sarah's wedding

My closest cousin, Sarah, is getting married this weekend!  And THAT is a custom sketch of her wedding dress that I commissioned by the amazing Megan Hamilton.  (Isn't that dress unbelievable?  It is PERFECT for my glamorous cousin ....I can't wait to see her in it!!)

Growing up, the two of us were absolutely inseparable...even though we grew up 5 hours away from each other.  We would cry when we would hug each other goodbye, and we would write pen pal letters to each other between family trips to each other's houses.  We were always partners in crime.

Tommy, Clara and I will be flying across the country to attend her beautiful wedding.  I know I am totally going to cry...I always cry.

Plus...I cant' wait to see my family!!

*update:  freaking bad weather and TORNADOES have cancelled our flight out of New York :-(  At this point we don't know how/when we will get to Arizona!!  Picture me all sorts of heart broken and upset.

wedding dress shopping

via OneLove

I accompanied my friend to a sweet little wedding boutique this weekend.  The goal was to find her a wedding gown for her upcoming September wedding.

The consultant nearly freaked out when she heard that her wedding was only a few short weeks away...and they typically need 6 to 9 months to order a dress!  So...her only option was to buy off the rack...which meant she had to find a dress that pretty much fit as is (small alterations would be possible, however).  The two of us were kindof nervous...would she find something she liked?  What if she didn't!?  There aren't a whole lot of options around here.  And, I was so surprised by the time frame the consultant quoted...6 to 9 months seems like a LONG TIME!? 

Needless to say, every dress she tried on looked stunning!  And she found her dream dress that afternoon!  It was so fun to experience that again...wedding dresses are so magical.   (There were a few other brides in their, with huge entourages, and it was amazing to see all of the huge smiles and giggles and excitement as those brides-to-be tried on their beautiful dresses.  It was quite a lovely experience to see.)

I forgot how expensive dresses are, ohmygod.

I remember back to my own wedding dress adventure.  I love love loved my gown.  All lacy and sparkly and form fitting...nothing that I ever thought I would ever want.  My wedding was kindof funny that way...took all of my preconceived notions of what I thought I wanted and spun them on their heads.  Turns out I guess I did want a little bit of fairy tale at my wedding...and feeling like a princess was pretty fun. 

lacey bolero

via here

I'm going to a couple weddings this summer.  Very excited!  I pulled out my dressier dresses this weekend to have a lil looksy...and...well...now I am in the market for a bolero or fancy cardigan or something.  (It's been a couple years since I've been a member of a gym, or did any hardcore lifting routines...so my bod is a little "softer" than it once was.)

I hit up Etsy....there were lots of fancy lace and tulle and satins and such...just beautiful boleros everywhere.  And then I saw that one...and I HAD to have it - because I can wear it with EVERY DRESS I own!  Even little sundresses.  It is just gorgeous. 

And then I saw the price.  $329. 

So I'm still in the market for pretty little bolero. 

i wore a hat...in public...and I liked it.

it wasn't until we were on the way home that I figured out I had Clara's hat on wrong all day...the little straps come through little holes on the side of the brim...ooops...motherhood fail.

We took Clara to the zoo in Syracuse this past weekend (great little zoo by the way!).  It was sunny and warm out.  I wore a wide brimmed hat while we were walking around the zoo - something I'm pretty sure I NEVER would have done as a younger lady...I would have felt silly...not fashionable...and I would have ended up with an even frecklier face and possibly a sunburn.

Lemme tell you...that hat was a life saver.  I didn't care that I was the only female under 50 rocking a sun hat!   It kept me SHADED...which was AMAZING.   No sunburns.  No over-heating.  No complaining to my husband about the sun beating down on my skin.  No running from shade source to shade source. 

I think I've found my new summer outdoor activity accessory.  And not just for the beach!  Are you a hat person? 

the monkeys are always a hit - moments after this was taken Clara laid herself on the ground to take a nap...lovely.

the penguins were social and flirty - Clara became fast friends with this little guy

if I had an anthro wedding

Whoa - was cleaning out my blog files and found THIS post that actually never got posted.  It was composed on 2/23/11 - well over a year ago - and yet I still think these selections are beautiful.  Figured I may as well share it now....what the heck?


I told my friend Linda that I wasn't going to post about the gorgeous new bridal line from Anthropologie:  BHLDN....because everyone else is posting about it.  But...during a little study break this weekend I moseyed over to the site and decided to indulge myself in a little fantasy where, "if I had an BHLDN wedding, this is what I would desire."

So these are my picks...because fantasies are fun too...

the dress - I am such a sucker for eyelet...nothing is so sweet in my eyes.

