The Funny Face Files: Pre-Engagement Shoot Jitters

I've unsuccessfully scoured the racks of 12 different stores in an attempt to find the perfect camel-colored cardigan. The search for this elusive tan sweater began a few days ago when I decided I needed a cardigan that perfectly coordinated with a pair of boots I'll be wearing for our upcoming engagement shoot. I am a crazed mess.

How do you people make engagement photos look so effortless?!

Yeah, I'm talking to you, adorable, plaid-wearing couple:

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And, you! You thought I didn't see you, disgustingly sweet blonde couple by the lake:

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Who taught you how to model like that? Who picked out your clothes? Why am I finding this so difficult? WHO KILLED JFK!? Ahhh.

Anyway.

The nerves stem from the fact that Mr. Masa and I sometimes have a hard time taking nice photos together.

Case in point, the funny face files:

(all personal photos)

Don't get me wrong, our photographer is absolutely fantastic and I have complete faith in him. I also understand that he will catch us making some funny faces—I just hope Mr. Masa and I manage to simultaneously get our pretty face action on long enough for him to capture it!

Worst-case-scenario, we end up with fun(ny) photos like this:

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Alright kiddies, wish us luck. Camel cardigan or not, this shoot is happening! I promise for a full recap once our photos come back.

Were you nervous before your engagement shoot? If you haven't had one yet, do you already have ideas as to wear you'll go and what you'll wear?

Xoxo,

Setting the Date and Quelling the Beast-Bride: A 2-Year Long Engagement

I wasn't that little girl who planned her wedding when she was eight. In fact, up until I met Mr. Seal, I was pretty convinced that I would end up an old spinster with 18 mange-ridden cats. So, that being said, even though I was (and still am) desperately excited to marry Mr. S and anxiously awaited the engagement, I was a tiny bit frightened that I didn't possess the "bride gene".

I did, however, manage to come across this picture of little me dressed as a bride—perhaps early evidence of bridal DNA?:

Once I hit 23, it seemed like more and more people I knew were getting engaged. One of my best friends (and bridesmaids) was proposed to by her long-time boyfriend, and I think that's when I warmed up to the idea that I probably would marry after all. Then I met the Sealman and it very quickly hit me that I could see myself marrying him.

I'm going to be honest in saying that the bridal porn came before the engagement. Full of shame, hiding my bare left ring finger, I snuck into bookstores and bought bridal magazine after bridal magazine. I secretly pored over them while Mr. Seal was at work and tucked them safely under the bed before he returned. And this was only the beginning.

After the engagement, we lived up on Cloud 9 for a bit. Boy was it fun up there—so in love and oblivious to all that lay ahead! As mentioned in a previous post, we were engaged in mid December, and with Christmas, New Year's Eve and a trip to Disneyland to soon follow, we weren't immediately concerned with "figuring things out". Per previous discussions, we knew that we wanted a longish engagement, and didn't feel a pressing urgency to "set the date"—plus that love cloud was pretty comfy.

Post-Engagement, Pre-Planning Love Cloud/Disneyland Break. Can you spot the Seals?:

Upon returning, I climbed back down from the love cloud and realized that, not only did I have the bride gene, I had "bride" full on pumping through my veins.

The first thing we decided was when we wanted to get married. We tossed around December of 2011 but eventually settled on a quirky date. Mr. S and I are a bit funny and competitive when it comes to time—by that I mean we call each other when it's 12:34, or 11:11 and whoever makes notice of it first is deemed the "winner" by the other and is subject to taunting. So, once we realized 11/11/11 fell on a Friday we decided to roll with it (for the record: I realized 11/11/11 was a plausible wedding date before he did...score one for me).

January of 2010 was an incredibly exciting time. I went with my Auntie Mary Ann to my first bridal fair and with Mama Seal and Maid of Honor Meghan to the second. I'll admit I got a bit obsessed with the notice a bride gets at these things—dozens of people vying for your attention and handing you champagne, telling you that your ring is THE most beautiful one they've seen today.

On my way to/at my very first wedding fair at the Ritz Carlton in San Francisco:

After the second fair, I got anxious. I got tired of telling people "We're getting married November of NEXT year", and commonly getting the response, "Wow, well you've got PLENTY of time!" For some reason I suddenly didn't want plenty of time—I wanted 2010. It was as if I awakened a sleeping beast-bride version of myself—one who had been suppressed for far too long. I wanted to plan the wedding and marry Mr. Seal in 10 months and that was that. I was a fiend and a wedding was the only foreseeable fix!

