I HAVE FOUND MY WEDDING DRESS!!!

I repeat:

I HAVE FOUND MY WEDDING DRESS!!!

A few weekends ago, bm T came and went dress shopping with me. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!! That was a pivotal weekend in the wedding dress shopping department. We found two very strong candidates. This was to celebrate:

The next weekend we had available I took my mom to see the dresses. I cannot show you the dress we chose because wandering eyes may fall upon this page *ahem*, but here is the runner up:

Maggie Sottero Monalisa

This one is for fun. So beautiful, but quite a bit out of my price range. There was NO way I could justify to myself spending that much on my wedding dress! And the dress way heavy! Wow! Still so so so beautiful!!

Maggie Soterro Sabelle….ahhh Sabelle

The one thing I can tell you is I DID NOT end up buying a Maggie Soterro. I am in love with Maggie’s though. My dress is actually from a similar designer Sophia Tolli. And that is all I will tell. Oh and the fact that at the last minute Mr. SB told me if what I really wanted was an ivory dress, then that is what I should go with and I did. Its not that I didn’t want a white dress, I was getting partial to the idea actually… but white really just didn’t look great on me. Ivory is much softer, more flattering and a tons more forgiving.  So yay!!

Besides FINALLY finding THE dress, I also got some things out of the way this past weekend. I go to working on flower girl baskets. I didn’t take step by step pictures but here is the final product:

I’m actually quite content with the way they came out. I covered them with lavender satin so it sticks with the theme. the little rose accents are pretty perfect. I love them! LOL I have also started working on the pillow. I’m pretty proud of that as well, since halfway through Mr. SB says, “I see your vision baby, but I just think it is going to happen this time.” However, after my vision DID happen, he says, ” Wow, I didn’t think you would pull it off but you did!” Thanks for the vote of confidence babe! The  reason is was a little telling is this. A friend’s mother had given us a rig bearer pillow to use. Great!! I did a little something to make it “ours”, I took off the lace around it and was going to outline it with the roses and add a bigger rose accent to the center. Well, then the problem was that the pillow was white and my color scheme just went from white to ivory. So wanting to still use the pillow because I thought it was nice of her and did not want it to go to waste, I ended up covering the pillow with the lavender satin. So, it may not have looked like it was going to work, but it did. All I am missing now is some binding to make it looked more polished. I’m a little impressed with my crafting skills too. Sad to say, but my fiance’s comment about “I don’t think its going to happen this time” is not exactly one without cause. I always have good intentions, but not always good results.

That is where things lie as of now.

I’ll be back soon with pictures of the pillow and more updates!

Mom and I set off Saturday morning for a shopping extravaganza! Mainly, we squared the boys away, then Mr. SB met up with us for lunch and to take the little bambinos home and she and I set out do the wedding-related stuff. We went to Arne’s for their big grand opening. While there, I got a few things. Last week I spent any spare minute I had in the evening trying to make ribbon roses. While I love to be crafty, very rarely am I really meant to BE crafty. Much like gardening. I have good intentions, but….eh. I was making the ribbon roses to use for the rig bearer pillow. The good news is we found some already made ribbon roses at Arne’s! Score! I got ideas for the unity candle since I want to do something a little different. More on that later ( much later, not this post at least). I even saw some lasso’s for the lasso ceremony. We saw some vases for the centerpieces since we are undecided to go ahead and use the venue’s or buy them. The reason is, well at the family weddings we’ve been to (Latino) people are often accustomed to taking the centerpieces. So, IF this happens, wouldn’t it be better to buy $5 vases than pay the venue like $20/vase? Things that we got:

1. Rose accents for the ring bearer pillow
2. Tissue paper for pomanders
3. Baskets to make the flowergirl baskets

I know, it doesn’t seem like much, but I’m excited! That’s 3 projects I can get moving on and cross off my list.

Then, we stopped by IKEA and did a lot of looking but we also picked up some champagne flutes to start playing with what to do about that. (Um, we also picked up some kitchen goodies we could not resist. Hey! I really did need a new potato peeler! And a wok! Err..and a spoon strainer thingy! )

So, really that is 4 PROJECTS I can start working on!

Things I need to get moving on:

1. Talking to the officiant  about the ceremony we want.
2. Start discussing what we’d like in cake flavors and maybe have a tasting.
3. Finding MY dress.
4. Deciding on the menu for the reception. Only then, can we decide on the rehearsal dinner location.

