Engagement season is officially afoot! Did you know that 19% of proposals happen in December? And that from November to February almost 40% of couples get engaged? That means that if you are waiting to get engaged and you know it’s coming, that your partner might have bought your ring already. And if they haven’t, this post on 5 killer tips on finding a great engagement ring is for them!

Set a Budget

I remember as a kid the commercials that said the person proposing saved two months of salary for the ring. And honestly? I think that theory is a bit passe in 2019. The average amount people spent in 2018 was $5,900 in the USA. But you know what I say? Averages don’t mean squat! What you should do is talk with each other and set a budget that you two can afford and look for a ring that can fit within said budget. I think Robert and I spent half that when we got engaged 9 years ago. (more…)

Houston has a ton of hair and makeup artists, which is fantastic because with all the weddings and sessions that happen on the daily, we need a good selection. Over the years I have worked with or hired some amazing artists! Today I feature 5 that left an impression with me and who have knocked it out of the park on more than one occasion. I also might lightly stalk them and love to look at their latest work. So let’s dig into 5 hair and makeup artists in Houston to pay attention to!

Twisted Couture

I have paired a ton with Jamie from Twisted Couture. She is wildly talented, we have done soft and romantic looks, as well as more dramatic and creative looks. I love that we have paired together on some badass styled shoots that have been seen on Cosmo, Redbook and PopSugar! We also did a fun session last year with envisioning what Disney princesses would look like today. It was wild looking!! All the clients I have sent to her have loved her, and she is just a great person. (more…)

Can I be honest for a hot second? When I was getting married hair and makeup intimidated me. Which means I put off finding the right team to hire. Thankfully everything turned out great, but it could have been a hot mess. Since joining the wedding world I feel like my relationship with makeup and hair is very different. Which is why I feel comfortable talking to clients about these things. After chatting with a few hair and makeup frands, this blog is diving into 5 things wedding hair and makeup artists wish you knew.

1. Trial Runs are Very Important

This feels obvious, but you would be surprised the amount of women who forego the trial run. It’s the one opportunity the hair and makeup artist has in understanding as well as executing the look and feel you want for your wedding day. It’s like when couples decide not to do an engagement session. When you go in cold to a wedding, there is a higher chance of there being miscommunication and having the look you want not work out. A trial run gives you the ability to try things out and work with the artist on the best look for you on your wedding day. Plus, if you get a bridal session with your photographer, you can pair the trial run with this session, which is a huge win!! So in close, do a trial run!! For reals! (more…)

Going into this post I need to preface it with the fact that my knowledge base for hair and makeup is low. I have always been a tomboy, didn’t know contouring was a “thing” until I joined the wedding industry, etc. In fact, growing up, I didn’t learn anything about makeup. That being said, I appreciate the heck out of people who do love this stuff and are artists in this realm. Hence why I am writing about two talented hair and makeup artists in Houston!

So let’s dig into hair and makeup a bit. There are a lot of artists out there and they all have different styles. It’s overwhelming when looking, right? Uh yeah it is. There are some that do drama and glam like no other! Where there is a lot of glitter used, contouring and long eyelashes. Then there are others that do more of a soft/dewy look. This could be translated as more “natural” with less contouring, less eye lashes and more of a sheen on your overall face. There’s still airbrushed makeup on your face, it’s just less dramatic. And there are variations of this in between! I have chosen two hair and makeup artists who are true artists when it comes to creating a look for their brides.

Nyoka Gregory Beauty

If you have been following me for a while, you will know that I have paired a lot with Nyoka Gregory Beauty. I met her thanks to Olivia’s Bridal House, and at our first shoot together I was blown away by her talent and her bright, vivacious personality. Since then she and I have paired together on weddings, brand shoots and more. Her style is more on the dramatic side, she is a master of contouring, the smokey eye and knowing how much glitter is ‘just right’. And this isn’t to say that she can’t do soft and romantic, it’s just that her strength is in statement looks. There isn’t a single bride I have referred her to that hasn’t raved about their experience with her. I think her portfolio speaks for itself: (more…)

Do wedding cake flavors really deserve their own blog post? Uh, yeah! If you are a foodie like me, they do! When I was looking at wedding cake flavors 8 years ago I was blown away by all the choices. And then, unable to choose just one, we had three!! I don’t regret any of my choices. But now it’s 8 years later and things have changed, and cake flavors have gotten more fun and bougie! With that in mind, let’s dig into my favorite top 10 wedding cake flavors: (more…)

What is your favorite memory of cake? Is it from a birthday party or a wedding? Growing up, my mom made the most delicious cakes with our family recipe for 8 minute icing. It was the epitome of delicious!! When I have cake at weddings, I tend to base my opinion on whether they match up to what my mom used to make, which might not be totally fair, but I can’t help it. Both of the bakers that I talk about today I have personally had their cakes at weddings, and my taste buds were satisfied! Which is why I feel like these two bakers in Houston are killing it!

