Dressing for the Rehearsal

As you may or may not know, I bought a rehearsal dress back in, um, July.  And I liked it- it was a high waisted Tahari satin dress with chiffon polka dots that actually looked better on me than on the model.  A rare occurrence which made me love the dress that much more.  But something happened on the way to paradise.  I started to have second thoughts.

[caption id="attachment_1110" align="aligncenter" width="259" caption="I cannot, for the life of me, figure out where I got this image. But the dress is from Lord and Taylor. If you know where the image is from, please let me know so I can give credit!"][/caption]

And then it got cold!  So I tried my rehearsal dress on in this chilly weather, hoping I'd somehow talk myself into feeling it was ok.  And... it was too big!  Thank you white dress diet for giving me a much needed excuse to buy a new dress! Off I went to the internet superhighway to consider my options!

First, I found this cute sweater dress from BCBG.  I liked how it slouched, looked cute with tights, and it was white.  How often can you really wear white, you know?  Plus, cute belt!  But I wasn't 100% certain could wear this dress with the confidence required to pull it off, so I continued my search.

[caption id="attachment_1111" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="image courtesy of BCBG "][/caption]

Next, I learned of this magical loveliness from D&G.  It was basically a bajillion dollars, but I had a 25% off friends and family discount, and it came in black too, which would be versatile.  Could I do it?  Nope, at the end of the day, I felt the splurge was a little too "me" and not enough "we" given the fact that it was for "our" wedding.  So I kept looking in the hopes that I could find a dress at a price that was a little more respectful of J.'s preference for avoiding ridonculously priced dresses!

[caption id="attachment_1112" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Hello gorgeous! From Saks..."][/caption]

I decided to "downgrade" and went looking at J Crew.  Hilarious how looking at something really expensive leads you to think J Crew is inexpensive.  In any event, I did find one sheath that really appealed to me, and it came in loads of colors, but it was missing something.  Such pretty fabric though!

[caption id="attachment_1113" align="aligncenter" width="275" caption="the "Clementine""][/caption]

Onward to White House Black Market I went.   And that's where I found THIS darling.  Oh how I loved it.  I thought it could be the one.  So I decided to go try it on.  To my utter shock and delight, I went there and tried on a clothing size that was 3 sizes smaller than what I'd have worn a year ago.  I almost bought it for that reason alone, but also, it was cute!  Still, a little business-y.

[caption id="attachment_1114" align="aligncenter" width="239" caption="the "Yvette""][/caption]

So I let the ladies who worked in the store pick out dress after dress for me (I love how even in this jaded city people go nuts when you say "wedding") and they FOUND IT!  I'm not as crazy about it in this photo as in real life but the bottom line is that I felt great in it!  It channels the "Mad Men" vibe I so adore, fits like a glove, and its the ubiquitous LBD so it is re-wearable!  And furthermore, it was on sale and I got an extra $10 off because it is still my birthday month.  Which means it was meant to be!

[caption id="attachment_1115" align="aligncenter" width="239" caption="Cap sleeves and lace!"][/caption]

"Oh but Sarah what ever shoes will you wear with this dress?" Why I'm so glad you asked.  These are, embarrassingly, Paris Hilton shoes.  Feel free to make fun of me.  I know they're pretending to be Louboutins with their pink-almost-red soles.  But they didn't have that Louboutin price tag, and they are borderline inappropriate for church fun and a little edgy.   I'm in love and I don't care who knows it!

[caption id="attachment_1116" align="aligncenter" width="240" caption="No joke, this shoe is called "Destiny." Obviously."][/caption]

Anyone interested in purchasing a brand new black and white polka dotted dress?  :)

Wedding Painting

I just had an amaaaazing weekend in Ohio, celebrating a hometown bridal shower with some of my favorite peeps!  And I promise, recaps are coming.  But in the mean time, frivolity!  Can we talk for a second about what you should have at your wedding if you possibly can?  If I had unlimited budget (or at least more money to spend than I currently do) I would definitely hire a painter to paint at my wedding.  Yep, seriously, you really can do that.

