BABY MOON + 1ST YEAR WEDDING ANNIVERSARY TRIP

Jose and I were set to celebrate our first year wedding anniversary, but I am also 26 weeks pregnant. So we decided to take a baby moon and a wedding anniversary trip at the same time. For those that don’t know- a baby moon is a trip where new parents take a vacay together to enjoy their time together before the baby comes. We did however take our fur baby, Winter and we were so glad we did. 

During the pandemic we didn't want to travel too far, or require a location that we would have to get on a plane, so I pitched the Central Coast of California. It is where I went to college and where time “SLO”s down. San Luis Obispo and the surrounding area is filled with breathtaking beaches, vineyards, green landscape and of course amazing beef. 

We started off in Pismo Beach, then up to San Luis Obispo and finally ended up in Morro Bay. I’ll be sharing where we stayed, what we did and most importantly what we ate. You have to visit this gorgeous area and be sure to check out some of the recommendations we have. Can’t wait to go back in another 10 years, but with our growing family. 

PISMO BEACH

Where to Stay

We picked the Ocean Palms Motel. It is pet friendly and walking distance to the beach, shops and restaurants. They have beautiful, spacious rooms, a comfortable bed and upon arrival the room was sanitized. They have a pool, but we spent most of the time at the beach. Its a 2-3 block walk to anything.

What to do? 

The beach is right there! Tourists were lining up early for parking spots on the same street of our hotel, but we were lucky enough to just be able to walk . A lot has changed in the last 10 years I was there. The pier is filled with outdoor entertainments from jungle gyms, a slide, cornhole, and plenty of outdoor tables for seating. Restaurants and bars popped up and beautiful street art fills the alleyways. There are plenty of photo ops and a huge stretch of beach to be able to enjoy, but still keep socially distanced. 

Where to eat? 

Splash Cafe- where else would you dine when in Pismo? I don’t eat seafood, but I do eat clam chowda. Crowds line up day and night for this award winning dish and it didn't disappoint. Joe got the fish and chips and loved every crunch. Plenty of places feature oysters on the half shell - which are caught locally in the area. For breakfast though, you have to check out Surfside Donuts. The menu changes daily with specialty donuts like animal cookies, maple bacon and cookies cream. Don't forget the fritters- so delicious. There will be a line and they do sell out so line up early. 

SAN LUIS OBISPO

Where to Stay

This college town sIts inland from the touristy beaches and is a short drive from Pismo to the South or Morro to the North. We chose to stay at the beach and travel to SLO- Most of the hotels in the area accommodate prospective students or parents of attending students. If you want a special stay, the Madonna Inn is a short drive from SLO and has amazing decor and themed rooms. They are not pet friendly so we opted for an AirBnb a little north of SLO and instead just spent the day exploring the downtown area and campus.

What to do? 

Starting off in downtown, you can park anywhere and explore the streets. Shopping is plenty- from mom and pop shops ( sadly, a lot are now closed down from the pandemic) to your well-known brand stores you can find everything you need within 3 blocks. The food is great and restaurants, for the most part, have accommodated to outdoor seating. Tucked behind the streets you can find the San Luis Obispo Creek which is very peaceful and gives you a break from the “city life.” Don’t forget about Bubblegum Alley. Tucked away in the heart of downtown, decades of gum is stuck to the walls of a narrow alleyway. It is nostalgic for those that have attended school in the area and a sight to see for tourists. 

Next, we explored the college campus. Cal Poly got some major upgrades since I attended. Beautiful buildings, fancy student living and dining centers and new roadblocks to accommodate pedestrians. We explored Orfalea College of Business, where I spent many days and nights and then north of the campus took a hike to the Architectural Graveyard. This hidden gem is a nice long hike through Poly Canyon. You reach a large field filled with horses and amazing lifesize structures built by students them selves. We got some incredible drone shots and hiked back. The downtown streets, campus and the Poly Canyon hike was all dog friendly and wore us, and Winter out. 

Where to eat? 

For breakfast I highly recommend Louisa’s Place. We didn't go this time, but from what I remember and smelled as I passed by it is an incredible home cooked breakfast and brunch. The line was around the block for tables, but well worth the wait. We build up an appetite for Firestone Grill- the best tri-tip sandwiches in the area. The burgers and chicken tenders are good too, but when in Rome… We also opted in for some onion rings and they were delicious. Half for now and half for the later- the meat is so tender and juicy and the BBQ sauce is the perfect combo of sweet and tangy. I would also recommend Woodstock Pizza if you have a craving for pizza or are accommodating a large party. Also, if you didn't get to go to Pismo for chowda, there is another Splash Cafe location in SLO where you can get your fix. 

