Tag Archives: happy

Jun6

Wedding Update!

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Wedding Update!

Hello! Ever since Johnny proposed to me on March 13th, it has been a whirlwind of wedding preparations for our June 4th wedding. Yes, we got married so keep it posted on lifewithlilred for all of the details! Despite an ultra small ceremony, there was still a decent amount of planning that went into our day. Granted, most of the prep was on what we would be wearing lol but I couldn’t imagine the hard work it would take to plan a large wedding!

Lucky for me, my Johnny was extremely active in helping to make our wedding day a success and I loved the experience of making decisions for our ceremony with him. From the location to our outfits, archways, and everything in between, Johnny and I made choices and compromises that complimented what we both had in mind and I so enjoyed our wedding brainstorming sessions.

Tomorrow on lifewithlilred, we will be celebrating my 27th birthday but for the next several days after it will be all wedding everything and we can’t wait to share our joy with all of my dear readers. You will be getting an exclusive look into our big day with each post and I am very much looking forward to revealing mine and Johnny’s wedding OOTDs! Keep it locked for all of that and more and let’s celebrate together! 😀

Did you have a big or small wedding? What was your reception like? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun4

Wedding Band Reveal

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Wedding Band Reveal

Hi!! When Johnny and I got engaged, I took my carved pearl ring to Jared’s to get resized and they did a fabulous job. I was so impressed by them and I knew that I wanted to go back when it was time to purchase a wedding band. At the end of April, Johnny and I went to Jared’s together and their employees helped create us a ring that was exactly what I wanted at a price point that we were both comfortable with.

After almost an entire month of waiting, I was finally able to pick my wedding band up and it was even better than I could have imagined! Check it out:

When it came to my wedding band, I had two requirements that absolutely needed to be met: Black diamonds and rubies. I also wanted a shape that was unique and would fit well with my engagement ring. After discussing a budget as well as some trial and error, the employees at Jared’s were able to customize a ring that is completely perfect for me. In fact, Johnny and I are so in love with both of our wedding bands that we’re already wearing them lol.

The diamonds in my wedding band along with the gemstones look so beautiful when paired with the pearl of my engagement ring and it fits like a glove. It was important for me to have a band that truly complimented the engagement ring and my favorite part is how the the rubies lined up to be on either side of the pearl skull’s teeth. The shape of the bling is also incredibly unique and I have never seen anything like it before.

My wedding band has been in my possession for the past week or so and I have probably looked at it a million times since picking it up. I knew that I was in good hands with the expert help I received at Jared’s and I will never forget the trip there that I took with Johnny to create a one of a kind band that is one hundred and fifty billion percent us. ❤

What is your favorite type of accessory? What does your wedding band look like? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah 

May29

Altar’d State Haul Finale

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Altar’d State Haul Finale

Hello everyone and welcome to the finale of my Altar’d State Haul! Today, we are going to wrap things up by talking about a lovely black and white floral print summer dress. This is a purchase I am particularly proud of because, normally, I wouldn’t have even bothered trying this dress on. Take a look at some pics and read on to find out more:

The first thing that I noticed when I saw this dress on display after how much I liked it, of course, was that a bra would be incredibly visible. As a bustier gal, a bra is absolutely necessary for me to feel comfortable but it would ruin the silhouette of the crossback straps and the plunging V of the back of the dress. As mentioned above, I would usually acknowledge how cute a dress like this is on previous shopping trips and then move on to something I could wear a bra in. So imagine my surprise when I took this dress from the rack to try it on in Altar’d State.

Chalk it up to my quickly upcoming wedding (!!!!!!) but my self confidence has been sky high lately and it feels awesome because of how much I have struggled with it in the past. So, instead of feeling disappointed when I saw this dress because I used to think I “couldn’t” wear it, I tried it on anyways. I thought to myself that I could make it work, especially with the adhesive strapless bras that I got for my wedding and almost jumped for joy in the fitting room once I had it on and loved it so much.

It could be the novelty of trying something so new to me but I think that this dress is just the most. The uneven hem is so charming and flowy and it reminds me of fairies. The pattern is also so beautiful to me and it feels like there’s a surprise on the dress everywhere you look from the peekaboo keyhole on the back to the crossback straps. I hate to toot my own horn but I was feeling my DAMN self in it.

