{ Matt & Aubrey :: Our New Blog! }

We have a new blog! I'm still deciding if I want to abandon this one? Or maybe just turn it into my design diary again. Still not sure. But in the meantime, please add us to your google reader or whatever you use, cuz this is where we'll be: www.mattandaubreylaidlaw.blogspot.com.

{ Our Weekend In Paradise }

Aloooha! This past weekend my parents and I hopped a jet to the North Shore of the beautiful island of Oahu. The purpose of this quick trip? To celebrate my little brother's 19th birthday and to be with him in the Laie LDS Temple as he received his endowment in preparation for his mission to Seoul Korea.

I think it pretty much goes without saying that the weekend was AMAZING! Well, all but the flight over there. But I'll save that story for another post. For now, just enjoy this little video montage I shot on my 8mm Vintage Camera iPhone app and edited via iMovie on the plane ride home. Kinda fun. Hope you like it.

{ My Bridal Shower }

A couple weekends ago a couple of my dearest girlfriends, Erin Elton and Erin Davis, threw me the most wonderful Bridal Shower, complete with a crepe bar, sparkling lemonades, and even a photo booth! Talk about a fun time with your girlfriends! I truly loved every minute of it.

If you'd like to see the video of our Saturday celebration, simply click HERE or visit the website www.themormonbachelorette.com. Thank you again for everyone who came and made the day so wonderful.

{ Happy Hawaiian Birthday }

Happy 19th Birthday to my favorite little brother! He spent his birthday eve surfing with Jack Johnson on the North Shore and managed to snap this awesome shot of him on his go-pro camera. Maybe we can get another one tomorrow. Yes, I said "we." I'm heading on the next flight out to Hawaii tonight! ALOOOOOHA!!!

{ Designer Of The Month :: A La Mode }

Look who's Designer Of The Month on Utah's hippest new design blog A La Mode! Thanks for the feature Ashley. I'm truly honored!

{ Dani Notes :: iPhone 4 }

I bought THIS gorgeous new iPhone 4 case from a company called Dani Notes. They have tons of patterns, color combos, and scripts to choose from. Mine is the one on the left. It's my wedding colors!!! (And I know my last name isn't Laidlaw yet, but I'm just so excited to have a phone cover that thinks it is!) Click HERE to check out their blog and HERE for their website to order a case of your own!

{ Valentine's Day 2011 }

Two days later and I'm still reminiscing about the most wonderful Valentine's Day spent with my love! Believe it or not, it was actually my very first time having a Valentine. Usually my Dad feels bad for me and gets me a bouquet of flowers or something sweet, but this year I had Matt to do that for me. And wow did he get me the most beautiful flowers. Tulips - my favorite!!!

Matt had them delivered to my work which made it even more special. When the delivery guy came through the door he handed them to me and said "These are for Aubrey." To which my reply was "That's me!" With a smile he retorted, "I know." Haha! I melted. I was so excited these gorgeous tulips were for me! I'm such a lucky, lucky girl.

The rest of my Valentine's was wonderful. We enjoyed a 3-course meal at The Savannah Chop House where we enjoyed the most delicious filet-mignon and king crab legs followed by the most sweet and savory desserts! Then we topped off the night with a romantic dip in the hot tub where we were able to use part of my gift for Matt, some new beach towels!

All in all it was almost a perfect night....that is until his car broke down on his way back to Glendora. Oh BUMMER!!! Luckily we didn't let it ruin our wonderful night and just enjoyed the fact that we got to spend a little extra time together on our almost perfect Valentine's Day.

{ Our Wedding Website }

Hey people, we have a website!!! Click HERE to check out our fabulous wedding page designed by Matt's talented sister Stephanie. I'm loving it!!!

www.aubreymatt.stephaniefaye.net

{ TMB :: The Salt Lake Tribune }

We made the front page of the LIFESTYLE section of THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE!!! This is so exciting! Who knew this would go so far? Matt and I had a good laugh tonight as we read through the article together and joked that we're totally "Mormon-Famous." HA! Check out the online article by clicking HERE.

