After October

Our Wedding

2009-11-17T09:49:00.001-06:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

OUR WEDDING DAY!!

2009-10-18T10:05:00.001-05:00

good morning friends & family!! oh how i LOVE wedding pictures (especially my own)!! our fabulous photographer will have our pictures up in a couple of weeks at www.catherinemayo.com but in the meantime we'd love for you to share your pictures with us!! you can upload them at www.photobucket.com (& don't forget to take some for yourselves...papa pitt's pics are already up!!)

go to: www.photobucket.com

username: vinceandbrittney

password: ourwedding

& enjoy!!

thanks to all who braved the cold & shared our special day!! we are both truly blessed to call you friends!! we love you all!!

-vince & brittney lovell :):):)

MY ENGAGEMENT PICTURES!!!!

2009-06-19T14:12:00.027-05:00

ahhhh i'm so excited these are here!! we'd been planning to do these since february but picking a time that works with our schedules and alabama weather proved to be difficult. we had cancelled our pictures with our precious photographer at least three times and i was determined that no matter what, we were not backing out this time. the day of the pictures, i woke up to my hair's worst nightmare-pouring down rain :/but instead of pouting, vince and i tried to make the best of it and went shopping all day to try and find some rain boots and an umbrella to improvise with our pictures. no luck but one of my friends said she had some cowboy boots, so at last minute we went for the country look-check out vince in those tight jeans bahaha!! that's real love:):) and thank you jesus, the rain stopped just in time for our shoot:)

for those of you interested, our photographer is catherine mayo. an adorable, spunky lady that was literally rolling around on the wet, mosquito filled grass to get these shots!! i'd highly recommmend her!!

and here's a video with the entire shoot...

mmm...the POWER of prayer!!

2009-06-15T09:56:00.020-05:00

the two books pictured above have revived my prayer life and allowed the amazing power of God to work in my relationship with vince. let me start out by saying, vince has always been a wonderful, praying man of God-i on the other hand, had some issues coming into the relationship that i tried to fix myself-very bad idea...i’ve found that as much as i think i know the best way to handle a situation-my control of it never really works...after many moments of frustration, i've thought to myself that there has to be a better way and that way is PRAYER!! don’t just say you’ll pray..but REALLY pray…prayer has this amazing ability to focus our attention on eternal (really worth it) issues…for me, it's a choice i make to close my mouth to what i think i should say and open my heart to what God says i should say. prayer distracts my thoughts long enough so that I can allow the Lord to renew my mind and give me patience and a new perspective on the situation-it helps me to remember that God is the best one to be in control. i lived my relationship long enough without prayer to know that it is necessary. vince and i adore each other but we are imperfect-we both have many faults(some you know going into the relationship and some you just didn't sign up for) but in those weaknesses, God is so SO very strong and prayer opens up God's hands to give you that strength.

my verse: Psalm 73:26 "My flesh and my heart may fail, BUT God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

i can't begin to tell you how much this verse means to me. my flesh fails, my heart and emotions deceive me, my own choices have led me down dead ends, BUT God is the STRENGTH of my heart and my portion forever. by portion this means HE is our provider-when we lose our strength, HE provides, when we lose our patience, HE provides, when we lose the feelings, HE provides, and when we need His grace & forgiveness, HE provides. it's powerful!!

dress shopping in ATL :):)

2009-05-17T10:24:00.030-05:00

finally...FOUND MY DRESS!!

mom, sis, a friend, and i all took a 3 day road trip in search for the perfect dress. although the trip had several unexpected surprises, the end result was fabulous!! although i can't give details on the dress quite yet, i do have a few tips for any brides to be...

9 things to know before hitting the road

1. look online-don't buy online, but look at all the designers & see which ones fit your style. most boutiques only carry a few designers, so you will save bookoos of time if you do your research. here's a fabulous site to get you started.

2. thank you jesus for atlanta-the atl has top designers that are only found in a handful of states. after visiting several shops these are my three faves...
priscilla of boston
kelly's closet
bridals by lori

3. never under any circumstances use mapquest-although mapquest works magic in bham it is useless in atlanta. it literally took us 2 hours to get to one shop which turned out to be 10 minutes from our hotel :/ if you have a gps use it and if not i've heard google maps is good.

4. & speaking of appointments-make sure you make them-they are super strict on this because most boutiques only want one bride at a time in their shops which does make you feel special...around a month in advance is a good guestimate...

5. SALES!! if you go to each boutiques website, you will get the scoop on upcoming events. trunkshows are fab-these are when one particular designer brings her newest line to a shop to display just for a few days-if you buy from this designer during those days, you usually will get around 10% off the dress. but some of the best bargains can be gotten during sample sales-these are when the dresses that everyone tries on are for sale AS IS usually 50% off!! (sample sale sizes usually range from 10 to 14)

6. oddly enough wedding gowns are sized bigger. the general rule is to take the dress size you wear now and add 4 to it. so if you're a size 6 normally, you'd wear a size 10 in wedding gowns.

