Wedding Vendor: The Cake

Caroline Rentzel Photography 

When it came time for us to choose a wedding cake, it was a no brainer for any of us! Nothing Bundt Cakes had me from the start. When we first tried them at a bridal fair, we were circling around to get seconds and thirds! I know and realize that they may be similar to the cupcake and a wedding fad of the moment, but in my opinion:

taste > looks

All day, err'day. I'm a fan of cake, but I won't waste my time (or calories for that matter) on a piece of cake if it's not good, regardless how great the fondant makes it look! When I'm with my family we always have to ask and see if the cake is worth it before we all go and get some.

Listen, I get it...if your budget agrees...it would be so hard to pass this up: 

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OR

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IF I were to choose an a traditional cake I would go with something like this: 

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I had a very similar cake at my Odessa shower from L'Oven. It was amazing and looked great with regular frosting. 

 

Here are a few more pictures of our cakes from the wedding: 

Pictures by Caroline Rentzel Photography

If you haven't had NBC yet, you need to! Seriously the best cake I've ever had!

I'll do a tutorial on the cake toppers soon!

Our Proposal Story

I thought that I would share our Proposal story from a his and her perspective. Still such a fun memory!! 

 

Jake had asked me for a date night earlier in the week, so I expected to go to dinner and go to a movie. I knew we were going out so I dressed up more than I usually would for a day of work. It had kind of been a long day, so I had texted him that I kind of just wanted to lay low that night and just rent a movie instead. He said of course (Lie #1) and that it wouldn't be a problem. 

Jake picked me up at 7 and said that before we head to dinner, we had to go by Hastings and pick up a birthday card for a cousin for his mom. (BIG Lie and even BIGGER Red Flag) First, Jake would have never ever agreed to do that. Second, who on EARTH buys cards from Hastings?? I worked at Hastings once upon a time and I didn't even remember that they had them....I should of known! 

We walk into Hastings (I first asked if I had to go in, and he said 'yes' because I had to approve of the card). We go in and he walks me straight to the magazines, (my ususal domain while he is looking for his usual thing) and he tells me to 'Just look at the magazines while I pick out a card'. He all but parked me in front of the wedding mags. 

Now, Jake and I have been dating for 4 years at this point. Us getting married is not a surprise to me, so lets just say that I have already been planning, and in fact had put a deposit on our venue and our photog. My point is, I had already read all of the wedding mags there. So, I skipped right on over to my other love....design mags! I start looking at one and I peek over my shoulder and Jake is headed over to have me approve of a card. I see the card and it had a Boxer on it, (Side note: Jake and I are OBSESSED with English Bulldogs, so whenever there are bullies on cards, that's what we get for each other, no matter what it says....I once got him one saying Happy Birthday Grandpa!) and I said 'Cool, its a Boxer...not as cool as a Bully, but whatever. Who cares anyways, its a card for someone you don't even know!' Jake said 'Ok, this one works then, I'm going to get a few of them, because they look cool. 

At this point Mal is killing me! I had Julian, our friend and photographer there to capture the moment and she was doing everything but cooperating. She had skipped right over the book I had laid out for her. 

He was acting super weird at this point. After he left me, I continued reading for a minute and looked over my shoulder again and he was staring at me. Yup, just staring at me, from one row over and about 10 feet away. Super creepy ;) 

I just didn't know what else to do. Julian was circling us trying not to get caught and two people (as you can see in some of the pictures) kept getting into my kneeling room. My only option was to stare at her and send her brain waves to turn around and look up!

From that moment on was kind of a blur. For some reason I turned behind me and noticed a scrapbook with a picture of Jake and me on the cover. I now know exactly what is going on. My face is red, blood is pumping and my mind is racing. I pick up the book and I remember saying, 'I'm going to have to read it later...I can't process this right now!' I turn to the last page and it said "Mal, Will you marry me?" I turn around and Jake is on one knee behind me!!

I don't even know what I said. I just thought I was going to pass out! I had only practiced getting on one knee in other pants and the ones I was wearing were constricting my blood flow. 

Again, my processing skills were not at their strongest. I (being the smart ass that I am), say 'no', laugh a little and then say, Yes, Of Course!! Then I picked up the beautiful ring that I had been waiting so so so long for and slipped it on my finger. Then I said 'Oops, I think you were supposed to do that part!!' and Jake slipped it on the rest of the way. We hug, kiss and Hastings is now turning in circles around us! 

I know Mal, and knew she would be difficult in some way or another. But it wouldn't have been us if one of us wasn't being sarcastic at some point. 

Then all of the sudden I see our bestest and greatest friend and photographer JULIAN!! We LOVE Julian!! He had been taking pictures the entire time! 

Julian had come in the night before and I had actually been hanging out with him all day.(Lie #3....he told me he went hunting and then worked the rest of the day.)

We then leave and Jake tells me that our family (Lie #4) is waiting to celebrate with us at Sooner Legends. Yeah!! I run into the room and I shout out "I'm ENGAGED"!!!! Then, I notice not just our family, but 40 of our closest friends!! I was so I excited I was shaking! I couldn't get words out! Haha, that is rare! 

