Wednesday, April 29, 2009

The Guilbeaux Gab

Woo hoo! So Kelly, Mooney (won't be able to call her that past Saturday!!) and Jordan and I just brainstormed ideas for blog names! Some of the failures included Newlywed Fun Times...apparently inappropriate, Guilbeaux Gazette, and for when we have kids (5 years friends) Growing up Guilbeaux!! So after a short brainstorm session we decided on....

The Guilbeaux Gab

Hope yall like it!! I still don't know how to change the stephreese in my url....I bet I have to move the whole blog but I really don't want to change that!

btw- I totally miss just hanging out with my friends! Just getting a little sentimental from our college days of sitting around and doing nothing!

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Vendors

Everyone has been asking about my different vendors so I figured I would blog about them! Sorry I'm long winded! I just have some great people to rave about! Only a few rants lol! Most of the titles are links to the website of the vendor. Enjoy!

Photographer- Rebel with a Camera - Travis Gagnon- He was absolutely spectacular! I adore my photos and he blended in with the crowd so well! He is on the expensive side but in my opinion was the best purchase we made! We received an
  • Engagement Shoot with photo release,
  • all day wedding coverage with photo release with 2 photographers and a helper
  • 10x10 photo album,
  • 10x12 proof book.
The photo release is key! We can share our photos however we choose! And they came on a DVD so they were easy to upload and will be easy to keep! The Photo Album is going to be beautiful and the Proof book is really neat! It has all the pictures printed with their photo numbers underneath! It also has a photo cover and back! It makes a neat second album
Venue- Angel Mountain- We feel truly lucky to have gotten married here! Bo's mother Teri and her best friend Linda bought the venue in January and completely remodeled it! They did an unbelievable job! Its a beautiful Location in the hills of Bastrop! Surrounded by Pine Trees it feels like its own little sanctuary. They worked tirelessly to get the location perfect for our wedding and they truly went above and beyond! It was so personal and special I couldn't have asked for a more memorable location!

Catering- Cypress Grill- Bo and I debated ALOT about what to do for food. At one point we had this Barbecue across Texas idea then a crawfish boil the list just was insane! When we really sat down to think about it we talked about our favorite places to eat. We LOVE cypress grill!! We eat there all the time! Its right by our house! It has a great atmosphere and the food is awesome! I could not be happier with them! The owner was SO extremely helpful! He went above and beyond!! We got the food and bartenders from there and it was all excellent! They cleaned up without anyone even noticing! Truly impressive! We thought that it was just something different and fun for a wedding! Not many people are exposed to Cajun food! So we brought them into our love! It is in Bo's heritage!

Cake/Cupcakes- Sweet Tempered- A big Thanks goes out to Preston for helping me win this fight lol! We debated back and forth on making cupcakes or ordering them! Well I am SOOOOO happy that we ordered them! Not only were they delicious but I didn't have to spend a whole day baking them lol! I have always wanted a cupcake tree for my wedding so it was perfect! For Bo's Grooms cake (southern tradition) he decided to go with an Aston Martin Emblem! Since he just started working there and adores the cars it fit! It was really cool! However no one ate it except us! No one went and cut the cake up so no one ate it! I still don't
know what happened to it after the wedding??hummm lol! The bakery is right around the corner from our house so it was also nice to support a local business!

Flowers- Bouquets of Austin- They were great! When I went in for my consultation I didn't know what I wanted except No roses, No Daisy's, and that I loved hydrangeas! However, by the time I left I felt as if my entire wedding was complete and fabulous! They were so helpful! They really asked those leading questions to get to every point of you wedding! I had no idea how I wanted my centerpieces to look but I knew I wanted the candles and the gold chargers. They said to just add the blue I LOVED my bouquet and my bridesmaids were cute but apparently the blue hydrangeas die faster than the rest lol! The arc was spectacular! The Boutonnieres looked great I was just really impressed!


Aisle Runner- Chic Unique Inc-
I found these online and just fell in love with them! It was soo beautiful! However they do have tricky pricing! Turned out to be twice as much but I still think it was worth it! The only down side was that since it was ivory I was extremely picky about people not walking on it before the wedding but after it got trampled! I originally planned a few photos with the isle runner but the ceremony site already had been transformed to the reception site and thankfully Kelly and Meagan saved it! I am hoping to have the end of it be the middle of a quilt one day!