7. no purchase no pics-once you're in the boutiques, you unfortunately cannot video or take pics unless it is the dress you intend to buy-i know it's a bummer but supposively it's a rule made by the designers.

8. try on dresses that don't fit your preconceived perfect dress. you'd be surprised at the results. i for one thought a mermaid style dress was out of the question-but i tried one on just for fun & the corset in the dress creates curves!! you may not be able to breathe on your wedding day but you will look amazing!!

9. have fun & happy shopping!!

engagement 101

2009-05-05T17:22:00.021-05:00

got some exciting news i'm super pumped about!! our engagement story will be featured in the upcoming Fall edition of Engagement 101 magazine:):):) i'll keep ya'll updated so you can check it out!!

& here's some blogs that have posted about us too!! :):)

http://engagement101mag.wordpress.com/2009/05/05/real-proposal-vince-and-brittney/

http://www.onewed.com/blog/savvy-scoop/2009/05/05/proposal-story-sure-make-you-weep

meet the PARTY:):)

2009-04-25T22:55:00.007-05:00

the kiddos

Xander: Ringbearer (trina's cute kiddo)

Riley: RingBearer's Girl (my future niece)

Rayna: FlowerGirl (another of trina's kiddos)

my BEAUTIFUL bridesmaids

TABITHA: maid of honor
relationship to bride: little sis
described in one word: PURE
what makes her beautiful: she's a light for Jesus-a light that is evident from a distance, without saying a word, you know somethings different about that girl (in a good way tabby) :)

HALEY: bridesmaid
relationship to bride: my bestest buddy
described in one word: GENUINE
what makes her beautiful: okay i'm a little biased on this girl but she's the real deal. beautiful inside & outside & someone that has been undeniably changed by God. she's what we call in birmingham ON FIRE for Jesus:) she's one of those people that you always leave their presence a little better than you came.

RACHAEL: bridesmaid
relationship to bride: my sweet friend
described in one word: PRECIOUS
what makes her beautiful: anyone that knows rachael, can't help but be touched by who she is. she wears her heart on her sleeve & oh what a beautiful heart that is. truly the heart of the father.

AMI: bridesmaid
relationship to bride: mentor & friend
described in one word: LOVE
what makes her beautiful: when i think of ami, i think of this verse... "no greater love than this that a man lay down his life for his friend." she lives her life as a platform so that others can shine. what a woman and what an amazing man God's got in store for this one!!

BRITTANEY: bridesmaid
relationship to bride: faithful friend
described in one word: SERVANT
what makes her beautiful: awww B!!!!! this is the most absolute, selfless, wants zero credit for anything (& that's why i'm giving it) stinkin AWESOME woman of God. i've never seen a woman serve like she does-with no reward but to make her Jesus smile. truly one of God's highly favored.

VON: bridesmaid
relationship to bride: friend of the whole fam:)
described in one word: STRONG
what makes her beautiful: the bible talks about that having a quiet & meek spirit is precious in the Lord's sight. von lives this verse. i once thought that meekness meant "no talking" but i've learned differently from von. meekness actually means controlled strength-having the ability to say something but choosing not to; it's picking your battles. this is what makes a woman strong.

TRINA: bridesmaid
relationship to bride: frugalicious friend
described in one word: FABULOUS :)
what makes her beautiful: this is what a proverbs 31 woman is!! gah, trina makes most us women look lazy. she's got two adorable kiddos & works full-time & somehow manages to be one hot mama & a fabulously frugalicious wife!! i don't know how she does it but vince intends on leaving me at their place till i learn a few things :) ha!! (i am zero domesticated)

CHRISSY: bridesmaid
relationship to bride: future sis in law
described in one word: MERCIFUL
what makes her beautiful: everytime i see chrissy, she is a ball of energy, which absolutely amazes me-the woman's got 3 kiddos & practically 3 full-time jobs to juggle. most of us would have a melt-down but she cares so much for her girls that she's willing to lay her life down to give them the absolute best. awesome mama!!

OUR VENUE!!

2009-04-20T22:45:00.000-05:00

check out the GORGEOUS venue!!! Rosewood is a precious place in Pinson, AL. the owners renovated a historic home from the 1920's into a breathtaking wedding venue equipped with several outdoor & indoor spaces to host a dream wedding!! the property includes an outdoor ceremony site, a tent for the reception, an area inside the beautiful home for cake cutting, & a brand new ballroom for dancing!! the new owners, renee & bill mikell run the whole show-ceremony, reception, food, decor, you name it they do it-renee is a personal friend who loves what she does & does it with excellence. couldn't have imagined a better location!!

how it all began...

