wedding planning, episode three

A photo posted by Amanda B. Nguyen (@amandabnguyen) on Sep 12, 2015 at 4:27pm PDT

Apologies for going AWOL here... but as you guys may understand from watching re-runs of "Say Yes to the Dress", I'm turning into one of them... those bridezillas, and until the day is over, I have nothing but the wedding to think, dream and talk about. Just kidding... but really, who am I kidding?

Wedding planning is seriously no joke. Wonder where I've been these past months? Either working, getting back in shape, or planning the wedding. Many have asked why I didn't go ahead and hire a wedding planner/coordinator.. and the answer was... I'm a control freak and thought this can't be too hard, right?

Welp... I was wrong. It's not easy. The decisions are endless, but thankfully, I'm blessed with an awesome fiance, Mama Nguyen (who's just as much or more of a control freak as me), and seven doting aunts who are beyond thrilled to contribute some part to the big day. BUT with that many people, it can be overwhelming. You are just bombarded with so many opinions, and then it all mushes into one big, confusing jumble of madness.

Luckily, all the big decisions had been figured out this past summer (venues, photographer, the dress and DJ), so now with six months and counting, it's just the (many) little things we need to figure out such as:

Florals, hair and makeup, shoes, tux rentals, party favors, and the list goes on and on...

We even went back and forth on whether we needed a videographer, too. We weighed the pros and cons, consulted our recently married friends and badgered our family for their opinions. In the end, we ended up getting one. Why? Because what are the only things left after the wedding that will help remind us of the day? Photos + the Video.  Boom. As soon as we realized that, it was a no brainer. So we reached out to our photographer, Bryan, and asked for a reco. There you have it, Watertown Films then became a part of our #HappilyEverAxten support crew.


Okay, okay -- so  some of you are starting to think this "comeback post" is boring since it's me explaining about how my wedding has taken over my life... but I promise... it won't be all about the specifics of my wedding. Over the next few weeks, I plan to share some of the neat things I learned along this #HappilyEverAxten journey, and I'm very excited about it. (You heard that right! The blog is backkk!). Stay tuned for general wedding tips and tricks -- which includes everything from creating the perfect registry, selecting music for the big day, making the official wedding hashtag, and more. And of course, I've got some other fun things up my sleeve. Valentine's Day is right around the corner.. and you know what that means.... gift guides. 

xoxo

Cheers to Three Years!

Today marks three happy years with my main squeeze! Beyond thrilled to celebrate with him and looking forward to year four when we officially say "I do". Cheers to many more years of love, fun, adventure and fantastic memories. 

#HappilyEverAxten 

Also in other news, we are well underway with the renovation of our happy home. Can't wait to share before and after photos on here in the coming weeks. We're building our dining room table (from scratch.. eek!) and will finish painting our living room window benches this weekend. What's the inspiration behind The Axten Bungalow? Check out my Pinterest board here. 

xoxo

#happilyeveraxten engagement photos

A few weeks ago, my main squeeze and I ventured down to Dundee, Oregon to meet up with Bryan Rupp for our engagement photos. Bryan was referred to us by a coworker, and as I did my research prior to calling him, I found out he had done many weddings for folks I went to high school with. I thought, wow... what a small world. This was totally meant to be! 

As we arrived in Dundee that morning for our 8 am appointment, I got nervous. What if we smile weird? What if K and I look super awkward in our photos? Bryan reassured us that we didn't have to be anyone else but ourselves, and that definitely put us at ease. We took photos by this beautiful lake area called the Paddle Launch, and just a few steps away was a gorgeous hazelnut orchard where we took some more serious photos. I absolutely loved the gold wheat field we stumbled upon too. Those were all within less than a minute of each other, but it seemed as if we went to four very different locations. He was amazing to work with, and I think he captured wonderful photos that day. I'm beyond thrilled to share with all of you a few of my favorites today. (The rest can be found on Facebook for those of you who I'm Facebook friends with.)

Thanks, Bryan for capturing these happy moments! 

We can't wait for our  #HappilyEverAxten wedding photos next year. 

wedding planning, episode two.

This past weekend, we officially kicked off the #HappilyEverAxten festivities with a bridal party brunch. I met with my bridesmaids and man of honor at Rockcreek Seafood and Spirits and enjoyed delicious beignets, coffee and an amazing breakfast.

During the brunch, we discussed a few important things such as color palettes, dress styles and then of course, a few initial idea for the Bachelorette Party! To note, they wanted to keep it a surprise, so this chat was more of a "What do you not want at the party..."

Overall, it was a great chance for my cousin Anna to meet and get to know the other girls in my bridal party. As well, it was her first time meeting my best friend and man of honor, Robert. What was so special to me was that we were all ADPis and it's really awesome to see that sisterhood is forever not just four years. (insert cheesy, teary-eyed emoji)



So thankful and beyond blessed to be surrounded by great friends this past weekend and look forward to continuing the celebrations and planning for the big day!

Fellow brides-to-be, how have you kicked off your wedding planning?

xoxo

wedding planning, episode one.

#HappilyEverAxten is well underway folks. Some say I went turbo speed and got a little too crazy, but my fiance is beyond thrilled that we're ahead of the game. 

Within one month of our engagement, we secured our date, ceremony location, reception venue, our photographer and took our engagement photos! Oh... and I also found my dress. I guess that's what happens when two "Type A", highly organized/OCD folks get engaged... you get a lot done, hella fast. 

Where are we getting married, you ask? For the ceremony, we've chosen a beautiful cathedral and are having a big, traditional Catholic wedding. Fun Fact: My family has gone to this church since I was a wee little one, so it definitely has a special place in my family's hearts. And for the reception, think rustic meets industrial for our venue -- exposed steel and wine barrels. Large open windows, lush greenery and twinkle lights. It's very modern, romantic and a little whimsical. 

Color Palette? I'm in love with the rosy blush, cream, grey and platinum scheme.

Our photographer? The amazing Bryan Rupp. I heart his charismatic personality, his stunning talent and how at ease he made me and K feel when we were at our engagement photo session. Simply the best! 

Now that we've gotten through the big pieces, I feel like we can take our time with the rest of the planning. I mean we have a whole year! With that, I've been practicing my calligraphy (see above and check out my Instagram for more!), and want to incorporate this personal touch to the wedding. So far, I've created all of my bridal party invitations from scratch (thank goodness for Paper Source!), and hope to do some more fun little DIY projects for the big day. I'm thinking of creating my own seating chart, the table numbers, maybe even self-addressing the invitations with script. 

Those are all the details I have for now! 

Follow along my Pinterest board for a taste of what's inspiring #HappilyEverAxten, 

and feel free to share any wedding planning tips. 

xoxo

Follow Amanda B.'s board #HappilyEverAxten on Pinterest.