FINALLY! FOOD TASTING!

I recently rediscovered a show on TLC called “Four Weddings” where 4 brides attend each other’s weddings and rate the food, dress, and overall experience. Rewatching it really made me think about the food served at a wedding as a bigger deal than I was picturing. Surprising, I know coming from such a foodie! But after planning this for almost a year we just recently locked in the BEST menu you will ever taste at a wedding.

Our food style was easy to pick! We wanted pasta! We both love Italian food; spaghetti can be easy on the budget and everyone loves carbs! At first our catering suggestions were the basics and after tasting a few I was not impressed. The sauce was too watery, the prices were too outrageous for the product and the menu was not what we envisioned. After almost resorting to an Italian chain restaurant for catering, I asked my Maid of Honor for another duty, help me find a caterer! It took her 2 seconds to suggest a person. Chris is a family member of a close friend. (He is practically family because he has spent some time with us at OTL, lol.) He works in the valley alongside some award winning chefs at top restaurants. We have run into him at music festivals and he has suggested some amazing places to brunch. But when I reached out for catering suggestions from him, what I was not expecting was offering his own services.

We invited Chris over to talk details and run through the space with him. He has experience catering events himself, but this will be his first wedding. After discussing budget and menu we set up a tasting.

First:

Fregola Salad – Fresh Fregola pasta mixed with zucchini, tomatoes, basil, and roasted pine nuts topped with parm. My mouth is watering just talking about this dish again. From the warm pine nuts against the cold salad and the sweetness of the tomatoes contrasting the sharpness of the parmesan cheese- I could eat just this and be content.

Second:

Spaghetti and Pancetta Meatballs. Perfectly cooked al dente pasta with a fresh tomatoes sauce is the base, but what really makes this dish pop are the meatballs. Combo pork and beef the pancetta in the meatballs takes it to another level.

Third:

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Mushroom Butter Sauce and Fried Sage- Yes, fried sage! That touch was our favorite because it really does correlate with our theme. First the sweetness of the butternut squash hits your tastebuds and melted butter with fresh mushrooms is the meat of this dish, but wait- the crunch of the sage it a perfect touch. Oh my yum!

We decided on a buffet style dinner, no formal serving and seconds are encouraged! That is how our family does it so why would we change? We skipped the fine china and ordered plastic plates. Sorry not sorry for the tasteless touch but we want easy clean up, budget friendly and more importantly, no glass around the pool.

 This is the breakdown of the dinner provided by Chef Chris Andrade.

 Looking forward to the large charcuterie board, mustache pretzels and mezcal tastings!

Who’s excited?

XoXo Britt

411 ON RSVPS

I discovered a new podcast from the Betches Media Group called Betches Brides. This could not have aired at a more perfect time. Nine episodes have been released but the one that stands out to me the most is episode 7: “Who TF Gets A Plus One.” This got us thinking about our own invite list and how much shenanigans goes into the guest list after we thought it was finalized. I related to some of the stories in the episode and with 4 days till our RSVP’s are due and only receiving 1/3 of them we decided this was our next blog topic.

Our beautiful invitations were designed and printed by Design Squeeze and you can read all about our amazing experience and how we settled on the final draft here. We are also in production on a video sharing with our friends and family who we were not able to invite or cannot attend that we will be sharing the ceremony live. But we also wanted to address that we are choosing a very intimate number to celebrate with and this even to this day is hard to get that message out.

When we designed our RSVP’s we had a strategy. There were 2 simple things we did: Address it directly to whom we invited and leave 2 lines to be filled out on the RSVP’s for no additional entries. After hearing about a story on the Betches Bride’s podcast that someone added an additional plus one to their lines I was appalled- then it happened to us. I called up my amazing wedding planner to figure out how to go about the situation and she even offered to handle it herself that is how much of a super woman she is!

