12 February 2013
Oh my! Apologies for the belated posts. I was planning to have them go up one after another, but things on the home front (hint hint) took an unexpected turn toward busy last week… Also, I meant to recap in only three posts, but I’m already on the third post and John and I haven’t even seen each other yet. Sooooo, please indulge me — I only get one wedding :) I stayed up a little later than I would have liked the night before our wedding, but it was for a good reason – I had finished all of my notes for special people (parents, bridesmaids, readers) earlier that afternoon, but I hadn’t had a chance to write John’s. We have written some pretty epic letters throughout our eight-year history, and I knew that I couldn’t just dash this one off as I was getting dressed for the rehearsal. So yes, even though it cost me a half an hour of sleep, it was worth it. But oh my, morning came early! I am not one of those people that normally hops out of bed chipper, and when the alarm went off at 6:15, even the excitement of W Day didn’t stop me from hitting snooze once or twice. When I did roll out of bed, I simply washed my face, tucked the last few things in my overnight bag, and hopped in the car with my mom and sisters. A few minutes later, still in the gray of the morning, we arrived at the Steamboat Inn, where Tia, our hair and makeup magician, was waiting for us. (She was looking chipper enough for all of us!) Once we had set down our things in the spacious room, she immediately went to work curling our hair in big metal
26 April 2012
Here it is, the post you’ve all (maybe?) been waiting for: my recap of our own personal bridesmaid dress drama. It’s over, it’s finished: we have placed the order, and there’s no going back now. Deep breaths. A brief aside: I have heard a lot of brides complain about shopping for bridesmaid dresses. And honestly? I didn’t really get it. It’s not that hard, little old me thought. You just pick a dress that’s in the right price range, and place the order. Done and done. WELL. Perhaps it was that easy for someone out there, but it certainly wasn’t for me. Here are just a few of the things that made bridesmaid dress shopping a challenge for me and my crew: 1. It’s very difficult to compare pricing, as prices are set individually by salons – so, a Bill Levkoff gown that costs $220 at one salon might cost $245 at another. For someone like me, who was desperate to get the best price, this made research a never ending nightmare. 2. It’s hard to gather feedback when you and your bridesmaids live in five different cities. If we all wanted to look at a dress in person, we had to make five different appointments, wait until everyone had fit a trip into their schedule, and then discuss over email. That is a long process. 3. It’s a strange and uncomfortable position to be in, dictating what someone will wear and how much they’ll spend. As nice as my bridesmaids are, I still cringed every time I emailed them a new set of dresses I wanted them to see in person, or asked whether a certain price would be palatable. I feel like I was more distraught over spending their money and time than I would have been over
12 January 2012
I am lucky enough to have four beautiful ladies standing beside me on my wedding day. Two are my sisters, and two are my future sisters :) Now that I know what I’m going to wear, I’ve been turning my attention to their attire. Yep, they’re all going to be wearing the same thing, and it’s likely going to be floor-length, chiffon, and slate gray… though that’s not 100% certain yet. I’d also like their dress to have a natural waist and a sweetheart neckline. We’re thinking a little something like this: Credits: Jenny Yoo dress photo by Charlotte Jenks Lewis via Style Me Pretty; Jasmine Bridal dress photo by Virgil Bunao via Southern Weddings; lilac dress photo by A Bryan Photo With the above inspiration in mind, I set out to find a few budget-conscious possibilities that fit my desired look. I waded through an abundance of options to find a few I thought were both stylish AND reasonably priced, then turned things over to the ladies. Together, we’ve since narrowed it down to three options. Here they are: From left to right, that’s Bill Levkoff Style 193, Allure Bridal Style 1221, and Bill Levkoff Style 537! My bridesmaids live in four different states (and I live in a fifth), so sadly, a group shopping trip is not in the cards. Instead, they’ll each visit a salon near them, try on the options, and then report back to the group. Hopefully we’ll have consensus at that point, and you can be sure I’ll check back in with our final pick! In the meantime, let us know in the comments which dress is your favorite!