Dress- Unbridaled-I went to many locations to find "THE DRESS". So many of them insisted on them picking out your dresses and then actually putting them on you! Uncomfortable lol! Unbridadled is completely different! They are located in a really cute house! You walk in and its just a breath of fresh air! They let you look through their collection and you turn out dresses in their racks and they will place them in a dressing room for you. No pressure just you get to look at your own leisure it was great! I found a dress from Venus bridals and loved it! However a couple of weeks later I decide that I didn't love the bottom of my dress! SOOO I turned to a seamstress! Cotures by Laura but I was too scared to ask her to redo it! So she hemmed it and made it fit. Then i turned to a friends mom Mrs. Lott and she completely understood what I was looking for and did an amazing job! She turned the bottom into more of a mermaid skirt and added some poof at the bottom! It was more than I could have asked for! LOVE LOVE! The veil from Davids Bridal really topped it off beautifully! It had some scattered pearls and I loved it!

Hair- Cobalt Blue-
I adored my hair! The hair stylist did a great job! All I said was make me look like I have hair lol! And with a little help from some fake hair I did!! The atmosphere was nice! I was soo relaxed and just had fun! They did also do my make up but I'm very particular about it so I ended up re-doing it afterwards! Overall very pleased! However there were some downers! Rheannons hair was indescribable! Horrid! They just teased it and sprayed it! So we went home and combed it out and pulled it back! Katy's hair was interesting..like a doam... Miranda, Kristin and Megan had great 1/2 up 1/2 down hair! Also Reese and Mom had matching princess hair that looked nice as well. I was just so upset about Rheannon's hair and it made us late that day which threw things off and into a kinda crazy tail spin! But I LOVED my hair lol!

Programs- Antonia Rose Printing- Sooo at first everything was great! They did a great design I was sooo happy! Then I got my shipment and it was regular programs not program fans! Thankfully they agreed to reprint them at no cost to me and they came a couple days later! I did have to assemble the fans myself but it was easy! I just did a couple each night watching TV! The biggest advice I have for these is that you do not need to order them for your entire guest list! We threw away so many and it just broke my heart! Part of it was my House Party was more needed helping me than passing them out lol but also we just had too many! However for a Texas Wedding the fans really helped! It was only in the 80's but it sure felt hotter lol!

Rentals- Austin party Central-
I cannot say enough about them! Lydia was amazing! She really pulled my ideas together! They worked with our budget and were just overall so helpful! They were able to drop off on Thursday and pick up on Monday which was nice! We rented: tables, chairs, linens, champagne glasses and so on! We also rented from them for the Rehearsal dinner and it was great!
Suit Rentals-Tuxedo Junction- The boys did look nice but not without some problems lol! Bo absolutely hated his suit. He said it felt cheap and that the tie was too short and it didn't
fit. So we went and bought him a suit at Macys! The Groomsmen however wore the suits. A couple had to be safety pinned into their suits and they all pretty much refused to take off their jackets but I thought they all looked handsome!
Bridesmaid Dresses- Davids Bridal- These lovely ladies sported Olivine Dresses from Davids Bridal. Rheannon went with me to help pick them! I think they all looked beautiful! The only problem I have is with their alterations department. Not from my wedding but from others they are just too expensive and its just a mess! Other than that I got great service from them and I think the girls looked beautiful!
Music- Miranda and David- They sang "I will be here" by Steven Curtis Chapman. It has always been one of my favorite songs and Miranda was always my favorite singer! When we lived together at Baylor she sang me to sleep so many times lol! They did a beautiful job! I have heard nothing but raving compliments about them! Thanks guys!! You did a beautiful job!
Minister- Greg Lanier- He was a high school friend of Linda and Teri's. He did an amazing job!

Beer-North by Northwest- During the whole planning process we decided to showcase things that we loved! We LOVE North by Northwest beer! They are a restaurant and a brewery! We showcased the Duckabish Amer (my fav!), the Irish Stout and their Northern Light. All I heard were compliments!
Wine- Bought at Spec's- We had a great guy helping us and we chose for our red- Baritone Maxim Cabernet Shiraz 2004. We love blends and thought it was excellent. For our white we choose- Ashwood Grove Chardonnay 2005. Which was also really nice! We had champagne but I could not tell you what it was! We have at least 6 bottles of each downstairs lol! One of the few things we liked having left overs of! lol!

