The Best Wedding Day Timeline Template

I distinctly remember sitting in my apartment kitchen and talking through my wedding day with Hooman Bahrani, the photographer behind Vesic Photography, whom we hired for our engagement photos and wedding day. We went hour by hour, outlining how long things would take and things I might want to factor in (e.g. going for a morning run to relax, a first look, time for just Tommy and me throughout the evening, etc.) I think I took for granted just how lucky I was to have a photographer like him who would take the time to go through all of that with me. And truly, my day was exactly what I wanted. (The only thing I would change is hiring a wedding planner since she truly wasn’t necessary given that Hooman helped me plan my day and everything else was so simple that I was able to coordinate it all.)

We invited only our parents and siblings and a couple of close friends. We had 25 people in attendance. I didn’t have bridesmaids. Tommy didn’t have groomsmen. My dog was my flower girl. We didn’t do a bouquet toss or a grand exit. I started my day with a run and we ended the night with a dance with just the two of us. It was perfection (see our wedding video here) and I would live that day all over again a million times. And Hooman 100% gets credit for how smooth the day went and I’ll forever be grateful for his expertise in creating the timeline for our wedding day.

And luckily for you, he has created a tool using his years of expertise to generate timelines based on your dream wedding.

It goes far beyond a template but instead generates a timeline that is personalized to YOUR WEDDING, down to the minute! There are more details below so keep reading! I’m going to hand the reins over my assistant, Hannah, to talk about her experience planning a wedding and also testing out Hooman’s new timeline. Why Hannah? Because she JUST got married and she had a wedding that was the exact opposite of mine (bridesmaids, hundreds of guests and a large party with a band). Our two experiences prove that Wedding Day Timeline is a MUST for your wedding, no matter how big or how small it is.

Use this link and code AFSF15 for 15% off your Wedding Day Timeline package.

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Hi AFSF readers! My name is Hannah, and I’m Teri’s assistant. Today I’m really excited to share a guest post on one of my favorite topics…wedding planning, and a tool I WISH I’d used last year.

I got married in October 2021 to my high school sweetheart in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. We moved to Southport, NC right after we got married, which is right outside of Wilmington on the coast. We LOVE the beach and the warm weather and feel so lucky to live here!

Mason and I got engaged on Christmas Eve of 2020 (here are our engagement photos and outfit ideas if you’re engaged) and married in the fall of 2021, giving us about 10 months to plan. I grew up dreaming of my wedding. I had a massive Pinterest board, scrapbooks, and even worked for a wedding planner during college because I thought I’d go that route post-grad.

One would think that I’d know exactly how to plan a wedding, but I was shocked to realize how overwhelming it was.

To be fair, we were in the height of a ~rough~ season (thank you, 2020), but even without the external circumstances, wedding planning was a bigger task than I anticipated.

The day was absolutely perfect (in every way, see the video here), but the stress leading up to it was pretty serious. You hear a lot about pre-wedded bliss, and there is a lot of that, but there’s also a lot (a LOT) to do before you’re walking back down the aisle as newleyweds. Especially if you’re planning it without a professional wedding planner like moi.

About two months ago, Teri’s favorite photographer (who shot her engagement and wedding photos, maternity photos and now shoots her family photos), launched a wedding planning tool and I got the chance to try it. It’s called Wedding Day Timeline, and WOW. I cannot tell you how much I WISH I would have had this tool while wedding planning, so I’ll try. The stress it would’ve saved me is worth almost anything.

Today I’m going to share how it works, why you need it as a bride, and how it can even help you save money! Here’s an actual photo of me and Mason two days before the wedding where we were discussing our wedding weekend timeline…BOY would this tool have helped. Alas. You’ll at least have the option to use it for your wedding! And hey, maybe my experience planning a wedding without it and then trying the tool shortly thereafter will convince you of the beauty of it and save you stress and money! :). I hope it does!

Use this link and code AFSF15 for 15% off your Wedding Day Timeline package.

Photo by Ally and Bobby

The Best Wedding Day Timeline Template

Before I get into why this tool is so great, let me explain what it is. Wedding Day Timeline is an online wedding planning tool that creates a wedding day timeline schedule FOR you. It factors in EVERYTHING to create the perfect timeline for you where nothing will be rushed, late or less than ideal due to poor planning (yes, even wedding planners mess up… is your planner factoring in the amount of daylight??). This tool incorporates things like the exact time of the sunset, the distance from your getting ready location to the wedding ceremony with traffic, your ceremony, the transition to your cocktail hour and location changes (if applicable), and then every detail of your wedding reception. It uses exact coordinates of all locations, the time it takes to drive there, the location of the sun, and the time that you ACTUALLY need at each location. It even includes buffer time for these items, so that your day runs to plan.

Sounds a little intense, right? Right. And if you don’t use Wedding Day Timeline, you’ll be doing that yourself. And unless you’re a habitual bride, you simply don’t have enough experience to plan for everything and even if you can afford a wedding planner, they often leave the timeline to the very last moment… when it’s too late to change the things you need to plan for when booking vendors. The photographer who created the tool has shot hundreds on hundreds of weddings and has seen too often brides who are stressed out, go over budget and worry about making everyone else happy. They blame other circumstances for why they can’t enjoy their day but so many issues can be avoided with a realistic and professional timeline.

Let me share a screenshot of the FIRST HALF of my wedding day timeline that I created with google docs…

Let’s be clear, that timeline is for the hours before we even began the ceremony. This gives you an idea of just how much thought and detail goes into the day of your wedding.

Wedding Day Timeline was created by Hooman Bahrani of Vesic Photography. He’s a professional wedding photographer who’s worked hundreds of weddings himself. He knows first hand (more than even I do!) how much goes into the wedding day, and how detailed the timeline needs to be. He created this software to work for brides at even the very earliest stages of planning.

Let’s take a look at how the same timeline looks on The Wedding Planning Timeline (I added a fake date for an example). Did you breathe a sigh of relief too?

Let’s get a little more detailed about how the program works.

How to Use Wedding Day Timeline

Step 1: Fill out the basics

Once you sign up and pay $95 (a drop in the bucket when you look at the total expense of a wedding), you’ll see a personal dashboard. You start by sharing the basics of your wedding day. The date, the locations of the ceremony, reception, and getting ready location if you where it’ll be.

I love that you don’t need to know the details at this point. Hooman recommends that brides start using this wedding timeline template tool. immediately after getting engaged. The philosophy is that walking into a vendor interview with a professional timeline empowers brides to make the best choice for vendors who are able to execute the wedding day experience THEY want, without feeling pressured or bullied into compromising that experience to accommodate a vendor. As soon as you’ve booked the date and picked a venue, you have enough to get started.

Step 2: The program builds your timeline

Without any real details, Wedding Day Timeline software creates a basic timeline with wedding photographers’ knowledge in mind. Hooman knows exactly how long it takes for bridesmaids photos, a first look, family portraits, a first dance, toasts, cake cutting, garter toss, etc. So the timeline will populate with all of those things in mind, even if you don’t know how the day is going to look for you yet.

Not only that, but it will also create google maps for each wedding day location, so that once you share the timeline with your wedding party, all of their questions will be answered right there.

Step 3: You adjust and customize

Now you can personalize your timeline with custom events (I went on a run with my dad that morning, so I’d add that!), and you can edit using drag and drop features so that you never forget a thing. You can edit as many times as you like, giving you full control.

Now that you know how Wedding Day Timeline works, let’s talk about why it’s such a great tool for brides (and why I wish I had it last year!)

Why I love the Wedding Day Timeline

Saves sanity

Easy is the LAST word I would’ve used to describe the last two months of wedding planning, ha! And while yes, we were dealing with uncertainty surrounding covid affecting our numbers, the last two months are crunch time, no matter how prepared you are.

Wedding Day Timeline does all of the thinking FOR you. Instead of spending hours thinking through how things need to happen (and communicating it with everyone involved), Wedding Day Timeline generates the timeline for you and allows you to share it with your family, maid of honor, the groom, the entire bridal party, and wedding vendors so you’re all on the same page.

Get this, Wedding Day Timeline AUTOMATICALLY sends an updated timeline the week of the wedding to everyone that you’ve included in your wedding party and your vendors. You can let it do its thing if you’re unlike me, or if you’re like me (a serious type-A control freak) you can manually send it to everyone with strict instructions to accompany it, hehe.

And I know what you’re thinking, “But what if things change and you need to make adjustments?”. You have unlimited timeline revisions, so no matter what life throws at you (and I hope it’s nothing!), you’ll have control of your wedding timeline.

Saves time

Time is not a renewable resource, and when you’re planning a wedding, chances are you’re also working full-time. You probably have other things going like moving, planning a honeymoon, and oh, I don’t know, spending time with your fiancé! And your most valuable resource is your time. Wedding Day Timeline does all of the grunt work for you, thinking through each detail that you may not even know about. It allows you to be in control of the day, and you’ll know exactly how things are going to run the day-of, without sacrificing precious hours with the love of your life.

Saves money

This is a benefit that every single person will appreciate, even if you’re not a control-freak or planner like I am. Knowing what your wedding day is going to look like months prior to the day of allows you to book vendors for the exact times you need them. If you’re in the midst of planning right now, you know that most vendors charge based on time, but you may not have any idea of how long you’ll really need them. And to make sure you’re not cutting corners, you’ll likely pay more than you need to for time that actually you don’t need or you’ll underbook hours and then end up paying overtime fees. Think about hair and makeup or even your wedding photographers and videographers. It can add up quickly.

Do you really need 10 hours of wedding day coverage for your photography, or do you just think you do because that’s their mid-tier package and you don’t want to skimp? After looking at the timeline that Wedding Day Timeline generates for you, you’ll know EXACTLY how much photography coverage you need for the big day. Then you can book with confidence, knowing that you’re not spending more money than you need to.

It’s also worth noting that using this program to keep track of timelines, vendors, and communications may also cut out the cost of a wedding planner. You may still want a coordination for the day of, but this program does most of the pre-planning for you!

Final Thoughts

I hopped on a Zoom with Hooman while he was finalizing this program, and I was BLOWN away by how much detail it included. I couldn’t stop affirming just how helpful this tool would’ve been for my wedding planning months. If I had known about it back in January when I started wedding planning, I truly think a large chunk of my stress would’ve been taken care of.

If you’re a bride who’s starting to plan her wedding, buy this program and thank me later. And if you’re not thinking about your timeline yet, I promise you will be soon. Do yourself a favor and use this before you’re stressing over details. Give yourself the gift of bliss leading up to your wedding.

Teri has a discount code for her readers (lucky you!) to save 15% off  Wedding Day Timeline, and it would make a GREAT gift for newly engaged gals.

Use this link and code AFSF15 for 15% off!

Photos by Ally and Bobby

The post The Best Wedding Day Timeline Template appeared first on TeriLyn Adams.

Hi there A Foodie Stays Fit readers––  Hannah here, Teri’s assistant! Today I’m popping on to write a guest post that I’m really excited about: what to wear for spring engagement pictures.

I got engaged on Christmas Eve this past year (I know, so sweet) and immediately started planning my wedding. And when I say immediately, I mean we had a date, photographer, and venue before NYE and I had my dress the next week. I’m the girl that’s been planning her wedding since she was 12 and watches wedding videos on YouTube in my free time just for fun.

We’re getting married in October, so we have a good bit of time left to go, but one of my favorite things about this season of life so far is that I get to stretch the celebrations out for almost a full year! I’m a sucker for milking this season for all that it’s worth. That brings me to today’s topic: engagement photos. And this post is coming at an ideal time since we got our gallery back last week!

