a glamorous opportunity

a few weeks ago,  a sweet friend asked me to participate in a styled shoot.

remember sarah carpenter? 

the lady behind our adorable one year anniversary photos?

she partnered up with emily at petals couture and put together the most glamorous layout.

i designed the invitation and the macaroon box tags,

and they coordinated the rest of the beautiful tablescape.

all photos were taken by sarah carpenter of sarah carpenter photography and design.

didn't they do a fantastic job?

i feel a little more fancy just looking at the photos!

i feel so blessed to be a part of such a fantastic project.

let's celebrate with confetti!

nothing says "we love fun" more than confetti!

this suite is a perfect fit for a couple looking to spend their wedding day with friends and family. weddings are a celebration after all!

there is also a coordinating save the date!

i am in love with this new design.

it's so versitile and would be adorable in so many different color combinations.

the little polka dots just make my heart so happy.

sweet celebrations always include dancing and cake

last weekend, my sweet sister-in-law became a wife!

picture the most beautiful bride and groom, both inside and out,

and you've met the hamiltons!

#perfectnightforaperfectpair

i didn't get many photos because i was too busy eating tons of yummy cake and showing off my dance moves, but just trust me:

it was the most beautiful wedding you've ever seen!

 

my family joined the festivities and of course, tore up the dance floor.

#theakerlyfamilybringstheparty

bub-hub was quite the stud and danced the night away right by my side.

i love this man.

isn't he so handsome?!

 

so blessed to have a husband with such a sweet family.

i love them more and more each day.

 

 

one year of marital bliss.

one year ago today, 

i walked down the aisle and promised to love and cherish my best friend for all of my life.

it was the best day in the history of days.

in our first year of marriage, we moved to a new city and into a new apartment. our family grew with the addition of our best friend raider. we learned how to paint, learned how to build things and took a stab at a mini-garden. we learned how to share responsibilities, how to budget, how to live together, how to fight well and how to laugh at ourselves.  we learned how much we needed each other to be the best version of ourselves. 

dear bub-hub,

i love you more and more everyday.

thank you for loving me so well.

here's to a hundred more years!

love, sarah grace

want to relive our wedding day with me? 

part 1 | part 2

part 3 | part 4

part 5 | part 6

part 7 | part 8

part 9

eat, drink and be married!

today, i'm excited to introduce a new addition to my etsy shop:

eat, drink & be married!

who doesn't love a good mustache?

i can't get enough of the yellow.

maybe it's the last five days of cloudy-rainy weather,

but i just love me some sunshine.

visit gracefully made designs on etsy. 

wedding rap up

it's ok to completely humiliate yourself in front of a room of 150 people right??

 

this weekend was so fantastic and so exhausting.

i had such a blast celebrating the marriage of my sweet friend steph.

the whole day was absolutely beautiful.

and may or may not have humiliated myself during my MOH speech...

i know i brag about bub-hub a lot,

but he really is the best.

he helped me practice and listened to me mess up over and over and over again,

he stood in the back dancing and cheering me on,

and he gave me a half time pep-talk to get through the humiliation.

he is the bomb[dot]com.

 

at the end of the night, the bride and groom left the reception as husband and wife.

a perfect end to a perfect day.

 

 

don't forget to sign up for the sweets swap! :)

send me an email and get in on the sweet action!

gracefullymadeblog[at]gmail.com

 

hallelujah for friday!

1. i found this ceramic leaf in the dollar section at target, and i have officially designated it as our key home. :)

2. the great apple sauce debate: cinnamon vs. original. bub-hub and i are on opposite sides. you decide. 

3. i finally downloaded the new taylor swift singles. i may or may not have listened to them almost 100 times already. #noshame

4. every wednesday, outside city hall, there is a fantastic farmers market. it's food truck heaven. this week, i caved and got the most yummy carrot cake cupcake i've ever consumed. mmmmmmmmm good.

