Happy New Year!

It is a new year {Hello, 2011!} + and there are lots of new things to celebrate!
The most exciting thing for me... I'm back! I completed my MPA in December and have moved back to Nashville.

Since graduating, I have {finally} been able to think about the wedding + our marriage. Planning has kicked into high gear and this bride-to-be is VERY excited about it! We're really getting married + now I get to share all of the crazy fun planning with my man by my side. Best. News. Ever.
The break from school and having 5,000 things going on all at once will also leave some time for me to update this site with details as we figure them out. I am still so excited to share this journey with all of you.

Congratulations Klay + Taylor!!

This week Adam + I enthusiastically attended the engagement party of an AMAZING couple... Klay + Taylor! We joined in their celebration with a great group of friends at The Flying Saucer in Nashville.

Klay proposed to Taylor over the weekend on the stairs of the Parthenon in Centennial Park.

(You'll have to talk to Taylor to find out all the wonderfully heartfelt touches Klay included in his proposal... it was so sweet!! I just know I couldn't do it justice!)

Congratulation Klay + Taylor & thank you for including us in your celebration!

We are so excited for you both!!

Best Week Ever!

It has been a great week for the future Mr. & Mrs. Zinke!

First: Thanks to a contact Adam made attending this year's SXSW Interactive Conference in Austin, TX, I have been working with Socialize Your Cause.  The organization exists to help nonprofits "better navigate the Internet and ever-growing social media sphere"... and this week I officially became a part of the team! My most recent post marks the beginning of a series that relates social media marketing to something we're all familiar with: dating. What's more exciting?! People are actually reading it (take a look @ "What We're Reading")!! Many thanks to Dr. Mary Vaughn & her Interpersonal Communication class at Belmont University... I couldn't have done this without you.

Next: Good things happen to those who tweet! Thanks to some recent wedding-related twitter connections, I found @WishUponWedding.  This nonprofit organization provides weddings to terminally ill individuals! (I don't know if I could think of anything more perfect for me to be involved with!!) I contacted the organization and let them know I was willing to help in any way I could.  I'm now going to be a part of their soon-to-be Nashville chapter!  (Look for more details in September!)

Finally: Big, BIG news for Adam! He's launching a NEW company & challenging organizations to rethink the way they do business.  Re:Impact Interactive will be a huge part of our lives and I am so excited for his venture! We'll make sure to let you know when the website is up, for now... check out the Facebook fan page,  In the meantime, let us know if you have any brand management, social media, or design needs!

Tweet This! | @iloveswmag

I am so thankful that Adam and I share a love for new media! We are constantly sharing tips, tricks, and tools of the trade in an effort to expand our knowledge of the field. Now, as we dream about our wedding... tweets, facebook updates, and an assortment of blog posts have allowed us to discover some wonderful vendors & unique ideas we hope to use on our big day. {Please find a list of some of our current favorites to the right!}

Most recently, I've become obsessed with following @laracasey & @iloveswmag. The Southern Weddings Blog features interesting couples, fun ideas, and colorful pictures that truly bring the little details of their weddings to life. {Bs&Gs:: The site also hosts an array of great giveaways... so blog-stalk it often!}

A few days ago, the girls of SW shared some fantastic Save-the-Date and Invitation designs courtesy of Minted. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!





Please share the sites you love to stalk & the tweets you can't live without... we'd love to know!

Introducing... the {Future} Mr. + Mrs. Zinke!

Sooo... thanks to an amazing engagement session with Nashville photographer Benjamin Gibbs {our silent auction win from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Man and Woman of the Year Finale Event}... the blog has a new look {& I have a new outlook}!

Taking these pictures, getting the proofs, selecting our favorites for save-the-dates + wedding announcements made everything so real! This is happening! We're engaged!!!! We're getting married!!!! So while there have been overwhelming moments... it is so much fun thinking about the future we're going to have together. & I'm thrilled to be able to share it with everyone we love!



In other news... Adam + I are working on designing our Save-the-Dates and organizing the guest list. It's been so fun to think about inviting everyone we love to share the day with us... we just hope we'll be able to have everyone there! We'll try to post a preview here when we settle on a design. So check back soon. In the meantime, remember to mark your calendars for May 21, 2011!

So... When's the wedding?

This collection of words is the equivalent of kryptonite to newly engaged couples. They are truly crippling. Despite their ability to burst the euphoric bubble surrounding the couple... we managed to find a place & set a date! So, please join us as we celebrate the anniversary of our engagement by getting married at Riverwood Mansion on May 21, 2011!



And remember :: don't put too much pressure on your newly engaged friends/family members!

Blog-Stalking {The Bride Room}

Here is a sweet, sweet post from the lovely ladies @TheBrideRoom. I was lucky enough to work with these girls before heading off to grad school & I could not imagine going anywhere else to find MY dress. Engaged?! Call. Set up an appointment. Go! you absolutely will not be disappointed. They are amazing! I had an amazing time trying on dresses for the first time & they posted about it on their blog. Here's a peek :)


Many of you will remember sweet Liz from her glory days here at The Bride Room :) Liz worked with us from June 2008-June 2009 before heading to grad school for some higher education. Though we are so so so proud of our dear Liz, we miss her like crazy!



A couple of Saturdays ago, we got the call: her relationship status had officially changed and our very own Liz needed an appointment to try on dresses :) :) :) :) :) {We can't help but feel like surrogate Nashville mothers to her and our immediate response was::: she's all grown up!!!!!!!!!!}

Her mom was in town yesterday so we booked her a time to do a preliminary round of dress shopping....She looked so fabulous in everything....we can't help but wonder....who will Liz be on her wedding day??

fashion foward?

modern + fresh?

sweet + sassy?

soft + traditional?

Liz + Steph :: take 1

{can't wait for the picture of Liz + Steph at her wedding*}

(Don't worry, Adam, we didn't take any photos of anything that could be a *real* contender...and there were definitely a few!)

{*Liz, did you see how we just invited ourselves to your big day??? :)}

We know for sure that Liz's wedding day will be every bit as sweet and thoughtful as she is. So, so so happy for you, Liz!!! We love you!!!!!

___________________

& I love you, girls! Miss you!

We're Engaged!

Ahhh! We're engaged & we couldn't be more excited!

For those that are interested... here's the story.

Adam planned a wonderful trip to Chicago (he said he "needed a vacation" & wanted to "do something special for my birthday"). We stayed right downtown and had a great time exploring the city together. I had been to Chicago once before with friends... & missed everything about Adam while we were there. The Signature Room on top of the John Hancock Building has amazing views of the city. While I was up there I couldn't help but text him to let him know I'd been thinking about him. On our second night in Chicago, Adam took me back there. We enjoyed drinks and a wonderful dinner. It had been foggy all day, but the clouds cleared away and the sun came out just long enough for us to enjoy dinner while looking at the city and Lake Michigan. So perfect!

From there... the plan was to see Billy Elliot. I love musicals & I couldn't wait!! We had a few minutes before the show, so Adam suggested a quick walk through Millennium Park. As a directionally-challenged individual, I had no idea that the park was out of the way. We stopped on a bench in the garden to take a breather after the walk. Before I knew it, Adam was down on one knee with a beautiful ring in his hand, asking me to be his wife! I. Said. Yes! Of, course!

We rushed to the show from there (while I stopped strangers on the street to share our good news)! We made it to our seats {champagne in-hand} just in time. At intermission we called our families, took a breath, an enjoyed the rest of Billy Elliot (though I was distracted by my gorgeous new ring)! It was such an AMAZING NIGHT! Thank you, thank you, thank you to my wonderful fiance for all the thought he put into making the night special for us.