Another topic brought up in the episode was guests not sending RSVP’s back or simply just texting a photo of their response. BOTH of these have happened to us as well. As a virgo I appreciate organization. In fact we have at least 2 spreadsheets for out guest list / invites and when I have to remember if someone texted me or just told me they were coming it slips to one of the last things on my mind.

Finally as the episode is appropriately titled I genuinely do ask: Who TF gets a plus one? In what world did people learn they can add lines or put “Dont know who Im bringing but count me as 2” ? We are less than a month a way (appropriately when invites are due) and as mentioned we have received 1/3 of them. Do people just think because they got an invite and have the info we are expecting them? Planning a wedding is a business clearly and when you don’t know who to expect how do you plan to feed and seat everyone?

We don’t have a B list or room for adjusting one “declined” RSVP to open up and mail out another invitation. We are not looking to fill a football squad here. Jose and I are sharing a very intimate moment with some of our closest friends and family. We know not everyone can make it and we hope everyone else knows we can’t invite the whole world. When families start counting chairs and calculating percentages and asking for the fifth time if we invited aunt so and so this is when Jose and I rely on each other to not go crazy.

In conclusion if you have not sent us your RSVP and you have received one please do so now! If you have encountered any RSVP crazy stories please share! I know I am not the only one!

Thank you for reading and I truly hope no one was offended in sharing this.

XoXo

Britt

AUGUST FINAL FRIDAY FIVE FAVORITE FINDS - SATURDAY EDITION

August is my birthday month! This was a mile stone- the big THREE OH! Im feeling older and wiser and sore all from laying 1000 square feet of sod in our yard. Time is flying and that means the wedding timeline is too! Here are the 5 things that Joe and I indulged in between podcasts, wedding planning, home rennos, and work.

BRITT’S FIVE

1. PRESENTS - It is my love language. Not sure what that means you can read the blog about it here . For my 30th birthday my parents gifted me 30 presents! It was amazing: from lotions to snacks to clothes to a custom painted Frida guitar and Wedding Corn Hole set. I am grateful for all the love on my birthday!

2. CAR HUMIDIFIER- Yes- I am boujee. Not only do I recomend sleeping with a humidifier with a few drop of essential oil but you need to put one in your car too! It not only calms and refreshed you but also your car. I keep a waterbottle to refill and usually keep lemongrass and peppermint to drop in for my commutes. Here is the one I got on amazon!

3. MORNING RUNS- Finally the weather is nic(er) to wake up and roll out of bed to pop on my running shoes and hit the canal. Just a short jog but enough to count and keep me motivated to do several times a week.

4. SAGE AUBREY- I am finally part of the Sage Squad! Sage Aubrey is a phenomenal designer, motivating mother and an overall beautiful inside and out human being! I have been eyeing her bags since before I met her and now I am the proud owner of the MINI HELLA NAVY. Catch her around town with me holding everything I need to get through my day.

5. MEXICAN REFRIED BEANS - Im the most non-mexican mexican you’ll meet. I eat tortillas and beans and tacos a few times a week. For me, everyday is taco tuesday! While I was blessed to have my family in town this week my mom taught me how to make refried beans from scratch. I am going to save the recipe for a Finding Arizona Kitchens Blog post and you will not want to miss that one!

JOSE’S FIVE:

1. VEME.LY- Everybody wants to have content that has captions below it nowadays. When you have a little time to edit the captions into your videos this app will be a timesaver. Where it lacks most is that you do have to pay a subscription but for the price and the time saved it is up to you whether or not you use this tool to its finest.

2. SMOOTHIES- Always healthy and always delicious this drink is always going to be stable for my morning or my afternoon. I’ve recently tried more and more kinds of smoothies at home and at my local smoothie shop. (Smoothie King).

3. VITAL PROTEINS - Alongside my smoothies, I put this protein in to help give it an extra kick. Brittany has drawn concerns about collagen so I choose this mix in particular because I wanted to try something different. We both enjoy because of the ability to put it in any smoothie or drink we want.