I knew Mal would want everyone there to celebrate. So I rented out a room and had Sooner Legends cater. At the end of the day, it turned out perfectly. Thank you everyone who helped with setting the day up!

It was the perfect night and Jake was absolutely perfect! Jake knew exactly what I would of liked for our special night and made it happen. I'm beyond lucky to have him in my life, and he knows I like a good party!

Mutt's Amazing Hot Dogs - Aprils New Restaurant

Last week I told you guys about my Intentions for this year, and one of them was for Jake and I to go out and try a new (to us) restaurant every month with friends. This month we went with our great friends, John & Katie and their adorable bebe Adeline, to Mutt's Amazing Hot Dogs.

It's located on (the uprising) 23rd St in OKC.

Food was delicious. I ordered the Club Dog, following the advice of Katie.... to get anything with the Pink sauce on it. Take my word...do it! Pink sauce was the bomb! We also ordered fried pickles and french fries fried in duck fat. Sounds weird, but again...I don't question things that taste great. They reminded me of one of my fave burger places in Vegas: I Love Burgers's Parmesan Fries.


Pictures from our wedding with John (one of the best Instas from the wedding) and my bridesmaid Katie! Seriously LOVE these guys!

Knobs from Homegoods

So I made a recent discovery that I felt I had to share! Homegoods has knobs. Not that big of a shock, I realize. They keep them by the check out (you know, the aisle of last minute grabs, where I'm sure they make most if their profit) in a pack of 4 for $7.99. I bought some Mercury ones that were compatible with some I've bought from Hobby Lobby for $5.00 each (or $2.50 when they're on sale). 

From Homegoods

From Hobby Lobby

The are so similar! If you do the math (without tax) the Homegoods knobs are 50 cents cheaper per knob! 

Here it is on our buffet. (Please ignore any and all cords!) 

You may recognize this table from our wedding pictures: it was our cake table! 

Hope you guys have a happy Thursday! It's my Friday, since we are headed out to Austin tomorrow morning! Woohoo!! 

Friday Faves: Week 6

Hey-O!! Thanks for checking out my Faves this week!! Hubby and I have got another packed weekend ahead of us....full of fun friends! (Is F my favorite letter these days, or what? Feez!....oh I mean Geez!) I hope you guys have an awesome one yourself!

Well lets get to it....

1. Riffraff

I CAN NOT even begin to tell you how obsessed I am with this store! (Do I say that a lot?) They have such a huge and impressive online presence. I went to their store in Fayetteville when I visited my friend Laura in AR a few years ago and man, they know how to merchandise! Kirsten Blowers is the owner and has a really inspirational start up story. In her mid-20's she has built a very successful small business and they just announced they are opening a store in Dallas! You can shop online Here. Make sure you follow them on Instagram as well. They are always posting the latest info there.

One of my favorite lines they carry is the Dixie Love Collection.

Such a fun classic!


2.Peach Mango Green Tea Crystal Light

Fess up time....I'm not the best at drinking water. If I could, I'd chug-a-lug back Diet DP like it's my last day. This stuff, however, it my saving grace. I buy this stuff in BULK and keep it at work. It makes me have about 5 bottles of water at work as oppose to about 2 if I were to drink water regular. My runner up fave is Lipton's Dragonfruit Peach Iced Green Tea.

It tastes a lot like Starbuck's Passion Tea Lemonade, if you ask me!


3. Mason Jar Tumbler

I got mine from Target and I use it everyday! I like it because it doesn't sweat, and it won't break (well, it's not glass, so I at least have a grace period!). The only thing I don't like about it is the lid doesn't screw on super tight. Another downfall some might have is it doesn't fit in a cup holder in the car. I keep mine at work, so that isn't an issue for me.

I HAVE to have a drink with a straw. If not, I will constantly have my drink all over my shirt! Does this ever happen to anyone while drinking coffee...

Hot drinks like coffee and hot cocoa are the only things I won't drink from a straw and I pretty sure about 25% of the drink ends up rolling down the cup like this. Think my math skills are in check? Ha!


3. Kate Spade for Ked's

Unfortunately this pair is sold out in my size everywhere I've looked. One day though, I'll find a pair! These are a perfect summer staple in my opinion. There are lots of other cute styles as well, but you know me and my need for gold! Maybe Target will do what it does best and make something similar? Fingers. Crossed.


4. Navy

Guys. Mark my words. I WILL have a Navy wall(S) in my home. And soon! In our master bedroom to be exact. I am in LOVE! I will probably go by this to pick out my wall color.

I've got a project coming up that I'll share soon that involves navy! But for now, here are some of my favorite navy bedrooms...

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Welp, that's a wrap of my 6th week of Friday Faves! I believe R.Kelly said it best: "It's the freakin weekend baby, I'm about to have me some fun!"

Our Wedding Video! (Updated!)