MORRO BAY

Where to Stay 

AirBnbs are the way to go. You get the privacy and amenities of your own place, plenty of parking and you can accommodate small to large travelers. Check in and communication was easy with the app to our host and the place was beautiful, spacious, well decorated and had a comfortable bed and couch. We did have to drive to get to the beach, but it was under 3 miles. 

What to do?

To the south is the marina featuring the famous Morro Bay Rock. To the north you can find miles of sandy beaches including where Winter had her most fun, a dog beach. This off-leash beach allowed her to chase waves and birds, run in the sand, and interact with other four legged friends like her. The fog was heavy and dense most of the trip and when I was hoping it was would burn off by morning, it actually stayed and cooled down the whole trip. One morning we took a drive to Montano De Oro- a state park featuring sand dunes, beaches and plenty of hiking and biking trails. We saw tons of wildlife - turkeys, deer, horse and cattle. Aside from more amazing drone shots, we took some spectacular maternity photos that we can treasure forever. 

Where to eat?

For breakfast/brunch we found this amazing place- Carla’s Country Kitchen. Call ahead to get your name on the list to cut back on the wait time. They have plenty of outdoor seating to accommodate parties of all sizes and are dog friendly. Their food was to die for. Delicious scrambles, hash and home fries was what we indulged in, but their pancakes, waffles and muffins looked just as good too. We are definitely returning back here on our next trip. For dinner we wanted to try a local pizza favorite- Pizza Port. We ordered to go and enjoyed a fire in our AirBnb, but the restaurant was beachy and stylish and accommodated outdoor seating too. The cheese was fresh mozzarella and you could taste it came from some happy cows. 

BONUS- STOP IN SOLVANG

The drive home allowed us to pass through one of my other favorite little towns- Solvang. Known for its Danish-style architecture, this amazing town features some great food and sightseeing. We stopped for breakfast at Mortensen’s Danish Bakery and had a cream cheese and chocolate almond danish. So buttery, light and flavorful- it was the best danish I have ever had. The entire city is also pet friendly with plenty of water bowls and treats given out by many business owners. After driving a few blocks to take in the architecture, it was back on the 101 to head home. 

I know this was a lengthy breakdown, and I still probably missed out on a few details, but we at least have these amazing photos and memories to look back on and share with our baby boy to come. He was there with us from the 8 hour car drive to the 8 hours of carb eating. I know he is going to love the beach, like his mom and his furry big sister. I can’t wait for family vacations just like I was blessed to take with my family growing up and the photos and stories that will come from them.

Once the Vlog is done, I will post it here.

Thanks for following along.

XoXo

Britt

OCTOBER FINAL FRIDAY FIVE FAVORITE FINDS - WEDDING EDITION

Thirteen days into being Mr and Mrs. Acevedo and I can say we have come down from the clouds just a bit to fill you all in on a few after the Big Day deets! Just like they said it would it happened so fast but SPOILER ALERT- it was perfect and I would not have changed anything about it. WIth that being said we wanted to recap and each highlight 5 magical moments from our day for our monthly edition of Five Favorite Finds.

BRITT’S FIVE

1. WALKING DOWN THE ISLE -What do I remember the most? Walking down the aisle to the beautiful voice of Danielle Durak and seeing my handsome husband to be with a gleam of light in his eye while side by side to my father who is nervously rushing me down the aisle- but it was magical and time stopped. I felt like a princess and when all eyes were on me- my eyes were on him and I will never forget that.

2. THE DRESS- I never was the bride who committed to a personal trainer or crazy dieting measures but after my final fitting I was a bit nervous on how it was fit- but the day off it was PERFECT and I even hesitated taking it off for my second outfit change of the night. You can read all about how I won the dress for free here.

3. I DIDN’T CRY - Now my cheeks sure do hurt from smiling so much (still to this day) but I didn’t shed a tear. I choked up during the vows - Jose’s and mine- but the tears never flowed. I was too happy too overjoyed too many great emotions to have anything come out. I was very nervous it was going to be a different story so this made the day even more perfect.

4. HAVING EVERYONE IN OUR HOME - I know that many amazing people will never be at our home under one roof at the same time again. I took in every moment to thank everyone for coming and making their experience up their with my own. A few times we stepped back to take it all in and I forever have mental photos of the dreamland venue we created that day. From the morning to the night friends and family were there to help out in so many ways and our house was flowing with love. I thank each and everyone of them.