I felt amazing in my new dress and even better about the fact that I took a risk and tried something different. This is the first time I have ever considered an option other than my standard, supportive bra when buying something and I know it has to do with my very improved self image. I can’t wait to go shopping again so I can try more new shapes and styles that I didn’t think were possible for me to wear before! ❤

How do you take fashion risks? What makes you feel confident? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

May23

Loud & Clear!

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Loud & Clear!

Hello all!! A few days ago, I posted about how the radio in my car has not been working for the past several months. I drive a lot for work, so it has been a huge drag not being able to have my singalongs when I hit the road. Before, my radio would always turn back on after a day or two of not working but after months had gone by, I had all but given up hope of hearing anything in my car until I got it fixed. So, you could imagine my surprise when the radio began playing music out of nowhere!

I was about to leave work for the day, turned my car on, and was immediately greeted by The University of Akron’s radio station blasting. Needless to say, it completely shocked me and I dropped my iPod as I was selecting music to play at full volume for the ride home! It’s a little thing, but listening to the radio while I drive makes my work day better and, despite being stuck in rush hour traffic, it was the best drive I have had in months.

I wouldn’t say that I had a bad day at work that day, but I definitely have felt like I could use a pick me up and my radio working was just the surprise I needed. I was eager to hear what the hits have been after two months of radio silence and I walked into my apartment with an ear to ear grin because the last song I heard was one of my jams by Machine Gun Kelly. Small thing. World of difference.

While I love my job so much, we all have those days where we just don’t feel like going to work. However, as I write this, I am itching to get in my car and start my day so I can listen to the radio and enjoy the eighty degree weather in Ohio with my windows down. Let’s have a great day today!

What is your favorite radio station? Who is your favorite Top 40 artist? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May20

Target Run

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Target Run

Hello! I have not been in a store just to browse since the beginning of the pandemic and you guys have no idea how much I have missed it. For a while, I was only going grocery shopping and I stopped doing that a few months ago, opting for curbside delivery instead. Now that I am fully vaccinated, I feel much more comfortable running errands so when my sister texted me last Saturday morning asking if I wanted to go on a Target Run, I couldn’t say no!

Kristen picked me up with my niece, Valerie, and I was so excited because Target is Val’s favorite store and I have never been there with her. Such good taste at just two years old! It seems so simple but that small outing that lasted a little over an hour was enough to make me insanely happy. It was, finally, a warm spring day in Ohio and driving in the car with Kristen and Val with the sun shining and music playing on the way to Target felt like the first semblance of normal I’ve had in a long time.

I am just as surprised as all of you that my first window shopping trip in over a year wasn’t to TJMaxx but Target is a close second and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. We even ran into Jared’s really quickly after our Target trip so I could check on the progress of my wedding band and it is looking amazing. Kristen and I are planning on doing another shopping excursion soon because we are both in need of new summer clothes and I can’t wait. Here’s to many more safe outings all summer! ❤

What have you missed the most during the pandemic? Which store is your happy place? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May16

Wedding Dress Delight

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Wedding Dress Delight

Hello! My nontraditional wedding dress was ordered online and I am in love! The best part about my wedding dress, however, was the time I got to spend with my mom in the process of getting it just right. Because Johnny and I are having such a small ceremony, there really wasn’t much planning involved that our loved ones could participate in. So, it was really important to me to have my mom and sister there for the things that didn’t require Johnny and I just sitting in our apartment talking lol.

My sister came with me for my makeup test run and it was wonderful to have her company and expertise. For my wedding dress, my mom came with me to every appointment at a local dry cleaner who also specializes in alterations. From getting my initial measurements taken to the actual alteration session and a final try on when picking it up, JANE was there for it all. This was incredibly special to me and it was really exciting for us both to see the end results of what we had been imagining for my dress all along.

The alteration aspect of my wedding dress is absolutely perfect in every way and I can’t wait to show all of you what it started from to how it turned out after Johnny and I are married, of course! However, there is still a fair amount of work to do because my dress is covered in completely heinous disk sequins that need removed. Had I realized that the sequins were a thing, I would have requested to not have them in my customization notes but they blended into the dress in the picture and were not visible. -_-

Lucky for me, the sequins can be removed easily but it is a very time consuming task! Over the weekends and on my days where I arrive home early from work, I plan on setting aside at least twenty minutes each evening until my dress is sequin free. In my first go at it, I was able to take off at least fifty sequins and the front bodice is already almost halfway done.

