Life in General and Love and Marriage 9:44 pm
So I am not sure if everyone is aware that I also have a wedding blog with my fiancee. It contains some of the same information as this blog, but if you are interested feel free to check it out.
Love and Marriage 9:28 pm
So as some of you may or may not know I have already picked out and purchased my wedding dress. Yea!!!! I was so happy when I finally crossed that off of my list. I did not think I was going to be able to do it so quickly. I mean generally speaking it takes me forever to pick out my clothes, so I was sure that it would take me next to eternity to pick out something as important as my wedding dress.
So here is my adventure in wedding dress hunting. I first went to David’s Bridal. Just to kind of get an idea of what I was looking for. You know things in the magazine look so different once you get them on. Well the dresses at David’s were “okay” at best. There was nothing that really stood out at me. Nothing that made me feel like a “bride”. The sales lady was not very helpful. I don’t think she was being honest at all. She just kept telling me at I looked beautiful in each dress. I totally knew she was not telling the truth. I did not take anyone with me on this trip. I wanted to initially pick out a few dresses by myself, and then get my support group to help pick out “the one”. Well needless to say I did not buy anything at David’s.
Well at this point I kind of knew what I was looking for. I really wanted something that felt sophisticated and romantic. Something elegant and timeless. I did not want to feel like a crystal covered princess, but rather a empress draped in lace. I know sounds kinda corny, but what can I say. Sometimes you just want to feel “more”. My fiancee, we will refer to him as “J” from now on, had requested that I not do the “big poofy dress, that hides you”. This was particularly difficult because I had always imagined myself in a ballgown silhouette dress. So I set off looking for something sleeker and lacy. I am also determined to have something with straps.
Next, I went to one of my local bridal salons. I first went to the one that is less expensive and has a wider selection. I was hoping to find a beautiful dress for under $800. We are paying for the wedding by ourselves and so I wanted to try and make things as inexpensive as possible. This store had a great selection of dresses. However, none of the dresses I liked were in the price range I was hoping. So, I kind of threw the budget out of the window where the dress was concerned. I figured if I really loved the dress I would be willing to work the overtime to pay for it (yes I also discussed this with “J” before I made any decisions). At this store the sales lady (Michelle) told me the basic layout of the store (arranged by size and then price) and told me to let her know if I found anything I was interested in trying on. So I browsed around the store (alone this time as well) hoping to find the dress of my dreams. I ended up choosing 7 (yes 7) dresses to try on. The sales lady (Michelle) brought each of the dresses into a very large dressing room and asked me if I needed any under garments (ewww, gross, community under garments. No thank you, I made an appointment with you to be here and so I came prepared and brought my own. Who exactly uses under garments that have been used by countless other customers. Gross. Sorry about that ramble, back to the dress hunt.) After bringing the dresses in Michelle tells me that she will be right back to help assist me this putting on the dresses. This is great news since I am by myself and these dresses are quite large and difficult to get on alone. So I wait in the dressing room for Michelle to return. And I wait, and I wait, and I wait. After 15mins I peek my head out of the dressing room and try to spot Michelle. There is no sign of her. I try to look for another associate that could help me, but no luck. So I go back in the room and attempt to put the dress on myself. Not an easy task I might say. I am able to get the first dress on, but am unable to zip fasten all of the little buttons. So I walk out to the big mirror in this beautiful dress, trying to hold it up so I don’t humiliate myself in the store (thank God that there are no men in the store at this point). Finally, Michelle appears and offers to help me button the dress so I can see what it really looks like. Just a little too late. But in her redemption the dress is beautiful and I completely forget about the lack of service. I twirl around in the mirror and feel like a giddy little girl. The dress is stunning. It has this beautifully intricate lace train. The dress is a trumpet silhouette. Very classic and simple in the front, but surprising and intricate in the back. I am sure that this is the one. And then I look at the price tag, $2300. I am instantly not so impressed. I head back to the dressing room, determined to look at the prices of all of the dresses I picked out and try them on in order of price. I instantly eliminate 4 dresses that are ridiculously over priced and only mediocre on my list. So now I am down to 3 dresses. I try on the next two. The are both beautiful in their own way. One is a very sleek silhouette with no lace at all. It has a deep V-neckline, with wide straps. The deep V has a mess, rhinestone encrusted piece. It has a deep red sash that goes around the hips, held by two beautiful clips. The next dress is all lace. Head to toe. Form fitting, sleeveless. Simple, but beautiful. I am now completely torn. I keep trying on the three dresses, now priced from $2300 to $1200. I try to compare the three dresses, but they are so different from each other. The things I like about one dress, I dislike about another. It seems like it will be impossible to decide. I try to get the sales lady (Michelle) to help assist with the decision, but she just keeps pressing the more expensive dress. So I decide to leave and think about it on my own. Determined to come back later with reinforcements.
