little piece of chic

chic happens

6/16/18

It really is crazy how fast life goes, one minute I was saying yes to the rest of my life with my best friend and the next, I have been a wife for a month?! Our wedding day was everything I imagined it to be and more. I was told a lot about how the day would go, “It will fly Julia, it will go so fast and remember to take it all in, don’t let little things stress you out, enjoy every moment!” and it was all true. It was a blur of a day in the best way and having all of our family/friends/people in one place all day was truly a dream. Waking up in the morning felt like all the Christmas mornings led up to one big special day and my heart was bursting with excitement for the day to finally be there! From getting ready with my girls in the morning to the first look with my dad to our ceremony and then to our reception, we couldn’t stop smiling and feeling so grateful for this life we get to do together with all of these amazing people supporting us along the way. So if you are preparing for marriage or hoping to be married one day, listen to what everyone tells you, it truly does go SO fast, take a few moments where you can be just you two to take it all in together. Those 9 months of engagement allowed us to grow together in our faith and love for each other and I seriously had way too much fun planning our special day(wedding planning might be my second calling)

Our photographer, Hannah Higgins truly blew us away and was incredible to work with from start to finish. She is talented, quirky and so much fun to be around and we are so lucky to have had her as part of our wedding day. She wrote a blog post about our special day and I couldn’t help but share her sweet words:

“I’ve been working with a lot of high school sweethearts recently. That’s not to say they come around a lot — I know they’re so rare, but so are all of my couples — they’re ridiculously amazing.

Patrick and Julia are no exception. These two have waited 7 years to be pronounced man and wife.

SEVEN. YEARS.

Through high school and college and into their careers, they’ve learned how to compliment each other in all the right ways. They use the same dance moves. They cry when they’re overwhelmed with gratitude. They scrunch-nose laugh together at least once an hour. She drinks white wine and he drinks beer, but they both enjoy the same kind of cake. Perfection.

In my opinion, these two are set for life — not only because of their faith and the depth of the friendship they share, but because of the wonderful examples of love and commitment all around them in their parents and grandparents.

These two have something rare, indeed.”


Wow, I can’t stop looking at these pictures…if you got to here, way to go, you are the real champ!

Thanks so much for reading,

XOXO, LPOC

ready, set, register!

After going through the process of registering for all the things, I thought I would share our experience, what we found helpful, where we registered, etc.! I actually found this process super fun and enjoyable after we began the daunting task. I just get overwhelmed with decisions, seriously(it takes me way too long at restaurants to choose my meal, ask anyone), so deciding on my future home decor, kitchen accessories and everything else was not easy by any means for this indecisive girl. Good thing my fiancé is one of the most decisive people I know, we make a good match.

 

Where:

To start the registering process, we had to decide where we wanted to register. I talked to all of my married girl friends about where they registered to get some ideas but oh my there are sooo many options. To limit myself and help with decisions, we chose 2 places to register: Target and Crate & Barrel. Amazon is doing registry now and a lot of places are fully digital but I really liked being able to go into these stores and feel and see the items we are registering for in person. I am a Target fanatic so it was a no brainer for us to register there. I love their home decor and the recent Hearth & Hand line released just in time for us to register for ALLLLL the things. For our second choice, we chose Crate & Barrel. I have seen friends do William Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Belk, Bed Bath and Beyond and so on and I am sure those are great choices. However, I felt that Crate and Barrel had the most reasonable prices for the higher quality items for kitchen, bathroom, bar, etc. I love their store and their style really aligns with my own personal home decor style so it was a perfect match!

 

When: 

I wasn’t really sure when we were supposed to start the registering process because my bridal showers weren’t going to be until March, April, and May. I am glad we got the process started ahead of time though. I use The Knot wedding planning app(highly recommend) and it gives me deadlines for big things like registering. Since I am a teacher and I thankfully get holiday breaks, we registered over Christmas break for our June wedding. I felt like that was a good time and it still gave us room to change our registry if needed.