You can also find the article on the LDS Living Magazine website as well as Mormon Life by clicking HERE and HERE!

{ A Winter Sunset & A Wedding Update }

Last night while driving home from church, Matt and I made a little pit-stop at Salt Creek Beach to watch the gorgeous sunset over the Pacific. Of course I wanted to document the moment so I made Matt whip out his phone and snap a few pics of us and that beautiful sunset. Okay, so maybe you can't even see the sunset in the first picture, but the second proves that it was beautiful indeed! Oh how lovely are Southern California winters!


As for the WEDDING UPDATE: my custom wedding dress is almost done, the gorgeous letterpress invitations are almost ready to mail, the incredible decor is almost all constructed, Matt's beautiful house is almost ready for me to move in, and the long-awaited wedding day is almost here! Just 40 more days 'til I'm Mrs. Matt Laidlaw! OH I CAN'T WAIT!!!

{ Stephanie Faye Photography }

Tonight I got home from my yoga class and opened up my inbox to find this beautiful picture taken at the Laidlaw's Christmas Eve dinner by my talented new sister-in-law, Stephanie Faye and I'm just loving it!

Can't wait to show off the gorgeous engagement photos she took of my boo and I at the LACMA on New Year's Day. Just a couple more weeks until the wedding invitations are sent out and then you can see them! Aren't I just so lucky to marrying into such a good looking, talented, incredible family? I think so!!!

{ My Newest Obsession :: OPI Gel Nails }

I absolutely love what I do for a living, but truth be told, creating beautiful wedding flowers really does a number on my poor hands. After a long weekend of designing, not only are my hands exhausted, but my nails are pretty well thrashed - bruised, broken, and caked with dirt. Yuck!

This Saturday after finishing the flowers for my dear friend Katie Hatch's wedding (pictures coming soon), I decided to head over to the local nail spa with my mom for some TLC. I'm not really one for fake nails, so I always opt for the polish. However, I've never been able to keep it looking nice for more than a few days. Regardless, I picked my color and sat down to a manicurist who asked "Do you like Crystal Gel?" Immediately the Anjelah Johnson skit started reeling through my head...

HILARIOUS!!!! So..I decided, why the heck not? And boy am I glad I did! I am SO OBSESSED with these gel nails I can't even begin to tell you. They are like a polish but they are set with an ultra violet light so they stay on for 4+ weeks at a time (depending on how slow your nails grow).

I'm on day 6 right now and I swear to you they are just as shiny and brilliant as the day I got my manicure. So if you're active with your hands like me and don't want something that will ruin your nails, ask for the gel! They come in 20+ different colors and shine like you wouldn't believe. Love, love, love my gel nails! And I bet you will too!

{ THE MORMON BACHELOR }

Okay all you TMB fans, the time is finally here! If you loved watching me fall in love with my very own prince charming on The Mormon Bachelorette, you're sure to love this season of The Mormon Bachelor with the fun-loving and adventurous Rick Buck! Join us on this journey as we send Rick on dates with lovely ladies from all over the U.S. to find his one true Mormon love!

Be sure to tune in every morning at 8:00am PST for the latest video and post on www.themormonbachelor.com or by simply clicking HERE! Enjoy the journey!!!

{ Scotty's Mission Call :: Seoul Korea }

I can't believe it!! Today my little brother opened his mission call and found out he will be laboring in SEOUL KOREA on a 2 year mission for The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am honestly SO excited! He will be reporting to the Provo Missionary Training Center on May 4, 2011 to learn the Korean language and to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Holy cow!!! You go Scotty! So stinking excited for you!!!!

{ Maple-Glazed Salmon With Pineapple }

Sunday night I made the yummiest dinner for Matt and I that I just had to share. Not only was it super tasty, but it was super quick and super easy! Sounds like a winner to me! Here's the recipe if you're up to try it...

