I looked at invites for MONTHS. No joke. I kept changing my mind because I was so adamant about having something that had all of my essential details but didn't look crowded and didn't look like every other invite I've ever seen.
And that's when I came across these gate folds from Shutterfly. I made some adjustments to what I wanted to provide for the guests and it worked out perfectly.
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Shutterfly has been my go-to for grand announcement's and personalized gifts for a few years now. They already have great prices and quick services, but they also often have sales and discount codes.

Here is everything I wanted plus more for our invites:
- Address & Date
-RSVP options
- Patterend envelop
- Printed Addresses
- Accommodations for out of state guests
- Extra design details
- BONUS: A photo! I love that we got to use another photo from our engagement shoot
- BONUS: A note to our guests on the back. An extra personalized touch that I'm so glad we were able to add and hadn't even though of it!

If you all are looking for some great paper items (ie. invites, note cards, gifts) go check them out!
Happy Wedding Wednesday!
XX

I could post all of our engagement pictures. ALL! But here are just a few of my favorites. I love them so much & I can't wait for how our photographer captures our big day! She's so sweet and made us feel so comfortable during them. Austin and I take pics together here and there but this was obviously different. Being asked to basically make out in front of the camera and someone else during an intimate moment can make people nervous.

I have heard from so many people that they like to take a shot or have a drink before to loosen themselves up a bit; I thought about it but decided we would be fine without lol. The hardest part of all of it honestly was what to wear. I had bought this dress a few months earlier and was like hmmm maybe I'll save it for this or a shower or something. The week of came around and I was so incisive. Should we have multiple outfit options? Will I be uncomfortable in a dress and heels? What if I look back and it's too casual? That's why I went with my gut instinct though and wore the dress. I wanted them to feel slightly bridal but not over the top as to capture our true style.

We also didn't want to do the same locations everyone around here does. Nothing too country/outdoorsy looking, but not too classic downtown Bentonville vibes either. We are always looking for new places to shoot here anyways so we went with a different downtown feel and found SO many places and cute spots all three of us were shocked at every corner. Aesthetic on point & we will be back (already have been hahaha).

Needless to say, I'm obsessed with how they turned out. Thanks Kailey for doing our shoot & we can't wait to enjoy our day with you in May!
XX Haley

TIPPPP! Buy all the summer essentials you need for your honeymoon off-season because there are tonnnsss of sales! Like, I'm ready to pack. How could I not be!? Also, so many expenses come up for weddings in the last few months, so if you shop early, you won't be freaking about how you have nothing cute or new to wear on your trip but can't afford it right before. Take some of that packing pressure off people :)

SAVE THE DATE MAY 9TH 2020!
Now that we are, what... 5 months (ish) away from the wedding, I'm starting to feel the planning pressure. My goal is still to have most of the big planning items done before Christmas. Might not happen but even if it doesn't I'm feeling pretty good about everything! The more weddings we go to, the more excited I get! Who would have thought I could get even more excited but I have a feeling it will keep happening!!?

Since the photography part of our wedding is important to us, I really wanted to make sure we sent out Save the Dates. We also had plenty of time so I was excited to work on the design the embody what the feeling of our wedding will be leading into. I went with Basic Invite for out STDs (I'm still laughing at this abbreviation because my best Friend's husband called it that the other day and I bout fell over). I did some sponsored work with them about a year or so back and working with them was so fun. I wanted to support them as they have supported me and they have so many beautiful designs.

The envelops had a peel off seal, bless, and they sent me a proof of the design twice before going into print which was great. Also, they came in like 3 days after I purchased them! I forgot to do envelop printing of the addresses and let me tell you, that was NOT fun for me. I'm going to triple check when ordering invites that I have sent in my addresses so I can save my hands and save some time. The price for that is worth it to me for sure!!

We went with their Modern Polaroid Save the Date cards & personalized it from there. So many options to choose from, Austin was like why is this taking you so long haha. I wanted THE perfect one! Not obnoxious, not boring, you get it right!?

Next up, deciding on one of the 5 invites I've saved... wish us luck!