5. JOSE’S RING -Not only is his ring gorgeously hand made in Santa Cruz CA from Ebony Wood and laid with Turquoise and Lapis Lazuli but it also symbolizes his vows. They were personal and funny but also serious and sentimental and with that ring I promised to honor mine and his. After months of research I found it on etsy and every purchase plants 5 trees in the Amazon.

JOSE’S FIVE:

1. BRITT’S VOWS - Hearing and seeing Brittany’s vows. Nothing will ever replace that moment. I think I will remember that moment most of all. I can definitely say I fell in love all over again. Combine all that with the fact that she looked stunning, it holds the number one slot.

2. MOTHER / SON DANCE - The mother/son dance was hard for me. We chose a song that I will always remember my mom by. She and I are definitely close and hearing it in that moment made me cry so much. So for all that mushy gushy-ness it is number two. You can access our wedding playlist here.

3. THE VENUE - The alter/entire backyard transformation was mind blowing. We turned our entire back yard into the perfect venue. Our wedding planner worked her butt off to make everything perfect, and surprised us all with her speediness on the altar setup. If you take all the hard work with the entire transformation it equals to my number three moment.

4. FATHER OF THE BRIDE’S SPEECH-The speech that Brittany’s dad gave made me really take in how much the family means to me. I sometimes forget that I’m adding much more than JUST Brittany into my life. I truly was moved by his words and his openness. This fit right in as number four in my moments.

5. CEREMONY LIVE STREAM - My last pick but definite solid moment was our cool live stream we were able to accomplish. We really tried our hardest to make this moment available for everyone to enjoy. We were saddened when certain family members couldn’t make it due to illness. Having this live stream made it easy for them to access and see it. It really gave both of us ease of mind. This made for a really top 5 moment.

These are (some) fave photos from cell phones on the day of. I cannot wait to share the talented Katrina’s finished images soon. BUT- It’s not over ! One more thing I am grateful for is taking a break between Wedding and Honeymoon. This one will be one for the books too! Can’t wait to share Mexico City with the Acevedo’s !

XoXo

Britt

FINDING ARIZONA WEDDING PLANNING: MONTHS 5-0 TIMELINE

Seven days till Im a Mrs. It is slowly hitting me this week as we inch closer. From the sad songs on the radio to the final decisions to starve myself to fit perfectly into my dress, we are in the final days and everything is coming together- Duh! Here are some of the hiccups and highs from the last 5 months of planning the Finding Arizona Wedding.

Month 4

MAID OF HONOR DUTIES: I was blessed to have my best friend and maid of honor come out for a few dates in July to hang out, catch up and start her first projects as MOH. Stamping invites was first on the list (and of course photographing the drop off). Next she was able to provide a great resource to a caterer- which you can read all about this spectacular meal here. Most importantly she was able to give me some peace of mind and a few laughs. Plus we mastered the Lavender Lemonade Cocktail- YUM!

POOL PUMP AND SHED: After fighting a green pool for over a year I was over it! I was spending more in chemicals every week to keep up with all the dead pine needle debris. One day I went into Leslie’s Pool and they laughed at me because our pool pump model was older than I am; we decided then a replacement was needed. We also demoed the fencing around and constructed a new one. Learning how to anchor 4x4s x12s and build a custom gate brought Jose and I even closer together.

AISLE RUNNERS AND TABLE DECOR: When it came to decorating our aisle and tables we wanted something simple and most importantly repurposeful. I sourced clay pots for a while but we were finally able to start painting and decorating them. The pots range from 7 inch to 1 inch and after we painted them all white Jose and I custom decorated each one. I could not be more proud of how they turned out especially knowing we individualized every pot.

Month 3

WEDDING PLAYLIST: We finalized our amazing wedding playlist and shared an entire blog post on our inspiration and how you can get your ear on it here. But since then we have broke down even further into 3 categories. We are already jamming to these tunes on a daily and will continue after.

CUSTOM CORN HOLE: WOW! Okay- you know how my love language is gifts ? When I one of the presents I received for my 30th was a custom corn hole set and it is gorgeous! Mr and Mrs is hand-written along with the date of our wedding. My parents worked so hard and you can see their love in the craftsmanship.

LAYING THE SOD: I can officially say I know what it takes and HOW to lay sod! It is work- no joke. We ordered 960 ft2 and in 1 day had the grass down! All because we prepped like crazy. From tilling to prep the sprinkler system to evenly leveling out the ground to sprinkle manure and get the sod on in a particular pattern and patted down to perfection. My favorite part was the grass where Jose and I will say our “I Do’s” was placed with our 4 hands- together.