Get Caked

I was introduced to Get Caked a few years ago at a mock wedding shoot. There were several cakes that were on hand, all different, and all stunning. One of the perks was at the end of the shoot, we were able to try the cakes, which doesn’t always happen. What left an impression was how long the cakes had been sitting outside being captured and how freakin moist they were! As a foodie, a moist cake is important to me. The icing should be an accent to the flavor profile of the cake, and that’s exactly what I ate. Add onto it that the cakes looked like pieces of art, and I was sold. Since then, I have become good friends with the owner Kailyn. She is one of the nicest people in Houston, always quick with a joke and works her freakin butt off. She can do simple/elegant cakes but can also rock out a geode cake like it’s no effort. All while tasting mad delicious! (more…)

Finding the right baker for your wedding can be one of the most fun things you do for your wedding. I mean, come on, it’s a lot of cake tasting!! And treats tasting! As a foodie, this was one of my favorite things about wedding planning. But you also need to be wary, as there are some vendors who aren’t as truth worthy as others. Did you hear about the Houston bakery that delivered Styrofoam cakes and then disappeared, leaving clients without a cake? Yeah, that’s sketchy! So let’s get into how to find the right baker for your wedding.

Research Pricing/Make a Budget

As with anything wedding related, it’s smart to research pricing for vendors before making a budget. If you don’t, you could be shocked during a meeting when pricing is discussed. Of course, during the research stage, not all bakers {or vendors in general} list their pricing on their website. Thankfully, there are enough vendors out there who list pricing on their site for you to get a good feel. Know that the more ornate the cake, the higher the price will be. Sugar flowers are stunning, but they also take a ton of time to make and thus increase the cost of a cake.

Once you do research, create that budget! If your fiance was anything like mine, it took a bit to get him to understand the price, and that it shouldn’t be $300 for a 3 tier cake to feed 100 people. As a rule of thumb, I would add some wiggle room in the budget just in case you find a baker you love who is slightly above your budget. (more…)

I love baking. I grew up baking with my mom. Every Sunday we would bake cookies and muffins together, sometimes cakes if it was a birthday. She had all these cookie recipes written out on cards, a lot of recipes passed down from her mom’s mom. My favorites were the peanut butter cookies and the oatmeal cookies. At Christmas we would make recipes my mom made as a little girl. All of this is to say that I have a soft spot in my heart for bakers. I love trying the different flavors of their cakes and how creative they get with decorating them. Hence why I am writing this blog post about two epic bakers in Houston!

The two bakers below are amazing. Their cakes, their decorating, everything! They kill it! I have referred many a happy couple to them, and I always look forward to capturing and eating their cakes on the wedding day.

Wink by Erica

I met Wink by Erica through a styled shoot, but before that I was obsessed with her work thanks to social media. Erica is so stinkin talented with being creative with treats. Initially I was obsessed with her donuts, but that was just because I hadn’t tried her cake flavors. As a foodie, the flavors chocolate espresso, white chocolate raspberry and whisky chocolate are divine. The thing I love most about her treats is how colorful and whimsical they are. She is always trying new things, new shapes, and loves animals, so they show up in her work a lot. Take a peak at her work below! (more…)

There are so many gown shops in and around Houston! And each of them carry a unique assortment of gowns, which is great, but can also be overwhelming. I don’t know about you, but when I got engaged I had no idea what wedding gown designers were out there, nor did I have a preference for a specific design. Thankfully these two awesome wedding gown shops in Houston have it all covered! They have a huge array of designers, as well as gown designs. And they both have gowns that can come in plus sizing, which I think is important to feature.

So let’s dig into these two gown shops!

Modern Affinity Bridal

The newest gown shop in Houston is Modern Affinity Bridal! It isn’t technically open yet, but they are almost there. This gown shop is located in League City, and offers an impressive amount of gowns and designers. The really cool thing about this shop is that they are an inclusive shop, not just in sizing for the gowns {which they are}, but are LBGTQ+ friendly. In fact friendly doesn’t capture how supportive this shop is to LGBTQ+ people, it’s part of their core mission and values to be a home for them! Which I think is awesome. As well as being welcoming, they have a huuuuuge selection of gowns, that are freakin stunning. The owner Hayley has made a point to pick out a wide variety of gowns, ranging from ballgowns to mermaid style gowns. I am seriously excited for their grand opening and can’t wait to be there to support them! (more…)

There are a ton of tips for wedding gown shopping, and there can be conflicting information regarding this as well. I don’t know if you know this, but I worked with Olivia’s Bridal house for over a year for their branding photos, and after seeing fittings in their shop, I can tell you, these tips work. So let’s dig into 5 important wedding gown shopping tips.

1. Schedule your appointment.

Wedding gown shopping isn’t like shopping for everyday wear. You definitely need someone to help you find gowns, not only in your size, but in styles that are flattering on you. If you show up to a gown shop without an appointment, you might get turned away because they don’t have enough hands on deck to accommodate you. A lot of gown shops I know also book several weeks in advance, especially on weekends. So if you know a gown place you really want to shop at, take the minute or two it takes, and make the appointment. You will be way less stressed during the appointment, and the customer service will be awesome! (more…)