BUT - I think this dress is to die for...and if a swanky city wedding was my style it would be my dream dress.

subtle bling in all the right places - and totally wearable one zillion times ($200 - wowza for flip flops though!)

this wispy lil bolero

oooolala - a botanical garden headband (probably wouldn't really wear one in real life...BUT I would in my fantasy world.)

 I love bold bracelets...maybe it's because I never get to wear any...this one is rad.

  pretty little sparkly things

seed pearls...so pretty with that dress

That was pleasant.

nerd glasses

playing around with the mirror tool to "try on" frames - these were my favorite.

I am in the market for a new pair of eyeglasses. I've had metal frames...and tended to opt for a sleeker, professional look when selecting them in the past.  Never bold colors.  Nothing too crazy.  

I am always overwhelmed with the selection of glasses frames designs to choose from.  My mom has a solution for that - she has tons of different frames...in all colors and patterns and shapes.  Some of hers even have rhinestones....and she rocks them!  I don't think I am in the market for rhinestones quite yet.

I must admit, I am drawn to the "nerdy" glasses look right now.  Is this because I am a blogger and see pictures of cute smart bloggers wearing such things??   Design bloggers can get away with all sorts of funky and spirited style moves...I tend to wear clothes I bought at Gap a few years ago...my style isn't exactly cutting edge. 

hummm....or these?

I've been playing around with the Virtual Mirror at GlassesUSA.com - where I uploaded a picture of myself and "virtually" tried on several different frames.  FUN.  Have you ever purchased online eyeglasses?  I think I may have to give this a go.

PLUS they have a discount code available for 10% off - code:  BLOG10

kate

Kate wore the most gorgeous dress!  It is an Alexander McQueen wedding gown designed by Sarah Burton.

Oh - I just love it!!  Instantly reminded me of Princess Grace's dress.

And Prince William looked so dashing.

I love weddings.

the bridal bustier that wasn't

OneLovePhoto

I bought a bustier for my wedding.  Personally, I thought it was sexy as hell.  It sorta sucked me in a little bit - made me stand up straighter...and it made my boobs look just a teeny bit bigger...all things I thought I needed in order to pull off my dress. 

The day of the wedding came and the bustier didn't work.  I tried it on at the bridal boutique, and it fit flawlessly...yet in "real" life it kept showing when I would walk and move.  AND it actually gave me back cleavage... yuck.  So...I took it off moments before the ceremony.  Doing so instantly removed my back fat...and helped me breath a bit better...which was priceless. I didn't even end up feeling self conscious without it :-)   I felt pretty!

That was the biggest waste of money in our whole wedding event - my damn bustier.  I think it even got left behind at the venue.

Did you spend money on a major fail for your wedding?

a frilly bridal cape?

The Cherry Blossom Girl, found via A CUP OF JO

I think this is just divine...almost too lovely for words.  It makes me sigh.   So wispy...soooo romantic.  Like the bride in a fairytale...or a Princess....or an Austin character. 

As much as I adore this, it is not a look I would never ever attempt for myself.  I'm a fashion wimp.  Are there any bridal trends you secretly worship but wouldn't dare replicate?

i cheated on my wedding dress

  the only bridal shop that would let us take pictures was David's Bridal!

Remember that I bought my dress two years before we were engaged?  A simple JCrew dress.  I embraced the idea that our wedding would NOT revolve around superfluous opulence.  I was not a bride with visions of Disney princesses or Barbie wedding fantasies.  I convinced myself that I didn’t care about what I looked like for the wedding…that I was above the frivolousness of it all.  I refused to spend time and money on a dress I’d only wear once.

And then a lacy mermaid dress...with  sequence and bead work and pearls entered my world.  Go figure.  This is how that happened....

I read enough horror stories of bridal boutiques scaring the shit out of brides to ever want the “Say Yes to the Dress” experience for myself.  When people asked me about my dress, I'd sorta shrug my shoulders and say “yea, I have a JCrew dress…nothing fancy…I got it on sale.”  I am well aware that I had a less than enthusiastic attitude about it (and why did I always have to mention the sale part?!).    My friends in blogland would applaud my simple dress choice for its practicality… and they would reassure me that it was a pretty lil dress and I would look lovely in it.  My friends in real life didn’t say a whole lot about it – especially after I would get on my soap box about the nonsense of expensive silly frilly wedding dresses.  

 I tried on dresses of every style...EVERY style!  
so unexpected that the mermaid style was my fave!?
I felt so voluptuous and womanly.  I dunno. 

*note....this is not my dress!

And then...20ish days before our wedding... one fantastic Saturday happened.  My sisters scheduled appointments around town for me to try on REAL bridal gowns….but they didn’t tell me until we got to the first boutique.   Why was I excited?  Why was I smiling like an idiot?   How come I wasn’t pissed off with my sisters?  They knew I had a dress…but they knew that a part of me must have wanted the experience (I didn’t even know I wanted that experience!)  I have no idea what came over me…but I pretty much skipped into the shop singing “Zippity Do Da!” 

It was awesome.   It was better than awesome.  This was one of my favorite days.  Ever.  I tried on dresses all day.  It was SO MUCH FUN!!!   People ooooed and awwwed....my sisters would squeal...I felt beautiful!  and sexy! and voluptuous!  and womanly! and did I mention sexy??  I even had an "oh my gosh this is THEE dress" moment...which was insane...because it really happened... to me!!!  And that's the dress I bought. 

This was the last dress I tried on, 

and this was when the dress consultant told us we could take pictures. 

doy.

  

 Instead of confirming the fact that “thee wedding dress” is an expensive hyped up tradition…I found the opposite to be true.   There were dresses in every price range – in every style.   I had been so consumed with being a rational bride, I almost missed out on something.  Like having a dress to be really excited about! My sisters knew that I was waging an inner battle with being sensible and letting loose a little bit. 

I felt radiant on my wedding day...I loved my dress.  It ended up being one of my most favorite details of the whole event.  And I have my sisters to thank for that. 

meet my dress

my dress - sketched by Megan Hamilton (she's amazing...look what she did with my mom's dress here!)

My dress.  There is a lot of back-story there.  20ish days before the wedding I wasn't wearing this dress...  I was going to wear a simple silk JCrew dress... and some interesting things happened.  (I will obviously share...but this is not the post for that.)  

I just wanted to take a moment to love on my fancy shmancy bridal gown. 

I loved wearing this freaking dress.  Loved it.  I have never felt so beautiful.  In my entire life.  It had sparkly glittery stuff all over it...and beads....and pearls... and pretty LACE.  It had a sweetheart neckline.  A mermaid-ish cut....and a freaking train.  Every single bridal gown element that made me roll my eyes while planning my wedding. Who knew?  

I loved everything about wearing this dress...and when the end of the night came, and the gown had to come off, I stood in front of the mirror in our hotel for a few solid minutes.  I wanted to remember the weight of the fabric, the sparkle of the beads, the delicate swirls of the lace.  I admired it on my curvy body...and maybe twirled a few times.

I felt like the belle of the ball all day....and I was.

Thank you, dear dress, for being such a beautiful addition to my wedding experience.

my elizabeth dye

A couple of soft tulle flowers, clusters of pearls and lace atop lace...I mean seriously...I have never had anything so fine.  It's more beautiful than I could have hoped for.  I love it.


My dress is now officially me.  Thank you Elizabeth! (she makes wedding wishes come true...she really does)

elizabeth dye dreams come true

this is the one that I would float away in...Persuasion...i love this dress...so dreamy...but alas...

I have my dress (see it here) . She's a simple little thing....really plain...nothing really special in all honesty...but she fits me fine. There are things I like about her - the ivory coloring...the soft texture of the silk...and this teeny tiny detail 5 or so inches from the hem that I get a kick out of. I've even grown to appreciate my craziness in her acquisition...despite experiencing pangs of dress regret like so many...this dress and I have been on a journey together already...and I haven't even gotten married yet!

Except, she was missing something.

I was brainstorming ideas of how make her a lil more special. I had been in search for months and months for a belt (or sash or embellishment) and just never really found anything that made me stop breathing.

Except for Elizabeth Dye. Her handmade dresses are so divine I can't help but stalk her blog. If I REALLY had my way, I'd be wearing one of her designs (preferably her Persuasion dress, pictured at the top...dear Lord that's a beauty).

So I thought...why not? Why can't I wear Elizabeth Dye on my wedding day? So I held my breath and emailed her. She emailed me back - which was madness because she is a total celebrity to me...and I jumped up and down. A lot. I jumped up and down a lot.

Turns out, yes, she does take custom orders...and yes...she does make sashes. And. Yes. She is making my sash.

ELIZABETH DYE IS MAKING MY SASH!!

Ahhhhhhh!!!!!!

Take a look at her breathtaking 2010 collection. Amazing.

my mother's wedding dress

I wrote about my parents relaxed and delightful wedding here. My mom's dress was non traditional...she picked it out of a catalog. I think it's funny because I picked mine out of an online catalog....totally not the way 99% of brides pick out their dresses.

