A Taste of San Antonio

Over the Christmas break Kyle and I first celebrated in Conroe and then headed on to San Antonio where we had a big wedding to do list! Before we even made it out of Conroe we met and booked our officiant for the big day, the bishop that confirmed Kyle. Let me just say we are so blessed to have him presiding over the wedding, he is the most amazing person and perfect for the ceremony we want! After having this checked off the list we headed to San Antonio for Robare Christmas and then the Crowls would arrive for rehearsal dinner venue visits. Because we are getting married downtown, the Riverwalk was an obvious choice for the rehearsal dinner. So that Friday night we headed downtown to enjoy dinner with the Crowls before our packed schedule the next day.

On the way to dinner we passed our church!!

Too bad they take these down the beginning of January and not the end!

Such a cute street.

Although the rehearsal dinner is a more intimate night, we want to capture the spirit of San Antonio, have fun and let our hair down a bit! So we began with a festive private room, the Briar's Suite, at Pat O'Brien's....

Gorgeous wood bar

The details were beautiful!

After looking around for a little and having all of our questions answered we decided to grab some breakfast at Schilo's Deli, a German deli-style restaurant that has been a downtown fixture since 1917.

A few of us after breakfast

Next we walked a few streets over to Rio Plaza to check out a few rooms they had to offer...

Melanie (the best event coordinator) showing us around Rio Plaza!

Cute entry way into one of the rooms

Kimberly, Patrick and Kyle checking out the view

Beautiful downtown San Antonio

Future bookshelf perhaps?!

Again, too small of a room, but GORGEOUS!

View from one of the terraces.

Fun on the terrace!

After seeing several different rooms at Rio Plaza we finally found the perfect one on the second floor overlooking the Riverwalk! As soon as Melanie told us it used to be an old cigar bar, I knew Kyle was hooked! The dark oak bar, rich colored walls and floor to ceiling windows with a patio overlooking the river was more than we could ask for. I don't want to give it all away, but here are few pictures to give you an idea of the space.

Unique lighting fixture

Beautiful detail above the bar!

We looked at a few more places, but none measured up to the setting of the Riverwalk. So with that checked off our list, the Crowls headed home and Kyle, my parents and I were off to our second tasting. Whenever the Crowls and Robares get together it's always a good time so I knew this would be a fun trip, but didn't know how easy it would be to find the perfect place! We're so excited to give our family and friends a little taste of San Antonio!

It's Not Offical until it's Facebook Official!

It seems like ages ago that Kyle popped the question so lately I have been re-living the moment by reading cards from close friends and family, looking at pictures and uncovering photos I didn't know I took! I am so grateful I somehow thought to take these (although somewhat cliche and cheesy) to document those little things so I could relive those special moments! This first picture is the meeting request my boss sent me with information regarding the "student recruitment meeting with the Chancellor!" Everyone went the extra mile to convince me (good thing I'm somewhat gullible and aim to please when it comes to my job).

My Outlook is always utilized..even for a secret proposal!!

The "made up" details my boss came up with so I would have no doubt I was going to meet the Chancellor.

Like every social media guru or obsessor knows..it's not official until it's on Facebook, right? Well either way, I made sure to get pictures of our "official" engagement!

First the request...

Then His...

and Hers!

There you have it ladies and gentlemen, Facebook official! If I come across anymore fun (yet again cliche) pictures I'll make sure to upload them, but for now I'm blogged-out. I have a lot of check's off the to-do list so there is definitely more to come of Bridal Bliss in the future!

Engaged....check! Now what?

So what is a girl to do after just getting engaged?? Well besides perusing every bridal magazine, website and blog, what else but to gather some girlfriends and hit up the bridal extravaganzas! There just happened to be a Bridal Fair in Lubbock not long after the engagement, so I called up a few of my best girlfriends in the area and made the plans. Getting through a week of work was not the easiest with my head churning with ideas, but a sweet surprise Monday morning at work kept me going...

 

I have the most amazing co-workers (or as I like to say, extended family!)

Finally the week came and went and the Lubbock Bridal Fair was upon us. Molly Swanson and Amanda Kuhns, two great friends accompanied me to the much anticipated day at the Overton. First order of business, mimosas!! Next check in and on to the festivities. Despite popular belief, I had never been to a bridal fair and have to admit was a little taken aback by the mass amounts of vendors, people, flowers, giveaways, etc. And of course one of the first things we laid eyes on was the OBVIOUS choice in decor for my January wedding...

Only kidding!! Let's just say some of the items featured gave us a little laugh here and there and were definitely suited for someone else's taste. I did find some inspiration that I believe will be a recurring theme in my wedding...branches. I know it might sound a little under-whelming, but these have been popping up on a lot of bridal websites for any season wedding and with my winter theme I think they will go perfectly!

About halfway through the fair I had plenty of ideas as well as rather annoying amount of business cards and gimmicky giveaways, but I made sure not to be selfish and found some ideas for Kyle as well!

Groom-themed candy bar with cigars and beer candy display..think again Kyle!

Hilarious, but probably not!

 As soon as my bridal goodie bag began to weigh me down, I had answered the "When's your date" question enough times for a million brides and we had entered an excessive amount of giveaways, we made the executive decision to reward ourselves with happy hour! So the celebration continued across the way to Ruby Tequila's where a much needed cocktail greeted us.

Molly, Amanda and I enjoying our girl day!

It was all about the VIP Bride Bracelet!

One thing I learned during my first fair experience is be ready to answer the same question a million times, and if you have a longer engagement get ready for the shocked expression when you tell them your far off date! Despite how exhausting the day was, it was great to have a bridal fair "under my belt," and to have some of my best girlfriends by my side!