The Buttons Bachelorette: A Sunset Wedding Shower

Once our busy day of nail salons and flower previews seemed to be complete, the Button Bridesmaids and I had one last activity! The girls had put together a small bridal shower for that evening - how fun! We were joined by sorority sister J, who had flown in that afternoon, as well as Mommy Buttons, both my grandmothers, and my Aunt J!

The girls laid out quite a lovely spread of appetizers: hummus, pita chips, assorted veggies, homemade guacamole (YUM), baked brie, spinach dip, fruit salad, and some yummy desserts.

The big hit of the dessert spread was definitely MOH L's apple dip - it consisted of a whipped cream cheese layer, caramel apple dip, and heath bar crunch topping. Mommy Buttons also discovered that it tasted ridiculously good when spread on top of a brownie. We are so healthy...

And of course, there were drinks...MOH L crafted some adorable drink tags for the guests.

Each came with a beautiful handmade wine charm from an Etsy artisan. I loved them: each featured a different combination of beads and bird charms...they matched our wedding theme wonderfully! We had a spread of assorted wines, champagne, and even some champagne punch that the ladies whipped up!

We made some quick work of that champagne punch though...

After we stuffed ourselves silly, it was time to play a few games. For one, MOH L had contacted Mr. Buttons and put together a list of questions/answers about himself that I had to answer.

For the most part, I did well. However, we all had a good laugh when MOH L asked me who Mr. Buttons' best friend is. Of course, I confidently said it was me (yep, I'm vain)! But...apparently Mr. Buttons had answered that his friend/groomsman J was! Sheesh! Of course, with the most perfect of timing, my phone rang right after that question was answered. It was Mr. Buttons...and you can clearly see that I had to give him the 3rd degree about it...just kidding...a little teasing WAS an order though.

During our "game time," the beach house had some visitors. BM K's fiance and sorority sister J's boyfriend had spent the afternoon down at the beach, and returned to the house to retrieve their belongings. My grandmothers and Aunt J were excited that the "entertainment" had arrived, and requested that they perform a little dance for all of the ladies. Needless to say, they weren't biting at that offer...but it didn't stop my relatives from trying to persuade them!

We all found it pretty amusing...

Finally, the sun was setting, and it was time for a champagne toast! We trekked down to the beach with our fancy schmancy plastic champagne glasses for some sunset photos! BM A apparently wanted two glasses...

MOH L gave a short and sweet toast to the upcoming wedding weekend...

And we all enjoyed the beautiful sunset the evening had in store for us. We couldn't have asked for a more gorgeous night!

Need to catch up on the wedding week festivities?

The bachelorette party commenced

We had a night out on the town

Relaxation, excitement, and slight panic

Something went awry with our rehearsal dinner

Miss Buttons on the beach: a sneak peek

What happens when you combine Miss Buttons, Mr. Stiletto's amazing photography skills, and the beach?

Gloriousness, I tell you!


I'll be sure to post a few more photos/speak about our awesome day of photography fun, but since Mr. Buttons isn't allowed to see them until the wedding...unfortunately - neither can you!


I had such a wonderful time working with Mr. Stiletto; even though we hadn't met prior to the day of our shoot it felt like we were old friends by the end of the afternoon! And, even though I was prancing around in a bikini in front of a camera, it was definitely not as awkward as I thought it would be (well, it was a little awkward). Anyway, I wouldn't leave you hanging without a teaser or two (don't worry, Mr. Buttons has already sneaked a peek at these)!


All images courtesy of Steve Koo Photography

And...although it was an extremely brief encounter, I did get to meet up with Mrs. Stiletto at the end of the afternoon to say hello! She was getting ready for a friend's wedding - doesn't she look nice?

Did you do a boudoir session of some kind? How did it go?

The Buttons' Beach House

The Button Bachelorette Party is taking place a few days before our wedding. At the moment, I am in the dark as to what is planned for the two days my bridesmaids and I are spending together. But, one thing I am aware of and excited about is our accommodations!

We are all going to be staying in an absolutely fabulous house right on Clearwater Beach! And...by right on the beach, I really do mean it...see?

The house has three bedrooms and a loft; it can sleep up to ten people. The bridesmaids and I will be able to wake up, sit on the big porch, eat breakfast, and lounge around.

I anticipate that we will have a lot of catching up to do (some of us haven't seen each other in YEARS...I haven't seen BM L since 2007 - seriously!).

I'm really excited that we will all be in the house together; we can relax, cook our own food, and enjoy each others' company. I'm sure there might be a few other "activities" planned though...time will tell!

And...if anyone gets a little too crazy...this is where they will be staying for the night...haha ;)

Did you have a low key bachelorette party, or have a wild night out on the town?

Attempting to look pretty in pictures...

