wedding update: bridesmaids' luncheon

You guys! I'm married! What?! I have been overwhelmed with how to share all the images from my most amazing weekend-ever and I suppose starting with Friday only makes sense!


My Bridesmaids Luncheon at The Remington Suite Hotel:
Thank you to the lovely hostesses that kick started the wedding weekend with the most stunning bridesmaids luncheon a girl could ever imagine. The table arrangements, the flowers, the cake, the food, the chairs, the location, all of it was exceptional - but the true gift was getting to share this time with each one of you. I am filled with gratitude for your love and generosity. We (Mr. and Mrs. T) treasure you.

Pulling the Wedding Cake Charms - is this only a southern thing?

 These sexy ladies made my weekend! I love you ALL so incredibly much!

Aiden and Jordan flew all the way from Chicago for Mr. T and my big day! (she is only 1 month old! Bless her heart.) Katie had her aunt, whom is an amazing artist, watercolor flowers on our wedding invitation. I can't wait to frame and hang this in my house forever.

Frances came in from Missouri and celebrated her 30th birthday on my wedding day! I seriously have the best friends in the world. T's Aunt Maria had these Waterford candles sticks brought in from Ireland to bless our marriage. And these two on the bottom right -Chessi and Mrs. Karen- have helped me/coached me/calmed me down through the whole wedding process. Priceless memories and much love.

  Emily R's family came in from Houston and Thomas was our handsome ring bearer! More on that later. All of these ladies have been so supportive and I am forever grateful. Emily G came in from Baton Rouge and stayed at my mom's house with me on Thursday night.

Mom, Lauren and I began with at-home spray tans and wedding cake martinis; Chessi, Emily, Leslie and I stayed up late looking at old photos and drinking wine on the front porch. I will treasure that night for a lifetime.... now back to Friday!

What can I say about these two ladies? They helped raise me. They are truly the perfect blend between friends and mothers to me. 

A special thank you to the all the Hudson and Tison family members for your travels from Texas, south Louisiana, and Miami to be here! Leslie came in for 3 weeks from Zimbabwe for all the wedding festivities - thank you for all the moments we got to share together. Mrs. C - thanks for coming in for a whole month to share in the craziness that is me. I love you so. 

It means the world to us that so many people traveled from near and far, to share their time with us. What an experience to have all the people you love in one room.

bride brain...

Hey there.
My name is Lindsey and I've got bride brain.
Symptoms include: feeling overwhelmed, highly emotional and sensitive, forgetful, selfish at times, excited, and craving anything chocolate or any movie involving a bride storyline.

I've been engaged for 8 months. I have about 500 lists of ideas and things to do for the wedding in different notebooks scattered around me at all times.

This week's tasks involved coordinating with the calligrapher for my invitations, ordering stamps online and forgetting to do the math*, finishing the wedding list and the bridesmaid luncheon list, ordering pages for my wedding guest book, making an appointment in Dallas to pick out a veil and shoes - later cancelling that appointment because I got sick, calling hair and makeup for a bridal session, speaking with photographer about ideas for bridal session (which reminds me that I need to call the florist about a bouquet) and finally making an appointment with Aly B's about the wedding cake....

My two wedding mantras are "Is this the hill I want to die on?" (per Fr. Gallagher) and the ever faithful Serenity Prayer.

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

 These two mantras, plus this little meme my fiance just sent me, remind me that it's all worth it- that love is in the details and I'm about to marry my best friend.

*I went to zazzle.com because I didn't like the USPS stamps they were offering...I found a pretty colorful bouquet that I liked and thinking that zazzle would be the same price as USPS for stamps- I didn't do the math. Later though, when I realized I was paying 65% more than I should have on something that everyone throws away- I was having trouble breathing. How could I have not worked this out in my head? What was I thinking? Guys, I've got bride brain.

happy new year!

There were many gatherings with friends in town for the holidays, hundreds of pictures were taken, but there's this one image that made my heart pitter patter...a moment captured of us kissing at midnight on New Year's day... our first kiss in 2013...the year we are getting married.

ps - these resolutions still apply! Maybe this year :/

everyone has a story...

...and here is mine!

 Tison's mom and dad took us on a family vacation to Disney World last week. It was such an incredible trip. I was excited about going, but had no idea how magical it would actually be! I haven't been since I was 9 and although I had some memories of the trip with my family, the memories have grown a little fuzzy. Tison and I hit the ground running, spending a full day in each of the four Walt Disney World parks: Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Magic Kingdom. On Sunday (Father's Day) we had just left Hollywood Studios to go back to the hotel so I could change and get ready for a night out to see fireworks. I am powdering my nose and putting on my new orange tunic when I look over and see Tison has his head buried in a pillow. "Oh no," I think. "He must be getting sick." I push and prod him, saying "We aren't going anywhere if you are feeling bad. You should sleep. We have one more day at Disney and we're not going out if you are sick!" Little did I know he had special places picked out at all the parks and was carrying the ring around in his pocket the whole trip looking for the right moment to propose. He had decided that tonight was the night and it would be under the fireworks. He was so nervous I thought he was sick! I said, "Why are you letting out all this nervous energy, WHAT is the matter?!" The second those words rolled off my tongue, I knew.... He said, " I can't hide anything from you, come here" and right in the hotel room he took my hand and got down on one knee. Looking up at me nervously shaking with love pouring out of his eyes, he said, "I love you so much. Will you marry me?!"

Tison and I have been dating now for a little over 3 years, although we met 8 years ago. It has been a long road for us, dating off and on since I was 21.  I was so terrified of the word marriage- thinking it meant I would have to change not only my name, but who I was to be with someone. When I met Tison he scared me because we were so compatible - that it could get serious. As the years went on I realized that whether we were dating or not, he was the person I wanted to talk to. I missed him and wondered what was happening in his life when we weren't together. I contemplated what this meant. I realized over all this time that I couldn't imagine my life without him in it. I have found someone that doesn't try to change me, in fact he gets my weirdness, he encourages my crazy ideas, he motivates me when I need encouragement, he comforts me when I need to cry, we laugh and sing all the time, he makes me feel good about being me. With Tison I have never been more myself and I have never felt more loved. We have grown to love each other more than I ever knew was possible. He is my best friend. He is my true companion and partner in life. When he asked me to marry him I was in complete shock- stunned even. Those ugly little emotions and insecurities tried to rear their ugly head and Tison could see it on my face. He said, "Are you scared?" and I answered, "Yes." and he said "me too." That's when I knew. I knew that it was all going to be okay. We are going to walk down this path together- scared - but believing in our love for each other.

 Thank you for a wonderful, magical, and most memorable trip Mrs. Chris and Mr. Tim, Ali and Matt. 

We love y'all.

A little romantic music to go along with the post: