Our second wedding anniversary is coming up next week and I can hardly believe it. It feels like just yesterday that I was in Minneapolis, packing up for a week in Virginia followed by a week in the Dominican Republic. So much has happened in the past twenty-four months and I am so excited for the road ahead--but my super nostalgia-loving self will be spending the days leading up to our anniversary reflecting back on the fun we had planning our wedding and celebrating with all our family and friends.

It was kind of a fun coincidence that Helen from Borrowed & Blue, a wedding resource with some great information on North Carolina weddings checked in with me to see if I'd be willing to answer some questions about our (Virginia) wedding, blogging, and living in Charlotte! Here's what she had to say:

“The moment I caught a glimpse of Freckled Italian, I knew I’d found my new favorite blog. There are so many things to love about Megan’s work. First, she is an adorable, genuine person, and it comes across in her writing. Whether she’s talking about the latest recipe she made or about her silly pup and husband duo, I find myself totally immersed in her world! I could hardly wait to sit Megan down to ask her about her aesthetic, life in North Carolina, and some fun wedding questions, just in time for her wedding anniversary! While Borrowed & Blue is the insider guide to finding your wedding vendors and inspiration, there’s nothing better than reaching out to wedded experts, like Megan, for some real reflections on life, post-nuptials. I’m thrilled for everyone to read Megan’s thoughts!”

— Helen, Borrowed & Blue's North Carolina Market Specialist

Here's my Q&A with Borrowed & Blue:

For friends who might be reading your blog for the first time, describe your style in six words.

Straightforward, simple, comfortable, neutral, and fun.

Can you give us a bit of background about how you got into blogging?

Sure! I started my blog in 2008 and it was mostly just an online journal (shout out to any of you who have been reading Freckled Italian since it was "some things about megan"). I wrote about my time in college, and then as I started working and going to graduate school I slowly turned it into the site it is today!

Before we get into wedding questions: Megan, you are one savvy, adorable lady. Who/what are some of your style inspirations?

That is so kind of you to say, thank you! I have a big style crush on Regina Spektor--I like how she manages to be classic and quirky at once; and I've gathered a lot of capsule wardrobe inspiration from Caroline of Unfancy.

Happy anniversary to you and Rob! How did you two meet?

Thank you so much! We met at a Halloween party in college. I was dressed as a sailor and he was Waldo. We both went to high school in the same city but didn't meet until college, so we had a lot of friends in common.

What was the most memorable aspect of your wedding?

I will never forget how cool it was to see all of our friends and family in one place--one of my favorite parts of our wedding video is this very small clip where one of Rob's friends is shaking hands with someone before he sits down at his table. I just loved seeing everyone and it was so humbling to have our marriage be the catalyst that brought all of our people together.

As far as details go, I think wearing my mom's dress will always be the most memorable aspect. We spent a lot of time on the details and so many family heirlooms and symbols made their way into our ceremony and reception.

When you and Rob were deciding what you wanted your wedding to be like, what was your North Star--in other words, what was most important to you, and how did you keep that in mind throughout the planning process?

We just wanted it to be relaxing and fun, which is what we kept coming back to. An outdoor ceremony and reception, vintage but non-fussy details, and a gorgeous buffet dinner helped make that happen. We knew we had pulled it off when all our guests started letting loose on the dance floor.

One last wedding question: Do you have any post-nuptial advice you'd like to share? 

It's easier said than done, but don't sweat the small stuff. Get as organized as you can from the start and the rest of the wedding planning will go smoothly. Take time to really enjoy being engaged and planning the wedding--it's a once in a lifetime privilege and you want to be able to look back on it and smile.

You're really interested in cooking and I've loved reading through your recipes and recaps of dishes you've cooked. What draws you towards cooking for others, and food writing, in particular? 

I come from a family where food matters. My mom instilled a love of cooking in me and my brother from a young age, and my brother is one of the best cooks I know. We never got to know our grandpa Albino but apparently he knew his stuff in the kitchen, so my brother and I always like to say that feeding and entertaining people is our way of communing with him.

