a lonestar state of southern

Hello from a new home, y’all!

And an old one… let me explain. :)

The Next Four Months

You may remember a couple months back when I mentioned my apartment lease was ending, and I was needing to figure out what to do with the four-ish remaining months before getting married.

Andrew and I are waiting to move in together until after we get married, so that put me in a bit of a pickle… Go month to month on my lease? Sign on for a 6-month lease and eat the cost of the two months I wouldn’t be using it? Find a new place altogether?

There wasn’t an obvious answer on the table, but I had peace knowing the Lord would provide just what I needed. And a few weeks later, while talking it through with Andrew, that’s exactly what happened!

So for today’s Wedding Wednesday post, I thought I’d update you on my new living situation, and what Andrew and I are planning on for these next few months (eek!!!) before we get married.

Back House Livin’

The answer to that big “what on earth do I do now” question? My sweet future in-laws so graciously offered for me to stay in their back house until Andrew and I get married. And for a hundred different reasons, I can’t tell you what an answered prayer it is!

For starters, their house is just a few minutes away from my old apartment, and just a few blocks away from my parent’s house. So I’m basically in the exact same area I’ve lived in for the past three years – no major relocating necessary.

Secondly, the size is perfect. It’s private, cozy, and absolutely beautiful. (My future mother in law has impeccable taste, so no wonder!) It is basically a little studio complete with a gorgeous, comfy couch, a closet, bathroom, kitchenette, and living area. I confess, I was a bit nervous to downsize from a big townhome to a studio, but I have absolutely loved every second of it! It’s such a fun change of pace, and I love how cozy and homey it feels.

Because of the compact size, I knew living and working there wouldn’t be an option. Andrew actually was the one who had the idea of me “splitting” everything up… living in his parents back house, and setting up my office in my parent’s house. So that’s exactly what we’ve done! Like I said above, our parents live so close to one another, so it’s maybe a 3 minute “commute” to work every day. Can’t complain about that!

A random side note… the room I’ve moved my office into is the very same room I took Lonestar Southern full-time four years ago! For those of you who don’t know, I moved in with my parents for a year after graduating to see if I could make “blogging full-time” a thing. So much has changed, grown, and happened since then, and I have to confess that I feel so nostalgic sitting here now!

Movin’ Out and Movin’ In

Let’s talk about downsizing for a second, shall we? Oy, y’all. I spent the past two weeks combing through everything I’d managed to accumulate over the past three years and deciding what would make the move with us, what I would give away and what I would sell. This process was long and arduous, but incredibly healthy and freeing. It’s amazing how much “head space” clears up when you get rid of things you don’t need.

After looking through all of the recommendations y’all sent in, I decided to use PODS to store and transport all of my furniture to Gainesville. Last week, we packed all of it into a huge POD container, and will see it in Florida a few months. It was crazy watching my whole “apartment” drive away. :)

As for the clothes… get excited for a MASSIVE sale I’ll be holding in Dallas in the coming months. I have so many pieces that I love, but just do not need anymore, and I’m so excited to find them new homes! I’ll fill you in on all of the details soon, so stay tuned!

In conclusion, I am so thankful that this whole scenario worked out so seamlessly. I am also so thankful for the extra time I will get with both of our families through this move! I have been so used to doing my own thing in my apartment for so long that I’ve absolutely loved being around my loved ones so much. With our move to Gainesville on the horizon, you can bet I’m thanking my lucky stars and soaking up all of these special moments.

Our Gainesville Home

Now that we have the “pre-wedding” living situation all figured out, Andrew and I are looking ahead to Gainesville!

Ideally, we’d love to purchase a home. The only problem? I’ve never even been to Gainesville. Makes things a bit complicated, wouldn’t you say?

So, next week, Andrew and I, along with our cute mamas, are flying down to Florida to do some good old-fashioned house hunting. I feel like we should be on an episode of House Hunters… we’re really hoping to find something that weekend, make an offer, and check that off our list!

Obviously, home buying can be much more complicated, so we are praying hard about it and walking into next weekend with open hands. If we get there are realize we need to rent instead, we’re ok with that too! If y’all wouldn’t mind, I would love your prayers over that next weekend… that the Lord would give us wisdom, patience, and discernment throughout the process and, if He wills it, that He’d bless us with a perfect option!

I know there’s a lot to potentially stress over, but I really do have this peace that everything is going to work out the way it’s supposed to. The Lord has been so faithful every step of engagement thus far, and I know He will continue to be. Let me tell you, that assurance has 100% been the reason I’ve loved this season so much instead of letting it stress me out!

So, Here We Go…

It feels like things are really starting to happen, y’all, and with all of this change, the wedding is starting to feel like it’s getting close! After all, June is just 4 months away. Wild! I’m so excited to share this big living update with y’all, and, as always, can’t wait to bring you along in this new season. I’d love to put together a Q&A soon to make sure I’m keeping y’all totally in the loop, so if I can answer any questions, feel free to leave them below!

Love from Texas,

Kate

DRESS   white tweed dress   |   SHOES   chanel ballet flats (similar here)   |   EARRINGS   pearl studs

Immediately after getting engaged, I made a promise to myself. I was going to enjoy the wedding planning process. To soak it in, be thankful for every decision and to-do list item, and not let it stress me out or get the best of me. After all, this is the one time in my life I get to “fret” over flowers, bands, cakes and dresses. And at the end of the day, that should be a joy!

