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!

PMC #1

What, what? What the heck is PMC #1? Well, first, I would like you to take a moment to appreciate the lack of wedding-related acronyms in your life. The ladies in the crowd who were recently married know what I'm talking about (I'm looking at you, K).

In the wedding planning world, especially on the internet, there are a multitude of wedding acronyms. From FMIL to DOC to STD*, it's an endless waterfall of shortened names for things. Let me add one more to the list - PMC. Short for Pre-Marital Counseling, of course.

Anywho, we had our first session of said counseling with our minister yesterday. Rev. M. pastors a congregation near my parents' house up at the lake, so we went to see them on Saturday night, then met with him on Sunday afternoon. The session went well, I think. We discussed logistical things like dates and times and length of ceremony (no longer than 45 minutes, for those of you who share my ADD).

After some of that was done, we segued into the "counseling" part of the session. Rev. M's goal is to get us thinking about and talking about various issues in the lead-up to the wedding in order to strengthen our relationship. Justin and I are pretty good at honestly tackling all manner of topics, but it helps to have a knowledgeable someone there to ask us blunt questions like, "So, Justin, why are you marrying Stacey?"

I think the future sessions will help us process our thoughts regarding the wedding and the marriage we're building together. And this is a good thing! So huzzah for the PMC.

*Future Mother in Law, Day Of Coordinator, and Save The Date, for the blissfully ignorant.

Message in a Bottle, Yeah

My awesome mother sent me this idea from Yankee Magazine the other day: Photo Bottles (image above from article).

I think it's a great way to have some old family photos in the wedding decor without worrying about buying more frames (which can get costly). I also think it looks kind of like a "message in a bottle" so it fits perfectly with the nautical theme! Good work, Mum. :)

No Wonder Brides Worry . . .

So, I was looking over a list of 13 "beauty don'ts" on The Knot the other day and five of them were just . . . frightening. Eight of them were just fine, mind you, but five of them made me want to drive to The Knot's offices, hold up the list, and say in a calm, measured tone, "Really?!? This is what you think I should be worrying about on the day I marry the love of my life? Priorities, people!"

Without further ado, here are the offenders. I refuse to provide commentary, as their silliness should be self-evident. ;) I will say, though, that I think the last one is the worst by far. Now we have to know how to weep correctly???

1. Don't drink wine or eat dark-colored foods like berries.

Unless you want to capture a stained smile in your wedding photos, you should avoid foods that can tint your pearly whites. To get 'em extra pearly, invest in a professional teeth-whitening service. On a strict budget? "Crest Whitestrips work magic!" says Melissa Roshan of Make-Up by Melissa Roshan in Columbus, Ohio. "Start any whitening regime about one month before the wedding."

6. Don't ingest excess sodium the week before the wedding.

That means no salty foods, sauces, dressings, or salty deli meats. Instead, choose low- or no-sodium everything starting at least seven days before the wedding. "Sodium holds 50 times its weight in water, so you can shed two to five pounds the week before the wedding just by doing this!" says Liz DiAlto of Fit, Healthy and Beautiful in New York City.

8. Don't sit around in your bra the morning of your wedding.

Makeup artist and hair stylist Nicole Francavilla, of Beauty by Nicole in Orange County, New York, says this is the best way to avoid those unsightly pink indents on your back and shoulders (especially if you're wearing a strapless dress!). And if you're wearing your hair up but don't wear your hair up often? "My suggestion is to take an Advil with your breakfast to eliminate the possibility of an updo headache," she says.

11. Don't forget to touch up!

It's okay to be a little high-maintenance -- bring a touch-up bag and actually use the products at the reception. "You may have hired the best makeup and hair professionals you could find, but if you're cutting a rug on the dance floor and drinking Champagne like France is going dry, chances are you'll break a little sweat and your lip color will wear off," says Chicago-based makeup artist Adriana Aude.

12. Don't cry off all your beautiful makeup!

Tears will happen, so it's important to know how to weep correctly. "Hold a tissue in each hand. Then press the tissues in the tear duct and let the tears run into the tissue -- and keep changing the tissue," says Catherine Sullivan of Fresh Face Chicago. "This keeps you from rubbing your face and eyes and ruining your beautiful face."

"I Think They Have a Very Happy Life Ahead of Them"

Haha, I love this. Bridezilla much? (click on it to biggify, although be warned - the language is colorful!)

Justin, I promise not to be like this! Although, just for fun, I named this season's fantasy baseball team "The Bridezillas." ;)