Because I'm Not the Only Person Attending This Wedding...

The past two weekends have been fairly successful for members of my family out seeking dresses. Last weekend, my younger sister and maid of honor was able to find the cutest black dress for the wedding. It looks SO good on her (I already warned her not to upstage me!). I don't know where she got it, so I can't post the details, but be warned, it's seriously hot. And I'm jealous.

This weekend, I was out shopping with my mother for her dress. After trying on at least 20 dresses, most pretty classic mother-of-the-bride style, she found a winner. I can't really describe the dress, other than to say it's crazy, but in a really, really good way. It's certainly nothing you would ever expect as a mother of the bride dress, but it looks great on her, and that's really all that matters. I tried finding a picture of it, but no such luck. I did find a picture of her shoes, though, which are doubly awesome because they complement the dress perfectly.




The dress, a combination of black, blue and silver, should look really good in pictures (if you ignore the fact that my dad is wearing a green tie!).


In non-wedding news, Tom's back from 2 back-to-back trips, and I'm SO glad he's home! He's going to get his passport today, so we can check that off the list, too!

Wait, What Color?

I get that reaction a lot when I tell people that my sisters will be wearing black bridesmaid dresses. I know that this is pretty neo-traditional, and certainly not a trend many people have seen yet.

I was pretty confident it would look great when I made the decision, and still am now.

Even more so, now that I've seen these pictures:



See? It doesn't look like a funeral...

A Recap Among Recaps

So this is going to be a ridiculously long, picture-filled post. My apologies.

But, as we stand 4 months out from the wedding, here's the plans/inspiration so far:

This is the bouquet that started it all; Most of my decisions have stemmed from this picture:



The ceremony venue:



The apparel:

The ties for the gentlemen:


The flower girl dresses:

Symbolic of the black dresses my sisters are wearing:

My HOT shoes (but in blue):

The accessories:

The rings:

The paper:

Invitation inspiration (but blue, not pink):




The programs:


The favor boxes:

The details:

Our wine "guestbook":

Our personalized brick:

So I think it's shaping up nicely!

The Attire: Take 2

My mantra throughout this planning process is "Simplify." While I know that I am a fiend for details, this may not always happen, but I'm working on being mellow when it comes to much of the decisions.

For the bridesmaids, I'm being a bit unorthodox. Instead of having them debut in some snazzy aqua taffeta number with a matching sequined hairpiece, I've informed them to arrive wearing a plain-ish black dress, preferably cocktail length. Bonus if it's sleeveless. I don't even care if they've already worn it, as long as it's in good condition. How zen-like of me!


(An example dress from the ever-lovely JCrew.)

I think this idea is going to be best on several different fronts. First, it cuts down on the stress of trying to find a dress that flatters each of them. Second, it prevents the unnecessary spend of $200 on a dress that they won't wear again. Third, I think it will still provide a cohesive, sophisticated look without making them look like they're runaways from a show choir competition gone wrong. I haven't really given much thought to shoes and jewelry, but I'm assuming they'll all just wear simple black shoes (again, bonus if they're strappy or peep toe!), and either pearl jewelry or simple necklaces that I can have my lovely MOH and younger sister, Nicole, design and create for them. In terms of hair/makeup, I decided early on that I won't be using a stylist or makeup artist. I've had bad experiences with the professionals, and always end up re-doing it myself anyway. They're under the same direction. Do what looks best and dress it up a bit.

For the gents:

We're looking into the gents just wearing simple black suits instead of renting tuxes. We'll provide them all with matching (go figure!) ties and pocket squares in our signature blue or green. I like this idea a lot better than tuxes, since I've heard horror stories (and witnessed) wrong orders, ill-fitting tuxes, and mismatched shoes. Since Tom already owns a suit that has been tailored to fit him perfectly (those athletic shoulders mess everything up!), I know that this will be the best option for him. We're going to have to take a poll of the guys and see who already owns suits before we make any decisions, though. :(

As for me:

Le sigh. I still love my dress. Possibly even more than when I first ordered it. So what if it doesn't exactly fit yet? Me and my new buddy Jillian Michaels will fix that problem in no time! :) In late February/March, once I've bought shoes, I plan to visit a seamstress and evaluate what alterations will be needed. I have a sinking feeling that it will need to be hemmed, which I'm not looking forward to. Here's to hoping I grow 2 more inches this month! :-)

Anyone out there with additional thoughts/opinions on attire, jewelry, suits/tuxes, etc.?

Now, Now, No Fighting...

Alas, the arguing of two of my sisters over the maid/matron of honor position has brought up a topic we haven't discusses yet: The Bridal Party.

It almost sounds like a death sentence, doesn't it?

It looks as if we're going to have a bit of a lopsided group...Tom, though he denies it, is a social butterfly who hates to hurt people's feelings. Killer combination when creating a bridal party.