Serves 4| Hands-On Time: 15m | Total Time: 35m

Ingredients:
1 cup white rice
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
4 6-ounce salmon fillets
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 fresh pineapple, peeled
1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped

Directions:
1. Cook the rice according to the package directions.
2. Whisk together the maple syrup and mustard in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Heat broiler. Place the salmon in a foil-lined 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Season with the salt and pepper.
4. Cut the pineapple lengthwise into quarters, then cut each quarter into ½-inch-thick triangles. Scatter the pineapple and jalapeño around the salmon.
5. Brush the salmon with the syrup mixture and broil for 5 to 7 minutes or until it flakes easily and is the same color throughout.
6. Serve the salmon and pineapple with the rice and drizzle with the remaining glaze, if desired.

{ 2010 :: A Year In Review }

Well it's a good thing one of my New Year's Resolutions wasn't to be a better blogger. Here we are almost 2 weeks into the new year and I'm blogging for the first time since Christmas. (Planning a wedding is a lot more work than I thought!) But alas, I found a few minutes to sit down and properly say goodbye to 2010. What an incredible year!

JANUARY: The year was off to a great start with my first magazine feature (not to mention it was my first wedding too!) And not just any magazine, but THE wedding magazine. Real Simple is one of the only wedding magazines to stay on the stands for twelve consecutive months. It was definitely excited to see my first "real wedding" on the newsstands all year long.

The rest of the month was just as exciting and filled with the wedding of Erin Hawley, one of my besties, a trip to Arizona to see my favorite nephew in the whole-wide world, and then a visit from said nephew to CA for a special trip to Disneyland, the happiest place on earth...when your nephew is there!





FEBRUARY: Nothing too exciting happened in the month of February. I didn't receive any flowers for Valentine's Day, but that's ok because I had the pleasure of designing everyone else's at Bliss Fine Floral, my favorite flower shop on Balboa Island.


MARCH: March started out with a few fabulous weddings. One for my dear friend Megan Shirey Ord, and the other for Jenny Jones Romero. Both were so much fun to be apart of and the flowers turned out spectacular! By the end of the month it was time to celebrate my birthday. Instead of some huge party though I opted for a small gathering of some of my closest friends at one of my favorite places in Long Beach, Le Creperie.

APRIL: In April it was back to traveling again. I had missed my little Dallen (what? it had been like 6 weeks...that's a long time, ok?) so I drove out to AZ for a little fun with my favorite friend! After Arizona I got back just in time to sneak out to Nevada with the Pierside ward for a Canoe Trip down the Colorado River. Such a fun trip!



MAY: With all the traveling I did in April I decided I needed to ground myself in May (mostly so I could save my money for my big trip to Canada and Kauai in June). Being home in HB was still a lot of fun though. We celebrated Cinco De Mayo, I designed flowers for a few more local weddings, and went to the delicious C&O in Marina Del Rey for my roommate Kiele's birthday, where everything reeks of Amore!!!!




JUNE: June was a CRAZY month! I look back and still don't know how I fit so much in just 30 days. Things started off with my big trip to Washington and Canada. I'd never been anywhere in the Northwest and since my friend Karen was living there at the time, I figured what better time to go visit and see what there is to see than when you've got your own personal tour guide. In just 3 short days we were able to visit Seattle, Vancouver, and Whistler! I feel like I saw it all!!!

As soon I got home I quickly unpacked all my scarves and boots and replaced them with swimsuits and sandals so the roommates and I could celebrate Amy's 30th birthday in Kauai. What a magnificent adventure that was! After Kauai there was still time for one more quick getaway to see the nef, so off to Arizona I went. You can never have too much baby time! Unfortunately all that vacationing had to come to an end so I made my way back home, and just in time for my little brother's High School graduation. So proud of that kid!






