Titleholder Farewell Video – Alexandra (Taylor) Hushek

I am excited to share with my blogging friends the full-length version of Alex’ Titleholder Farewell Video. Let me just say this: Alex was so amazing to work with. Not only did she provide for me more than enough material to work with, but because of her 3,000+ hours of community service, she had no problem articulating what her years of service meant to her:

👇Watch her full length video below!👇

Alex, I truly hope this video serves as a reminder of how amazing you are. I hope that you will be able to look back with this video and reflect on this wonderful chapter of your life that has forever impacted not only YOUR world, but those God brought into your life that you were able to encounter on a daily basis.

You made a difference, and you made an eternal impact – don’t ever forget that. ♥

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For those who may be a current (OR former) titleholder interested in having your very own video:

If you’d like me to produce your own video that preserves your year(s) of service, I am more than happy to provide this service to you. I offer different packages to fit your need and budget as well as payment plans for those that are interested! Watch this video below to learn more about Pageant Farewell Videos!

Take your titleholder "farewell" photo slideshow to the next level! Those who would be interested: Current titleholders, former titleholders (or about to age out), parent of a teen or Miss contestant. ANY pageant circuit – Local, State or National Level!

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For more information on hiring me to create your own Farewell Video, please contact me or visit my “Pageant Video” page by clicking here.

Our Wedding (Part V): Video (+ Photo) Highlights

APRIL 22, 2016: THE DAY I MARRIED MY FOREVER LOVE.

"Our Wedding"  ❤  A Five-Part Blog Series

• Part I – The Preparation (Click HERE to view)
• Part II – Our Ceremony (Click HERE to view)
• Part III – Our Reception (Click HERE to view)
• Part IV – Our Honeymoon (Click HERE to view)
• Part V –  Video (+ Photo) Highlights

Thanks for checking out my final post in the wedding blog series! It is all about videos and a final montage of some of my favorite photos from our wedding.

We are celebrating a year and a half of marriage (10/22)! Although the wedding posts may be coming to a close, our love and learning about marriage continues on. Thank you for taking the time to read these posts, and I hope you enjoyed them all!  ❤ 

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PART V: Video (+ Photo) Highlights

– Wedding Day Trailer –

Produced by "The Story is Told"

Ok. I am pretty stoked about this, so before I start tearing-up, it is my pleasure to present to you this amazing trip down memory lane...

Ladies and gentlemen, our wedding day trailer.

Enjoy! ❤

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– "Our Story" Wedding Video –

Videography – Ron Harrison   |   Editing – See below for THAT fun story... :'D

This video was shown during our wedding reception (see the extended story behind finalizing this video HERE). I really liked the idea of having a video that opened up about our lives: both as individuals, and our lives coming together as husband and wife. I've been to weddings where I really knew the bride, but not the groom (or vice versa), so I wanted those who may not have known either myself or Bryan very well, to get to know us a little bit more during our wonderful celebration. Enjoy!

The story behind the editing: The finished product almost didn't happen! The afternoon before the wedding (that's right...not even 24 hours before the wedding), I was at home trying to finish editing this (I know, crazy...). When I realized I just didn't have the physical strength or time to finish it, I broke down. I texted every and any videographer I knew, but came up empty-handed. Then, I got a text from a dear friend from my days at Disney, letting me know that the crew was finally in Arizona! I called her crying – telling her my situation. Trent, one of the other friends from Disney who knew the program from a graphic-designer perspective, offered to take a program he had little experience with, put his graphic design expertise to action and spent the evening editing the final portions to our video. A blessing that means the world to me (thank you, Trent)!!

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– "Forever" (aka Bryan's Song) –

Videography – The Story Is Told   |   Song Composition – Christie Lukes

After our first dance, I surprised Bryan with a gift of song. Bryan has always told me that one of his favorite memories of me is one of the nights he came over, I sat and sang while playing the guitar...and that meant the world to him. So, when it came to giving him something on our wedding day, I decided to write him a song and perform it for him. ❤

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– Favorite Photo Moments –

Finally, I close this series of wedding memories with some of my favorite photo moments. For a full collection of photos, visit my previous blog posts – links below!

 The Preparation  |  Ceremony  |  Reception  |  Honeymoon

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❤ PREPARATION ❤ 

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❤ CEREMONY ❤ 

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❤ RECEPTION ❤ 

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❤ Mr. & Mrs. ❤ 

See more blog stories at http://christieroshau.com/findyourstory.

Our Wedding (Part I) – Preparation

APRIL 22, 2016: THE DAY I MARRIED MY FOREVER LOVE.

"Our Wedding"  ❤  A Five-Part Blog Series

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• Part I – The Preparation
• Part II – Our Ceremony
• Part III – Our Reception
• Part IV – Our Honeymoon
• Part V – Photo Favs (a collection of my favorite wedding photos)

I am excited to finally share details to our wedding day (and details leading up)! For this particular blog, I focus on the pre-wedding preparations and parties.

There are many other "pre-wedding" items that were obviously done before the wedding, but they will be saved for the upcoming posts. 

I hope you enjoy! :-)

❤ Christie

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PART I: PREPARATION

Note: Extended vendor reviews will be at the end of each blog for my "engaged" readers!

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ENGAGEMENT PARTY

Overview: The engagement party was an absolute blast! I recommend any couple getting married to have an engagement party. Remember – this is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of a celebration in your life. You can make it as elaborate or simple as you want!

Preparation: I made an informal postcard invite with photos from our engagement to both in and out-of-state family and friends. True, we weren’t expecting those in other states to fly out to the engagement party, however, it did open an opportunity for us to show them pictures of the proposal!

Engagement Party Postcards - details were added on the back

Final Product:  We had simple finger foods in addition to the ice cream and chocolates (the key to my heart)! I wore a dress from Macy's, and the location was in the clubhouse in my the condominium I was living in at the time. It was perfect for the number of guests we had, and also offered an outside patio area. We had a photo area in addition to a dear friend of ours who took photos for us (shout out to Ruben!). My brother gave me a selfie-stick to use for the night!

One of my favorite moments: The "proposal re-creation" hands-down won me over (shout-out thank you to my beautiful mom and her decorating talent)! Bryan put a lot of creativity, love and time into making it a very special moment (and complete surprise), and it was important to share that with our friends and family (as the proposal was in Ohio). We also did a live "performance" of the proposal from both our perspectives for a glimpse into the proposal. Good times! 

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FIRST ENGAGEMENT PHOTOS & SAVE THE DATES

Overview & Timeline: My dream was to have the farm-feel field look that was light and airy, fun and cute. Well...we got that moment! We didn't have an exact wedding date set at this time, so our save-the-dates went out about 5 months before the wedding. I love how they all turned out!

Save the Dates

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INVITATIONS

Overall: I am VERY pleased with how the invitations turned out! I am also very proud that I did what many decide to never attempt to do: DIY projects!! Yep. I am so excited with how they turned out, and have my parents to thank as they helped me with the assembly line in helping me put them together!

Timeline: This was an ongoing project, as the original one was not able to be printed without going over budget AND looking elegant and professional. So, the new design went out to guests about 1-2 months before the wedding.

Preparation: I went back-and-forth with this design, but finally came up with it. Elegance, sophistication and a touch of our personalities were the goals. The EKG heart represented Bryan: His passion for people (as a paramedic/firefighter and in general). The music heart represents me (my passion for music and heart for worship).  

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CEREMONY PROGRAMS

My brother was the brains behind the final design of our ceremony programs. I sent him an idea I had that would be too costly and timely to do at the time, and he was able to simplify it and piece together our final product. Thank you, Robert, for your time and effort to make our ceremony programs so special! ♥

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FINAL ENGAGEMENT PHOTOS

I was excited to utilize Rizalde and his wife for a final engagement session. We ended up using a lot of the photos for items within the ceremony, reception and activities. I absolutely LOVE how they turned out! Enough chit chat...see for yourself  ♥ 

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 WEDDING EXPOS: DO THEY WORK?

I attended a number of expos, and overall I'd say they were helpful, but more of an "experience." It's fun to go with your bridal party or group of girls! We took advantage of photo booths (see example to the right :-)...) Expos help give you ideas of what you like or don't like...and, you get FREE SAMPLES!!! From the expos I went to, I only used one vendor that I met initially there (my emcee - I’ll review his services in a later blog).

My favorite part about the wedding expo? Being able to model wedding dresses! Ok, maybe it wasn’t related to my actual wedding shopping, but that was my favorite part about the expos! :-D A huge thank you to Kim Horn (she's a wedding planning extraordinaire) for her gracious heart to allow me to have these modeling opportunities! If you're in need of a wedding planner, her professionalism and way she treated us as models is enough for me to know she takes care of her brides! Contact her today!

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WEBSITE

We had a wedding website setup to help give more information for our guests. You can take a look at ours by clicking HERE. It was basic and made through a free website maker called Wix. I paid for a domain name as I liked it to be personalized, but that was it!

Click photo to see our full wedding website!

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BRIDAL SHOWER

Here's a showcase of one of the gatherings leading up to our wedding: the Bridal Shower! Thank you to my Maid of Honor, Bridesmaids and family members for putting this event together! :-)

• Attire: I loved the light pink skirt I found paired with my lace crop top (both found at Charlotte Russe)! Best part? My shoes! I found them at David's Bridal, and KNEW I had to find an outfit to match them :-)
• Activities: The afternoon was filled with a lot of good-times: amazing desserts, opening a collection of wonderful gifts, a "how-well-you-know-the-Bride" game put together by my MOH Aimee, sharing a photo book of a photoshoot I did in my mother's wedding gown, a "dress guess" game where everyone cut out a wedding dress from a magazine of their favorite and what they thought my dress would look like, and all-around good time with family and friends.
• Decor: The colors were soft and light with cut-out hearts, a wedding gown pop-up amongst other display items, a Bridal chair personally decorated and re-done by my MOH, and creative signage! The desserts I would also categorize as "decor" as they were so cute and personable!
• Parasol Umbrella: This was something past down from my Great-Grandmother that I absolutely loved having around as a special item of decor and memories...cherished moment ❤
• Desserts:  Jennifer (one of my bridesmaids) made adorable hand-crafted treats like the "wedding cake" cookies and rice crispy engagement rings pictured below! I'm a girl always ready for good desserts, and that we certainly had! :-D

Photos taken by Danitza Schmidt.

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WEDDING PLANNER

For some brides, it's not fun to plan. For me, it was what I always wanted to do! To know that I had an opportunity to utilize my gifts and abilities to make our special day one that we can look back at and feel special and personalized was totally worth it. I wanted to take time to plan out all the details to our big day, and I enjoyed the opportunity. Creativity is my passion, and what better way than to be able to than on our wedding day! :-)

With that, the wedding would NOT have been what it was without the sincere help of so many! You know who you are, and know that you contributed to make our wedding memorable and special. We had everything from family members (including my aunt that took the time to FLY OUT to Arizona to help), to the full bridal party and amazing friends. A HUGE shout-out to my (now) husband who was so supportive of everything going on every step of the way – especially during some of the most emotional roller coaster rides along the way. It was so encouraging to have a wonderful support team. I also appreciate the venue coordinators as well as my aunt's assistance on the wedding day, so that was a wonderful thing to have. Thank you, thank you...THANK YOU!

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Coming up next... OUR Wedding (Part II) – Ceremony

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VENDOR REVIEWS

 

[ Danitza Schmidt – First Engagement Photoshoot ]

My dear friend, Danitza Schmidt (SDS Photography) did a fabulous job capturing our first engagement session in Coolidge, AZ. She also has always been so amazing at making her clients feel comfortable in front of a camera!

• Product Itself: Very Pleased
• Customer Service: Excellent
• Costs: Reasonable
• Overall recommendation: 5 ♥/ 5 ♥

 

[ Rizalde Sherwood – Second Engagement Photoshoot ]

We had the absolute pleasure of working with Rizalde and his wife for our final engagement shoot! We ended up using these photos taken for additional elements within the wedding, and thoroughly enjoyed his services. I would highly recommend him to others (and already have)!

• Product Itself: Very Pleased
• Customer Service: Excellent
• Costs: Reasonable
• Overall recommendation: 5 ♥/ 5 ♥

 

[ VistaPrint – Save-the-date printing ]

We ended up using two of the engagement photo chalkboard photos (PS, Danitza ^^ does chalk art as well)! I did the additional designing you see and sent it off to www.vistaprint.com.