​XX Haley

A little while back Austin and I received our first wedding gift from the sweet team at Graphic Image NY! I was sooooo excited because it was so unexpected and so sweet of them. All of the personal touches got me in my feels real quick. They even included our wedding hashtag, wedding date, and I think the real kicker was the Mrs. Passmore on the passport sleeve! Ugh, so sweet!!! 

I love all of their amazing leather products and I know we will be using these gifts for years to come and to look back on. I'm ready for 2020 to use my cute planner to put all our dates in for upcoming wedding deadlines and events. The guest book is so beautiful, it will be the perfect touch for our entrance table :) Everything is made from beautiful quality leathers and can be personalized in so many ways. I'm also loving the tiny little notebook that is great for keeping in my purse to jot things down or little notes to remember for planning.

Right now Graphic Image is having a friends & family sale with 25% off your purchase with code WEAREFAMILY; perfect timing for any fall weddings or Christmas shopping (if you are an early shopper like that).

Thank you to my Graphic Image NY fam for the sweetest wedding gift!!
XX
Haley

Starting to plan your wedding can be quite intimidating! Right when we got engaged, my bestie gave me The Bride's Essential Book of Lists by Amy Nebens and the entire book narrows down  each detail to plan and when to plan it based on your timeline.

We are about halfway there and I'm in the thick of planning and lemme tell you, this book has been such a help! It also has a spot for business cards which is nice because who actually keeps up with those but then still needs them later? ME! 

Planning so far has been pretty fun for me. I've had my wedding Pinterest board going since I was in high school... literally. Austin is also very involved which I LOVE because I'm not the best at making solid decisions super fast and he's got the right amount of opinionated personality to balance me out. 

Here's my list of to-do's I've got going on for October/Nov (Items you should be doing at least 6 months out if you have a slightly longer engagement. My plan is to hopefully have everything wrapped up by the time Christmas rolls around so that we can just chill and enjoy the holiday season.

1.) CAKE: We met with our bakery last week to taste test and figured out what we needed size and style wise.
2.) CATERING: I need to solidify this still. We've known what we want for a while but just haven't bit the bullet and booked them yet. Honestly if you are booking your catering through a non-caterer I think it's less of a big deal on how advanced you plan it.
3.) SEND SAVE THE DATES: Okay people, if you follow me on Instagram you have seen a sneak peek of our engagement pictures. I'm so excited to get the rest. There are sooooo many Save-the-date options on so many different websites that I'm trying to narrow them down. Right now I'm looking at Shutterfly, Minted, & Basic Invite
4.) FLOWERS: Scheduling a time to meet with the florist soon, now that we have an idea on things like if our cake needs it and the total amount of people that need flowers it will be a lot easier to have her plan everything we need.
5.) FINISH REGISTRY: Yeah.... this is hard for us. We both have a lot of things that we won't need to register for because we have lived on our own and needed things throughout college. I will probably do a whole post on what we are registering for and what not a little later on.

Starting to feel a bit more accomplished in planning and it feels so good!!

XX
​Haley

What girl doesn’t want to be dripping in diamonds!? We have started looking at wedding bands and it’s so fun! Seeing what he has in mind to go with my engagement ring is just the sweetest and of course he finds the best of everything!

Today, I want to talk to you all about lab grown, sustainable diamond options. Haute Carat is sustainable, ethical, and all about bringing your classic diamond to life just how you always dreamt it to be!

Haute Carat also offers a try-on, at home option so that you can see what you really like before putting down all that cash $$$$$. It's a big decision weather your man is doing it on his own or you are picking it out together.
They create the ring of your choice in your size and send you a “sample” ring to try for a few weeks! How fun is that!?

Our earth’s resources are only getting lower, so why not get a lab-grown, authentic (100% REAL diamond) piece with your personal touch of style! This type of diamond is also 20-40% less than mined diamonds! HOLY COW, get yourself an upgrade girl ;) 

They have more than just wedding bands and engagement rings too. I really love their classic earrings and bracelets. I'm obsessed with their Baguette Diamond Eternity Hoops and Criss Cross Pave Band.

If you are starting to look at engagement rings, (or bands like I am), I have a special offer for you!! Use my code HALEY10 for 10% off your order, that's huge people. Especially when investing in something that will mean so much to you for the rest of your life representing your unique love story.

