A big thank you to Sarah, Aaron, Amanda, Jon, and sweet Emily for standing by us through the big event. I thought these were a couple of great pictures of all of us together. The grounds of the Cavalier Hotel allowed for some striking background options.
Photo credit: Eleise Theuer Photography.
Pinterest. It's been blogged and tweeted ad nauseum but that's because it's so freaking useful. Especially for those who are bringing a vision to life -- whether you are planning a party, redecorating your home, or strategizing about your new fall wardrobe.
For more snippets of inspiration check out what I'm pinning here. I find it a nice complement to this blog as it allows me to capture ideas in almost a "pre-" phase before they become true ideas, fully gelled.
We took a number of pictures prior to the ceremony inside one of the parlor rooms at The Cavalier Hotel in Virginia Beach. I love this image.
Photo credit: Eleise Theuer Photography.
We recently got our wedding pictures back. In a word -- amazing. Our photographer, Eleise Theuer, did an unbelievable job capturing the spirit of the day and we couldn't have asked for anything more. With over 1200 images to choose from I managed to narrow down my favorites to around...400. Not too bad? The truth is, I could play the DVDs on endless repeat if I thought it would be acceptable at home, at work, while we sleep... you get the idea. It was one of the best days of our lives and the imagery is a huge addition to our memory bank. A seriously heartfelt thanks to Eleise!
Because a build up of the wedding lasted nearly two years (can you believe I started this blog in 2009?) it only seems fair to share the end results. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!
First up... the dress. So very many beautifully captured images of the magnificent Charlotte dress by Junko Yoshioka. This is my first pick!
Don't be fooled by my numbering system in the header... I love all of these pictures in no particular order!
More about the dress -- it comes with a sweet little bolero that might make an appearance in a later post.
Photo credit: Eleise Theuer Photography
What if you have a heart for gold and white but your date is in the summer? It can often come down to textures and materials that make the difference. Think light and airy over heavy and dense. Think about adding another pretty color to the mix that softens the weight of metallics -- pinks, lavenders, corals and earthy greens all work well, among others. I made this board thinking about a special family member who is on her path to planning a golden summer wedding, herself!
Dress: J. Crew, Shoes: Nina, Flowers: Saipua, Invitations: Minted, Decor: Etsy
I've been spending only a teeny bit of time thinking about the OTHER outfits I need for the weekend. A weekend that is just two weekends away!
The lunch with my family a couple of days before. The rehearsal dinner, a lovely but purposely casual affair. The morning after when we say our goodbyes after a night that went by too fast.
Of course, none of these things really matter, unless you are a girl who has nearly forsaken ALL shopping unless it's been related to wedding planning type things since late 2009. You could say my wardrobe needs a tiny facelift. I've been eye-ing these pretties from one of my favorites, Boden.
This is the dress that almost was. I tried it on several times, even for my family - we all loved it! Tears in our eyes we thought it was the one. But the problem with a long engagement is that you have sooo much time to think about the choices you make early on. I ended up feeling this dress to be a little too creamy in color and maybe not exactly the style I was looking for...(convinced by seeing so many other stunning options). So the search continued, but not for long. And in fact it was around this time last year that I found my real dress. It was funny. There were no tears, it didn't feel like that moment you hear about (that frankly, I thought I had felt a few times before with other dresses I had tried). But it felt right and I felt like my search was over. Maybe that's the feeling "they" mean. And the more I look at it in pictures -- holy *&$# I can't wait to wear my dress! And that's actually the best feeling.
The dress above is designed by NYC local Matthew Christopher, and I tried it in the lovely Gabriella New York.
So what happened. I had a dress that I LOVED. And then I didn't. I know, I have too much time on my hands.
A few weeks ago I saw a Lela Rose dress (The Falls from her Spring 2010 collection) that I decided I simply had to try on, and so made an appointment at Mark Ingram Bridal Atelier in midtown for March 13. This weekend I thought I'd be trying on this dress and that it would confirm or deny my original choice. But to my surprise this specific dress wasn't there. Instead I tried a slew of other pretties by Anne Barge, Junko Yoshioka, others by Lela Rose, and Rivini. And Junko -- a name that was first mentioned to me a few years ago as a designer I might love -- ended up being the one I couldn't stop thinking about.