Oh hey there hive...have you been noticing how infrequently I've been posting lately? Well, if you haven't noticed, just keep going about your daily business. If you have; my excuse is that I'm currently working 6 days a week and trying desperately to complete the 1,001 wedding related appointments and tasks before the big day! So, cut me a little slack, pretty please?

I do have some exciting-ness to share with you about my upcoming weekend. The Stillettos are going to be in town, and the wonderful Mr. Stilletto and I are going to be meeting up to take some photos! If you don't recall, he is a wedding photographer (check his work out here) - how exciting! We will be traversing Clearwater beach together, starting at the crack of dawn!

But...what to wear? I've been contemplating the options. Originally, we wanted the photos to include Mr. Buttons, but he has to work (sad face!). So, it is just little ol' me! To start...perhaps a pretty blue maxi dress paired with a large pendant necklace...

Forever 21

Forever 21

Maybe a cute tunic top over a pretty bikini?

Source

Victoria's Secret

For some hair inspiration, I might look to the lovely Cameron Diaz. Perhaps some sexy volume would work well?

Source

As of now, I'm still searching for some more inspiration in the wardrobe department, but I'll be sure to share with you what I selected after the shoot is complete!

What types of outfits would you want to wear for a beachy photo shoot?

Boudoir photos with a twist...

Hive, its time to get a little...sexy...

I've noticed that it is rather commonplace for a bride to add a special portrait session in with their wedding photography. Enter...the boudoir session. Brides don some sexy outfits, have photographs taken, and present them to their groom as a wedding gift. Very cute (or should I say...scandalous...)!

I've been thinking about this myself, and if I would want to do something like this for Mr. Buttons. One day while browsing through my Google Reader, I came across a boudoir session. I shifted my laptop over to Mr. Buttons and asked him what he thought. He furrowed his brow a bit and then asked me, "what would I do with them???"

Fair enough, I guess. He does have a good point; it isn't like he would be taking around the photos and showing them off to his friends (I hope...). But nevertheless, I still like the idea. However, since Mr. Buttons didn't exactly sound all that thrilled about the traditional boudoir photos (I know...what is wrong with him???), I wanted to ponder an alternative that would perhaps give the same effect.

And then...as I was shopping for some new swimwear for the summer season, I had an epiphany. Why hadn't I thought of this sooner??? If you've been following me from the beginning, you might recall that Mr. Buttons and I first met each other at the beach. Well, what better location for a "boudoir" session? I mean, I already know that Mr. Buttons doesn't mind seeing me in a bikini: he's snuck a few photos here and there when we've been at the beach...

So...instead of donning some sexy lingerie, I'd wear a pretty little two piece number, and maybe take some pictures like this...

Following photos from Victoria's Secret:

Now...the only questions would be - 1: who the heck is going to make me look sexy like that (I am good at "cute," but "sexy" still evades me)? And 2: can my photographer photoshop in some gorgeous abs for me? Haha...

So, what do you think of a "nontraditional" boudoir session at the beach? Are you planning to/have you done a boudoir session to present to your SO? How did you decide what you'd wear?

Hello, my name is Miss Buttons, and I am a Tanorexic

Admitting the problem is the first step, right???

(Ok, so it isn't THIS bad...)

source

Upon moving to Virginia in the fall, I began to realize that I indeed have a problem. And that problem is the desire…no…the need to be tan all the time. This wasn’t difficult when we lived in Florida; Mr. Buttons and I frequented the beach through at least November. But now…

source

There is snow on the ground outside, and the temperature is sometimes in the single digits! My tan has faded, and the color continues to drain from my skin by the minute. I can just feel it, like the sunshine is being sucked out of my pores. I don’t like the prospect of being pale!

So then, the question arises; how do you manage to get that tan glow for your wedding day? Mine isn’t until the end of May, but to be honest, I am not sure how much time I will have at the beach before then. I really hate to go to the tanning bed…I know it is bad for me…but it does get some fast results (and I have to admit, I enjoy rocking out to some tunes in the stand up beds…am I right???).

Mr. Buttons and I attempted some self-tanning lotion over the past week or two. He selected Banana Boat's Sunless Summer Color Self Tanning Lotion.

Source

So far, I must admit that I'm pleased with it! When I use the lotion regularly (every other day or so), I can definitely tell a difference in my skin tone...and it isn't orange at all. You just have to be careful to wash it off of your hands; I forgot one day and had some brown palms! And as for Mr. Buttons? I pretty much want to punch him, because he used it ONCE and it looked like he had just gotten off the plane from a week of beaching it up in the Caribbean. That boy has some luck I tell you...

So, I'm going to keep on keeping on with the tanning lotion, and perhaps re-evaluate my options when the wedding day approaches! In the end, I know that I absolutely must be a bronzed goddess...

Is it/was it important to you to be tan on your wedding day? What are you doing to get that beachy glow? Are you hitting the tanning bed? Spray tan? Or are you going to just roll with whatever tone you happen to be at that point?