Bridal Fixins

Yesterday Kelly M took me to Carbonneau's in Worcester to look for shoes and a veil. It was the fastest, easiest shopping trip ever. One of the sales ladies handed me a shoe and said, "I don't know if you like bows, but these are the most comfortable shoes."

Thankfully the embellishment on the shoe was more of a knot than a bow. And she was right. They are rather comfortable (for a dress shoe, that is. Let's get real. There's a limit to how comfortable a strappy, 2 1/2 inch kitten heel shoe can be).

Then we look at veils. In under ten minutes we found exactly what I was looking for - and for only $35.

Nice.

(Shoes + veil) X under one hour = success!

Addresses, Oh Boy!

The postcards have arrived!

They are just as beautiful as I thought they would be (I made them, after all). Jon and I will label and stamp them tonight, and they will be in the mail tomorrow morning.

Hooray!

The e-version will also go out tonight (because you can never remind people too often).

Maybe this weekend Jon and I will start registering for gifts.

And speaking of dresses (well, kind of ... "dresses" is part of "addresses"):

My wedding dress came in! Right now it's in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin (say that three times fast!) but soon it will be boxed and shipped to Roslindale, MA.

Then comes the arduous part of making it short enough for little ol' me.

Decision!

Yes, we are still getting married! Neither Jon nor I have really felt like doing much decision-making lately, but my bridesmaids have been dutifully urging me (and Mom too, of course) to at least pick out the bridesmaid dress.

So, after playing with David Bridal's entertaining "Dress Your Wedding" feature (it's like online paper dolls!) far more often at work than is advised, I think my ladies and I have come to a consensus (or, more accurately, they have begged me to stop giving them options and just pick something already!)

And thus:

Peridot/Truffle and Truffle/Peridot

The Three Kell(e)ys will wear the first combo, and Laura and Rebes will wear the second combo. Fun, fun, fun!

I ordered fabric swatches for $3.50 from Alfred Angelo (maker of my dress) so that I can go to David's Bridal and find the green hue that most closely matches (I believe it will end up being the Peridot, but for a measly $3.50 I might as well be sure!).

The fun of these dresses is that the peek-a-boo-skirt is separate, so in the future, if they ever want to, they can wear the dress with or without. And everyone loves a sash ... it's the posh version of a big bow-on-the-butt.

It's the first decision I've mad about the wedding in quite awhile (not that I've been concentrating all that hard on the blessed event). Ah, relief.

I shall now procrastinate for several more weeks ....

Aw... we're so cute

During this week between Christmas and New Year's, work is pretty slow (apart from processing donations and writing thank you letters). I took the time to today to read this entire blog to date.

We're a pretty cute couple. Down right adorable. How do people stand being around us? :-)

I'm also happy to report that I'm used to my rings now (the Zanotelli ring has become the "second" engagement ring rather than the wedding band) and haven't taken them off in days.

We've officially booked John Heymann as the wedding photographer, and I just emailed a woman about officiating our wedding (find the right person for this prestigious task could be the hardest part!). The Wedding March moves on ....

During my pre-Christmas vacation, Mom, Aunt Nancy, Jon, and I discussed The Food. Both Mom and Nancy nixed the Fajita Buffet which is a bummer - although probably a sound idea (as even my own father would not be able to eat it ... much to his dismay). Right now we're debating Brunch Buffet vs. Italian Fiesta Buffet. Of course we haven't even talked to the caterer at the hotel yet, so who knows?! Either option could be really tasty or boringly bland. But we are darn sure we want apple crisp, ice cream, and hot apple cider.

Mmmm .... apples .... (If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, how many days away would an apple-food themed wedding keep the doctor? - hello, awkward sentence syntax! Or, would there just be a really large doctor-free zone around our wedding? That would be kind of funny ..... You know, I don't think I know any doctors .... I mean, except for my doctor .... we don't have any doctor friends - oh wait, we do. Hmmm .... maybe he can get a free pass or something ... This pass allows one doctor into the apple zone. Have I gone insane? Should I stop taking this cold medicine? Or maybe I should just back away from the keyboard?)

The other task I'm avoiding is the DJ/music. There must be music at the ceremony and reception (everyone practice the polka!). There's got to be a good, inexpensive answer .... right? (Ipod! ... oops, more Apples)

Dress Shopping, Part 2

Yesterday Mom, Laura, and I went on the dress quest. We started in Kakauna (city motto: "What's that smell?") at the Bridal Staircase which is a great store. The woman who runs it is very friendly and laid back. She left me and my small entourage to all the dress choosing and trying on by ourselves, which was great.

We spent over 2 hours there - I don't even know how many dresses I tried on. At that store we narrowed it down to 2 favorites: this one and this one (both with celedon color accents).

After that we drove back to Green Bay (stopping first for lunch, of course) over to Elaine Bridal. They were the more traditional style of pairing you with an attendant to help get the dresses on and off. We were helped by an older woman named Carol who was wonderful! She was so much fun, and good at giving compliments (I have a "tiny waist" - comparatively speaking to other attributes, that is - and "very long eyelashes" and "beautiful shoulders." Hey, I'm not adverse to compliments!)

I tried on a Googleplex more dresses, but in the end I kept going back to the very first one of the day. The one that caught my eye back when I started looking at dresses on-line back in October.

We hadn't planned on buying a dress, but Elaine's had made a mistake and wrote down a really low price on the dress tag. So, I bought it! THE DRESS.

No pictures yet. I'm not ready to reveal it. But I bought it (for nearly $200 less than in other stores!)

White Dresses ... Even Bows ... But No Poofy Sleeves

Yes, on Sunday Kelly (not Molly) and I went to David's Bridal in Natick (Land O' Commerce) to try on dresses. I wasn't overly impressed by the customer service, but I didn't expect to be. Other than that, it was tons of fun.

This dress was too heavy (but pretty)

Too sparkly

Too complicated (lace up back and big gaudy bow?)

I like this dress! Of course, I like the Alfred Angelo dress better (it has pretty embroidery). But I want my trim in green - peridot, to be exact.
This dress was a surprise. It wasn't even my idea to try it on. It was Kelly. Way to go! I'm not convinced it's "the one." But it's definitely in the running.

The Dress

I've been looking through magazines and online incessantly looking at dresses. I can't believe how I've turned into this person who obsesses over dress silhouettes (A-Line), necklines (probably strapless), and color (white with green accents). Of course even with all this thinking, I could put on my "favorite" dress and find out it looks ridiculous on me. But until that happens, I have photos. Which one do you like?

1. (except green trim of course)

2. (white with green ribbon, or maybe even in green!)

3. (the long version of the above dress ... but it is only boring white)

So ... anyone have an opinion?