5. i have officially completed the first month of insanity! 

i'm so glad it's recovery week.

i can feel myself getting stronger, i feel more energized. but it's still killing me.

i'm thinking about repeating the first month again before jumping in to the max-insanity phase. 

last, but not least,

this weekend, i'm off to celebrate the marriage of this beautiful lady:

she is going to be the most beautiful bride.

i've been practicing my wobble...and my YMCA.

it's time to celebrate! 

happy friday friends!

a lovely weekend for a wedding! :)

4 flights,

2 3-hour car rides, 

1252 miles.

the last 36 hours, yes, only 36 hours, have been nutso! 

we started out bright dark and early on saturday morning and headed to the airport to begin our trek to eureka springs, arkansas.  as i was moaning and groaning and threatening my alarm clock, i had a reality check. some people wake up at 6 am on a regular basis...bless your hearts.

two flights and 1 1/2 hazelnut lattes later (thanks for your sacrifice bub-hub!), we met the rest of my family in tulsa for the last leg of our road trip.  nothing gets the abs rolling more than a car full of family members. :)

after a long day of traveling, we finally arrived at the cabin we were going to be staying at for the night. we unloaded, recharged our batteries freshened up, and headed to town to grab some dinner before the festivities began.

side note:

in case you're ever in a life or death trivia match and need to know where the world's largest wind chime is located, it's in eureka springs. you're welcome! :)

after a yummy dinner, we headed over to the world's most beautiful wedding venue:

the thornhill chapel. 

before we headed into the chapel for the ceremony, we had a mini-reunion in the parking lot! :) after lots of hug (but never really enough) from grandparents, we were ready for a wedding!

the chapel itself was beyond beautiful and didn't need any additional decorations. however, at the front of the church, the bride placed a lovely backdrop made of strands of lace. it was the perfect touch. 

after the ceremony, we headed over to the reception at castle rogue manor.  the only way to describe this place is the word fairy tale.  

when we first arrived, we were greeted with a hot chocolate bar, apple cider and yummy coffee! 

there was also a lovely pie bar set up. everything was homemade and so yummy. 

and yes, the groom's cake is an armadillo. 

the groom is from amarillo, a town in west texas, so the little guy fit in perfectly. and luckily, it wasn't red velvet. :)

each place setting was set with a piece of antique sheet music, china, and silver wear. each guest was also given a lovely tea cup to visit the hot chocolate bar! there were also beautiful paper cranes spread out around the room. so lovely.

i know i say this a lot, but i really love my family. 

they are so fun,

they love to dance and laugh and celebrate together, and i absolutely adore every moment i get to spend with them.

and just when you thought the evening couldn't get any better, 

the paper lanterns came out.

yes, paper lanterns! just like in tangled! 

they were so beautiful floating floating off over the pitch black lake. 

i really felt like i was in a fairy tale. 

it was the perfect way to end the night.

after the bride and groom left, we headed back out to the cabin to pass out get some sleep, before we said goodbye to the beautiful weather and headed back home the next morning.

after a reversal of our journey, we finally made it back to hot and steamy h-town.

needless to say, 

bub-hub and i are exhausted.

any family time, however short or busy or chaotic it may be, always fills my heart.

best wishes and congratulations to the newlyweds! :)

mr. and mrs. chastain: part 9

no reception is complete without a bouquet and garter toss!  my girls were such great sports, and they were all ready for a fight.  i think the photos make it pretty obvious who won...

even though steph is already engaged,

she said it couldn't hurt to catch the bouquet...just in case. :)

and then the garter toss!

bub-hub's brother caught it.

keepin it in the family after all! :)

our exit was one of my favorite parts of the night.

growing up, sparklers were always my favorite part of the fourth of july,

so i was thrilled when our reception venue gave us the go ahead to light 'em up!

and so we began our life as mr. and mrs.!!

thanks for sticking around for the whole story! 

if you missed anything, or just want to revisit, check out the links below! :)

part 1 | part 2

part 3 | part 4

part 5 | part 6

part 7 | part 8

all photos were taken by Jana at bella bee photography.

the wedding was coordinated by Rhonda at precisely as planned. 

insanity & the 24 day challenge: Day 0

as i confessed on friday,

i've started the insane insanity challenge.

what was i thinking...

gotta get in shape for sweater & christmas cookie season! :)

plus, the bestie's wedding is just under 4 weeks away, so it's time to kick it into high gear!

