You Can Wear It Again, I Swear {Bridesmaids Dresses}

I have not even started looking at bridesmaids dresses with my maids. That time will come soon enough. In the meantime I have been searching for inspiration. I don't have a image in my mind of what I want them to look like, as I did my own gown, however I have been drawn to images like these:

Photo Credit: H&M, JCrew,  StyleMePretty

Yellow Dresses Photo Credit: Stephanie Williams

Grey Dresses Photo Credit: Jill Thomas, Navy Dresses Photo Credit: BestArticles

One thing is for sure; I want my bridesmaids to look awesome! I have beautiful friends, and I want them (all 8 of them!) to feel confident and comfortable standing by my side on my big day. The one challenge I see in my future is finding affordable dresses for my girls. Any advice on where to shop?

If you haven't seen "27 Dresses" with Katherine Heigl, then rent it. They make a big joke about how brides always promise their maids that they'll love the dress she picked out and that they'll 'totally wear it again.' Well, most of the time this is a joke; most ladies never wear the dress again after dropping $150 or more. The only time I ever reused a bridesmaid dress was with the chocolate brown Vera Wang dress I wore at my dear friend, Katie's wedding. I removed the straps, had a rhinestone broach sewn on the front and rocked it again to a black tie wedding 2 years later, and I got TONS of compliments on it! Hahahaha.... if they only knew ;-)

Have you ever reused a bridesmaids dress? Please, do tell!

Cozy Winter Engagement Photos + Dress Update!

First of all, an update for all you followers out there… I chose the dress!! I went whimsical and am so incredibly excited. I brought another bridesmaid back to the shop where I had originally seen the dress, to try to get a different perspective. I looked in the mirror and realized that I could search all over the state of California and not find anything that comes close to this dress. So (after a minor panic attack) I said, “let’s do it!” I’m really happy and excited about the decision! And now that I can stop thinking about (ok, obsessing over) the dress, I can think about other exciting things…

…Like our engagement photos! We’re taking them this weekend with Ken Kienow, in San Luis Obispo, California.

We booked Ken this fall and scheduled our shoot for the first weekend that we were all free. However, I was a little bit bummed that we wouldn’t be taking them in warm weather. I think I had always imagined taking photos on a warm and sun-kissed day.

Then, I realized how adorable a cozy fall or winter inspired shoot could be. There is something so romantic about this time of year, cuddling up with your honey and sipping coffee on a rainy day.

So we’re taking photos at a coffee shop and I’m really excited to capture that romance!

Here’s some cozy engagement shoot inspiration.

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

And this is the sweater I bought from J. Crew. How perfect is this?!

 Anyone else do winter-themed engagement photos?

Suits vs Tuxes

As we get closer to the wedding (less then 4 months!) we really need to figure out the suit vs. tux situation.  We recently took a trip to Mens Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank  to check out their suit & tux selections.  We're thinking of having all the groomsmen in darker grey suits, and then Tim would be in a lighter grey.  But we're still torn on whether to ask them to each groomsmen tp purchase a suit (we did find some good deals - so the suits would be $200 or a little less) or just have them rent tuxes.   There is not a large selection at all for grey tuxes, in fact there was just one style available and neither of us loved it (it had a weird pattern!)

I also like different ties & shirts to show some personality.

Another option is to have the groomsmen rent black tuxes.  We thought having all the groomsmen (and our dads!) in black tuxes with skinny black ties would look really classy, with Tim in a contrasting light grey.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

My issue with tuxes is that they can't be altered to fit each person, and I find them to be a bit boxy.  Has your groom decided what he's wearing?  Where did he & his groomsmen get their wedding attire?    Did you go with a large retail store, or a smaller shop?  Anyone out there with a good tux rental story?  I'd love to hear about it!

Dress Diaries: {Whimsical vs. Romantic} Sleeping On It

One thing you’ll learn about me is that I am a very methodical planner; I don’t make a lot of “gut decisions”. I consider my options, weigh them, make pros and cons lists….and then decide. My dress shopping experience has not been any different (as annoying as this has probably been to my mom and bridesmaids!)

A few weeks back, I found a fantastic dress, it had everything I wanted. But with this being such a big decision, I wanted to sleep on it. This past Friday, we went dress shopping again with the plan being to either solidify my love for the first dress, or to beat it.

Unexpectedly, I found another fantastic contender and now cannot decide between the two! I’m obviously not going to post them here (my fiancé reads these posts), but I’ve made some style boards that demonstrate the feeling of each dress.

One is whimsical and flowy…

Sources: Couple, Dining, Flowy, Bunting, Dress, Bridesmaids

The other is vintage and romantic…

Sources: Bouquet, Feathers, Kiss, Flowers, Vintage Belt, Outdoor Dining

As my wonderful MOH said, there are worse problems to have. Brides out there – how did you decide on your perfect dress?

I’ve also seen some gorgeous dresses online and on Etsy. Has anyone bought a dress online without trying it on first?

