Are you ready to follow the ultimate wedding planning journey? Well, what if I told you said journey was from the sweetest bride-to-be ever. In that case, say hello to Shelby of Pretty in the Pines. Because this lovely lady is our newest blogger bride and quite honestly we’re crazy excited to follow her journey. Read on for more and get to know this ah-dorable lady below and in The Vault!
From the Blogger Bride-to-be… HI SMP readers and brides-to-be! I am beyond excited to have a chance to share my wedding journey on one of my favorite blogs (and the reason I run out of photo storage on my phone due to 500 screenshots of wedding inspiration)! My name is Shelby and you can find me over at Pretty in the Pines, a lifestyle and fashion blog based in Raleigh, North Carolina. I created my blog a couple years ago due to my love for fashion, decor, travel, and photography. I am continuously inspired by the beauty of my home state and that is how I got the name “Pretty in the Pines”! Although my fiancé and I live in the ‘land of the pines’, we’re switching things up a bit for our wedding and going from the pines of NC to the palms in Charleston, SC, next spring! We are SO excited!
Today I’m sharing part 1 of our engagement photos taken by our wedding photographers, Jake and Heather. My fiancé, TJ, and I first met when we were both sophomores at North Carolina State University. I had recently joined a sorority, Delta Gamma, and needed a last minute date for an upcoming Semi Formal event. Some older girls told me that they knew of the perfect date and his name was TJ. After being a little bit nervous for the set-up, I was instantly relieved when I realized how down to earth and funny this guy turned out to be. The evening of the event, we danced the night away and also found out we had a lot more in common than we thought was possible. We both had the same favorite song (‘Your Love’ by The Outfield), favorite food, and we were even born in the same small town way down in Florida (how weird!?). I ended up having such a fun night at Semi Formal and he must have also because the next night he asked me out on a second date!
Only one month later, he asked me to be his girlfriend. That was over six years ago! Fast forward to this past December and we were on the way to our friend’s “birthday lunch”. Only, as soon as we got in the car, TJ asked me press play on a playlist he had made called “Us”. It was a playlist of each one of the songs that reminded us of one another, and only then did he tell me that we had to make a few stops along the way to the lunch. At that point, I had a feeling of what was going on and the tears started flowing! He stopped at the place where we met, my old sorority house on campus, where he first told me he loved me, and a couple more, but it was such a crazy blur! At each stop we made, he had sweet words ready to share with me about why he loved me. The last stop was at the NC State bell tower where he had some hidden photographers (two of our best friends) hiding behind a bench. When we walked up to the bell tower there were flowers, champagne, and framed photos of us, he got down on one knee and proposed! I couldn’t believe that he had planned all of that without me knowing! Well, remember that “friend’s birthday lunch”? When we finally arrived to it, our best friends and families were waiting there to completely surprise me and celebrate! It was the absolute best day!
So now that you’ve heard the beginning of our love story, I cannot wait to bring you all along for the journey of planning our wedding. I tend to be a big “planner” and usually like to have control over all of the details, no matter how small; however, my hope for our wedding is to be the opposite. My only wedding wish is to have an extremely fun, romantic, and carefree day, celebrating marrying my best friend with the most important people in our lives (while sticking to a budget!). I want to have a wedding day of no worries and just pure love and good vibes for everyone. I am so excited to share my tips and advice along the way on how to achieve that and hope you will follow along for all of the excitement.
Be sure to follow my Instagram @prettyinthepines to see more wedding behind the scenes, especially over the next few weeks!
Photography: Jake + Heather | Hair + Makeup: Meg Workman | Blogger Bride: Shelby Vanhoy