• Home
  • About
  • Wellness
  • Dana Rose Lee Photography
  • Contact

Dana Rose Lee Blog

Welcome To The World Oliver Lee | Your Birth Story

June 7, 2018

Today marks one month since Oliver Lee entered this world. I am not quite sure how that happened but I am so grateful for every single moment (even the hard ones) with him. It is amazing how someone so little can change your entire world. For 10 months, you prepare for the moment you get to meet your baby. But honestly, nothing will prepare you for that moment. And those hours (or days) leading up to it make that moment so so worth it.

I knew from the second I got pregnant that I wanted an all natural, unmedicated birth. From my past experiences with surgeries (there have been 9 since 2008), medication and my body don’t go well together. In fact, drugs tend to never work and I always have adverse reactions to them. So an epidural was not in my birth plan. While many warned me about the pain of natural childbirth, I knew deep down that my body could withstand it. Mind over matter right? I spoke with friends who had gone all natural, I read Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth and I hired a doula. The more I researched and spoke with Brittany (my doula) of Frederick Moms and Doulas, the more empowered I felt that this was something I could do.

So are you ready for the birth story? Here we go…

At my 36 week appointment I was 1cm dilated and 50% effaced. I thought this was definitely a sign that I was going to go into labor early. I laugh at this thought now. At my 37 week appointment, there was no change. Still no change at my 38 week appointment. I had been having a lot of cramping during this week and some contractions here and there but nothing was progressing and I was getting super discouraged. If you know me, you know I am a planner. I want to know when things are going to happen and how everything is going to go down. This made the end of pregnancy really hard for me. It was a true test of patience and I had a lot more patience to be tested.

I was doing everything possible to kickstart this labor: chiropractor, acupuncture, walking (even walking with one foot on a curb and one down because I had heard this could help), eating pineapple, taking primrose oil, ingesting Young Living’s Clary Sage Essential Oil. Everyone says that baby will come when he/she is ready and I now realize that is in fact 110% true, but I needed to try everything because I was just so done.

On May 3rd, at my 39 week appointment, I had my membranes swept and this seemed to help things progress as I lost my mucous plug over the next 3 days. On Sunday night (5/6), I started having contractions that for the first time were timeable. They were about 10 minutes apart throughout the night. I woke up on Monday morning and my contractions had stopped. I headed to my chiropractor and got adjusted. My right hip was completely out of alignment so once he popped that back in place, I thought maybe things would start progressing again. Nothing all day. Monday evening, my contractions started again. They were 7-8 minutes apart throughout the night. I was supposed to go to acupuncture on Tuesday morning but in the middle of the night I emailed her to tell her I was having contractions and thought labor was impending. However, I was tricked yet again…I woke up Tuesday morning and my contractions had stopped. Nothing all day except for a few cramps here and there. Tuesday evening, my contractions started again. They were 8-9 minutes apart throughout the night. I woke up on Wednesday, so exhausted, 40 weeks pregnant and no baby.

Prodromal labor. It is truly the most frustrating thing – both mentally and physically. It is so rough but the only thing that was getting me through the contractions and sleepless nights that weren’t progressing to anything was the fact that Brittany had said most people who have prodromal labor have fast births. Could this be the silver lining of prodromal labor? One could only hope.

I was continuing to do all.the.things to try and get this baby out of me but he wasn’t hearing my eviction notice all too well. Brittany told me that birth was a marathon so I needed to rest as much as I could. Given the fact that I hadn’t been sleeping for days because of my nightly contractions, I really tried to rest all day on Wednesday. Wednesday night the contractions came back. I was so exhausted by timing that I just didn’t even attempt to time them. This baby was never going to come out of me.

I woke up on Thursday morning still pregnant but ready for my 40 week appointment. Josh came with me to my appointment, as I had an ultrasound scheduled for 9:30am. All looked well and that was a relief. I told Josh that he didn’t have to wait for my appointment with the doctor because it was just a routine check and I would call him after. They took my blood pressure and it was slightly elevated. I got checked and I was 2cm dilated and 70% effaced. I asked for another sweep because the word induction at 41 weeks was brought up and that was definitely not in my birth plan. After the sweep, I started feeling some serious cramping. The doctor left and returned and told me to lay back and try to relax, they wanted to check my blood pressure again. While it went down slightly, she was a little concerned by it so wanted me to go to labor and delivery triage to be monitored. I immediately texted Josh, who of course felt bad for leaving me and offered to come back to the hospital. I told him everything would be fine and I would keep him posted.

After checking in at triage and waiting for a little bit, I went back to a room and got hooked up to monitors, had my blood drawn and started feeling contractions. After snooping at the monitor, I noticed that my contractions were 2-3 minutes apart. The on call doctor came in and asked if I was feeling the contractions and I said yes, but they were tolerable. She told me that my blood pressure was completely normal and all the blood work came back normal so they were going to discharge me. It was 12:30pm and I was starving. I drove myself to Balducci’s Market to get some lunch.

I got home around 1:30pm and ate my lunch. Roxie was crying to go outside so I took her for a quick walk. When I came back inside, I got on the birth ball and started rocking back and forth. It was 2:58pm and Josh called me to tell me he was coming home and asked if I wanted him to stop to pick up coffee. Two minutes later, while still on the phone with him and on the ball, I heard this POP noise, almost like a rubber band snapping. And a gush of water flooded my yoga pants. It was crazy.

Me: OMG, my water just broke.
Josh: Seriously? OMG, he is coming. Should I still stop and get us coffee?
Me: Ummm no, I think you should come home!

I went upstairs to change my wet clothes and called Brittany. At this point my contractions were definitely getting stronger. Brittany stayed on the phone with me to time a few of them. I remember her saying “ok, they are pretty much on top of each other. Do you want to continue laboring at home for a bit longer or do you want to leave now?” My response was: “let’s go. But do you have your camera?” When I think about this I laugh. Only a photographer in labor would ask a photographer if she had her camera packed. Oh yes friends, my doula was also my birth photographer (Brittany DeFrehn Photography)!

Josh walked through the door and I told him to grab our bags, we were leaving! We put Roxie in the crate and I texted our dog walker who was going to doggy sit for her. The car ride to the hospital seemed to take forever (less than 20 minutes). There is no comfortable position in a car when you are in labor. When we got to the hospital, everyone was moving at snail speed. On the labor and delivery floor, while waiting for Brittany and to head back to triage, I paced back and forth and then ended up in the middle of the waiting room on my birth ball moving back and forth with each contraction. You lose all sense of caring about anything.

Finally at 4:30pm we went back into a triage room and I was so happy to see the same nurse from earlier who allowed us to break the rules and let both Josh and Brittany come back into the tiny triage room. I was also happy to see the same on call doctor who I really liked (and had seen a few times during my pregnancy). They checked me and I was 4cm dilated. Contractions were strong and back to back. My water kept gushing and bloody show had arrived. Things were getting super real. Brittany applied Clary Sage to my ankles and that started ramping things up even more.

birth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth storybirth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth story Around 5:45pm, I was wheeled to a labor and delivery room. Fun fact: this was the same room that Brittany had delivered one of her babies in. That was definitely a good sign.

birth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth storyI was squatting, rocking back and forth on the ball, holding onto the bed, hopping onto the bed and leaning on the back of it, just trying to find a position to get me through these back to back contractions.

birth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth storybirth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth storyBrittany coached me through every contraction. She applied counter pressure to my back. She doused me in Peace & Calming Essential Oil. The nurse said it was the best smelling labor and delivery room she had been in. birth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth storyThere were no breaks between contractions and I remember looking at the clock thinking I don’t know how much longer I can do this. Josh kept reassuring me that I was doing great. I remember looking at Brittany and saying I don’t know how much longer I can do this and that’s when she said: “remember what I told you. When you tell me you can’t do it any longer, I promise you are close.” I got checked again and was a 9.