Some things are easier said than done, as we all know, and I quickly realized the secret to enjoying wedding planning, as opposed to letting it completely unravel you, is to stay organized!

Let me be the first to admit that I am NOT an organized person. I’ve always had a laid-back, “things will happen the way they’re supposed to” mentality by nature… a definite 9 on the Enneagram scale through and through. And as that’s been wonderful for navigating the ups and downs of day-to-day life, it is not your friend when planning a wedding!

So today, I wanted to share a few thoughts in partnership with WeddingWire on how to stay organized during wedding planning. These are tools and tricks I’m using that have added structure to my unorganized planning mentality, and in turn, made for an incredibly enjoyable, fun-filled wedding planning experience!

Let’s dive in, shall we?

How To Stay Organized During Wedding Planning

 

1. Create a Separate Email Address

Right out of the gate, I realized the wedding planning process was going to involve a lot of emails. From reaching out to vendors to sending ideas to my mother to coordinating wedding parties and so much more, my “wedding mail” quickly started to overtake my personal inbox. Every time I opened it up, I would feel overwhelmed instead of excited. That’s the opposite of what we’re going for!

Save yourself the trouble and create a separate email address used solely for wedding-related email. This helps you keep everything in one place, as well as separating the “business” of planning from your personal life! Plus, it ensures that important wedding-related items don’t get buried in your personal or work life, and vice versa. Trust me… it’s so much easier to manage! (And here’s a fun idea… use this as an opportunity to create an email address with your new last name!)

2. Make a WeddingWire Account

In my opinion, the more help you can get, the better. My WeddingWire account, which is completely free to create and use. has been such an asset during this entire process. Like I said above, I’m not organized by nature, but the incredible tools offered by WeddingWire help to keep me on track and on top of what feels like the millions of details associated with planning. There is an entire “Planning Tools” tab devoted entirely to helping you! Here are a few of my favorites:

•      Checklist Tool
  • The beauty of this online checklist? It offers suggestions, according to how many months out you are, for what to accomplish and when. The best part, though, is that it enables you to create customizable tasks for every stage of your wedding planning journey! Check off what you finish, plan for what’s ahead, and see it all online no matter where you are.
•      Budget Tool
  • Budgeting is one of the most important parts of wedding planning, y’all. If you have a budget, it can make your life so much more straightforward. If not, things can add up without you even realizing! The budget tool allows you to track your spending (key), customize the numbers and even schedule payments.
•       Vendor Manager
  • Before I started wedding planning, I had no idea how many incredible vendor options there are out there. From flowers to dance floors and everything in between, comparing services and managing it all can get overwhelming! That’s why the vendor manager has been such a blessing. It allows you to manage and remember all of your vendor details, save notes about each vendor, compare prices, save contact info and even message vendors! Fun fact… I decided to look for a different wedding band a few weeks ago, and was able to message so many other options through this tool to check availability!

These are just a few of the many, many tools and resources available via WeddingWire. I can’t wait to share more about the platform. and how I’ve loved using it to plan my big day, soon!

3. Use a Single, Dedicated Notebook

Let me tell you… using my Sweet Caroline Designs planner has been a lifesaver in terms of staying organized. There’s a little pocket at the front where I store all of my printed materials (brochures from vendors, reception floor layouts, song lists, quotes, etc) and tons of blank, lined “note” pages at the back where I’ve scribbled notes on every wedding vendor call, in-person meeting, and random idea that’s popped into my head. Having it all in one notebook, as opposed to papers floating all over the place, has been incredibly peace-giving. I highly recommend finding one single, dedicated notebook for storing all of your wedding details, ideas, and appointments!

4. Have Thursday Recap Meetings

I know this may seem random, but Thursday recap meetings are a tradition my mom and I started accidentally, and have found to be invaluable to our planning process ever since! Why? It started because Thursdays seemed to finally be the first day out of the week we had time to take a breath. I would go over to take a long walk with my mom, and on it we’d survey everything we’d accomplished the three days before, and everything that needed to be done in the week ahead!

I highly recommend taking an hour or so every Thursday to have a little recap meeting with yourself or whoever else is involved in the planning to “get your bearings” and look at where you are in the planning process. Thursdays are the perfect day, since you can see what you accomplished that week, and make a game plan for what you want to knock out over the weekend and the next week! Make it fun and incorporate coffee, a walk, wine or all of the above!

5. Take Photos of Everything

Trust me. Take photos of everything. And then save them all into a “Wedding” album on your phone! Whether you’re choosing a wedding dress, bridesmaid dresses, flowers, table settings or anything else, take. photos. of. it. all. With all of the different meetings (you may go to five different florists, for example) options, and decisions to be made, it is so helpful to be able to pull up photos instead of relying on memory.

This was particularly helpful in deciding on my dress! I would think I had found “the dress,” only to go home, look at photos and realize I hated the way it photographed, or looked from the side, or showed in a certain light, etc. Even if you don’t think you need to, take a photo anyway and thank me later!

These tips are ones anyone can use, regardless of budget! And I feel strongly that if implemented, they will make your wedding planning experience efficient, memorable and fun.

Since I’m still in the thick of it, I would absolutely love any tips YOU have for staying organized during wedding planning! Share your insight in the comments below!

Love from Texas,

Kate

Thank you, WeddingWire, for sponsoring this post.