It's Been A While...

I've missed you!!!

I have the perfect occasion to jump back in the blog bandwagon, Fall Couture 2013!

Did you see Elie Saab's new collection? Oh my heavens! Check it out some of my favorites:

Source: Style.com

Aren't these perfect for an Encore Bride? I think so!

There Are Babies Everywhere!

Source: Paradise Galleries

What is happening people, is it in the water? Seems like every time I turn around someone is pregnant. Even people that just got married the other day (or so it seems like). I don't understand the rush....are you really looking forward to the lack of sleep, the fact that you'll never even go to the bathroom by yourself anymore, forget going shopping or a quick trip to Walmart to get some toilet tissue!

Forgive me if I'm being crass, I don't mean to offend, I just don't understand. I guess people are starting to look around and ask, are you next? Lately I don't even stick around long enough in the conversation, I am gone before they can even utter "What about...."

I love my life, independence and being to able to go when needed and I've seen what a child can do to your life. I know....I know that once the child is here I'll say, "I don't remember what life was like before him/her". I know I would love them to death and love them a bit more each day but I don't want to change my life as it is right now. Am I being too selfish? Is anyone else considering remaining child free? Why?

Why Travel?

 Photo: mine taken at Wananavu Resort in Fiji

As you guys know I planned my wedding from Iraq in about 4 months, it was stressful but I booked wonderful vendors that were responsive and helpful given my situation. By the time we were ready to plan the honeymoon it was not as easy. I emailed various travel agents/agencies, I asked for Fiji, some people didn't answer, some recommended Antigua (what part of NOT the Caribbean, didn't they understand?) and simply told me I couldn't afford Fiji. I ended up planning my trip to Fiji and we had an amazing time. After we returned I was still fuming at the bad customer service I received with the honeymoon and figured I could do better. After much research, training (I ended up taking a course and hiring a business coach) I felt like it was time to go ahead, just in time for our 1st Anniversary!

I've been planning travel (and traveling) for the last 17 years, it's about time I put my experience to work!!!

Huge Announcement!

My blogging activity had slowed down much after the wedding and it wasn't because I was too busy with housework! After the wedding I decided that I wanted to pursue my entrepreneurial dreams and it had to be something related to the wedding industry. After much think and evaluating the things I am passionate about I decided that I would merge my love for weddings with my passion for travel. I've been working relentlessly for the past year and here I am just a week before my 1st wedding anniversary ready to share my project with the world! So now (drumroll please) Ladies and gentlemen (that's you hubby!), please give a round of applause (no really, stand up, take a deep breath and explode in cheers! To my new baby:

Go ahead' click on it!

Please stop my my Facebook page, follow me on Twitter and Pinterest, I have a YouTube channel and you can even reach me on Skype (search: brenda (at) encoredwh.com), whew! I think I have most of the bases covered, don't you?

It will mean the world if you tell me what you think (hint, hint) since I've put so much effort into this (and have worked my hubby's arse too, poor thing) and please follow!!!

Tomorrow I will share how and why I came up with Encore DWH, stay tuned!

Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year, may 2012 bring you many blessings and success!!!

 

Are you ready for Christmas? It's coming anyway!

Hey bloggie friends (if I have any left) I've been extremely busy working on a new project and I can't wait to announce it. Soon though, I'll make the announcement on January 2, right in line with the New Year.

Besides working on my new project I've been taking classes, traveling, working my 9-5 and in the midst of it all we were able to get everyone on one place to take pictures. Here's a preview of the back of my Christmas cards this year.

Photo Credit: Mabus Photography

Thanks to Mabus Photography for a wonderful session! We hope we can do it again, before the girls get married and have family of their own :-( 

This year we are only giving presents to the kids in the family (yay!), I have 3 out of my 4 nieces and nephew taken care of, we have 1 of his 3 niece/nephews taken care of and 2 out of 3 daughters taken care of so we have 4 more presents to go...

How are you guys coming along with your presents list?

It's Been Awhile...

I never intended to take such a long break. I've been thinking about the future of this blog and I haven't decided what to do just yet. While I was away a few high profile encore brides got married and I love their "Encore Bride" style for the day.

Southern Bell Reese Witherspoon wore a beautiful blush dress for her day. She was lovely in a blush dress!

 

 Source: People

Another encore bride that sported a very sexy dress was LeAnn Rimes, I loved her sparkly dress and high slit.

Source: People

I wore a light gold dress for my encore wedding, what color would you wear?

Marriage Is Hard!

 Source: ILOVEYOURSTYLE

Yep, I said it, whoever said Marriage was a breeze was looking at it through some double thick rosy glasses! I haven’t blogged much. I’ve been quiet, my personal friends know that when I become quiet it’s because I’m dealing with something.  Marriage has been hard to get used to for this encore chick! Don’t get me wrong, my hubby is the best, he cannot be any more loving and he makes an excellent teammate. 