And I love food writing because it combines two of my biggest passions--writing and eating. I really enjoy sharing recipes because it gives me the opportunity to help someone make something delicious for people they love.

Charlotte is chock full of great restaurants! Do you have any particular favorites that you'd like to share with us? 

Yes it is! My favorite places are Customshop (get the Brussles sprouts and the bread pudding) and Soul Gastrolounge (hard to get into but if you get a table make sure to order the pork belly tacos). We also go to Bakersfield a lot, and I'm a huge fan of Not Just Coffee. If you're anywhere near Davidson, North Carolina (about half an hour north of Charlotte), please go to Kindred and just get one of everything.

Describe something that sets Charlotte apart from other places you've lived. 

Charlotte is a great city because it's still trying to figure out what it is. This bothered me a lot when we first moved here from Minneapolis, but I decided to be open-minded and realized that while at first glance Charlotte feels brand new and awfully corporate, there is actually a really awesome food scene and creative community here. It's a big city with a small-town feel, and I'm constantly running into people at the grocery store or coffee shop, which I love.

Thanks so much for the interview, Helen! If you're planning a wedding in North Carolina, make sure to check out Borrowed & Blue sometime!

We got married a year ago.

There have been good times, bad times, laughter, tears, great food, busy Mondays, lazy weekends, and so many wonderful memories these past 365 days. We moved, we got a dog, Rob got a promotion, my self-employment continued, and we found ways to love each other a little more every single day.

Life with Rob is so good, and I look forward to a beautiful future, but today we're looking back on what was truly one of the happiest days of our lives (so far).

Details + Getting Ready // First Look // Bridal Party // Ceremony // Reception // Golden Hour Portraits

Happy anniversary, Rob--you are my health, my wealth, my happiness.

My wedding dress and I fell in love immediately (it was my mom's), but I spent some time trying to figure out what shoes I wanted to wear when I got married last year. Our ceremony was going to be outside and Rob is quite a bit taller than me, so I knew I needed high heels that were substantial enough for me not to sink into possibly damp grass. I thought about wedges but never really found any I liked enough, and I kept coming back to a favorite pair of leather pumps I used to wear to work every day. "If only I could find a pair exactly like these, just a little more special," I kept saying.

I had a brown pair and a nude pair of these pumps from J.Crew, and the nude ones had been worn to pieces. I had actually stopped wearing them because they looked so bad, and when I was about to throw them away I decided to try a little craft on them first. So with a bit of Mod Podge and a whole lot of glitter, I managed to create the perfect pair of wedding shoes.

I'm going to show you how I did it because I am really not super crafty, but these were so easy and I absolutely loved making them. (And the supplies only cost me about $15!)

Supplies:

• An old pair of shoes
• Mod Podge Glue, Gloss Finish
• Glitter (I went with a larger glitter in silver)
• A paintbrush
• Masking tape
• Mod Podge Clear Acrylic Sealer

Instructions:

1. Tape the soles with masking tape--you don't really have to do this but if you're worried about getting glue on the bottom, it makes life a little easier for you.
2. In a paper bowl, pour some Mod Podge and mix quite a bit of glitter into it. I didn't measure and just kept adding glitter until I could tell that there was more than just glue in there.
3. Brush the glitter-glue mix onto each shoe. Do two or three coats. Let it dry overnight. Remove tape.
4. The next day I felt like they looked pretty good, but I wasn't completely happy with the amount of sparkle. I added another coat of Mod Podge (glitter-less, this time) and then just poured loose glitter on each shoe. That did the trick.
5. Use the acrylic sealer to spray a coat or two on top of the final layer of glitter. If you're wearing a short dress, you're good to go, but since my dress is long, I added a few extra coats so that the rough glitter wouldn't snag the lining of my gown.

Note: This post was originally published in December of 2013 but I'm reposting it today with some new photos taken by our wedding photographer and a little copy editing. I broke these bad boys out for New Year's Eve last week and got so many compliments and had so much fun saying "Thanks, I made them!" that I wanted to revisit this post. (The formatting of the comments from last year are a little wonky because they were posted before I switched to Squarespace.) If you make a pair of your own, let me know!