Month 2

POOL DECK REDO : After finishing the sod and the deck and the pergola and the gorgeous herringbone wall and the pool shed what stood out the most- in the worst way- was the deck around he pool. Every photo it takes center stage and something needed to be done. Thankfully my amazing parents sacrificed a weekend to come power wash and scrape for two days then re-caulk and repaint all 450 ft2 around the pool. It is stunning! After two coats of paint- that took a village to research we are so proud!

HAIR AND MAKEUP TRIALS:I am so lucky to have found a very talented makeup artist- Lois of the Hey Lo Company . She is not only skilled at what she does but she is also developing her own line of products launching 2020! I cannot wait to see what she does in the valley with her amazing efforts! Her contouring was my favorite- my makeup lasted all day- even through sweating painting a pool deck. Her talented sister did my hair and copied a pinterest photo to a T! I cannot wait to share more photos the day of.

Month 1

WHITE MARBLE: Seven days before the wedding and we will be finishing up our final project- the sprinkles on top - the rock! Of course like everything else in this project nothing comes easy. I love my handsome soon to be husband but he underestimated the square footage of rock we would need and after we both watched 2 tons get dumped into our driveway we were on the phone again with Red Canyon Supply to order more. Apparently white marble is a popular rock because it took over a week for us to be able to reorder some more. Thankfully we now have 6 more tons to work with and can finish up just in time!   

CAKE : One of my biggest fears days before the wedding is vendors not coming through. I lose sleep over it and unfortunately it happened to us. We held off on selecting a baker for so long. We got quotes from $50 to $450 and after taking a chance on a young baker one week before were re-evaluating the cake because unfortunately our baker has “allergies.” I think the only thing he is allergic to is a work ethic.

MARRIAGE LICENCE: With everything else going on we almost forgot to get a marriage license. Thankfully our planner reminded us and we booked an appointment at the County Clerk’s Office. We now have a fancy piece of paper that makes it feel a little more real.

I am almost able to count the days on one hand and the last minute details are coming in. We are approving the timeline with our planner and scheduling the rehearsal dinner and somehow finding time to dust the floors and clean the bathrooms all in time for the guests to arrive. Oh yeah- I have to make sure to exfoliate 3 times this week to have the best skin! And sleep? What’s that?

XoXo

Britt

IS PLANNING A WEDDING STRESSFUL?

The wedding stress is here. It hit me like a ton of bricks one day. I just started counting the weekends because working full time jobs that’s all you have. Weekends. I started sweating just going outside to work on a few things in the yard and then I started crying. I don’t want to turn into this Bridezilla, but this is honestly not fun anymore and I started to ask why are we doing all this? I never fantasized about the day, the dress, the music let alone the invites, the guest lists and the thank you cards. I only envisioned falling in love and then happily ever after just begins.

I am a habitually optimistic person. I know that everything will work out and if it’s doesn’t, then it’s okay, but I need to preface this pessimistic rant. I was honest with my partner and I said I haven’t lost sight of us, it’s just blurry underneath all this wedding chaos. I am thankful for the full support of friends and family, but I wanted to take a blog post to get raw and release some of my stress. And so I can look back at this in a few months and say “whoa” that’s all over! Also any brides past, present or future may be able to relate.

The Knot put together an article called: “Signs You're Too Stressed Over Wedding Planning—and How to Fix It.”

I answered yes to all five.

1. You're using all of your lunch breaks to do wedding-related tasks and errands. For me, essentially, answering emails and sending DMs every few hours not just on my “lunch break” is part of my daily routine. For example, I went back and forth on cakes, and I planned on Italian wedding cookies, but when I started comparing cake prices I almost had a heart attack. We are still in the mix of finding the best and most cost effective cake, we are also learning that this is a money making industry!

2. It's straining your relationship with your partner (and they keep suggesting eloping). I keep suggesting eloping, lol. But, it’s not just one day! We chose to get married and our house and invest in us in so many ways so in years from now we can stand in our yard, under our tree and say, “We got married right here.”

3. You start questioning all of your decisions. I always have done this, so wedding planning isn’t any different. You know that meme where the guy is asking the girl “what do you want for dinner” and she can’t decide? I thought that was bad, until we started picking a caterer for the wedding. Selecting pasta I assumed, easy, quick, fairly cheap. WRONG! After tested a few local restaurants the Italian in me was not satisfied so here we are, testing a few more.

4. You procrastinate on the tasks that really need to get done. Sorry Paige, I saw your email that said “some bakers will consider this short notice and charge a rush fee.” This was right about when the anxiety kicked in.

