G + E Wedding: Getting Ready + First Look

Greg and I tied the knot October 17th, 2015. We were surrounded my many family and friends and the day was absolutely beautiful in every way. We are so thankful for those who could celebrate with us. The unfortunate part of long-distance dating is that if a wedding eventually happens, one of you is going to have less people able to make it to the wedding because of traveling distance. We missed extended family members from Greg's family (who live in Texas) as well as friends all over the States who couldn't make it. But, all in all, we had a great turnout and we were able to soak in a lot of the memories. I am biased of course, but I think it was near perfection in my eyes.

I thought it would be fun to share some photos from our Big Day on the blog, so I will be adding photos throughout the next few weeks.

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Getting Ready: The Bride

The day started off calm. I journaled in a notebook I have been writing to Greg since we first started dating  and gave him the book right after our First Look once we were alone in the car. My hair and makeup stylist, Emma,  arrived and we got to work. It took around 3 hours for everything, so I wanted to have plenty of time. I sipped on tea, listened to relaxing music, and chatted with Emma. I had been praying for the day to be calm and for me to be able to soak in all the precious moments (rather than hurrying through the day and then regretting later on), so I was really thankful for this calming start to the day.

 I wanted a natural look for my makeup since I do not usually wear to much. Emma did an awesome job making me look like a dressy, dolled up version of myself. 

 I loved my dress, which I found at a bridal shop in Portland in my exact size and bought off the rack. I got a killer deal on it, so it (along with a matching veil that I LOVED)  came right under my wedding dress budget of $1,000. My shoes were from Charlotte Russe! I was so excited that they were exactly what I was looking for AND were under $30!!!

 I got ready at my parent's house and my gorgeous bridesmaids arrived at the house while I was getting dolled up. My best friend, who flew in from California, was there before the girls came, so it was really sweet to enjoy a few moments together before the day got really busy.  My best friend gave my a devotional on praying for my husband, which I am holding in a photo below. We had been praying for our future husbands for years before they both came along, so it was a special moment remembering our prayers and rejoicing in God's faithfulness in giving us both amazing husbands. 

Getting Ready: The Groom

Oh gosh, my husband is one handsome fella! He rented a house through AirBnb for his groomsmen and him to chill at. The guys all flew in from across the U.S., so we were really honored to have them all there. They'd all been close friends since high school, so it was awesome to finally meet the guys I had heard so many great stories about. Two of the guys came with their wives, so it was super sweet to meet them and show the gals around Portland one of the days!

 First Look

We did our First Look in the front driveway of my parent's house because afterwards. Greg arrived with his groomsmen and we were so giddy to see each other.  

Afterwards, we had a prayer together with my parents, which is a Romanian tradition akin to the American tradition of 'giving the bride away' at the altar since Greg came to retrieve me from their home. 

Stay tuned for photos from our pre-ceremony photoshoots!

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Photography by Vio Regus Photography

Wedding Dress & veil by Pronovias from Bridal Exclusives in Clackamas, Oregon
Makeup and hair by Emma Lee