10 things you might not think to register for:

I asked friends, searched on Pinterest and talked to family all about what to register for to get a better idea of what a typical registry looks like. However, I would like to say that it is OKAY if you register for things that maybe your best friend didn’t. Try to think about your personal taste, and what you need that you don’t necessarily want to buy after the wedding. Also, don’t worry about how much you register for, you can always buy the stuff you don’t get after at a discounted price but it’s great to give your guests lots of options! Some of those things for us were:

  1. trash can
  2. Kitchen aid mixer(Don’t be afraid to register for a range of low and higher priced items, people love to have a variety when shopping your registry)
  3. lamps
  4. bathroom accessories: glasses, rugs, etc.
  5. bar necessities: wine opener, beer glasses
  6. hamper
  7. LOTS of storage bins(to hold all your new stuff!!)
  8. placemats & nicer napkins for special events!
  9. platters on platters(My mom is quite the host for parties and she recommends to register for at least 3 platters, her words, “You can never have enough platters”
  10. steamer or iron or both! I have been told that a steamer is a life saver and super easy to use!

If you register at Crate & Barrel, you HAVEEE to register for their free private registry event! I went with my mom and sister since Patrick had to work but it was such an awesome, stress free experience. You get to go to your local Crate & Barrel before stores hours, they provide snacks and drinks and you have one on one help with their employees. They give you a checklist and you can use their super easy app to register around the store instead of a bulky gun. ALSO, you get entered into a giveaway for a big ticket item(it changes) but since there are not a lot of people that go to these events, your chances of winning are high, trust me , WE WON! We won a chef’s knife that was over $100! I don’t even know how to cook yet but I have a fancy knife so I feel prepared. Seriously though, check out more info about these awesome events here (not sponsored, just loved my experience)!

 

Well, that is all my bride wisdom for the day, hope that helps if you are getting ready to register or just for your future self! Thanks so much for taking the time to come to my little blog and read today, you are my favorite!!

XOXO, LPOC

Here are links to our registries at Target and Crate and Barrel(not for your to buy us stuff but to get an idea as to what we registered for!

Target: https://www.target.com/gift-registry/myitems?registryId=4f83253c141441aebc913ff7719df125

Crate and Barrel: https://www.crateandbarrel.com/gift-registry/registrant-list/5771458

 

bride vibes

To all my brides out there, who says we have to wear white to our bridal shower? I decided to change it up with a fun pattern while still keeping it simple with b&w stripes. I then added a fun pair of mauve block heels to add some color to my look. Read below for how I styled this look, what to wear to your next bridal shower and pictures and details from my first bridal shower…

For my bridal shower, I wore this button up b&w striped dress that ties at the waist, making it super flattering and comfy! Being spring, there are still cold days here and there so long sleeved dresses are your friend ladies! I paired this dress with some fun colored heels and tied that color in with my lipstick! I am all about white dresses at showers but it’s also fun to change it up and do something different by wearing a patterned dress. Shop my bridal shower look below, including this dress that is under $40!!!

Scroll down to see all of my bridal shower details that my family so thoughtfully planned!

Being showered by my family was so fun and special and made me that much more excited for our big day that is coming so soon!

Thanks so much for reading my blog, you are the best!

XOXO, LPOC

 

 

wedding without the stressing

Hey y’all! I am deep into the wedding planning process and wanted to update you on a few things that have helped me stay as stress free as possible when planning a wedding. I have been lucky enough to have lots of friends that have gone through this process before me that have given me advice, vendor recommendations and so much more! I know that there are so many options out there and so little time to decide so I wanted to share who I am working with for our wedding, my favorite places to register and more! Read below for my tips for what you voted to hear more about on my recent insta story poll!