So, despite little setbacks last week, things are moving along again. Wohoo!

Well, you know, we’ve just had a series of things happen, like always. I know everyone feels this way, but I seriously feel like Mr. SB and me can never seem to catch a break. Last month we had to replace my radiator and then it turned out that the leak in my truck was not only caused by the leak in the radiator but also by a leak in the water pump, which we had NO idea about. So we ended up spending a little more on that than expected. Then, on the way to San Antonio, Mr. SB was trying desperately to get there on time for our friends to get to their show since we were supposed to watch their daughters and he got a TICKET. The funny thing is for years now,  Mr. SB DOES NOT speed when we go out of town. He doesn’t care who is with us or how much they complain about his driving. He will always go the speed limit. Of course, the one time he relaxes his rule…he gets caught anyway. Such is luck.

To add to that, I am having dress issues. In both departments of the bridesmaids and mine. The decision seems to be split between the two dresses the girls tried on weeks ago. Then, while at Bridal Extravaganza, I saw another dress that I thought could work. So, since I had made an appt at David’s Bridal anyway to try on some dresses myself, BM A &  Jr. BM J came along and we tried on two dresses. Both looked good on all body types we determined, but one we REALLY liked. I was all ready to tellt he others girls to check it out if they’d like and make that “the” bridesmaid dress when I asked the sales woman a very important question, ”Can we get either of these in Lilac and Lapis?”. “No,” she replied. “They come in Lapis but not the lilac but you can get thm in victorian lilac. Thus, hitting the road block. You see, victorian lilac is not one of my colors. My colors are shades of purple from one extreme to the other. One is a very dark eggplant color which the lapis is very close to. The other is a very light purple which is lilac or even lavender in some cases. Victorian lilac is a more dullish purple.  Pretty for a fall wedding, but not for my Springish wedding. Nor, am I interested in changing my entire color scheme because of it. I have details already bought in the lilac/lavender color. Just the other day I hit up an awesome ribbon sale at Michaels and ended up with some lavender ribbon.  It may seem like a smallish detail to some, but to a bride I assure it is not. The two colors really are not similar in any way that matters other than both having “lilac” in the name. So, that was nixed. There is one other dress which I will post soon that will work in the lilac and lapis but does not have the detail we liked of the other.

Then, there is my dress. Oh wow. Where to begin. Dress shopping for me has been frustrating and appalling. First of all, I am not the size that most sample dresses come in. Way to make a bride feel good about how she will look on her wedding day. Second of all, there are things you do not take in to consideration when you do normal shopping. You see something you like, you try it on and if you like you buy it if not then you put it back and all is well. Not so when bridal gown shopping. There are different styles of dresses and then from that style, there are different cuts or styles of that style! For example, I like the A-line dress. But, there are some where it starts to flow out from the waist and others that are fit through the hips and flow out after that. Also. ruching. I like the wrap style. However, if it has too much ruching, it is just not very becoming at all. Then, there is necklines. Strapless, spaghetti straps, halter. Some are even an off the shoulder type which can be very romantic looking. And even then, there is a straightline cut, sweetheart, v-neck….too much to choose from. Not only am I cursed blessed with an hourglass shape that is not so defined in the waist where you’d like it, I am also very short. No, really. I am only 5 feet tall. So, then its “this dress makes you look shorter” and “this dress makes you look tallker”…either way you paint, I am still short and in every single picture everyone will be towering over me including my oldest son by then. Does it really matter?

I do have a newfound hope in the dress department. Also, I was focused on looking for the dresses I liked online and then checking with the bridal salons if they have that dress. Some of them even though, I called and asked still didn’t have what I wanted. And of course, there is that stupid sample size 8 that does not make it past my hips from down under or past my boobs from up top. So, I think I will actually visit my favorite bridal store again. I am going to visit some others but this time as well as give them my list of dresses I like (which I have added new ones with my newfound knowledge of what suits me and what doesn’t) I am going to look for dresses that have key details:

1. A-line

2. sweetheart or v-neck

3. Despite suggestions, NO HALTER style. Let me explain this a little. Because I have extra baggage so to say, so do “the girls”. I know every girl wants to have bigger boobs. However, I on my wedding day do not want to bring extra attention to them or “accent” them in a big way. This is why I want no halter style wedding dress. I will admit, because halter style do hold the girls in very well and kind of cradles them, it is very comfortable and therefore I own a lot of halter style shirts and blouses. Just not what I want on my wedding day. I MAY try on one, just to be sure this is the case.

