2-dress Bride

Never thought I'd be one. I said, "By far, this was the easiest party of wedding planning for me." Then, I had a bit of size and color drama. THEN, that got sorted and I said, "While still knocking on wood, I think I can safely say that the dress drama is pretty much over."

However, never say never, right? After all that, something was just not quite right about my dress. I tried it on and tried it on and never felt that "wow" feeling. I didn't expect fireworks, but I wanted to look in the mirror and say, "Oh, I love it!"

Then one day, I tried it on and was experimenting with the length a bit. I pulled the hem up to about knee-length and went, "Oh, I love it!" So, after a four-hour round trip drive to the J. Crew in Chestnut Hill during rush hour, I returned the long dress and ordered the bridesmaid version (i.e. knee-length, above) in ivory. It came shortly thereafter and it's perfect. :)

I took the tags off and had it pressed last week, so there's no going back now! Dress drama - managed.*

*A poor allusion to the phrase you use to clear the Marauder's Map (from 'arry Potter, of course).

And Another . . .

Reserved listing on Etsy, that is! This is my beautiful hair piece (every time I say that, I think of a toupee) from seller mignonnehandmade. She took the original gardenia hair piece I loved (with the book leaves!) and made it smaller, about 4 inches. According to my Etsy purchases section, it's been completed and shipped. Exciting.

Last Saturday, we ordered a bunch of things besides this. I'll update soon with info on those fun purchases!

Looky!

It's my very own reserved listing on Etsy! Click through and behold the sashes (in a sample color) that my girls and I will be wearing on June 26th.

I know it's just Etsy, but kinda thrilling to see my own name up there. ;)

Shoes, Part Two (Electric Boogaloo)

Yup - those are them! My shoes came in the mail one evening the week before last and I somehow managed not to drag them out of the box and shove them on my feet immediately. I think we had something else we had to do first or somewhere else we had to go . . . can't remember.

Either way, I tried them on later in the night and they fit perfectly! The blue is lovely and matches the b-maid dresses to a T. I took some photos of the shoes not on my feet, but they ended up rather dark, so you'll have to wait for a sunny day for better ones. We've been busy lately, so have yet to try them on with the dress, but hope to do so soon. I'll be sure to post more pics then. :)

Hair Trial, Take Two

A couple of months ago, I attempted to have my first hair trial. Things didn't work out that night or with that hairdresser, but I did meet with a new hairdresser on Monday. She seemed very nice, although I think my sister's boss described her best (she's my sister's boss' hairdresser) - she's got a big personality.

She did a good job on translating the photos I'd brought along into a style that worked for me and my hair. I particularly love what she had to do to my hair to make it curly! :)

My nephew thought it was the funniest thing - he kept pointing my crazy hair out to his mama.

This is more like what I'll actually be doing. On the wedding day, she's going to bring the mass of hair further out and down, so it's more like a bun with lots of curly bits. Then, I think I'm pretty much decided on the white gardenia hairpiece, probably on the top left or right.

I'm pretty happy with it. And glad that's one more thing taken care of!

The Shoes

I forgot to mention this last week with all the other wedding stuff that was going on, but I finally ordered my shoes! If you read my post about the shoes back in July (eight months ago!), you might know what I'm talking about. Since many of you probably didn't though, let me remind you.

These are the shoes:

And they will be dyed to match the bridesmaid dresses, which look like this:

And I think they will be beautiful. :) I'll let you know how they look in person once they arrive!

Dress Drama, Over!

On Monday, Justin and I walked out the door of our apartment to head out to various stores. As we did, I remembered that my dress was supposed to be delivered that day and said, "Hey - no dress yet . . . " and trailed off. The box was leaning against the outside of the door. Yay!

When we got home, I took the dress out of its box and garment bag - it was the right color! Checked the tag - it was the right size! Tried it on - it fit like a dream. While still knocking on wood, I think I can safely say that the dress drama is pretty much over. :)

Plus, what I didn't tell you before was how wonderful the J. Crew bridal staff at the SoHo store were. I got the dress on sale (for $200) last year when I first bought it. I suspected with the size exchange that I'd have to pay the current price, which was $295. However, after my wrong-color dress debacle, I think the gods at J. Crew decided to smile on me. In the end, the SoHo store staff (say that three times fast!) sold me the dress for the original $200 sale price AND waived the $13.50 shipping. Truly awesome.

Dress Drama

So whathadhappenedwas . . .

I bought my dress (dress #1 for those of you following along at home) last winter. However, I've gone up a dress size in the interim and called J. Crew customer service a few weeks ago to see if I could exchange my dress for a larger size. The rep with whom I spoke agreed to the exchange and charged the new dress to my credit card, but neglected to tell me how to return the original dress.

The new dress (dress #2) came the following week and it fit perfectly! However (and this is a big however), it was the wrong color! The packing slip said ivory, but the dress was clearly champagne. Oy vey!