The worst feeling was me wanting to push and them telling me I couldn’t because I wasn’t fully dilated. Another bad feeling was me hearing that baby’s heart rate was dropping. All I could think of was they were going to wheel me in for a c-section. The nurse (who I loved) was very concerned about this. The doctor was less concerned. However, they did feel that I should get some fluids to not put baby in distress so I complied (but I will tell you, I made sure they weren’t giving me drugs). Unfortunately I had been poked and prodded all day (you should have seen one of my bruises) and my veins weren’t cooperating so it took multiple people to get the IV in.

I asked to be checked again and I was a 9 1/2. About 5 minutes later I made one noise and the nurse told my doctor to check me, she knew I was a 10. And hallelujah I was. I had gone from 4cm to 10cm in 4 1/2 hours. I was ready to push. Let me tell you, pushing is HARD! While it was such a relief to actually be able to push and know that I was one step closer to meeting baby, it was exhausting. I would push for 3 rounds of 10 seconds and each and then rest. I kept asking if I was making progress and the response was “we can see the head but then it retracts.” All that work for the head to just go back in – what a bummer. Finally, after about 50 minutes, my doctor told me to reach down and feel the head and that was by far the biggest motivating moment. I can do this. He is almost here. A few more pushes and I felt that Ring of Fire (oh my word that is real and really painful) and then…

At 10:01pm, Oliver entered the world. 7lbs 3 oz and 21 inches long.

They immediately put him on me and this image says it all.

birth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth storyAfter 7 hours of natural unmedicated labor (YES, I DID IT!!!), he was here and absolutely perfect! I delivered the placenta and Josh cut the cord after it finished pulsating.

birth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth storyUnfortunately I had a second degree tear in two places. Getting stitched up with only lidocaine that didn’t take in all the places was not fun at all. Like I know I had just birthed a baby which was way more painful, but that fish hook and stitching was awful. The only thing that got me through was holding Ollie the entire time.

birth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth storybirth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth storybirth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth storybirth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth storybirth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth storyBrittany continued documenting our first moments as a family of three.

birth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth storybirth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth storybirth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth story

She helped me breastfeed for the first time and then I told her to go home! I am truly forever thankful for her. With her help, I was able to have the birth I had hoped for. Without a doubt, hiring her as my doula was the best decision I made.

Around 1:45am, we were finally transferred to a private room. I didn’t sleep at all. The adrenaline and hormones kept me wide awake and I couldn’t stop staring at the bassinet beside me.

Welcome to the world Oliver Lee, you are so loved and I am so thankful I get to be your Mama.

Leave a Comment · Labels: Essential Oils, Lifestyle, Oliver, Personal, Wellness Tagged: babies, birth, Birth Photography, Documentary Photography, Doula, Holy Cross Hospital, Life, motherhood, Natural, natural birth, Photography, pregnancy, Wellness

Clothier Maternity Session in Annapolis | Dana Rose Lee Photography

March 14, 2017

It is a gorgeous mama-to-be’s due date today, so I figured it would be a perfect time to share the Clothier Maternity session in Annapolis. We decided to photograph Jenna’s maternity session after her baby shower in mid-February. Why? Because her hair, make-up and outfit would be picture perfect (see what I did there). Plus, I would already be in Annapolis for the event. Her baby shower was at a private clubhouse right on the water, which was a beautiful backdrop for her session. After all, Jenna is all about the nautical theme so it was simply perfect (think: whale themed baby shower and nursery).

After her gorgeous party, we went out to the waterfront to begin our session. This Winter has been incredibly mild and we lucked out for the photo shoot as well. The light was overcast, which for me is a dream to shoot in, as I typically photograph in shade. We began our session with some family photos. It is hard to believe that these will be the last ones taken as a family of 3… Maternity Shoot, Portraits, Dana Rose Lee Photography, Annapolis, Maryland Photographer, Maternity Photography, Natural Light, Water, Outdoor Photography, Family, Pregnant, Mama to be Maternity Shoot, Portraits, Dana Rose Lee Photography, Annapolis, Maryland Photographer, Maternity Photography, Natural Light, Water, Outdoor Photography, Family, Pregnant, Mama to be Maternity Shoot, Portraits, Dana Rose Lee Photography, Annapolis, Maryland Photographer, Maternity Photography, Natural Light, Water, Outdoor Photography, Family, Pregnant, Mama to beMaternity Shoot, Portraits, Dana Rose Lee Photography, Annapolis, Maryland Photographer, Maternity Photography, Natural Light, Water, Outdoor Photography, Family, Pregnant, Mama to be Maternity Shoot, Portraits, Dana Rose Lee Photography, Annapolis, Maryland Photographer, Maternity Photography, Natural Light, Water, Outdoor Photography, Family, Pregnant, Mama to be Maternity Shoot, Portraits, Dana Rose Lee Photography, Annapolis, Maryland Photographer, Maternity Photography, Natural Light, Water, Outdoor Photography, Family, Pregnant, Mama to be