4.6.2019
A day I'll cherish forever. Five words in and I'm already crying. My heart is SO unexplainably happy :) I haven't stopped smiling and I asked my sister the other day if I'll stop crying and she said "Absolutely not."

I thought I'd share a bit more of our story and a whole lot more of my heart here today. It's been 3 months since Austin proposed. At the beach the other day he goes "Oh my gosh!! In less than a year we will be walking down the aisle!! You've been waiting your whole life for this haven't you??" And then we laughed way too hard because it's totally true. Caught me, I'm guilty.
In a southern state like Arkansas, most girls wait the first 22 or so years of their life to become a mom, or housewife and get their "MRS. Degree." Yes, I might want all those things for my life (what girl doesn't?), but I've ALWAYS wanted to be a wife. A wife to someone who is my absolute best friend, who shares my dreams and I share his. A wife to someone that laughs at the things I do and heart aches for the same. To live and cherish life's greatest moments with, road trip with, start out life poor together with, and eventually grow a family with.

Guess what?? I found that man at the age of 16, my high school sweetheart who is literally the biggest sweetheart. He asked me to be his date to Homecoming Junior year and our first date was the night before at the Waffle House after the Homecoming Football game (typical dance team gal and football player). Then the next week he insisted on us going to a haunted house. If you know me, you know I hate that crap and the fact that he got me to go says a whole lot because I'm the biggest scaredy cat. 
Long story short, I fell hard. We went to college together, started chasing out dreams together, and I couldn't see myself with anyone else. Clearly he thought so too :))))))))))))))))))

Week of Proposal
One of my bestie girls asked me if I wanted to go to Crystal Bridges that upcoming Saturday because she hadn't been in awhile (naturally I said of course because I love that dang place). However, I did think it was slightly weird because she doesn't always want to go there/ would probably prefer to do something else if had the option :)
Day of Proposal
Woke up, did my usual Saturday morning stuff like hit the gym and watch some morning Friends with Maui. Then I thought ooo girl your nails look so sketchy today you might as well go get them done since you don't have plans till late afternoon. Clueless part 1. 
Also, Austin mentioned his sister was in town and that she wanted the family to go out for dinner that night. Not phased since we would normally do that!
Austin called later and wanted to go to lunch and grab a coffee and edit some photos while we waited for Erin to get off work and get ready the afternoon. I suspected NOTHING, he was so normal the entire time. 
We arrived at Crystal Bridges and Erin shows up with Anna, his sister and he was like "OMG didn't know you were coming!!" Then we were on our merry way to the entrance. We usually skim through the first collection because it is permanent but always stop by my favorite painting halfway through & take a picture with it (I take one every time don't ask me why because I guess I still don't know). 

We spent a little extra time in that collection room messing around and pointing out anything different. Then Austin goes "hey go stand up there at the gallery wall and look up at it  so I can snap a picture- Along the Shore by William Trost Richards BTW. Of course I waltz right up and take it in like I always do. A couple seconds later I got a tap on my should and turn around to see AUSTIN ON HIS KNEE WITH THE RING AND THE BIGGEST SMILE I HAVE EVER SEEN!
Now don't ask me what he said because I blacked out I guess. Oops.  Everyone says it happens and I didn't believe them until I did it too. I wish I knew what he said but the next part I hear him say is a whisper "take off your other ring."
Anna and Erin were literally there to take a video and pictures! Who'd have thought!? Not me because I'm clueless! 

Giddy, still crying, we rush through the rest of the museum and Austin says "so I guess you figured out we aren't going out for dinner tonight right?" We pull up to the cutest new AirBNB off the downtown square and I start crying all over again because our dads and my grandma are standing outside waiting. I get out of the car and hug my dad and start bawling again because I see my best friend's car there who lives out of town. We go inside and the house is decorated with a million pictures of us all the way back from high school. Our families and best friends were there to celebrate this special moment and I seriously could not have dreamed up a better day.

That evening, just us kids went downtown and had a few drinks and stayed at the house. Now, every time I drive by it my heart smiles because it holds my most precious memory and start to the rest of our lives together.

May 9th, 2020 we are coming for ya!!