Kati & Alex

Oh, what fun this book was to create!! These two have had so many adventures together, it was so hard to narrow them down! This was also my first Story Guestbook to create, so that itself was a fun adventure, and we were all thrilled with the results! 

"I am literally in love. Words can't explain how much we appreciate you making that for us! We are super impressed with all of the design, the attention to detail, and the overall quality and feel of the book. It is all so personalized and really one of a kind!"  - Kati

Yeah, that definitely made me cry a little!! Anyways, I think the funniest part of this whole book is actually towards the beginning. To set the stage, flashback to the times of the first couple iPhones, no #selfies, and of course...Words With Friends!! That's right, folks. Kati and Alex first started "talking" because of Words With Friends. One thing led to another, and soon enough Kati was baking red velvet cookies for her and Alex's first date. And now, they're Mr. and Mrs. Jennings! Hooray and congratulations!!

May or may not have embellished on what their gameboard actually looked like ;)

Alex set up the absolute sweetest picnic ever to propose! So in love with the twinkle lights next to the lake!

How cute was their wedding logo?! Loved that Kati wanted to incorporate it into the guestbook section!

Cassidy & Dalton

These two are such a fun, playful, loving couple! The joy they bring each other and those around them has always been so apparent. Creating this storybook truly felt like writing a fairy tale! 

We've all seen the crazy amazing proposal videos with flash mobs in a mall or such, but I don't think anything has ever topped this magical proposal! Cassidy and her family were on vacation at Disney World (her favorite place ever). Without her knowing, Dalton secretly went there too. Not only did he surprise her in front of Cinderella's Castle – he surprised her on one knee, with a glass slipper holding a ring inside!! Talk about a magical start to their happily ever after! Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Dallas!  

Jordan & Matt

The cat's finally out of the bag – Jordan & Matt are the newest Mr. & Mrs. Hudspith! Their wedding was absolutely beautiful. And now I can share a few snapshots of their custom storybook!

My favorite part of designing their book was definitely their infamous meeting at Buffalo Wild Wings! To give you a little more background, it was Matt's first day back on the job. They happened to run out of regular men's jersey's, so Matt was given a size small women's jersey (hence the mid-drift action). Cue Jordan walking in, laughing with friends, and asking "What is wrong with that guy?!" True love right from the start ;) 

Congratulations again Mr. & Mrs. Hudspith, and enjoy! 

5 Steps To Your Best Storybook

So picking out a few moments to represent a lifetime can be pretty difficult. And how could they possibly be accurately depicted on paper? Good news, it's actually much more simple than you think! With a few tips and tricks, you'll know exactly what to think about in order to get the best, most special storybook possible!

 1. Start with the first and last event. This is usually how your characters met and the big finale (a wedding, anniversary, etc.). Once you have a start and finish to your timeline, it's much easier to work within!

2. Use a mix of events. List some events that are super meaningful, others that are totally random, and others that were fun daily activities! In this way, you'll reflect on a range of times that were all special, but for different reasons. 

3. The more details, the better! It's so easy to skip past the little details when you think about an event, because you've probably been told the story a billion times. But the more details you remember to include, the more accurate the story will be! Think about things like what people would be wearing, if they should be holding anything, what their facial expressions would be, etc.

4. Think about settings and backgrounds. These are just as important as the characters! The backgrounds make the story really come to life. Was the moment outdoors or indoors? Daytime or nighttime? Were the characters alone or at a party? Were there trees, balloons, certain school colors, or animals? The list goes on and on. 

5. Get creative! The best news about a 100% custom storybook? It's 100% custom!! That means you get to request any preferences you might have about the design! Have a particular color scheme in mind? Awesome! Want pages numbered in a little heart? How cute! Care to insert a photograph with the message on the last page? That's great too! It's all up to you - I'm happy to customize to your hearts content! 

Welcome!

HELLO THERE, I'M SO GLAD YOU STOPPED BY!  

I am so incredibly excited to announce the launch of You and Me, Happily! This little website will hopefully make a big impact in helping people capture and hold onto memories forever. We're all about wonderful background stories here, so I guess it's only fitting if I tell the story of how You and Me, Happily started!

HOW IT BEGAN

Once upon a time, my best friend of 15+ years got engaged. I knew I had to come up with an extraordinary wedding gift because of our crazy close friendship -- monogrammed towels or another set of cute coffee mugs just wouldn't do. I tried to brainstorm something that we both have always loved, and that's where happily ever afters came up. But I didn't know where to go from there. Then, that night I literally had a dream that it was the day of her wedding. She had an on-the-spot story book illustrator (do those even exist?!) to make storybooks for the guests. I woke up and thought, "Wow!! Wouldn't it be wonderful if someone could create a story book for Jordan & Matt, to tell their happily every after? That would be the perfect wedding gift!!" I searched and searched with no luck...until the lightbulb moment. If it doesn't exist, why not make it exist? And so You and Me, Happily was born! 

As I begin this adventure into the world of story telling, illustrating, and happily ever afters, I just want to thank you for your support! I am so eager to take this step with you, and capture some lifelong memories on paper. 

MUCH LOVE,

Michelle