It's Crunch Time

Bella Blog

OMG!! It is 6 months to the wedding, which means...........Major Crunch Time!! I can't believe that the wedding is right around the corner, and there are so many things to be done. Over the next few weeks, I will be in major wedding planning mode, so please forgive me if the posts become less and less. I have found some amazing wedding goodies, so I hope to be able to share some of those with you. My checklist has about 30 things on it for this month, and I need to check them all off by January 1st. Wish me luck!

Soon To Be Turkey Day

I am so excited that the holidays are here. As a soon to be married woman, my fiance and I will be hosting Thanksgiving at our new home. We are so excited to have the family over to celebrate with us. I feel like planning for Thanksgiving dinner is like planning my wedding. You have to have the perfect menu, the perfect drinks, and an atmosphere full of fun and positive energy. So I say.....Bring it on!

In Need of Inspiration

Today, I am looking for inspiration for the food at the cocktail hour. We had recently made our choices, however, we aren't feeling like the food is representative of the atmosphere. So, over the next few weeks, look for some posts on inspiration for the cocktail hour food. Any suggestions that are fun, delicious, and gorgeous, would be so appreciated!

I Love Vera!!

Yesterday, I posted the wedding photo of Lamar and Khloe, and today I have to start off by saying.........."I LOVE VERA!! Vera Wang never disappoints and the Kardashian girls look amazing in their Vera Wang gowns. From the rich colors, to the the classic fabrics, these are Vera Wang show stoppers. Thanks for the inspiration Vera!

The Odums

Rather you believe in love at first site, love in a month, or love after a ten year span, it is quite clear that one of the weddings of the year would have to be the wedding between Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odum. We obviously don't know the love that is shared between the two of them, however, they put on one heck of a wedding. With the purple hues, the white flowers, and the modern reception decor, this was one unforgettable wedding. I look forward to sharing the wedding photos with those who have yet to see them, but for now, here is the first photo of the couple, after becoming husband and wife!!

My Day

Bride Wars

Hello everyone! WARNING!!! THIS IS NOT A JOKE!! I am back, and I want to say thank you to all of the messages that I have gotten from people that have been following the blog. I really appreciate everything! You have no idea. The month of October for me, to be honest, was a very hard month, but I am back!! One thing about planning a wedding is that everyone wants it to be their wedding and offer their opinions. However, at the end of the day, to all of the brides out there, IT IS YOUR WEDDING!! So today, I am claiming my wedding day, my decisions, and my happiness!! For all who want to join, I am so happy that you want to be apart of it, and for those who don't, I am happy with that too. This blog started off being a way that I could allow my family, friends, and new friends into my wedding day, and also, a way that I could express myself. I have allowed distractions and other's opinions to get in the way of something that I love doing, which is this blog and planning my wedding day. I have so many new friends, and this blog is really an outlet for me. So for the drama of October and anymore drama to come, Goodbye! I am focusing on my wedding day, and the happiness that awaits me today, tomorrow, and happily ever after!

The Rehearsal Dinner

Photo Credit: My Gatsby

I completely forgot to mention that we also found our rehearsal dinner site!! Yay! I am so excited. We looked at so many different places. We knew the type of atmosphere that we were going for, but it seemed that we weren't going to find it. However, during an extremely productive weekend, we found an amazing place. The food was so wonderful, the atmosphere was great, and the service was outstanding!! Another check mark on the wedding planning to do list!

1 Year Engaged

This past Saturday, October 3, my fabulous fiance and I celebrated one year of engagement. It was so exciting to think back on our special moment. Time goes by so fast, and I know that we have both enjoyed each and every moment of this past year, as the soon to be Mr. and Mrs. Williams. There are so many things that made our proposal special for us. Everything about it was just "us"!! I was totally surprised by the proposal. It wasn't something that I was waiting on or a proposal that we had created together. It was so genuine and special, and I was so happy to say "Yes" to a lifetime with him. So many times, life can become about creating that "hollywood" moment, in order to capture a great story for everyone else, however, our proposal was a moment that was created for us, yet shared and loved by us. And to top it off, there was a beautiful ring..........one that I had dreamed of, since I was a teenager. What an amazing moment. Here's to the wedding day to come, where we will officially become husband and wife.

Sheek Elegance

Two weekends ago, I went home to do some additional wedding stuff, and I got so much done!! One of my major goals was to find a gorgeous bridesmaids dress, and I did! I was happy, mom was happy, and my girls were happy!! The dress is everything that I wanted in a dress for my favorite girls. It is classy, sexy, sheek, and amazing! Fabulous!

Miami Wedding Decor

The decor at the wedding was so beautiful!! From the rich colors, to the gorgeous flowers, this wedding was put together so well. What an amazing look for this gorgeous space! Enjoy!

Miami Ceremony.....

The ceremony was absolutely gorgeous. Filled with love, tradition, and family. These two were meant to be. The father of the bride officiated the ceremony, and each person in the room, held on to every word that he spoke, along with the heartfelt vows of the bride and groom! Enjoy and more to come!

Here Comes The Bride

Okay, okay, I know that I have been promising the photos from the wedding that we went to in Miami! And I am keeping my promise. I have been so busy lately, that I didn't even have time to upload the photos onto my computer. So, just to tease you, here is an amazing photo of the bride and her father, right before she is about to walk down the aisle. What a beautiful moment! Simply perfect!!