I wanted to use this dress in some way during our wedding festivities. I thought about wearing it as my wedding dress - altering it a little bit to make it more my style (but the cost of that is insane...and my little sisters would probably murder me if I altered my mom's dress.) And I thought about wearing it for my rehearsal dinner...but no way Jose, not at a BBQ joint. I thought about taking all of the pearl buttons to making a charm bracelet. I just REALLY wanted to do something cool with it.

So - I had the ever talented, Megan Hamilton, sketch it. I'm a huge fan of Megan's and have admired her work from afar for soo long. When I got it in the mail it turned out even more lovely than I imagined. This is a real piece of art...and when I showed my mom, it brought tears to her eyes. I knew that would happen, we are sentimental fools, my mother and me....what can I say.

I just love how it turned out! I'm such a genius for thinking to do this with her dress...I really am...and yes I'm totally patting myself on the back for it.

I sent Megan a few snap shots of me wearing my mom's dress. And her rad skills did the rest.



I've decided to wear it to my bridal shower (uummmm....with shoes...obvs...and a thick brown belt...and some sort of boob minimizer??). I bet my mom will get a kick out of seeing me wear it. It's actually a really rad silk dress - I just wish I was a seamstress to make it knee length and I'd be able to wear it all the time!!

dress pressure

There is so much hype to "find the perfect wedding dress." I've read that the average cost of a wedding dress in the US is around $1000. There are a ton of crazy fun things to do with $1000.

I already have a dress. A dress that cost me next to nothing. A dress that I still like. Though it is very simple.

Except people keep asking me:

"do you LOVE your dress!?"
"you have to LOVE your dress!"
"your dress sets the whole tone of the wedding!"
"your dress should be the focal point of the whole event!"
"your wedding dress should be the fanciest most glorious dress you ever wear!"

All this sh*t. OK. I get it.

But I don't believe that my dress is the most important part of the whole day.

I'll admit, I can sit and look at wedding dresses forever online...and fantasize about what I would look like in them. And I'm not going to lie, every now and then I get bummed out with dress regret (which I swear has to be normal because I talk to brides that deal with it all the time...even brides who have expensive designer dresses). And I start to wonder "what ifs" and "should I keep the one I've got or get a new one?" I swear I go to Elizabeth Dye's site, or Sarah Seven's, and lust after their exquisite creations. Of course I wish I had one of those divine hand crafted dresses! And then again, I also wish I had a car that wasn't held together with duck tape.

I think about what else I could do with the extra money if I keep the pretty dress I already have - we can invite more people! Or we can buy a new dining room table (or bed, or sofa, or TV - because when we move in June we aren't taking any furniture with us and have to buy all the goods when we get to where we are going). Or, I could buy a truck full of super glue and fix the panel on my car?

So I have to remind myself that a lux dress would be fun and glamorous - but I already have a dress.

Right.

*note: don't let this post offend you - if I had an extra 1K I would probably consider spending it on a drool worthy gown. Except I really don't have an extra Grand, or even an extra $500, so this post is mostly to make feel OK with my dress...not to make anyone feel bad about there's. There is just a lot of pressure out there to have the BEST dress, the most UNIQUE dress, the most GLAMOROUS dress. Maybe it's because I have this blog, and I'm putting the pressure on myself as I wonder how the world will judge me in my simple lil ivory frock. And the real question should be: why do I care? Because, really, I don't...well, a little I suppose. It's not like this blog is here to validate me as a bride, or to validate the loveliness of my wedding - the blog is to help me sort through the magical journey of preparing for marriage and to catalog my inspirations, thoughts, and drama along the way.

ENTER MY BLOGIVERSARY CONTEST HERE!

how i got my wedding dress

CELEBRATE MY BLOGIVERSARY BY ENTERING MIDORIDESIGN'S GIVE-AWAY HERE!

via here

OK. Normally I would never admit to this. But the story is so amusing, and makes me look so ridiculous, I just have to share. I consider myself an educated and practical woman, and have approached many decisions for our wedding with a rational eye. (Whether this is actually true is debatable, but it's how I view myself and my choices, so whatever.)

My dress. I bought it January 2007. I think. At this point it's been so long I can't exactly remember...but I think that's right. Ummmm...and if you remember...we got "engaged" June 2009. And our wedding...May 2010.

And yes, I know this makes me certifiably insane. I realize that I am opening myself up to ridicule...and that's fine...believe me...I probably deserve it for a move like that.

To be quite honest, at the time I bought it we had been talking about a beachy Rhode Island summer wedding. And if my memory serves me correctly (which it sometimes doesn't) I think we were even talking about getting married that summer?? At least toying around with the idea anyway.