My mom will not see my dress in its sequin free glory until the actual wedding and I cannot wait to see her reaction to it because I know it’s going to be even better than she remembers! And I am always going to remember our time spent together to get my wedding dress prepared for my big day. ❤

What are some special memories from your wedding? What alterations did your wedding apparel need? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May10

Smile!

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Smile!

Hi!! Johnny and I have a lot to smile about and I am so excited for all of our upcoming adventures. We recently got fully vaccinated with the Moderna vaccine and are looking forward to a much more active summer than last year! We also recently got engaged and have really been enjoying planning our nuptials. Our wedding will be short, sweet, and small so the ceremony didn’t need much thought but our outfits most definitely did! We have even begun making plans for our honeymoon, hopefully, next year. 😀

Getting vaccinated has lifted our cloud of constant anxiety significantly and while we will always err on the side of caution, it has felt so good to do things we never would have considered at the start of the pandemic. For example, when my brother and his family came to visit from Georgia, we all went to the zoo and ate at a restaurant. That was mine and Johnny’s first big outing since March nineteenth of last year and it was a blast. Spending time in public with my whole family is what I have been waiting for for so long and not experiencing crippling fear the whole time was the cherry on top!

Returning to some semblance of normal has felt like coming home after a long vacation. What never will be normal, however, is my fiance’s process when it comes to taking selfies with me! Lol, I swear getting a regular, smiling picture with Johnny can be like pulling teeth but it always makes me laugh until we snap just the right pic:

^^^ He loves me! 😀

Every day with Johnny is the best day and I feel so thankful for all of the wonderful things we have to smile about. ❤

What are you looking forward to this summer? What can always make you smile? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May7

The Best Day!

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The Best Day!

Hi! Although Johnny and I had a rough bout with side effects from the Moderna vaccine this past weekend, it was still a great one because my brother, sister in law, and their son traveled from Georgia for a visit. My family is fully vaccinated and it was such an amazing gift for all of us to be together for the first time since our family trip to Kentucky last summer. When my nausea subsided enough on Saturday, Johnny and I enjoyed a quick trip to the park with our nephew and it was so fun watching him run around and play. However, Sunday was the best day I have had in forever.

On Sunday, my entire family: Mom, dad, sister, brother, brother, brother in law, sister in law, niece, nephew, and fiance went to the Akron Zoo together. To visit the zoo according to their COVID standards, you purchase tickets for a time slot and a limited amount of people are allowed in the park. We got to view the Akron Zoo on a beautiful day and it wasn’t as crowded, which was really nice.

Of course, I love going to the zoo any time any day but it was the absolute best to be there with my whole family and see my little niece and nephew have fun. They both loved riding the carousal, seeing the Grizzly bears swim around in their exhibit, and each getting a stuffed bear from their TT at the gift shop. My only regret is how quickly our two hour time slot went by because I could have stayed there for hours with everyone if we could!

After our outing at the zoo, we had dinner on the patio of one of my family’s favorite Mexican restaurants, El Campesino. This was such a treat for me because Johnny and I haven’t been to a restaurant since the pandemic began. It was so special to share a big meal with every single one of us at the table and it was also so special to me to have my first Margarita in over a year lol! The food was delicious and just like our trip to the zoo, I was sad when it was over because I wish we could do family days like that all of the time.

Being surrounded by all of my loved ones on Sunday is a memory that I am going to cherish for forever. It was just awesome to see my brother, his wife, and my adorable nephew for the first time in so long and also a small miracle that we found a day that worked with everyone’s hectic schedule. I cannot wait for our next family event which can now happen more frequently since we are vaccinated and, until then, I’ll be replaying our joyous day on repeat in my head! ❤

What is your family’s favorite restaurant? What is your favorite family memory? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May1

We Went To Jared’s

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We Went To Jared’s

Hi! This past Saturday, Johnny and I had a fabulous date day which resulted in picking out my custom wedding band at Jared’s. After getting engaged, I took my ring to Jared’s to get resized and they did an excellent job so I was very excited to go back to see what they could do for my wedding band. I was happy to see all of the wonderful employees who helped me previously at the store that day and Johnny and I left feeling confident and simply ecstatic on our purchase.

