The part of wedding planning that I was most excited about was definitely trying on wedding dresses! I think a lot of people can relate to this because this decides how we will look on one of the most important days of our lives. I wish I could say that the process was super easy but, unfortunately, for me it wasn't. My biggest mistake while wedding planning was taking too long to really start looking for my dress. As I mentioned in the video below, I did make a trip to David's Bridal soon after getting engaged and they told me that, worst case scenario, a dress would take about 2 months to arrive and 1 month for alterations. So, I kept that in mind and figured I could wait until I had my family with me to really start looking. By then, I would still have 4 months left. Well, it turns out that not all stores can get you a dress that fast. At RK Bridal, where I first tried on the dress I fell in love with, they wouldn't be able to get the dress until a month after my wedding date. I could not believe that I would have to give up on my dream dress and settle for something I could get quickly. However, I decided to not give up and try my best to get the Justin Alexander gown I had fallen in love with. You can watch the video below to not only see me trying on a bunch of wedding dresses but to also see how I managed to get my dream dress at Jaehee Bridal. I still can't believe I was able to get it!
I know most people get legally married at the time of their wedding ceremony but Caleb and I decided to do this a little early. With him being in the Navy and us having to move right after the wedding, it just made sense for us to already be married so that we had time to do all the paperwork for them to move me with him. So, on October 24th, 2018 (the same day my parents got legally married back in '88) we went down to the courthouse, got married, and I became Jessica Lemos Tester. It was pretty exciting but I felt like it wouldn't really feel real until the ceremony, which I was still planning!
After getting our wedding venue, it was time to start looking for all the other vendors. I didn't really film this part because it was just a whole lot of searching the internet. As I mentioned in my last post, I mainly used The Knot to find vendors in my area. I looked at their work and then began many conversations through email or phone, where vendors and I discussed what I was looking for, what they offered, and, most importantly, how much it would cost. During this process, I was able to hire a rental company (my outdoor venue didn't provide any furniture), a DJ, florist, videographer, and photographer. Having all the big vendors booked was a huge relief, and I then felt like I could focus on the smaller things.
So, next up was the cake! Caleb and I decided we wanted to have cupcakes because it's just easier for guests to grab, instead of having to wait for someone to cut and serve a slice of cake. We did, however, get a small cake as well for the cake cutting. I discovered Gigi's Cupcakes at the Virginia Wedding & Bridal Expo that we attended and I set up a cake tasting. You guys can see how that went in the video below. I also shared the cute gifts I got for my bridesmaids from PetalandPaperie on Etsy!
After getting engaged, the first thing I started looking into were venues. I feel like you can't really plan much else without knowing where you're getting married. That'll matter for so many things, like whether or not you'll need to rent furniture and a tent, whether you'll need to hire a catering company or if they'll already provide it. Also, every vendor you talk to always asks where the wedding is taking place. So, I definitely recommend doing this first. I searched for venues in many places but the website I found most helpful was The Knot. That's where I ended up doing all of my planning. Not only do they have a ton of vendors to search from but they also have an amazing checklist that, honestly, helped me stay sane throughout the whole planning process.
Anyway, below I have included the video of our hunt for the perfect venue for our wedding in Virginia. I had an idea of what I wanted but I was pretty flexible. The main thing I wanted was a place with lots of natural light. So, I found a few places online, then emailed or called them and set up some appointments to go see them in person. Watch the video to see how it went!
I know it has been quite a while since I've posted on here and that's because a lot has been going on. I feel like I've been on one crazy adventure this past year and I wouldn't have had it any other way. One major thing that happened during my time away was that I got engaged! Although, I wasn't keeping up with my blog very well, I did continue to post videos on my YouTube channel and I was actually vlogging during my trip to Florida, which is when Caleb proposed. He also had the help of my family to plan it out and to get a video and some pictures of the proposal. I'm glad that I can now relive the moment he asked me to marry him. Below, I've attached the vlog of the first part of our trip to Florida, where it includes some clips of the proposal as well as our Disney vacation!
I recently partnered up with Ulta Beauty and Her Campus Media to attend Her Conference in New York City and check out the Ulta Beauty Bar. I'm pretty sure all of you are familiar with Ulta Beauty (I mean, come on. It's the best!) but, just in case you aren't, it's the largest beauty retailer in the U.S. and the premier beauty destination for cosmetics, fragrance, skin care products, hair care products and salon services. Ulta Beauty offers a full-service salon in every store featuring hair, skin, brow and makeup services.
I was recently in Virginia (again) visiting my boyfriend and I vlogged our adventures together! We spent a lot of time outdoors and I had so much fun. We spent a weekend at a farm with his family, where we had a camp fire, went for a ride on a golf cart in the middle of the woods at night, and I even did something for the first time that was kind of scary! You'll have to watch the video to see what it was. We explored the amazing Luray Caverns. Their Wishing Well was so incredibly beautiful. We also went hiking at Shenandoah National Park and saw so many cute animals. We watched sunsets, made our way through a maze, and went to two escape rooms! That last part wasn't outdoors but, as I've mentioned before, we're obsessed with those and they were also a lot of fun. Check out the video below to see if we escaped and to see all the other things we got up to!
Lately, I haven't really tested out too many new products so I didn't have too many favorites this past month to share with you guys but I do really love the few products I did include. Let me know if you've tried out any of the things I shared or just feel free to share some of your favorites with me in the comments!
During the past two weeks, I've done lots of different things, from plant shopping and having a baby shower for my sister to traveling to Virginia and going to escape rooms. You can watch it all in my vlog below! I'm still not great at vlogging (I forget to film all the time) but I'm working on it and I hope you guys enjoy it anyway. By the way, escape rooms are so fun! My boyfriend and I are obsessed. I highly recommend going to one, if you like a challenge!
Happy Mother's Day! I know not every country celebrates it on the same day but, here in the U.S, it's Mother's Day and to celebrate that, I filmed a video with my mom. Two years ago we filmed the Mom Tag, so this year I decided to do it the other way around and see just how well my mom knows me!