Table Numbers- Proudly made by me using my Cricut! Those things are SO cool! Teri got me the small version for Christmas and I love it! I am trying to figure out more that I can use it for! I want to get the vynal so that I can make stickers or stencils and such!! SOOO neat

Flower pomander balls- lol if that is their official name! I made these as well! You just need lots of fake Hydraenas, flower pins, ribbon and a styrafoam ball! They were fun to make and added a cute touch to the aisle! After the wedding apparently mom just gave them all away lol! Which I guess is fine I dont really need them it was just kind of random!
Flower Wreaths- Also made by me! Teri Taught me how to make them and we made three! Just the same as the flower pomander balls! I'm not sure what happened to those either after the wedding I'm sure mom gave them away! I was just happy they were displayed! I was putting on my make up and discovered them in the closet! I dont know who i tossed them to but I was frantic trying to get them out so that they could be displayed lol!
Champagne Glasses and Knife set- Davids Bridal- Suprised! So was I! Teri and I found them there and she generously bought them for us! They were beautiful and will be cherished for a long time! I took them to Things Remembered and had all of them Engraved. The Double hearts and special to Bo and I. The first ring he bought me was a promise ring with two entwined hearts. (which i still wear and probably wont come off my finger lol) We have always been great friends and well as being loves! He told me that our hearts were always meant to be as one....aww I know! So I was happy to find that design and include it
Favors- M&M's- Well this was a battle I lost lol! I didnt want favors thought they were a waste of money. Well I was kinda right since they never got put out lol! A big thanks to Ron for putting together 1/2 of them! And when we ran out of Blue and Green M&M's Rheannon and Ron looked all over austin to find more! lol Thanks guys! Sorry if you didnt get any!

Rings- Jared Galeria of Jewlery- Bo's is a Tungsten ring with carbon fiber in the middle. Perfect for any car guy! Mine goes around both sides of my ring. Very sparklie!
Garter- Al's formal wear- I thought the garter was a pretty silly thing! But when I found one that I knew Bo would Love i had to get it! Of course its a UT garter! lol! He really appreciated it! especially since I didnt let burnt orange be one of our colors lol!
Fireworks- Sparklers- Not sure where Bo got them...somewhere online! But they really made a perfect exit!

Limo- a Friend was kind enough to give us the Limo as his wedding present! It was perfect!


Hope yall enjoyed! Took me a while but being unemployed gives you lots of extra time lol!! Keep your fingers crossed for a job soon!! Have a great one! Meagans wedding is this weekend and I am SOOOO PUMPED! Its going to be amazing!!

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Firefly Lane


I just finished reading Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah and just had to write about it! I loved this book! It is about two friends growing up together through the 70's, 80's, 90's and today! It is a truly heartfelt story! Its one of those few books that brings tears to my eyes! The last one was P.S. I love you by Cecelia Ahern. Another great book! If you saw the movie yes its good, but the book is life changing! Anyways I highly recommend it! Its not only a neat journey but also gives insight to motherhood, married life and friendships that last.

As for the job search I put in my General Application to Eanes ISD and Lake Travis ISD. I am working on my Hays ISD and will hopefully finish that tomorrow. The way you apply is so stange. You put in a general application to the district...then what! I am thinking that I may try to personally go to the schools and introduce myself to the principles. I just worry that TAKS is next week and with the upcoming end of school that they are super busy! The last thing I want to do is be in the way! I just don't know how else to make my application stand above the rest! No matter where I get my job I will work harder than most will to be an amazing teacher!! I just need that first job to prove myself!

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Slideshow

Hello everyone!
So some of you guys know i have an obsession with slide shows! I've been wanting to buy a cool slide show program but the one I want is like 70 dollars! So I settled for the much cheaper version lol! I had a lot of fun making it! Its a really REALLY simple program. I edited the music to put the two songs together on Audacity then used Smilebox to put it all together! Just a note you can use the arrows but it will also move on its own, thats how I timed it with the pictures. The biggest draw back I think is not allowing you to pick slide time and how many photos per slide! But overall its a great program! Hope yall like it!!
Click to play this Smilebox slideshow: Bo and Stephanie
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Monday, April 13, 2009

Spring Cleaning!

I finally feel accomplished! Yesterday Bo and I gutted the kitchen! We just took everything out and figured out what we wanted to keep and goodwill! We had to make room for all our new amazing kitchen stuff! I think people know how much Bo and I love to cook because we only got 2 presents that weren't cooking related lol! Its where we spend our bonding time :) lame I know lol! Anyways it just felt good to get rid of some things! Clean the cabinets, wash some dusty dishes, match the Tupperware, and all that fun stuff! I was sad to see my first set of plates leave! I remember Miranda and I picking them out at Target freshman year! That doesn't feel like it was over 5 years ago! Crazy!

After spring cleaning we made some great Pork Chops with stove top and green beans! Simple, cheap, under 5 minutes and awesome! Just our style lol! During dinner we started dreaming of our perfect house! We are just beginning the house hunt! Such a scary thought! But with the incentives given this year we decided that we just need to put our foot out there are find our first house! I will keep yall updated as developments come in!