5. It stops being fun. When I had my breakdown I realized it was not fun. But, after reconnecting with who and what are important, grabbing some power tools to build something and working on a small project together, I found myself smiling and counting down the days again.

So here we are, 3 months out and a million things left on the list. But through all the stress I see the love and can’t wait to call the man who makes all this cloudy weather sunny my husband!

XoXo

Britt

SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL INVITES BY DESIGN SQUEEZE

I got a text two days ago saying, “I got your wedding invitation!! So beautiful! Just like you.” BEAUTIFUL is exactly the word I would use to describe these custom watercolor invitations by Design Squeeze. From the custom watercolor agave to the classically, clean info sheet, these invitations are everything we wanted and more!

I discovered Design Squeeze through The Honey Book, like so many amazingly talented creatives we have worked with. I found out her name was also Brittany, and after scheduling a meet up at Copper Star Coffee, we saw how passionate she was and loved her open arms to work with us! Our meet and greet was getting to know her and her journey of transitioning from a side hustle to full time business owner and also venturing into the blessed world of motherhood. She met our puppy, Winter, and went through the timeline of the process: questionnaire, design, edits, production. What seemed like so long, is here now!

The process of working with Brittany at Design Squeeze is seamless. Her online web portal started us off with a questionnaire covering everything from favorite fonts and colors, to things to avoid. We had a fun time asking ourselves what we saw for our dream invites, browsing through Pinterest and clipping magazine examples. Getting our first draft back was as exciting as a Christmas morning. Always seeing what a designer envisions from your suggestions is my favorite part of the process. Brittany did a great job capturing our style in 2 very unique and different ways at first. Design 1, although I loved, did present more of a feminine feel with the pink colors and curvy fonts. Design 2 took my breath away. From the simple watercolor to the classic black and white feature card, I was smiling from ear to ear.

Each edit and proof was so easy to navigate and communicate. Within days the edits were made and Brittany was more than open to suggestions to ensure it was exactly what we wanted for our special day. When it came time to sample paper, I left it up to the the expert herself and when she hand delivered them to us I was nearly in tears.

This new mommy, who was gifted a beautiful healthy baby girl in this time frame also stuffed all of the envelopes! She truly is the best! All that was left was stamp and seal!

Browsing though the gram one day I saw an advertisement for custom stamps from stamps.com. Our face on a stamp? I thought I had to be famous for that! It was a great way to add another personal touch to our invites. We ordered 2 different types for the invites and RSVPs. Just in time, the maid of honor showed up for a weekend in the desert when the stamps arrived! We organized, sealed and sipped coffee one morning, then off to the post office for a photo shoot worth getting honked at.

My two favorite things about the invites are how perfect each piece is as a stand alone, but also how it comes together to complete the suite beautifully. These are extras we can keep as momentas forever. My second favorite is one of the things I was most nervous about addressing:
Dress Code & No Children. We love your kids, but keep them home. We want everyone to feel safe, relaxed and comfortable. We have a pool. We have drinks. Enjoy 1 night without the littles. AND wear Black and White ONLY. We want the whole party to feel apart of the “party.” Simple, classic and clean. Dont make me give you a Goodwill back up at the door.

It is not the end of our journey with Design Squeeze. We, of course, will be having Brittany on for a full episode on the Finding Arizona Podcast so everyone can learn about her amazing talents and why you want to work with her to from anything from invites to custom stationary to prints and signs! You can learn more and send Brittany a message for her services at designsqueeze.com and we will see some of you in a few months.

Looking forward to getting back your RSVP’s

XoXo

Britt

FINDING ARIZONA WEDDING PLANNING: MONTHS 8-5 TIMELINE

Wow! We are less than 6 months out from “I Do” ‘s, so it is time for a recap on the last few months and how we have been preparing for the preparations. These passed few months my menality went from planning a wedding to planning the best damn party and wait till you ready what we got cooking!

Month 8

INVITATIONS : After finalizing our guest list and organizing everything via spreadsheets, its time to invite! We are fortunate to be partnering up with Design Squeeze! We met Brittany through the Honey Book and after having coffee, hearing her story, and connecting on so many levels we began production. After a few proofs and such a streamline editing process we are headed to production. I will be sharing a full blog post on our invites and the amazing process of working with Design Squeeze on the blog very soon.

HOME PROJECTS : We began tackling some outdoor projects starting with a custom 14’ x 18’ deck! Jose’s dad and business partner took 3 days and installed a gorgeous deck right off our back patio. It is Jose and I’s turn to sand and stain next! Also, I started and completed my wall! Completely repurposed pallet wood and designed a herringbone feature wall. You can read about the entire process on the blog now!