Staying organized amid the chaos:

I am a planner, type A for sure. So this wedding planning season has been pretty fun and enjoyable for me! Not to mention my mom is super talented in decor and design so she has been able to help a lot with our big day. Patrick has also been super helpful and intentional with being involved in the process which has been sooo nice! As far as staying organized with all of the vendors, contact info, due dates and more…I am a strong believer in Google. I use google sheets, google docs and gmail to house all of my wedding plans. I love that you do not have to press save and that it is easily sharable to others. I created a wedding email specific to us that way I do not have to search through different emails to remember where I sent what, it is all under our one wedding gmail! I also use our month of wedding planner, the amazing Kristen Jeremiah with Ivory and Lace Events. She is going to be a life saver when it starts to get closer to the big day and I HIGHLY recommend getting a planner, even if it is just for the month of.

 

How to make your bridesmaids love you(I think haha):

After being in several weddings for friends and just hearing from people about how much it costs to be a part of a wedding, it ain’t cheap y’all. I really wanted to remember that when considering what I wanted my bridesmaids wearing and purchasing. My number one suggestion is to not just look at the major bridesmaid retailers. They are pricey because they can be and not always the best quality. Not to mention, your maids will probably never wear it again. For my bridesmaids, I searched high and low for the perfect, affordable dress. I looked at Nordstrom, Lulus, Azazie, and basically every other place I could think of to find the perfect dress for my girls. Luckily, one of my bridesmaids was also looking for me because I had a very specific style/color in mind that I could not find anywhere. She found the dress for me! At $50 from New York and Company!!! Y’all, I would have never looked there or even known they had gowns but omg it is beautiful and affordable and totally something my girls can wear again. For my maid of honors(yes, two!), I wanted them in something a little different to stand out. I found theirs at Weddington Way(Banana Republic’s wedding line)! They are a little more expensive but beautiful dresses that are a really nice quality.

Vendors we love:

  1. Wedding Planner: Ivory and Lace Events(Kristen Jeremias)
  2. Photographer: Hannah Higgins Photography
  3. Cake: Jenny Layne Bakery
  4. Catering: Macklins Catering Co.
  5. Florist: Andy’s Floral Events
  6. Wedding Dress Shop: Blushing Bride(Frisco)
  7. Invitations: Minted/Artifact Uprising
  8. Venue: Venue 4050, our venue!!

Where we are registering:

  1. Target(in love with the new Hearth and Hand line)
  2. Crate and Barrel(secret: they have a private registry event for free where you RSVP and come before store hours to get one on one help from a worker and they even give you a gift and snacks, winning!!)

 

I hope that helps answer any wedding related questions you might have! Comment below with any other questions, thanks for taking the time to read my post, I love you forever!

XOXO, LPOC

 

engagements pt. 2

I have a feeling 2018 will be our favorite year yet…we are getting MARRIED!! It still feels like a dream and I keep getting more anxious for our big day! I get to marry my best friend, life is good y’all! I hope your new year is off to a great start and you feel refreshed! I wanted to share with y’all our second round of engagement photos we took this past year. Scroll down for more pictures and outfit details!

To change up our look, I went for darker, more neural colors like green and black. I really love how these colors blended with the greenery and really popped! To keep it simple and short(for Patrick haha) he just changed his top from the red checkered button up to this black & white flannel top. For my look, I  wore this green bell sleeved sweater, black jeans and my grey suede boots. I just really like plaid with this dark olive green and love how it turned out together! For engagement pictures, it is best to go simple and timeless. You don’t want to wear something that you might look back at in 20+ years and go what was I thinking..haha!

Shout out to my sister Megan again for all the work and time she put into our engagement pictures that we will cherish forever! Don’t mind the next photo, just us being normal.

Here’s to your new year and making it the best yet!

