A Perfect Ten

My wedding gown fits like a glove. There is no other way to describe this. It hugs me in all of the right places and feels like it was made just for me... Pretty amazing considering how much money some brides have to spend on dress alterations. I have to admit that I am thrilled to not have to pay a dime for alterations. Not a dime!

I have to say that I would wait eight long months for the custom cutting again. What a lifeline! Those extra three inches cut off the bottom of the dress were perfect and my adorable kitten heel shoes are the exact height they need to be. A HUGE thanks to Diane and Ruth's Bridal! And Maggie Sottero! (I am a fan for life.)

With the dress in and ready to go, my wedding day look is complete. Although, I do not have anything old or borrowed...guess I should start thinking about that. Any ideas??

Wish I could post a picture or two from yesterday, but cannot risk Jacob seeing it. :) All in due time!

Happy Bridesmaids = Happy Bride

A wise man once said, “A happy bridesmaid makes a happy bride.” I think he knew what he was talking about. After being in numerous weddings myself, I decided early on that I wanted to make my wedding as easy as possible for those I wanted to share it with me...namely my bridesmaids.

Meaning: letting each girl choose her own dress, have the option to do her own hair/makeup/nails, choose her own jewlery/shoes, etc. I figure that these things would add up to a happy bridesmaid.

When I made the decision to have each of the girls wearing different dresses, I did not realize the extra job I was taking on. Add to that the fact that no bridal shop in Lexington carries the complete line I chose (Forever Yours) and you have a sticky situation.

Luckily, Ruth's Bridal in Lexington (where my gown was ordered) has been very easy to work with on this (as they are ordering the dresses). Since mid-August, I have been shuttling groups of my girls back and forth to Cincinnati to the mecca that is Bridal and Formal. And one by one, each girl chose the dress she wanted to wear.

My last such trip took place over the weekend with my Maid of Honor, Trish. (Anna joined us and we had a fabulous time BTW!)

The dress Trish chose is called a "crumb catcher" and I think it looks absolutely gorgeous on her! To be completely honest, I fell in love with this dress the first time I saw it. And practically every one of the girls has tried it on. But for one reason or another, other dresses were chosen. And on Saturday, Trisha tried it on...and loved it too!

To make her stand out a bit, we are thinking about the possibility of incorporating a brooch to her dress in some way...if we can find a suitable option. Keep your eyes peeled for something vintage that screams old Hollywood!


Here is the final dress line up:

What do you think? Keep in mind that all dresses will be in emerald green (even sashes) and the longer two dresses in this image will be hemmed to a shorter length to match the other dresses.

All in all, I think these dresses will make for beautiful bridesmaids.

Now to schedule fittings and get the final cost of these dresses...

Say YES to the Dress!

I ordered my wedding gown yesterday! The wedding, though nine months out, is starting to feel so official.

Sadly, I will not be able to put a picture of the dress on here because I do not want Jacob to see it prior to our wedding day. However, I can tell you to be prepared to be amazed!

With my mum's fabulous connections with Ruth's Bridal here in Lexington, I ended up scoring the dress of my dreams for $100 less than the same dress at the shop in Cincy AND I was given an extra discount on top of that!! In all, I easily saved $175. That rocks! Oh and the best thing of all, the dress may not need any alterations once it makes it in (mid-May). Seriously good news!

When placing my order, I went ahead and added the charge to have the dress preserved after the wedding. This is a very interesting concept to me...you pay $160 or so to have your dress cleaned, pressed and put into a box that you will ultimately store in your attic. Not knowing what else I would do with the dress, this seemed like a good plan to me.

I think my next stop with the wedding attire will include shoes, the undergarments, the veil and headpiece. I have ideas swirling in my head for each of these. Most importantly, if anyone sees cute kitten heel shoes, preferably in green, please let me know!

Seven down...MOH to go

Yesterday, I took a drive to Cincinnati with my mum; youngest sister Kimberly; soon to be mother-in-law, Debbie; and sister-in-law, Rachel. What a good trip! Not only did we have a blast, but both of the girls chose their dresses to wear in the wedding. Success!!

Kimberly will be wearing this dress (right). I really like this dress! It will look stunning on her. And Rachel will be wearing this dress (left). Another super cute dress. Cannot wait to see it in emerald green! Both of these dresses were classic choices that can be traced back to the original dress shopping trip. I love both of them!

So then there was one. Seven of the girls now have bridesmaid dresses. So much fun! That leaves one. Trish, my MOH (Maid of Honor) is planning a trip to Lexington New Year's weekend so we can do a little shopping. I would love to make her dress look a little different in some way. I wonder what it would look like, if she chooses a dress with a sash or something, if the sash was a different color than the typical emerald green of the rest of the dress. Opinions? I guess it will really just come down to which dress she chooses. More on that later!

Once Trish has chosen her dress, I will lay each of the dresses out so we can look at them as a group. I think they will be the best looking (and best dressed) wedding party of 2010!

PS, I have decided that silver shoes are the best option. I think a silver satin shoe will do the trick. Hilary has found lots of cute ones out in Hamburg...planning an outing with her to take a look! (Note: girls can wear whatever shoes they are most comfortable in...they just need to be open toe/strappy and satin.)

Oh! One other update: I have officially chosen my wedding gown! Love it!! Tried it on for the group yesterday and it was a smash. Mom made an appointment for me tomorrow so I can go ahead and order it. Wow. Ordering my wedding gown. What a surreal feeling!

Coming soon: consultations with florists...ideas...opinions...thoughts... Big decision to be made in the next few weeks.

Inspiration for my wedding "look"

When I contemplate my wedding "look," I am greatly inspired by the glamour of old Hollywood (see above).

This thought never occurred to me until I found my dress. Well, "the dress" is not officially mine yet, but I think I found it. Unfortunately, I cannot share it on here since I do not want Jacob to see it. BUT, I can tell you that its lines, design and look all scream old Hollywood.

That in mind, the decisions I make on my shoes, accessories (including jewelry, veil, headpiece) and hair/makeup will be inspired by the looks of old Hollywood.

I am definitely looking forward to pulling this idea together with the other aspects I have in mind to make our day extra special and very unique! I mean really, who else's wedding can say it has roots in old Hollywood, Irish tradition, and autumn/fall themes? It may sound random now, but it will all tie together on September 18, 2010.