How cute are Mom and Christopher? This guy can’t wait for his baby brother to arrive. Maternity Shoot, Portraits, Dana Rose Lee Photography, Annapolis, Maryland Photographer, Maternity Photography, Natural Light, Water, Outdoor Photography, Family, Pregnant, Mama to be Maternity Shoot, Portraits, Dana Rose Lee Photography, Annapolis, Maryland Photographer, Maternity Photography, Natural Light, Water, Outdoor Photography, Family, Pregnant, Mama to be

Those tippy toes kill me…Maternity Shoot, Portraits, Dana Rose Lee Photography, Annapolis, Maryland Photographer, Maternity Photography, Natural Light, Water, Outdoor Photography, Family, Pregnant, Mama to be

Isn’t she beautiful? Simply glowing! Maternity Shoot, Portraits, Dana Rose Lee Photography, Annapolis, Maryland Photographer, Maternity Photography, Natural Light, Water, Outdoor Photography, Family, Pregnant, Mama to be Maternity Shoot, Portraits, Dana Rose Lee Photography, Annapolis, Maryland Photographer, Maternity Photography, Natural Light, Water, Outdoor Photography, Family, Pregnant, Mama to be Maternity Shoot, Portraits, Dana Rose Lee Photography, Annapolis, Maryland Photographer, Maternity Photography, Natural Light, Water, Outdoor Photography, Family, Pregnant, Mama to be Maternity Shoot, Portraits, Dana Rose Lee Photography, Annapolis, Maryland Photographer, Maternity Photography, Natural Light, Water, Outdoor Photography, Family, Pregnant, Mama to be

As a photographer, it is pretty cool to have the privilege to photograph life stages. While I did not have the opportunity to photograph Jenna and Alex’s wedding, I did get to take their engagement photos. These were also taken in Annapolis a few years ago – love coming full circle. Maternity Shoot, Portraits, Dana Rose Lee Photography, Annapolis, Maryland Photographer, Maternity Photography, Natural Light, Water, Outdoor Photography, Family, Pregnant, Mama to be Maternity Shoot, Portraits, Dana Rose Lee Photography, Annapolis, Maryland Photographer, Maternity Photography, Natural Light, Water, Outdoor Photography, Family, Pregnant, Mama to be Maternity Shoot, Portraits, Dana Rose Lee Photography, Annapolis, Maryland Photographer, Maternity Photography, Natural Light, Water, Outdoor Photography, Family, Pregnant, Mama to be Maternity Shoot, Portraits, Dana Rose Lee Photography, Annapolis, Maryland Photographer, Maternity Photography, Natural Light, Water, Outdoor Photography, Family, Pregnant, Mama to be Maternity Shoot, Portraits, Dana Rose Lee Photography, Annapolis, Maryland Photographer, Maternity Photography, Natural Light, Water, Outdoor Photography, Family, Pregnant, Mama to be

And a few images to document where the baby shower took place. Maternity Shoot, Portraits, Dana Rose Lee Photography, Annapolis, Maryland Photographer, Maternity Photography, Natural Light, Water, Outdoor Photography, Family, Pregnant, Mama to be Maternity Shoot, Portraits, Dana Rose Lee Photography, Annapolis, Maryland Photographer, Maternity Photography, Natural Light, Water, Outdoor Photography, Family, Pregnant, Mama to be

Now we are all just waiting on Baby Clothier’s arrival. Stay tuned, hopefully not for too much longer, for more pictures, as I also have the honor of photographing their newborn session when he arrives!