XOXO, LPOC

 

 

engagements pt. 1

We are fully into the engagement season and a little less than 6 months away from our big day! I am so excited to share our first engagement look with you all and how I styled our looks(yes, ours haha)! Scroll on down to see all of our engagement pictures and shop our looks below…

For our first engagement look, we headed to a nearby field with beautiful trees and opened space for a fun, fall look. To style our first look for engagements, I wanted to add some color while keeping it casual. For my look, my top was the key piece! I found this top at TjMaxx a few months ago and I knew it would be perfect for pictures! I then added dark washed boyfriend jeans and suede olive block heels. My heels tied in perfectly with my floral top and dressed up my look a little bit(and gave me some height)!

For Patrick’s look, I wanted to bring out some color from my shirt with his and his maroon checkered button up did just that! We got his shirt on sale at our favorite store, Old Navy and kept his casual in jeans and finished it with his tan suede Steve Madden shoes we scored from DSW earlier this fall(linked below). When styling for engagements, it is okay to mix patterns and colors as long as they balance each other out and don’t take away from the people.

Shout out to my amazing sister, Megan for taking our engagement photos, she is just the best! Stay tuned for more engagement photos coming to Little Piece of Wedding very soon…

XOXO, LPOC

 

you’re making me blush

I am so excited to be attending my first fall wedding later this month! I have always attended summer weddings so I am so ready to dress for fall! I am styling this mauve lacy dress for your upcoming fall event/wedding because it is just too cute, not to mention it is under $35 currently!! Read below for what to wear to a fall wedding…

 

When trying to figure out what to wear, I went for my current fav fall colors: pink and green! This pink dress is more of a mauve/dark blush but it is my go to color lately. I wanted to change up my look a little bit because I typically wear nude heels to weddings/events. I went for these suede olive block heels that blended so well with the color of my dress. I feel like this look screams fall without trying too hard. I am a huge fan of t-strap heels that don’t take away from your dress but still make a statement.

For accessories, you will always find me in a watch, and this olive strap on my Fossil watch tied in perfect with the color of my heels. I finished my look off with some simple pearly studs from Kendra Scott that add a little bit of edge to my look. I challenge you to go a little out of your comfort zone this fall, mix up colors you might not typically pair together and see what happens!

Happy October and all things fall! Shop my entire look below for under $100!

XOXO, LPOC

Olé for PB&J

A fiesta themed engagement party was just about the most fun thing ever! When Patrick and I first started dating, we realized that our names, Patrick Buschow and Julia make PB&J and it has been an ongoing joke/thing ever since. So that’s where we got Olé for PB&J! My mom and sister went above and beyond in planning this adorable party and it was just so fun to celebrate this season of our lives with all of our family and friends. Read below for more details from our party and wedding plans…

For our fiesta themed party, we wanted to make it bright, fun and festive! Between my sister, my mom and I, we found different decorations when getting ready for our fiesta. We found decorations at TjMaxx(photo booth props), banners at Target(dollar section) and more from Amazon. My mom cooked a fajita bar and made homemade margaritas on the rocks! They are just 4 parts and are the best homemade margaritas I’ve had. 1 part tequila, 1 part limeade, 1 part corona and 1 part sprite zero. THAT’S IT! Add ice and you’ve got it. For dessert, we had sopapilla cheesecake bars and Mexican brownies, oh my yum.

This adorable girl is my soon to be niece and is just about the cutest thing ever!

How fun is this board with the piñata!? I am obsessed with the letter felt boards and have linked one below ready to shop. It was such a fun night to catch up with friends and celebrate in our engagement together.

For my fiesta style, I wore this off the shoulder top from the ever so cute boutique, Chicory Lane Boutique. Thank you so much for the perfect fiesta top! I paired it with dark wash skinnies and my new fav wedges that are a dupe from Steve Madden. I bought mine at DSW for under $70 and they are ready to shop below.

Shout out to my amazing family for the party and for all the love you show Patrick and I! Y’all rock!

