dad on the left.
We're a family!
The moment we noticed that my mom had hired a trombone quartet to sneak in while we were getting married, set up in total silence, and burst into "All You Need Is Love" the moment we were pronounced. Awesome Mom Award 2010.
Here are our posed shots!
Colin was obsessed with twirling me around in my dress the whole day.
My handsome groom :) Can I also just say how much I loved my bouquet? It was another total surprise and the florist totally outdid himself :)
Ummm...yep. This one is on our bedside table.
This was my "serious" face. It was really hard to be serious, I was smiling like a fool the whole day!
Yes, we went there. The Nose Kiss.
THE RECEPTION AND DETAILS:
Our reception was BEAUTIFUL. Contrary to what a lot of brides are comfortable with, in the end I let my mom totally take over the plans for the reception and it was TOTALLY worth it. I was so surprised when I came in, I had no concerns over whether everything was perfect or not, and not least of all...she did an absolutely amazing job. It was perfection.
Can you see the candles glowing in the big windows on the left?
A little blurry but...whatever :) The surprise trombones were playing the Budweiser theme in honor of our St. Louis roots and our love for the Cardinals...and beer. lol.
Our first dance was actually both of our least favorite part, although you wouldn't know it from these pictures. We were like "Why did we choose such a LONG SONG?!" lol.
My dad's absolutely mindblowing speech. He quoted Yeats. He compared me to the Aurora Borealis. And that's just the beginning.
This is the across the board response to his speech:
Our father daughter dance. We have a VERY special relationship. He's also very very stoic, so to see this kind of emotion on film is really rare. He says during this picture he was "saying goodbye to the little girl Katie". *sobbbbb*
Love this picture for the little moment with my mom in the background.
Colin and his mom dancing to "Somewhere out there" from Fivel Goes West. Colin was a big Fivel fan when he was little.
My quasi-sister dancing with our sweet flower girl.
Best friends beckoning me to the dance floor haha.
One of the things I liked best about our wedding was seeing all of our friends and family, new and old, interact. This is my best friend from highschool and college (the boy) and one of my newer best friends from St. Louis. Dancing! Together! Precious.
If ever there were a picture that sums my sister in law up...this would be it. lol!
Colin's mom LOVES latino beats so I arranged to have a Gipsy Kings tune played for her. Success!
The electric slide was on the "MUST PLAY" list, lol.
Cutting our AMAZING cake.
This picture cracks me up. Colin looks like hes most certainly up to no good and I am none the wiser.
He behaved :)
After determining that our arms are too short to link while we toast.
My sister's toast. She "winged it" and it was BEAUTIFUL.
All weddings involving people from Wisconsin have to have the Polka played. I dont know if you've ever danced the Polka in a ballgown, but it is exhausting.
DETAILS:
Our beautiful flowers.
Our rings in the bowl my wonderful friend Brit gave me before the wedding :)
The inside panel of our program and the Robert Frost poem that my BFF picked out.
The handkerchief that I carried. My grandmother gave it to me right before she died because we both liked blue.
The room was lined with windows and there were candles on every windowsill!
Hanging votives over the buffet.
Buffet centerpieces.
Regular centerpieces.
The whole buffet. We really stressed that we wanted the buffet to be a centerpiece, and not this ugly thing that you try to hide off to the side of the room. No chafing dishes, no plastic, everything at different heights. Our florist designed these amazing centerpieces (which were HUGE...I know, because I came home with one) with hanging votives that spread over the whole table.
The food was even pretty.
These were on all of the cocktail tables. My mom purchased these antique hobnail glasses a while back.
The room. Highly recommend draping, if your venue offers it. It made a huge huge difference.
Another surprise, the grooms cake. That's colin in the baseball uniform and me behind him reading a book with our two dogs :) It was ADORABLE.
We added teh candy table at the last minute and it was a gigantic hit. My mom bought some candies and my grandmother and great aunt MADE the chocolates. We used the bridesmaids bouquets to decorate.
THE END. :) Please let me know if you use anything and...CREDIT my photographer, SJMacky Photography.
Hi everyone! We are Kate and Colin. We live in St. Louis Missouri.
ABOUT KATE:
Heres me in the copilot seat (Colin is in the pilot seat...more about that later). I grew up in Charleston, South Carolina and about two years ago (after college) I moved to St. Louis to be closer to my family. My parents bribed me to leave my homeland by buying a nice house and allowing me to rent it out.