4. SUCCESSION-The new season of the HBO series has come out and simply WOW!!! If you haven’t caught on yet, you need to. Every character is uniquely situated in this season to take out everyone. At the same time, there are family and family ties under all the tension.

5. BOOGIELO (SUNSET CRUISE)- Our most recent musical guest put out a new album for the summer. And this episode we talked about how much these guys are working to try and get their voices together. In this album, you’ll start to hear the blend of their work. The other thing that I am so excited about is the lyrics that still question a lot of things around them. They have a ton of potential and I can only see them going up further from here.

September is Jose’s Buirthday Month! Keeping up the “Happy 30th Birthday” decor and getting ready to celebrate another year of greatness.

XoXo

Britt

30 THINGS I LEARNED BEFORE TURNING 30

I am officially in the the #30 club. And honestly it has been 24 hours of work! If this is what getting old is then I don’t want to grow up. I wanted to put this post up before the big day but it came so quick!

It started with laying 960 square feet of sod in our backyard. Then an amazing Sunday BBQ with family opening 30 presents consecutively had to have been my favorite part. Then the day of I worked as a typical adult would and today the day after put in a 12+ hour day. But in the spirit of many of the rules of this post I learned so much and wanted to share 30 that stand out to me and I look to practice everyday into my next 30 (and many more) years.

Also what is a birthday post without a fun photo shoot. Thank you Jose for making my mermaid dreams come true for a moment

30 THINGS I LEARNED BEFORE TURNING 30

1. How to use power tool and build something. They may be build primarily for righties but I love learning how to use a machine and creating something from it!

2. Dogs are not that scary. It it the owner that is and I feel in love with one we adopted last year named Winter.

3. I am an introvert. I chose staying in over going out and binging a show verses bar hoping any day of the week. I will go out but need a proper bedtime.

4. Nine PM is the new Midnight. Like the lesson above I learned I am a morning person and find the AM for accomplishing tasks. Early to rise is early to bed that is what they say?

5. Thirty is the new 20. I still have so much to learn about myself and others. I have plenty of amazing things to cross off the bucket list and look forward to doing alot this next decade.

6. There is no timeline for life. Just like the previous lesson: dont rush; ebjoy the present.

7. My body will change and I will always love it. A woman’s body is miraculous thing and each year I learn to love mine and all the changes its making.

8. Listen to your body. Inside and out my digestion, gut health and skin can tell me just as much about my health as some professionals can.

9. Wear what you love. I am sure you see my thrift shopping adventures which is why I can budget in pink tutu skirts and yellow raincoats: they make my happy and I pay by the pound. Style is what you make it.

10. Take care of yourself before you have to. Dont wait until it is too late to take the vitamins, eat the raw foods, or go for the run. These are all GREAT habits that only start 1 day at a time.

11. Pick your battles. If it won’t matter in 5 years don’t spend more than 5 minutes thinking about it. This is still a practicing trait daily.

12. Manifestation is real. What do you want? Put it out into the universe AND be willing to work or answer or listen or reply or show up for it! The key is the second part.

13. It’s okay to just cry. No reason; just let it out.

14. Don’t follow anyone who makes you feel bad about yourself. In real life and in social media if you find yourself comparing in an unhealthy way and it overall its not adding value to your life then unfollow or remove that person from being around you as much as possible.

15. Stand up for yourself and those you love. Use your voice for who and what you love most!

16. “Work” isn’t everything. This is my current practicum. Tips appreciated.

17. Sorry is overused. Especially by me. I need to stop apologizing as Rachel Hollins would say!

18. You don’t have to always do your hair or wear makeup. In fact love your natural beauty FIRST!

19. Wear Sunscreen. And apply a few times a day.

20. Travel alone. Not just to the movies or the grocery store but take a flight and discover a new city by yourself.

21. Join a club. For me it was a book club. Having people gather over a common interest to discuss and interact and hold each other accountable is important in many reasons. We did it as kids and loved it and its even better as adults!

