We've Come a Long Way

It took nearly 7 years to get here, but we're here.  We've gone from this:

(taken around the time we transitioned from "just friends" to officially dating)

To this:

Happy Month-a-versary Mr. Beagle!!!!!

Although the last month has gone by entirely to quickly for us, we have enjoyed every second of it.  Since this is our first official anniversary, we celebrated with a nice dinner out at one of our favorite eateries and good conversation.  I look forward to celebrating each month until we reach one year and then we'll probably cut our celebrating down to a yearly event (or maybe not, we'll have to see!)

Will you be celebrating your anniversary monthly or yearly?

*Thank you to Ashley with Studio 563 for her ah-mazing photography!
**And in other news, we've received our wedding pictures!!! So stay tuned, there is more to come!

A Moment of Weakness

After I got married, I assumed I would give up my obsession with wedding blogs.  Even in the weeks leading up to our wedding I refused to look at wedding inpiration sites because 1) I had no time or, more importantly, 2) I was fearful I would end up seeing some detail or project that I would fall in love with and need to incorporate into our event or, even worse, 3) that I would see a gorgeous wedding and then regret the entire theme of our wedding and proceed to sulk.
Last week, after seeing our wedding pictures for the first time, I let down my guard and revisited the wedding sites whose posts had piled up in my Google Reader.  I immediately regretted it.  The wonderful memories for our wedding day were clouded by so many things I wish I had done.  I wish we had taken more pictures with our wedding party, I wish I had remembered to bring our invitations to be photographed, I  wish we had hired a videographer, I wish I had made enough time to make signs for our chairs, I may have even started regretting not having a bouquet of real flowers, and the list could go on and on.
I really felt bad about it for about two days, but then I remembered that we had a pretty good day.  If  anything did not go according to plan, we were oblivious to it.  After the ceremony, I felt complete happiness- a feeling I never expected.  (I mean I figured I would be happy, but not that happy, right?)  And best of all, Mr. Beagle and I are now married and it is better than I ever imagined.  It definately feels different- a very, very good different.
It seems strange to me that so much time and planning go into one day that lasts a total of 6 or 7 hours and then it's over in what feels like a few seconds.  I can't wrap my head around that just yet.  I'm just trying to remember our day, one moment at a time, so that I don't forget what a wonderful day it was.

PWC-Post Wedding Chop

Like others that have gone before me, I was sooooo ready for a change after the wedding. So ready that I made a hair appointment for the following Friday. Here's the before (taken about a month ago at my final shower with my sister- can you see the resemblance :) ?):


My hair has been about the same length and style for around 3 years, until now:


Bangs! I haven't had them since I was about ten :). I'm still getting used to the feeling of hair on my forehead, but I really love them!

Did you get a PWC? How soon after the wedding did you make your appointment?

Day-After Traditions

source

In Mr. Beagle's family, they have a tradition of gathering as a family and eating Menudo, which is a spicy soup usually served for breakfast, on the morning after the wedding. Although I've tried this soup, I'm not a big fan of it (it's one of those things that you either love or hate), but Mr. Beagle loves it.

So, Sunday morning, we trekked over to my new in-laws' house for breakfast. When we arrived, we (unfortunately) found out that the Menudo had some how gone bad overnight, but my in-laws came through with a back up plan to serve breakfast tacos filled with potato & egg and chorizo & egg, fresh fruit, and Mexican sweet bread:

source

While we ate, extended relatives trickled in to join the breakfast and wish us congratulations. It was really nice conversing with Mr. Beagle's relatives in a more relaxed atmosphere and enjoying the delicious food. I wish we could have stayed longer to visit with more of our wedding guests, but we had to leave early to take part in another tradition: visiting the elders who weren't able to make it to our wedding.

The rest of Sunday was spent driving to and from Laredo to visit Mr. Beagle's Abuela and Abuelo (grandmother and grandfather), who was in the hospital. We intended to visit his other grandfather who lives about an hour east of Laredo, but due to time constrictions, we weren't able to squeeze it in.