Sources: 1, 2, 3

Desperately Seeking Hairstyle

I have always thought I'd wear my hair down for my wedding.  I wear my hair down 75% of the time, and I want to look like myself on my wedding day - except a little more fancy!  But then I think, will I be too hot dancing?  Will my hair flower look okay?  I bought earrings (that okay, now I'm not feeling so sure about) but if I wear my hair down will they be totally hidden?  I also like a few lowdo's, but I think they look cool from one angle, but plain from the next.  So, will I hate half the pictures?

I'm torn between wearing my hair down and wavy like this:

 or this (which I love so much I'm tempted to go back to my natural color):

Or curled in a low do on one side of my head...

Here are a few more hairstyles I have pinned that I really like.

 

 Simple side ponytail:

 

Or this intricate twisty updo

 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

I bought a tulle birdcage veil, that I'm not entirely sold on.  And a hair flower that is fairly large, that I really LOVE, and am definitely wearing!   I can't show you though, since my fiancé could see it.  Which hair style do you like best?  How did you wear your hair on your wedding day?  Did it take more than one trial to find a style you loved?  I'd love to hear your experiences!

Wedding Veils, Hat, or Flower Crowns

My extensive list of wants and ideas for this wedding is getting a little out of hand. My mom is continually trying to help me focus, which I've done on a few parts of the wedding, but on others, it seems like the inspiration and possible choices are never ending! That brings me to my wedding headgear (not the braces kind).

I've been searching for the perfect reception headpiece for a while now to no avail. It's not because I don't like anything, it's because I LOVE everything. I can't get enough of chiffon flowers, tulle bows, vintage pillbox hats and especially not enough of live flower crowns. Now you can see my true frustration and utter confusion because of the plethora of over-the-top duds to perch on top of my head. I keep telling my roommate that I want something ridiculous because when am I ever going to get the chance to wear a flower the size of my head in my hair ever again? But then I find precious little bobby pins and my vision shifts again.

Here are a few of my favorites (a FEW). Do you have this problem? What are you wearing in your hair? Veil, hat, fascinator, nothing? HELP ME DECIDE!

Also, almost all of these are from Etsy...I am an Etsy fiend!

Clockwise from top left: One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen

P.S. I've already bought my headpiece for the ceremony, but you'll have to wait and see it at the wedding (my attire is the one thing I'm trying to keep secret from JB and let me tell you, keeping it a secret [even if JB doesn't really care] is HARD for me).

Damsel In A Dress

I have a confession to make:  I have never been one of those girls that has dreamt about the details of my wedding day ever since I was little.  Sure, some thoughts have crossed my mind over the years but I never had a clear picture or plan for the big day (of course this changed after meeting my lovely fiancé).  I definitely did not have a clue about the dress!

When it came time to start looking, I wasnt sure about what style I wanted (I just knew what I didn't want).  I think I was hoping for a big ''Say Yes to the Dress'' moment.  However, at the end of every appointment I left saying ''Okay, if I don't find anything better at the next store, this is the one.''  Well, I always found something I liked better at the next store!  As time was running out for me to make a decision, I ended up choosing a dress that was so completely different than anything I envisioned myself wearing.  I'd be lying if I said that I feel completely at ease with my choice...I am hoping that when I have my first fitting in March I'll feel some of that magic I was expecting after watching so many shows!  Has this ever happened to anyone else?  Did you have any regrets or second thoughts after saying yes to your dress?

Since we're on the topic, here are some of the dresses I thought could have been ''the one.''  Enjoy!

(Watters WTOO "Oliva")

(La Sposa "Delfos")

(Isabella Chessari "I231104")

(San Patrick "Rima")

(personal photos by me)

PS:  You may have noticed a guy standing in the mirror in some of my pics...yep, that's my fiancé! He attended all but one of my dress appointments...have I mentioned that we're a little untraditional? ;)

Romantic Dresses For Your Bridal Party

This collection is so simple, sweet and romantic. This would be perfect for bridesmaids (a little mix and match of colors never hurt anyone!) or for a casual bride rocking something simple and awesome as her bridal gown.

A Little Celeb Bling

Today we are going to have a little fun, because who doesn't like looking at gorgeous unaffordable rings all day :) The hundreds of thousands of dollars of bling here is just totally amazing! Tons of celebs have million dollar rings, and honestly most of them are just not my style, price tag or not. I have picked a few designs that I literally love with all my heart.

Which one is your favorite?

Credit

Hayley Paige :: Romantic + Whimsical + Couture

Oh how I LOVE wedding dresses, especially the uber couture awesome ones. And seeing as this collection is brand new from Hayley Paige, one of the designers behind Melissa Sweet, I am even more obsessed, for obvious reasons.

 I can't wait to see what is up ahead for this brand new line Hayley Paige.

This lovely collection popped up at Bridal Market (which is on my list of to-do's for next year) and I'm totally in love. The style is whimsical and romantic and still totally couture. That's what I love about wedding dresses, and probably why I only fall in love with super high end ones. I need the texture and the draping to be effortless. Even more so now with the loss of Priscilla of Boston, we need more amazing emerging designers and wonderful collections like this, without all the diamonds and satin. Couture wedding dresses just can't become a thing of the past!