Before I get to the sappy part of this post, aren’t those engagement photos beautiful?!

I have a few people to thank for making this shoot so fairy tale-esque.

Adria Lea Photography. Adria is not only an amazing wedding photographer, she is also my older sister. She and my brother-in-law will both be shooting my wedding this summer. Not because it will be free, but because they are the best there is (and I truly believe that)!! Her rates are amazing, so if you are looking for a photographer in the DFW area then you should contact her ASAP!

Wild Rose Events. Domonie at Wild Rose Events made my flower crown. She is such a talented florist and I will bringing her with me to Canada for my wedding!! We met briefly to discuss what I want for my wedding, and she pulled tons of pinterest ideas and drew sketches. By the end of the meeting, she captured exactly what I was looking for before I even knew what I was looking for!! Does that make sense? She told me about moss chandeliers and birchwood candle holders (swoon). Seeing everything she has set in motion in June is one of the things I am most excited for! This flower crown was exactly what I wanted. Classy, minimal, festive. The holly berries were such a brilliant idea! If you need a florist guys, she is your gal!!! Contact her now at domonie@wildroseevents.com.

Rachel Zoe. Their team is incredible. They gifted me this gorgeous white gown that made me feel like a princess. You will be seeing their dresses even more as my wedding date gets closer! If you have any events coming up, make sure to check their site first!!

Mizzen + Main. Troy literally has about 12 Mizzen + Main shirts in his closet. It is the only thing he wears. I had never heard about it until I met him, but it seems like the brand has really grown because now I see their shirts all the time! He loves them because the shirts are soooo breathable. He has to wear a suit to work everyday and the shirts help him stay cool. I reached out to them and asked for this red checkered shirt for the shoot! They made the shoot better by making Troy feel comfortable (we all know how important that is!)

2017- Bring It

2017 is going to bring so many changes. Is it crazy to say this is going to be the best year of my life?

2016 had it’s moments t00 ;). I got engaged, bought a car with cash, reached 90,000 Instagram followers, moved in with my fiance, my sister started medical school, my older sister started fostering, and so much more.

2017 already has it beat. Why? BECAUSE I QUIT MY JOB!!! Can you believe it? I quit my job to actually work for myself. I think I tell myself that about 100 times a day because it just hasn’t sunk in. I don’t think it will until I wake up on the 16th and realize that I don’t have to go into work!

What’s my plan?

Resolutions is a hard word. Plus it may just be a jinx. I can never complete my resolutions. Instead, I will tell you some things I HOPE to do in 2017.

• Travel more. All I have been doing the last few months at work is research places to travel in 2017. On my list so far: Amalfi Coast, Paris, Bermuda, Portugal, Iceland, Canada, NYC, and many more. I plan on traveling up the Eastern coast from Savannah to Myrtle Beach. I want to take a road trip to Marfa, see Napa, spend a weekend out in Palm Beach.
• Charity. I want to do more for different charities. I want to do more acts of service. I want to volunteer more.
• Decorate a home. Can you believe I moved in to my condo on Nov and it is completely empty? Who has the time?? I am so excited to finally have time to decorate this condo. Yes, we plan on moving out again this year, but that doesn’t mean I can’t make this house a home in the short time we are here!
• Plan my wedding. I think my coordinator sent a list of everything I should have done by now and mayyyybe two things are checked off the list. Venue check, band check, dress check. Hmmm what else?? So glad to finally have time to plan this wedding!!!
• Be more present. I want Troy to see me less on my phone. This means I need to be more organized and schedule more stuff out.
• Hire a team. By 2018 I want to have at least two employees. How crazy is that. I will start saying WE instead of I!!

EEEEEEkkk writing that all out got me sooo excited! I have so many people wanting me to write a blog post on how I got here. That is hard to do. Truth is, a lot of people just aren’t willing to do what I did to get here. My friendships suffered, my sleep schedule suffered, and I have tons of grey hair (but realllllly)!!

I worked about 12 hours a day every single day. I didn’t take a day off. If you are willing to put in that kind of work and time, then you can be here too!

Looking forward to 2017 with you guys. I will have more time to get personal and to get to know you better. I will have more time for creative content and curated posts. I cannot wait to see where 2017 takes The Miller Affect and I hope you will follow along!

PS: look for one of these engagement photos to appear on my Save the Dates, which will be featured on another post coming next week!

xoxo Amanda