I am a graphic designer by day and by WEEKEND, I own my own wedding photography business (THIS IS NOT A PLUG, I PROMISE!!!) so weddings are ALWAYS on my mind! I love my Colin, our pets (perhaps they should get their own page), my family, reading, riding horses, taking pictures, traveling, cooking...
ABOUT COLIN
Colin grew up in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. He went to school in St. Louis and became a pilot :)
He loves me :) our pets, St. Louis Cardinals, baseball in general, football, being outside, cooking and traveling...among other things.
HOW WE MET :)
Remember the nice house my parents bribed me with? Well, turns out it was necessary to rent out the extra rooms. One of the first people that responded was Colin :) We talked for a whole summer while I was still in SC getting ready to move and by the time I got to St. Louis and met him for the first time in person, I was hooked :) We were friends for a couple months before we ventured into uncharted waters and started our relationship.
Living together from day one was HARD at first, but we made it!
Heres our house:
Here we are!
After about a year of dating we started looking at rings and talking about getting married. I found one I liked in an outlet store (by accident!).
The next week my family had planned to come down for a concert that was playing in St. Louis. The next night we made reservations at our favorite restaurant in St. Louis, Dominics on the Hill. In attendance was my best friend from SC (and bridesmaid!), my sister (MoH!), mom, dad and brother (groomsman!).
The day he proposed he and my dad and brother went on a tour of Busch Stadium and played laser tag. Little did I know that they also went and picked up the ring, and Colin asked my dad AND my brother for permission to marry me.
I knew something was up at dinner because usually Colin is ALL OVER some dinner rolls and appetizers. I had literally never seen him refuse one before and haven't since.
"Want a roll buddy?" I asked
"Nothungry." he said.
Finally, when the real appetizers arrived he couldn't stand it anymore. He got down on his knee in front of the whole restaurant (and my family and best friend!) and had the sweetest speech about how much he loved me and how he knew I had been waiting for this and he couldn't imagine spending his life with anyone else.
My mom, sister, me and my bf all cried :) And I said yes and hugged him before he could even put the ring on!
Afterwards we met our good friends at the casino for champagne and Colin won $70 bucks, haha! I'm good luck!
My BEAUTIFUL RING!
Some grainy pics of right after it happened. NO ONE THOUGHT TO BRING A CAMERA :( so these were taken with an iPhone in a candle lit restaurant. Oh well, better than nothing!
My sister and best friend, Jessica!
Us!
Here are our fantastic engagement photos by SJMacky Photography. Love her!
We are getting married at The Jewel Box in St. Louis:
Our reception will be at The Trolley Room, in the same park as the jewel box:
After the wedding (since it ends a little early) we are heading over to the casino for more fun!
I LOVE my dress! I started looking and found her even before we were engaged. Right after he popped the question I started looking for a place to buy it nearby. It was REALLY HARD to track down! There were only two vendors in Missouri who sold Justin Alexander gowns, and neither of them had it in stock. One of them even told me it was discontinued (it wasn't). Finally a teeny tiny shop in Lebanon Missouri (Normans Bridal and Jewelry) tracked it down at a trunk show and had it shipped. I drove three hours each way to try on this dress...and I knew from the first moment they pulled it out of the bag.
She's perfect!
Justin Alexander style 9552: ( I CANT figure out how to make these rotate...so anyone who knows, please tell me!)
UPDATE: MY BRIDAL PORTRAITS....which I'm not really crazy about :(
Sorry guys, I LOVE our pets (they're like our children), so they get their own page!
OLIVER:
I got Oliver in college (and Colin has adopted him!). He came from a puppy farm and was fairly seriously abused there before I got to him. Therefore, he has always been a challenge. HOWEVER, hard work and patience has paid off with him and he is real sweetheart. Loves to cuddle :)
DINAH LOU:
Dinah was my first baby. I named her after the cat in Alice in Wonderland (for inquiring minds that want to know). She's very soft and very cranky, haha.
ZIPPER ANN "ZIPPY":
Colin has ALWAYS wanted a Husky, and also his favorite animal is a fox. So, for his birthday last year I made the possible insane decision to get him a puppy. She's a shiba inu...which is basically a tiiiiiny husky...and she has the added benefit of looking EXACTLY like a fox :) He named her Zipper Ann (because, apparently all our animals need a middle name) and I'm pretty certain if something happens to me, he'll just marry her. She's his BABY.
HANKUS aka HANK:
To complete our zoo, this little guy showed up on our porch a while back looking a little scrappy and worse for hte wear. I warned colin not to feed him...but he did anyway, and the rest is history.