22. Vinyl is the best sound for music. Digital music is everywhere and tapes are non existent. But the one thing that will not change will be the everlasting classic sound of a record hitting the needle.

23. Being sweet all the time can get you in trouble. But so can being salty. Just be you but know how to be it.

24. I can bake, cook, grill, fry, broil, sear, you name it and Ill make it! I crossed most of these out before 10 but I love getting in the kitchen and practicing all these skills.

25. Alcohol is not for me. I can make you a mean drink and maybe enjoy a small one with you, but my body does not like it and I don’t want to fight it.

26. Always wash your face before bed. Another reference to Rachel Hollins’ book.

27. Do it right or do it again. Simply and perfectly put.

28. Put your phone away because life happens not on a timeline.

29. Mexican is my favorite food but the best is STILL Jalisco Cafe in Imperial Beach.

30. My face cannot hide any of my reactions and I am okay with being me because everyone else is taken.

OUR WEDDING DAY PLAYLIST

It started with a Spotify playlist one song at a time. From classics like Stevie Wonder to Earth Wind and Fire but also jams of the 90s and 2000s, the songs we grew up to. When you’re nickname is DJBJ you don’t hire someone to curate the soundtrack of one of the best days of your life, but you make it. We previewed it last weekend while working on some project and I am here to announce the best playlist you’ve heard. The Finding AZ Wedding Reception Playlist.

We are so excited to have Danielle Durack play live during our ceremony and believe starting off the event with her beautiful voice and acoustic guitar will really be the perfect touch. Not only does she have amazing songs she has written and produced herself, but her cover songs are beautifully sung and leave you with all the feels. You can check out her Spotify page here.

As the party begins so will the playlist. As mentioned we have included classic hits from the B-52’s, Guns and Roses and Journey. For the Puerto Rican family we have Marc Anthony,Victor Manuelle, and Elvis Crespo. For the childhood sing alongs we have Mariah Carey, Justin Timberlake and Tupac. For the crowd favorites we have Drake, Ed Sheeran and Bruno Mars. Occasionally we will need some steel drums and island vibes from Bob Marley, Sublime and 311. And we will have a few slow jams from Khalid, Carole King, and Kings of Leon.

But of course, its my playlist so I have to add a few of my favorite drum and bass tracks. I saved all the Andy C for the after party but of course included my current favorite, Urban Dawn’s remix of “Come Together” by the Beatles. This track everyone will love and when the bass drops I love it even more! Another classic drum and bass wedding song has been on my wedding playlist since I first heard this song. The song is called “A Song For Lovers” by Bachelors of Science. This classic vocal mentions walking down the aisle and the drum beat will make everyone dance.

The hardest decision was our first dance song. Of course I couldn’t choose anything they play on the radio because I would hate it within a month. Of course I couldn’t choose anything that I had already heard at someone else’s wedding because too cheesy. I finally narrowed down my options to 8 songs, then we listened to the playlist with to choose one. Luckily, he chose my top choices too and I won’t reveal here, you’ll have to wait to see.

If you have any songs you know we are forgetting to add let me know ASAP! If you have any songs you wants to get your dance on too, let me know! It is not too late to add a few more and perfect it, but come Oct 12 all I want to do is plug it in and let the music play.

XoXo

Britt.

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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

DATE NIGHT: TACO BELL CANTINA PHOENIX

Jose and I are always looking for easy ways to keep it spicy. From planning a wedding to maintaining a consistent podcast schedule, it gets difficult, sometimes, to remember to take time for us. We routinely make sure to get out for date nights and mix up the norm to avoid this robotic lifestyle. Recently we went to the Taco Bell Cantina and found it to be quite the Friday Night Fiesta!