After 9 years of living the single (and divorced) life I grew to love my independence, and well, being married doesn’t necessarily encourage independence, lol. Since I’ll be the last one to admit it I’ll blame it on the tours to Iraq, the wedding and move that followed…quickly, maybe to quick for me.

I think I’m still in shock from it all, I have one good day, then I have three bad ones, I guess it could all be much worse. 

I do thank God everyday for what he has given me, where he has brought me from and for everything he does for me on a daily basis. Today may be a gloomy day but I seek comfort in knowing that the sun will shine again tomorrow.

Encore Bride Style

I've been very busy lately planning my first wedding as an event planner. In the process of getting some inspiration I came across these fabulous gowns I think would be great for an Encore bride, from the sexy shapes to the different gown colors. I saved them on Pinterest, of course!

Source: marthastewartweddings.com via The Encore Bride on Pinterest

Source: amouramour.com.au via The Encore Bride on Pinterest

Source: akissonyourmolteneyes.blogspot.com via The Encore Bride on Pinterest

Do you agree?

Lost In Pinterest

Do you "Pin"? I'm addicted to Pinterest, I can spend way too many hours lost in all the beautiful visuals. It's a wonderful site to save all the inspirational pictures you find online.

Board by Lovely

Source: lovelybride.com via Vania on Pinterest

Follow Me on Pinterest!

What To Do With My Wedding Pictures?

Our wedding pictures were on the mail waiting for us to get back from our honeymoon (that's how fast my photographer worked!). I rushed home from the post office and opened the big envelope, there were over 200 edited proofs and a CD with more than 1200 shots, all taken in about 7 hours (I think). I rushed to the store to find a small album where all 200 hundred pictures would fit. I wasn't very lucky and ended up buying a plain black leather one. 

Next up I chose a few pictures to enlarge and frame, I made 3 small plain canvas and hung them in our bedroom. I still needed to frame "OUR wedding picture" and as always I looked at Etsy.com. I had saved GeeZees a long time ago in hopes that she would be able to create a beautiful canvas for our wedding after I received my wedding pictures.

After sending her a "groupie" style tweet we were able to begin working on my wedding canvas. I chose my canvas size and within 10 days I had my canvas proof, what do you think?

I chose that scripture for our wedding ceremony, I think it describes our love perfectly (he did have to wait 8 months for a date!). The proofs were so pretty I only changed one thing, the word "Love" at the top of this one.

We left for Tulum, Mexico for a few days,  once we returned this beauty was waiting on our front door. I was so excited to finally see it!

(Please excuse the appearance of the colors, it was a cloudy day)

 

We are finishing up the painting on our living room, in the meantime this 24"x36" beauty sits above our mantel. I'm still looking for a permanent home for it, I'm not sure if it should be over the mantel or not. What do you think?

Here is a side view that shows how thick the frame is.

 

We all know marriage can be challenging at times (let's keep it real!) but a daily visual reminder keeps us going, for me the last verse is powerful, "Never looks back but keeps going to the end".  I can't think of a better way to remind ourselves everyday why we chose each other.

If you need a last minute Mother's Day gift please make sure to check out GeeZees Etsy store, she can turn any picture into a beautiful work of art with your words. She's also on Facebook, please stop by and say Hi!

(*Disclaimer: I received a discount from GeeZees as a result of this post but I would have GLADLY paid full price for my canvas, it's that good!)

I kidnapped My Husband!

Sorry for pulling a disappearing act! We are both back to work and given our schedules we will have no time off during the summer months. Last week I decided to kidnap my husband for a quick R&R in Tulum, Mexico. He didn't know where he was going until the morning we left for the airport. He was not happy after I told him he would have to leave behind any liquids, razors, etc. He was prepared to drive, not to fly.

I had Tulum, Mexico on my travel bucket list for a while and I was finally able to find the right time and budget to go. Once we arrived in Cancun (which was a very easy airport to get through) we rented a car and drove about an hour and a half south. Once we arrived to our small hotel and were shown to our cabana, this was the view we found from our front porch.

We relaxed, had great food and visited the Tulum Mayan Ruins.

It was a wonderful short trip but as always we are glad to be home! Do you have any favorite last minute getaway locations? 

What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?

Have you forgotten? I know you have not, if you close your eyes, take a deep breath and blurt it out you will realize it's still there, after all these years. As a child in elementary school I used to carry a notebook around with my "sketches". I did this for a long time until another girl asked me to "borrow" my notebook, I never saw it again.

I remember going nagging my mother at the checkout line asking her to buy me these very expensive bridal magazines, you know the ones, the real thick ones that cost way too much for a magazine full of ads. I was growing up in Puerto Rico (even though I was born in Miami) and she promptly point out that these magazines were in English (she didn't remember I still knew how to read and write in English).

