Engagement Memories

"So here I am, waist-deep in wedding planning as I type this, and forcing myself to "come back to reality" with all the dreams I wrote down in my wedding notebook growing up. I flip through that square, pink book now and I chuckle a little. The girls I had planned on asking to be my bridesmaids have come and gone. The spectacular hotel I listed as the reception location is no longer. My lifelong vision of a new years eve wedding is not a desire of mine now. And every guy I thought-whether for 5 minutes or 5 years-would be the figure in the tux standing up at the altar kinda makes me concerned for my mental health. 

I look ahead to the following 365 days (plus a few more) with optimism, anticipation, and a smidge of anxiousness. I'm thrilled with the idea of trying on my dress and knowing it in an instant! My liver aches a little at the thought of all the drinks to be consumed at the bachelorette party with my bridal entourage. I couldn't be more ecstatic to begin receiving response cards from the 150 invitations we have yet to print, address, and send across the country. But more importantly, my eyes fill with tears at the idea of looking down the aisle of my childhood church and seeing my very best friend & soon-to-be husband at the other end."

While looking through my personal Facebook page this afternoon, I stumbled upon this note I wrote and shared on May 10, 2011. Reading through this now gives me the chills-stepping back into that moment and remembering the exact feelings, emotions and thoughts I experienced more than a year before my wedding day. I hadn't yet asked all of my bridesmaids, gone dress shopping or even finalized my color scheme. I had endless amounts of work to do, decisions to make and items to cross off my to-do list, but I wasn't thinking about that. I was thinking about the life I was planning with my husband and the impending celebration we would share with our friends and family. I wasn't scared, angry, stressed or even confused. I felt secure, empowered and excited.

Our Engagement Party Cake

This isn't my typical style, content or focus. It's personal, deep and emotional, but I'm posting this because I want every bride to have that feeling I experienced almost two years ago now, and not just for one blissful evening, but for the duration of their engagement.

I've often wondered if my work is desirable to other brides and grooms, as any new business owner would, and after reading this and feeling that I have stepped back in time, I know that it is. I plan weddings for the women who have planned them since they can remember. Although the plans may have evolved with time, the little girl who will forever be a dreamer is still the same. And I want the experience of planning your wedding to be full of positive memories and exciting times, so that when you look back on it years from now, as I am, you'll feel that you enjoyed every minute of it. I love what I do and I am so very privileged to work with every.single.couple.

Kiki La'Rue Giveaway!

Thanks to all of my lovely readers, I have finally reached and passed my goal of 100 Facebook likes! And y'all know what that means...it's finally giveaway time!

After years of wrestling with the idea of wedding planning as a career, this year, I finally took the plunge and with every small goal accomplished, I am reassured that I am on the right path. My dreams of becoming an online wedding planner are slowly but surely coming true! Thank you to all of you for reading, commenting and following. Thank you for sharing this journey with me!

When I first announced the impending giveaway at the beginning of the year, I knew, without a doubt, it had to be Kiki La'Rue. If you don't know about KLR yet, you are seriously missing out! I can't help but order new pieces left and right...their stuff really is that addicting! And honestly, as a wedding planning website, I can't think of a more fitting clothing store. Whether you're the bride shopping for the perfect shower dress or honeymoon attire or a bridesmaid searching for adorable outfits for pre-wedding festivities, you've found the perfect destination.

Check out some of my new favorite pieces:

Egyptian Queen Dress

Fan of your Game Dress

Natalie Dress

Fade into me Dress (also comes in Plus)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

After you've entered, head over to KLR's website to see what you would get with your $50 gift card and then comment on this post and tell me! Good Luck!

Dreams Come True

Today, while catching up on the latest from my favorite bloggers, (you can find my blog list on the right-hand side of the home page) I came across this entry, written by the beautiful Busy Becka, (who is the owner of my favorite online boutique, Kiki La'Rue.)

It was like I was reading my own thoughts. You know those rare moments in life when you feel like finally, someone understands something you have a hard time putting into words, yourself? Yeah, it was kinda like that. To completely understand where I'm coming from, let me give you a short back-story...

     In high school, I was an over-achiever. I consistently earned straight-A's, applied to some prestigious colleges, and planned to finish post-graduate school by age 30. I can't pinpoint the exact moment when it happened, but my goals and desires for my future changed. As a result, I have spent the past three years earning my cosmetology licence, taking classes at the community college, trying to make a career out of nannying and hoping my life's passion would fall into my lap. In the midst of all my confusion, I met and married the love of my life and planning my wedding seemed to be a suitable excuse as to why I was only taking one class and nannying part-time. (Ironic, huh?)

     At some point, I realized that not one of the options I'd narrowed down was the right one. But I continued to hope I would just learn to love what I was forcing upon myself. Then, this past summer, I decided to take a different route and I wrote my first blog post. I felt good about it but I was terrified of a negative response and put it on the back burner...until last week. 

     I don't know why I decided to write a new post and share it with all of my Facebook, Instagram and Twitter followers. But I did and I'm proud of myself for taking that brave step.

That brings us to today. Today, I reflected on my last twenty-something years of life. Today, I prayed, hard and long. And it was then that I realized something. 

Weddings are my thing. 

They combine all the things I love in life: love, people and (from behind the scenes) organization. At age 13, when I first subscribed to Brides Magazine and began watching any wedding special I could find, I fell in love. Since then, I've been introduced to Pinterest, Style Me Pretty, and a plethora of wedding-related tv series. I can't get enough of it all! Weddings make me happy, but not for the obvious reasons. I genuinely love all of the work before the big day! I could spend hours researching venues, photographers, etc. while taking notes and I actually enjoy that. And I love being there to assist every step of the way, knowing how every little thing came together so seamlessly. And of course, I'm a sucker for love stories. I am a true romantic, so weddings...well, I just can't help but adore them! 

During the summer of 2012, All Tulled Up was born, but today I am determined to make it a success.

Wedding planning is nothing new, but I am the difference. During my own engagement, I sought out the friends who had been there over the unexperienced. I called the ones I knew would silently listen to me cry over my stresses and immediately reassure me it would all be just fine. And when making important decisions, I asked the people I knew would be honest, rather than tell me what I wanted to hear.

Thankfully, I was lucky enough to have all of those friends by my side, but not everyone is as fortunate. I want to change the face of wedding planning. I want to be that friend to my brides. I want brides around the country to know that hiring a wedding planner can be affordable. I want my brides to know that I am here for them because I care. All Tulled Up is about saving you money, heartaches, stress and time. And I'm ready to make it all a reality.

So here's to all that 2013 has in store for All Tulled Up!

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for reading! 

Happy Planning!

Meaghan xoxo