4. Wrap style, but no heavy ruching. This is important. Too much ruching = no good.

5. Make sure I take my camera and not just my cell phone for pictures and if at all possible have someone other than mom take pictures.

Thats really all I have. The main thing is to stop being an online snob and give the dresses the bridal shops actually have a chance. I haven’t done this fairly, except for in the last shop we went to. The truth is, no wedding dress looks as beautiful in pictures or on the website as it does in person.

Well, this is pretty much it. This (without sparing you too many details) is what has caused my mini breakdown Mr. SB ad to experience last week (bless his poor heart).

Thanks to paying off that stupid ticket yesterday and my newfound hope, I think I am on my way to mental health again.

How do you cope when things get too stressful and you have a mini meltdown?

Labels
1. I made a template of labels using tables in MS Word. I think I fit 3 columns and 6 rows. I added the phrase “For your tears of Joy” and/or “Para sus lagrimas de allegria” with our monogram. I used different monograms on each because technically the “and” should be “y” on the Spanish one. I then cut them out using my Fiskars portable paper trimmer. I took out the borders of the tables so it wouldn’t show in case I did not get a “clean” cut.

2. I then took the dark purple linen paper I bought from Hobby Lobby and cut it a little bigger.

3. Using my Xyron, I made the label “stickers” and then adhered them to the backing layer (dark purple paper).

This is actually my sample before the monograms

 

 

 

 

 

Packets
1. I ordered the mini glassine envelopes from Jena Richards. If I could do this again, I probably would order them from a different place and order them a little bit bigger. These worked out fine, but it didn’t provide the “polished” look I would have liked. To fold the envelope on the sides with the seams meant to have the open part showing. I decided that was better than working with the seam part showing. I’ll show you what I mean in a bit.
2. I bought pocket sized tissue packets from CVS Pharmacy because that was the only place I found them when I was looking. Apparently, the Wal-Marts in area were doing a remodeling thing. I found the Kleenex brand pocket tissues afterwards.
3. I folded the 2 tissues so they fit in to the little glassine envelopes with enough room for me to “seal” them. I actually used my bone folder to get a crisper fold that would sit flatter in the packet.

Additionally I cut lavender and green ribbon to the size of the envelope or close to. I cut them a little longer so I could cut them evenly before adding the seal.

Then I was ready to assemble!

1. First, I added the green ribbon. I started from the back and worked my way to the front with glue dots. I put a dot at one end, in the middle of the back, middle front and at the flap to secure before the seal:

2. Then, I did the same with the lavender ribbon:

3. Then, I trimmed the ribbons at the flap:

4. Added a seal to close the envelope. Here you can see what I mean about the open part falling where the seams are:

5. Then, I ran the label through my sticker machine again and adhered it to front of the packet.

6. Lastly, I used E-6000 (which is awesome btw) to add a little flower crystal. I used a toothpick otherwise too much adhesive comes out of my tube.

That’s it. I pretty much did each step separately. As in, I finished all the labels, then, stuffed all the packets,then went on to add all the ribbons, then adhered all the finished labels to add the flower crystal.

I plan on setting these out for the ceremony. I made 18 Spanish and 55 English. I am hoping that is enough. I think it will be with some left over which I am going to tell someone to put in the ladies bathroom after the ceremony.

What was your first diy project?

Anyway, my 1st experience in Archiver’s was excellent. Everyone’s comments about how nice the staff is was an understatement. So sweet and eager to help in any way. I ran in to an old collegue that worked at one of the schools I did. She was always the sweetest also. It was good seeing her. So what did I leave with you wonder?

Well, my guess is we would have gotten the pocketfolds but the color we liked did not particularly fit the color scheme. It was more of a wine color than a purple. One of those perfect “if it were a Fall wedding” color. Although, have no fear, we did not leave empty handed.

The goodies:

• A new paper trimmer and WOWEE does this baby go! Much better than my little portable one. On sale. Woohoo!
• A new swirly stamp. I have not experimented with this yet, but hope to this weekend.
• Other stamps that we liked and will work nicely for the guestbook cards and thank you cards.
• Little letter stamps. I have an idea for those I will share soon. 
• Glue Dots, cuz I just needed more. I may be a little addicted to glue dots. Just a little, no need for an intervention. Yet.
• A neat glue pen for adding glitter. Not sure why I need it yet, but I know I need it. I even have glitter. Just need the project.  

