Wedding Gifts: From the Groom To the Bride

Gosh I've been an awful blogger with these recaps. It seems like once we got back from our honeymoon, life kept spinning forewards at full force. Wasn't everything supposed to stop and slow down so Mr. SE and myself could take some time and relax? (Married ladies am I alone on this?)

Regardless, I will be starting my recaps soon, and hope to do one each night. However, to give myself some street cred I'd like to announce that I've finished all of our thank you notes. Perhaps that's why I don't have time to write on the blog...

One of my shorter recaps will be wedding gifts- I'll go over mine (from Mr. SE first). Mr. SE surprised me with two fantastic gifts, neither of which I was expecting. He has a great way of downplaying things to totally throw me off in the gift department (year after year) and this day was no exception. My handsome husband to be surprised me with these two gorgeous gifts...

The first box opened was this little stunner of a ring, from my favorite- the big T. I just love how thin the band is, and it looks fantastic on my right hand. During the ceremony I wore it stacked with my engagement ring and couldn't help but think what a cute wedding set they'd make together. This ring was first seen on my fabulous friend Mrs. Smith, so I cannot take all the credit for finding something so cute.

The second gift was this Michael Kors watch that I've wished about for awhile now. I love how it can be dressed up or down, and now that it's sized correctly has become a daily staple in my work wardrobe.

I think Mr. SE did alright for himself. Were you surprised about your wedding gifts? I'd love to hear what your husband gifted you on your wedding day. Keep comments about what you got him for my next post.

Rehearsal Recap: Part I

We made the decision to have our friend Amy shoot our rehearsal dinner. She's an up and coming photographer and I liked the pictures from her past events. Amy gave me the disk last night and we couldn't be happier with the them! She was non-intrusive and really let the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner flow naturally. Here's some of my favorites:

*and as you can see, after all the rehearsal shoe drama, I went with the hot pink ones

A Better Preview

Preview

Shot by the amazing Gray Photography

It's Here!!!

Friends, thank you for taking this journey with me! Our wedding weekend officially starts today and I couldn't be more excited. For those of you who have spent countless hours g-chatting with me and figuring out the perfect option for every single aspect of the wedding, to the bridesmaids that have flown all over the east coast for showers and bought gorgeous dresses, thank you.

These past eleven months of being engaged have been such a special time with Mr. SE, certainly not void of hiccups (but who's engagement isn't?), and we're so happy to have reached the finish line.

This is what our next couple days look like:

Today
MassageFinish assembling seating chart (which I CAN'T wait to show you)
Cookout for family and friends at our house

Friday
Nails
Bridal Luncheon
Check into hotel
Rehearsal/Rehearsal Dinner

Saturday
Marry the love of my life!


And for my sweet, wonderful Nashville bloggy friends who are attending the wedding- I cannot wait to see you on Saturday!

Signing off for the last time as MISS Sarah Elizabeth!
xoxox

The Calm Bride

So friends, six days to go. Surprisingly I'm feeling very calm and relaxed. I'd like to chalk it up to all my planning on the front end. Regardless, I'm one happy bride and it's smooth sailing from here on out.

My amazing, fantastic, wonderful planner has made my life a dream these last couple weeks. Honestly, do yourself a favor and get a planner. Did you hear me? GET A PLANNER! And if you are looking for one (in Nashville), I strongly recommend Kristin Kaplan from Simply Stunning. We had a meeting in mid-July and went over some last minute things, and I've felt like a weight was lifted since then....aside from the 5 pounders I've been using on my arms.

Speaking of which- I've started jogging every day and lifting weights for my arms. I've definitely noticed a difference in the way I feel and each day the hills get easier. It's also been a great way to get rid of wedding stress.

Another great way? Massage. My favorite salon just up and shut its doors several weeks ago, without informing outstanding appointments (hello- massage and nails for the wedding). They even charged my friend for a gift card on the morning of the day they closed. Jerks. So I'm normally a nice person, but it kind of made me mad so here's the salon. Essential Therapy. They closed their doors and didn't notify anyone and charged cards knowing that they were closing. And apparently they opened a new salon about a week earlier and didn't tell any of their existing employees. You can read more about that if you search on the Tenneseean.

Although I was upset about Essential Therapy closing, I snatched a Groupon for Mr. SE and I and we stumbled on a great salon downtown. It's called Corroboree, and has a great Australian influence. Its in a old house and each of the bedrooms is a treatment room. We did a 1hr hot stone couples massage, followed by a body scrub (vegan- made of rice). I loved it so much that I went back yesterday to have another hot stone massage by myself.

Here's some pictures for your viewing pleasure:
ps- They also do cooking lessons, and they'll leave out little goodies while you're waiting in the relaxation room. Eat. their. lemon. bars. I've eaten a whole plate every time I go!