• Product Itself: Very Pleased
• Customer Service: Excellent
• Costs: Reasonable (when you find coupon codes that knock the price down)!
• Overall recommendation: 4 ♥/ 5 ♥

 

[ Invitations (Project Elements) ]

• Main Invitation: Sheet Music from a second-hand store, EKG strips, cardstock from Paper Source and Michael’s, and ribbon from Paper Source and Hobby Lobby. 
• RSVP Card: One side had the RSVP, while the other was a photo from our first engagement shoot.
• Wedding Rehearsal Card: I printed on shimmer paper and pink sparkly cardstock (not shown on the above photo, but was added for extra shimmer).
• Printing: Kinkos/Fed-Ex Office (Fun fact: Bring your own paper, and it will save you a little money)!
• Envelopes: The calligraphy for the envelopes was done by a combination of my friends Christina, Kim, and even my dad! Christina is, yes, a friend of mine, but equally does calligraphy as a business. If you'd like her to help with your project, contact her at chrissy7776@yahoo.com! I didn't post photos since there are addresses on the envelopes, but take my word: AWE-SOME!
• Overall recommendation: 5 ♥/ 5 ♥  ( But I'm a little bias... :-) ...)

 

[ About Love Studios – Wedding Day Photographers ]

We had our photos taken by About Love Studios. Our photographers took wonderful and beautiful photos (as you will clearly see even more when I post day-of wedding photos)! We did have customer service issues, and eventually one of the specific situations was discussed and brought up with them. Even though the communication wasn't at a level we were expecting based on the reviews read, I am glad that the photos were so gorgeous and captured so many of the priceless moments created that day! In the end, we love our captured memories that will last us a lifetime.

• Product Itself: Excellent
• Customer Service: Fair
• Costs: We hired them through a benefit event, so our costs were different than regular prices.
• Overall recommendation: 3 ♥/ 5 ♥

[ The Story Is Told – Wedding Day Videographers ]

Our videography was provided by The Story Is Told (Abbey and Morgan). They were so amazing! I loved working with this husband/wife team! I was on the search for the right videographer, and if anyone knows me, they know how picky I am in this category (being that this is part of my personal career). I’d watch a wedding video 5 seconds in, and be able to tell it was a “no" immediately. When I ran across their company, I was instantly in tears over a STRANGER'S wedding! I knew they were the winner. :-)

Her attitude during a specific incident that happened I will forever appreciate – she was professional, calming and a definite smile when needed! Even my mom made a comment about how amazing they were. My husband equally commented on how he enjoyed their services and presence at the wedding. Believe it or not, I haven't even watched only but a few of the clips but still believe in their services (we bought just the raw footage at the time, and I don't want to see it until it has been fully edited to preserve the moment as a whole)! With that, I'm still comfortable doing this review without even watching their work in full.

• Customer Service: Excellent
• Product Itself: Excellent
• Costs: Reasonable
• Overall recommendation: 5 ♥/ 5 ♥

Updates from Christie

Welcome to my new and improved website!

Notice something different? Why not change up my website in conjunction with a change to my last name! :-)

I am excited to finally get this new website design launched for my online community. I feel it is imperative to get the new look up and running!

 

Where have I been since the last post? How about...

• Wedding preparations...and more prep...and MORE prep
• Getting married!! 4.22.16 <3
• Honeymoon getaway in Maui
• Settling in a new part of town (still in Phoenix, but now with a hubby and new place!)
• Re-organizing and planning
• Seeing "what's next"
• Working on the side!

So...what's next (for the blog)??

1) Our wedding photos (and reviews): Since a good chunk of time derived of wedding planning and preparation from Jan-April, I figure once my professional photos arrive, I'll include a post of photos from my wedding (PS – Shout-out, as I am SUPER thankful to family and friends who captured moments like below to "hold us over" Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU)! I loved being able to plan out my own wedding, and cannot wait to share more about the journey!

My husband and I on our wedding day!

Our first dance... <3

2) "Mauimoon" photos: ALSO...be on the lookout for a post with an amazingly awesome photo shoot from our Honeymoon in Maui! I cannot wait to share those! Here are two sneak-peak pics in the meantime...

"Mauimoon" – Luau in Lahaina

"Mauimoon" – Last dinner in Maui before coming back to Phoenix

As a heads up for all my future clients reading this post, I like to combine a little bit of my professional work with personal "day-to-day" on my blogs. I love doing life creatively, so the two worlds sometimes inevitably combine. I hope this mix helps you get a taste of my personality, as I look forward to the opportunity of working with you!

 

So...what's next (for the business)??

As you can see, there are some newly listed business services I provide! I would love for you to explore each area. I make sure to provide excellence in each category, and I am also happy to send reviews to give you the best assurance of my professionalism and experience level. There are still areas under contruction, but I believe what is provided is a great base for launching the updated website design. Stay tuned for more updates! :-)

Until next time, have a creative day!

<3 Christie