Today was my first day back at Cedar Creek! It just felt right! I missed the people, the atmosphere and especially my students so much!! I am PRAYING that I am lucky enough to teach there next year! It would be a gift from Heaven lol! So far I have just put in one application for a job. I will probably do the rest this week! I am going to apply at Eanes, Lake Travis, Hays and maybe round rock? Hopefully I find that perfect fit for my first year!!

ALSO Bo sold his first Aston Martin today!! YAY!! He was so pumped!! We are going out to dinner tonight to Celebrate!! So I gotta run and get ready!! Love yall!!




Random last note to my Rascal Flatt fans- Yall know I love them but their new CD....really?? not feeling it! :(

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Personal Assisstant Stephanie :)

Since the wedding I truly feel like I have become a personal assistant! Returning items, cleaning the house, taking the dry cleaning, breaking down boxes, buying a new alarm clock and soap! Really exciting life for me lol! Yet after 3 days of cleaning the house is still a wreck! I love my wedding presents but they are all sitting in the middle of the living room lol! What to do with them is overwhelming! My Recycle bin is already completely full!

I am getting some hints on the job hunt now! I can't wait to get my first teaching position! Right now I am working on a cover letter that makes me sound like the perfect new hire :) Its difficult to write those! I was truly surprised how much you need to say and have been researching different approaches and such! I may take a couple more days to get it perfect!

Also the professional photos were posted!!! You can click here, use my old email address and you will be able to see the pictures!! There are some really awesome ones and some that I am not too crazy about because I tend to make not so attractive faces! I am always my worst critic though! I will post some when I get the DVD! But our Photographer Travis Gagon was Awesome! They were so easy to work with and really know what they are doing! We will definitely cherish them forever!

Gotta run! Bo is FINALLY coming home!! It is going to be rough adjusting to the dealership schedule! But this first week is just crazy putting in extra hours to get everything started!! John Eagle European Austin Coming REALLY Soon!! Woo

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Mrs. Guilbeaux

Well it's safe to say that planning a wedding was stressful! I do apologize to those who read my blog ! If your still out there Thanks!! The whole idea was to keep updated on what was going on during the planning but well blogging fell low on the list of priorities lol!

As stressful as it was I must say that it was Worth EVERY BIT of it! It was more than I could imagine! My detailed-ness came in handy but may have also been a little over the top! Come wedding day some of my picky-ness was overlooked and you know what! It was okay! Because the day was beautiful! I got to Marry the Man of my DREAMS! All my family and friends were
there supporting and celebrating with us! We danced, shoved some cake in each others face and laughed ALOT! It was perfect! I can't wait to see the professional photos but I thought I would post some of my fav's from my friends! Thank you facebook photos lol!


Some of the girls with our "princess hair" as Reese called it :) Unfortunately for Rheannon they gave her like a Mohawk/fro so we had to go home and re do it! LOL! Sorry Rhanna!


RJ was PRECIOUS!! He decided that the isle was just too much and wanted daddy instead! I thought it was soooo cute! I had a perfect side view and he just went straight for daddy! SO CUTE!

Reese and Linda! She wanted to know why RJ wasn't walking down the isle! She was absolutely adorable!! Great Job Reesy! ps- the bands car is on my hit list for being parked right there during the ceremony...grrr

Me walking down! Bo cried as I was walking down! It was the most amazing moment! All I could see was him! Now looking at the pictures I realized that I was the only one who didn't follow the rule about bouquet height lol!

The alter :) Look at how comfortable Reese looks lol! She's like my jobs done! Time to relax and have a cupcake lol! She is adorable!


Most perfect Wedding Kiss Ever!
Mr. & Mrs. Guilbeaux!

We have a HUGE family now!

Thank you John for this picture! I love it!
Taking our posed pictures!

Amazing bridal party!

Love these Boys! Thanks for not dropping me!

Chris's toast was awesome! Put us all to shame!
We ended dancing the night away! My ipod died so luckily Doug our awesome DJ had some back up songs! Of course they were all high energy songs so we were all exhausted by the end! It was awesome! Even thought some people threw some bumps in my night it was more than I could have asked for! I would love to go back and relive it! It went by SO FAST! Thank you to everyone who helped make this weekend amazing!

I will try to post more often I promise! Hopefully we will be on a journey to a new job here in the next month :) Also Bo has his first official week at Aston this week!! Yesterday was his first day (talk about a crazy weekend lol) he said that it was awesome! Best first day of a job ever! Well after cleaning all day yesterday the house is still in chaos from all the new presents and wedding supplies lol! So better start working!! Love yall! Thanks again! Most perfect weekend ever! I am so happy to finally be Mrs. Guilbeaux!