The solution, derived after weeks of emailing back and forth with a wedding specialist at the J. Crew SoHo store? I shipped dress #1 to J. Crew in New York, provided they agreed to waive the shipping cost on the dress (dress #3) that I will order directly from my contact in SoHo to avoid any warehouse screw-ups. I returned the champagne dress (#2) in a straight return to J. Crew returns processing.

I think things are settled now, but I can't wait for the right dress in the right size and color to be in our apartment!

Clothes Make the Man

Or men, in this case. Just teasing, guys!

As I mentioned in my "wedding week recap" the other day, Justin and I went to Mens Wearhouse recently and picked out his tuxedo ensemble. However, we took the tie and shoes off the package, because we have other plans for those . . . See below for the whole ensemble, from the shirt out & down!

Point collar shirt - will be in ivory, but this photo is of a white shirt,

because that's all they had on the website!

A seriously awesome tie from Cyberoptix. It's called "Topographical Error" and it shows "distressed remnants of 1900's sea-depth estimates taken in Scandinavian and Arctic waters. These levels are rapidly changing now due to climactic shift." We might get the ties dyed to match the b-maid dresses, but I haven't yet decided if that's worth caring about. ;)

Herringbone print vest, in silver. It's a dark silver, which is why we picked it.

No super-shiny 80s vests here, thanks!

A classic Calvin Klein two-button jacket in a lightweight wool

And the piece de resistance - good old Chuck Taylors in royal blue. Some brides I've seen around the blogosphere are apparently appalled at the idea of letting the groom and groomsmen wear chucks for the wedding, but to be honest, I think this was my idea when we decided on it months ago.

So, in the end, I think it's a nice mix of traditional stuff - tux, shirt, vest - and funky stuff - tie, chucks. Exactly the way we like it.

Why it Rules to Have a Graphic Designer for a Bridesmaid

Exhibit A:
The bridesmaid ensembles, with choice of two shoe colors (gold & silver), in visual form. Until this, it was all in my head. And she did it "just because" - I didn't have to ask her!

And exhibit B (done at my request):

My ensemble!

Hair Trial Update

My hair trial was supposed to be last night. Unfortunately, the hairdresser was unable to make it due to a family issue. Luckily, it was scheduled to be at my sister's house and so Justin & I ended up just having a nice dinner with my sister, her husband & sons, and my parents.

We also passed around the eight (!!!) pages of images I had printed, so everyone could see what I was thinking for hairstyles and offer their two cents. I was surprised by the interest that my father, brother-in-law, fiance, and even 4-year old nephew took in the wedding hair!

Thanks to everyone's help, I've narrowed the bridal style down a bit and gotten some sense of a style for the bridesmaids. Below, I've posted the "crowd favorites." I've lost most of the photo IDs, but the bulk of them came from The Knot or Project Wedding.

Bride:

Bridesmaids:

One of these things IS like the other . . .

This post from the Smithsonian Museum of American History blog reminded me of the wedding dress exhibit I talked about earlier this week. The post is about the dress above, from the costume collections at the museum.

This dress was made (by the bride) from the parachute her husband used in 1944, jumping from a plane in a night bombing raid over China! Very neat story.

NH Seacoast Bridal Show

If any of you wedding-planning readers live near the New Hampshire Seacoast, the University of New Hampshire is hosting a bridal show this Sunday, January 17th. Follow this link for more details.

I considered going, but ended up making other plans instead. Besides, there are not many vendors we have left to book (DJ and baker), so I didn't feel that I needed to go. However, I am disappointed to miss the exhibit of historic wedding dresses that the UNH Museum is putting on to complement the bridal show.

As an historian and museum professional, I love when modern things give a nod to the past and historic things insert themselves into the present. In fact, the day after Justin and I were "informally engaged" (said we wanted to marry each other, but no ring & formal proposal), I worked my job at a local historical society and remember being so pleased to sit and look at the 1899 wedding dress on display there.

You can read more about the wedding dress exhibit at this weekend's bridal show here and here.

(cross-posted on Museophilia, with some revision. It's my professional blog, after all!)

Unrealistic Expectations

A few weeks ago, I read the following in a wedding blog which I like (and will not therefore name): "I bought a dress . . . that was beautiful and cheap and made my mom cry - but it didn't make me swoon."

And my jaw dropped. "Come on," I cried aloud to the empty air (Justin wasn't home at the time), "we have to literally swoon in order to know we like our wedding dress?!?!?"

A bit of a harsh reaction, I know. It was more out of disbelief than disdain, I swear. However, I still think the foundation of that reaction is sound. Even after spending the last thirteen months in the trenches of wedding planning (with five more to go!), I cannot process the idea that a women must see an flock of doves descending from heaven in order to know that her wedding dress is THE ONE. Isn't it our new spouses that deserve that kind of heavenly sign? ;)

All kidding aside, I worry about those who put too much pressure on themselves and their weddings to fulfill every dream they ever had of a fairytale wedding. According to the quote above, the dress was beautiful and cheap and made the bride-to-be's mother cry. Why can't that be enough?

The Bridesmaid Dresses - In Person!

