We are slowly checking things off the wedding to do list, and finally ordered our save the dates! Now we just have to finalize the guest list (the hardest part of the whole wedding planning process) and get these in the mail. Of course I had a difficult time picking a layout for our save the dates, and I went through many designs on just about every site. I loved the designs offered on Paperless Post, but I was not wild about sending an e-vite. I ended up going through the hundreds of save the dates Minted had to offer until I had narrowed my options down to about four designs. Alex and I eventually agreed on this design because of the simplicity, and the variety of images we could feature (for our family/friends who are not tech-savvy to see more images). Minted even offered free envelope addressing that matched the design of our card. Since we are still making changes to the guest list, I will have to hand-write a few addresses, but the pre-addressed envelopes saved me so much time. Checkout some of my favorite designs at Minted.com! xoxo
Our engagement photos are finally here! Back in December, Alex and I braved some chilling temperatures to capture these images with Adria Lea Photography, and I couldn’t wait to share them. Photography is one of my top priorities for our wedding, and I knew Adria would be able to capture exactly what Alex and I were looking for.
Prior to meeting with photographers, I put together a “mood board” to gave examples of the kind of photography I wanted for our engagements and wedding images. I quickly noticed a trend in engagement photos for the couple to be shot in a park, field, or in a rustic/rural setting. While all these images were gorgeous and well done, that does not fit Alex and I well. We are much more likely to be found downtown. I started pulling more editorial shots from other bloggers and magazines that highlighted a more urban downtown feel. When I meet Adria at Starbucks, with my tabloid size inspirational prints (looking like a total crazy bride), she was instantly excited about the direction I wanted and had some great ideas to help us capture a “Dallas vibe”.
We met Adria downtown in the evening to capture the golden hour lighting (my favorite time to shoot downtown). We wanted to dress a little more formal, so I wore this black Tadashi Shoji dress, black heels, and pearls. I am wearing a 2 in the dress and it fits way too large (it was sold out in 0), but I just crossed my fingers that it would not be too obvious in pictures. Alex wore his navy Brooks Brothers suit with a classic white shirt and Cole Haan loafers. The high that day was about 42 degrees, so when Adria asked us to take off our shoes and run through the refection pond I thought she was crazy. The water was so cold, I think I was on my tip toes for the rest of the shoot to avoid putting my whole foot in the icy water. The funny thing is, the shots of us running and splashing in the refection pond are some of my favorites. Checkout my wedding Pinterest board for some of the inspiration behind our shoot, and all of our engagement photos! xoxo
Last week I took two of my bridesmaids with me to Nordstrom to try on bridesmaid dresses for my wedding in June. This was probably one of the easiest decisions I have made about the wedding because I knew the color I wanted, the designer I liked, and the retailer I wanted to use before my bridesmaids even tried on a dress. I knew early on that I wanted my bridesmaids to wear midnight navy, so I started looking only at bridesmaid dresses that were available in that color. Also, while I was trying on wedding dresses, I would sneak over to the bridesmaid section and familiarize myself with the different designers. This is how I found Alfred Sung. The material of his dresses stood out among the rows of chiffon, and he offers multiple cuts in the color and material that I loved. Nordstrom offered a wide selection of Alfred Sung dresses, and I knew that I could rely on Nordstrom to order the dresses in a timely manner and provide great alteration service. I made an appointment with Silvia at the bridal salon in NorthPark Center and took Melody and Jackie along to try on about five different dresses. I wanted honest feedback on how the dresses fit since my bridesmaids were the ones who had to wear the dress, and it would ultimately end up in their closet. We all made the unanimous decision to go with the sateen gown, and Silvia was very helpful in taking the girls measurements and placing the orders. I have linked all the dresses we tried on and some my favorite Alfred Sung gowns below! xoxo
I underestimated how difficult setting up a registry would be. I mean, how on earth do you decide that one fork is better than another, or if you want to eat off of white or colored table linens?! Who comes up with all these options? After going round and round in circles, I think we finally have our registry set. I learned a few valuable lessons in this process, so below I am sharing 5 tips for registering for your wedding.
Start creating your registry early and edit it often. Trust me, you will change your mind a million times on what kind of plates you would like to register for. Things will also go out of stock or be discontinued. It is helpful to start building a registry early that you can alter as needed and often. When you are editing your registry, think about grouping certain things together and cutting down on the number of places you register. I would recommend having no more than 4 registries. It is best practice to register for all kitchen items at one place such as all flatware, glasses, and serving ware at one place while all bed and bath lines at one place. I also learned that many places will send a coupon after the wedding valid for the items on the registry you did not receive, so go head and over register in case you may want it later!