Back in 2006/2007 I also had an unhealthy addiction to JCrew.com and would visit their site daily (this has since been cured, thanks to 2 years in a row of giving it up for my New Year's resolution and Lent.) But I was clearly in love with their simple wedding dresses and couldn't contain myself when they would go on sale. Obviously...that was my chance to pounce.

And pounce I did. Bought a $340 dress for less than 1/4 of the price. Except I bought it in secret. Didn't tell Tommy and didn't breathe a word of it to a soul. I knew what I was doing was bizarre and probably required therapy of some sort. But it was just such a DEAL! Plus, I figured if I ended up not wanting it, who cares....it was only like $50.

However, when the JCrew box arrived at the door, Tommy was interested. He's not a nosy guy, at all, but he inquired:

T - oooooooo...what did you get?

Me - nothing! why!? it's a surprise! leave me alone!

T - wha.....???

Me - seriously...it might just be a surprise for you...but if you don't watch it I'll send it back and you'll never get it!

T - IS THAT A WEDDING DRESS? *said with huge questioning, slightly alarmed eyes*

Me - *gasp* WHAT MADE YOU THINK THAT!?

T - ohmygodyouboughtaweddingdressdidn'tyou. *smirking*

Me - I have no idea what you are talking about! *as I ran into the bedroom, locked the door, opened the package and tried it on...all while dodging his accusation*

I will never in my life understand how he knew it was actually a wedding dress. I never once told him I was buying a flipping wedding dress, or even thinking about buying one. He said he could see it in my face....and just knew. Whatever that means. A couple weeks later I told him it was in fact a dress that could be worn as a wedding dress...he laughed....and hugged me. But note, he never stopped loving me....even though I am a crazy. He really is so perfect for me. *sigh*

victory #10: my dress

Meet my dress.

Creamy off white. 100% silk chiffon. Crinkle texture. Strapless. Simple.

She may not be glam...but she will work just fine for our small forest wedding.

Plus, I have enlisted the help of an A-lister to jazz her up a bit. More on that later.

*pictures from my bridal shots from last summer...via A Sophisticated View

ENTER MY BLOGIVERSARY CONTEST HERE!!

keeping cozy

By far the most practical pretty lil cardigan I've found yet.
I would so wear this a gazillion times.

I've been browsing the web for a "wedding warmer" these last few weeks. I have a bunch of files bookmarked. SO many options to keep me warm in the chilly May mountain weather...these are my current three faves...all from Anthropologie. (Except JCrew just came out with some cute cardis with ruffles on them - a look that I am a total sucker for apparently.)

*note: I've had these images saved on my comp for WEEKS. and i just went to swoon over them on the Anthro website and two of these three are no longer sold there...kindof a bummer.

But it's not like I know what style will look right with my dress anyway. I still don't even know what look I'm going for. It's sorta driving me nuts.

Me. Yea. I wanna look like me. But if I'm not wearing scrubs and a fleece - ummmm...what do I wear? I feel like I should have a style - but I tend to be all over the place. A lil free flowin' boheme one day...a lil conservative the next...a lil "I don't freaking care that my hair is in a messy bun for the 14th day in a row" ...and sometimes I attempt to look polished and trendy. I don't exactly identify with one specific style or look.

I'm getting a headache.

I feel like I have a split personality where 1/2 of me wants to live at Anthropologie and the other 1/2 wants to live at JCrew. And then I look at the price tag and my reality check comes in loud and clear and I end up at Last Chance (Nordstrom's Outlet which is like a huge garage sale on crack). *sigh* Oh, life.

Very boheme....and romantic. Yes?
To bad. Can't buy it anymore.

I think a splash of dark teal would look smashing with my yellowish bouquet...

and next to my girls in gray and my loverboy in black.
Except, you can only buy it on Ebay now - no take backs if it doesn't fit right. Dang.

saja dresses

Boho Bride

Pretty pretty Saja dresses. I love the look of floaty, whispy, romantic wedding dresses. Perfect for a mountain wedding. Or a beach wedding. Or a country side wedding. Or a church wedding. Yea. Pretty perfect for any wedding.

to die for elizabeth dye details

It's no secret...Elizabeth Dye is my fave independent bridal designer. Her blog features her real life brides, her delicious designs, and lots of lil lovelies that she collects along the way. She also has an Etsy shop: The English Dept, where she sells her gorgeous bolleros.

I've written about her here and here and I clearly can't get enough. I was lusting after these details this morning and had to share them. It's a cold rainy here in Rhode Island, and these lil beauties made my day!