We Have So Much to Be Thankful For!

Well folks, it has taken me well over a week to recover from the wedding craziness and I don't even really know where to begin? How did the wedding turn out? It was incredible. Best weekend of my life. Everyone looked great, I had so much fun, the weather was manageable, and despite a few random things that I do not think anyone else noticed, it went perfectly!

We initially thought of this wedding as a "Do It Yourself" project, but after it was all said and done, it was obvious that a large community of people volunteered their time and truly came together to make it happen. We had friends and family busting their butts from early until late doing their part. I think the best weddings really allow the couple to express themselves, and every aspect of our wedding was so "Nathan and Sawyer". And while both my mother and I overspent on a few things, all in all, it was very affordable in the big scheme of things! 

So on this Thanksgiving, we want to say a special thank you to each and every one of you that volunteered your time, money and effort to make our wedding so special. We love you. We are so proud to have you in our lives. We have a billion thank you cards to write!

Here are some pictures that were taken of the wedding/reception set up (looking at these pictures makes me so happy- it turned out great).....

Nathan and I were really lucky to have both his uncle Don and our dear friend Joey take pictures of our big weekend and the special people that were apart of it. We promise to post more pictures on Facebook soon (we have about 1000 images to pick from....it might be a few days, haha).

We are truly blessed. In the spirit of Thanksgiving I decided to post a few things that some of our guests asked us to share:
1- Our Wedding Party Playlist should be available to be publicly viewed on Nathan's Spotify (you now can have a dance party this evening with your family)
2- A seasonal recipe from our wedding that people raved about:

Root Vegetables in Sage Mustard Vinaigrette (Ashley's Beet and Squash Dish everyone loved!)
Recipe makes a serving size for 4 people.

First the dressing: Get your food processor out and pulse together:
1 raw clove of fresh garlic
1/4 of a chopped raw onion
1/2 cup dijon mustard
1/8 cup lemon juice
5 sage leaves
pinch of sugar
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
gradually add 1/2 cup olive oil and a splash of water to loosen it all up.....

Roast 4 whole beets with skin-on at 375degrees in oven until tender with fork. Peel and cube.
Peel, de-seed and cut a large butternut squash into cubes, glaze lightly in maple syrup to add a hint of sweetness. Roast at 400 degrees with salt, pepper and olive oil until tender.
You can also add other roasted seasonal root vegetables if desired (cook in same manner above).
Toss warm beets and squash cubes in mustard vinaigrette. Serve with love.

Lastly, if you are planning your own "DIY" Wedding and need some guidance, let me know and I would be happy to go over every detail with you. Round up an army of your friends and family and we will make it happen! Happy Thanksgiving from the Lewis Family!

Wedding Madness!

As can be imagined, I do not have a lot of time to "write" about the current wedding planning here on my blog, namely because I am in the thick of it. But, I thought I would post a few pictures with captions in order to keep things up to date- the wedding is 3 days away- and as long as we do not have an Arctic storm headed our way, everything is looking good!

Marriage license bought and ready to go! Music playlists have been created, ceremony and our personal vows have all been finalized and are ready to go!  Let's get married! 

We had a "silverware rolling" and wedding food tasting party last weekend- while we did not get much done, it sure was fun! The food and cocktails are great- get excited! 

I spent a lot of time and money doing my food shopping at Costco and Trader Joes last night- come hungry folks! 

I am getting ready to wrap these babies in foil and get them prepped for my "baked potato bar" at the reception.

My dear friend Ashley (whom has helped me greatly put all of this together) made these amazing menu chalkboards- there are more to come, you will have to see them for yourself in person- so great! 

Bridemaids and Groomsmen gifts are ready to go! 

I am running last minute errands trying to stay calm, my mother is out shopping for outdoor heaters, while my friends and family are packing up to travel to Concan for a weekend of wedding fun! I am really hoping everything is going to turn out well (even the weather). Stay tuned, I will post some pictures from the weekend after we return from our Texas "honeymoon" in Fredricksburg next week for those of you who won't be there to share it with us! (Say a little prayer for us- hehe)

2 weeks until matrimony!

I know I keep apologizing for not posting enough- but I have not had a second to sit down and blog. At times, I am overwhelmed with a task list, a workaholic schedule (it does not matter what happens, I always seem to work more than 50 hours a week), social events and trying to find time to spend with Nathan. Other times, something clicks inside my head and I relax and realize how lucky I am, and how truly excited I am to get married to my favorite person in just two weeks!