Go in store to register, not just online. It is great to start a registry online. That way you have an idea of what each store has to offer and you get the ball rolling. However, we found it we much better to see things like plates, glasses, silverware and linens in person. You might decide you hate a pitcher after feeling how heavy it is, or a set of kitchen utensils might feel cheep and flimsy. Not to mention, many stores will give you gifts for coming in to register in person!
Be sure to read the return policy for each store. Some stores have funny return policies, and it might not be as easy as you think to return duplicates or things you change your mind on. Most stores have a 90 day return policy (Crate & Barrel, Williams Sonoma, Target), but some have 30 day policies (West Elm, Pottery Barn, Dillard’s, Anthropologie). Also, be sure that you are not registering for any final sale items because that typically means that item will be discontinued.
Register for things at varying price points. Think about your guest list and what is affordable for everyone. While some guests are happy to purchase all your kitchen appliances, other guests have tighter budgets and cannot buy everything on your registry. Try to group things in sets, like plates, glasses, and silverware to help guests cut costs. Keep in mind that whatever you do not receive as a gift you have to buy yourself. If you would not be willing to spend the money on something for yourself on your registry, odds are your guests will not either (this is where those registry coupons are helpful).
Make it easy for your guest to shop your registry. Be sure to create a central location where gusts can shop all registries, like a Knot website or Zola, so they are not hoping from site to site. When you set up the registry, include a shipping address where guest who are traveling or might not be able to attend can ship gifts directly to you. Lastly, consider if stores offer free gift wrap for registry gifts either online or in store as that can be helpful for traveling and local guests alike.
I hope my 5 tips for registering are helpful when deciding where to register yourself! xoxo
My previous Wedding Wednesday posts have been all about planning a wedding, but today I wanted to focus a little more on wedding guests. I always have a difficult time finding proper wedding guest attire for winter weddings, particularly with a cocktail or black tie optional dress code. Recently I came across this Maggy London dress at Nordstrom, and it was perfect for a late fall black tie optional wedding. You know I am a sucker for a black dress, but I loved how the material of this dress had both black and navy in the pattern. Mid length dresses, like this Maggy London, are great for winter because they are easier to wear without tights. I paired this dress with my favorite pair of black heels and a Rebecca Minkoff black clutch, but it also gores great with navy. I have linked similar dresses that are great for winter weddings below! xoxo
They make it look so easy on television! While trying on dresses was fun, it was not as easy as the brides on Say Yes To The Dress make it look. I went all around Dallas trying on dresses at different bridal salons. I started looking at dresses with just my mom and dad to get an idea of what I liked and what our budget should be before bringing others along. We went to Bridal Boutique in Lewisville, LuLu’s in the design district, Nordstrom at NorthPark Center, and Patsy’s on Henderson. I narrowed down my search to a few dresses at Nordstrom and Patsy’s, then invited my grandmother and future mother-in-law to join. Below are the four things I learned about saying yes to the dress!
You don’t always just “know” which dress is the “one”. At least for me it was much more difficult to pick a dress than just “knowing”. I ended up really loving two very different dresses that were about the same price. I had very strict standards for the material of the dress, the cut, the details, and the price. When I found two dresses that fit all of my standards, it was almost impossible to choose between the two. While they were very different dresses, I went with the one that was slightly more comfortable. Ultimately, I knew I would have been happy wearing either dress on my big day.
Stand your ground, sales associates will try to push their style on you. Know what you do not like and tell them before you even begin trying on dresses. I knew that I did not want any rhinestones on my dress, nor a reveling or low-cut neckline. I started all of my appointments by politely letting the sales associate know that those where the two things I did not want to try on at all. You would not believe how many times a sales associate asked me to just try on a blinged out dress with a plunging neckline. Some do this without even realizing they are, so it is okay to tell them that you do not want to try on a dress if you know you will not be comfortable.
The fitting rooms can become very small. When you invite too many people along, there can easily be too many opinions in the room. This is why I looked at dresses with just my mom and my dad ahead of time. Once I had my own opinion about what I wanted, I was able to decide in the fitting room if I liked a dress before showing it to everyone else. This way I was only showing dresses that I liked, and didn’t risk everyone else liking the one dress I was not wild about. Luckily my grandmother and future mother-in-law were great about letting me make the decision, but I know this is not always the case.
Do not feel pressured to say yes to the dress. You will start hearing numbers about how long it will take to get the dress in, have it altered, and how you really should have placed your order last month. Don’t worry, there are so many designers and dresses out there, you will be able to get a dress you love on time. I do not like ongoing projects, so naturally I wanted to pick a dress the day I started looking. Luckily, I did not love any of the dresses at the first few salons, so I was forced to keep looking. It is possible to try on too many dresses, but I think it is important to know all of your options before saying yes to the dress! xoxo
