fiesta party

dress: Issa for Banana Republic, shoes: Sigerson Morison

We had the most wonderful time at our couples fiesta party! It was such a great celebration and really set the tone for those last few weeks leading up to the wedding, of which I am thankful for. We are so grateful for our friends and family, and I love having pictures to remember everything by. Such a splendid night!

winter florals

turtleneck: banana republic, sweater: cynthia steffe; skirt: anthropologie, loafers: ferragamo

I love this sweater and the bulky structure it creates. It instantly makes any outfit a little weird/more interesting, and I feel like a big newfoundland when I wear it. Not that feeling like a newfoundland is something I generally long for, but it is nice to feel shaggy and cozy, I guess. I added my beloved Ferragamo loafers to the mix to take away from the sweetness of the skirt. I swear they go with anything! (in my opinion)

new york trip

Brad and I celebrated Christmas with my family this year, and I was so happy we did because we had a New York Christmas--complete with the biting winter cold, a trip to Rockefeller Plaza, unbearable crowds…and then...all the good stuff! It was Brad and I's second time to visit the city together, and it's so fun to share my old home with that guy I now call my husband. We ate at my favorite restaurants, walked through my favorite parts of town, and visited with some of my favorite friends. I loved every nanosecond of it, beside the ones where we had to fight our way through the ripping winds and stumbling crowds. I've had some pretty interesting and non-average Christmas Days' in my past, but this one rivals all the others for title of "The Best". 

After a Christmas Day service and Magnolia cupcakes, we celebrated Christmas dinner at Gemma of The Bowery Hotel with family, close friends, good wine, great food…and a ditzy waiter who graciously overcorrected for his poor service by giving us a few items on the house. After dinner, the "kids" went next door to the bar at The Bowery Hotel--a contender for one of my most-loved hotel bars--for some after dinner digestifs. Needless to say, our Christmas Day was not as conventional or traditional as others, but it was a memory I will cherish for quite some time.

gold jeans

gold jeans: kate spade, blouse: vintage from Paris, wedges: gucci, necklace: anthropologie

a best friend's engagement

One of my best friends got engaged the week after we returned from our honeymoon, and it was SO. MUCH. FUN! Her now fiancé proposed to her during the big Dallas ice storm, and we met them afterwards at a low-key pub on Henderson. I am enormously overjoyed to celebrate these two lovebirds  over the next several months---and at the rehearsal dinner and wedding. I adore my friends' engagements because I am able to get a big glimpse of how well-loved they are by their boyfriends/fiancés. Tyler, Holly and I were brainstorming for several days before the proposal, and it was adorably cute how important it was for Tyler to make this engagement special for Jordan. To me, that is the sign of a man ready to care for and serve his woman! Congratulations and best wishes to two of my favorites and life-long best friends!

all black

legging: rag & bone (here), blouse: DVF (similar here), boots: tory burch (similar here)

sunglasses: dior (here)

engagement pictures by n.barrett photography

These are a few of our favorite engagement pictures. Our photographer was so wonderful and extremely talented, and the way she shoots, plus her eye for all things beautiful and creative, were exactly what we wanted. We love these photographs.

The first set of pictures was taken at one of Brad and I's favorite restaurants, Cedars Social. He took me there on our first date as it was the closest we could get to California without him actually jet setting me there for a Thursday night, first date--and it was perfectly like California with the "vibe" and mid-century modern decor. At that point, I was mildly hoping to move to L.A. for grad school, and Brad was talking about his dream of moving to L.A. for music. Obviously we are not in L.A. yet, but that west coast keeps calling our names, along with 2 handfuls of other cities.

The other set of pictures was taken at White Rock Lake. Yes, we know that almost every other single engaged couple frequents White Rock for some sort of photo session, but it really is one of our favorite places to spend time together. Our White Rock walks are some of my most cherished times with Brad, and it doesn't hurt that we get to see a body of water larger than a fountain or swimming pool every now and then.

I love our engagement pictures for so many reasons, but mostly because they capture us at two of our favorite and most special Dallas spots, that were more pivotal in our relationship than we probably realize.

All pictures by Natalie Shelton. www.nbarrettphotography.com