Only 1 of 20 in the United States and 1 in 13 that serve liquor, the Taco Bell Cantina is a place to add to your things to do this in Phoenix, Aizona. It’s smaller than a regular sized restaurant and tucked away in the Collier Center on Second Street off Washington Street- but once you open the doors and the smell of Fire sauce hits your nose it becomes a place you never want to leave.

So what makes it special? Alcohol for starters. The drinks and apps are a mandatory order. Chose from margarita, piña colada and Mountain Dew freezes, which can be ordered with rum, vodka or tequila. Pair it with Cheesy Jalapeño dippers like us, or Mini quesadilla nachos or Naked chicken chips. Also , the decor is next level, flat screens coming together to make a wall of tvs to catch things like the latest boxing match or a hilarious comedy movie.

After stuffing our faces and finishing our delicious drinks we had to be the Instagram couple and take come great photos at the hot sauce wall before walking the gorgeous city.

I’m looking to go back ASAP; curious if they honor that Dbacks deal? Anyway, if you want to Cantina it up, let me know, comment bellow. I’m always drown for TBell.

XoXo
Britt

JULY FINAL FRIDAY FIVE FAVORITE FINDS - SATURDAY EDITION

From opening up our guest room to adjusting into a new career, July was a pretty crazy, quick month! So quick in fact, we had turn this Final Friday Blog post into a Saturday Morning Edition! Enjoy the 5 things we each were loving this month.

BRITT’S FIVE

1. THEMED PARTIES - Earlier this month we threw a Puppy Party inspired by the show Vanderpump Rules. James Kennedy and his girlfriend were planning a puppy shower for their new pup, but since ours was turning one we wanted to throw her a big bash. So after Pinterest-ing a few themes I went with: “Wild One “. We had a Blaze Your Own Trail Mix and other punny food themes. And after whipping out a few different versions of the lavender lemonade I really feel like I’ve nailed it. You can check out some of the photos here. But this inspired me to want to go back to the old-school way of doing parties; cheesy, but they work and everyone loves them. Take our wedding for example black and white everyone in theme: simple and so perfect. It is going to work so well!

2. THE RESIDENT ON FOX- After starting my new position I realize that I quickly needed to advance my clinical skills so I was searching for a show to start to binge watching and came across The Resident on Hulu. Originally airing on Fox, this drama captures not only the OR but the AR (accounts receivable). I love relating to every aspect and also learning what a new abbreviation stands for or braving myself to watch a laryngoscope camera capture a biopsy to test for cancer.I just saw this and didn’t look away or cringe! If you have any other medical shows, podcasts or books I can learn from, send my way.

3. GREEK FOOD- I am 14% Italian/ Greek/ Southern European so I am obsessed with mediterranean food. A warm pita, fresh feta, spicy hummus, tender gyro, juicy olives, my mouth waters talking about it. I recently discovered the gyro making kit at Costco and except for not enough pitas, which is always a problem, they were delicious! The gyro is combo beef lamb and so tender and flavored well. Plus, the taziki sauce is quality! Add fresh tomatoes and greens and it’s a great meal. We also have a place called Halal Guys here in Arizona that is so good; street pitas as fresh as can be!

4. COLOR COORDINATING MZY HOME SCREEN- I saw it in a mag, googled it and saw that Martha Stewart had and article about it so I immediately took a mindless Instagram scrolling night and organized my apps in ROYGBIV order. I thought I would be so difficult to find them, but quite the opposite. My brain automatically knows the color associated with the app, blue: Twitter, FaceBook, Orange: Vivint , Red: Instagram, Yelp. Try it out. It’s so aesthetically pleasing.