On the way home I decide to call the other local bridal salon. It is still early in the day and I am hoping to get an appointment and just check out some other options. I wassure that there will be nothing in this store in my price range. So I went to this other salon and was immediately surprised by the fact that it was fairly small. Right away the sales lady came over and greeted me. Her name was Brittany. She invited me to come over and sit down on the sofa and discuss what I was looking for. She wanted to know what kind of wedding I was having. When I got engaged. She asked to see my ring. Congratulated me on the engagement. Asked me about my fiancee. Wanted to know what type of feeling I was looking for at the wedding. And finally we discussed what I was looking for in my wedding dress. This was a very different experience from the other stores. This salon actually had a “bridal consultant”, not just a sales lady. She was actually interested in making sure that my wedding dress would compliment my wedding style. She also asked about my budget. I told her that I was looking to stay under $1200. She informed me that they had several dresses in that price range. And so I started to browse the store. Not really sure where to start. There were so many dresses. I can actually say that this store did not have any dresses that I would not wear. Brittany was extremely helpful. She went through the store and picked 4 dresses that she thought I might like, all within the budget I had given her. I pointed out another dress that I was admiring. She told me that she would be more than happy to add it to my already growing pile, but wanted me to know that it was $2700 (more than the budget I told her). I decided to pass on the dress (it was not my favorite anyway). And then she found one more dress that I was not so sure about. It had the lace that I was looking for, but was otherwise not exactly what I imagined. But I humored her because this was her job and she had been so helpful so far. I went into the dressing room fully expecting to attempt to put the dresses on by myself just like in the other store. However, Brittany was right behind me, along with another associate. They assisted me in getting the first dress on. Immediately I did not like the way the silhouette looked on me. They both agreed and so the dress came off immediately. The next dress was the same. I am very self conscious about my hips and these dresses were just making them look bigger. So now it was down to just 3. The next dress was very pretty. The silhouette was borderline ballgown (although it was listed as A-line. It flattered my shape, but was not what I was looking for. So now I was down to two dresses. The next dress I instantly feel in love with. It was a nice sleek silhouette. It was sparkly and beautiful. I actually cannot even describe the dress right now. I can just say that I put it on and feel in love. However, Brittany was adamant that I try the other dress on. She said that she just wanted me to be sure that I was making the right decision. The last dress was the one that she had picked out. I was now very sure that this was not the dress for me. I knew that I had already tried on “The Dress”. But I did as Brittany requested. I tried the dress on. With the “very not it” dress on I headed out to the mirror to confirm my thoughts. And then it happened. I was in complete and total shock. This was “THE DRESS”. I could not have been more wrong. This was the dress I had been searching for. As soon as I looked in the mirror, I knew that this was the dress I would be walking down the isle in. It was not at all what I had pictured; it was so much better. I felt like a timeless royal icon. I was hooked. And so I ordered the dress. With just a few minor changes in mind. I will be adding more lace to the hem of the dress, but nothing major.
Oh, I forgot to add that Brittany and the other sales associates were absolutely wonderful. During my “trying-on” they not only assisted me the the dresses. They picked out shoes to go with each dress. Helped style my hair. Picked out a matching veil and gave me flowers to hold. Once, I had decided on the dress they broke out champagne chocolate covered strawberries. It was a great experience.
So, finally I can say “Yes, I bought the dress!!”
Love and Marriage 9:51 pm
I have searched all over, and have finally found it. The mysterious creature that is seldom seen. The thing that you know exists, but can find no record of. Yes, thats right I have located the eighth wonder of the world. And now I will share it with my fellow bloggers. Please steady yourself and behold the wonder of the…..picture of a smiling bride. Thats right no model scowl. No flat, emotion free face. An actual smile. Can you believe it. LOL. Thats for you Toni.
Love and Marriage wedding dress, wedding fashion 6:38 am
Today’s wedding dress trends are all over the place. From classic and elegant, to saucy and seductive. Using a splash of color on your wedding dress can bring out a colorful personality. Modern brides are not afraid to add some color to their traditional white gowns. It could be a colorful piece of jewelry or a pretty ribbon. Or you could go a different route and go with a non-traditional colored dress. Red, pink, blue, purple, and gold are just some of the newest trends in wedding dress couture.
As can be seen on the run ways and fashion magazines, the ultra feminine look is making a come back. The spectrum is as wide as you an imagine. Ruffles, flowers,bows, hi hem lines, low backs, sheer fabrics…the list goes on.
Lace has also made a recent come back in the world of bridal fashion. French imported lace can be found adorning the bodies of countless brides. It can add glamour, romance, innocence, and sensuality all at the same time. Gone is the feeling that lace is old and stiff, something only you great-grandmother would wear. Today, lace is part of the fairy tale gown. From coats, boleros, corseted bodices, trains, and neck lines; lace is making an appearance everywhere.
Love and Marriage ceremony site, historic center, reception, wedding 6:16 am
So many people say that its all about the location. While I am not sure that I completely agree with that, I do agree that it is a very important aspect of the planning stage. Luckily for “J” and I we knew exactly where we wanted to have the ceremony. We really wanted to have a lovely outdoor ceremony. Somewhere that had a lot of character and history. We had discussed it many times. 
This will be the location of our wedding.
The ceremony will be held outside in the gardens. The reception will be held inside the gallery. Every time I enter these grounds (and you know I’ve gone by several times) I fall in love with it even more. I think that it is the perfect location (at least where we are). Don’t really have the money to rent out a historic castle in Ireland, or something cool like that, but this will be a really memorable event.