I went back today during the Lela Rose trunk show knowing the one I had hoped to try would be there. I tried it, and wasn't impressed. I tried a few others, including a fun number by Monique Lhuillier. Still, this stood above and apart from the others.
I admit, I wasn't expecting to want such a figure hugging dress. But after trying it a couple of times, I'm not sure why I ever thought an A-line dress was the best idea.It's a gorgeous organza dress with a somewhat abstract floral design stitched on throughout...reminiscent of feathers in their lightness. Romantic and modern, but still subtle and classic.
Mom and sis get to see it in a couple of weekends.
I've been having some impure thoughts lately, I admit it. Thoughts like "what if we did the reception somewhere else altogether?" and "what if I want a dress that's less of a DRESS dress". I think at this point in the process, right before I actually have to commit to more of the details at a year out, it's probably normal for me to have these thoughts. And luckily, not so much has been committed that some of the (new?) ideas I have can't actually come true.
The truth is, I feel like I went off of my own "brief". My own set of words that I said to myself about what represents us and the kind of wedding we want to have. Fun. Inclusive. Creative. But it kind of only really comes down to REALLY. REALLY. FUN.
While I love many of the boards I've put together and the ideas I've toyed with thus far, they in some ways feel off balance? So if anything, I tried to rebalance some of the ideas and priorities in this latest board.
P.S. I did try on this dress the same day I found the DRESS dress and I kind of loved it, too. (Sassi Holford, Lucy. and P.P.S. I think it might be a sign that the other dress I thought was the dress -- the first time -- was also called Lucy, except it was from the Vineyard Collection of Priscilla of Boston. So maybe there was just a slight mix-up and I was supposed to end up with this Lucy? These are the crazy things a bride can think about.)
Anyhoo. I'm actually surprised I was able to put this together tonight. The last thing I have been wanting to do is think about wedding planning stuff. I've been enjoying the time off but maybe have also been kind of in a rut. Of feeling like it was coming together really quickly and either there wasn't much left to do, or that I wasn't all that excited about how the ideas were gelling. Or not gelling, actually. And also realizing that I know this isn't the most important part, but that it is kind of fun, and that if I'm not having fun, why engage until I'm going to have fun again?
K. Rambling now. Time for bed!
It has been such a nice break of not really thinking too much about anything wedding. Work has been so busy and then after two weeks of grand jury duty....yeah....no interest in pushing my limits right before the holidays. The save-the-dates had been printing (I got them last week...they look so fun!) but otherwise....enjoying the time off.
Today I had two appointments, however. Knowing my mom and sisters would be in town for Christmas, I made sure they could see my dress and also try on a few for themselves. After deciding on a non-Priscilla-of-Boston-dress for my own dress, we re-purposed my appointment so that they could try a few. I wasn't necessarily expecting to find bridesmaids dresses today, but we did! The Melissa Sweet dress (style MS301) above in a different color, still TBD.
I then sat for a couple of weeks thinking about nothing much wedding related (which was a nice break).
This week we got our proofs for the save-the-dates and I thought it probably a good time to reassess...see if the things I'm drawn to are actually drawn to each other. And I think, in fact, they are.
Inspiration sources: Matthew Christopher 'Imagine' dress, J. Crew shoes, jewelry, and bridesmaid gown; etsy crafts -- doily clutch and hand-drawn post card; save the dates by Lucky-Luxe Couture Correspondence; miscellaneous photography Eleise Theuer.
(Updated 11.29.09)
This would go perfectly with my dress. And with a little idea I'm cooking up for our party favors.
From etsy seller sewlola.
Jedd was watching me put this together and when I asked him about the colors said it looked like neapolitan ice cream. He's kinda right. Not literally pink, cream and brown, but pink and gold, black and white. And a little bit of berry. Sounds like a good dessert to me.
What's hard about putting the color scheme and idea boards together is not giving too much away. Our whole thing is about having just a super fun dance party -- so while I'm playing with color and whatnot to inspire other ideas, most of the fun is in some of the details for our guests. It's going to be so much fun!