Johnny has had his wedding band for a while now and prior to our morning at Jared’s, I spent a decent amount of time coming up with a price point in my head that I was comfortable with. While what I originally had in mind was way over budget, the employees rallied together to help come up with a customized ring that was similar to what I wanted and was within my price point. They were so respectful about not trying to upsell me and I really appreciated that because when it comes to the jewelry business, pushing for a more extravagant purchase is usually the name of the game.

My wedding band will boast rubies and black diamonds which was the most important thing to me and the shape of the rocks are so unique too! I just know it will look perfect with my engagement ring and I cannot wait to pick it up later in May!

After wedding band shopping, Johnny and I headed to my mom and dad’s place to hang out with our little niece, play some games, and watch an episode of the Ken Burns baseball documentary that I got my dad for his birthday. We spent the entire afternoon there and decided to end our day by participating in Dry Ice Saturday at the Cashmere Cricket, our favorite bar.

Unfortunately, The Cricket was jam packed so we went to the Ohio Brewing Company where I had my first Moscow Mule in over a year and a half! I don’t know if it’s because I haven’t had a Mule in so long or the drink I got from the OBC was really that good but it was seriously the best Moscow Mule I’ve ever had. Once we were done at the bar, we returned to our apartment to play Trivial Pursuit and Super Smash Bros and had a blast.

These last few weeks have been extremely stressful for me and my date day with my fiance was just what I needed to help get myself back to baseline. It was a perfect day of ring shopping, family time, and video games and, as always, it’s very exciting to cross one more thing off of our wedding checklist. I cannot wait to get married! ❤

What is your favorite gemstone? What is an ideal date day for you? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr23

My Wedding Glam Squad

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My Wedding Glam Squad

Hi! Johnny and I will be having a very small wedding that literally took no planning for accommodations for our ceremony. It will be short, sweet, and simple – exactly how we want it. However, preparing our wedding looks was a totally different story and a lot of thought went into it so we can show out on our big day. I am so thankful to have the ultimate wedding glam squad tending to me and am honored to be able to showcase their talent at my wedding. I have a very specific look in mind and it would not be able to be achieved without the genius of the following:

Anna:

Anna has been my hair stylist since I was eight years old and absolutely no one but her is allowed to touch my hair. She is also one of the few people who has seen part of my top secret wedding look – that’s how much I trust her! I live for my time spent with Anna at the salon and I can’t believe almost twenty years later she will be doing my hair for my wedding. Time and time again, I will use the word “nontraditional” to describe my wedding style and my hair is no exception. In fact, the suggestion Anna made was something that I didn’t even know existed, so we are all in for a treat!

Katie:

My makeup test run with Katie was beyond what I was expecting and I had never felt so beautiful. She took every vague idea I had, ran with it, and came up with the results I had in my head but couldn’t quite put into words. I have never had my makeup done professionally before and it felt like Katie was painting the most gorgeous picture as she airbrushed away. I cannot wait until my wedding so she can do it all over again. 😀

Gabby:

Gabby is my go to girl when it comes to my nails and I already know exactly how I want my claws to look for the big day. It took me a long time to find the right nail tech for me and now that I have found her, I could never imagine anyone else sharpening my talons to perfection. I recommend her to everyone who compliments my nails and I love seeing her work on my friends who go to her now too.

Emily:

Other than four tattoos, all of the rest that I have have been done by Emily and I will most definitely need a touch up session before the wedding. I am so proud to be a walking billboard for my dear friend and her amazing talent and cannot wait for my tattoos to pop in my wedding dress. Emily is, easily, one of the best tattoo artists in my area and her work blows me away – especially her work on myself!

I cannot wait to share in my wedding day with my favorite gals because they truly make up the ultimate wedding glam squad. I know that I am in the best hands with all of them and having my wedding appointments scheduled in their books eliminates any stress for my big day. ❤

Who was a part of your wedding glam squad? Who is your go to person for your hair, makeup, or nails? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah