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
About five minutes after I got engaged, I wanted to call all my girlfriends and immediately ask them to be in my wedding. I also knew I wanted to ask my bridesmaids in a more personal way, so I resisted asking until I could put something together. I wanted to include a personal note to each of my bridesmaids, and these Rifle Paper Co. cards were perfect. They even make cards for matrons and maids of honor. I also wanted to include a picture from a fond memory, so I added these adorable white and gold frames from Target to my bridesmaid proposal box. Then to add something fun, I also included these yummy Sugarfina champagne gummy bears. Shop everything I included in my bridesmaid proposal box as well as my favorite bridesmaid gifts below! xoxo
In 247 days, I get to marry my best friend! I have quickly realized that planning a wedding is not as simple as I had once thought, especially with only an 8 month engagement. As I learn more about planning a wedding, I will be sharing “Wedding Wednesday” posts with you every other Wednesday. To start, I wanted to share the 5 engagement gifts that I have found the most useful. In the past I have had a hard time knowing what to give friends at their engagement parties. Alex and I were totally blown away by the love and support of our friends and family who came to our engagement party, and I quickly discovered that was the best gift anyone could give! We were also very surprised and appreciative of the fun and thoughtful gifts from our friends. I have already enjoyed using my engaged mug, our Mr. and Mrs. campaign glasses, gorgeous ice bucket, but these gifts have been the most useful to me so far.
1. Personalized Notecards. After I had become use to the ring on my finger, I realized I needed to write thank you notes. I was so grateful to have personalized note-cards, with both of our names on it, to use when taking friends and family. It is a weird feeling, but from the second you get engaged, you start writing thank you notes from both you and your fiancé.
2. Planner. This gift depends on the type of bride you are celebrating. If you think she will be planning her own wedding, a planner is an amazing gift, but not necessary if you think she will hire a wedding planner. Since I will be planning my own wedding, I am very grateful to have a place to organize all my thoughts and keep track of a budget.
3. Magazines. This seems so cliché, but a good wedding magazine can be extremely helpful in the wedding planning process. I have loved being inspired, and pulling ideas from other weddings. Since I am planning a wedding in Dallas, DWeddings by D Magazine has been very useful in finding vendors and venues in Dallas.
4. Bling Brush. I was a little skeptical about putting any kind of cleaner on my new shiny ring, but after reading reviews and researching the natural product I gave Bling Brush a try. It is so easy to use and is very gentle on my ring.
5. Ring Dish. This might be a personal problem, but I had no clue what to do with my ring when I got home. Do I sleep in it? Do I shower in it? Can I wash dishes with it on? I finally decided that I could sleep in my ring, but I needed a place to put it when I shower or to clean. I am so nervous about losing something so valuable, so a ring dish was the perfect answer for me.