So what has this DIY task list included?
Well mostly shopping..... I have never really been one to enjoy shopping- maybe it is my lack of decision making skills and money.
We bought Nathan's wedding suit, groomsmen's ties are bought, wedding jewelry for my bridesmaids has been purchased (went way over my budget here), and Nathan's ring is now in our possession. I have shopped around for the past few months and now have all the serving utensils, and paper goods that we need for the reception in our spare bedroom! I bought paper goods and recycled eco-friendly plates, silverware, etc. from restaurant supply stores online. My friend Ashley and I have bought liquor for craft cocktails she has designed, bought awesome cheese and meat boards and serving utensils at IKEA, and menu chalkboards at Hobby Lobby. All in all, there is a lot left to do but we have made a ton of progress.

My goals next week are to get our marriage license, finalize music and the ceremony, write our vows, buy wine, and find a dress for the rehearsal dinner. The week of the wedding we will purchase the food and do the few last minute things that will probably come up. I have done my best to manage my time in order to not become a Bridezilla- we will see how it all plays out!

What big social events have we been busy attending you ask?
Amy and Bryan Winslow's amazing wedding weekend! It was an incredibly beautiful wedding that was held at Springdale Farms in Austin. (If you are ever in Austin, check out the farm and their farm- to-table restaurant- Eden East...the food was soooo amazing.) It was so great to get to be apart of their day, we had so much fun with our friends and their families. I am so impressed with them.

Bachelorette Weekend!

Last weekend was great, and I because I had to work constantly this week in order to make up for my time away, I have not gotten to post pictures yet. But, I am sitting in our backyard with a cup of coffee in a sweater (yes- the weather is perfect OMG) so I thought this would be a great time to reminisce over last weekend!

Amy made me this amazing crown for my weekend!

The boys made a pit stop in Houston on Thursday night on their way to New Orleans. I was excited to spend a fun night with them before their big weekend. Bianca and I made them little "survival kits" with funny things, glow sticks, ibuprofen, gatorade and snacks which I handed out before they hit the road Friday morning. I am so lucky- few brides get to say they are good friends with their groomsmen- I love these goofballs.
P.S. They had an amazing time in New Orleans- Nathan cannot stop talking about how he cannot wait to take me there!

On Friday, Bianca drove us to Austin while I nursed my hangover from Thursday night (best way to start your bachelorette party, right? haha). My sister Bailey helped to plan a wonderful lingerie party at the house we rented for the weekend- they did an amazing job of filling the night with special sentimental surprises, beautiful gifts, delicious food, drinks, and lots of laughter. It was perfect.

I am so proud of Bailey for planning such a nice party Friday night! 

On Saturday, we spent the rainy morning recovering from Friday night while Karen made us amazing homemade waffles! We got out to Barton Springs in the afternoon for some outdoor time and then napped and got ready for our big night out in Austin.  

Karen made us a reservation at Licha's on East 6th- a cool new interior Mexican food restaurant with a great patio. I had some great Mezcal cocktails (I am into the smokey agave liquor right now) and delicious huitlacoche (corn smut) quesadillas for the first time! We laughed and Bailey made an impressive toast. We then went dancing at Barberella-and got our party on! It was really fun- here are some amusing pictures from the night out:

Everyone kept coming up to us saying what a pretty group of girls we were- I am lucky to be friends with so many hotties! 

Had so much fun with this hot mama- like the good ole days! 

We obviously had an amazing time: special thanks for Bailey, Karen and Sara for planning the weekend. Thanks for Amy for the beautiful floral crown and sentimental surprise. Thanks to Bianca for driving my hungover ass around all weekend. Thanks for Morgan and Lisa for helping Bailey set up the house. Thanks to my other amazing bridemaids and girl friends for the beautiful gifts. Thanks for all the laughter and company. Thanks for taking the time out of your busy lives to spend the weekend with 13 females! Thanks to the boys for making it back alive.  I love each and every one of you. I am now super excited for the wedding weekend! 

My life revolves around food and drink.

One view of the garden at Coltivare- it is very peaceful, I love it!

