8.30.2010

When to Say Yes to the Dress

As I'm watching "Say Yes to the Dress," I thought it might be time to start blogging about my own wedding dress and how I knew it was time to Say Yes to the Dress. Yes, I still watch this show even after the wedding has come and gone. Watching the show prior to the wedding actually made me feel more confident about my dress despite seeing all of the gorgeous dresses in Kleinfelds.

We were living in Arizona at the time that we got engaged and I found my dress. Knowing how indecisive I would be, I thought it would take me forever to find the right dress. I thought I was going to be one of those girls that had tried on 100 dresses and none of them were good enough.  Everyone's in search of the perfect dress. Some get it right the first try and some on the 100th. Luckily, it didn't take me 100 dresses but I would say with 4 shopping trips under my belt (including the final) I averaged about 10 dresses per trip so I may have tried on about 40 gowns before finding the one.

It was during a Melissa Sweet Trunk Show at my favorite bridal boutique, Destiny's Bride, located in Scottsdale that I found my wedding dress. I invited my friend Leslie to go along with me even though I told her it was probably just going to be for fun. I really did not think I was going to find the one that night.

The Melissa Sweet rep was there from New York and we had about 10-12 dresses of her dresses in my dressing room including 1 Monique Lhuillier, just to dream (really expensive). My dress was one I actually hadn't picked off the rack, the rep did. And it was the last one to try on too. Actually, I almost didn't because I was tired of getting in and out of all of those dresses. The rep said, "you have to try this dress on, you'll thank me... it looks way better on than on the hanger." She was right. Some of the bright white dresses I had tried on made my fair skin look pale and drab, this one didn't. The ivory actually complimented my skin tone. The soft A-line defined my thin waistline. This one also made my flat chest have a bit more volume than what was actually there (always a plus, right ladies?) thanks to the higher cut and draping across the chest and torso. And the silk shantung felt amazing against my skin. When I put it on, I knew it was perfect and I didn't want to take it off.

It was exactly what I was looking for considering our wedding was going to be outdoors and simple. To some it would be very plain, no beading or sparkles but for me... it didn't need any of that. It had a bow in the back, something I thought I would never like but I actually loved it.


So I took the plunge on the dress exceeding my budget even with the Trunk Show discount. Luckily, it was a done deal and I couldn't do anything about it. I just kept thinking the girls I know who have gotten married never spent more than a $1,000 on their dress. I kept thinking thoughts like what if it's too plain? What if my future husband doesn't like it as I'm walking down the isle? Why did I pay so much for a dress that I'm going to wear once? Buyer's Remorse started to set in...

...especially looking through the bridal magazines. So many gorgeous dresses to choose from , it was easy to start questioning my decision. I decided to not look at the dresses anymore when flipping through those magazines. I told myself that I actually tried on some of these fabulous dresses and they didn't look right with my body type. Of course, they look good on the models in the magazine but they're not made for everyone. My dress fit my body type, my personality and my wedding. And I began to feel much more comfortable with my decision.

I also began watching the show "Say Yes to the Dress." Not every girl chose a dress that in my opinion was gorgeous but that didn't matter, she thought it was. It was what looked best on her and what she had invisioned looking like in a wedding dress. So, that's why I say it helped me gain a little confindence in my choice. And the buyer's remorse went away considering most of those dresses on the show are at least $5,000. Luckily, mine wasn't close to the 5K mark.


So, here are my thoughts on choosing a wedding dress for all of those brides-to-be out there... You want to feel like You in the dress, you should be comfortable, and you should pick a dress not by what it looks like in a magazine but how it looks on you!

And guess what, My Groom Loved my Dress!!



For those brides out there, any advice you would give to those looking for a dress??

8.24.2010

More of our Wedding Details: the Groom's Cake

While we're waiting on those wedding pics, I thought I would share the Groom's Cake we had designed by the Chef at our rehearsal dinner location. We originally booked Soiree in Mooresville, NC when we were planning on having our wedding in the area. When we changed the location about 30 mins. away, we kept the Rehearsal Dinner location because we really loved the food and atmosphere. Unfortunately, the night before my wedding... I could have cared less about food and atmosphere. I could barely eat from all of the nerves... and I had to get back to the house to finish programs and other last minute details to really enjoy the atmosphere. I hope our guests enjoyed Soiree! One thing we did get to enjoy was the Groom's Cake...
UConn Huskies, New England Patriots & Hartford Whalers
If you'll remember my blog about Groom's Cakes from my former site Something Carolina Blue, I blogged about how I wasn't even sure about doing the Groom's cake or having it at the rehearsal dinner. Personally, I loved this idea and we had an amazing pastry chef who accomplished exactly what we were looking for. My husband having grown up in Connecticut (with New England sports teams) and also Columbus, Ohio (Buckeye country)  has quite a few teams he roots for depending on the season. I wanted a way to include all of them.
The chef took the logos we sent him via e-mail and transformed them into fondant. They even asked if we wanted to take them home with us afterwards. We declined but took pictures to remember it by.


Red Sox (the only team we can agree on) & Celtics


Ohio State Buckeyes
I still can't believe I allowed a cake with the Patriots logo on it.... oh the things we do for the ones we love!

8.15.2010

My Birthday

While the Wedding Dress blog has been written, I'm still waiting on photos from the photography company to get here so that I can scan them in to complete the blog. In the meantime, I thought I would share some pics from my birthday this past week.

He brought me some flowers

He cooked me dinner, stuffed crab tilapia and baked potato.. .yum!!
(Don't judge the amount of sour cream on my bp, it's my bday)

The Best Part: I got my first wife card!!

He also picked up this delicious DQ Ice Cream cake. He told me the girl was having some trouble writing on the cake and spelling my name. When I pulled off the lid, I was like "Oh, my gosh!! They spelled Birthday wrong!" My hubs was disappointed and said he was so worried about them spelling my name right, he didn't think he needed to check out the word "birthday." Haha! I love my "brithday" cake though.