5. ONLY CUBS BASEBALL - Not to be a Negative Nancy, but my last favorite is from a recent realization of what I don’t enjoy! Recently I attended two Diamondback / Dback (whatever they go by) games in a four day span. At first I was excited, ballpark snacks, a live sports atmosphere, but after the 3rd inning I was over it. I realized when you don’t enjoy any of the teams playing, baseball can be a very boring sport. I am sorry to offend any fans out there, but, I don’t remember the last non-cubs baseball game I went to whether that was in Arizona, San Diego, Los Angeles, and of course Chicago. I came home from that Monday night game and turned on the final inning of the cubs game.

JOSE’S FIVE:

1. GOOGLE SKETCHUP - The last couple of weeks I have been designing not only at work but at home too. This easy 3D modeling program has help me create things that are hard to envision in the mind. It is a free program and you can access it on SketchUp.com

2. RAW MEAL DIET- As the 3-0 dwells closer and closer, Britt and I are taking advantage of all health knowledge and making healthy choices together. One we have started is doing 1 raw meal a day. Meaning throughout the day we decide on one meal that has to be completely raw. No sugars, preservatives, or carbs. Which has been helping a lot with our digestion.

3. CBD RUB - Chronic lower back issues has been my achilles heel for years, and now I have solution to when it flares up. Any CBD rub gives my inflammation an instant relief. Granted, this is not a cure all. I also have continued my stretching and my yoga to help strengthen my core which is the root of my issue.

4. THE BOYS - This Amazon Original series is new product to the superhero world. The pitch here for this series is “WATCHMEN MEETS KICKASS AND MAKE IT INTO A SERIES.” Surprisingly finding its way through dark humor and superhero antics, I enjoy the overall characters. If you are a fan of the DEADPOOL movies, you will definitely enjoy this hit.

5. 90’s PLAYLIST (SPOTIFY) - I was doing some wedding playlist searching, and found myself listening to this playlist. It brought me back to my childhood and it felt great to bob my head to every song in the line-up. You can follow this playlist and jam with me here.

August is my Birthday Month! Thirty is approaching and I am excited for the wedding plans to come together.

XoXo

Britt

ACEVEDO DESIGNED ACEVEDO BUILT

A few weeks ago, Jose posted a photo of our newly finished product, the pergola! Acevedo designed and Acevedo build, the deck and the pergola are the newest additions to the FInding Arizona Home and we are one step closer to the wedding date and the backyard looking fabulous! I wanted to take this time to highlight the amazing team behind Pair of Aces. My amazing father in law and his business partner work so hard to deliver quality results and treat every project like it is apart of their home.

Our deck was the first project the Aces worked on. This gigantic 16x18ft deck was put up in 3 days and elevated the space in so many ways. We went from a 2x4ft plastic deck to a massive idahoan wood dance floor. I came home from work one day and had the pleasure of screwing in the last screw! Speaking of dance floor: it has been brought to my attention by a close friend, and professional that if you are attending the Finding AZ Wedding DO NOT wear skinny heels. Block heels, wedges and flats are preferred, not only for the deck, but the grass ceremony and gravel dinner. I am sure at one point all shoes will be off, but just a side note.

More recently, the pergola was designed and installed. I loved watched Jose use Sketchup to bring his design to life. I joked that the model in the photo looked just like him! Right?

After printing out measurements to the team, the Pair of Aces were off to work cementing in footings and getting all the wood we need to sand and stain. We wanted to work smarter so we sanded and sealed each piece of lumber prior to it going up. This meant late nights and sore muscles, but now that it is all up we are so glad we took the tame to protect the wood.

Each hour casts a different shadow on the pergola creating the most breathtaking shadows. Yesterday afternoon I was sitting in our library gazing out the sliding glass doors in awe of the hand crafted masterpiece. From the block wall, to the deck to the pergola all I want to do is hangout outside in the yard and admire. BUT of course in the pool, because we have officially hit triple digit teens in AZ!

Time to book your travel plans and pack your bathing suit. I fixed up the guest room for some amazing people staying with us in July, and of course, will shared the details on the blog here! No, it’s not a real Air BnB but it feels like paradise to us everyday.

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