T&C

Wedding: T&C Engagment Pictures - Picking A Theme

I always get asked about our engagement pictures and how I chose the theme and style for them. To tell you the truth, it kinda just came to US.  Cody hates taking pictures so I really had to make this comfortable for him and in his comfort zone or who knows how our pictures would have turned out. I always tell brides-to-be to pick a theme, or even a location and base your style around that.  This really helped me stay focus and not have my ideas wonder off whenever I found something on Pinterst. You will tell from our two different sets of pictures how the theme is very similar but still different in it's own unique way.

The first set was taken by our wedding photographers Jade and Kaitlin Ehlers at our condo in Downtown Seattle.  We were trying to go for the J.Crew, Hamptons (but with a Seattle) vibe. I love Cody's  jacket we focused our outfit and theme for this shoot around it. We used these pictures for our Save The Dates (click here to view how they turned out, I have to say I am so proud of these!)

Now you can tell the second set was completely different from the first but still has the J.Crew/ Hamptons vibe with a vintage twist. I focused the wedding on a vintage theme (will post pictures of all the details very soon). My navy dress was purchased on Modcloth.com and the vintage truck and suitcase were bought at an antique store in Downtown Tacoma. These pictures were taken by Paul Maranan of  P&M Productions at Discovery Park in Seattle. I actually met Jade and Kaitlin through Paul because they were their photographers for their wedding. So funny how things work out! Paul captured the vibe that I wanted perfectly!

I will be focusing some Friday posts on more personal things such as the wedding (since I didn't even blog about it when it was happening) and other things.  Did you have a theme for your engagement pics?

Wedding: T&C in Asia - honeymoon edition!

Hello loves! I know I haven't been posting for a very long time, I always neglect my blog! Hopefully, I can jump on blogging/reviewing and sharing pictures with all of you on a daily basis again (this will include new YouTube tutorials as well) . Thank you all for being so patient! 

After 6 months of being married my husband and I finally went on our honeymoon to Hong Kong and the Philippines (Manila, Cebu and Boracay). It was such an awesome vacation and happy I was able to share my homeland with my new husband.  I've been to the Philippines 3 times already but for the MR.  It was his first. I was scared to see how he would react especially in the Philippines but to my amazement he LOVES it! He wants us to find a condo as our vacation home. Yay! We had a great time and didn't want to go back home. 

Here are some highlights from our trip 

Our first stop for 3 days was Hong Kong. 

Skyline of Hong Kong - the day was overcast with some scattered showers. Major jet lag here!

Being a beauty junkie my favorite part of Hong Kong was Sasa!!! Oh my goodness. Literally every city block had a Sasa. If you don't know what Sasa is it's best described as an Asian Sephora - different Asian beauty brands (Japanese,  Korean, Chinese) skincare, haircare, makeup, nails, etc. it was so much fun going into each one everywhere we went. The MR. was so amazed how many there were in a short radiance from each other. The picture shows some of the products that I picked up. I wanted more but knew that I had to limit myself since we still have to make it to the Philippines. 

For a week and half we spent the majority of our time in the Philippines

The view from our hotel room at the Sofitel Manila Plaza. Such a beautiful hotel outside of Makati. Can you see the Ferris Wheel? That's Mall of Asia- one of the biggest malls in Asia less than 5 min from our hotel via taxi. The big building in front is the Manila Film Centre. 

The MR. and I like history and culture we spent some time at Corrigdor and Intramueros. 

Time for some fun times on the beach! 

Cebu Movenpick beautiful grounds and hotel! It was nice to lay out on the beach and enjoy the weather. 

The last stop was of course Boracay! 

Boracay Regency Lagoon was our home for 3 days. If you stay here make sure you get the 1st level rooms so you have direct access to the pool from your balcony. It is also a short walk away to the beach. 

Look at the beautiful water and sand! The water was so warm! Spent 2 days just lounging on the beach drinking fresh mango shakes.  

Back to Manila! 

Our last night in the Philippines the Sofitel upgraded us to the top floor with a few overlooking Manila Bay and a beautiful view of the pool. 

That's our trip in a nut shell! So sad it had to end but we enjoyed every second of it. We are already planning our next trip to Europe. Can't wait! 

Wedding: Tiffany and Cody Professional Photos

One of my favorite pictures 

One of my favorite pictures 

I am so excited to share with you our professional photos from our photographers Jade and Kaitlin Ehlers.  They are the same photographers that shot our engagement pictures as well.   They captured our wedding beautifully and I couldn't be happier.  Have fun viewing our photos! 

Just some details:

