Wedding Wednesday: The Date & The To-Do List

So, today is not nearly as fun as last week. Next week, I'll show how I asked my bridesmaids but for today, the date & the to-do list will do :)

the date:
we are THRILLED to get married on:

March 7, 2015

tyler starts dental school in july, so our dates were extremely limited. march 7th is the saturday before his spring break, so we will get to spend a week away directly following the wedding, a luxury we did not think we could have :) we are so excited! only 304 days away- much more appealing than 1 year+ for our original thought of a june wedding.

PS THATS ONLY TEN MONTHS FROM TODAY! HOORAY!

the to-do list:

wow, this one is bit overwhelming, but we are working through it day by day. i will say, for future brides, the BEST thing i've done as far as wedding planning so far, was chart our our "to-do's" month by month. it definitely helped with the "oh my gosh- so much to do and it all has to be done right this instant!" feeling that i felt for the first week or so. there is plenty of time- and it will all get done :)

April (11MTW)

Pick the wedding colors + general theme. Pink & Navy, fun wedding! Pretty and springy, with a nautical touch. Trying my best to stay away from "rustic".

Pick bridesmaids & groomsmen Coming soon :)

Pick the date March 7! YAY!

May (10 MTW)

Ask bridesmaids & groomsmen. Coming soon :)

Book venue. Appointments on Appointments on Appointments. 

Book photographer.  In the works. This has been the most fun!
Complete the guest list. almost finished!
Wedding Website. In the works :)
Ask Officiant. Boom
Book Caterer. Hoping this is included with the venue if I get my pick! Finger's crossed!
Hotel Block.

Celebrate with a "10 months until the wedding" date! 

June (9MTW)
Book Florist. Hydrangeas, Ranunculus, Magnolias- oh my! 
Say yes to the dress!
Book DJ.
Book ceremony musicians.
Engagement Photos!
Bridemaids' dresses!
Decide on Men's wear!
Register! Now, this one I can get excited about. I love me some kitchen gadgets :)
Hire Videographer.
Research Stationary.
Celebrate with a "9 months until the wedding" date! 

July (8MTW)
Order Save-the-Dates.
Order Invitations.
Book Baker!
Plan rehearsal night.
Ask Flower girls + Ring bearers!
Ask greeters!
Celebrate with a "8 months until the wedding" date!

August (7 MTW)
Send Save-the-Dates.
Book everything for rehearsal.
Address all invites!
Wedding bands!!!
Order any rentals + lighting.

Celebrate with a "7 months until the wedding" date!

Septemebr (6 MTW)
Buy wedding favors.
Ceremony readings + readers.
All attire ordered.
Transportation plans.
Flowergirl/ringbearer attire.
Book hair + make-up!
Wedding gift for my groom.
Celebrate with a "6 months until the wedding" date! 

October (5 MTW)
Bridesmaids gifts.
Update registry.
Celebrate with a "5 months until the wedding" date! 

November (4 MTW)
Provide guest list to shower hosts.
All crafts DONE this month!! (banners, garlands, etc.)

Celebrate with a "4 months until the wedding" date!

Decemebr (3 MTW)

Enjoy the season and catch-up on anything if need be :)
Celebrate with a "3 months until the wedding" date!

Janaury (2 MTW)
Mail invites January 2nd.
Get guest book!
Order programs/finalize ceremony order.
Hair + Make-up trial.
Mail rehearsal invites.
Finalize menu.
Final dress fitting.
Confirm Ceremony music.(before ordering programs!)
Talk with DJ about plans.
Reception plan.
Marriage counseling.
Celebrate with a "2 months until the wedding" date!

February (1 MTW)
Get marriage license.
Weekend timeline + send.
Write vows.
Confirm with florist.
Greeter, flower girl, ring bearer, reader gifts!
All shower thank-you's!
Check on hotel block.
Check up on all unknown RSVP's.
Celebrate with a "1 month until the wedding" date! 

MARCH! WEDDING MONTH! 
Reception seating.
Escort cards.
Final payments.
Final count.
Detailed day timeline + send to vendors.
Confirm again with florist.
Detailed reception plan + send to vendors.
Rehearsal plan.
Grooming appointments.
Any other things!

March 6th
Hang out with my bridesmaids.
Rehearse for the wedding.

March 7th 
GET MARRIED. CELEBRATE.

Wow, I feel so much better after writing that! That Type A personality will getcha! On the first Wednesday of every month, Wedding Wednesday will be a timeline check-in! So you have many boring, useless posts to look forward to :) But hey, I will say as a future bride, I have loved seeing timelines/to-do's, since most of the time they bring up points I hadn't thought of! So hopefully this helps someone out there. But, if not, it helped me clear my brain!

Happy (Wedding!) Wednesday friends!

What's in a Name?

Beware, a lot of words coming at ya.