Ta-da! Here is one of my bridesmaid dresses, hanging in the changing room of the J.Crew store in SoHo. I was in NYC for New Year's with one of my 'maids and we headed down to the store on Saturday afternoon. She tried on the Sophia and liked it, so she ordered one.

I loved seeing the dress in person (clearly, since I took a picture with my camera phone). I have a swatch of the Mediterranean Blue color and I know what the fabric is like, since my dress is made of the same. I've also seen a photo of my sister in her dress. But, until this weekend, I hadn't ever seen the dress itself in person.

I was also a tad concerned about the color. A friend who is getting married this spring/early summer bought this dress for her maid of honor and didn't like the color when it arrived. I can see where she's coming from - the dress is definitely darker in person than online or in the swatch. However, I like this darker blue quite a bit.

As of now, I know for a fact that three of four bridesmaids/groomswomen have bought their dresses and am waiting to hear back from the fourth. With under six months to go, I'm happy to know that those ducks are almost all in line!

The Bridesmaid Dresses

Oh, J. Crew, how I love you so. I can never afford your clothes, but I love to look at them and get ideas. And for something like my wedding, spring for the expensive stuff!

Some of you may remember that my dress came from J. Crew's wedding line. Well, they also carry a shorter version, which I've selected for my bridesmaids and one groomswoman. Behold the Sophia short in "Mediterranean Blue:"

However, this style of dress gives a little extra cleavage at the top and in case the girls might not be comfortable with that, I gave them the option of choosing one of the other styles in the same fabric and color.

the Robin

the Hope

And the Cecelia

I like all four dresses so I think they'll look good together if that's what anyone decides to do. I'm pleased with these dresses as I think they're reasonably priced (the Cecelia's the only one over $200 and at $225, it's not much over) and genuinely wearable. And I think my b-maids and groomswoman are happy with them, too!

And the Lady Wore Ivory

The dress! By far, this was the easiest party of wedding planning for me. I've actually been eyeing this dress, the Sophia long from J. Crew, for about four years. Then, just two days after we got engaged, the dress was on sale - for just $200 (normal price is $295). I ordered it to see how I liked it in real life, it came within a few days (go J. Crew!), I tried it on, it fit, I liked it, and that was that. ;)

Model, front view

Model, back view

And me. I like the non-boring elegance of the dress, which is exactly what I said last week about the shoes I'm eyeing. Non-boring elegance. Sounds like a good wedding mantra to me.

P.S. You might be thinking, "Now Justin will see her in the dress before the big day!" It's ok - he's already seen me in the dress a couple of times. I decided long ago that I was going to keep the wedding traditions that made sense to me & trash the ones that didn't. That whole "can't see the bride in her dress or you'll get bad luck" one - yeah, that ain't working for us.

The Ones?

Three months ago, if you had asked me the wedding detail that I would have blogged about most at this point, I would have gone for venue or centerpieces. I would not would have said shoes. ;) However, here's another shoe post and this time I think I've really found "the ones."

After I decided the Rock & Republic shoes were not right for me, the shoe search was back on. I really want blue shoes, which are not so easy to find in ordinary shoe stores - online or otherwise. So I found a couple of companies that sell dyeable shoes. I don't even remember how now, but I stumbled across Dyeable Shoe Company, located right in Portsmouth, NH (where we live!).

Their website is a little basic, but it's easily searchable and I quickly found a style that I loved. It's from the brand Touch Ups, who make - obviously! - dyeable shoes. Anyway, I fell in love with this style, the Sharmain.

Can you picture these lovelies in royal blue? Because I can and I'm loving the image. I like how simple, but fun this style is. It's elegant without being a boring old shoe.

After ogling the Sharmain for awhile and daydreaming about it in blue, I happened to be sorting through some of the many, many wedding-related JPG's I've been collecting on my computer since we got engaged. And lo and behold - I found the self-same shoes! Apparently, I loved these back on . . . February 25th according to the file properties. ;)

Gorgeous!

Update on the Shoes

So. The shoes came, within a week, thanks to Zappo's fast (& free!) shipping. I tried them on without the dress and they were . . . possible, but not exactly right. The heels were a bit too high for me and I felt like I wouldn't be able to relax my leg muscles all day.

Then, I tried them on with my dress (more on that later) and my answer was clear. The shoes are awesome & edgy & cool. My dress is silky & vintage & classy. The two were not a match made in heaven.

Oh well! Nothing ventured, nothing gained. And Zappo's offers free shipping both ways, so returning the shoes will be easy-peasy.

Have any of you found shoes you love in general, but hate with your wedding dress?

Is It Wrong that I Love These?

I hadn't intended to start with the shoes. I have nearly everything else planned out, which I was going to tell you in lovely detail. Later, apparently.

I was browsing Zappo's, looking for blue shoes in my size with a good-sized heel & these little babies jumped out at me. The style is the Charlotte, from Rock & Republic. They're not at all my normal style, but something about them appeals to me. They've got the right color scheme (blue & white) & the little gold buckles somehow seem nautical to me, which is the wedding theme. Hmmm . . . maybe it's not so crazy after all?