Instagram Favorites

Courtesy of  Work Shop

I admit it. I am addicted to Instagram. I love the classy photos, the inspirational captions, the clever products, and learning about people’s lives. I’ve already mentioned some of my favorite accounts in earlier posts, but here is a comprehensive list if you feel like your feed could be freshened up a bit. Enjoy!

For Fitness: @activelyrees
I love Nikki Rees. While she doesn’t post specific workouts or meal plans, she provides daily inspiration about working out and eating healthy every day. She appreciates fitness and health without being obsessive over it. Her bio line reads, “FITNESS, CAKE and everything in between.” I recommend giving her a follow if you want to be inspired every day and become attached to her lifestyle and cute two-year-old daughter Maddie. She also has a blog, which you can find here.

For Photography: @piperalkonis
I first met Piper my freshman year of college. She was one of my best friend’s roommates. She was always taking pictures. Piper’s photos are centered around her everyday life, and somehow she manages to make them raw, unique, and breathtaking every day. I could look through her photos for hours. Give her a follow if you want to add some eye-catching, fantastic photos to your feed.

For (Baby) Clothes: @bowsforbrainsshop
There are a lot of baby bows businesses out there. This one, however, catches my eye. 20% of every purchase is donated to cancer research, there is free shipping and sales constantly, and the bows are absolutely gorgeous! I can’t wait to have a baby girl just to try out these bows. Follow this page if you want to see some munchy babies and beautiful bows! You can find the story of donating money to cancer research here.

For Inspiring Stories: @humansofny
If you haven’t given them a follow yet, you totally should! This account is run by a photographer who lives in New York and travels to different parts of the world. For his posts, he takes simple photos of people and shares a quote from them about their life. I’ve been following them for a couple years now, and it has opened my eyes to so many different situations and cultures in not just New York, but in the world!

For Food: @abountifulkitchen
Si Foster creates tons of beautiful and yummy recipes and shares them with wannabe chefs and bakers! She has made many copycat recipes such as Swig Sugar Cookies and Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies, and comes up with her own recipes ranging from Basil Couscous Salad to Peanut Butter Banana Power Muffins to Cream Cheese Chicken Casserole. I recommend the Levain Bakery Dark Chocolate PB Chip Cookies. Sooo good. Follow her if you want some meal and dessert ideas and recipes!

For Flowers: @workshop.pdx
I. Love. Their. Flowers. Work Shop makes amazing arrangements for any occasion and takes the classiest pictures of their flowers. They have workshops all the time, which makes me want to move to Portland rather desperately. Give them a follow if you want to (literally) freshen up your feed with some beautiful flowers and plants.

Details of a Wedding

Courtesy of Jenisse Photography

Recently, I was thinking about my wedding day, and a lot of details came to mind. I loved remembering those little details, and realized I might not always remember them. I can’t afford to forget! Sometimes the finest details make a day intimate and special. Here are some of the finest details from my wedding day.

Problems with the Veil. After our small ceremony, I gave hugs to all the family and friends present. After each hug, my veil would slide down the back of my head. I had to fix it over and over. Eventually, I just ripped it off and put it on the chair behind me, now veil free.

12 Inches of Snow. The night before my wedding, I slept at my parent’s house, just across the street from where my soon-to-be-husband Nathan was sleeping at his parent’s house. I remember being woken up by the clattering of makeup in the bathroom and my mom commenting about snow. I looked out the window – it had snowed twelve inches in one night. My dad and brothers were out shoveling, and I could see Nathan and his dad shoveling their driveway. Not everyone gets to see their soon-to-be-husband shoveling snow in the early hours of their wedding day.

My Best Friend’s Spit. During wedding pictures after the ceremony, I paused for a moment to talk with a group of my best friends. We paused for a group shot where they all pretended to kiss me, and I felt a glob of spit hit my cheek. One of my best friends had accidentally spit on me when pretending to kiss me! We all burst into laughter as I wiped it off.

White Fleece Leggings. Because it was a very cold January day, I wore white fleece leggings under my dress when we took pictures outside. I would say they worked pretty well! I never got uncomfortable, and they were so soft and flexible!

Moments with Mom. I loved the quiet moments with my mom as she helped me into and out of my wedding dress several times for the ceremony and reception. It was special to be with her and to share the special day. She did most of the wedding planning, and worked so hard behind the scenes to make everything perfect. I cherish those little, quiet moments with her.

Breathtaking Pink Garden Roses. These beauties were everywhere – in my bouquet, in Nathan’s buotineer, and on the white ruched cake and the centerpieces for the tables. It was a perfect, fresh, and romantic flower for winter.

Exit as Man and Wife. After our ceremony in the Mt.Timpanogos Temple, our family and friends waited outside the golden doors for our exit. With my heavy bouquet in one hand and Nathan’s in the other, we threw open the doors and stepped out into the crisp, snowy air. We were officially man and wife!

I would love to hear about details you remember from your wedding! Leave a comment below.

P.S. For more pictures of our special day, click here!