When thinking of "re-starting" my blog, if you will, I was left with the decision to name it. Almost four years ago I started blogging under the name "Make it Count". That was a spur of the moment decision, made on a whim, but it worked for a year or two. Then, I won a blog design and decided to do a complete overhaul, name change and all. So, I became "Anchored". Little did I know, it would become such a popular blog name!

So, when thinking of my new space I thought of many possible names. "Every Good Thing" was my first thought, and I ran with it for a little while, until I found around ten blogs named the same thing. Then came "TB + Honey", which dealt with Tyler and I's names for each other. We liked the thought of that, but eventually I decided I just couldn't handle all that cheesiness. Next came "From my green desk", which I LOVED because I love my green desk and its uniqueness, but it was just too long for all the future could hold for then name. Finally, one day "Cup of T" just kind of popped in our heads. I am known to always have a drink with me, have an obsession with all kinds of cups- mugs, tumblers, straw cups, etc- and the "T" works for both of us. Yes, we do like tea on occasion, but we wanted to e strictly Cup of T, rather than Cup of Tea just to "play up" the play on words.

Cup of T is short, yet more memorable than other names we had thought of. It works for both myself, and Tyler, and we love the name for the brand of future endeavors. Most of all, we love Cup of T because it alludes to all happy things. Things that we love, prefer, and are passionate about- exactly what we want this space to be about.

So, there, that's what's in a name. I love it!

Happy Monday!

Five on Friday #1.

Oh, happy day! It is Friday and I am done, done, done with school! Yay! Waking up without school on the brain is the best feeling ever! I am so excited to have 3.5 months off before I student teach in the fall and graduate in December! SO CLOSE!!

I am so excited to get back into the blogging swing and one of my favorite things have always been the mish-mash post that is deemed my "5 on Friday". I think it is totally a great way to squeeze in all of those randoms before the weekend hits! So, here it goes!

(one)
THIS VIDEO. Seriously, my friend Elizabeth is the absolute best and surprised me with this!! I would be lying if I said I did not pull out my headphones and watch it (crying) in my night class last night! I am so in love with this video and it makes the perfect addition to the pristine images she captured! Eeeee! So in love with it all!!

Taylor + Tyler | Engaged from Elizabeth Cox on Vimeo.


(two)
I am done with class. This will never ever ever get old!! Yay! Yay! Yay! This also means that I am finished with undergraduate classes FOREVER. A little bittersweet, but mostly sweet :)

(three)
I am asking my bridesmaids this weekend! Yay! I have already asked half and ready to get to the other half so that I can post about it! I am so thankful to have these girls in my life and can't wait to have them next to me on my big day! I have set it before and I'll say it again- gospel community is the sweetest.

(four)
Here are some links I've been loving this week:

• Derby weddings
• THIS cart from Ikea. I'll take ten.
• These glasses. I do NOT need them but considering the must for fun. Totally normal, right?  

(five)
These. Please. Yes.

Have a great Friday & weekend friends!!

May Goals.

So, when I got a little e-mail-organization-happy I accidentally deleted my other blog! So, Anchored, the blog I slaved over for years and years- was gone with a simple click. I was a little sad & a little mad, to say the least, but I took it as a sign to leave the past in the past and to refresh, regroup, and refocus. Over the past few months, I have started following less bloggers that just make me want more "stuff", and started following more that make me want more LIFE. I have started following many new blogs, and I have especially love following the Nancy Ray Photography team. Not only are their images beyond gorgeous, but the heart behind it all is what gets me. I love how intentional Nancy Ray is- between monthly/daily/weekly goals and her grateful grams. It has been such an inspiration to me and a constant reminder to focus on what matters most. Since this blog is one big dream celebration, I am going to log all of my month/weekly/daily goals in hope that one day I wake up as intentional as Mrs. Nancy Ray herself. That would be a dream.

So, here are my May goals. (These are my personal ones- I'll share the May to-do list for the wedding on Wednesday!)

May Goals:
Call & schedule a doctor and dentist appointment. I hate calling people like this- so this will be a big step for me!
Complete my resume and update my LinkedIn page. Print a few copies to keep in my car.
Register for the Praxis II tests. Hopefully to be taken in June!
Catch up on my year-to-date photo album!
Workout 4 times per week. I'll be gym-less this summer so who knows what this will include! 
Finish Reading Unglued and read The Power of Habit.
Take my camera out at least three times :)

That's it! Those are my May goals! It looks as though I will be doing a whole lot of nothing in the month of May, but I can assure you I will keep busy nannying 35 hours/week and wedding planning! I am just so thankful to be off of school and away from any type of "real" job! This summer is the calm before the storm y'all! The GREAT, awesome, super sweet, storm, that is :)

I'll share my weekly/daily goals sometime next week...and maybe even get going on some goals for the year or a 101 in 1001 list. Who knows!?

Happy new month, friends!