[don't worry steph, my dress does fit, no last minute squeezing for me!]

reasons i chose insanity over other workout programs:

1. most honest reason,,,we had it at the apartment. 

bub-hub ordered it over a year ago during his tax internship, but he was so busy he never got around to finishing it.  so the box has basically been staring me down on my entertainment center for months. 

2. the workouts require no equipment, only your body weight, and it is heavy on the cardio, which i love.

3. it's a challenge, and who doesn't like a challenge?

in addition to insanity, i'm doing the advocare 24 day challenge [info here...].

you should definitely check it out and try it with me! :)

my goals for the next few weeks are not necessarily weight loss, but i want to gain energy and tone up.

i'm pretty much setting myself up for disaster extreme success...ahhhhh!

my brother told me that shaun-t will send you a t-shirt if you take a before and after photo...so here it goes!

do you have some advice on how to survive and thrive through insanity??

have you tried the 24 day challenge?

only the best bachelorette bash for the bestie

it's ok to use your best friend's bachelorette party as creative therapy...isn't it?

  

you're invited to:

like every fun party...there are rules.

read carefully.

i'm not a debbie-downer.

the main table, full of snacks and drinks and fun. :)

 i'm not sure about the rest of you, but i tend to judge a party by the food.

just being honest.

as my wise mother has said on many occasions 

"you can spend thousands of dollars on a party, but if the food is terrible, you might as well have stayed home."

i completely agree.
what can i say, i love to eat!

snacks for the evening included:

hot pink cotton candy flavored popcorn

sugar dot cookies

hershey kisses and york peppermint patties

twizzlers
cake pops!

yogurt covered raisins

chips and salsa and guac 

the beverage station was stocked with:

fresca

dr pepper 10 (a.k.a. go go juice. don't judge.)

ginger ale & champagne for mimosas

cranberry-pomegranate juice for pom-settias

this was the motto for the evening.

in case the guests weren't sure what kind of night they were in for, i think this sign removed all confusion. i wanted everyone to have a fun and relaxing night full of lots of laughter and memory making.

 a party just isn't a party without bunting!

you know those cardboard sheets they have in the scrapbook paper racks?

they make excellent bases for painting your bunting. 

 in the middle of the living room, we had a party table full of games, boas, hottie-whistles, beads, and of-course, tiaras!

mad-libs are the best.... 

 each girl was given a pink bag with a pink nail file and a bottle of the bride's favorite nail polish, "topless and barefoot" by essie.

the bride and groom are honeymooning in cancun, which gave me the perfect opportunity for a fun play on words.

the three ladies in this photo with me are fantastic.

i met them in high school choir,

ya i was a choir kid,

and to this day i still consider them some of my sweetest friends.

isn't it fantastic how the Lord puts friendships together? 

 the bride and i at dinner.

she's going to be the most beautiful bride!

i'm so excited to celebrate her big day with her! 

and just when you thought you were partied out,,,
don't forget about breakfast!

it is most important meal of the day after all!

the morning menu included:

fresh fruit

breakfast cassarole

orange juice

iced coffee

chocolate chip muffins

 left over cake pops... 

 each girl was asked to share memories or pieces of advice with the bride.  i wrote them down on white hearts and scattered them on the table for her to read at breakfast. 

i had such a fantastic time getting ready for this event, and i'm so glad everything came out perfect for the bride!  she deserves nothing but the best!