Kasavichtacular: January 2010

Have I ever mentioned how wonderful my friend Ginger is? Well, now I have and now you know. She is one of the most talented people I have ever met. She has helped me come up with the most beautiful theme/design for our wedding that will be incorporated throughout the entire wedding. Basically, she has created a brand for our wedding.

She created her own brand for her wedding and I just loved how it all came together. From the save the dates to the cake to the ties that the men in the bridal party wore, it just looked so together and elegant.

Chris and I wanted to incorporate the two religions in our theme without looking too "religousy" (I can't think of any other way to describe it). She chose the lotus flower and the dove. The lotus in the Hindu religion represents primarily represents beauty and non-attachment. The lotus is rooted in the mud but floats on the water without becoming wet or muddy. This symbolizes how how one should live in the world in order to gain release from rebirth. The dove represents the Holy Ghost in Christianity. It is also represents peace.

You will see the image in most of our printed materials for the wedding and perhaps in a few other things. Again, can't give away all of the surprises!! Thank you Ginger for all of your help.

Chris and I took our engagement pictures (with the help of the lovely Olivia and handsome Jason Moore) on October 3, 2010. It was a cloudy and not so hot day in Houston! Sadly, in October, us Houstonians have no clue what the weather may be like. In fact, the only months we can be for sure is June-August when we know it will be extremely hot and humid.

Our photo shoot started out at Hermann Park, a park that Chris and I both like to go out to when the weather is nice to walk around. It is near both of our jobs, but we don't get to go there as often as we like. We took pictures around most of the places people take their pictures. Over by the fountains (not the one in the middle of the circle that connects Hermann and Montrose, I wasn't feeling that adventurous that day), by the different columns that are in the park, the Japanese Gardens and the different hills that go through out the park. My favorite place was the hill by Miller Outdoor Theater and actually sitting inside the theater. I don't see as many people taking pictures there and those are special places to us. Every year on the 4th of July (except this past year) Chris and I pack up a snack, the big blue tarp and a blanket and make our way to Miller Outdoor Theater to hear the Symphony play their annual Fourth of July Concert and watch the fireworks afterward. This is a tradition we hope to continue throughout our lives together.

After the park we trekked over to Rice Village and went to Chocolate du Monde, a delicious chocolate shop in the Village. We met one of the guys who works there through a mutual friend years ago (both of these people work out at our gym) and have been going back ever since. They have the best fudge and hot chocolate I have ever had. It is a tradition for Chris and I to go there at least once a month to pick up some chocolate (though we haven't been there in a few months...don't hate us please! We are going to go next week, Chris just doesn't know it yet). We thought this would be a wonderful place for pictures because it does mean something to both of us. The shop was decorated for Halloween which is both of our favorite holiday and we are getting married in October, so it was without a doubt the perfect scene for us. Thank you to the wonderful people at Chocolate du Monde for allowing us to take pictures there!

After this excursion it was lunch time. We made our way to Two Rows for a quick lunch with our photographers and friends the Moores.

Following lunch we went to the Museum (where I work) for a costume change! Chris put on his handsome suit and I put on a dress. You will notice that Chris's tie does match my dress in these pictures! Our final stop was Jones Hall, where the Houston Symphony performs. Chris and I met working at the Symphony, so it felt right to have our pictures taken here. We didn't think we would be able to actually get into the building, but lucky for us, the security guard recognized Chris and we were able to get in!

We want to thank Olivia and Jason for taking such wonderful pictures, Chocolate du Monde for allowing us to take some pictures in their shop and the security guard who let us into Jones Hall when no one else was around.

Below are a few of the pictures from our shoot. Olivia and Jason took over 400 shots. You will each be getting one in our save the date cards and you will see more at the wedding! I can't show you all of them now, can I? :)