I on the other hand, occasionally known as the Ice Queen at work, could really care less. I find it to be more of a burden than a joy to be a bridesmaid, and don't know why people are so eager to drop hundreds of dollars on a dress, pair of shoes, and jewelry that they'll never wear again (AND NO MATTER WHAT PEOPLE SAY, YOU NEVER REALLY DO WEAR IT AGAIN!).

So, while nothing is finalized, as the wedding really still is a long way away and many things can change, it looks like we'll have 3 girls, 5 boys, and a plethora of young children scampering around.

Despite being extremely anal about pretty much everything, I've actually surprised myself (and Tom) and don't care that we'll be lopsided. Okay, maybe I protested a bit at first, but I acquiesced after about 5 minutes --- probably a record.

Since we're not having a head table, seating isn't really an issue, and as long as the photographer's creative, we'll be fine :) This isn't 1982 (thank God!), so we'll be forgoing matching bridesmaid dresses, bridal party numbers, shoulder pads, and butt bows. Well, except I might make Nicole wear one --- partly as punishment for not reading my blog regularly, and partly to protect her butt in case she falls again!! ;)

Bridesmaid Dresses: Take 2 (or 3?)

I don't really have an idea of what I want for the bridesmaid dresses, which is odd, because I'm usually a pretty particular person. I think I'll know when I see it, though.

And I might have just seen it.

Aria Dresses seems to be a great solution to the bridesmaid dress conundrum:

Colors that appeal to me, styles that look good on all, look that fits with the garden-type feel but matches the formality of my dress, and affordability.

It's a lot to ask for. But as my mother always reminds me, "Ask and ye shall receive."

Look: my colors! And look: eyelet! (it screams "garden party"!)



Okay, so I'm thinking the eyelet might be a little much for my dress, so we should probably stick with the shantung or the duchess satin:




Aaahh, much better. Me likey. **Note to self/photographer: Don't ask bridesmaids to "lean closer" to bride. Resulting picture looks ridiculous.

But wait! Don't we need different styles of dresses in the same colors and fabrics???



Check!!!

And another plus?? Dresses average about $160 for the shorter style and about $190 for floor-length. Holla!

All in the Details...

So as I spend more time looking at pictures, thinking about venues, etc., the vision of the day becomes a clearer picture in my mind. Though I'm prone to changing it often (I've "planned" for at least 4 different places/dates now), I feel fairly certain that this vision will stick.

But that's partly because I've already spent money on the paper for the invites and the dress, so there's no way to turn back now! ;)

So anyhoodle, I've spent some time the past few days thinking about what the wedding would be like at any of the sites below, and the vision is fairly similar. I'd like to stick with the common chord of "garden elegance" but still have the fun, fresh touches that stop this from becoming a stuffy affair.

Idea #1: Lace.

I like lace in small quantities. I certainly don't want it everywhere, lest this look like the special occasion fabric section at a craft store, but I'd like to incorporate it in small touches. For instance, the tables:


(DeNormandie Party Linens)

Please ignore the crazy centerpiece and chair that could double as a fancy toilet. However, please pay special attention to the lace topper. Picture that on top of both pool blue and apple green linens. In my head, I think the blue will look better, but I like the color green more.

I'd also like to incorporate it into the ceremony (if it is outdoors, that is), but having it become part of the canopy (sorta like a chuppa), or even as an aisle runner (in lieu of flower petals).

And I love it at the bottom of this dress too:


(Jenny Yoo Bridal)

Just barely noticeable :)


Idea #2: Flowers.

Fairly self-explanatory, right? Too bad there's this little problem called a BUDGET. So, my thoughts for fresh flower centerpieces without the cost are this:



or actually doing a simple DIY project the night before. I can get vases as cheap as $2 a piece, and we could make a run to Trader Joe's or even a regular grocery store and buy several of their mixed bouquets. They can easily be split in half (or smaller depending on the size of the vases), running the cost to approx. $5 per arrangement.

Sigh. Roses and lace? I really am a lot more girly than I let on to be.

Fodder for the Poll...

Okay, so you may or may not have noticed the new poll to the right. If not, finish reading this, then post.

Below are dresses I love from J.Crew. Now I'm not saying that these will be the dresses, especially since the colors are not exactly what we're going for here, but they suffice for now. Keeping in mind my dress, what color do you think would go best?

Black:


Blue:


Green:

Love It or Hate It? A Bridesmaid Dress Vignette

So below is a dress I found by "facestalking" on facebook. I saw a few girls from college that I knew wearing this at a wedding, and I absolutely loved it. So, I asked for the style and voila: I bring you a dress by Bill Levkoff:





I love the neckline especially, but am not too sure of the hem length. It's the classic "tea length" which is right below the knees, but is bordering close to street length (which means mid-calf, right??). I know this picture doesn't really do justice to the fabric draping and rouching, but it is absolutely fantastic.

Except for the color choices. Ugh. We have the choice of a celadon green or a powder blue. And I love the formality that the black dress gives (not to mention the fact that it actually can be worn again!), but I don't know how that would come off in pictures...

Thoughts/opinions????