Another thing you should know is that I do a little photography on the side, and that meant I had big visions for my own engagement photos. These are also the tips I give my clients! Okay, enough backstory –– let’s jump in!

My dress | My shoes 

His suit | His shoes

My top | My jeans | My shoes

His shirt | His pants | His shoes

My dress | My shoes 

His suit | His shoes

My top | My jeans | My shoes

His shirt | His pants | His shoes

What To Wear For Spring Engagement Pictures

First of all, you simply can’t beat spring photos. The lighting is so beautiful and the colors are SO vibrant which make spring photos the best option in my opinion. Lots of people like to use engagement photos for their save the dates as well, so if you’re getting married in the fall like us, spring is right on par with when you’d be sending those out.  We opted not to use our photos for save the dates, but spring was still when we wanted to take them. (Teri has told me she wished her engagement photos were in spring since she was super sweaty during hers – ha! But they turned out beautiful still!)

Here’s what to think about when choosing your outfits:

Bring two outfits: one formal, one casual 

Talk to your photographer about your options for outfit changes. I recommend at least two outfits and two locations, if not a few more. Plan one formal and one casual outfit. For formal, think along the lines of a suit for him and dress for you. For casual, take it down a notch. Either khakis or nice jeans for him and jeans or a more casual dress for you. Having both options gives you a fun range of photos. It’s almost like two separate photoshoots, but you’re knocking them out at once.

My Formal Outfit Picks for Her

My Casual Outfit Picks for Her

My Formal Outfit Picks for Him

My Casual Outfit Picks for Him

Wear a color that makes you glow

Colors are important for photos. You want to choose colors that make your eyes light up and that make you “glow”. There is nothing –– I repeat, NOTHING –– worse than looking washed out because you’re in a bad color for your skin tone. If you aren’t sure what colors look good on you, get an honest friend to shop with you. You want the colors that are going to be up near your face to make you pop. Save the other colors for your shoes or pants, but don’t wear them near your face.

Once you know what color you’re wearing, help your fiancé pick something to compliment it. I found my dress (from an Instagram ad, believe it or not) and that was the catalyst for the whole photoshoot. My dress was light blue so I knew I wanted him to wear a navy suit. If you’re wearing a dress with a pattern on it, make sure his outfit is simple and clean to complement it.

For our second outfits, I wore a white top with fun bows on the shoulders and blue jeans. He wore khakis and a blue button down.

Stick with classy, not trendy

It’s tempting wear a trendy, fun outfit, but since these are photos you’ll love for a lifetime, you’ll be glad you chose classic outfits instead of something that will date your photos. My goal was to have photos that were hard to date –– meaning I want to look at them and think about how sweet that time was, not how silly my outfit looked.

Save your cheetah print and headbands for your everyday outfits instead of engagement photos.

My dress | My shoes 

His suit | His shoes

Stick to things that feel like “you”

Make sure you wear something you feel beautiful in. Don’t wear something that’s complicated to keep in place or you’re always having to adjust and fix. You’ll be in lots of different poses, so don’t wear something you have to think about the whole time.

We knew we’d be getting into a stream for some photos, so I was careful about wearing cheap and easy slide sandals for those. I wore my dream shoes for the formal photos. I had been wanting them for a few years and Teri actually surprised me with them a few weeks prior. She’s the best boss and friend of all time.

My top | My jeans | My shoes

His shirt | His pants | His shoes

Use two different locations

Similar to my tip about bringing two different outfits, plan with your photographer to shoot in two different locations. For your formal outfit, think about downtown in a city, a rooftop, a restaurant, etc. Mason and I wouldn’t normally wear a suit and dress in an open field, so that wouldn’t have made sense for photos. However, Mason loves to fly-fish and that’s how he asked me to be his girlfriend, so we wanted to include a “nature-y” with our casual outfit! Looking back, our session was sort of “his and hers”. (Another fun location example, Teri and Tommy considered doing some of their photos on the golf course since they love playing together, but the timing didn’t work out! )

We did the formal part of our session in a wine bar and then did photos in the woods and in a stream in our casual outfits. I’m completely obsessed with both looks.

My dress | My shoes 

His suit | His shoes

My top | My jeans | My shoes

His shirt | His pants | His shoes

Bonus Tip: Make fun plans for after your photos 

Since you’re already dressed up and you’ve been all lovey-dovey for your photos, make sure to do something special after! Make a reservation at a nice restaurant or plan a special date. Typically the guy is a little less excited about taking engagement photos, so a little bribery never hurts.

Our photographer was Holly Schumpert and she’s crazy talented. You can see more of her work here and contact her here! Be sure to tell her you found her through this post

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The post What to Wear for Spring Engagement Pictures appeared first on TeriLyn Adams.

As my brother said in his wedding toast, “Family is everything to us.” That’s such a good reminder during the holiday season. And I’m so grateful I have our wedding video just in time to reflect on that — and to share with all of you! Merry Christmas friends! (You can see our wedding photos here.)

You can also watch our wedding video on YouTube.

Good Earth Films Wedding Videos

A quick note about wedding videography — if you were reading my blog last year during wedding planning, you may remember that I had mixed feelings about hiring a wedding videographer since they can be pricey, but I AM SO GLAD I DID.

If you’re looking for a wedding videographer in NC (or beyond), I cannot recommend Alex and James from Good Earth Films enough. They are truly WONDERFUL people and they enhanced our day so much. There was never a moment, from the first time I met them, that I questioned whether they were the right people to capture our day. And considering I was alone the morning of my wedding (details on that here), other than my wedding photographer and videographers, finding people I really loved was especially important. I absolutely love them as videographers, editors, producers and as people.