In case you're wondering, we are NOT getting any more animals.
I am of two different mindsets when it comes to hair. I know I want it up...
The first is a french twist...sleek, simple. I will want a pretty comb to go in the twist part. And maybe a bigger pouf on top than some of these girls have:
The second option is to have it in a low chignon type thing-a-ma-bob (haha):
LOVE this:
I grappled with getting colored shoes and at the end of the day, I think I'm just gonna get white...hey, it's about as bridal as it gets, right? :)
Here are THE shoes!!!!!
We are using Botanical Design Studio in St. Louis for our flowers. My bouquet will have white flowers with white peacock feathers. The girls will be carrying three green tea roses and two regular feathers for their bouquets.
Heres an example (of the tea roses with the feathers...obviously their bouquets will be much less...grand):
Colins boutonniere will be white with a single white feather, and the groomsmen's will match the bridesmaid's bouquets.
On my birthday last year, Colin bought me a beautiful blue ring (blue is my fav. color) and we called it a promise ring. Little did I know less than a year later I would be able to call it my "something blue"!
My bridesmaids are:
My sister, Callie (MoH) - this is us at mardi gras..
Friend of almost 20 years. Heather
Cousin, Casey
no picture yet :(
Best buddy from college, Jessica (this is one of my favorite pictures ever...we're on a carosel and apparently having the BEST. TIME. EVER.)
Best buddy from college, Sam - this is my other favorite picture EVER. Here we are after we snuck into the apple orchards that Thomas Jefferson planted at Monticello. and ate what I'm sure were priceless American monuments. BUT THEY WERE DELICIOUS. :)
FI's little sister, Brynn...right around st. pats day, and someone gave us a bunch of stickers, which we (of course) proceeded to stick all over each other. Yep, I think we'll get along fine as sisters in law :)
FI's OTHER little sister, Shea
No picture yet!! :(
HERES THEIR DRESS, by Mori Lee:
The more I thought about it...the more I was sad that we weren't having children as part of the wedding...so, we asked Colin's little cousins and I am WAY excited.
Our groomsmen are wearing classic black tuxes, so our little ringbearers will be wearing the same. Our flowergirl will be wearing THIS, in ivory. LOVE IT:
I'm a graphic designer, so for our save the date, I created this design, which Colin requested and described first (I gotta give him credit...it turned out way cute!) BEST PART...the bar code actually says "Colin loves kate" if you scan it...and for the STDs that went to HIS side, the "section" part says "GROOM" and for mine, well, "BRIDE" :)
Annnnd, here are the invitations. These are on pearlescent paper with raised black ink. There will be a belly band (printed with the informal names) and a peacock sword feather stuck under the belly band. SO EXCITED!
And here they are! In real life!
11-12 Months Before the Wedding 9-10 Months Before the Wedding 7-8 Months Before the Wedding 5-6 Months Before the Wedding 3-4 Months Before the Wedding 2 Months Before Wedding 1 Month Before 2-3 Weeks Before 1 Week Before 1 Day Before Wedding Day
VENDORS:
VENUES:
The Jewel Box is undoubtably GORGEOUS, but they don't offer much in the way of customer service (and, the probably don't need to since people are going to book there regardless). Initially they told us that we had exactly 2 hours to get in, set up and get out as there was an event before and after ours. We planned accordingly and even cut some things out due to time constraints. It ended up that whomever we talked to either lied or didn't have their facts straight, because we were the only event there that day. Also, we were required to have our rehearsal on a Thursday which is fine, but when we got there the "aisle" was filled with about four inches of water (they have a fountain in the middle of the room normally) that no one had bothered to drain yet. For a $1500 rental fee, I expect top notch service.
That being said, the chairs were set up on schedule and it lived up to it's absolutely stunning expectations, look wise. Overall, I was pleased enough.
The Trolley Room at the Forest Park Visitors Center:
Rented and managed via our caterer (Catering St. Louis), The Trolley Room turned out to be unexpectedly beautiful and everything ran like clockwork.
WOW. Considering we were required to use CateringStL because of the venues we chose, I was a little concerned, but there was ABSOLUTELY no reason to be. Our tasting: amazing. The food: amazing AND beautiful. The management: amazing. Every detail was totally taken care of. The price: Maybe not so amazing, but we definitely got our money's worth. For our beautiful buffet cocktail dinner and a full open bar we paid about $75 a person with taxes and fees included. Also included were our tables and chairs, a tasting for four people, linens, dishes and silverware, servers and bartenders, tip, cake cutting and wedding day management of the venue. We paid extra for flatbread and marinated olives on each bar, vendor meals, and the draping you see in the pictures. Our total bill came to just about 20 thousand dollars for 150 people. It seems like a LOT...but considering the perfection that was our reception...I really can't complain.
