Sep 8, 2010 Posted on Sep 8, 2010 in fashion | 0 comments

Invitations Interrupted: Sparkly Headpieces in the House!

Hiya!

I know I promised a fourth installment of the invitation madness, but I hope you’ll forgive me for forgoing it (for now) and throwing up a few simpler posts. My bridal brain is shot. Don’t worry though, I will eventually deliver the 4th installment- aka, How to DIY your own Awesome Lino Prints…. And by eventually I mean post wedding. Duh. And sorry.

Until then, let’s talk about other pretty, sparkly things, like veils and headpieces. Yup- our heads aren’t gonna be naked at this lovefest of ours, because I threw a couple things together for us…

Wanna see?

The Architectural Birdcage Flower Fiesta:

The Front View:

The 3/4 View:

The Side View:

The Birdseye View:

This one is mine and I LUUURVE it! I wanted something a little more unique/extravagant than the typical bandeau/flat across the face birdcage, so naturally I chose the MOST expensive vintage french silk netting in a gorgeous shade of pale grey that California Millinery carries. It cost me $10.95 for a yard, and I only used half. And it took about 15 minutes. Do the math = SCORE! I already had the flowers and I threw the whole thing on a headband b/c I hate having stuff pinned/tied onto my head. Easy peasy. So easy I’ll even give you a tutorial before the wedding if ya’ll want one!

The Peacock Feather/Sparkle Magic:

The 3/4 View:

The  Close-Up:

The Birds-Eye View:

The Cuteness:

This one is for F Stripes who specifically requested peacock feathers!  I trimmed the feathers and glued them all to a felt base, which attaches to a headband via the cuteness (aka, red felt hearts). I actually found the green feather/sparkle magic already thrown together at Michael Levine for about five bucks and just went from there. Easy, cheap, and awesome- just the way we like things around here as we approach the single digit countdown.

Stay tuned- I’m planning lots of awesome easy tutorials and loads of posts about all of our last minute projects leading up to the big day.  I might even get in a serious post or two if my brain resumes fully functioning anytime soon.  Keep your fingers crossed for that one though.

Anyone else fully immersed in last minute mayhem?  What all are you planning to get done before the big day? What are you scrapping in favor or sleep/sanity?

Aug 20, 2010 Posted on Aug 20, 2010 in fashion, the dress | 4 comments

On Gratitude and Wedding Dresses

So I never really had the thisismydress moment. And I didn’t shed any tears. But I do feel really content, happy, and even a little giddy about my wedding dress.

I LOVE the dress aesthetically, ethically, and emotionally.

Are you dying to know which dress I chose?

I chose romance

I chose ruffles

I chose the dress that makes me feel pretty

I chose independent design

I chose reuse

I chose to borrow my dress from the incredible and amazingly generous Mrs. Mouse.

And I could not be more grateful. Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you x a bajillion Mouse!

Seriously. The lady is letting me borrow her beautiful wedding dress people! That’s huge! My budget and my heart are bursting with happiness. And gratitude of a magnitude (ha!) that I find difficult to express. I LOVE that my dress was worn by another beautiful bride and that it has a history, a story, a beautiful happy past.

It’s funny, but as this little wedding journey of ours draws to a close, gratitude is the emotion I am most often overcome with.

I am so grateful to have found someone to adventure through life with. And grateful to all our friends, family, coworkers, and even random strangers (or lovely blog friends) for their support, encouragement and excitement about this grandiose adventure. It means the world the to me.

But I’m sure by now your eyes have gone crossed and all you’re reading is blah, blah, blah. So without further ado I give you my dress, and a sneak peak at my bouquet too! Feast your eyes lovelies, because this is the last you’ll read/see of my dress before the big day.

What emotion are you most often overcome with while wedding planning? And would you ever lend/borrow your wedding dress?

Aug 3, 2010 Posted on Aug 3, 2010 in fashion | 27 comments

Wedding Dress Mania: Tales of a *gulp* Three Dress Bride

I think I’ve mentioned my dress doubts once or twice around here.  Sigh. But don’t worry, I’m *really* done whining and ready to get down to business. And what better way to make a decision than to check out all your options?  That’s right folks, I said options- plural. And that’s where the gulp comes in.

When you shop for a living and you don’t want to wear a traditionalweddingdress, by which I just mean one that comes from a Bridal Shop, you have A. LOT. OF. OPTIONS. Through the spring and summer months,  short white(ish) dresses jump out at you at every turn, begging to be taken home and put through their couldthisbemyweddingdress paces.

And what else can an indecisive bride do but oblige them?

Seriously, I’ve taken home nearly every white, cream or gold, short/cocktail length dress in Los Angeles, submitted it to a series of fitting photos and promptly returned it to the store. Big Sigh.

And that’s how I’ve ended up with the final three. Yes. You read correctly. Three. Many dresses entered, but only these three made it to the final round. And so with the help of Bridesmaid J (also a stylist extraordinaire) we did a little accessorizing and staged an impromtu photo shoot to determine the winner.  I’m about 99% sure of my decision, but I would LOVE to hear your opinion!

So which one do you like best?

The Modern Romantic:

The French Poet (styled two ways):

The Architectural Cutie:

So again, which dress should I wear? AND are there any other super indecisive Three Dress Brides out there?

Jul 22, 2010 Posted on Jul 22, 2010 in fashion | 8 comments

Hair Stories: The PWB

That’s the Pre-Wedding Bob for all you acronym neophytes.

