Number 29

Can be crossed off the list! Jon and I went down to the courthouse a couple weeks ago with just a few close friends and made our little family official, and we couldn't be happier. :)

Jon proposed on July 4th (during the Fort Campbell fireworks show, which was seriously so romantic), but finding time for the ceremony was pretty hard with all of our baby planning, house redecorating, trips to Texas, etc. So, even though most of the details for our little day came together at the last minute (I found my dress the day before - the day before! - and I loved everything about it), it all turned out just like we wanted it to.

After the ceremony, we drove up to Evansville, IN for a fancy dinner, a swanky hotel room and a little riverboat gambling - and that was that. Simple. Sweet. Perfect.

*Sweet surprise: Jon surprised me with the rose bouquet on our way to the courthouse - such a sweet boy, that one. Two weeks later, the roses are still in a vase on our table, looking just as lovely as ever.

*Fun fact: The main stone in my engagement ring is a black diamond that Jon bought while deployed in Afghanistan last year. I love that in addition to being beautiful (and unique!), it also has a story behind it. 

Vegas Wedding

When I said I have so much to tell you guys, I wasn't kidding! One of the things I've been waiting to share with all of you is my sister's wedding in Las Vegas. You may remember from this post that she was originally planning a backyard wedding at my parent's house, complete with food trucks, kegs of beer and dancing. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), some of the logistics for that celebration started falling through (canceling food trucks - boo!), so she decided to go with plan b - A Vegas Wedding - and boy, was it a blast.

The guest list was small (immediate family only), and we all arrived at various times during the week to spend some time with the bride and groom and soak up a little Vegas before the wedding.

The ceremony took place on a sunny, perfect Thursday afternoon. We all met outside of the Aria Hotel and took a white limo to The Graceland Wedding Chapel downtown, where all of the fun began (and pretty quickly, too - they have weddings lined up back-to-back all day long so they stick to a tight time schedule).

When we walked in, Brianne and Andy signed some papers, the family took our seats (in the ridiculously cheesy chapel) and Elvis showed up just in time to walk Brianne down the aisle, singing the whole way. Needless to say, it was hilarious and we were dying. The ceremony did get a little serious in the middle as they exchanged vows, but as soon as Andy kissed his bride, Elvis was there again with "Viva Las Vegas," which got everyone dancing (and skipping down the aisle!).

All in all, it was such a fun experience and SO Andy and Brianne. I'm so glad they ended up doing something that was totally them - and I know I'll definitely remember it forever.

Congrats again, Brianne and Andy! Wishing you many, many years of love and fun!

Ribbons, Ribbons, Ribbons

Source: greenweddingshoes.com via Charisse on Pinterest

Source: engagedandinspired.com via Charisse on Pinterest

Wow - The things you can do with ribbons! I'm amazed (and totally using these as wedding inspiration).

(Remember, you can see all of the wedding inspiration I've gathered for my sister's wedding on my B+A Wedding Pinterest Board.)

Wedding Invites

1. Minted.com 2. Minted.com 3. WeddingPaperDivas.com 4. Minted.com

These wedding invites kind of have Brianne (my sister) and Andy (her fiance) written all over them. The boom box invite is just so rockin', the tattoo-inspired invite couldn't be any more perfect for Andy (dude's got some serious ink) and the yellow ones are completely fun and festive. What do you think? Do you have a favorite? (Click on the links next to the numbers to see them all up close.)

B+A Wedding Inspiration

Source: greenweddingshoes.com via Charisse on Pinterest

Source: oncewed.com via Charisse on Pinterest

Source: greenweddingshoes.com via Charisse on Pinterest

Source: greenweddingshoes.com via Charisse on Pinterest

Source: greenweddingshoes.com via Charisse on Pinterest

Source: greenweddingshoes.com via Charisse on Pinterest

Source: oncewed.com via Charisse on Pinterest

Source: oncewed.com via Charisse on Pinterest

You may have noticed the recent addition of some of my favorite wedding blogs back into the "My Faves" section on the right. In case you're wondering - no, I am not getting married again (although I am always trying to convince Mason to go all Seal/Heidi and have a wedding every year because that would be a blast) - but my sister is! (Congrats again to Brianne and Andy!)

I don't even think I need to explain how excited I am for my sister, especially since she's asked me to help with all of the planning. The first thing I did was start a Pinterest board dedicated to all things 'B+A Wedding.' (You can see the whole board here.) Above are a few of the things I've pinned lately. So far, they're thinking food trucks, outdoor reception, strands and strands of lights, bohemian chic, loads of color, good beer, good music and only the very best of friends and closest family. Sounds like the perfect celebration to me!