Okay, I’m not a huge crier — which you won’t believe watching this or if you could see me every time I watch this! Ha! But, if you want a wedding video that really captures the emotion of the day — crying, laughter, joy, inside jokes — ask your videographer who EDITS your video. One thing I LOVED about our videographer, Good Earth Films, is that they do all the filming AND editing themselves. Apparently it’s a pretty common practice for wedding videographers to outsource the editing. That means the people editing your video are not the same people who actually film your wedding.

I can’t imagine someone else editing our day. There is just so much context that happens on the wedding day that should go into the editing decisions, what to cut and what to keep. So while it took a little bit longer to get our film, I didn’t mind one bit. (We got our highlight video — which is the one in this post — a few months ago and our full-length video last month.) And, I actually found it really fun to get the video a little bit longer after the wedding once the details were fuzzy. We really got to relive it again and remember things we’d forgotten!

THANK YOU ALEX & JAMES!!!!!! Y’all are so wonderful, so talented and I love ya!

You can see all my wedding posts here.

The post Our wedding video! appeared first on TeriLyn Adams.

Last Saturday a reminder popped up on my calendar – “Engagement Day!”  I knew I would forget what day we actually got engaged so I had put it in Google Calendar, and I’m glad I did! We already had a date night scheduled for that night, so it worked out perfectly!

It’s crazy to think how much has happened in the last 12 months. We got engaged, planned a wedding, moved me out of my apartment in with friends, bought a house, moved me into the house, got married, went on a honeymoon and then moved Tommy in after the honeymoon. 2017 was a BIG year!

I realized I never shared many of the details from our wedding, so I thought I would share some of the things we did to make it our day. The only rules we followed were “there are no rules” and “simplicity is best.” (And we definitely broke some “rules.”) The details we cared about was having quality time with just the two of us, quality time with all our guests, not feeling rushed, and not losing track of what the day is really about – celebrating our love and commitment. We did not really care about flowers, decorations, invitations, party favors, or anything that was “stuff.” The experience was far more important to us than the tangible details so that’s what I focused on in wedding planning. And that’s mostly what you’ll see in this post.

The morning of our wedding

I started my day with a 6 mile run and then made my go-to breakfast of eggs + potatoes + berries. I spent the morning alone (other than having our amazing photographer and videographers there) so I could have a sense of calm. And running was key to creating that sense of calm. I felt like I could run forever – it was a gorgeous morning and I was so excited!

After I ate breakfast, I wrote a letter to Tommy before showering. I also played in the backyard with Maizey for a bit.

Getting ready for the wedding – alone

Since I hate chaos more than anything and don’t really love being the center of attention, I decided getting ready alone was the best route for me. I had my hair done at home (by Casey Kieffer), before heading over to the Graylyn Estate to finish getting ready.

After my hair was done, I packed up my things and headed to Graylyn to finish getting ready.

My Wedding Day Accessories

After the great wedding shoe hunt, I ended up going with simple, gorgeous nude pumps that I knew I could wear over and over. (I’ve worn them almost every week since the wedding so it was definitely the right decision!)

I wore pearl earrings that my mom and dad gave me when I graduated college. And that was the extent of my accessories. Simple is best in my book.

There was a pin on my flowers that was Tommy’s grandmother’s, which his sister had given me. I was so touched when she gave it to me, along with a pair of earrings that I wore to our rehearsal dinner.

I also gave Tommy cufflinks to wear in the ceremony.  (He read the note I wrote that morning and opened the cufflinks right before our first look, pictures below.)

I did my own wedding makeup

I had eyelash extensions put on a week before and then did my own make-up (using almost entirely Beautycounter products). It was important that I looked and felt like me on my wedding day – and Tommy wanted me to look like me too. I just couldn’t get comfortable with having my makeup professionally done, so I didn’t.

My best friend Alise joined me as I finished getting ready and brought a cooler full of my favorite snacks (including a sweet potato – ha!).

Before I had my first look with Tommy, I did a first look with my mom. It was so, so special. Since she lives in Utah, she wasn’t here for most of the wedding planning and she hadn’t seen my dress in person.

Then it was time to veil up and see Tommy!

Tommy also had a low key morning, getting ready at his apartment before heading over to the Graylyn for our first look and some pre-ceremony photos.

Our First Look

Alise took the note and gift down to Tommy, and I watched him from above while he read it. And then I came down the stairs, and we hugged and cried and cried and cried for about 15 minutes. (You can see more pictures from our first look here.)

Maizey of Honor

Next up – seeing Maizey! Our friend Christian had brought her over to the Graylyn for photos before the wedding. She was such a little angel!!!

First look with my dad and brothers

After some pictures with Maizey, I did a first look with my dad and brothers. I have 5 brothers and I’m the only girl and the youngest, and I was so grateful they were (almost) all able to make it. It was also wonderful to have time with them before all the wedding stuff started since they had all flown across the country to be there.

Our technology free wedding ceremony

One thing I knew from the very beginning of wedding planning is that I didn’t want any phones at our wedding ceremony. Despite having a blog, I am fiercely private about certain things. It’s important to me to really keep personal things personal until I am ready to share them (which is why I didn’t share on social media that we had gotten engaged for over a week). I think in the world of social media, many sacred and wonderful things are overexposed and their importance lessened too quickly by being shared too broadly, too casually.

Plus, since I don’t like being the center of attention, the thought of people taking pictures or recording during the ceremony gave me a lot of anxiety. And I paid my highly-talented photographer and videographers to take care of all of that. I didn’t want people ruining their shots with an iPhone popping up in the middle of a shot!

I wasn’t messing around – when people picked up the ceremony program and a stone for the Oathing Stone reading, they were asked to leave their phones on a table in a bag with their name on it. Neurotic? Maybe. Peace of mind? Definitely.

Our Ceremony in the Graylyn Estate White Garden

Alise walked Maizey of Honor down the aisle. Green Bee Florals made a gorgeous leash for her!

We didn’t have a wedding party, so I was up next. My dad walked me down the aisle and I just cried and cried. Alise gave me advice to look at every person there, and I made eye contact with everyone, which was pretty amazing. (A perk of a small wedding!) 