PERFECTION from Sara at SJMacky Photography. I don't really know what to say except, LOOK at our pictures. It should be noted that Sara only had five total hours to take all of the getting ready, ceremony and reception pictures. It was raining, foggy and freezing cold and we still look warm, happy and in love. When I look at my pictures, I most definitely feel like I am back in my wedding day, making those promises and having the time of my life. There is no greater compliment to a photographer.
Yara Holt with Bridal Horizons Wedding Management:
We hired a DOC because we just wanted to get through the day and not worry about it (we being my mother, sister , father and I). Our schedule was VERY tight, so Yara had her hands full. She was AWESOME though...everything went smoothly and there were no crises (and if there were, I don't know about them). I wasn't upset once during the whole day and I didn't worry once about whether things were where they needed to be or going to start on time. Yara was friendly and sweet to my guests and my bridal party, but firm enough that people didn't push her around. We had two consultations before the wedding and she was also CHOCK FULL of wonderful ideas! Hire her!
Mike McDurmont, DJ (contact me for contact info)
My dad wasn't terribly into the whole wedding vendor scene, but the one vendor that he DID comment on was the DJ and what a nice job he did. Mike DJ's as a side job and I had worked with him at a few weddings before my own. He did a GREAT job, especially because I had to have been the pickiest bride ever, music wise. I had a list a mile long of songs I had to have played and a list TWO miles long in my head of how the music had to be. I also had quite a few things that I DIDNT want to hear. He followed through flawlessly. Our mingling music was perfect, and my usually stoic and dancephobic family danced ALL NIGHT. It was so much fun. We even managed to get TWO singalongs in before the end of the night (Midnight Train to Georgia and Don't Stop Believing...to quote a guest "the greatest one-two punch in the history of wedding songs"). I will definitely be recommending him in the future.
We allllll know how I feel about our cake. I also worked with Francie at Encore prior to my own wedding and I was impressed BEFORE I hired her, but after...there is no comparison. I brought her some half crazy sketches of my idea and a picture of my dress and in the end I just said "youre the cake genius, go to town." Our cake was STUNNING...it was the first thing I saw when I came in the room and the first thing I said was "LOOK AT OUR CAKE!" It was literally a work of art. And it was one of the most delicious cakes I have ever tasted. Flavorful and moist enough to literally melt in your mouth.
If all that isn't enough...she was extremely reasonably priced. We had a budget of $625 which she matched exactly for our couture cake which fed 150 people with plenty to spare.
Dress shop and Tuxes: My dress was purchased in Lebanon Missouri at Normans Bridal and Jewelry. I could not ask for a more wonderful wedding dress purchasing experience. They were knowledgeable, friendly, excited about my wedding and went out of their way to find, order and present me with my dream dress. They pressed and stored all of our bridesmaid dresses for us and every time I went in for my fittings I came out excited about my day and with a big smile on my face. Ask for Kathy!! Tuxes were from Men's Warehouse. They were great, just standard tuxes, very accommodating when two of our groomsmen dropped out and had to be replaced last minute. They forgot Colin's pocket square, but his mom sewed him a new one out of the scraps of one of the bridesmaids dresses so no big deal!
I can't speak too much to the process of working with Keith and Dean at Botanicals but I can speak to how beautiful and professionally done our flowers were and how accomodating they were to our budget. We spent $4,000 for our flowers, but that included 3 of the big huge buffet table decorations, 12 of the lower orchid centerpieces and 10 smaller cocktail table centerpieces. It included eight bouquets (including my own) a toss bouquet and small bouquet for the flowergirl, and 16 boutonnieres. Also, minor decorations for the church, delivery, pinning of the bouts and lessons for the girls on how to hold a bouquet. They went out of their way to make them personal for my wedding, including searching high and low for pins that matched the girls dresses. We provided MOST of the feathers which we found online.
Holly Speaks, ProColour Salon:
Holly was AMAZING. My makeup was flawless and she was a perfect professional. She came to our hotel room and did full makeup for my mom and I and just eyes for hte girls. My mom and I paid $75 a piece for airbrushing and eyelashes. The girls paid $15 a piece for their eyes. The makeup photographed flawlessly and stayed put through multiple bouts of crying and dancing for hours. It was still on at one in the morning when I got back to my room! Holly also does hair. Love her!
