The Men
I let Jim pick out what the guys would be wearing. He had an idea for what he wanted, so I let him go with it. I did ask that he differentiate himself in some way from the rest of the guys. He chose black Calvin Klein two button notch lapel tuxes with ivory shirts. His vest and tie will be sage green while the groomsmen will be wearing dark purple. They will be renting tuxes from Men's Wearhouse, which we thought would be the easiest solution since the guys are spread out across the country and can just into their local store to get measured and place their order. I can't seem to download a picture from the Men's Wearhouse website, otherwise I'd post a picture.
Bridesmaid Dresses
I was able to go dress shopping with two of my three bridesmaids and we found a winner! The third bridesmaid okayed it via email, so we're good to go. I had a basic style in mind - knee length or tee-length, v-necked with straps and chiffon fabric - and then the girls just tried a bunch on in that style to see what fit best. The dress is Jasmine Belsoie L3070. We will be ordering it in knee-length.
Hair and Makeup Trial
I had my hair and makeup trial a little less than two months out from the wedding with Cathi Barbe of Smart and Chic. Jim really likes it when I wear my hair down so I wanted to try it half-up/half-down and all up to get a feel for what I would want the day of. I thought it looked really good in both styles, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to have it all up on the day of just to keep it off my neck so I don't get sweaty and people aren't crushing it when they hug me. I was really happy with how she did my makeup. I opted to try the airbrushing and I thought it turned out really well. It was super light and I hardly felt like I had anything on. I was all set to try some fake eyelashes too, but Cathi told me she didn't think I needed them, so I went without. I asked for light and natural and she delivered.
Before. That's not how I normally wear my hair, she had just started curling when I remembered I hadn't taken a before yet ;)
Hair down from the back.
Hair down, with makeup.
Hair up with earrings and hair flower in.
And the back.
Second Dress Fitting
I had my second fitting a little over five weeks out from the wedding. She added a hem, though it still needs pressing, and started on the bustle. She was going to add a three-point bustle but after seeing it on me, thinks she'll be doing a five-point. The dress just fit at that time, but I've got another fitting scheduled for two weeks out because if I loose any weight she'll have to take it in a bit on the sides.
First Dress Fitting
My dress came in just a few weeks after I bought it, but I wasn't able to pick it up until January. I finally have it though, and I am in love again! I was totally having second thoughts about it, but once I put it on it just felt right. A couple of days later we headed out to Eden Prairie to see Cindy Carlson, a seamstress friend of my mom's, for my first fitting. Cindy was great and knew just what needed to be done. It's getting a little bit of hemming and she'll add a french bustle. She said she wanted to wait until closer to the wedding to take it in at the bust or waist in case my weight fluctuates at all in the meantime.
I love the pattern of the beading! So pretty!
So this is just a rough idea for how the bustle will look. I liked this bustle option best because it showcases the beading on the train.
My Dress!
I flew home to MN a little over a year before the wedding to do some dress shopping with my mom and MOH, Jess. We went to four different boutiques but only found ones we liked at two of them and I wasn't particularly crazy about any of them. You always hear the stories of the bride putting on "The Dress" and she walks out and she and everyone else knows it's the one. I hadn't felt like that and was kind of thinking it wasn't going to happen for me. We made a second appointment however at The Wedding Shoppe on Grand Ave. to re-try my favorites from there. I stepped into the dressing room and there were my previous front-runners but there was also a dress in there I hadn't seen before. I asked my saleslady what it was doing in there and she claimed she hadn't put it in there and didn't know where it had come from. It looked pretty so I decided to put it on for kicks. I tried it on and walked out to the big mirrors and I just knew it was the right one. I looked at my mom and she said "this is it". Crazy enough, it was well within our price range. I suppose a different saleslady put it in my dressing room by accident. Who knows. Pretty lucky for me though! To be sure, I tried on the other dresses from my last session, but just wanted to put the mystery dress back on as soon as I could. So we bought it then and there. So excited to have found "The One"! The sample was kind of beat up and a size too big, so I can't wait to try on my dress when it's clean and new and fits! I love the train and the corset back and the beading throughout the skirt. I went with the ivory color. It is Mori Lee style 2105.
Not me in it ;)
My dress!
Elegent, and simple without being plain
Me and my momma
Earrings
After scouring Etsy, I finally picked out these earrings from Etsy Seller treasures570. I wasn't sure about all the pearls at first, I didn't think they'd go well with the beading and crystals on my dress, but after staring at these earrings for a while I fell in love with them and said to heck with it. I haven't tried them on with my dress yet, but I think they'll look beautiful together.
Hair Accessory
I've been drooling over the hair flower fascinators ever since I first started looking at wedding attire. They just seem to add such an element of elegance and fun. After much searching and hemming and hawing I settled on this beauty from Etsy seller TessaKim.
Shoes
I found my shoes! I had been dreading the shoe search. I must be one of the few women out there who don't like shoe shopping. I wear my Chacos everywhere in the summer, my sturdy work boots during the week and for hiking, and a pair of Keens or snow boots during the winter. I don't remember the last time I wore high heels. But I knew I wanted a pair for my wedding - I want to look pretty. Other Knotties on the MSP boards directed me towards Zappos.com, and oh my, do I love that site! So easy to search for and find just what you're looking for, and free shipping both ways! So I ordered my two favorite pairs and the definite winner is.....
...the Asher style from Touch Ups. I'm going to have them dyed the same deep purple as the bridesmaid dresses, once we pick those out and I can get a fabric swatch.
My shoes are dyed! I sent them off by mail to the address provided by dyemyshoes.com. It was cheap and easy and a little over two weeks later they came back looking gorgeous! Now I just need to start breaking them in.