My friend P., who is always finding new and creative ideas for weddings, sent this my way and I'm sold on the concept, hook line and sinker.  Apparently, there are vendors all over the United States who will do such a thing, but we're currently obsessed with the work of Martin Hardy.

His rate is $1200, so he's pretty reasonable when you consider what you're getting.  He paints in acrylic on a 24 x 36 canvas, which makes sense because no one would want fumes from oil paint at their wedding.  The way it works is that he positions himself close to the dance floor, and will paint a scene of your choice (first dance, cake cutting, toasts, you name it).  And the best part is that his painting is complete by the end of your event - though he cannot guarantee that it will be dry (which seems fair to me).  Can't you just imagine your guests captivated, watching a painter at work at your reception?!

[caption id="attachment_1064" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Absolutely loving the colors and his feature of the architecture."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1065" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="This one is even more impressionistic to me, absolutely capturing the movement of the group and the joy of the event!  And PS, I would like to be invited to a party with acrobats on the ceiling please."][/caption]

Would you consider hiring a painter to document your special day?

All images from Mr. Hardy's website, http://www.hardyboyart.com/id1.html

Groomsmen Gift Idea: Pens

If you're like me, you find the typical groomsmen gifts kind of lame.  Well, ok, not exactly lame, but it seems that the whole world assumes that groomsmen are primarily interested in drinking, hence the prevalence of personalized beer mug options for gift giving.  Not that there is anything wrong with giving beer mugs- they can be fun and personal in the right context, and J. and I love putting his in the freezer for cold drinks- but what if your groomsmen are no longer in their 20's or aren't necessarily enthralled with the glory of drinking anymore?  Or what if you have so many friends who are already married, that the beer mugs have already been done?  And of course, one's next options are typically golf related (again, not a bad idea if appropriate, but not everyone loves golf).

So when my friend B. told me about his groomsmens' gifts, I totally loved them!  B.'s groomsmen are, much like ours, mostly professionals out there in the "real world" who live in NYC and don't have room for much clutter.  And so I thought these pens were a terriffic idea for a gift!

[caption id="attachment_1054" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The Roller Pen from the Cross Townsend Collection"][/caption]

B. Purchased these at Joon New York and he received a considerable discount just by talking to them about his plan.  Using his finely tuned Fordham negotiation skills (which anyone can use), he basically said he would either be buying five pens or zero, depending on whether the price was right.  Needless to say, the store worked with B. and he got these great pens to give as gifts.  He's planning to have them engraved with each groomsman's name and job title, where applicable.

I have to say, I think this is a stellar gift idea.  I myself have received some good pens as gifts, and I even wrote my bar exam essays with such a gift (a gorgeous pen gifted for graduation from a family I used to babysit for- I used it for good luck, and I think it worked).  People always forget about pens, but I think even bridesmaids might like to receive one!

Free beer mug image courtesy of FreeFoto.com

Wedding Makeup Looks

In addition to preparing for my upcoming hair trial, my stylist and I have been thinking about makeup looks.  In my past life (i.e., before I graduated from college) I worked in cosmetics and did a great deal of makeup myself, so I'm pretty sure about what I like.

For the wedding look, I'm thinking dewey and fresh makeup.  Something polished, in shades of gold and peach, with a slightly smokey eye and a glossy lip.  The glossy lip might be an issue, because lip gloss will need frequent re-application, but I think it will be worth it.  I can always put one of my bridesmaids on lip gloss patrol, right?

I'm planning to do a little bit of fake baking, along with some spray tanning, to get enough glow on my skin to feel comfortable but not-too-tan.  I know, fake baking is bad for me, but I'm only doing it just this once, and I promise not to do too much of it!

So here are my makeup muses- the looks I'm hoping to channel on our wedding day!

