Our Engagement Party: The Details

It's official, I love photography!

Our friend Vanessa sent us a few pictures of the engagement party this morning and I'm extremely pleased with her work! Vanessa and I went to high school together and we have the same circle of friends. She got her college degree in photography and lives in New York now, but she made a special trip to Virginia to take pictures at our party.

I'm so thrilled that she captured all of the details of our day, because as many of you know, a bride loves her details! There's absolutely no way that Aaron or I could have taken such amazing photos. Everyone was busy visiting with each other and as you can see from my previous post, we didn't get many pictures. We put a lot of thought and effort into the planning and set up of the party, and having these shots makes it all worth it.

Almost all of our details were DIY or the work of family and friends. My coworker's mom made the cake and it was delicious (I mean it was de.lic.ious!). If you live in Virginia and are looking for a fabulous and affordable aspiring baker, contact me so I can give you her info! I created the welcome sign and put together the collage of engagement photos. My grandmother helped me decorate the frame with flowers and my mom was the genius behind our game "check mate!"

A very special thanks to Vanessa! Please use us as a reference in the future, because we will highly recommend you! We know you cut us a huge deal and we're extremely thankful. I see a bright future in photography ahead for you! You did an amazing job! Whoever said professional photography is the only way to go, didn't have the talented friends we do!

 

 

 

 

 

Did you have a professional photographer for your wedding and wedding-related events?

Have you ever asked a friend to take pictures and been extremely happy with the result?

Our Engagement Party: A Huge Success!

Our highly anticipated engagement party was a huge success!!

The turnout was stunning! More than 40 people came out to celebrate!  EVERYONE was there. Friends, family, and coworkers turned out in numbers. We were so pleased!! The food was delicious too! Our potluck provided more than enough. We had everything from ribs to deviled eggs, it was all southern comfort food of course! My diet was totally shot! 

People really got into it!

It's something about weddings that people must love, because our family was totally into it. We were a bit worried that nobody would want to wear nametags or participate in the group game, but boy, were we wrong! Folks snatched up the name tags like they were goin out of style! Everyone filled them out with excitement, giving themselves descriptive titles like, "future mother in law," and "1st cousin."

Everyone loved my mom's game, "Checkmate!"

Everyone was asked to write down a question to ask Aaron or myself about one another. This was to see if we're ready to get married, which is why the game is called check mate. It's also because Aaron and I love to play chess. If people couldn't think of a question, they were asked to write down a bit of marriage advice. My mom had this little bell and everytime she rang it, Aaron and I would have to pick a number. Whoever had the paper with that number on it had to share thier question or advice.

It was definitely a bit embaressing for Aaron and me, because we had to stand in front of a room full of 40 people, but it was 40 people we love and adore, so we enjoyed it. Everyone really, really had fun sharing thier advice and/or asking us questions! We did a really good job answering questions about each other too!! This was

Aaron's Cousin: "Aaron, if Sara is upset (not at you, but upset), what do you say to make her feel better?"

This was the million dollar question! If we could take back all the questions that night and have just one, it'd be this one, because everyone loved it! Aaron's answer hit the nail on the head and everyone from family to coworkers knew it!

To make me feel better Aaron tells me to "piss on it," which is one of my granny's favorite sangs! Bahahahaha! A bit crude for a grandmother, but if you knew mine you'd understand! She's a firecracker and trust me, she hardly ever gets bashful, but when Aaron said this, her face turned totally red and whole room went up in laughs!

The best part was the speeches...

We weren't really expecting it, but a lot of our friends and family stood up to give us a toast. Aaron's dad, his godmother, my mom, my dad, and Aaron's sister all said something to cheers to our engagement. Aaron's sister totally made me cry. We've been friends for a really long time and she said she always knew I was perfect for her brother! It was a special moment (one that I'll never forget and treasure)! *tear*

We asked a friend to take pictures at the party (of all the details so I could share with you readers!!), but we haven't gotten them yet. Here are some pictures Aaron's dad took of our fabulous friends and family:

My dad, stepmom, and little sister:

Aaron's godparents:

My little sister aka the junior bridesmaid:

Two of my aunts:

My coworker and the delicious cake her mom made:

Mr. B and my granny:

The MOH and me (and Mr. B's mom):

Did you have an engagement party?