What Happens in Vegas

... taught me I'm getting too old for my old Vegas ways. Long gone are the days of staying up late, chasing cocktails, and squeezing myself into bodycon dresses.

Bachelorette party last hurrah!

I realized a few things on this trip: 1. Always pay Felicia a visit at the Southwest Airport bar- she is wonderful, plus you get to leave saying 'Byeee Felicia'. 2. Flying > Driving ALWAYS. 3. Vegas makeup is so much fun. 4. Cab's for life. 5. With a good group of friends you can have more fun hanging out in the room than interacting with people.

I've always been a bit of a Vegas snob; the older I get perhaps the worse it gets- but in a completely different way:

I didn't like waiting in lines, and now I don't like going to places where you have to wait in a line to get in. 

I didn't go to clubs where table services wasn't part of the plan... now, I just don't like clubs. 

Music you can't dance to? Eghhh. Now, the music is so loud I can't talk to my friends. And dancing?! Is that what those kids in the middle of the floor are doing? Who is Nene?

So, how does a bachelorette party work when you don't want to be around random drunk people? You leave the club early {But not before 1 a.m. by orders of the fiance} and get food. Spend more time getting ready and taking pictures in the room than you do dancing to bad music in a club 500 people too crowded. Plan your day around the bottomless buffet at the Aria. Go late to the pool to avoid drunkies mentioned above.

Thank goodness for the wonderful women in my circle who went along with whatever I wanted for this weekend... and pretty much any other Vegas weekend, come to think of it.

I'm sure going to miss being a Siriani

I love you all and appreciate you so very much! xoxo

Bride to Be | My Bridal Shower

Weddings are such a wonderful time to reflect on love, relationships, and just enjoy the parties to celebrate you and the one you love, right?

Well... that wasn't exactly the case for me. I had time to reflect on love, life, relationships, what is means to be someone's wife FOREVER, escape routes when you just need some time alone, but peppered into alllll my free time {because I'm a self proclaimed control freak} was event planning and expectation managing {more to come on that soon}.

Thankfully I had some amazing bridesmaids|family|friends who took care of some amazing parties. Thank you all! XOXO

Sister Cousins Unite! We decided to kill two birds with one weekend and threw a marathon shower. Day one was Britty's baby shower! and Day two was my bridal shower! Lots of conquering and diving had to happen since the sister cousins of the north had to carry out their duties then travel down to execute them.

It was such a surreal moment having all my favorite ladies in one place at one party. I loved it! Although we probably should have tacked on another hour or so to insure adequate time to spend with everyone. :( Whomp.

The decorations were perfection, food delicious, sweet treats amazing, and gifts galore. I'm not much of a "shower game" person but, I was pleasantly surprised - I wish I could say the same for the guests who lost the game due to Kyle's inconsistency in answers/responses. ;)

Luckiest Lady in all the land

 Sister Cousins

Kates and Chris- where's Britty?!

 A party is incomplete without a sangria bar

Love my Mitzy Women

Grandma's Girl

 The best friends a girl could ask for 

I got it from my mama.

How cute is she dressed in our wedding colors?!

I've found the one my soul loves

Most amazing macaroons! From my friends at Smashbakes.

Fall Mini Session

Last weekend we had the opportunity to pose in front of the camera for Mrs. Beth Miller. She is such a gem! Kyle and I booked a fall mini session at a local park and donned our best plaid. I love having photos up around the house and am so happy we get to add some more to the collection.

If you're interested in purchasing a mini session visit Beth Miller Photography on Facebook and keep your eyes peeled for any upcoming opportunities!

We just adore these photos:

Weekley Anniversary Gift

Last week my bestie and her hub's celebrated their first year of marriage. Such a special and wonderful occasion; I couldn't be happier for them. I wanted to do something crafty to honor their first milestone and create a keepsake of sorts to provide little reminders of the path they've taken to get where they are now. 

While April and Brett were celebrating their paper anniversary in Kaua'i I got to thinking about what I could do. My CraftGawker obsessed browsing led me here and I thought it was perfect! 

I purchased the frame (two for one at Michael's) and used my Cricut to cut out the letters, numbers, and words. I think it turned out darling! Hopefully the fiance and I will be able to lock down a wedding date soon so I can make one for us!

Here is the finished product!

Apologies for the poor images - I forgot to take quality photos before I gave the prezzie away! 

Bad crafter!! 

...and so it begins...

I SAID YES!!!

So this is what it feels like! OMG! <3-----<<<

Engaged. Wow. I can hardly believe it's been a week and some change since my wonderful, amazing, at-the-time boyfriend planned an incredible surprise, got down on one knee, and asked me to marry him. 

I tried not to do all the cliche things I pre-promised myself I wouldn't do, if and when, this moment ever came. I could hear the music, the soothing voice of my fiancé! and the shutterbug snaps from the photographer. All I could do was remind myself to keep my hands down, shoulders back, chest out, and don't fidget… a lot of good that did me. :)

I am so blessed and still coming down from the proposal hangover. I try not to look at my ring too much or get engulfed in the wedding planning process. If I had a dollar for every time I was asked when the wedding date is we could pay for this wedding. ;) In all seriousness - we're trying to enjoy this great season God has blessed us with. Stay tuned for wedding planning woes and wonders as we embark on the journey of Becoming Mrs. Gough {Cough with a G - gotta practice my soon-to-be new last name}.

Such a surreal moment - one million thank you's to everyone involved in our special day. Here is my hazy memory of Saturday, August 30, 2014. 

After a seemingly normal drive down to Rancho Capistrano Winery Kyle stopped me at the double door entrance and asked me if I loved him. What an odd question - 'of course' I answered. He said 'then go with whatever happens' and led me back on to the patio. Whaaat?!? I knew something was up. After what felt like a tornado whirlwind of hello's and new faces Kyle bossily told me to put my things down and follow him. I only turned around when I heard the opening cords of our song played by the acoustic guitar performer for the evening. I made eye contact to say 'nice! what a coincidence'; that's when it hit me. Kyle grabbed my hands and led me in front of the fireplace. He proceeded to tell me, what I assume, are some very romantic and important things… I've been told if I'm a good girl one day I'll find out what was said. He got down on one knee, asked me if I would marry him, and I'm pretty sure I said yes. 

We spent the better part of 5 hours being congratulated by our family and close friends. It was such a wonderful moment and so incredibly special. I can't believe he pulled it off without me knowing all the details. Food, wine, family, friends, fiancé - so many perfect things about that day. 

Here are some photos that I can't even stop reminiscing with if I tried:

Thank you Jess Santana for capturing our special day!