PLANNER MEETING: We had a follow up meeting with Paige of Front Paige Events to talk timeline and the next steps! We were told we were ahead of schedule. I laid out my vision board and we game planned how to turn dream into realities. We also laid out EVERYTHING we have started stock piling up, glass ware, table covers, tree stumps. She opened up my eyes to questions I didnt even think about. Like what would be in the line of sight during the ceremony photos and how to reset the space amongst the chaos. She has been a pleasure to work with and up next is picking out a caterer and she graciously invited us over for take out and taste testings, more to come on that!

Month 7

WEDDING WEBSITE: After getting engaged I was bombarded with ads to create your own site, link your registry, and download this app. I was not onboard for any of this. Instead we began creating our own website through the FInding Arizona page! First, I googled top wedding websites and screenshotted some of my favorites. Then we recreated it. We not only wanted to give the basics: location, registrations and where to stay, but we also wanted to highlight the amazing vendors we have a pleasure of working with. It officially went live and you can check it out here. We share places we LOVE in Phoenix and will be adding details throughout the entire wedding planning process.

HAIR AND MAKEUP: I found another amazing partnership with Lorissa Kyle through the Honey Book! She goes by What Lois Likes and not only is she a phenomenal MUA she is also developing her only line of cosmetics! I have been pinning inspos on my board you can check out here. We will be meeting up soon and talking details of trials.

Month 6

MUSIC : They don’t call me DJBJ for nothing and yes, I will be DJing our wedding. No, not like that. BUT I am curating an amazing Spotify playlist to capture tunes for all audiences to groove to. You can follow the playlist here. We are taking requests now and will be adding as the time gets closer.

CUSTOM JEAN JACKET: One of the pins I was obsessed over recreating was the custom denim jacket with “Mrs.” and Roman Numerals of the wedding date. Ask and I shall receive. Thanks to my amazingly talented soon to be mother in law, she made my pinterest board come to life. I, of course found the black denim jacket at the goodwill bins paying no more than $1.15 for it. I sent her photos for inspo and days later it was in my hands. I cannot wait to take some stunning photos in it on the big day. Who wears a jean jacket over a couture gown? A girl who will be stylishly cold on her wedding day.

Month 5

BLOCK WALL: As I mentioned in the last timeline post, our budget primarily went to our venue/our house- and first priority was removing our chain link fence and replacing it with a block wall. Over the last year we have a handful of contractors come by give us quotes and after meeting with Dan from Toro Construction and of course loving his prices we decided to go with their team. Four days and minimum of four guys per day went to work and completed the goal! By the end of the clean up I never thought I could love my house even more than I did, but wow, what a difference. I feel like I finally live in the Castle I deserve to be in.

We did not expect this much rain this reason and it has pushed back some projects that we are looking to tackle ASAP! Also, we are thriving with the podcast making sure to stay consistent in episodes and even planning out very own LIVE Create Your Own Podcast Event, teaming up with The Forum, an amazing co working space in Chandler!

XoXo

Britt

I SAID YES TO WINNING MY DRESS

Every wedding story has a wedding dress story and I have been waiting to share this one with you all! Time to tell you all the tale of how I said “Yes” to my dress, well winning it!

My story starts back in 2007 when I took a trip to San Francisco with my show choir for a competition. In between seeing the city and singing and dancing our hearts out, we took part in some retail therapy. I was determined to get my prom dress for that senior year and San Fran was going to be the place. I found Jessica McClintock’s altier and knew that was the place! The dress I fell in love with was long, white, classic and clean. I was obsessed with it and wore it that year to the prom! Because of my infatuation and the price, and possibly the style, my family joked it would be my wedding dress someday. But the running joke turned into reality.

In 2017, nearly 10 years later, I got engaged and when I thought about planning my wedding and searching for the right dress, I thought- look no further, you already have it! It still fits and it’s in the budget. UNTIL……

One day, while rummaging through the clearance center of Goodwill I found it! A wedding dress! Lace, tool, chiffon, pearls, crystals, it had it all and was my size! I snagged it up and weighed it out to be $15! WOW What a steal! So the plan changed, now this was my dress! Although, it needed to be altered, and wasn’t my style, I was going to pull a Tim Gunn and “Make it Work.” UNTIL……

I came across a post on instagram advertising a wedding dress giveaway! Priscilla Ornelas from the Mathew Blades Morning Show posted on her page a competition she was hosting to give away a dress that no longer fit her! You can see the post here. She had her dress altered too small and needed to find a new home for it, but wanted it to go to the right bride. We had to share our story with Priscilla, and this is what I shared:

