Sweet peas are one of my favorite flowers. They’re perfect for spring – soft, fluttery, and just, well, sweet :) What do you think?

Bouquet and centerpiece by Branch Design Studio (photo by Virgil Bunao via Southern Weddings)

Photo by Kate Headley

Left: bouquet by Pat’s Floral Design (photo by Veil & Bow via SMP); right: from Martha Stewart Weddings

Left: bouquet by Haute Horticulture (photo by Annabella Charles via Ruffled); right: photo by Lisa Lefkowitz

Martha Stewart Weddings (here + here)

Ariella Chezar and Martha Stewart Weddings

Left: unknown; right: bouquet by Dandelion Ranch (photo by Gem Photo via SMP)

Bouquet by Salt Harbor (photo by Millie Holloman)

I think I’ve mentioned before that John and his gents will be wearing tuxedos on the big day. Unlike some ladies, this required no arm-twisting on my part: a tuxedo was what he wanted to wear, so a tuxedo is what he shall wear. Yay!

Erin Hearts Court

We decided early on that we wanted to buy instead of rent a tuxedo for John for three main reasons:

1) Buying means you can tailor, which means a better fit.
2) We already know John needs to wear a tuxedo twice this summer, which means it begins to make more sense financially to buy instead of renting multiple times.
3) It can be hard to match a specific aesthetic when renting.

A Bryan Photo

We also decided fairly quickly that we didn’t want the gents to wear a vest (too prom) or a cummerbund (too annoying), but suspenders, instead. And a basic black (self-tied) bow tie, of course. The other specifics, like a shirt with a point collar, a two-button jacket, and a peak lapel, we chose based on this oh-so-stylish advice, and on examining the J.Crew tuxedo, which is out of our price range but undeniably handsome.

Charlotte Jenks Lewis

But where to find this stylish-but-reasonably-priced gem of a tuxedo? Happily, Marget’s fiance, Seth, had already done extensive research on this very topic, and pointed us in the direction of the Tommy Hilfiger tuxedos at Macy’s. He had purchased one for himself previously, and vouched for the quality and fit. On the day we cruised over to the Macy’s site to check things out, the tuxedo that caught our eye just so happened to be 66% off! With free shipping and free returns, we didn’t hesitate to snap one up in John’s size (after much confusion over measurements – fingers crossed it fits!). For those that are curious, we bought this jacket and these pants, and this shirt. We’re planning to pick up the bow tie, suspenders, and shoes at a later date. Macy’s runs sales ALL the time, so if you like the look of this guy, check back often!

Jen Huang (left) and Jose Villa

We’re still waiting for everything to arrive in the mail, but maybe John will let me snap a pic for you once the whole thing comes in! In the meantime, I’ve been collecting some fun ways for grooms to personalize their look, and I’ll be sharing those tomorrow.

I love them. We are going to have one at our wedding. This makes me happy :)

So very classy, don’t you think? And — good news! — the black and white checkered dance floor was no more expensive than the regular old dance floor from our rental company!

First three images from Southern Weddings: here (by Veil & Bow), here (by Adam Barnes), and here (by Abby Jiu). Last image by Christine Farah via Grey Likes Weddings

Y’all, we still don’t have bridesmaid dresses. It’s true – more about that saga soon. In the meantime, though, let’s talk about mother of the bride fashion.

Can we talk about how much I love my Mom for a minute? I love her. A lot. I am so thankful for the relationship we have, and so happy that she will be at my wedding. I don’t often stop and give thanks for something as “simple” as having my Mom at my wedding, but I know that there are girls out there that would give anything to have their Moms by their side on that special day, and can’t for some reason or another. But I can, and so I will be thankful.

But on to fashion! My Mom will be visiting in a few weeks, and we’re planning to go look for dress options together. I thought I’d get the wheels turning ahead of time, and here’s what I turned up in my search:

These first three options are all classic, flattering black. Though the models are not MOB age, I think these styles are all “appropriate” while still being “youthful.” Those descriptions sound ridiculous, but you know what I mean! From left to right we have a silk one-shoulder column gown from Banana Republic ($250), a silk chiffon empire waist gown by Robert Rodriguez from Rent the Runway (rents for $100), and a black crepe one-shoulder gown with pleated a-line skirt by Halston Heritage from Rent the Runway (rents for $125).

I think my Mom looks great in navy, so I’m loving these choices! From left to right, we have a chiffon gown with ruched bodice by Robert Rodriguez from Rent the Runway (rents for $100 – same as above, just different color!), soft trumpet skirt gown from Nordstrom ($194), and one shoulder ruffle gown in navy crepe by Carmen Marc Valvo from Rent the Runway (rents for $125).

Finally, from left to right, we have a navy jersey ruched gown by Badgley Mischka from Rent the Runway (rents for $100), a plum chiffon wrapped gown by Diane von Furstenburg from Rent the Runway (rents for $100), and a jersey gown with crisscross bodice from Nordstrom ($168).

You’ll notice that I included several Rent the Runway dresses in my finds. I’ve never personally used them before, though a good friend has. I just can’t help thinking that it makes a lot of sense to rent a dress, especially for a highly-photographed event like a wedding. My Mom is not likely to wear the same dress to my younger sister’s wedding as she did to mine, and other than that, she doesn’t attend a lot of black tie events.

What do you gals think — would you rent a dress for a formal event? Have you used Rent the Runway before? Any other sources for MOB dresses you can recommend? Which one of the above options is your favorite?

P.S. My apologies if the RTR links in this post don’t work! I think you might have to be signed into your account to be taken to the exact dress. If you don’t have an account but would like one, you can sign up with my link here!