One of the main reasons we picked the Graylyn Estate was that it’s naturally gorgeous and didn’t need a lot of decor. We got married in the White Garden, which is a very private space tucked behind the stone estate, overlooking the grounds. It was beautiful and the only thing we did to decorate was adding some greenery around the gazebo. 

Ceremony Readings

Our ceremony was relatively short and simple. Our pastor did an amazing job, and I can’t wait to get our wedding video because I don’t remember a thing – ha! Tommy’s brother read an Oathing Stone poem (a Scottish tradition and a nod to my family’s heritage) and my mom read a book, I Wish You More, that she had given us for Christmas the previous year. The message was perfect! (She’s an elementary school librarian, so it was a kid’s book which was fun. )

After the wedding ceremony!

My dog walker, Ann, was there to help wrangle Maizey so Christian and Alise didn’t have to take care of her during the ceremony. And I had told Ann that as much as I hated it, I needed Maizey to be behind me where I couldn’t see her since I knew I would look at her and I wanted to focus on Tommy. She was, of course, the first I greeted after the wedding! She’s my baby – man, this picture is making me cry!!

After the ceremony, we spent time hugging and chatting with everyone for a bit before heading off to take a few more photos before joining happy hour and then dinner.

We had a kombucha cart at our wedding, which I LOVED. I’m a lightweight so I definitely didn’t want to be sipping on wine all night. I drank way more kombucha than wine! The UpDog Kombucha owners were amazing to work with, brewing custom flavors for us and delivering and picking up the cart.

First Dance

We didn’t have a DJ or a band at our wedding, but we did want to have a first dance and a dance with my dad and his mom. Our amazing musician, James Tucker, played and sang for our dances. It was all very casual – no dance lessons, nothing rehearsed.

My dad was amazing, twirling me all over and dipping me a few times. And then he just told me a couple weeks ago that he nearly dropped me on one of the dips – bahaha! Thanks Dad!

Our wedding dinner

When we were planning our wedding, I kept telling Tommy that I didn’t want a production, but rather I wanted it to to feel like a really lovely, intimate party where we happened to get married beforehand. And that is exactly how it all came together. Everyone was able to fit in one dining room. And like our ceremony, we didn’t really decorate since the Graylyn Estate interior is so beautiful. We had simple table arrangements, and that’s it.

We had our own sweetheart table which was lovely so we were able to have time together and soak it all in. Everyone kept laughing at us because we just kept crying! We were so overwhelmed with gratitude and love, and it was so incredible to see all our friends and family interacting like old friends even though they had just met.

There was obviously some laughter in our conversations too.

My dad said a prayer before dinner and then we had a few toasts.

After the toasts and in between courses, we were able to chat with people, which was really nice.

Sweet treats & simple decor

After dinner, we had cake and cookies for people to take with them. My favorite cookies in the whole world happened to be gluten-free and vegan and they also happen to be from Boone, which is where Tommy grew up. Perfect!

On our dessert table, we had a few engagement photos and a framed quote. It was from a book I read after Tommy and I had been dating about a year, and I had saved it in my phone since I knew I would want it at our wedding: “I like all weddings, but isn’t it particularly lovely when two grown ups decide to get married?”

Our Non-Traditional Grand Exit

Rather than a traditional grand exit, we just hugged our family goodbye.

As people started to leave, we listened to James sing and play – it was like having a private concert with my favorite singer! I love music and this unplanned moment was amazing.

And after we said our goodbyes, we went outside for a private last dance. No grand exit. No sparklers or rice. We went back to the spot where we were married, just the two of us. (And James with his acoustic guitar.) It was the most lovely way to end a day that was more perfect than I ever could have dreamed.

You can see more wedding planning posts and wedding photos here.

Details:

• On Tommy: Hugo Boss Charcoal suit + Brooks Brothers white shirt + Tie Bar tie + knot cuff links + Johnson Murphy shoes
• On me: Provovias gown (purchased at Nitsa’s Bridal), borrowed veil, Christian Louboutin Iriza Half d’Orsay Pumps, pearl earrings (similar)

The post Our Wedding Day Details: All the little things + simplicity is best appeared first on TeriLyn Adams.

Since it’s 25 degrees with 25 mph winds in Winston-Salem today, I figured I would relive one of my favorite parts of our honeymoon in warm, balmy, sunny St. Lucia. When we were working with Heather to plan our trip, she said the Gros Pitons hike was a must-do, and she was right. The views at the top were incredible. But, it was more difficult and longer than we realized and we definitely would have been in trouble had our butler (which came with our resort room – read about it in this post) not packed a backpack for us with water!

What to bring:

• Sturdy shoes. We both wore sneakers (old running shoes for me and old CrossFit shoes for Tommy). Casual slip-on sneakers or any sort of sandals would be a disaster
• Lots of water. We went through 6 water bottles and easily could have drank more. And thankfully we were able to share with some fellow hikers who didn’t have ANY water. (Better yet – freeze a couple water bottles the night before so you have cold water at the top.)
• Snacks. A few people had fruit and trail mix at the top and shared and it tasted AMAZING.
• Bug spray & sunscreen
• Comfortable clothes – we both wore workout clothes. You’d die of heat in jeans, I think. I packed a hat, but most of the hike was shaded and it made me hot so I kept it in my backpack.
• Cash. Tip your guides and you’ll want to buy gatorade, cold water, and ice cream at the hut at the bottom when you’re done.