Leave a Comment · Labels: Lifestyle, Photography Tagged: Annapolis Maryland, Annapolis Photographer, Dana Rose Lee Photography, Documenting Life, Family Photos, Glowing, Maternity Photographer, Maternity Shoot, Natural Light Photographer, Outdoor Photography, Photography, Portrait Photographer, Waterfront

Wedding Series | Our Amazing Wedding Photographer

January 23, 2017

I am so excited to continue our wedding series and share about our amazing wedding photographer. As a fellow photographer, you would think choosing your photographer for your wedding would be the hardest decision. However, for me it was actually the easiest one. I follow a lot of photographers being in the industry. While I am not a wedding photographer, I had known what style I wanted and had been following Layce Bauman of Layce Bauman Photography for quite some time. When I saw one of her family sessions posted on Facebook, I messaged her and told I wanted her to be my wedding photographer.

It didn’t matter that Layce lived almost 3,000 miles away from Hudson. It also didn’t matter that we had never met. I loved her artistic eye and having followed her on Facebook and Instagram, I felt like I already knew her so it was going to be perfect. Intuition is a marvelous thing. After messaging back and forth, I managed to get her to agree to tentatively hold three dates for me. You see, I chose Layce before I had a venue or a date. That was how sure I was of my decision.

Once we set a date, we began building a friendship via text messages and emails. The first time we met Layce was at our engagement shoot, the evening before our wedding. Remember how we lived 3,000 miles apart? We definitely wanted to take advantage of the session, so we could get to know Layce before our big day. You know when you meet someone and you just click (I promise that pun was not intended)? Well, that happened.

We got to spend an hour and a half with her while walking the streets of Hudson. It didn’t even feel like we were taking photos, as there was such an ease. She posed us, told us where to go, how to stand. I let her have full control. It is definitely nerve wracking being on the other side of the camera.

I loved our urban session. I had scouted locations prior to our session and knew I wanted to start at the Amtrak Station in Hudson. Josh and I did long distance for over two years. We basically lived on Amtrak, commuting between Washington DC and New York City, so it seemed fitting to start at the train station. Hudson is also on the Hudson so there was a perfect little spot by the water. Nearly every building along Warren street made for a pretty backdrop, so it was easy to just walk anywhere and stop. I knew I loved Layce’s work before our session, but once I saw the back of camera goodness, I knew I made the right decision. Here are some of my favorites!Engagement, Love, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Downtown, Vince Camuto Engagement, Love, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Downtown, Vince Camuto Engagement, Love, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Downtown, Vince Camuto Engagement, Love, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Downtown, Vince Camuto Engagement, Love, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Downtown, Vince Camuto Engagement, Love, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Downtown, Vince Camuto Engagement, Love, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Downtown, Vince Camuto Engagement, Love, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Downtown, Vince Camuto Engagement, Love, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Downtown, Vince Camuto Engagement, Love, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Downtown, Vince Camuto Engagement, Love, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Downtown, Vince Camuto Engagement, Love, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Downtown, Vince Camuto Engagement, Love, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Downtown, Vince Camuto Engagement, Love, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Downtown, Vince Camuto Engagement, Love, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Downtown, Vince Camuto Engagement, Love, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Downtown, Vince Camuto

And then, she photographed our wedding and I can’t even explain to you what these photographs mean to me. You see, your wedding day goes by FAST. Before you know it, the day is over and it is off to begin the rest of your life together. Receiving my images brought me back to every single moment of our day. Like when I saved my Mom’s favorite perfume bottle (half empty) knowing that I would want to wear it on this day. Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Venue, Getting Ready, Together, New York

Capturing our first look, which I 110% recommend doing! Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Venue, Couple, Together, New York

Capturing moments that when you look at that photo, you just think “if this was the only photo, this would be enough.” Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Venue, Couple, Together, New York

Getting those shots that you put on a list and somehow your photographer remembers (with zero traces of paper). Wedding, Marriage, Love, Details, Flowers, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, New York

Moments like this when the glass did not break on the first try. Josh just needed a mulligan. Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Venue, Couple, Together, New York

Finding photos of your best friends wearing their pashminas from their bridal gifts from Marigold & Grey. Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Wedding Party, Marigold & Grey, Navy, JCrew Bridal

Making your dream of being with the horses a reality. Might I add, there are 92 horse pictures that make my stomach fill with butterflies and give me all.the.feels. Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Venue, Couple, Together, New York Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Venue, Couple, Together, New York Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Venue, Couple, Together, New York Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Venue, Couple, Together, New York Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Venue, Couple, Together, New York Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Venue, Couple, Together, New York Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Venue, Couple, Together, New York Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Venue, Couple, Together, New York

Moment on the dance floor with Josh who let me tell you, typically does not dance! 

She caught moments on the dance floor with my Dad. Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Venue, Dancing, Father, Daughter, New York Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Venue, Dancing, Father, Daughter, New York

Truly, not a moment of our more than 8 hour day was missed, all captured more beautifully than I could ever imagine.

Leave a Comment · Labels: Lifestyle, Personal, Photography, Wedding Tagged: Engagement Shoot, Hudson, Hudson Valley Weddings, Layce Bauman Photography, Lifestyle, Marriage, New York, Photography, Rustic, Rustic Wedding, Wedding, Wedding Day, Wedding Photography, Wedding Photos

The Beginning of Our Wedding Series | The Venue

January 16, 2017

It is about time to start blogging the beginning of our wedding series and first up: the venue. I say series because there is just no way I could ever just write one blog post on the most amazing day of our lives. It would be a novel for sure. So where do I start…

I always knew I wanted to get married in New York and I always knew I wanted to get married in a barn. When I mention always, I am referring to my teenybopper self when I dreamed about my perfect day with the perfect guy (who I definitely did marry). For those that don’t know, I am from New York City. I spent my weekends and summers in Pawling, New York, a small town 75 miles north of Manhattan. Our house was an old converted cow barn. Fun fact: George Washington bought his cheese there. This house was so special for so many reasons and I knew that a barn would be in my future. Since I grew up riding horses, a horse farm for a wedding venue just seemed like the perfect fit. I just needed a ring to start the planning.

On August 29th, 2015, Josh proposed. Yay, I could start finding my barn. When it came time to look for venues, I learned that there weren’t many barns, especially those that I could classify as “elegant.” When I wanted a rustic wedding theme, I didn’t want hay bales and mason jars. I wanted an elegant rustic feel. I found three barns and scheduled three appointments for a Saturday in October. Four days prior to touring, I was notified that one of the barns booked up the two dates I had in mind.

Yes, I had already had a date in mind, as I knew I wanted a Fall wedding. I had mid-September in my mind, hoping it would fall around the time of my Mom’s birthday. I wanted to incorporate her as much as possible, having lost her to cancer 7 years ago. September was also our anniversary month so it really was the only month I was looking at for our wedding.

I believe in fate and things working out, so I moved on from the venue falling through. Another plan fell through and my stepmom had to work so she couldn’t tour with me. Fortunately my best friend was able to go with me, while her husband played golf with my future husband and my Dad. We met in Hudson, New York and as I turned into the driveway of the venue, I was greeted with this view. Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Barn, Rustic, Venue, Couple, Together, New York, Private property,

I knew, before even seeing the barn, that this was definitely my venue. Once I got to the top of the property, I was greeted by a beautiful baby blue with white trim barn. The property also included a smaller “bridal barn,” where we ended up getting ready. There was also an “art barn” where the cocktail hour took place. There was a beautiful outdoor space that overlooked a large paddock of horses (oh my heart) and the beautiful Catskill mountains. I would be pleading my case to the family later that evening. I knew my Dad was going to ask if we visited the other venue, so we did drive there and saw it. While it was nice, it was definitely not my venue.