Overall, I found it was a nice way to spend our first day as a married couple. How did you spend the day after your wedding? Did you take part in any traditions?

Mascara Alternative: Dyed Lashes

Yay, I'm Married! (Okay, now that I've got that out of my system.... :) )

On Saturday, after my hair was set and my make-up was being prepped, I voiced my concern about mascara to my stylist. The problem is that I already have long, thick lashes and, therefor, I don't wear mascara often. Because of this, It feels weird when I have it on and I think it makes my eyes look odd. That's when my stylist told me she should have suggested making an appointment to have my lashes dyed. Although it wouldn't make them longer or thicker, she said it would make them darker.

I, being naive about make-up and most beauty products in general, had never heard of this and now I am intrigued. I did some brief research on the topic via a google search and found out you can also buy dye if you want to do it at home. I am not that brave and would definitely have someone do it for me at least the first time. The only problem I see with this is that it's dye, which means I can't just take it off (like I can with mascara) if I don't like it. Also, I am a little concerned about having chemicals that close to my eyeballs.

Since Mr. Beagle and I are planning to do another photo shoot in our nice clothes.... or at least with me in my dress, I think it's the perfect excuse to do a little lash experimentation. So my question is: Have you ever dyed your lashes or brows? What was your experience with it? Would you recommend it? Did you have any bad side effects? Do you have any other mascara alternatives?

One Last Post

...until I'm a Mrs.!
To Mr. Beagle, tomorrow I will be marrying my best friend. Through all are ups and downs I know now, more than ever, that this is the best choice for me and I can't hardly wait. I had a wonderful time with you at our rehearsal tonight, but I know that the real deal will be even better. Thanks for putting up with all my faults and supporting me through thick and then. You have made me a better person and, to put it simply, I love you.
To my mom, I know how much you wanted to be there with me tomorrow, and I am so, so, so sorry that it just is not physically possible. Just know that you will be with me in my heart and in my thoughts. So much of who I am is because of you and I hope that you knew that before you said goodbye. I will miss you more tomorrow than I have these long months, but I know you'll be watching for above and I'll feel your presence.
This journey with Weddingbee has been one of the best ever. I am so lucky to have had this opportunity and I hope that it has been as good for all of you as it has for me. I am excited to get back as a Mrs. with yet more DIY and, of course, some great recaps! You are a truly wonderful community, made up of a great group of friends, and for that I thank you.


XOXO,
Miss Beagle

The Burdens of Technology

source

I know we are all too familiar with the cheesy "silence your phone" commercials during movie previews. Practically everyone owns a cell phone today, and while most people are used to silencing it during meetings, church, etc., I think it is important to remind people that a wedding is also the occasion to "unplug". In fact at one wedding that Mr. Beagle and I attended, the church was going to charge the couple an extra fee for every cell phone that went off during the ceremony. Thankfully, no annoying ringtones were heard throughout the ceremony and fees were avoided.

The other technology item that may cause disturbances during the ceremony is the digital camera. Of course practically everyone owns one of these too. I wouldn't have even thought to mention anything about cameras if our church coordinator hadn't said something to me at our last meeting. She told me that flash photography is frowned upon during the ceremony... even from the professional photographer. I actually understand where they are coming from. As valuable as the photos from each moment are, sometimes the photographer/camera can detract from the present moment- the union and marriage. This may not be as strict in another setting, but since we will be getting married in a church, I really wouldn't expect anything less.

I was going to originally make mention of this somewhere in our programs, but then I forgot to include it *doh!*. The next best thing I've come up with is to make a small sign that will sit beside the guest book and program basket that will say something along the lines of:

"Please remember to silence your cell phones and refrain from taking flash photographs during the ceremony. Thank You, Mr. & Miss. Beagle."

Have you thought about the burdens of technology at your event? Are you reminding your guests about the proper etiquette concerning phones?