Getting Ready: The Guys

While we were getting ready at Hutton, the Mr. SE and his groomsmen were preparing for the ceremony across the street at The Courtyard Vanderbilt. I can't give a narrative since I wasn't there, but here's what they were up to...

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 Handsome groom arriving to the hotel- and getting ready to open his gift

 

 Love these socks that we picked up for all the groomsmen- such a fun touch!

 Mr. SE's older brother

 A little pre-ceremony cocktail, and fresh breath

 The custom card that I purchased from Etsy- it had a fish and said "you're the best catch".

 Looks like someone liked their wedding gift.

 These libations made their way over to the reception as well. Fun fact- the single barrel Jack Daniel's is made outside of Nashville!

  Father in law

Groomsmen Tyler getting his boutonniere

All images are from Gray Photography

Flowers by Brocade Designs
Socks from Express (summer 2010)

Bridesmaids Collection

This is part of the Priscilla of Boston Bridesmaids Collection- but I'd love to wear it for some weddings I'm attending this summer! I've never really considered their bridesmaid collection before, but I post on Weddingbee revealed that they're less expensive than J. Crew... and what else? The new line comes in cotton!!!! Finally- an alternative to the "why are these so expensive, they're just cotton, but they're so *perfect*" J. Crew bridesmaid conundrum.

Their site makes it hard to save pictures of the dresses, and I'm trying to figure out if I can order an old-fashioned paper catalog. Check out the Priscilla of Boston website for some dresses that your ladies actually might wear again.

Favors: Good and Bad

Amsale is marketing their new bridesmaids collection to the tune of "do your friends a favor". Yes, the dresses are beautiful. No, they don't look like run of the mill bridesmaid frocks. But are you really doing your ladies a favor by having them pay $300+ for a BM dress?

Speaking of favors, I've been trying to think of something that's A) inexpensive B) has something to do with Mr. SE and myself. Edibles are always good, and the candy buffet is riding a huge wave of publicity right now. I don't really think anybody wants a picture frame saying Mr. and Mrs. SE May 2010. blah.

So then I had this fantastical idea.....

I'll do tiny bottles of Texas Pete and tie a cute little bow around each top. At $0.55 a piece, we can get them all for less than $70. Mr. SE and I were both pleased with this idea, but Mom SE was less than enthused. She thought it was tacky. Did any of you try and do "different" favors?

You Gotta Put On That Party Dress

This white dress would be perfect for a bride at her rehearsal dinner! (Maggy London from Nordstrom.com)

Mr. SE and I are going to a couple weddings this summer, and I've already started thinking about what I'll wear. Mr. SE is a groomsman in one, and I'm a bridesmaid in the other. The first wedding is June 13th in Atlanta. We'll be able to save money by staying at FMIL's house.

It's difficult to pick out a dress to attend a wedding. For instance, I don't want to show up wearing the same color as the bridesmaids. So here's the plan: I need a dress for two rehearsal dinners and one wedding. Since I'm a bridesmaid in the second wedding, my attire is already taken care of. Both of the weddings are outside, so I'd like to have dresses that are dressy but will also keep me cool.

Maggy London is my go-to designer for dresses like this. Her styles are so flattering and often come in a variety of colors. I really wish she had her own boutique or online shop, though. These would make great attendant dresses, or maybe even bridesmaid if you could find enough in one color. What do you think?



All photos are from Nordstrom.com

Bluefly Wedding Site

This just in: Bluefly now has a Wedding website. You're prompted to choose "I'm in It" or "I'm Invited" and then taken to your respective fashion choices. There's bridesmaids dresses, mother of the bride, honeymoon essentials, and groomsmen. I didn't even know that Bluefly had men's clothing! If you choose I'm Invited, you get to choose from the style of the wedding that you're attending. How perfectz1 I'm super excited about this site and definitely plan on using it for the weddings I'll be attending over the summer.

J. Crew: You continue to tempt me!

I received the new J. Crew catalog in the mail this weekend. Their tissue t's look so amazingly soft and I would love to buy them in every color- save the price tag.
The new embossed beach dress styles have been released, along with their new colors. This would be a great opportunity for any summer brides still shopping for bridesmaids' dresses. These cotton dresses are much better priced than their Cotton Cady counterparts- but I do love the upscale look of the Cotton Cady.
The embossed dresses come in blue, pink, marigold *LOVE*, brown, black, and white. There's no navy as of yet, which is surprising considering what a popular neutral navy has become.I can see this white dress being the perfect getaway outfit for a spring/summer bride! It would also be great at your rehearsal dinner.

That's all for now, I'll try and post more tomorrow.

Dear J.Crew,

Like many of the ladies over at Weddingbee, I've been a little frustrated by the J. Crew weddings collection. Yes, J. Crew is generally expensive. Yes, I only shop at their outlet- sale rack at that! But as far as bridesmaid dresses, theirs aren't all that costly. I love the idea of picking a color and letting your ladies pick their own style. My friends are all different shapes and sizes. They mean a lot to me, so I want them to feel beautiful standing next to me on my big day. Enter my issue...

Why are the cotton dresses so expensive? It's just cotton, J! Why are you doing this to me? The silk is nice and pretty- but only comes in as my second choice. The cotton styles are great because the can be dressed up for the wedding and down afterward for summer nights, dinner parties, etc.