What to expect during the hike:

• To pay a fee – I honestly don’t remember what it was… $115 per person maybe? Whatever it is, it was worth it. The guides were great and we never would have figured it out alone. Ask them questions! They know so much about St. Lucia and its history. All of our guides were born and raised in St. Lucia and had incredible stories growing up there. We used this company (but our travel advisor handled all of it).
• Lots of sweat – don’t make yourself all pretty before this hike.
• To take breaks as you go up
• To possibly go slower or faster than you want at any given time. The group stays together for the most part and unless you book a private guided hike, you’ll need to wait for others and maybe be the one waited on – it’s not a big deal, but don’t expect to charge ahead and abandon the group!
• 3 tour guides – one to lead, one to take up the back, and one to guide people who give up and want to go back early (this happened on our hike and apparently is pretty common)
• Very steep portions, going up and down. You’ll often use your hands to climb up.
• Often slippery sections of mud and wet rock – four people in our group slipped at one point, including me and Tommy
• To go SLOWLY going down – use the railings to hold onto while going down
• The total hike takes 4-8 hours, depending on the group. We took 4 hours, which is apparently pretty average, maybe a little fast.
• The hike is strenuous and somewhat technical. Know your limits. You should be in decent shape to complete this hike.
• We took a van from our resort with about 10 other people. This was driving up to the base of the mountain

What to expect at the top:

• INCREDIBLE views
• Fog. We waited for about 15 minutes for the fog to clear out and could see FOREVER – it was beautiful
• Wind
• I’m not really scared of heights, but if you are, you’ll still be okay since you can stay VERY far back from the ledge. Others walked to the end of the rocks and looked down. (There are lots of bushes so it’s not a crazy steep drop off or anything.)
  

Our Gros Pitons Hike

Okay, now onto some pictures from our hike! Let me know if you have any questions!

If you’ve been to St. Lucia and hiked it, how long did it take your group?

We quickly learned after completing the hike that locals and employees would ask us if we’d hiked it and then immediately ask how long it took us. It’s like a rite of passage for visiting! It was fun to hear their stories about doing the hike. Only one person that we met did it under 4 hours! And a few said they would never climb the Pitons it because it’s too hard. Ha!

The post Hiking the Gros Piton in St. Lucia on our Honeymoon appeared first on TeriLyn Adams.

I’ve enjoyed reading so many 2017 recaps in the blog world and I finally have mine pulled together. It was so fun to reflect back on what happened over the past 12 months. To say that 2017 was the best year of my life would be an understatement. It was filled with SO many good things. (Yes, it was also filled with lots of stress too because of all those good things but at least they were good stressors!) It was truly an incredible year, and if you’d asked me five years ago what my life would look like today, I never could have imagined it would be this good. God is so good.

Let’s take a look back!

2017 Highlights

I launched the redesign of my blog! Read the post here.

I shared a “Day in the Life” showing how I fit in running and CrossFit, and it became my 2nd most pinned post of all time. Read the post here.

I finally did a video tutorial about how I curl my hair, after it being the most requested post for NINE years. Watch it here.

Tommy and I got engaged! Read the post & watch the video about how he proposed.

I hired an assistant to help with some blog and Beautycounter work. A mutual friend connected us and it’s been a HUGE blessing to have her. Thank you for EVERYTHING Liz.

I ran the Wrightsville Beach Marathon, placed 2nd in my age group and qualified for Boston. Read the post.

I taught a social media class for a Skillpop Tour in Winston-Salem.

I shopped for wedding dresses with my mom. Read the post. See all the wedding dresses I didn’t buy in this post.

Tommy and I went to Utah for Memorial Day weekend. Read the post here.

I bought MY wedding dress! Read the post.

I was in Runner’s World again!

I tried needling and scraping for the first time. It’s been a game changer for dealing with running injuries and I know get it done regularly.

We took our engagement photos in downtown Winston-Salem. See more pics here.

We made offers on FIVE houses and finally got one! Read the post. Oh, and I got to live with my best friends for a week after I moved out of my apartment and before I moved into our house, which was AMAZING.

Beautycounter grew into something more than I ever could have imagined and the extra income was a HUGE blessing as we were buying a house and planning a wedding. Read the post here.

WE GOT MARRIED. BEST DAY OF MY LIFE. Read the first post here and the second one here about why we only had one photo from our wedding day until December.

We honeymooned in St. Lucia. Seriously heaven. Read the post here.

We got the rest of our wedding photos! See them here.

We spent our first married Thanksgiving in Pinehurst. Read the post.

I ran the Mistletoe Half Marathon and placed second in my age group. Read the post here.

We went to Utah for my family Christmas party and a post-wedding celebration. Read the recap of our trip here.

We spent our first married Christmas together and celebrated New Year’s Eve with some pretty incredible friends who are like family.

And, of course, we’re grateful year round for this pupgirl.

We’re so blessed. I can’t wait to see what 2018 brings.

Thank YOU!

This blog is one of the biggest blessings in my life because of all wonderful people that I’ve become friends with, online and in real life, through it. I’m so grateful for your love and support, and for sharing in my joy this year. And a big thank you to those of you who have been reading for YEARS – it meant so much to me when you’d comment that I’ve never looked happier. And you’re right – I never have been happier.

I’d love to hear about your 2017 highlights! What was the best part of 2017 for you?

The post 2017 was a GOOD year – my highlight reel! appeared first on TeriLyn Adams.

I am SO excited about today’s post. I love traveling, I love re-living our honeymoon, I love Heather and I think the gift of travel would be the ULTIMATE last-minute gift to give for Christmas. The best part of the holidays is making memories and one of the best ways to make memories is to take a trip together. (Or, if you read this after Christmas, file this away for Valentine’s Day! Or forward this post to your significant other for a little nudge. ) You can guarantee I’ll be sending a link to this post to Tommy. ha!

When Tommy and I got engaged, we knew it would be a short engagement (6 months) and we knew it was going to be NUTS. Even though we had a very small wedding (only 25 guests), we had a lot to get done in 6 months, including planning the wedding, finding a house (which we ended up closing on the week before the wedding), moving both of us out of our apartments, and still actually working while trying to accomplish all that. (And we both work a lot.) The honeymoon hadn’t even crossed our mind, until THANKFULLY, a longtime blog friend, Heather, reached out and offered to help plan our honeymoon as a gift to us. I 100% believe we wouldn’t have had a “real” honeymoon without her. We would have put it off and then done something that was sort of cool a few months later just to check the box since other plans had to take priority. Instead, we had the most amazing trip. And when I say amazing, it’s not a hyperbole. The trip was more than we ever could have imagined.

