THE Dress
When I walked out of the fitting room in this my sister gasped. It was then that I looked up and thought OH.MY.GOSH
I fell in love with everything about this dress, the layered lace, the detailed bodice, the shape, the train, and my absolute FAVORITE detail was the bows going down the back. I love that Melissa Sweet thought of this because during the whole ceremony guess what people are looking at for the most part...the BACK of the dress. It had a beautiful vintage chic flair that I absolutely loved.
Mind you, I tried on several other dresses prior to this one and even had a totally different style of dress in mind. I wanted the keyhole back, but turns out that style just didn't sit well on me. When we arrived at David's and asked if they had any of the Melissa Sweet line, they had one dress and this was it and it was THE ONE I had been looking at online the night before. PERFECTION!
The Bridesmaids
Sticking with the lacey/vintage style we searched high and low for these gorgeous dresses! Once we discovered them online we had an even harder time finding them in any store to try on because they were older dresses and most stores didn't carry them anymore. I'm so glad we finally got our hands on them. The tea length style added that classy vintage flare. They look AMAZING, and I know Meaghan has already worn hers to another wedding! Simply stunning.
Wedding Party Tip: Having only two bridesmaids was seriously the best decision ever, my sister and my best friend. Keep it close and keep it small if you can. Have you ever watched "Say Yes to the Dress: Bridesmaids,"? Trust me, keeping it limited to just your nearest and dearest will save you from drama, decision making will be 10x's easier, and these ladies will be your strongest support system throughout the entire journey. I can't tell you the number of late nights Meaghan stayed up chatting with me online searching for shoes and dresses, or the number of bridesmaid dresses my sister tried on.
The Shoes
Yup, it took three pairs of shoes to get me through the day...typical.
Ceremony shoes. I found these Seychelles cuties at DSW...the last pair in the store (still available online), for 80% off! They came home with me for $14.00! (Similar)
Since our wedding decor theme was burlap + lace, I ordered these burlap TOMS as soon as they hit the market, and got Corey a pair too. With a little help from Michaels they became my adorable and comfy reception footwear.
I will probably order a new pair though, because I do love them just as they were.
The shoe pile.
I let the ladies choose their own footwear, super cute! Meaghan's shoes (far right)
Corey is IN LOVE with these Johnston and Murphy shoes he wore for the occasion, and I mean I have to admit they are rather sexy. (Similar , similar)I LOVE that he loves shoes and fashion almost as much as I do.
Getting Cinderella'd
The story with the pink boots:
When I was about 4 we lived in Arizona, and I was convinced I was going to grow up to be a cowgirl, and you can't possibly grow up to be a cowgirl if you don't have the proper pink cowgirl boots. So I begged and begged...and BEGGED for pink cowgirl boots. I finally got them for Christmas that year and let me tell you, I wore them with everything, everywhere, until my toes couldn't fit in them anymore! We had already planned to incorporate my childhood boots into the decor, but I wanted to take these surprise shots for my parents with some big girl pink cow boots. I searched high and low for a pair that didn't cost $300 and one day while walking around the mall with Corey I saw some lady wearing these adorable pink cow boots! I RAN up to her in the mall inquiring about her boots. She got them from Body Central (the store across the hall from us), I thanked her and rushed into the store, and there they were!
(No longer available.)
The Accessories
Pearl Necklace I've owned since a child, I am pretty sure it was a gift from the parents.
The vintage hanky was a gift embroidered by my Meme (grandmother), my mom and aunt picked out the thread color and helped with the embroidered design.
The pearl ring also includes my birthstone (very tiny) and was fashioned for me out of the one pearl my mother found at a pearl party she went to, (yeah, they literally sit there and open oysters trying to find a pearl), that was given to me when I was in 5th or 6th grade.
The earrings and bracelet were purchased from David's. Here's a word of advise. When you buy your dress from them, they will also try to sell you all the undergarments and everything. DON'T DO IT!!! (you should buy them elsewhere; it will save you $$) They sold me this corset style bra, that once we went to the tailor to get fitted for alterations, realized it was actually bulking up the dress too much, so we went to take it back but they would only give us store credit, so the bracelet and earrings were purchased on that.
Birdcage veil from David's Bridal as well.
Handmade garter from Etsy (similar, similar). Have a blast searching Etsy for handmade, one of a kind garters, too many cute options out there! Unfortunately it was so hot that day, that even though I stuck them on with fashion tape they still slipped right off, so I basically ended up leaving it off until right before the garter toss.
Both rings were purchased from Gemstone Creations in Fredericksburg, VA. These ladies will take great care of you! They carry both new and estate rings and jewelry. My engagement and matching wedding ring were pre-owned JaBel rings with vintage style scroll engraving on them. JaBelle is known for using two metals in their rings. The ring itself is white gold and the setting is platinum. I also love that the setting is square but the diamond is round. Corey did an impeccable job choosing this classy and unique ring set. For Corey we went with a Tungsten ring by Benchmark.
The Guys
Suits: Jos. A Banks (they all chipped in on a buy one get three free deal = the way to go)/Shirts: JCPenney/Bowties: Southern Proper (my fav. detail for the guys)/Boutonniere: Cotton bolls with some rosemary created by The Flower Cupboard of Williamsburg. <--They can do anything! We provided the cotton bolls and rosemary and she turned them into beautiful boutonnieres for the guys.
Dad wore the necktie in the same fabric pattern as the guy's bow ties from Southern Proper
DANG WE ARE A GOOD LOOKIN' CREW!
The Rest of the Lovelies
My cousin is gorgeous and she was SO STINKING CUTE in this vintage dress my Meme found for her somewhere for $1 I believe...STOP IT! I wish I fit in that adorableness!
I HAD to feature her...I mean, she is GORGEOUS!
The lovely Mommas! My mom(left), Corey's mom (right), and I love that the girls are captured in the background through the mirror!
Our handsome little guy. Corey's cousin was our QT little ring bearer, and Corey made this sign for him to carry down the aisle.
LOVE!!
ReplyDeleteOk seriously...the pink boot story made me tear up because I remember phone chats will little Addison...about the boots...and seeing you wear those with every outfit (HMMM you were a fashionista even then!). When I saw them at the reception, I had to giggle...I did not see the big girl boots- I hope you wear them in joy! Love my precious niece!
ReplyDeleteRita