I have had a super busy few weeks at work and because I am really proud of my employer, I thought I would share some pictures here on the blog. I really like working at Coltivare-"Houston's best new restaurant". The people are nice, the food is simple, the ingredients are delicious, they value my experience and allow me to have a super flexible schedule- what more can you ask for? If you are in Houston and you have not eaten here....come have a drink in the garden and check it out!

It is eggplant, okra and pepper season in the garden at work!

Chef Ryan and Vinny make some means Salumi at Coltivare's sister restaurant- Revival Market.
 I will have a sampling at the wedding- yummy! 

Anyway, when I haven't been serving other people food and drinks, I have been shopping around for serving equipment at local restaurant supply stores- gathering information in order to get an idea of a budget.  Like I have explained on a previous posting, I am in charge of the food and drinks at our wedding reception. I have delegated most of the food out to other people- but it is important that everything is set up properly and that we have the proper serving utensils, etc. I am definitely renting some catering supplies, but it seems like most things are pretty affordable to buy. The date is approaching quickly, so I have actually been buying stuff I know we will need....

I found some awesome serving bowls and baskets at Ross for super cheap- love this stuff! 

Our wedding homebrewing session lasted into the night this past Saturday- a family that brews together, stays together! 

We made an appearance at Monkey Joe's for Connor Stiver's 5th Birthday on Sunday for pizza and cake.
 (Connor is one of my best friend Jenn's son- I cannot believe that he is already 5! Time flies when your an adult- whew.)

Some of the wedding ties for the groomsmen arrived this week! 

All of our groomsmen are coming to Houston tonight on their way to New Orleans for Nathan and Bryan's joint bachelor party- I feel lucky to get to spend a night with all of them before they hit the road for NOLA! I am headed to Austin tomorrow to celebrate with my bridesmaids and girl friends for the weekend- I am really excited. I am sure there will be a healthy (or overly indulgent) amount of drinking and eating this weekend.....stay tuned for pictures and stories next week! 

Decoration Sneak Peak

We drove to San Angelo for the weekend- and although we drove 6 hours in the rain to get there, it was most definitely worth the drive! We went to lunch with my grandfather Jerry (who will be walking me down the aisle), visited with my grandmother Louise (who turned 91 years old on Sunday), had a wedding meeting with Amy Fox (my "day of coordinator") and went to dinner with my mom for her birthday on Saturday. Needless to say, it was a very productive weekend! As promised, I took pictures of some of the wedding decorations in order to give everyone a little sneak peak here on the blog!

One of the biggest limitations of our wedding venue, is that there is not a lot of outdoor lighting in the space we have chosen to have the reception. And because it will be dark for most of the celebration, my mom decided to hunt for old chandeliers, refurbish them, have them rewired and hang them in the big trees. Here are 3 pictures from the beginning of her DIY project until the end: 

                   

                        She took off the crystals, cleaned them and
                  repainted the frame

Chandelier before....

                                                   

                                                                 Finished product! Rewired and ready to go!

Another cool chandelier she found at a thrift store and plans to refurbish! 

We are going for a Bohemian vibe- and they have planned decorations for several different "spaces".  The ceremony will be held in a lovely area under a giant tree, it will be decorated with big brass arches, ribbons, candles and big comfortable rugs. After the ceremony, they plan to move out the chairs and move in comfortable lounge furniture- creating a relaxing area for visiting throughout the night. We will also have a dancing area, food buffet tables and the tables for sitting for dinner and drinking in the middle of it all. 

We decided to stay away from expensive floral centerpieces, and to decorate all of the tables differently. It should be a fun way to save money- and I love everything so far! 

Here are some pictures of some of the table decorations:

Boho lights and table decorations

More candles and table decorations

A few of the many colorful table clothes- every table will be different! 

Lastly, after trying on my wedding dress in hotel rooms, seeing my reflection in TV screens and small bathrooms for the last year, I finally got the chance to try on my dress at Korona's (my family wedding dress store) in front of the large mirrors. Little girls grow up thinking the wedding dress is the most important part of wedding planning- and after growing up selling wedding dresses, 

I can honestly say I have a love/hate relationship with this sentiment. 

Since the last time I tried it on, my mom tweaked it a little- making it more individual and flattering on me. Having my mom and grandmother there together, reassuring me it was a perfect fit for my personality and body type, was a really good feeling. It was a feeling of confidence in my dress that I was waiting and hoping for. I am really excited for everyone to see it on our big day!