In case you haven't heard...

In case you don't follow me on social media I have to tell you why my friends and family are freaking out like this...

...is because of this...

That's right y'all. Brian and I are expecting our first child this August. We made the announcement on social media last Sunday (February 7th) on Brian's birthday. A bunch of people have been asking a tons of questions about everything so I figured a little rundown on here would help answer a lot of those burning questions.

When did you find out you were pregnant?

The day after Christmas. We were still in Cleveland for the holiday and we found out right before going to Brian's 10 year high school reunion. One of his best friend's (and groomsmen) guessed that I was even though we hadn't said anything solely based on the fact that I didn't order a Bud Light as soon as we walked in.

How far along are you and what's your due date?

Currently 12 weeks and August 29th, the day before my mom's birthday.

How have you been feeling?

I'll be honest and let you know that I have feel like complete sh*t! I hear that's typical for the first trimester. I've been extremely tired and feel nauseous all day long. When friends (that have never been pregnant) ask to me describe the best explanation I have is that I've felt like I've been hungover for two solid months. I'm just now creeping into my second trimester and am already feeling better so I'm pretty pumped about that!

Have you had any weird cravings?

Not really, which surprised me. I've had a ton of food aversions so when I find something that settles well with me I stick to it. Fruit has been the thing that has gotten me through, lots of watermelon, cantaloupe, and strawberries. Cold cereal has been a good "meal" for me too. Some of my favorite foods have made me ill merely by the smell of them.

I feel like EVERYONE you know is pregnant! Did you know about them?

I have to agree! If you have several mutual friends with me on Facebook you'd think we all made a pregnancy pact or something. The following friends of mine are also due in August...Lauren, Jessie, and Sarah who are all friends form home and my friend Natalie (as well as another friend who hasn't made it public yet) from Disney. The only  one I knew about what my friend Sarah's she told me a week before they made it public knowledge. It's so great to know that there are other people who know exactly what you're going through.  

Do you want to find out the gender and do you have a preference?

Hell yes! We'd drive ourselves crazy if we tried to wait until the birth to find out and gender neutral have been pretty much non-existent everywhere we've looked. My preference is a girl but I'm not going to be heartbroken if it's a boy though. Hopefully we will be able to find out what we're having before our trip to Disney in April so we can do a cute gender reveal there!

Are you still going to go on the honeymoon you had planned? 

Yes we are! We've talked with my doctors and they said I'm all set to go. I will be in my second trimester then so it's the best time to travel during pregnancy because you aren't as tired or sickly as you are in the first and third trimesters. We're going to London and Paris at the end of April. The only thing I'm upset about is not being able to ride Space Mountain at Disneyland Paris because it goes upside down. Oh well! I guess we'll have to make a trip back so I can ride all the attractions at DLP and chug champagne in the streets of Paris.

Have a great week and check out the link up with Biana.

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Rent the Runway Review {with promo code!}

I heard about Rent the Runway a while back through blogging but was hesitant to check it out because honestly I didn't think they'd have items in my size. Man was I wrong! I ended up venturing to the site a couple months before our wedding in search for a rehearsal dress because the dress I originally got I ended up using in our engagement session. I was pleasantly surprised when I found several dresses I liked for great prices. I'm a girl's girl so I feel it's my duty to pass on my knowledge of this to all of you!

image via

Why I love it.

The items on this site are high end designers that some of us never dreamed we could actually get to wear ourselves. You pay a rental fee that from what I can tell is based on the retail value of the garment. I'm the type of girl that has watched way too many episodes of Real Housewives and Keeping Up with the Kardashians and have it in my head that I can only wear outfits to one event because someone from US Weekly is going to call me out for recycling an ensemble. They have so many options that whether you're looking for a wedding, gala, dance, vacation, or party you are bound to find something that will make you look and feel like a million bucks.

This Adrianna Papell "Edith" dress was perfect for our wedding rehearsal

How does it work?