Two weeks later, we secured the venue and a date was set – September 17th, 2016. After 11 months of planning my own wedding, the day was beyond perfect. Every tiny detail that I had envisioned came together to create the most beautiful day. Here are a few pictures of the outside of the barn. Swoon worthy, right? Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Venue, Couple, Together, New York
Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Venue, Couple, Together, New York Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Venue, Couple, Together, New York Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Venue, Couple, Together, New York

And the rustic touches of the inside of the barn. Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Venue, Couple, Together, New York Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Venue, Couple, Together, New York Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Venue, Couple, Together, New York

My heart just gets so happy. I 110% chose the right venue (The Hill), the right photographer (Layce Bauman Photography), the right everything. Most importantly, I chose the right guy.

Leave a Comment · Labels: Lifestyle, Personal, Photography Tagged: Barn, Dream, Elegant, Farm, Horse Farm, Hudson, Hudson Valley Weddings, Layce Bauman Photography, Love, Marriage, New York, Photography, Rustic Wedding, Venue, Wedding

I Have an Obsession with Planners

January 5, 2017

Hi, my name is Dana and I have an obsession with planners and all the pretty stationary. My favorite part of going back to school was always shopping for school supplies. Many moons later, I still get to shop like I am going back to school, although I don’t dread the school part. I have tried planner after planner. I am pretty positive I found the one with Plum Paper Planner (now say that three times in a row). Can we talk about how cute their packaging is?! 

Plum Paper Planner is completely customizable, which is what I love. Finding “the” planner that fits your list of prerequisites is hard, which is why this won me over. There are many many cover options. For an indecisive person (like me), this might make you add many more minutes to your design time, but it is worth it. What makes my first planner so special? My new monogram with my new last name thanks to tying the knot in September!Planners, Goals, New Year, 2017, Plum Paper, Organization, Organized, Business, Monogram, Custom

Once you design the cover, it is off to the races for the inside. There are plenty of options for monthly layouts. I personally can’t follow an hourly scheduled (I tried with the Day Designer and failed), so I opted for the two sided days weekly view. Planners, Goals, New Year, 2017, Plum Paper, Organization, Organized, Business, Custom

You also get a monthly spread so you can see the full month in one glance. I love that there is a monthly highlight page for you to write 3 goals in, include birthdays and events as well as things to remember. Planners, Goals, New Year, 2017, Plum Paper, Organization, Organized, Business, Custom

At the end of the month I included extra to-do list pages. Goodbye sticky notes, hello all-in-one place organization. Planners, Goals, New Year, 2017, Plum Paper, Organization, Organized, Business, Custom

There is also another page where you can add your ideas, goals and plans. I mean, you could go crazy with all the space you have!

Planners, Goals, New Year, 2017, Plum Paper, Organization, Organized, Business, Custom

When building your planner, they also give you other add-ons and I was pretty dang excited when I saw you could add a blog section. I added this to the back of my Plum Paper Planner. You can betcha I have already filled January in. Attacking one of my New Years Goals one post at a time. Planners, Goals, New Year, 2017, Plum Paper, Organization, Organized, Business, Custom

I also added a contacts page section at the back. I plan on putting friends and family in here as well as some of my Young Living friends, especially the ones I continually send mail to and always have to look their addresses up. Planners, Goals, New Year, 2017, Plum Paper, Organization, Organized, Business, Custom

Then there is a cute little pocket folder in the back. Planners, Goals, New Year, 2017, Plum Paper, Organization, Organized, Business, Custom

I have spent the last few days planning out my planner and I can’t wait to fill it in more! If you are in search of a planner, click here and prepare to fall in planner heaven. Planners gotta plan, right?

Leave a Comment · Labels: Lifestyle, Personal Tagged: 2017, Custom, Goals, New Year, Organization, Photography, Planner, Planning, Plum Paper, Pretty

Hello there! I'm Dana. A wife, a mama to one adorable boy and one crazy Vizsla. I am an essential oil lover who is passionate about living and sharing the natural life. And I enjoy being behind the lens of a camera.

Stay Updated

Topics

  • Essential Oils
  • Lifestyle
  • Oliver
  • Personal
  • Photography
  • Uncategorized
  • Wedding
  • Wellness

Search

Archives

Theme by 17th Avenue · Powered by WordPress & Genesis