[caption id="attachment_1014" align="aligncenter" width="265" caption="Love her or hate her, Kate Hudson absolutely glows here- looks like there might be some sort of shimmer product under her foundation."][/caption]



[caption id="attachment_1015" align="aligncenter" width="203" caption="My girl-crush Carrie is back with a smoky gray eye- I'd go with golds for me, but you get the idea of the look here."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1016" align="aligncenter" width="218" caption="Hayden Panettiere has the neutral shiny lips here that totally balance her heavy eyeliner. I think it works!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1017" align="aligncenter" width="271" caption="I'm loving the way Jessica Simpson's artist applied her liner just into her lash line- its provides a hint of smoke, but its not too heavy, and it makes the whites of her eyes pop!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1018" align="aligncenter" width="220" caption="I'll be honest- I think Lindsay Lohan looks a little malnourished here, but I adore the metallic tint of her lip color- not too bright but still has substance!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1019" align="aligncenter" width="195" caption="And finally a non-blonde! Jennifer Garner might have perfected my look... she looks so healthy and polished, but not overdone!"][/caption]

Do you have a makeup muse?

all images from Project Wedding

Best Online Wedding Vendors

It's Wednesday again, and that means time for more of my faves!  This week, I'm featuring some of my absolute favorite online vendors- places I have found with unique wedding wares at competitive prices.  Read on to see what I'm talking about!!

Best Out of Town Totes: Inkhead.com

Inkhead is a downright fantastic resource for personalized items for your wedding.  My friend P. used them to custom print wedding tote bags for her out-of-town guests.  They even custom-designed a logo to coordinate with her wedding invitations.  While they are generally better for bulk items, with a little searching you can find great gift ideas for your OOT bags, or for your bridal party.  For example, P's fiance loves the customized playing cards, and she's planning to order custom bottle openers for his bachelor party.

 

Best Photo Books: Snapfish.com

If you're racking your brain trying to come up with a cheaper way to create photo albums for your engagement photos or guest book, Snapfish Photobooks are for you.  A quick google search will locate frequent coupons for these books, and I can personally attest that the quality is excellent.  Make sure to use your highest resolution photos for your projects though, otherwise they'll look better on the computer than in real life.  We got our album at 50% off by using a coupon, and uploaded digital images from our photographer to make ours- and it turned out great!  Of course, we'll buy a professional album for our wedding, but since we didn't want to buy an expensive engagement album, the Snapfish book was a perfect solution.

Most Killer Wedding Videography:  Well Spun Weddings

Ok, I admit, this isn't technically an internet vendor, but it was found on the internet, so I'm counting it.  J. and I are not having videography (we had to prioritize, and sadly, videography didn't make the cut) but if I had the budget, this would be IT for me.  Their philosophy is that they create films, not videos,  and they use tools like high definition and 8mm film to customize a video you'll actually want to watch!  Hopefully my friend R. who turned me on to this place, will select them, so I can live vicariously through her!

Best Gift Bags: Dunwoody Booth

I've blogged about this before but it bears repeating because they are such a great deal!  Dunwoody booth sells high quality gift bags at really reasonable prices, and you can even get 5% off the price of your order if you join their "preferred program."  In addition, they frequently offer gifts with purchases, and who doesn't love a little something extra for free?

Most Cost Effective Save-The-Date: Vistaprint.com

Sign up for those email updates (but expect a lot of email) and you too can get 100 postcards (custom-design them yourself!) for about $6.  Which will leave you plenty of money leftover to design your own Photostamp for them!  (I swear Vistaprint is not paying me, I just really like them).

Best Place Cards: Chefsresource.com

My friend P. also turned me on to this great website, where she bulk ordered ceramic place tiles (typically used on cheese trays) as escort cards for her wedding.   Chef's Resource was, by far, the least expensive on this item and shipping was free!  She also had good things to say about the customer service, and everything arrived as promised and unbroken.

Best Cufflinks: Groomstand

This is THE place for affordable engraved cufflinks.  Sure, you could go higher end, but depending on your crowd you may not need to, because these come in many price points.   Plus, they frequently run free shipping specials, and you get a discount if you order 6 or more! 

Best Place to Shop Offseason: Pottery Barn

When you think wedding, you probably don't think "home decorating store" but Pottery Barn is great for offseason finds.  For example, I found wonderful miniature christmas ornaments in green mercury glass, originally intended as vase filler, for $2.99 a package of 18 in the off season.  I'm using them as part of our favor packaging.  And these lovely galvanized metal containers you see pictured left are a mere $7.99 each.  I'm thinking you could fill them with spring tulips or summer daisies for a sweet, cost effective centerpiece, or throw some ribbons on them and use them to gather cards in lieu of the traditional mailbox. 