Wedding Wednesday: The Proposal

Yay for my first Wedding Wednesday post! I do not want this whole blog to go wedding crazy (We have these girls for that!) but I look forward to doing a little wedding check up on Wednesdays for the next ten months or so! So, let's get to it, 

The Proposal:April 18, 2014

Originally, I had thought I was supposed to baby-sit on Friday, but when I had not heard anything pin Wednesday, I figured that was not happening. So when Tyler asked me to go to The Dish for dinner (with a gift card he had been "given" from a Wyldlife family- nothing out of the ordinary for Morton Wyldlife) on Wednesday I happily obliged and wrote "Date Night" all nice and neat in my planner for Friday night.

Friday rolled around like any other day. I babysat the Wilmhoff girls in the morning, did Mary Todd soccer ministry that afternoon, and then got ready for a date night of The Dish, taking pictures with our fancy cameras at The Arboretum, and then Graeters, of course. Dinner was great- nothing was abnormal. Except for the fact that Tyler was wearing a blazer, I thought that was a little strange- I actually begged him to take it off because I thought he was over dressed- little did I know a little shiny diamond ring was hidden in that blazer pocket. 

We got to the arboretum, and began taking pictures. First, there was yoga going on in a random garden in front of a fountain. Tyler got extremely confused and upset and I begged him to be quiet because they could hear him! Turns out that is the spot where the video camera was set up..so womp there's no video! We walked around aimlessly- until my camera died and we walked all the way back to the car to get his fully charged DSLR. On the way there, I asked when our friend's Shelby and Graham (who had gotten engaged 2 weeks prior) were getting married, and then complained about how she had so much more time to plan. Tyler got annoyed and said something to the effect of "stop pressuring me". Way to go Tyler, any thought I had of a proposal was gone! We had planned to get engaged in the fall.

We then continue to walk aimlessly around the arboretum. I got sick of Tyler taking my pictures (I even referred to him as a creepy dad for directing my pictures so loudly when people were around!). Little did I know he was trying to find out where our photog friend was staked out at this point!

Finally, I say I am done getting my pictures made! What the heck would I do with 10000 pictures of myself? Tyler then insists on getting his picture taken by me- very strange. I though what the heck are you going to do with all of these pictures!? But with Tyler- you learn to expect the unexpected and roll with his crazy plans.

After I take about three pictures of Tyler, all of the sudden he is down on his knee proposing. I honestly thought he fell. It was such a blur- I honestly am still not 100% sure of one word he said. Thankfully, he wrote it down :) The ring is beautiful and everything I ever dreamed of having! Seriously, I cannot stop staring at it! Right after, about twenty five of our closest friends all gathered at my Bible study leader's house for a little "surprise" engagement party! It was basically the best night ever! I am so thankful for our friends who consistently love us so well! The whole night was insanely perfect!!

Our photographer friend Elizabeth (Elizabeth Meriwether Photography) captured the whole thing. They seriously are so great and I still cannot stop looking at them! I am so thankful to have these perfect pictures of that sweet moment and the hours after :) 

Honestly, we are still on cloud nine and enjoying being engaged! It is so fun to talk about things when they are actually going to be REAL! I am excited to do Wedding Wednesday posts (and get back to blogging in general) but most of all I am excited to be Tyler's wife in just a little over ten months!

Happy Wednesday friends!! Yay!

I'm Back!

Hey friends! I am over the moon excited to be back into the swing of blogging! I never thought my break would last more than three months but, boy, am I glad it did! These months brought excellence in school, intentional time with friends, less time on social media, and more time with Jesus- all of which suffered due to my blogging. I am back and hoping to find more balance in my life! I'll be blogging basically about the same things- life, fashion, photography, etc...but with one little thing added into the mix...

WEDDING PLANNING!

Yes, that's right...as of Friday April 18th, I am ENGAGED! I am so excited to share that story tomorrow and get started with my first Wedding Wednesday this week!

Eeeee! With one week left of undergrad classes, less than eight months until graduation, and a wedding to plan, life is so happy & so fun and I cannot wait to write all about it and have all y'all along for the ride!

Playing Catch-Up

Oh, how I have missed writing. A lot of super great things have happened since Janaury 24th, though. Let me fill you in on a few. 

 I have become a gym person. I love working out, I really do! I made a decision to join the YMCA (it's only $15/month, score!) and it has been the best decision! I have gotten a routine with cardio + weights and I am already seeing results from going about four days a week. Hooray! 

 I started my practicum in a first grade classroom. I could fill books with how much I am loving it. The students are hilarious and I am smiling all day. The alarm clock is early, but I am so blessed to know without a doubt I have found my calling doing something I absolutely love. 

 I got two summer jobs and have found myself having to choose! Praise God! 

We got three all star new leaders on our Wydlife team. We are in the middle of a transition phase but God has been so faithful to us! 

 There are probably more, but that about catches y'all up on my life! I am excited to get back into the swing of things, even thought that "swing" is going to look very, very different! Hooray!