Or I just made it up.

Take your pick.

Anyhoo, like many brides-to-be I’ve been growing out my hair.  I am not really sure why I decided to prescribe to this time honored tradition, because even with my super hair growing powers, it’s not like I’m gonna be Rapunzel (she’s the long haired one right?) come September.  Then again, my most favorite hair inspiration ever does involve long(er) hair. You remember the 60’s right?

So with the wedding fast approaching, I’ve been patiently putting off cutting/dyeing. I figured I’d wait until a few weeks before the wedding and then actually make a decision. Yes. It seem(ed) a little crazy, even to me. But whatev.

Then this past Saturday I just happened to be in my Stylist’s neighborhood… My super amazing, shecandomiracles, longest relationship ever (7 years) stylist.  So naturally I couldn’t resist popping in to see if she had time for a quick trim.

You see where this is going right?

I sat down and said I wanted short, thick bangs (an old standby favorite). Then during a mind-blowingly awesome, 15 minute head massage, I began musing about a short, choppy bob…

Done and done.

Next thing you know I had this:

And I love it! (Even in crappy office light w/no makeup!)

So now I just need to decide if I want to leave the color as it is or dye it dark brown, which is another standby favorite.  There is this weird sentimental (or something) part of me that thinks I should leave well enough alone and get married with my “real” hair.  However the reality is that I’ve spent far more of my adult years with dyed hair than with my natural hair of the moment anyhow.  And I do love how it looks dark:

So what do you guys think? Dyed dark or au naturel?

What about you? Are you growing/cutting/making drastic changes to your hair before your wedding?

Jul 14, 2010 Posted on Jul 14, 2010 in fashion | 3 comments

Bridesmaids Revisited

So I think it’s time we revisit this whole bridesmaid situation. Clothing that is. Remember ohsolongago I debated between light, bright, or black & white? That feels like freakin’ forever ago. Yowza.

Anyhoo, in case you forgot (i almost did!) bright was the winner, and we decided that our ladies would wear a combo of plain/patterned dresses and suits in bright colors with a vintage feel. I ain’t gonna lie or pretend- we did NOT say they could wear anything they wanted. We didn’t give them our blessing and send ‘em out carte blanche into the world. Nope. We like to torture ourselves. So we went shopping.

Yes. One Saturday a few weeks ago we all piled into Lil’ Stripes Volvo and headed to the mall.  I think I should tell you guys now, that while I shop for a living, (and truly enjoy it) going to the mall with my girlfriends is NOT a part of my reality. Sure it looks lovely on SATC, but we usually skip the shopping and head straight for the drinks if ya know what I mean.

So we’re at the mall for about 36 seconds before I realize that:

1. I hate almost everything in the stores right now. Remember- I pretty much live in the mall.
2. Not all bridesmaids appreciate this whole youallweardifferentdresses trend. It’s confusing. But whaaat color? Vintage/French/Modern/Carnival? What does that meeeeean?
3. Shopping with each girl individually would have been a better idea.
4. Um. We’re really at the mall now. Oh shit.

We needed drinks. And stat.

After eating  in a generic butohsodisgustingly delicious restaurant we put our heads down and got to work. We sorted through the ugly, the shiny, and the fantastically expensive (and ugly) and eventually we actually ended up with a few dresses.

Clockwise from top left: Luckily Bridesmaid J shares my love for irony. Isn’t that the most fantastically ginormous bow you’ve ever seen? J is preggo (yay! congrats!) and that little avocado will probably be a pineapple come September, so we didn’t buy the dress. Not to worry- we’re having it made in a magenta raw silk a little closer to the wedding. Bridesmaid Sister L (all the way in Hawaii) still has to decide between these Modcloth dresses. Hear that L? On the off chance you’re reading: Make up your mind already! Lil’ Stripe picked this beauty out on her own (and somehow snuck a new color into our palette!) but doesn’t she just look gorgeous? And finally, all the way from Japan, Bridemaid N chose this fantastically flowered number (also Modcloth).

So yes. They’re fantastic. And our ladies are going to look stunning. And you couldn’t drag me and a herd of bridesmaids back into a mall EVER again no matter how much you paid me. And no matter how much I love our ‘maids. So it’s a good thing that this whole wedding business only happens once (knock on wood).

Not. Even. Kidding.

If you’re gonna go this route I highly recommend:

1. Be less of a control freak than I am. Give the girls your blessing and send ‘em out into the world
2. If you can’t (and oh how I understand your pain) and you still wanna shop, than do it one girl at a time. Individual attention and avoiding the toomanycooksinthekitchen phenomenom is key. Trust me- I’m handing out valuable trade secrets here.
3. Modcloth. It’s vintagey, cheap, and easy. Post shopping trip, we browsed, emailed our remaining (naked) girls with pics of the dresses we liked, and told ‘em that if one struck their fancy to buy it and tell us which one they chose. Easy peasy awesome-sauce.

Dressing our eight ‘maids (Team Awesome?) is a trip. It’s the perfect storm of different styles, body types, personalities, and budgets.  And we still have four more to go. *Deep breath. Next up, we tackle a couple more dresses, as well as vests/bowties/skinny jeans. Maybe. Jury’s still out on skinny jeans, but I’m loving the idea for a wedding!

Did you let your attendants pick their own attire? And did you have any ladies in pants? Oh! And be honest. Mixing it up-more or less stressful than sending ‘em over to Davids with a swatch of something shiny?

I