As I grew up my dreams took form and included a prestigious fashion design school in NYC, we  didn't have the money for me to attend and I didn't have the skills to enter the program so instead I joined the good 'ol US Army. During my Senior year of HS I'd become the state president of a very large and known club for vocational schools, I knew I was meant to be a leader. Since I couldn't become a fashion designer I resolved to become a leader.

My career in the military has been great and my performance has been stellar (if I may say so) but those childhood dreams never left....I tried to change them, gave myself alternatives and told myself it would be too hard. Along the way I took fashion design courses in more colleges than I can recall right away and finally I faced my dreams, I want to design bridal gowns.

While attending one of those design colleges around the country I had a classmate who is an avid tennis player, I remember seeing some of her projects and they always involved fitness and music. Earlier this year I received an email from her, she was launching her own athletic apparel line, I was (and am) so excited for her. Right at that moment I realized that no dream is too hard or unattainable if you work hard and NEVER GIVE UP!

Please stop by Denise's Facebook page or Website and tell her what you think of the line. I loved it and already ordered some items, they fit and feel great.  I wish her all the success in the world and I can't wait to see more of her line.

Photo: Denise Cronwall

What about you? What are your dreams? Please share!

Chiffon and Sequins

I'm loving Elie Saab, this time around is his Ready to Wear Fall 2011 Collection. I can only imagine any of these dresses for any encore bride out there.

All Photos by: Alessandro Viero / GoRunway.com via style.com

Spring Beauties

**I finally have a new look that I love thanks to Deluxe Designs, please take a look around and stop by my Facebook page, feel free to "Like" me!**

The couture shows are my favorite and Elie Saab is always on point. Look at the lovelies he brought us for Spring 2011.

 Photo: Umberto Fratini / GoRunway.com

  Photo: Umberto Fratini / GoRunway.com

  Photo: Umberto Fratini / GoRunway.com

Photo: Umberto Fratini / GoRunway.com

All pictures found on style.com

All perfect for an encore wedding, don't you think?

Oh Spring How I've Missed You...

How do you do Mr. Spring? So nice to meet you...

You can find it here

Liz Taylor-An Encore Bride

RIP Liz Taylor one of the most famous Encore Brides.

Photo: Ed Clark for Time Magazine

For Japan With Love-Update

Thanks to everyone that has supported this campaign. So far $54,237 has been raised, that's 986% up from the original goal of $5,500. At this rate 540 people will benefit from a shelter box and it's not over, we have until March 31st to donate. No amount is too small, you can donate at: Shelter Box USA.

Thanks to Utterly Engaged and Ever Ours for such a fantastic campaign, please stop by and support them.

For Japan With Love

For Japan With Love

We have all seen the destruction as a result of the Tsunami in Japan in recent days. A few blogger friends (Utterly Engaged and Ever Ours) have initiated a campaign to help those in need and provide shelter for families who have lost everything. Please click on the link below and donate, we are so close to our goal and every bit helps.

Providing Shelter:

ShelterBox provide emergency shelter and lifesaving supplies for families around the world who are affected by disasters at the time when they need it the most. Each large, green ShelterBox is tailored to a disaster but typically contains a disaster relief tent for an extended family, blankets, water storage and purification equipment, cooking utensils, a stove, a basic tool kit, a children’s activity pack and other vital items.

Bloggers Day of Silence

In order to raise awareness and acknowledge the crisis in Japan I, along with other bloggers will not post anything on Friday, March 18th. I will post a reminder on Thursday, March 17th.  We will also Tweet the heck out of http://www.forjapanwithlove.com. Please join us, if you would like more information check out Utterly Engaged or Ever Ours (links above).

Donate Now!

Thank you!!!

I'm A Wifey Now

I'm wifey-poo to Mr. E or should I say, hubby-poo. Since I'm no longer a bride I decided to update my new "status" and blog. How do you guys like my blogs new face lift? I've kept the template very similar since I like a clean and elegant aesthetic. I did a little spring house cleaning around here as you can see but I suspect I will add a bit more as we go along.

We are knee deep in house renovations, we have been painting rooms and will be tearing down a wall to open up the living room/dining room. After that we will be changing the flooring so stay tuned for the changes we are making around here.

Excuse the low quality pictures but here are our before and after pictures of our master bedroom walls. 

 Can you see that ugly blue on that walls? Goodness! Our walls are currently the biggest display on bad taste I've seen. Our walls are blood red, camouflage green, mauve torture and blue nightmare. The worst part is that all the paints are "gloss" on walls that are less than perfect.

As you can see we are in the midst of all kinds of changes, what do you guys think about the blog? What about my gray walls, a go or no-go?