Once you find a dress you like you check to see if it's available during the time you need it. Rental lengths are 4 days, 8 days, or if you're a baller you can get the monthly subscription that allows you to have three items out at one time for as long as you'd like. They recommend you order your dress one to two days before your event.

When I walked out to the main area of the brewery people kept asking where I got my dress

How do you make sure it fits?

The website has a sizing chart with every designer they offer. It's important to take your own measurements because sizing between different designers can vary quite a bit. The great thing about ordering is they give you a second size at no additional charge. So if you feel like you could end up needing a size smaller or bigger you have a backup just in case your other size doesn't work. My favorite thing about the website is that they post the reviews of actual customers...the good and bad. You get an honest opinion and can see what the dress looks like on real people and that can be a tremendous help. Both my reviews are on the website which makes me feel super famous!

This fuchsia Carmen Marc Valvo number was a standout at my company Christmas party 

How does it get to you?

Your items are sent through UPS so you have tracking every step of the way. My first dress arrived without a hitch. The second time I rented UPS dropped the ball and I got an email saying my Friday delivery (for my dress being worn on Saturday) was being moved to Monday. I called rent the Runway and they were ON IT! My rep was named Jessica and she had everything sorted out in with UPS in a matter of 20 minutes and emailed me back giving me all the details. My dress ended up arriving on time and I was so happy. The customer service with this company is amazing! When you get your delivery every you need to send the dress back is included too so your shipping fee covers getting it to you and getting it back to them.

My first rental came in a super nice garment bag and then next rental came in a box. 

Is it only dresses you can rent?

No! They have other clothing, jackets, handbags, and accessories you can rent. My last rental I decided to rent earrings and I loved them so much it pained me to send them back.

Here is my review on the website of the Nicole Miller Southern Plantation earrings

Jordan you haven't answered all my questions!!!

Sorry but guess what?! It's your lucky day! Rent the Runway has an excellent FAQ section on their website that will probably answer any question that I didn't you can find it HERE.

Now on to the good stuff. I have been given my own promo code to pass along to you lovely ladies. This code gives you a $20 credit to your first rental through Rent the Runway.

$20 TOWARDS YOUR FIRST RENTAL FROM JORDAN

If you have any other questions please comment below and if you have any problems with the code email me and I'll send it to you another way. Happy shopping!

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Wedding Wednesday: Pre-Ceremony Portraits

Happy Wedding Wednesday y'all! If you stopped by last week you saw some of our first look photos and if you didn't go check them out! Anyway, one of the main reasons we decided to do a first look was so that we could also get some pre-ceremony photos with our entire wedding party at the beautiful Lake Erie College spots I feel in love with a month before. Boy am I glad we did! I can't remember if I've mentioned it but on our October 17th wedding day in Cleveland, Ohio the morning started off sunny and bright like summertime (as you'll see in these first photos), then shifted to a breezy autumn day, when we were arriving at the church it began to rain like the springtime, and on the way to our reception it began to SNOW!!! No joke you guys...we experienced all four seasons on our wedding day and it was kind of magical. Now onto our pre-ceremony portraits all courtesy of  Arastasia Photography...

The entire wedding party!

...another one for good measure

this is one of my very favorites

All the guys, my friend Justin's face in this kills me lol

The 5 of us have a tradition taking this picture, I'll share the others another day

The next photos were taken inside the social parlor that served as our "rain location" but I loved it so much we did pictures in there anyway. I felt it was southern charm in a northern place. Looking back I wish we would taken a few more here because they turned out so wonderful. I have some bridal shots of just me that I will share in another post. 

My full bridal party with house party and bridesmaids

My house party

My bridesmaids

Brian and his groomsmen

I loved how these photos turned out and they eased my mind so much knowing that even if the weather took a turn for the worse (and it did) that we got some great shots before everyone's hair started to fall and look a hot mess. Well I'm signing off today so make sure to stop by the Wedding Wednesday and What's HaPinning for more great blog posts. Thanks for reading.

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