I wasn’t kidding when I said we still had lots of wedding goodness to discuss! Let’s start with the gown, a topic I’ve been dying to talk about for almost a year but that has been off limits because someone special just happens to read this blog.

Clearly, the suspense is over, since y’all saw the gown I ended up with last week. So there’ll be no surprise ending to this series, but we will have the extra richness of hindsight as we go through the journey, so that’s something.

Let’s start with inspiration! I gathered many photos of dresses I loved, and they all had a few things in common. Here are some of the pretties I printed out and brought to salons with me. In a binder. I was thorough.

I kid you not, the Brisa was one of my inspiration pics from the beginning! Even though Christos is clearly a favorite brand of mine (always has been), Brisa didn’t stand out as a top contender until I tried it on.

From top to bottom, we have Christos “Julianna” and “Arabella,” Christos “Maribel” and “Brisa,” a Liancarlo design with added sleeves (photo by A Bryan Photo), Priscilla of Boston No. 4709 and Melissa Sweet “Dora,” Jewel by Priscilla of Boston No. 307 and Pronovias, Watters “Sydney” and “Carins,” and Oscar de la Renta (photo by Meg Smith) and Reem Acra.

Of course, there are several more dresses that have caught my eye since I was looking in summer 2011, but this gives you a good idea of what I like: natural waists; soft, full skirts; soft and flowing fabrics like silk gazar, tulle, and organza; bows; sweetheart necklines; tiny or gauzy sleeves; point d’esprit or swiss dot fabrics; matte fabrics; and draped bodices.

Of all these dresses, I would say my favorite before visiting any stores was the “Maribel.” Oh my goodness, I loved (and still love!) those sweet swiss dots! But, as you know, she is not the one I took home in the end, so stay tuned to see where we go from here!

Hello, beautiful friends! Guess what? I GOT MARRIED!!!!!!!!!!!!

Whew! Now that that’s out of the way, I want to backtrack quickly and relate a few things I didn’t have a chance to get to pre-wedding. Turns out my schedule was a bit busier than I had anticipated, but I knew you all would prefer I spend time doing things like playing cornhole, going to the beach, and running errands with my Mom, even if it meant I didn’t get to write a sign off post.

BUT, if I had had time to write a final post, there are a few things I would have said.

I would have thanked you all for your excitement. From genuinely sharing in our enthusiasm from day one; to being thrilled for us at every step of the way, even if our steps were at times more like shuffles; to loving our engagement photos almost as much as we did. Even though I didn’t share too many of our projects in advance, you were delightfully enthusiastic over the ones I did share, like our marriage certificate, our wedding website, and our invitations.

I would have thanked you for your honest feedback. You helped me choose save the dates, shoes, and a rehearsal dinner dress, among other things. You offered kind opinions and tips when we were looking for a dress for my mom, when I shared our preparations for our wedding morning, and when we were struggling with whether we could afford videography.

I would have thanked you simply for reading, for showing up and listening to my thoughts and plans, and sometimes, when I got lucky, for commenting. Sharing the experience with you all made it twice as sweet!

I also would have thanked a few of you individually, though I would have been worried about leaving someone special out! I’ve loved growing closer to online friends throughout the last year, including longtime readers Charity, Kelly, Lisa, Paloma, and Laura F., as well as newer readers Madi, Madelynne, Elizabeth, and Amanda. Of course, lots of my “real life” friends have followed our planning via EFM, too, and I always love hearing from them! Alyssa, Molly, Jackie, and Laura B. form my most ardent fan club, with Emily, Anna, Caity, Meredith, Nancy, Megan, Cassie, Meghan, and Jesse also popping in frequently. Lastly, even though I chatted with them about plans often offline, I always loved seeing all FOUR of my sisters’ AND my Mom’s names pop up in the comment box.

So that’s what I would have said. And even though I didn’t get to say it beforehand, I still mean every word. Thank you, thank you, thank you! So much love to you all.

One final note: While chatting with the official EFM fan club at our post-wedding brunch, the gals mentioned their impending withdrawal from monthly planning to do lists. (I don’t think I’ll miss them quite as much!) There seemed to be some concern that I would have nothing to write about post wedding, but lest anyone else have the same fear, let me assure y’all that I wrote this blog for three years before I ever had a ring on my finger, and I will happily keep going now that my third finger sports two rings. There are always new adventures around the corner, after all.

P.S. Our wedding was perfect, from the weather to the emotion. In fact, we couldn’t wipe the smiles off our faces, as evidenced below. Can’t wait to share it all with you soon. xo

Thank you for the photo, Laurie!

…and other recent adventures :)

On Friday evening we packed up both of our cars and hit the road. Yahoo!!

Three suitcases, three large cardboard boxes, two Rubbermaid tubs, ten cake stands, four tote bags, three oversize frames, and about eight billion other unnamed wedding supplies. Oh yes, and two cats. And one bride, and one groom. This was my car – John’s held the cats and his golf clubs :)

We spent the night in Virginia, then set off for New England the next morning with my Dad joining our party. The cats were angels! Nary a peep from the backseat, and smooth sailing all through DC, NYC, and CT. This was us crossing from Delaware into New Jersey.

My Mom’s birthday was on Sunday, so my Dad and I made dinner + dessert to celebrate. I also set to unpacking in earnest, and this was the result midway through. Yikes!

We packed up all the silver and drove it over to our florist this morning. I snapped this little beauty next to her shop. I’ve grown to love the South, but it’s good to be back in picturesque New England :)

More soon!

Just typing that post title gives me butterflies – less than 10 days to go?! I’m feeling good, though!!

Kate Murphy via Once Wed

Since my last update:
— My wedding gown has arrived in CT! The wonderful ladies at my bridal salon agreed to ship it post-alterations.
— We finally decided on a song for our first dance!
— I finished a whole heap of signage: our large menu board, our station menu boards, tented cards for passed trays, dessert signage, boutonniere cards, and reserved table signs, as well as various little flags and food pick thingies. WHEW!
— We finalized details with our bandleader
— I wrote my personal vows, and John is currently working on his
— We invited guests to brunch on Sunday
— I had my final call with our day-of coordinator (love her!)
— Meanwhile, Marget made an AMAZING graphic for our rehearsal dinner favors, and my Mom has been a busy bee overseeing house improvements, locating boxwood bushes, polishing silver, and tracking down easels!

A few of the tasks still on the list for the remainder of the week:
— Write notes to go along with gifts
— Finish slideshow
— Confirm final details with caterer and send final balance
— Finish bar menus after confirming with caterer
— Compile lists of all guests/vendors for wedding and rehearsal and send to USCGA base security
— Confirm details with rehearsal dinner location
— PACK
— Write our toast – planning to do this on the drive up to CT!

There are still a few things on the to do list for this weekend, so I expect to be back with a final update post a week from today! In between, I’m hoping to share my second bridal shower and bachelorette adventure!