Image via Wedding Planet Advice

Thankfully, my wonderful Mama and heroic Sealman pulled the bridal fair needle from my veins, slapped some water on my face and showed me the light. We were in no rush—and allotting ourselves that extra year of preparation would not only help lower stress levels, but it would extend my time as a bride. With the wedding addiction safely at bay we decided to stick with our original 11/11/11 date.

I feel safe in stating that settling on a 2-year engagement was the second best wedding-related decision we've made (second to getting married, of course). Year one has flown by in record time, and I am thoroughly enjoying every day. Sure stress occasionally rears its ugly head, but I couldn't imagine what a neurotic mess I would have been if we listened to that crazy beast-bride!

Did you opt for a long engagement and later question this decision? Did going to bridal fairs facilitate your wedding addiction?

Hugs and Kisses,

Miss Seal

(all personal photos unless stated otherwise)

A Most Expensive Glass of Champagne: The Engagement That Was

Big sigh.

Sadly. No. Devastatingly, I have zero pictures of the night of our engagement. I'm going to make a blanket assumption that everyone was caught up in the excitement of the evening and couldn't be bothered with silly gadgets like cameras and camera phones. Try to bear with me and imagine an incredibly beautiful and emotional night.

After Daddio Seal's Las Vegas slip-up, I was on my best behavior to not spoil the actual engagement. So I played dumb when Mr. Seal needed to unexpectedly hurry off to "see a friend" or step outside to make a phone call. Eventually, I managed to tune out of my ability to ruin surprises and I successfully stopped focusing on "getting engaged".

Anyhoo. Hive, I am absolutely crazy when it comes to the Holidays. I love Christmas trees and I love giving gifts—I write and revise dozens of gift-giving lists and tirelessly research for the absolute best deals. (I also try to work peppermint mochas into my daily December diet).

Our 2009 Christmas tree:

On December 12, 2009 I woke up with a very particular holiday agenda. I would go to the mall to finish up some Christmas shopping, wrap some presents at Mama Seal's, and then head to my cousin's Christmas party. No surprises.

So, in the hours leading up to the party while I was hastily wrapping presents, I paid little attention to my appearance. I, regrettably, thought nothing of it when Mr. Seal called from home to ask me, "Are you going to come back to get ready?", to which I responded,"Naaah, I'm just going to go like this". "Like this" was definitely not my best, but what did it matter? If my established surprise-spoiling superpower was right, Mr. Seal wasn't going to propose to me until Christmas Eve. (I wanted to look fancy on engagement night, after all).

When we arrived at my cousin's home, I got absolutely no vibes that would lead me to believe this was anything more than a typical holiday party (kudos to you, family). I don't know why it never occurred to me, given it was Daddy Seal's last evening in town before heading back to his second home in Copenhagen, that an engagement was entirely plausible.

Anyway...eventually, someone called for a toast, and this was not at all out of the ordinary. Mr. Seal worked with one of my aunties to distribute glasses of champagne. The Sealman is very proactive when it comes to helping out so this still raised no red flags for me. Actually, I even started to feel forgotten! I really love champagne, so I secretly got upset when I saw the bottles disappearing and still had no glass of my own. It wasn't until a circle began to form around me that I realized what was happening.

Mr. S, equipped with a particularly sparkly glass of champagne, stepped into the middle and faced me. He got down one one knee (typical guy move, heh), and my heart stopped. The tears began to streak down my face and I have no idea what he said (though everyone says it was very sweet). I do, however, remember repeating, "Of course! Of course!"

I then sipped guzzled my glass of champagne to find the most amazing ring settled at the bottom. What a sweet deal—not only do I get amazing bling to wear forever, but I get this awesome guy for eternity too!? Heck yeah, count me in.

Pictures taken the day after our engagement:

I later asked Mr. Seal why he chose my cousin's holiday party to propose. He said it was because he knew I was expecting Christmas Eve and, in addition to wanting to finally surprise me, he also wanted Daddio Seal to be around for the engagement of his only daughter. Oh how I love that man.

Did you sense your proposal on the actual day of? Was your proposal intimate or was your whole family involved?

Love,

Miss Seal