yes to my dress

Photo source: the always lovely blog style me pretty

This is not my dress by the way, just a stunning picture

My stomach had been in knots all day as I ran out of work, forgetting a few things left behind but not bothering to care. It was 4:30 and I was just 30 more minutes away from a moment I had been dreaming about for years, but at the same time so nervous I could barely stand it.

I was on my way to my 1st wedding dress appointment. It would be my first appointment of many {I automatically thought}. Boy was I in for a surprise. I credit those thoughts partly due to one of my favorite wedding shows "Say Yes to the Dress." It seems like many of those brides have tried on dozens of dresses and just can't find the right one. I just thought going to different stores, getting measured, having many tedious fittings, and some sort of catastrophe/melt down was just part of the experience by now.

Once again I was in for a surprise.

I met with my wedding dress consultant and instantly knew we would get along like 2 peas in a pod. She is just one of those adorably sweet people who is positive and not at all pushing what she likes on you. As we {my mom, sister, close friend and I} made our way to the room filled with racks of glistening gowns, one in particular caught my eye.

I had a strong feeling I knew just who the designer of that dress was. I have actually been a loyal fan of this particular designer for quite a while and was tickled pink that one of her designs happened to be the one that first caught my eye. It was hugging the manikin next to it's dashing partner clad in a fetching suit....and it took my breath away. It was overwhelmingly beautiful but glancing at the size {a size too small} & price tag I sighed and tried to push it out of my mind.

For my dress, I knew I wanted some sort of straps up top, so that went into the choosing process and the 5 of us ladies searched through the racks of gowns pulling a few that were similar to my vision.

Dress #1: loved the bodice, but too poofy & way to heavy

Dress #2: favored the laced up back, but not my style

Dress #3: would have looked amazing on my sister

Dress #4: now we were getting somewhere but still not the dress

Dress #5: similar to what I wanted, but just not enough

Now it was time to grab a few more dresses. Do you remember that first dress I mentioned? That first one that took my breath away. Well, it was still on my mind and I couldn't help but let the words slip out "Can we just try that one?" and everyone knew which one I was talking about. So my consultant slipped it away from it's current resting place. I got goose bumps as her and I took it back into the room. Even though it only took a few minutes to get on, I was instantly impatient to step back out onto the floor and surprise the girls with dress #6.

They could see it in my face as I lit up, I was glowing. Likewise, their faces lit up as my eyes filled with tears. The dress was so much more then I thought possible and I was done. I was done looking at the dozens of fancy wedding dresses wondering if that would look good on me. I was done worrying about when I would find my dress, or how many stores we would travel to till we found the perfect dress. I had found it!!

By the end of the night everything was worked out: a few minor adjustments were decided on, my consultant made a wonderful deal to bring the price down a little, we picked out some lovely accessories, and I truly felt like a bride for the 1st time in my life. I was blessed enough to have such amazing people around me, and even a surprise visit from my future parents in law.

In some way, I wish I could share a picture of my real dress, but I don't want to ruin the surprise. Once again, the picture above is not my dress, but just a lovely picture. If Brian can't see the dress, then neither can you, not yet anyway.

Some people might say {or already have said}, "how did you pick it so fast?" or "don't you want to keep looking to see what else is out there?" but finding the perfect dress is just like finding your perfect guy. When you find the one who truly gets you, your best friend, the one who loves you for all that you are, why would you keep looking for another man?

For me, the same was true for my dress: it's the one that makes me feel amazing, it's what I dreamed of and so much more, and most importantly it's the one I will wear when I marry the love of my life.

it's picture time

Upon the request of a few eager people, I thought I'd share a few engagement pictures from our little photo shoot with my sister from a few weeks ago. Even thought it was bitterly cold and we were ready to head in doors to a cup of tea after about 30 minutes, we braved the chilly winds came away with some lovely picture. These are a few of our favorites.

  

 

lovely leading ladies

Choosing who I would ask to stand by our sides as Brian & I joined together in marriage was no easy task. It is safe to say that there were a few teary nights when I realized that having a dozen bridesmaids really wasn't that practical. I limited myself to 5 of my closest girl. Now that I was past the difficulties task of deciding, I was on to the enjoyment of asking them in a creative way. I took much inspiration from Bethany's 'be my maid?' boxes and did them in my own way with our colors. So thanks Bethany for the inspiration!

My supplies:
- 5 wooden boxes from any craft store like Micheals or JoAnn's
- paint to cover the wood feel in the color 'eggshell'
- paper in a variety of pinks, creams, and grays
- decorative ribbon in the same soft colors
- an afternoon of wedding shows like 'Say Yes to the Dress' on in the background

After a couple coats of the eggshell color + a few coats of clear varnish it was time to decorate the inside. I added a personal note for each of my 5 girls: my sister and secret keeper, my tree loving grade school buddie, my partner in crime, my sunshine supporter, and my new sister. I also added a note with details about the wedding, like the date, the location, our colors {displayed with buttons sewn onto each note}, and a list of the other lovely ladies.

I also added a few pictures for an overall feel of the wedding, so they would know what to expect, and also a picture of what I am hoping for in regards to the dresses. I also added a little delight for each of the girls in the form of chocolate m&ms in our colors. I want the girls to feel special and have a great time right along with Brian and I as we experience these special months of planning together. I finished off each box with a decorative accent ribbon to add a little touch of elegance.

 

This project did take a little longer then expected, but that was partially because there were 5 boxes to paint & fill, and 2 of them had to be shipped off hundreds of miles away. It was totally worth it, to give each girl a keep sake for being a bridesmaid and thank them for agreeing to stand by our sides.

This was my 1st wedding DIY project of many exciting adventures to come. Next on the list....save the dates!!

sneak peak

Now that I got the jitters out, it's time to focus on the planning. It really is so much more overwhelming then I ever thought. Not overwhelming in a bad way, but more overwhelmingly amazing then I thought possible.

So many people have warned me that engagement can be a time of arguing and tempers rising. Even though I didn't think it possible, B and I have grown closer knowing that with ever decision we are closer to becoming husband and wife. For me planning a wedding is never a burden, but a privilage that I feel honored to be doing together with B.

Anyway, sorry for the overwhelming amount of mushy lovey-dovey talk as of late. I just can't seem to get around spilling out my feelings for everyone to read. I thought I'd give you a sneak peak at what we see our wedding to be like. We have decided on the color pallet of light dusty rose pink, cream/ivory, and soft gray. We are striving for a vintage, antique, classy look incorporating things like maps & books in to the decorations of the wedding.

The pictures that you see here are all taken from my new obsession. Yes, I broke down and got a pintest account. I have been wanting one for months but knew that once I opened that account, once I joined the montage of inspirational boards I would get totally engrossed and want to spend any free time I had looking up creative DIY projects.

I was proved correct, especially in the first few days, spending about 2 hours a day paging through the ideas that filled my mind with wonder. Who knew so much creativeness could be on one site! I guess I really didn't know what I was missing.

Here is a link to my new obsession.