We have some upcoming meetings with vendors including cake, flowers and more! I will keep you updated and share any advice I can. Thanks so much for reading,

XOXO, LPOC

friend zone to fiancés

I SAID YES! I am looking at these pictures and it still feels like a dream. This day, this man, this ring, this life y’all, I am just so happy! I really want to share openly and honestly about the wedding planning process and want to know what you want to hear about! I would love for you to comment below with questions you have about the proposal, engagement so far, etc.! I just wanted to share a few pictures from our big day that was already over a month ago?! Where does time go? I also wanted to share our story, so read below…

Well, let’s see..This is Patrick. He is my best friend now and was my best friend in high school as well. But now, he is also my fiancé! We met our freshman year of high school on a mission trip bus to Louisiana. I thought his best friend was cute and he thought my friend was cute, so that’s how that went. We basically started this really solid friendship from church. I grew pretty close with his family during the years we were friends and really was like a sister to him, LOL! But really, for several years he was “big bro” in my phone, haha.. little did I know. We dated different people, well he dated more than me but we definitely were not on each other’s radars. We were too busy venting to each other about relationship issues, high school drama, and who knows what. I also waited around to get my license until I was 17 for some reason and Patrick was my chauffeur. We really never even thought of each other as more than just best friends and we were totally happy with that.

Until senior year, it never crossed my mind. It was December 2011 and Christmas break was coming up. Our relationship had started to shift from friends to more after we both ended previous relationships. I think that was the first time I thought, you know, I might love this kid. It was different for us because we already did love each other in a friend kind of way, but we broke through that friend zone and here we are almost 7 years later. We made it through long distance, growing up, college and lots of ups and downs, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

The proposal: We were on vacation with Pat’s family in Florida before heading to vacation with mine in Tennessee. It was the last night of our trip and we had all decided to get dressed up and go out to dinner for our final night on vacation. I had always thought that when Pat was going to propose, I would be able to tell because he would be acting weird/nervous, etc. But he didn’t and I had no idea. We have been dating almost 7 years and have talked about weddings and things for awhile now so I knew it would be sometime “soon”. We had never looked at rings together or anything either so I thought maybe he would be proposing in fall. Or so I thought, haha. I headed down to the beach with Patrick’s sister Tori and her friend to take some blog photos that night, or atleast that’s what I thought we were doing. Our plan was to then take a few family photos before heading to dinner. So after we took blog pics, we started walking back towards our beach house where Pat’s family was congregating. I just thought they were getting ready to take some family photos but as I got closer, I started to realize what was happening. I saw his brother Justin sitting with his two nieces holding up a sign that read, “Will you be our aunt?” and then quickly heard Pat’s voice telling me to come here. I turned and immediately saw him on his knee and I literally said: I am going to throw up. HAH! Well, he asked, I said heck yes and it was the easiest decision I’ve ever made(if you don’t know me, I am the most indecisive person I know). Soon after his family was telling me to look up at the balcony but there was no one there. Well, I soon learned that my family had been watching our entire proposal from the balcony of our beach house and were making their way down to celebrate with us. It was THE most special moment to have both of our families there and for it to be a complete surprise made it that much more special. I will truly never forget that night and the feeling I had with my best friend and our families.

I just really can’t wait to start our lives together and we get to do that on JUNE 16th, 2018!! We have a date people!

Almost all of my close friends are married/engaged so now that it’s my turn going through this process, I am so thankful for their advice and to do’s/not to do’s to make this process less stressful and more fun! We have slowly started the planning process and just celebrated this past weekend with a fiesta themed engagement party and it was so much fun to celebrate in this joyous time with our friends and families that we love so much. I want share with you our ups/downs of our engagement and hopefully help you if you are/will be going through this process soon.

But like seriously, he chose the most perfect ring. I just love it so much!

Our families:

 

I am excited to take you on this journey with us and share in the wedding plans and give you any tips/advice I can as I learn!

Thanks for reading, stay tuned for more wedding updates/posts!

XOXO, LPOC

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