But, to be totally honest, I had no idea how the whole travel agent thing worked. I definitely bought into the stigma associated with travel agents (i.e. WHY would I hire one when I have the internet?), but Tommy and I both admit that we were wrong and we both agree that we NEVER want to book a big trip without Heather. I got a lot of questions from family, friends and blog readers about working with a travel agent so I wanted to do a little Q&A about the whole process! Let me know if you have more questions – happy to answer. And if you have a trip coming up (big or small), reach out to Heather. I can’t recommend her enough.

Why did you decide to use a travel agent? 

Well, Heather kind of forced it on us but the reason it was such a blessing to us is that she saved us SO MUCH TIME during a season of life where we truly needed the help. Without her, we would have spent HOURS researching places to go, then HOURS researching the best places to stay, then HOURS trying to figure out all the flights and transportation from the airport. Instead, we spent maybe 2 hours of planning (answering the questionnaire mentioned below, chatting with Heather, and then reviewing places she sent) and it was all FUN. Planning the honeymoon would have added extra stress, which is just wrong on so many levels, and instead it became something we really enjoyed.

And how cute is she??

What did you like about working with Heather? 

The whole process felt very personalized. To start, we filled out a questionnaire that was honestly really fun to do as a couple. She asked questions like “What’s your favorite city in the whole world?” “What type of hotels do you like?” “Do you have any mandatories? e.g. gym, specific diet, all-inclusive, spa”. After that, we did a video conference with her to talk through our answers and share more details. And that call was just FUN. (I keep saying “fun” over and over but Heather really is FUN!) When the FaceTime ended I told Tommy, “Heather and I would for SURE be good friends in real life.” She’s smart, witty and really good at her job. And then, when we arrived on our honeymoon, we were BLOWN AWAY by all the upgrades and special touches she provided. You can see a full recap of our honeymoon and what she did here.

What didn’t you like?

What I didn’t like was not knowing all the alternatives you find when you go down the rabbit hole researching trips online. But, to my point above, it would have taken a LOT of time. And, to be honest, we did ask Heather for alternate options on a couple things and she provided them and explained why she recommended what she did. I guess I’m really grasping at straws for what I didn’t like; we had a great experience with her.

Why did you choose where you did? 

We chose St. Lucia because we wanted something that was relatively easy to get to (no 12+ hours of flying!), was relaxing but still had plenty of activities to do, and had good food that could accommodate my dietary restrictions. The Sugar Beach Viceroy was PERFECT for us.

What questions did you have going into working with a travel advisor? 

Honestly, I had NO idea what to expect or what value she would bring since I just figured “Well, I have the internet; I could do all this.” I was wrong. So I guess the questions were, what does she get paid, does she save me money, does she make the trip better? And, of course, HOW does she do all that? She definitely saved us money, made it better with major upgrades and super thoughtful touches (like a picture of Maizey waiting for us in our room).

And it was nice knowing she had our back so we could focus on relaxing. For example, we planned to play golf on our honeymoon but when we got there we didn’t want to. (We wanted to hit up the spa instead!) We texted Heather and she cancelled golf, made spa reservations AND changed our dinner reservation to accommodate the spa visit. BOOM. We didn’t have to spend any time on our trip managing logistics.

I got asked the below questions a few times, so I reached out to Heather for her answers!

How do travel agents get paid?

Like most travel agents, I work on commission, which means I receive a commission percentage from the travel suppliers I work with. This does not mean that you pay more for a trip component by working with me. However, I do charge a non-refundable trip planning fee. I do this so I’m not beholden to certain suppliers. For example, sometimes I like to recommend accommodations or tours that do not give travel agent commission. My planning fee allows me to always have my clients’ best interests at heart. My fee also allows me to offer you concierge planning services. With that, I manage every detail — large and small — of your trip. [We LOVED having her full-service help leading up to and throughout our trip!] My fee also ensures that I’m compensated for my time and expertise, whether or not you finalize your trip with me.

Why would I not just book my trip online?

I can’t think of one good reason to book a vacation online anymore.  While “crowdsourcing” (aka asking your friends on Facebook ) or researching via TripAdvisor provides a starting point, my role as your advisor is to be your matchmaker. The process I take you through in the beginning is so that I can get to know your wants, needs, preferences, budget, likes, dislikes, etc. — that way, I’m 100% sure I’m matching you up to the destination, the accommodation, and the activities that best fit your goals for your trip. When you’re reading those reviews or asking friends, you’re getting a different perspective and opinion each time. And that may not match YOU perfectly. There’s no value in a bad vacation or one you come away feeling like weellll, I didn’t love that place, but meh it was doable. Our time is such a precious commodity and I take that very seriously. Something the internet can’t possibly do

I’m happy to answer your questions on how or when it’s best to work with a travel advisor so feel free to email me. And follow me on Instagram, Facebook or take a peek around my blog to see some of my trips. I’ll be in Iceland in just a few weeks so I hope you follow along!

Teri and Tommy, as I’ve said 100xs time, you two have been nothing but a pleasure to work with and I’m so grateful to call you two  “real friends” now. Thank you for letting me share with your community!

—

Right back at ya Heather! We love you!

Heather is offering a SPECIAL DISCOUNT for my readers!
Get $150 off her planning fee!

Offer is for new clients who start vacation planning with her between now and March 1, 2018. Be sure to mention that I referred you so you get the discount!

Have you worked with a travel agent before? What was your experience?

The post We used a travel agent for our honeymoon and it was the BEST thing ever appeared first on TeriLyn Adams.

