When we heard Olivia of Livvyland was rocking some sparkly, left handed bling, we promptly began jumping for joy. Because when the sweetest lil’ lady says “Yes” it means we get to welcome her to the Blogger Bride tribe. She’ll be sharing her fashionable journey down the aisle with us, starting with her lakeside e-sesh. Dive right in to The Vault for more, and be sure to follow along every step of the way!
From Oliva of Livvyland… Hello Brides-to-be, my name is Olivia and I run a fun little fashion and lifestyle blog based in Austin, Texas called Livvyland, and also work for a tech company full-time. I’d like to think of my style as approachable, casual and a little boho here and there – much like the city I live in. Let’s just say when SMP asked me to be their latest Blogger Bride, I quickly stepped outside the office (okay, so I may have sprinted…) to call my fiancé and geek out about the news. Given that Blake is not a social media lover like myself (opposites attract, right?) nor has he been ogling all things wedding related since, well…ever, I’d give him a 10 out of 10 in his acting abilities to share my level of excitement. He’s a keeper!
Blake and I met back in high school when we were teenagers. Funny enough, our young love began on a class field trip when my bus buddy didn’t show up, so Blake asked if he could sit with me on the three hour ride from Austin to Houston. I guarantee you that my teenage self was in full panic mode because all the girls in school knew who he was, but between composing my anxiety to keep conversation alive for six hours and worrying whether or not I had food caught in my braces (remember those days?), there was a spark that was undeniable
Flash forward two years later when we were both attending college at the University of Texas. Blake broke up with me and we went our separate ways for four years. We both focused on school and dated other people throughout – however, I had this thing I called “first love syndrome” where no matter what, I could not shake my feelings for Blake! Let’s just say I mastered the breakup wallowing phase and it kind of stuck around for another two years following the breakup…as did my routine of blasting sad Taylor Swift songs and belting them in the car…(White Horse, anyone?).
It was a blessing and a curse that the Biomedical Engineering building and the Journalism school were along the same pathway, which meant I’d run into him regularly. Though it was tough to see him so often, it also gave us time to catch up and stay in each other’s lives over the next few years.
I graduated UT in 2012 and began working in the marketing department at Kendra Scott Jewelry shortly after. I was at home when I received a text from Blake telling me in the midst of cleaning his apartment he found an old note I’d written him years ago and that after re-reading it, he felt inclined to reach out. He asked me to grab a drink and catch up, and of course, I accepted the invitation.
One drink led to over six hours of conversation and it was clear that timing was in our favor this time around. Those four years apart were the best thing for us and gave us time to mature and grow as individuals. After six months of dating “part deux,” we moved in together and our relationship felt stronger than ever!
As for the proposal…Blake works in cancer research as a scientist/software developer and he used his coding background to create a website that chronicled our full story and history together. He surprised me one morning during what appeared to be normal coffeehouse work session at one of my favorite spots along Lake Austin that we’ve been going to together since we were teens (and it’s also where we took the photos in this post). He kept his cool all morning and finally said he wanted to show me something on his computer…and when I read the first line and saw a picture of us from 2007 as kiddos, I completely lost it. After I scrolled through the site reading through little snippets of our life together and wiped the endless stream of tears away, he got down on one knee…and the rest is history!
Given my workload managing Livvyland and my day job, we decided a long engagement was best for us so that we could have ample planning time. In terms of a dream wedding, our biggest hope is that it’s ultra romantic, personal and above all, fun! I am most excited about working with people we’ve known since high school or college who have started their own businesses and now work in the wedding industry in Austin – pastry chefs, florists, calligraphers, photographers, etc. I think it’s so sweet to keep things intimate and “in the family” per se. Aside from that, I’ll be sharing the rest as it comes! Next up on my to-do list is wedding dress shopping this weekend…I’m thinking something feminine and whimsical! You can follow my dress shopping adventures on Instagram, I’m certain I’ll be sharing any news!
I am beyond thrilled and so honored to a be the newest Blogger Bride and I can’t wait to chronicle our wedding journey leading up to the big day on October 15, 2016. Thank you so much for following along!
Photography: A Dandy Pear