First off let me say how beautiful the dress is! Now let me share my story.
I got engaged December of last year to the love of my life. And I truly agree with you on having the “one” be the most supportive. He proposed to me after his grandparents 50th wedding anniversary on the beach of Puerto Rico where half his fam is from. His other half is Native American and we met in Arizona. We are entrepreneurs who have a passion for making each other better. We bought a house in April and are planning a wedding all in the same year. Our house needs renovations and I have never been the dream planner so a wedding budget is non existent. We’re spending $8K on a block wall because we’re getting married in our backyard. With all this said there’s no budget for a dress. I joked in Highschool my expensive prom dress would be my white wedding gown and here I am 12 years later actually considering wearing it. I have never been the type of girl who had her dream wedding planned out in fact, I am happy going to a court house because it’s the union that matters, but seeing your face in “the dress” I mean there’s a show called “say yes” because it has to bring a magical moment to any bride! And it’s a magical moment I would feel honored to feel and share with the love of my life forever. On 10/12/19 I will marry the love of my life Jose Acevedo the backyard of our historic home in midtown Phoenix rain or shine prom dress or dream.

A few days later, in line at a drive thru, I yelled “I won!” Like the old man in the end of Vegas Vacation who pretends to die, “I won, the money is mine!” I was so excited. When I picked up the dress that week from the station tears were flowing. You can see that reaction here.

I immediately went home and tried it on. No moms, no maid of honor, no one, just me, and I cried tears of joy because I felt that same feeling all the girls on that show do. It does truly exist. You can see from my self timing photos bellow, I wanted to capture this first moment. Months later, I tried it on again with my soon to be mother in law and actually buttoned it all the way up! Aside from the donuts I need to say no to and the squats I need to add to my routine, it fits great, but every bride will say she has a few LBs to lose, myself included. I can’t wait to actually get some stunning photos in this dress and knock the socks off my husband to be when he sees me coming down the aisle in this beauty.

Now that I am in tears again sharing this story I hope it heart a heart string to you that things will always work out if you put out what you want back.

XoXo

Britt.

FINDING ARIZONA WEDDING PLANNING: MONTHS 12-9 TIMELINE

Alright, its time! A wedding planning post! I know… long overdue, but I promise we have been putting in work behind the scenes. We are not planning your average wedding. I am sure you have heard others say that in the passed, but I’ll break down the traditional chronological wedding planning timeline and show you we are putting our FInding Arizona spin on it!

Month 12

ANNOUNCE & SET A DATE: Our engagement was in Dec 2017 and you can read the post all about it here. We did not set a date right away as we wanted to enjoy the engagement and take out time. After buying a house / our venue we set the date for October because in Arizona you get Spring or Fall Weddings. So 12 months prior to the “I do’s” our friends and family had already heard the announcement.

CHOSE PRIORITIES & SET A BUDGET: We are fortunate to have the wedding venue taken care of because I have always dreamed of a backyard wedding and could never justify spending tens of thousands of dollars on one day when you can invest it into the rest of your lives! But, our backyard has a ways to go before it’s featured in Phoenix Home and Garden Magazine. We call our situation unique to our wedding planner because when she wants to talk budget, we want to talk home rennos! Our biggest purchase for the event will be the block wall we will be installing in the next few months!

PLANNER & THEMES: Our wedding planner is Paige of Front Paige Events and we couldn’t be more fortunate. She is detail oriented, determined and of course a Finding Arizona Podcast Alumni! You can listen to our episode with Paige here. She is sending us emails to keep us on track and when we have meetings with vendors she has questions prepared for us. She is amazing! Speaking of questions, one thing we are figuring out is how to word our theme on our invites! No children - I love them, but this is an adult ONLY party and Black and White Attire ONLY- we want everyone part of the wedding party!

Month 11

CREATE AN INSPO BOARD: I already shared that I was never the type who had this day already planned out. I don’t dream of a fairy tale wedding and when I switched my mind from planning a wedding to planning the best party ever, things became fun! I am constantly adding pins to my board which you can follow here. But, after meeting with a medium she said I need to see what I want everyday to manifest it! So I printed out my pins and took it old school with a vision board- constantly adding things!

DRAFT A GUEST LIST: I feel like I should do an entire post about this because WOW! Between asking for lists from the parents and us figuring out how many we can fit in our backyard without ordering a port a john we solidified on 75 including ourselves and the vendors! We know we will break hearts sending out the invites!