JULY: I feel like July was just as crazy as June. We started the month out with the most patriotic thing I can think of...an Angel's Baseball game, followed by the best 4th of July Celebration ever! My AZ besties came into town along with my sister and her family, which made it the most incredible weekend of adventure EVER! I seriously loved everything sleepless minute of it!

After Independence Day came and went there was still so much more to do. The family all came together for a celebration of my mom's graduation from IDI with her Bachelor's Degree in Interior Design. It's really never too late to live out your dreams! After her graduation I went back in time and relived my graduation, from High School that is. It was my 10-year Reunion. Not the most memorable night of my life, but fun no-less.

Of course I found some time at the end of the month to do a few more wedding flowers and then a quick trip down to AZ to see my little D and of course to hang out with my AZ besties. I just love those girls!







AUGUST: What an amazing month! (I know, I've said that about every month, but seriously it was!!!) I joined my little brother and his buddies on their annual Laughlin trip to get in some wakeboarding and relaxation on the boat. It was probably one of the best Laughlin trips yet! After all the fun it was back to work on wedding flowers. I had the pleasure of designing the bouquets and centerpieces for one of my dear childhood friends, Erin Roche and I think they turned out so beautiful. I love summer flowers!

The rest of August was a whirlwind for me. It was the birth of an exciting idea and the beginning of an incredible journey called The Mormon Bachelorette. Little did I know that one simple little idea to go on 31 dates in 31 days would change my life forever! With tons of planning taking place and applications flooding in, the "staffers" and I took off for one last girls trip to see our AZ besties. Loved every minute of that 24-hr escapade!




SEPTEMBER: Looking back on September, I realize it was probably one of the most FUN months of my life. Somehow amidst all the TMB chaos I snuck off to Hawaii's North Shore for one last family vacation with everybody to send our little Scotty off to college at BYU-H. It was 7 days of nothing but warm sunshine, sandy beaches, friendly sea turtles, and chocolate haupia pies. The North Shore really is heaven on earth!

After our vacation I had a MAJOR reality check. Within 24 hours I had become the Mormon Bachelorette and started on the most exhausting and rewarding journey OF MY ENTIRE LIFE! (Totaly worth every sleepless night!)

OCTOBER: Thanks goodness September ended and October came quickly. It's no secret that I was completely exhausted and ready for the dates to be over, but to be honest, I wouldn't change a thing! I ended up with the most incredible man and I'm so madly in love with Matt that I know it was all worth it!

So...with The Mormon Bachelorette successfully completed, it was time to start focusing on other things again...like my job! I had so much fun designing these gorgeous succulent arrangements for a beautiful bride and love having them in my portfolio.

Speaking of portfolio, if I ever go into photography, this one of my roommate Kiele dressed up as Justin Bieber for Halloween will most certainly make it in there. How hilarious is she? We were on our way home from a neighborhood costume party and I insisted that she make use of the gorgeous loner car I had for the weekend. So glad we did. Love this picture!




NOVEMBER: As I think back on the happenings of November, I can't help but smile. Everything about it was perfect! I fell in love with the most incredible man I've ever known, I celebrated his 30th birthday with him at a Clipper's game, and we spent Thanksgiving celebrating all that's good in our lives with friends, family, and each other. November was perfection!





DECEMBER: I honestly don't know how I'll ever top December 2010. Come to think of it, I probably never will. As I think about all the wonderful memories I have of this blessed month I am overwhelmed with gratitude for all the good things in my life. I made memories with my roommates as we caroled to our wonderful neighbors in Beachwalk, I got engaged to the man I love and want to spend the rest of my life with, we spent Christmas at the Laidlaws and Messicks and then rang in the New Year with all of our best friends while sailing the Newport Harbor. I mean seriously, can life get any better?

I am truly so grateful for all of the wonderful memories I made in 2010 and can't wait to make many, many more in 2011. Cheers to another INCREDIBLE year!!!