That was the extent of my Archiver’s swag.

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Pretty bouquet

And for the centerpieces I really like this picture:
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Except, instead of hydrangeas, the filler flowers would be lavender roses.  What I really like is the charm the lime slices give the centerpiece.

What do you think?

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Here is me holding up  the dress. Ugh I cannot believe I am posting these:

Let me just say, before trying on the Henry Roth you can see in the background, I thought Symphony was “The One”. Symphony is still my top choice, since I can’t have the Henry Roth that is. *Looks away sheepishly* 

The other dress we liked was a Sottero Midgley. Here it is:

(All photos of me taken by Mama SB)

I liked it alot when I tried it on, but now I am leaning more towards no on that one.

It is starting to look like my dress search is going to be extensive. I just do not like how certain things look on me. I am very picky in that department. I can take 10 things in a dressing room and come out liking only 1.

How many dress tries did it take to find “the one”?

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She decided it would be too costly to make, bm A shared visions of gm M (my brother) playing with them all the way down the aisle and the thought was nixed.

Recently, this bride who is knee deep in the planning stages saw this picture on the weddingbee boards:

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Eek!!! Paper pomanders!!! Now THAT is an affordable alternative!!! Of course it would be in lavender and eggplant versus hot pink and black, but isn’t that gorgeous?

So, the bride got excited but then thought, “Oh wait. Huh. Our chairs and the aisle will be on concrete.”

How would I make the base work on concrete? What is that base made out in the first picture?

Dilemma #2. Err, remember how I talked about a rose petal toss for the recessional? That thought was originally spurred by a thought of hanging paper cones on the chairs for decor. Paper cones filled with rose petals and big poofy pomanders lining the aisle? Too much? I think I am on inspiration overload.

Did you love one too many ideas for the same aspect of your wedding?

While at the Bridal Extravagaza Show, we happened to come across the David’s Bridal booth. I didn’t pay a lot of attention but there was one dress that caught my eye. It was a bridesmaid dress. I know I have already pretty much narrowed the dress choices down and made everyone go dress shopping, but just take a look ok?

Here is the DB dress that caught my eye:

In Lapis

In lilac

(Source for both)

Truth be told, I am not sure how I feel about that lilac until I see a real live swatch in front of me. If there is one thing I have learned through this whole wedding planning thing is “colors may appear differently on your computer screen”.

I will tell you this, this dress is a little cheaper and there is no train to worry about. Haha

What do you think? Is it too late to change my mind?

1. A camera is important no matter if you didn’t get in until midnight the night before from the river and were dog tired. Run back in and get it! (thanks to BM A for compensating with her phone)

2. If you were already confused about a certain detail, you will leave the show even more confused.

3. It definitely pays to have a few people with you.

4. Freebies and samples are cool.

5. Definitely dog-ear the vendors you are truly interested in because you will get more swag than even in your life.

6. Out of all those vendors, only 10% will turn out to be beneficial. (At least for me)

Ok, so all in all it wasn’t all that bad. I did come away from it with some gems:

1. I found a photog I really liked who may be in our price range. Still have to contact him.

2. I got some hair product samples which is always nice.

3. My mom bought me this instant manicure thingy which smells good and made my hands feel great.

4. I think I may have found a hair and makeup stylist that is pretty reasonable. After inquiring about their prices they threw in there that they do tattoo cover-up and my mom threw in that we need that. That threw me for a loop…Anyway, they seem to be the most reasonable I’ve found so far. You can check them out here.

5. I saw yet another wedding dress to add to my collection of “dresses to try on”.

6. I learned that Sophia Tolli used to design for Maggie Sottero which is why I had to add the dress.

7. I saw a new bridesmaid dress that I liked.

8. I found this place called Archivers that might prove to be very helpful in making my invitations. Mom and I are going to visit it this Sunday.

So, you can see, it wasn’t a complete bust. However, if I thought I had a vision already for the bridesmaid dresses, my dress, and the invitations I am now second guessing myself.

Here is a picture that we took at a photo booth vendor. Which, while there I started thinking, “Hmm, this could be cool…” Even though I’ve never had any desire to have a photo booth or photo booth guestbook at my wedding. Boy some of those vendors really know how to get inside your head!

Did you visit any bridal shows? If so, were they beneficial or fill your head with even more idea?