 

All images sourced from their respective websites, except for the video camera image from clicr.com

I Guess Some People Deserve Each Other

I don't normally post mid-day but a friend just sent me an article that was so outrageous I had to share it:

Gross: People Who Reveal in the ‘Vows’ Column How They Cheated on Their Previous Spouse

I secretly love the different ways people react when I tell them J. and I met on the internet superhighway (people's reactions range from "how cool!" to "oh!" while their internal monologue says: I, um, don't know what to say about that...), but I would not love to do so if the story of our romance was more like those in this article.  Indeed, having previously been on the receiving end of such actions (which in the long run, did me major favors but in the short run, hurt like a @*&^*%), I believe it would be like rubbing salt in the wound to have it then publicized to the world this way!

To abbreviate, this article is all about people in the New York Times wedding section who talk about how they met- while cheating on their then-significant others.  Yikes!  And of course, then, the NYT goes and romanticizes the whole thing:

In fact, "Vows" columns such as this are not uncommon. We find they always use the same kind of language. The couple "faced many obstacles to happy romance," they'll say. Their relationship was "complicated." Their "road to love was bumpy." Except one of those bumps was, oops, a [f-ing] person. And that they have taken that person, having run them over, and are now dragging them down their personal road of happiness for miles, laughing gaily as they watch them bump along like some kind of tin can attached to a bumper with streamers, until in the end the ex falls off and is left on the side of the goddamn highway, all bloody and broken and gasping for air.

Double yikes!  I know not all happy endings start that way, but for goodness' sake, people.  Divorces and breakups happen for a variety of excellent reasons, but if a relationship ends on such a hurtful note, and that note happens to be the fault of the cheater, shouldn't that cheater be estopped from publishing their story as if they are the hero?  I know newspapers aren't exactly the keepers of morality, but should the Times have some sort of responsibility to, at a minimum, portray things as they are, and not as some riduculous story of star-crossed lovers?

What do you think?  Overreaction or totally tacky?

image source

Hair Inspiration

On Halloween, I'm heading to my hairdresser for my hair and makeup trial.  So one of the things I'm working on right now, is gathering inspiration for how I would like to style my hair!

At first, I thought I'd want to go for an old hollywood glam vibe.  But I wasn't sure how practical it would be, with my super long, super thick hair.

[caption id="attachment_1001" align="aligncenter" width="239" caption="Reece's 40's style barrel curls"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1002" align="aligncenter" width="180" caption="Jaime Pressly channels Marilyn"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1003" align="aligncenter" width="185" caption="and Charlize pulls a Marilyn equally well"][/caption]

Since I wasn't sure about these stylized looks for my hair type, I began thinking about big hair.  I love big hair, a la Dolly Parton or Joan Crawford in the 80's.  Carrie Underwood does a modern take on big hair that makes me drool.

[caption id="attachment_1004" align="aligncenter" width="240" caption="Carrie Underwood and I have matching bangs "][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1005" align="aligncenter" width="201" caption="Kate Beckinsale pulls off the look with a big veil like mine!"][/caption]

But my stylist has warned me that my hair, with all its length, might not hold curl for as long as I would like.  So I'm also considering doing big hair in an up-do.  Something low and loose, curly, and, most importantly, big.  Probably bigger than what is pictured.

[caption id="attachment_1006" align="aligncenter" width="251" caption="Eva Longoria nails this look"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1007" align="aligncenter" width="256" caption="I am loving this Emmy Rossum 'do!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1008" align="aligncenter" width="245" caption="Taylor Swift's curls are exactly what I would want- soft, romantic, flowing"][/caption]

You're probably wondering why I have a thing for big hair... its because I have a belief (which many say is irrational) that I have a large head.  Its true though, my hat size is large.  So I want big hair to make my head look scaled to size.  It will be fun to meet with my stylist and make some decisions!

All images sourced from Project Wedding