The morning of our wedding

I started my day with a 6 mile run; it was a gorgeous day and I felt like I could run forever, but I knew I couldn’t stay out too long. After running, I made breakfast at home (eggs, smashed & pan-fried potatoes & fruit), then wrote a letter to Tommy (so many tears) before getting ready. It was a very quiet morning, which was important to me. I didn’t want to be rushed or feel chaotic, especially since the weeks leading up to the wedding were NUTS, closing on our house and moving me in one week before the wedding.

My friend Casey did my hair at my house, and then I headed to the Graylyn Estate to finish getting ready. Thankfully I didn’t have to go barefoot to our wedding. The great shoe debacle ended when I realized that I simply wanted a classic, pointy toe nude pump. I ended up wearing a pair of Christian Louboutins that I know I’ll wear for years.

Tommy got ready at his apartment before coming to Graylyn for our first look.

I did my own make-up, while sipping coffee. When Alise came to the Graylyn to get ready with me, she showed up with two lattes (sweetened and unsweetened, so I could choose what I was in the mood for) and my favorite snacks in tow. I can’t put into words how grateful I am to have a friend like her.

My mom wasn’t with me when I bought my dress, so she hadn’t seen it in person. She saw pictures, of course, and she saw a lot of the dresses I didn’t buy when she visited shortly after we got engaged, and it was so fun for her to finally see the one.

Our First Look

I was strangely calm most of the day, (although Alise may tell you otherwise. but the emotions started to kick in once the veil went on.

As we started to walk down the hallway together, emotions overwhelmed me – gratitude, nerves, excitement, everything. I was suddenly short of breath and sobbing. Alise helped me pull myself together before seeing Tommy…and then I fell apart again.

I can’t even put into words what our first look was like. The world seemed to stop for a moment. I’m so grateful we did a first look since it gave us a private moment to take it all in together.

And time to cry. So much crying.  

We took a few photos before the ceremony, including seeing our pupgirl.

Before the ceremony started, we did my family photos. I’m the youngest and only girl, with five older brothers, and it was really special to see them before the ceremony. And, of course, my dad. I can’t wait to see more pictures of all of that. After my family pictures, Tommy and I had a few minutes to hang out from the top floor and watch people arrive to the ceremony, which is where we took this photo.

Our Ceremony

We didn’t have a bridal party – just Maizey, walked by Alise, and my dad taking me down the aisle. Before Alise headed out with Maizey, she gave me a great piece of advice: “Look at everyone.” I definitely looked at Tommy, but I also made eye contact with every friend and family member, which is probably rare at a wedding!

I’ve truly NEVER been happier than I was during our ceremony. We’re so grateful that our pastor could marry us – we picked our date around his busy wedding-season schedule! (That, and my dad and brother’s hunting schedules. ha!)

And just like that, we were married and a family.

Our wedding dinner

After the ceremony, we had a short cocktail hour and then a sit-down dinner. I pictured a wedding that felt like an intimate dinner party and it turned out just like that. Everyone fit in one small room. Some family and friends gave toasts, and Tommy and I kept crying throughout dinner. We were just so incredibly grateful and kept saying to each other, over and over, “We are so lucky.”

There was also a lot of laughter.

We snuck away for some photos under the full moon…

And ended the night with a private dance in the same spot where we got married.

Rather than a “grand exit”, we just gave our friends and family hugs goodbye. The entire day was better than we could have ever imagined.

These are pictures that Hooman posted on his blog today, and there are even more posted on his site. He is sending allllll of our photos tomorrow, and I’ll likely do another post with some more details about our day and the things we added to make it feel like us. And, of course, a big thank you to all our amazing vendors!

It takes a village

• Officiant: Jonathan Robbins from The Summit Church
• Wedding Venue: Graylyn Estate
• Photography: Vesic
• Videography: Good Earth Films
• Singer: James Tucker
• Hair: Casey Kieffer
• Makeup: I did my own, using almost everything from Beautycounter
• Flowers: Green Bee Floral
• Cake: Katy’s Cakery (gluten-free and diary-free!)
• Cookies: Appalachian Cookie Company (gluten-free & dairy-free!)
• Drinks: Updog Kombucha
• Wedding Coordinator: Marla Lawson

What we wore

• My dress: Pronovias, from Nitsa’s
• My heels: Christian Louboutin Iriza Half D’orsay
• Tommy’s suit: Boss
• Tommy’s accessories: shirt, tie, cufflinks (a gift I gave him the day of the wedding)
• Tommy’s shoes: Johnston & Murphy

You can see more blog posts about our wedding here.

The post Our Wedding Photos!!!! appeared first on TeriLyn Adams.

shirt + vest + hat + earbuds (not seen but were the shoes + capris  + sports bra + watch I wore)

Tomorrow, I’m hoping to do some hot yoga and I’ll definitely be shopping the Black Friday sales online. I’m on the lookout for some new winter running gear, a new coat, and some new booties. If you’re shopping online too, I have a list of all the promo codes at my favorite stores and I’m updating it daily during the holiday season, so hopefully that’s helpful!

I’m also shopping the Black Friday Beautycounter deals tomorrow because they’re gonna be good! I have an email going out tomorrow to my Beautycounter people with those details, so if you want to be notified, click here to sign up for that.

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends. I am truly so grateful for my blog readers and your friendship.

And this year, I’m especially grateful for this sweet, sweet (and sexy ) husband of mine. I’m loving our first Thanksgiving as husband and wife!

And I’m so thankful for sweet baby pupgirl. She brings me more happiness than I can even express, and I’m so grateful Hooman from Vesic Photography captured this photo – I’m OBSESSED. I can’t wait to see the rest of the photos which should come in a couple weeks!!!

Hope you enjoy the rest of your day!

The post So Thankful, So Obsessed (I got another wedding photo!!) appeared first on TeriLyn Adams.