HONEYMOON: (Our camera broke on the first day..dont judge me for these cell phone pictures haha)
This is what we look like when we're hot and tired:
where jurrasic park and lost were filmed!
Out the back door every night:
Our room:
Lookin sexy in the airport:
In the dinosaur footprint:
Fixing up the yard :)
Before:
Now:
New Bedroom Furniture:
Colin and his "daughter" zippy:
I very much enjoy seeing how people transform their houses over time, especially people who are doing it on a smaller budget, so I'm making a page to show off our first home, which we are CONSTANTLY upgrading :)
When we moved in all it was was a living room, eat in kitchen, three small bedrooms and an unfinished yard and basement. It was....overwhelming to say the least. A completely blank slate. I thought I would like having the ability to "mold" the house into whatever I liked, but it ended up that I was so overwhelmed by the number of projects that needed to be done that for a good long while I deeply regretted buying the whole house.
I always felt less overwrought when I was able to see where other people started and ended up in their homes, so hopefully this "journey" can be of some use if you're feeling that way about your home.
Decor:
We have SLOWLY been changing our house to suit our needs and are really starting to like it. So...here's how it has evolved since we moved in!
Exterior:
Phase one:
Phase two:(we built this damn retaining wall ourselves using rocks that we FOUND in the woods behind our house. I do not recommend this method, haha.)
Backyard:
Phase One:
Phase Two:
Today (During Blizzaster 2011):
INTERIOR:
Living Room:
Phase One:
Phase Two:
Today:
Dining Room/Kitchen:
Phase One:
Phase Two:
Phase Three: (please note the beautiful table runner courtesy of Jenndover <3 )
Phase Four (Coming Soon)
Office:
Phase one:
Phase Two (OY VEY):
Phase Two:
Phase Three (Coming Soon)
Guest Bedroom:
Phase One:
Phase Two (OY):
Phase Three (Still OY):
Today (much better):
Master Bedroom:
Phase One:
Phase Two (OYYYYYY):
Phase Three:
Phase Four (Coming Soon)
Basement:
Phase One:
Phase Two (Right after remodel):
Phase Three:
Phase Four (Coming Soon)
On the slate for 2011:
Building a deck and polishing up the yard. Possibly a nursery :)
I very much enjoy seeing how people transform their houses over time, especially people who are doing it on a smaller budget, so I'm making a page to show off our first home, which we are CONSTANTLY upgrading :)
When we moved in all it was was a living room, eat in kitchen, three small bedrooms and an unfinished yard and basement. It was....overwhelming to say the least. A completely blank slate. I thought I would like having the ability to "mold" the house into whatever I liked, but it ended up that I was so overwhelmed by the number of projects that needed to be done that for a good long while I deeply regretted buying the whole house.
I always felt less overwrought when I was able to see where other people started and ended up in their homes, so hopefully this "journey" can be of some use if you're feeling that way about your home.
What I've learned is that decorating and making a space your own is NOT something you're born with (for most people, anyway). I think I expected that when I got my own space, things would just fall into place without much thought. It's taken practice and trial and error for us to figure out what works and what doesn't. Add combining two lives, two sets of furniture, two styles and you make for a very long hard road. But, it's worth it!
Exterior:
Phase one:
Phase Two:
Phase three:(we built this damn retaining wall ourselves using rocks that we FOUND in the woods behind our house. I do not recommend this method, haha.)
Backyard:
Phase One:
Phase Two:
Today (During Blizzaster 2011):
INTERIOR:
Living Room:
Phase One:
Phase Two:
Today:
Dining Room/Kitchen:
Phase One:
Phase Two:
Phase Three: (please note the beautiful table runner courtesy of Jenndover <3 )
Phase Four (Coming Soon)
Office:
Phase one:
Phase Two (OY VEY):
Phase Two:
Phase Three (Coming Soon)
Guest Bedroom:
Phase One:
Phase Two (OY):
Phase Three (Still OY):
Today (much better):
Master Bedroom:
Phase One:
Phase Two (OYYYYYY):
Phase Three:
Phase Four (Coming Soon)
Basement:
Phase One:
Phase Two (Right after remodel):
Phase Three:
Phase Four (Coming Soon)
On the slate for 2011:
Building a deck and polishing up the yard. Possibly a nursery :)
