This is the series of posts I’ve been waiting for. Sharing all of the details we’ve planned over the past year and watching them come together for our special day.

Watch out. This post is HUGE. There’s a lot to take in…so please don’t skim through. I hope you’ll take time to read through my description of the day’s events and enjoy all of the beautiful photos from Daniel Meigs. And so we begin…

On the morning of Saturday, June 12, I woke up to yet another fantastic breakfast. (Notice a pattern here? ) I enjoyed a delicious morning meal with my parents and then jumped in the tub, thankful my hair still looked decent from the rehearsal dinner the night before and that I was meeting my hair stylist at the church that morning to get coiffed.

I put on a comfy tank top and my favorite workout shorts (fashionable, I know), grabbed my makeup bag and my parents and I loaded my dress, my brooch bouquet and the rest of our wedding day accessories and items into the car. Off we were to The Factory.

At this point, it was probably around 10:15am and the weather was already unbearably hot. Thank goodness all of our events were indoors.

The rest of the day’s events unfolded perfectly and everyone arrived on time. Around 10:30am, my stylist, Lindsey from Natural Oasis in Nashville, started taming my mane into a lovely, swept back ‘do.

Thank goodness for Lindsey. The sheer thought of doing my hair all by myself for only the biggest day of my life…so far…completely stresses me…

Lindsey working her magic:

Anxious and calm…all at the same time.

If I haven’t shared already…my hair has a mind of its own. God bless Lindsey and her patience with my locks.

Next? Makeup time! My friend Anna is a freelance makeup artist. I knew I could trust her with the sultry, glamorous look I was going for and not feel like I’d been dipped head first into an inkwell. (You know what I mean. Tarantula lashes…black out to my ear.) I didn’t want to look like I was in costume…and I wanted my practically transparent, blonde eyelashes to pop and really be the focus of my makeup. It was really important that I looked like ME on my wedding day. Not like I was trying to be someone else. Anna hooked me up.

Lovely smoky eye.

Time to plump up the puny lashes. Yay for mascara!

Thanking Anna for a beautiful job well done. Anna had to scoot on down the road to prettify another bride!

I couldn’t have asked for better gals to help me get fancified for our walk down the aisle. If you’re looking for a fantastic hair stylist, ask for Lindsey at Natural Oasis. If you need sultry, smoky lashes, pretty, pouty lips or a polished natural look , get in touch with Anna! (Well, contact me first and I’ll give you her info.) *wink*

The next wedding recap will cover my beautiful wedding gown and will feature the two lovely ladies who made wearing this wedding dress possible. Don’t miss it!

Our wedding is officially 22 days away. (!!!!!!)

A little more than 2 weeks ago, we realized that our honeymoon plans for Destin may not have been such a good idea. After talking with several friends and watching the news, we decided that, thanks to good ol’ British Petroleum and their ever-expanding oil spill, our trip to Destin may not prove very enjoyable. (Believe it or not, I’ve never been to the beach as an adult. I know. Sheltered. I’ll be danged if I’m going to spend my honeymoon on an oil-covered beach!)

We canceled our plans just in the nick of time and decided that our new honeymoon destination would be Hilton Head, SC. Not only had neither of us ever been there, but we’re staying in a larger condo for an extra night and saving money! Way to go, Philip! (He’s been organizing honeymoon plans. Thank goodness. Brides, make sure you get your fiance involved. Seriously. There’s TOO much to do to NOT divide up the plans and responsibilities.)

So thanks to Philip, our honeymoon plans are back on track…and even better (and more cost-effective!) than they were before. YAY!

Here’s my latest honeymoon dress purchase! It was an absolute steal. I can never wear these dresses. They’re always too long on me. This one, however, fit perfectly.

If you’ve been to Hilton Head, I’d love to hear some tips/suggestions/recommendations for restaurants and such. We’ve never been, so any info is great.

Before I conclude today’s post…if you’re a local bride, make plans to check out the Kristen Steele Photography Launch Party! The event is this Saturday, May 22 at The Factory in Franklin (our wedding venue!) from 1pm-4pm. Kristen, your work is lovely! It sounds like one heck of a time! (I’m all about cupcakes.)  Here are the details:

Have a fantastic Thursday everyone! Talk with you tomorrow!