*I had to update the video. I didn't realize you would have to download the video to watch the entire thing. Sorry about that! Just FYI - YouTube is NOT my first choice to share this, I just couldn't find a different tool that could hold such a large file :( *

Happy Thursday! I thought I would share with you guys our wedding video!! Finally, I know!

Here are a few disclaimers:

• I don't like my voice (does anybody?)
• This shows our sarcastic/smart a** personalities to a T
• This vid shows some serious hard work the day of the wedding! 
• Our sweet and awesome friends Stephen & Clare Ibach are responsible for our wonderful video!

Jake & I with Stephen & Clare! This picture was not taken at the end of the night and my husband is not at all intoxicated :)

Caroline Rentzel Photography

A huge thank you to everyone who helped us make this day so special!

Intention

Being Intentional, to aim or plan. I think this year so far has been full of intention. I would say it is one of my many unwritten goals of the year. My intention for this year is to spend more time with friends, plan and throw more parties, deepen my spiritual growth, blog more, go on trips with my hubby, take classes and workshops to deepen my creative knowledge and then to aim that creativity toward something worthwhile. 

Jake and I have decided that once a month we are going to try a new restaurant. It can be anywhere, so out of town counts. We rarely eat out when it's just the two of us, we both really enjoy cooking (Luckily!) so we just tend to stay home a lot. So when we go to the new restaurants, we will do so with friends.

{I'll try to keep track of the different ways we are being intentional over the year and write more on the subject!}


We started in March when we went to Dallas. We met up with our friends Jordan & Cody, Keith and Julian. We actually knocked two new restaurants off the list while there! We went to Twisted Root Burger Co and The Rusty Taco. Both were good food with fun atmospheres.

Here are a few pics from the weekend, the good ones courtesy of Julian Mancha Photography, of course!

I felt like this sums up a lot of people!

We went the the Dallas Museum of Art where Julian, Hil and I tested our drawing skills

 

Jordan and Keith dueled over who is better friends with me :) 

And just had a fun weekend with some of our Texas friends!

BTW Cody and Jake were here...just never pictured :)

How are you being intentional with your year? I'd LOVE to hear!

Easter Weekend

Check out this cute pic from The House That Lars Built....and their fabulously cute Easter soiree. I think I might need to start having a yearly Easter party! Happy Easter sign by Melissa Esplin with a printable version available...Score!!


I just wanted to share a few pictures I snapped while Jake and I took a buggy ride (our first, believe it our not) at his parent's property.

Our bumpy and windy little trail down to the beach. I made him "drive slower than he ever has gone before". Despite me almost have fallen out twice!

I loved spending our first married Easter having a mini adventure! Please ignore my rained on hair!


This morning I had Christ is Risen by Matt Maher; based on 1 Corinthians 15:55 stuck in my head. Especially the "Oh death, where is your sting? Oh hell, where is your victory? I woke up feeling extremely grateful and I need to make a new goal of not feeling thankful for The Resurrection just during Easter.

Here is another wonderful print from French Press Mornings.

I hope everyone's Easter went well and was spent with loved ones!

Friday Faves: Week 5

Hey Ya'll!! Man, I'm so glad it is Friday; and GOOD FRIDAY at that! It would be better if I got the day off....but that's still not why it would be called Good Friday, now is it? :)

This week I have decided to do an Easter theme of faves.

1. French Press Mornings

French Press Mornings has Encouraging Wednesdays where Jenny, the owner and designer, comes out with a new encouraging print on, you guessed it, Wednesdays! You can also download a smaller version for free. I'm not going to lie, some of my favorite parts of reading people's blogs is their about section. I always get an extra step of excitement when a fellow creative blogger shares my beliefs. It makes me want to support them all the more!


2. Egg Decorating

Unless you've been living under a dark rock, in the middle of Antarctica, you have seen the egg decorating business (if it's a real business, I want IN...STAT!) boom like crazy!! It is littered all over my Pinterest and Instagram feeds. I would say above and beyond this one, from Miss Renaissance is my fave!! I can't help but think how far little things like egg decorating has come, and where it will be when it is time for me to decorate with kids of my own, and even their kids! It makes me excited for a creative future!!


3. Dear Lillie Chalkboard Prints

Dear Lillie can rock out some serious chalkboard prints and canvases. Not only does this print make me want to sing Nicole C. Mullen at the top of my lungs, but it inspires me to start working on my hand lettering skills!


4. Empty Tomb Rolls

Here is a link for the recipe. My mom used to make these all the time! They are a fun little snack to make, especially with kids! It's kind of like a sopapilla, plus you can use those extra marshmallows for s'mores. It's a win win folks!


5. Anthro Wallpaper

Ok, this one isn't really Easter related, but with these pretty spring/pastel colors, I just could not resist! I mean...Anthropology....ARE YOU KIDDING ME???? I want to take this wallpaper and wrap myself in a cocoon!! At 148 bucks a roll, I'll resist...but man I think I need some of this in my life!