Stacked Wedding Rings

I've been asked about my choice of wedding ring quite a few times since we've been married. It's definitely a little different from the traditional wedding band. I think that's because picking out my wedding ring was way harder than choosing my engagement ring. I really didn't even want a wedding band at first, especially if I wasn't able to to find something I was crazy about. I looked and looked for a curved band that could stack nicely against my engagement ring, but everything just looked too clunky.

And I fell in LOVE with so many alternative wedding bands from Etsy, but I'm more "hands on" and wanted to be able to try the ring on before making the purchase. So after looking for about a month or so, I just sort of gave up.

Kyle eventually found his wedding band, and then I just happened to sort of stumble on something special while waltzing around the shops on South Congress.

I've always really liked the fun clothes and funky decor at Maya Star. It's such a cute, girly shop. I found myself drooling over some of the finer jewelry items in the store and this itty-bitty handmade gold ring with a flat clear sapphire really turned me on. I REALLY liked the idea of having another stone, and I just loved how delicate and dainty it was. So we went for it!

I figured I would just wear it on my ring finger all by itself. Two rings. Two fingers. No fuss about it. But then I started stacking them and wearing them together on my wedding ring finger just to try something different and mix metals here and there. I love, love, love it this way too.

I'm really happy that I decided to go ahead and get a wedding band. It's amazing how much pressure and stress the normal wedding traditions can add to a bride and groom! Kyle and I tried really hard to stay true to ourselves and how we wanted to celebrate our marriage. I think our rings do symbolize that in a way.

How did you choose your wedding rings? Did you pick them together? Did you go with a family heirloom or something brand new?

The Year of Firsts

Has it really been a month already? Yes. Yes, it has. Kyle and I got married exactly one month from yesterday, but it feels like it was just last week! It's flown by, that's for sure. But the good news is that we've already done so much as newlyweds, and there's plenty more to look forward to. Starting with our very first Thanksgiving at home. This year it's just us and a couple of friends, and it will be the first time either of us have attempted such a feat without the help of our families.

Are we excited? Yes.

A bit nervous? Yes. On Sunday I practically burned an entire practice batch of homemade sweet potato chips. Oops. But they all say practice makes perfect, so I'm going to give it another whirl on Thursday.

I'm also in charge of the mac and cheese and the spiked apple cider. I think I smell our first Thanksgiving tradition.

In other Thanksgiving-related news, I'm very excited to bust out the new, newlywed place settings and dinnerware, and put a darling little centerpiece together. I can think of a few cute ways to reuse a few of those bottles I collected for the wedding. I'm thinking a bottle or two, a few flowers, and feathers.

Just a few things I've started pinning for some holiday-inspired entertaining inspiration. How are you decorating for the holiday?

Our Wedding on Film

Kyle and I are SLOWLY getting back into our regular routine of work, blogging, poodle, etc. It's crazy how much lighter I feel with the wedding being over. Our apartment still looks like a wedding planner threw up in here, but that could also be because I'm dragging when it comes to figuring out what to do with all this stuff.

Aside from that, I'm thrilled to get a glimpse of a few wedding photos! We'll have the rest of them pretty soon, and that's when I'll be able to share more details and pictures of the entire day. But here are a few Holga images that our fabulous photographer Katherine O'Brien took of us during and after our first look.

[Chair I refurbished to match the desk used for our altar]

[Moments after the first look, laughing]

[A few moments alone right after the ceremony]

Everything about the day was so much fun. And I'm so, so happy Kyle and I decided to see each other before the wedding. It was so nice being able to kiss and console one another before guests started arriving. And we had plenty of time for pictures, which was nice.

I couldn't have been happier with our photographers. Katherine and her husband Jeff are immensely creative and so much fun to work with. If you're looking for a photographer in the Austin area, please check them out.

Stay tuned for more photos and a recap of the entire day!


All images by Katherine O'Brien Photography

Me. You. New Zealand. Australia.

It feels good to be home. Thank you, Kyle, for being my partner on this amazing adventure. Up next? The rest of our lives.

[Queenstown]

[Queenstown]

[The Remarkables]

[Sydney]

Catch up on our trip to New Zealand (Auckland, Queenstown, and Dunedin) and Australia (Melbourne, Cairns, and Sydney).