I have some exciting news for a lucky bride…if you’re in Tennessee and on Twitter…you could win a fantastic photography package from Chicago photographer Melissa Hayes!

The rules are simple:

- You must be planning a 2010 wedding.
- You cannot have a photographer booked already.

And entering the contest is simple:

Go to twitter.com/melissahfoto and follow her. Then post the following message:

@melissahfoto Tennessee Bride To Be!

See!? Easy-peasy! But don’t delay. The entry cutoff date is TOMORROW, Saturday, March 20.

To read more about why she’s giving away photography services, head over to her blog by clicking here.

Now get to it. Time is a-tickin’!

We have chosen a photographer! Thanks to an amazing referral from Sarah Elizabeth, I’m happy to announce that Daniel Meigs will be capturing all the amazing moments of our June wedding. Here’s a sneak peak at some of his incredible work:

To see more of Daniel’s lovely photos, go to http://danielmeigsweddings.com/

Or check out his blog – Wetsuit Waffle – at http://danielmeigs.blogspot.com/

Yayyy! Check photography off the list! So excited to work with Daniel. Thanks again Sarah!

I have all kinds of exciting wedding updates! We’re definitely making some progress in our wedding planning. Yay! Here’s the latest…

Invitations

We found them! Perfect colors. Amazing price! Check that one off the list.

Photography

Wow, Nashville is full of AMAZING photographers. Seriously. Go over to Google. Search “Nashville wedding photographer”. You will find oodles of incredibly talented, cutting-edge local photographers. Each will have a unique style, as every artist does. You’ll fall in love with one photographer’s portfolio, return to Google and then fall in love with the next.

We’ve finally whittled our list down to two and we’re hoping to decide this weekend.

Bridesmaids

My five beautiful bridesmaids have graciously accepted my invitation to be a part of our big day! These five fabulous females are each incredible ladies. Clearly. I will have full introductions of each one coming soon. I will first introduce Jill, my Maid of Honor, who has ALREADY been in contact with the other bridesmaids. They’re already exchanging details about a bridal shower and the bachelorette party! These girls are WITH it! So thankful for you gals.

Attire

I’ve already announced I’m wearing my mother’s wedding gown – which I think is just darn cool.

Last weekend Jill (MOH) came down to Nashville and we drove allll around town looking through dresses at our local bridal salons. I think we went to seven or eight…can’t remember. We browsed dresses from 10 am – 2 pm and I’m pretty sure Jill tried on about 20 dresses. Little did we know we could’ve stopped at the very first salon we visited. Pretty sure we’ve found the perfect bridesmaid dress! Don’t want to give away too many details yet…all I’m saying is Lazaro. It’s lovely. And comfortable. And knee length. And made of tissue taffeta. Agh! Can’t wait to share.

After a long day of running around playing dress-up, Jill and I went to Cheekwood Botanical Gardens & Museum of Art in Belle Meade for free day. (Many Nashville attractions have free days throughout the year…which is awesome!) Cheekwood is a beautiful historic estate that attracts many visitors and families throughout the year. It’s also the backdrop for many weddings and large events. They were actually setting up for a wedding in the back lawn when we were there. Here are some photos we took at Cheekwood:

Stay tuned for bridesmaid introductions!

I’ve totally added thegiggleBOOTH to my list of potential vendors. Our wedding guests would have a blast! Check it out:

I found out about the giggleBOOTH when Courtney, a photographer for the giggleBOOTH, left a comment here on my blog. They’re having a contest where they’re giving away two giggleBOOTH sessions – one  to a lucky bride and groom (could be Philip and I!) and the other to a non-wedding event. Learn more about the giggleBOOTH by clicking here. Make sure to tell them Krista sent you.

They get even more kudos because when I landed on their blog, I got to enjoy the fun song “Electric Feel” by MGMT – an amazing band I learned about from Philip.

Isn’t this photo stunning? I absolutely LOVE it. Such class. Such emotion. Yum. This is another lovely find I stumbled upon over at the Vintage Glam Blog.

I have so much more to share and talk about…I just need to find a few more minutes in the day! Hoping that will happen tonight. I PROMISE there’s more to come soon.