The Bridal Bar

The Bridal Bar is a fantastic resource for "all things bride". If you are looking for lounge furniture, lighting, photography, whatever it is.....They Have It!! For all of the Atlanta brides, The Bridal Bar just recently opened, so stop in or drop by their website at www.bridalbar.com for all of your wedding planning. Happy Planning!!

9 Years Going Strong

Photo Credit: Ben Chrisman Photography

I know that I am supposed to be sharing photos from the wedding that we went to this past weekend, but I have some other exciting news to share. Today, September 10, 2009, is 9 years that my fabulous fiance and I have been dating! I am so blessed to say that I have had this gorgeous man in my life for this many years. Today I have thought back to so many times that we have spent together and how our relationship has been blessed throughout these years. I can think back to our very first date, and the day that we made this beautiful relationship of ours "official". Next year at this time, I will be calling my fabulous fiance my husband, and I can't wait. What an incredible journey it has been so far, and I can't wait to start the journey as husband and wife, for the rest of our lives.

A Gorgeous Venue

The Spanish Monastery

As you know, the fabulous fiance and I, not only went on vacation this past week, but we also attended a beautiful wedding. Not only was the wedding, far from home, the venue, was far from your "typical" venue. The wedding ceremony and reception were held at the Spanish Monastery in Miami, FL and it was absolutely gorgeous. It was truly a beauty. I wanted to share photos of this amazing space, and can't wait to share my actual photos with you, very soon! Hope you enjoy!

I'm Back

Photo Credit: Ross Oscar Knight Photography

I am back!! My fiance and I really enjoyed our mini vacation. We really needed the time away and the time to spend together. Time is flying by, and the countdown is really on to our special day. It is really just right around the corner. Yay!! I can't wait to share the fantastic photos that I captured from the beautiful wedding that we attended this weekend. It was such a great time, filled with love, family, and happily ever after!

Mini Vacation

Photo Credit: Carlos Baez

So, for the next week or so, I will be taking a break from the blogging world. The fabulous fiance and I are actually going to take a mini vacation down to South Beach. It is much needed, and we are so excited to have some time together. But what would a mini vacation be without......A Wedding! Yay! So, I will have lots of beautiful pictures and inspiration to share. Look forward to catching up with you all in about a week.

-"Rather it be a good day, a bad day, or a wedding day, let a smile always light and shine upon your face. For it is the day, we should all be grateful for!!"

Beautiful Bridesmaids

Celebrity Bride Guide

Tomorrow, we will be trying on bridesmaids dresses for the second time. I am so excited. I can't wait to find the beautiful gowns that my girls will be wearing on my wedding day. We found several gowns on the first trip, and we are hoping to be able to narrow down the choices and find "the one"!! It is so important to me that all of my friends are happy and feel beautiful. This should be a special day for them, as well. I will be sure to keep you posted on the gowns that we find. Til then, here are some gorgeous celebrity bridesmaids and their beautiful gowns.

Peacock Color Creations

Photo Credit: Studio Wed

As you know, the main colors for our wedding are champagne and ivory!! The ceremony will feature a sea of these colors. However, we will be bringing in some color for both the cocktail hour and the reception. While we won't have a huge variety of colors, I am so in love with the variety of colors in the peacock feather. My dining room is actually decorated with colors from the peacock. So, when I saw these photos, I was so inspired by the colors, and will definitely be using some of the peacock color inspiration throughout the wedding. Where? You will have to wait and see, but it will be beautiful.

Universal Fashion

Miss Universe Pageant 2009

I have never been a huge pageant girl, but I love to watch them. They are so much fun and exciting to watch, and you get fantastic ideas for your wedding. I love to look at the styles of the gowns, the expressions on the girl's faces, and the gorgeous hairstyles! I have looked at a million websites, searching for the perfect hairstyle, and I fell in love with the hairstyle that Miss Universe 2008 wore for her final walk. It was just gorgeous! And the expression on the new Miss Universe's face is the expression every bride should have when she is about to marry the man of her dreams.

Time for Favors!

After our engagement party was over, we sent our friends and family home with love, memories, and chocolate chip or peanut butter cookie favors. For any bride that is having an engagement party, I definitely recommend having a favor for your guest to take home. It is a great way to end the evening and a yummy treat that your guests can either eat on the ride home or save it for later! There are so many different things that you can do for favors, but the most important part is choosing something that both you and your guests will LOVE!! For our favors, we chose to have cookies that we put in clear bags, and tied with our North Carolina blue string. We had cute little stickers made that went on each bag and read, Takila and Chris, 8-8-09. What an amazing day, and we thank everyone in our lives, that came and made this day so memorable.

An Instant Family

Our Beautiful Moms
Chris and I with our parents

No one could figure out which camera! :)

The entire crew! The Wilsons, Williams, & Deans

Our party meant so many wonderful things to us. It was the celebration of our engagement, the celebration of our new home, and it was the first time that our families met. Yes, the first time, and it was absolutely amazing. We were so excited and blessed to be able to have both of our families in the same room together, talking, laughing, bonding, and celebrating together. My brother was married two years ago, and his new inlaws also joined us for the party. It was as if everyone had been both friends and family for years. We are so looking forward to the many parties, family gatherings, and of course, the wedding day, to share in the love that we all have for one another!! Cheers!

More Fabulous Party Food

There just aren't words to describe just how much fun we had at our engagement/housewarming party. It was unbelievable. And the food, most importantly, was so good that I couldn't even put it into words. So here are a few more pictures of the food at our party. Can't wait to share more pics from the party! Our guests were just as fabulous! Enjoy! Yummy! This post should have came with a WARNING!!! :)