Rehearsal Dinner: A Solution?

Oh friends, the rehearsal dinner drama has continued for longer than I wish. It was so difficult to find shoes that matched my initial dress (Part I, Part II), and I realized that wearing a white dress wasn't all it's cracked up to be. Case in point- I only wear fancy dresses to our friends' weddings, but I clearly can't wear a white one. Enter- Nordstrom's amazing return policy. This leaves me with no sweat about being able to return the initial dress.
I've visited both Macy's and Dillard's at Green Hills, but they left much to be desired. So while ring shopping for Mr. SE @ Shane Co, we decided to stop at Cool Springs Galleria. Hello- somebody cue the angels. The Dillard's dress shop in Cool Springs is beyond amazing and exactly what I needed to see. It's not as if I have a lot of time to shop around now. Another cool fact- Dillard's will send a dress to your home (no additional cost) if they don't have your size in stock. I tried on both of these dresses below in a bigger size, and decided either one could be a winner.
The first is a Maggy London, and the second is by I CAN'T REMEMBER THE BRAND BUT I'LL POST IT LATER (but it's sort of like this, w/a vneck instead of one shoulder). At first I was concerned that the Maggy dress is basically the same color as my bridesmaids, and I didn't want to steal their thunder. But the nice saleslady at Dillard's informed me that #1: This was my party and #2: Many brides wear a color similar to their bridesmaids at the rehearsal. The first one doesn't settle with me, since I still want the girls' dresses to have a huge impact. But the 2nd one helps it go down a little easier.

What do you think of the bride NOT wearing white to the rehearsal? Did you do it to yours- or will you?

Sunny With a Chance of SHOWERS!!!!!

This weekend I'm up in Virginia for my bridal shower! I couldn't be more humbled by the outpouring of love and support during our engagement- and this shower is just another way I've been reminded. My two aunts have planned the shower, and it'll be hosted at my parents' home (the house I grew up in). We've already received several gifts, and I can't wait to post pictures of the crazy decor.

But for now, please see the beautiful invitation made by Amanda from Customized Stationary. Amanda has been amazing during our planning process, and has provided paper products for our save the date, engagement party, and now my shower. Her prices are amazing, and she loves doing custom work. Head over to her Etsy site to take a look at some of her designs.

Long vs. Short

Through my (seemingly ongoing) experience of selecting bridesmaid dresses, I found myself asking lots of questions related to etiquette and traditions. Do the girls need the same style? Will it be to "off" if I let them choose their own styles? Will mis-matched bridesmaids go the way of shoulder pads in the 80's? I'm no expert on fashion, but I want my girls to look fantastic.

I don't abide by the notion that I'm the queen, and my bridesmaids are my loyal subjects. Never. These girls are my closest, absolute best friends. I want them to feel just as happy and pretty as I hope to feel on our wedding day. It was important to me that their"look" had a somewhat cohesive feel, but was able to let each girl showcase their own style. So I chose the color and material, but let them choose the style. If you've read my earlier posts, you also know that they're wearing gold shoes of their own choosing.

All of this is to say, I'm still stumped about the division between long and short dresses. It seems that the older wedding-goers associate long dresses with a formal wedding. But here's my question: Is it only the dresses that dictate the formality?

{Long dresses. Clearly formal. But sometimes these look just like a casual summer maxi dress}

{Short dresses. But they definitely look formal to me. Is it the formal updo's that make this look?}

While I love the look of long dresses, I don't want to deal (or have my bridesmaids deal) with the following things: dresses hemmed to short, dresses dragging, potential trip on said long dress, TN heat in August, slim possibility of ever wearing a fancy long dress again. Here's the plusses I came up with for the short dresses: shows off their cute gold shoes, everybody will have tan legs!, they'll be cool during our 2hr photo session between the ceremony and the reception, they can have both hands free while dancing (there's no bustle on a BM dress). And if both of their hands are free, that leaves 1 for a bouquet, and another to help hold up MY dress from the heat! Just kidding. But seriously, that tulle will be a steamer!

Well this turned out to be quite a long-winded post. So give me the deets. Long or short? What are your thoughts? Do you think there can be a formal wedding with the bridesmaids in short dresses? Or do you think short automatically dictates casual?


all images from The Knot

Bridesmaid Dresses

I've spent time telling you a little bit about my bridesmaids, and now I'll showcase what they're going to wear! All of my girls are different, both physically and mentally. They have different styles and tastes, and they're all beautiful in my opinion. To showcase their personalities and individual beauty, I've decided to let each girl choose their own style. That's not to say I didn't have any bridal control over the situation: I chose the designer, length, and color. But other than that, the girls are on their own!

The designer is B2 by Jasmine Bridals, the color is cobalt, and the length is cocktail. Here's some of the styles they'll be wearing...What's your take on bridesmaids wearing different dresses? Are you a fan or do you think it's too trendy?

Next post I'll share the rest of their ensemble, including what's on their feet and what they're carrying!

My Starting Lineup: Part II

In my last post I wrote about how I met each bridesmaid, and how special they all are to me. Today I'll show you how I asked them to be a part of our very special day.