2009-04-05T12:10:00.007-05:00

how i met vince.

i met vince at a time in my life when my relationship with God was more because i feared Him than loved Him. i always had one foot in church and the other foot out the door and i'm pretty sure vince just had both feet out:) i remember him taking me on “dates” to buffalo wild wings and me dragging him to church the next morning. (i absolutely 100% don’t recommend this:)-it doesn’t work) we argued on a daily basis & both grew to be so miserable & somehow i assumed this was love. but deep down we knew we could never make each other happy; we knew that there had to be something or someone out there better for us. God had such a better plan.

my incredibly persistent little sister invited us to the basement in birmingham every week for two years and every week for two years we said no :) & then one week it all changed. she told vince they were starting a guys small group & he should go. i was so used to hearing no, that you can imagine my shock when he actually said he'd think about it!! i remember staring at my sister in disbelief & thinking i better not get too excited or he’ll change his mind. but vince went & when he came back, i knew everything would be different. we broke up the next week after dating for two years and although we talked on and off for a few months, God told us both to let each other go, so we did. easier said then done but God definitely was with us every step of the way. He needed to teach us how to really love not just each other but ourselves and everybody else.

on a side note, when you know that you are loved by the creator of the universe, it's a big deal!! when you know that He's real, then you will no longer fear dying & you'll finally really live your life with purpose. & the only purpose that will ever satisfy you is to love Him & love people. the truth is that if you can learn to love someone who doesn't love you back (those people that make life difficult but you love them anyway) then when God does send you who you're supposed to be with, you'll understand how to truly love them; when all the butterflies are gone, you'll still have a love that is grounded on God, an unfailing love. i believe many people never fully experience the love that God intended for them to have in their relationships-but it is available to us all!!

the next two years were the best years of our lives. we weren't together but we were so satisfied in God. vince and i worked side by side in ministry serving and loving people but honestly, i was quite happy as a single girl. little did i know that God's perfect plan was to bring vince back to me all brand new. although i never imagined vince ever being in my life again, now that he’s mine, i couldn’t imagine it any other way. we knew from the moment we got back together that this love was different; we were two different people. God had given us a love that we had dreamed of all our lives but never knew existed. only by His grace, i was blessed with my leader, my soulmate, my best friend, and the love of my life. God's grace is so amazing!!

The PROPOSAL!!!

2009-04-01T19:45:00.001-05:00

Just this past Valentine's Day, Vince told me he wanted to cook dinner for me at his house instead of going out to eat because he was still "saving up" for my ring. Being an understanding girlfriend :) & of course under the circumstances, I said that would be just fine. I came over to his house that afternoon (apparently a little early) & he told me to just hang out upstairs while he got the downstairs ready for our Valentine's date. For the next two hours, he's up and down the stairs, cooking and cleaning, and honestly the whole time I am COMPLETELY clueless that he's getting it ready for a proposal (& of course that may have something to do with the fact that he told me he was still saving up for the ring--but i'll let that one slide)...So with dinner done, he takes my hand & walks me downstairs. He opens the door and the entire downstairs is decorated like a fancy restaraunt-candles lit, pretty music, and a little table for two. We talked over a beautiful dinner and the whole time he was a bit nervous but before the Lord would let me think too much into it, I saw my present:) It was a gift bag which of course I wanted to open immediately but he asked if he could do something for me first. After sitting me in his living room, he left and returned with a bowl full of water. In the past, our Valentine's dates with each other ended up ugly, and this year he told me he wanted to do something special to show me how different his love was. He said he wanted to wash my feet to show me that he wanted to serve me and love me his entire life. Still clueless at this point, he gets on his hands and knees and washes my feet- & at first I was a little freaked out in my head because I've usually got walmart feet but thank you Jesus they were clean & painted for our date:) (oh & if you're lost about the whole foot washing-totally understandable-back in Jesus day, one of the lowest positions a person could have was to be a foot washer-as the men would come into the homes, these servants would take the men's sandals off and wash the dirt off their feet-When Jesus lived, as an act of service, He washed all 12 of His disciple's feet-basically saying that although He was God in the flesh, He did not come to Earth to be the greatest but rather a servant. True love first serves.) Okay, so my feet are clean and he tells me that he wants to open the present for me. He pulls out all my favorite candies & then a children's book which he said he wanted to read to me. I was in tears after seeing the cover because it was a cartoon of a prince and a princess that looked just like me & Vince. It was a fairytale based on our story that He had written and published just for me!! I loved the book so much that we created it into a video for yall to see. (& the title of the book are our nicknames-i know they're wierd:) his idea)...

*& to see the video MUCH bigger, go to the link below-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ag-Xs7ndlRs

The last page he read to me was the prince asking the princess to be his wife and it ended with "and her answer will be..." I remember flipping the page looking for her answer and FINALLY figuring out that he was really waiting on mine. (I KNOW it took me a minute but it was all God because I always wanted my proposal to be a total surprise) I looked up from the book to find him on one knee, crying, with a little box in his hand. He was so nervous he had to catch his breath on my shoulder and didn't even open the ring until after he asked me :):) He finally held it together long enough to ask me to marry him and OF COURSE I said yes!!!! I think I was saying yes the whole time because I hate to see him cry:) He took my hand, kissed me, and pulled me to the "dance floor" where we slow danced to a beautiful song. The night was beyond perfect!!! It was truly the fairytale I'd always dreamed it would be!!!

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11