Dear Mr. Gloss,
If you are for some reason reading this right now, this is your hint to stop, really, or I will hurt you...... and then make you buy me a new dress.
Well ladies, here is the dress story:
I 'ran with the brides', except I didn't really run - I waited until everyone else ran and then rolled in with my girls around 10. It was REDICULOUS, it was me, my mom, my MOH, one of my bridesmaids and a friend from work. As I said, the doors opened at 8AM, some brides and their troops had been there since 3AM!!! (That is determination!!)
Not us! We like sleeping in...by the time we arrived there were no lines to wait in which was great, except almost all the dresses were gone from the racks! Everyone who had arrived early had grabbed as many dresses as they were able and were guarding their stockpiles of dresses. It was SO overwhelming, I really had no idea where to start, but we fanned out and went our separate ways to search (armed with walkie-talkies and one really loud bridesmaid). After about the first 5 minues of aimless walking through emptyish racks, I basically stood in an area and my talented troops brought me dresses. They knew roughly what I was looking for (which really wasn't what I bought) because we had a giant sleepover at my place the night before and I had put together a power-point of potential dress candidates. (I'm really not that OCD, power point= download pics off the internet and ripped from magazines, it was really more of a slide show, and they had requested it to help to know what to find!)
I tried on A LOT of dresses; it was like a speed trial for dress shopping. Honestly, they probably brought me like 60 dresses, and I tried them all on (it was exhausting).
TRF (totally random fact): I ended up buying the ONLY dress I had picked out for myself, the girl next to me tried it on and didn't like the way it fit. It looked kind of interesting and I didn't see any of my ladies coming with new dresses and it was uncomfortable standing there with very little on, so I asked if I could try it on. She said "Yes", that she wasn't going to buy it. She said YES!!
I'm not a very small girl, I've always been at the large end of the retail rack being close to six feet tall. Now, here comes the magic part, she was maybe 4-6 sizes smaller than me at least and the dress was too long but fit her pretty well. Everyone says bridal sizes run small - so i was expecting to have to up-size BUT this dress is a size SMALLER than my actual dress size (um, SOLD). I really think it was magic - a little like 'the sisterhood of the traveling pants'. If retailers were smart they would label all their dresses a size or two down :)
So, without further ado - I present my dress :
Her name is Eudora and she was lovingly made by the amazing Melissa Sweet.
(and because I heart a bargain, the retail on the dress is $4600 and I paid $725 after taxes.)
the back
the sweet little chapel train
the front
the top
bottom front
and the full back
It's difficult to see the detail but the basic construction is three layers off tulle with lace applied to the middle layer. The lace is more dense at the top of the dress and disperses as it travels downward.
It's totally not what I pictured myself wearing, but I love how romantic it feels and the tulle makes it SO much fun to wear - I feel like I little girl twirling around in a tutu when I wear it. What do you guys think? Did I miss out by not having the boutique bridal experience? Or do you have a crazy dress story as well?
Luna @ $19.99
and these are also beyond cute....
Next, I present Darla -
And lastly, Alexis -
Who do you love?
i am loving this lego inspired flatware (can i call it flatware?) found via the kitchen.
all flower images from cutflower.com
I want to appologize as posting will be light this week. I am studying to take the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) exam on Monday and while I am wholeheartedly behind the concept and ideals, the material could not be more dry. For those who are not familiar with LEED it is basicly a guide on how to build 'green'/ecofriendly. From what I have heard, it is a memorization exam but there is A LOT to memorize; the pass rate is roughly 30% soooo I need to be distractionless (a.k.a. no blogging, no google reader). Yikes.
oh it's the new orleans super dome? of course it is.
i love these preppy boxes.
super chic cake box - also from martha
i had mentioned chris kole in a previous post but i just saw her spring '09 collection and fell in love with this dress. simple. volume. COTTON - AMAZING! it's making me seriously re-evaluate my previous dress decision. 
so this is what i'm going for with my invites. this invitation suite is from Hello Lucky. i love how the different elements are tied together with the translucent envelope, baker's string and wax seal. bonus - it makes DIY super easy, no pocketfolds to make! is it too simple?
this custom made gocco invites are from uglykitty found via flickr. i love the idea of incorporating a compass rose, it hints at the nautical - but doesn't scream it.
Southern Weddings is held a contest for their readers to create an inspiration board of their choosing. You should definitely pop over to their site to view them, there are 20 boards and they are letting readers vote for their favorites.
it's right for my wedding, it is incredibly soft, romantic, whimsical and a great resource for budget brides like myself.
the sweet little chapel train
the front
the top
bottom front