  • the locket had a picture of my mom and dad when they got married.  I lost my dad to cancer when I was 14 years old and I wanted to make sure I included him in every aspect of my wedding day.  I also included a gardenia which reminded me of him in my bouquet. 
  • I designed the wedding invitations with a friend who is a graphic designer.  The suite includes a vellum envelope with a wax seal that I had custom made with our monogram. 
  • My heels for the night are by Betsy Johnson 
  • The bridesmaid totes were made by me including the tag 
  • My wedding dress was custom made by John John Ditching from the Philippines.  It was super heavy but I love how it just glistened in the sun light. The fabric came from Italy and it was hand beaded with flower embroidery. I also had a reception dress that was custom made as well.  This one was all lace with a detachable skirt that I can take off for dancing later in the night. So happy my mom gave me the idea of a 2nd dress because with the heat and how heavy my 1st dress I don't know if I would survive the rest of the night. The bridesmaid dresses were designed by me and also made from the same designer. I picked out the fabric in LA and had it sent over.  I fell in love with the lace and color even before I set a date.  I just had to have it! 
  • The guy's suites are from J.Crew.  
  • Our wedding bands are from Tiffany & CO. Cody really wanted them to say T&C which fits us perfectly. 
  • The table numbers were all DIY projects by me.  I bought the frames from Dollar Tree, spray painted, added scrapbook book paper and cut us a vinyl number with my Cricut. 
  • The place cards for the guest were also a DIY project which took me forever because I couldn't decide what I wanted to do.  I decided vintage postcards would be cute.  I ordered vintage stamps from Etsy that included some from the US and the Philippines. 
  • Our T&C mailbox for our cards was something that I always wanted to do.  I found the toy mailbox at an antique store, painted it blue and added all the embellishments.  Now it sits in our living room. :)  I can't give it away. 
  • I wanted to have a cute sign that directed the guests to all the rooms and happenings for the night.  The sign was designed by me and put together by my friend who helped me with the invites. I also included a sign near the photobooth as well. 
  • The photobooth/guestbook was one of the biggest DIY projects I decided to take on for the wedding.  It took me 1 full month (doing it almost every day) to put together a 30 page custom scrapbook where our guests can leave little notes and a copy of their photo booth strip.  I am so proud how this turned out.  Every page is different, all with hidden pockets for the guests to leave their mark and a vintage theme all throughout the book. 
  • Our wedding toppers were customized wooden pegs from Etsy.  I then added makeup products and a Playstation controller to represent US. 
  • My mom and I did a mother/daughter surprise number.  Since I lost my father I wanted to do something fun with my mom.  We did a medley of dances from past songs to modern and it was all professionally choreographed by my aunt.  It was so much fun and big hit! 

I always wanted to customize my wedding to reflect me and Cody and I think I did exactly that and more.  I couldn't be happier on how things turned out.  Please let me know if you want to see more pics or if you have questions on some of the projects. 

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Wedding Tiffany and Cody Video Trailer by Solefire Films and wedding thoughts

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Hi everyone!

Just received our wedding video trailer by our videographer Nolan from

Solefire Films

.  Wanted to share it with all of you! It was such a magical day and Nolan captured it beautifully.  All the details that are included in the video were all made by me.  So happy how it turned out.  Can't wait to see the whole video. 

Just click the picture to be taken to the full trailer.

http://vimeo.com/78438551
http://vimeo.com/78438551

It's been a couple months after our wedding and I miss everything about wedding planning and executing.  Yes, for some it may sound a little bizarre.   I guess when something so big like this takes over your life for almost a year you really don't know what to do after.  Every time I watch this trailer it makes me feel so proud of all the little details that I made for our wedding. Making trips to the craft store almost every other day, antique shopping every weekend, having our condo filled with wedding stuff truly made the whole wedding experience compete.  All my hard work did pay off.  We did well (I did) experience some bumps in the road, but those things don't really matter anymore - it's all about the love our family and friends shared on our special day.

For all future brides/brides-to-be out there here are my tips...

  • Enjoy every moment because it will go by so fast.  
  • Do things you always wanted to do for your wedding because you don't want to regret it later down the road.  We weren't going to have a videographer but I am so happy we did!
  • Be organized!! Put together a binder with tabs for vendors, wedding party, etc.  Always print out invoices and emails to stick into the binder in case something happens.  My binder was filled at the end and I am so happy I was organized it kept me insane. 
  • www.weddingwire.com a great online website/tool to help manage your wedding guests and seating chart.  No more doing it on paper it's all on your computer.  Also download the app from the app store to have on your phone so you have it with you on the go.  
  • For the first couple of months start getting some inspiration from wedding blogs and pinterest.  Be warned that you will totally get overwhelmed, I did.  After the 3rd month I picked out my colors, theme and elements that matched our venue and us a couple - once I completed this I stopped looking at all the wedding blogs/inspiration.  Its gets to be too much and then you want to change what you have going.  Stick to a plan all the way through or else you are going to go CRAZY!
  • If you are DIY bride (like I was) always get your supplies on sale or search the internet for cheaper prices.  Coupons from Michael's and Joann's really help! Look at their weekly ads to see if there's anything you will need.  Your local Craig's List is a great resource too.
  • Network around your friends/family members perhaps your sister knows a graphic designer that likes to design wedding stationary.  Or your friend's cousin's fiance works at a bakery.  By networking this really helps keeps costs down, and trust me the expenses pile up each and every week!
  • Hire a wedding coordinator and delegate a team to help set up and need be take down.  So happy I hired a wedding coordinator just to make sure everything was organized the day of.  I am very hands on and I always want things to go my way, but on your wedding day you can't be everywhere.  Your wedding coordinator will be you running around while you enjoying everything.  If you can't afford a wedding coordinator ask a friend of a friend who is very organized and has attention to detail. 
  • Plan out your budget by listing your important things first.  Pick 3 things that are important to you and then 3 other things important to you and your fiance.

I hope this helps for all you bride-to-be's out there, just a little insight of what I learned. Happy planning!

P.S. I will be posting in depth details of our wedding when I get the pictures back from the photographer.  

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I'm now a MRS!

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Hello everyone! Thank you to all my beauTIFFul readers and followers out there for being so patient with me these past couple of months while I prepared for my wedding.  Means so much to read all your well wishes and support while I was MIA.  I am finally back and will be posting on a regularly basis.  I will be posting a weekly YouTube tutorial starting next month featuring a MOTD and makeup reviews on some products that I want to share with all of you! 

Here's a little sneak peak of my wedding from my friend Cindy!

 Tiffany and Cody 

Aug. 18th 2013

Seattle Tennis Club 

The day went by so quickly!  I was such a DIY bride and I enjoyed everything about it.  Will post some of my favorite details once I get all the pictures from our professional photographer.  Can't wait to share with all of you! Stay tuned!