I’m launching new podcast! The Localist Podcast launches October 10, and to celebrate, I’m throwing a launch party at Dreamers Supply Co. Since fall is (kinda sorta) in the air, we’ll also have a little sampling of a few of my favorite fall things that Birmingham has to offer — […]
Photo by Morgan Trinker I have a weird history with cars. I didn’t get my license until I was 21, and then I had a Volkswagen Beetle that was broken down more often then it ran. My next car was totaled by someone who wasn’t insured, and the payout wasn’t […]
Photography by Spindle Photography Florals by Edna K Design The getaway vehicle is one of the most important decisions you’ll make at your wedding. Just kidding; it has very little importance in the grand scheme of things. But I still thought it would be nice to leave our wedding in […]
Photography by Spindle Photography Our wedding invitations weren’t incredibly formal (I made them with a rubber stamp), and I didn’t love the idea of asking people to mail a reply card to RSVP. For one thing, extra paper products and extra stamps cost money. But I was also concerned about […]
Photography by Spindle Photography (except for the ones that obviously came from my iPhone) I think we can all agree, at least in theory, that relationships are more important than money. But having a tiny wedding budget and a massive guest list presents its own set of problems. One option […]
Photography by Spindle Photography Marriage is, in part, a financial commitment. Don’t get me wrong — I’m a romantic. Russell and I are in love, and we’re pretty cheesy and sappy about that (well, when we’re alone). But we also got married because we make good life partners. Money is […]
Photo by Spindle Photography It began, as so many wedding stories do, with Pinterest. We’d decided to get married at our friend’s German biergarten, so I looked for German-themed weddings to see which ideas we could use: Lederhosen was a clear no, but those decorate-your-own-pretzel bars — well, that was […]
All photos by Spindle Photography The most important thing about my wedding, to me, was to invite our community into our lives … and the second most important thing was to not spend too much money doing it. (Okay, that wasn’t really the second most important thing, but it was […]
Photos by Spindle Photography For someone who’s not that into weddings, I have a lot of work experience in the wedding industry. I’ve always liked a good side hustle, and I have lots of friends who work weddings, so these opportunities come up every now and again, and I enjoy […]
Photo by Spindle Photography I think a marriage is a commitment between two people, and a wedding is a sort of commitment of its own, between that couple and their broader community. At a wedding, you bring all your people together to witness your promise, to celebrate your plans for […]
It hasn’t been a great time to be related to Carrie Rollwagen. In the past few weeks, I’ve had family members (and friends as close as family) die, get terrible medical diagnoses and survive brutally violent attacks. They say tragedies come in threes, but at this point, we’re heading toward […]