Being a bridesmaid is an important (and expensive!) undertaking. I wanted to ask these girls in a way that was special, and indicative of the wedding that they'll be participating in. Originally, I had lots of crafty and cute ideas- thanks to sites like Weddingbee. Turns out I still suck at arts & crafts, just like when I was kicked out of art class at Michael's in elementary school. It's still a sensitive topic. Nonetheless, I wanted to do something to show these ladies how much I cared about them- and how honored we'd be if they would accept to being in our wedding party.

All pictures are credited to Mr. SE. As you can see, I like to have my crafty supplies spread out so I can see them all in their beautiful glory of craftiness.

The outside of each card displayed each bridesmaid's name in my favorite font of all time- Monterey (or Feel Script if you want to pay $99). I used scrapbooking paper in shades of blue and green to make envelope liners to spruce up the plain white envelopes. Upon opening the card, the message is plain and clear. It read "Will you be my maid of honor/matron of honor/bridesmaid?". Below the main question, I gave each girl some facts about the big day. I listed the date and location, and hinted to the required attire. I use the word required loosely because the girls are pretty much choosing their own look. The attire blurb reads "Blue cocktail dresses in a style that makes you feel pretty (designer not yet chosen). And yes, you can pick your own gold shoes!" Having been a bridesmaid twice before, I appreciate being able to choose my shoes, accessories, or dress style.Here they are, ready to be mailed!
You can see the different envelope liners better in this picture. All girls graciously accepted, and I couldn't be happier with how the "bridesmaid proposals" worked out. How did you ask your bridesmaids? Did you get ideas from other blogs, or did you make something up on your own?

Next time I'll share the look that my beautiful bridesmaids will be sporting on August 14th!

Flowers

{the palette}

After receiving a beautiful bouquet from Hillary at Brocade Designs, I've had flowers on the brain. Here's some inspiration for our wedding blooms:

Beautiful Maids

{In the words of Rachel Zoe, "I die"}

I've put a lot of thought into what my bridesmaids will wear. There's a couple things that were important to me:

-They feel beautiful
-They look like themselves
-They're comfortable
-They'll 100% wear them again

So how have I decided to go about this? Enter my lover, J. Crew. They've got some great shades for the Fall 2009/Spring 2010 Weddings & Parties line. I'll have my girls pick from several shades of champagne, blush, peach, and rose. Along with picking their own color, the girls can also choose their own style. Since they'll be choosing not only their own color, but also style- I'm sure they'll find something that they'd like to wear again. The J. Crew dresses aren't cheap, but they're classic and fantastic quality.

What do you think about having bridesmaids wear different dresses? Are you letting your girls freely pick their frocks or are you offering a couple options? I'd like to hear what others are doing (or have already done). Share a link to your pictures if possible!

Sad Day

In keeping with bloggers all over, I'm going to write a little post about Farrah and Michael. Michael inspired me to dance, I did it competitively for lots of years. His music still always gets me up off my feet and puts me in a good mood. Regardless of personal issues in his life, he was a fantastic musician and performer.

Farrah is my hair icon. She was a great actress and style icon. And like someone said here on the news "now she's with the real Angels".

Get excited for posts next week. I've figured out a color palette, floral, and bridesmaid looks. The inspiration will be off the hook. My OneNote is exploding to be shared with you!

And Holy OMG- Kate's rehearsal is tomorrow and her wedding is the next day. My best friend is getting married. Does that make you want to watch the classic Julia Roberts flick? Me too. Enjoy your weekend!

My Favorite Things

Taking a cue from my girl Oprah, I've decided to showcase a couple of my favorite things right now. I'm in love with this Clean Start kit from Dermaloigca. I was on two pills and two prescription face creams for the past six months. Before graduation I was so stressed (read: breakouts) and needed to try something else. I picked this up with my Zeno (post) and this kit has seriously changed my skin. The wash and spray are amazing! The lotion keeps my skin nourished but not greasy, and the mask is a great way to do a weekly freshen-up!This couples' logo from Betsy White is so simple and whimsical. I would plaster this little beauty on napkins, invites, STDs, favors, ice sculpture? Okay, maybe ice sculpture was over the top. But seriously, I love this logo. Lastly, I'm obsessed with bridesmaids' dresses reflecting their own style. It's great how each of these girls (style me pretty) has their hair and dress different than each other, while staying with the brides' color palette. Also- if the maids pick their dresses they're more likely to wear them again. What's your opinion on bridesmaids wearing different styles?

Sunday Recap

This necklace, found by Miss Apple Cider, is hilarious! I thought it was super appropriate for how I'm feeling right now. K and I were shopping all day. My ankle is killing me! Oh well, the shopping (and company) were well worth it. We hit Old Navy, Limited, Barnes and Noble, J Crew, White House/Black Market, and DSW.

In the middle of all that I introduced K to the most amazing store EVER- Swoozies. This store is the epitome of everything I love: paper, monogrammed goodies, gifts, and fun nicknacks! If you don't have one near you check out their website. There's one at Green Hills in Nashville- yippee!!! Can you tell I'm excited? If you don't have a Swoozies, check for Blue Tulip, they're pretty similar. This is a great store for gifts (moms, friends, bridal party, the lucky couple)