Month 10

BOOK A PHOTOGRAPHER: With the unbelievable support from this community and this beautiful group called the Honey Book we found Matt Vivanco of MVivanco Photography! We met over brunch getting to know him and sharing our story! We know for sure he will be more than our photog, but a true friend!

HAVE ENGAGEMENT PHOTOS TAKEN: We have done so many great shoots with photographers from the podcast that we have sessions of engagement photos to choose from. Starting with a couples boudoir shoot we did before we were even engaged With Katrina Call and from an engagement shoot with a photographer who flew out from Ohio to shoot a wedding and needed some real life models! But on of my favorites are the photos featured in this post are from Jen Jenkins. You can hear the entire episode here.

Month 9

START SHOPPING FOR THE WEDDING DRESS: Okay, I promise this will be my next post because let me just say I WON IT & it is everything I could never imagine!

BUILD YOUR GIFT REGISTRY: Being homeowners has allowed us to start filling up our gift registry from day 1. Power tools, kitchen gadgets, even furniture! We have an amazon list going and everytime we think of something we need we add it to the registry!

Weekdays are spent sending emails and prepping for weekends. Weekends are spent pulling weeds and scheduling meet up with vendors. We are enjoying the journey and I love being able to share it with you all. Looking forward to months 8-5 !

XoXo

Britt

HOW HE ASKED

He knew for an entire year when, but not how. I knew for an entire month if, but not when.

In December of 2017 America and Jose were celebrating their 50th Wedding Anniversary and the whole family was to be in attendance. Cousins, brothers, aunts, and uncles were to fly to San Juan, Puerto Rico to celebrate the original love that brought their family together. We bought our plane tickets a year in advance and that is when he knew, this would be a perfect opportunity to bring more love into his family. 

About 1 month before the trip, Jose and I were returning from a late night food run and he dropped something from his pocket while reaching for his keys. The noise was so delicate and metalic so I picked it up and mentioned he had one of my rings. He nervously answered he must have been playing with it and picked it up on accident. 

About a week before the trip, my business partner and best friend demanded I get my nails done before the trip. So when I put 2 + 2 together........ #iknew

The entire flight his stomach was a nervous wreck, but I thought normal for him. The day of we had an argument, but I thought its just me bring pre-mensies. Saturday, Dec 16, 2017 was the day to celebrate 50 years of marriage be renewing vows at the Catholic Church, then family photos on the beach.  After photos Jose and I took a long walk on the beach that made my first day butterflies of seeing this tall, handsome, tan man for the first time come back all over again. "That can't eat, can't sleep, reach for the stars, over the fence, world series kind of love." 

We took a limo ride from a Puerto Rican catholic church to a private beach. I ran to the sand to look for shells and when the rest of the family arrived I grabbed the camera to take photos. Before I knew it Jose's dad, grabbed the camera from me and I was swept away on the last single walk of my life. 

It all happened so fast....He asked me to make him the happiest man ever and marry him. He got down on one knee, 100 yards away from his entire family, 1 hour after his grandparents re-expressed their ever lasting love for one another, and I said "Of course!"

UNWEDDING

While researching for this blog I wanted to find inspiration from other bloggers sharing their engagement story. Please help me if you have found one, but I can only find companies that blog about other couple’s engagement shoots and big days. I want a first person narrative of the struggles to trust during one of the craziest times in a couple’s life. I want to hear about the journey, the tears of joy and stress, his perspectives and hers.

The Finding AZ Engagement is a chapter I want to share about my journey from Miss to Mrs. Why do we feel the need to rush to the “I Do’s” when we need to learn to enjoy the present moment.

I had a conversation with my fiance yesterday about the pressures of our WEDDING. I have to capitalize it because the connotation of that word is different per person. He is the oldest grandson of his family and oldest son and the pressure for a WEDDING was felt the second the ring went on my finger. I am an only child and don’t know what should be “expected” from the Bride’s family, or let alone myself, the Bride.

When Jose and I went to visit my family for Christmas my uncle made a joke about a dowry, asking Jose to prepare his family chickens and goats. We all laughed, but their is truth to that humor.

Some cultures don’t even get to meet their significant other till their ceremony date, some cultures trade livestock upon union, the extremities continue….

So before I read another list of what to expect, or contemplate creating checklist before the wedding day I chose an Unwedding Wedding. Why do I have to wait till 3 months before "the day"  to decide what cake I want to eat, or 2 months before till I write my vows? I am going to have a piece of chocolate cake and tell Jose how much I love him tonight and every night till the wedding and every night after.