Dressy Wednesday

Just in case you were wondering, I still <3 fall.  This dress makes me want to throw on an eggplant colored wrap and fab red  pumps and have a night on the town with my hubby.  Part of the reason why I like this color is because it is not too obnoxious and “orange-y”.  I love the little baby ruffles on the top of the dress in combination with the super simple style.  It really allows the bride to dress it up with fun colors and jewelry.  PS – this dress comes in tons of fun colors…it would be great at any time of the year!

From Watters & Watters.

 

Dressy Wednesday

Tonight is my first normal night with my Bible Study of 11th and 12th grade girls this school year.  We are eating lasagna (mine is a.maz.ing) and dessert and spending a little time talking about Jesus.  Although I am super tired, I am really looking forward to the time with my girls!

Now that I have told you one piece of information that you do not need to know, here is your Dressy Wednesday:

Today’s dress would be a gorgeous bridesmaid dress for just about any body type!  It is from Watters and Watters and it comes in a bunch of fabulous colors.  I love the formality of the fabric and the shape mixed with the flirty and fun ruffle on the right shoulder (you know my love for one shouldered items).  It is the perfect mix!  Happy Wednesday!

 

Dressy Wednesday and 100th Blog Post!

This has been one of the craziest weeks of my life.  The hubs preached on Sunday and is in class all week; I got a new job and had to be finger-printed for it; and I went to the dentist and found out that I have to have my 3 remaining wisdom teeth removed tomorrow.  Good gravy.  I am overwhelmed and tired.  Thankfully, having my wisdom teeth taken out means that I am being forced to be calm and rest for 2 or 3  days.

Any-who…I have been trying to come up with something clever to post for my 100th blog post, but I haven’t come up with anything because my brain is mush.  Therefore, it will be a lovely dressy Wednesday.  Today’s dresses are less pointed at specific designers and more pointed at a bridesmaid dress concept.  I love it when a bride allows her bridesmaids to choose dresses that reflect their personality.  I do think that there should be some ground rules in this area.

1. Pick a length – have your bridesmaids in long or short, not a mix.  It gives a  cohesive look.

2. Pick a fabric type – while there are exceptions to this rule, it is good to go with dresses of similar sheen (so that one girl doesn’t stand out among the rest).

3. Pick a color family or have them be various different colors – for instance, tell the girls to pick a green dress of any shade or give each of them a color and tell them to choose the shade.

4. Bride must approve! This one is important because it gives the bride the ability to say no to a dress that is inappropriate or just doesn’t fit her design scheme.

Have fun!

Here are a few examples (read the notes below them):

Photography by Leah via Style Me Pretty

I love the color scheme and the variety of dresses.  I wish that they were all one length.  The poor girl in the short dress looks too casual and out of place.

Grazier Photography via Style Me Pretty

All of these dresses are from J.Crew’s chiffon bridesmaid collection.  Love the different styles.  They are all the same length and the same color.

 

Dressy Wednesday

Happy Wednesday!  Is it just me, or does it feel like Thursday?

Before I get to the dress of the day, I feel like it is important to note that last week I found out that one of my college professors reads my blog every now and again.  Julie is one of the sweetest (and most intelligent) people on the planet, but now I am nervous.  I know that this will wear off in .2 seconds, but still, I am nervous for this week.  I feel like I should be writing in very complete and correct sentences.

Oh well! On to the topic of the day: DRESSES!  I am sort of enamored by the dress of the day.  It is different enough to stand out, but it is not weird.  It is dressy enough for a wedding, but if you put straps on it and a suit jacket over it, it would be appropriate for work .  It looks like it belongs on the racks of J. Crew or Anthropologie, but instead, it is on Etsy and is only $125 per dress.  To top it all off, this dress is custom.  You can pick the fabric colors (2 different or both the same) and the length for each dress.  The vendor takes the bridesmaids measurements and makes the dress to fit them.  Did I mention that it is only $125?  The Etsy store is called Nostalgia.  Check it out!

Photography by Edyta Szyszlo Photography and images from Style Me Pretty.

 

Bridesmaids

Have you been watching Say Yes to the Dress Bridesmaids on TLC?  While it is sort of funny how crazy some of the women on the show act, I always seem to walking away feeling slightly agitated with them.  I don’t even know them, and yet, they are making me angry.  Watch the videos labeled “Female Overload” and “Dis-Honor”. No bridesmaid should ever take away from the Bride or make a Bride cry anything but happy tears during the planning of her wedding or on her wedding day.  I was blessed with wonderful bridesmaids and the best maid of honor a girl could ask for, but sadly, there have been times that I wish I could have put some bridesmaids in time out (because they are acting like children).

Here are a few tips that I can give to the current and future bridesmaids of America:

1. Put on your big-girl pants dress and act like the grown-up that you are.  No one needs or wants to here you whining about anything.  I know that your feet hurt and your bridesmaid dress is a strange fabric and your up-do cost you a million dollars, but this is what you signed up for. PS – My nick-name from my mom’s best friend was “Whitney Whiner” when I was a child.  I hated it with all my heart and soul, but do you know what I would hate even more? If one of my dear friends referred to me as Whitney Whiner the bridesmaid.

2. Pay up. Before you ever sign on to be a bridesmaid, you need to ask the Bride what kind of budget she has in mind for your dress, shoes, hair, etc.  If you can not afford it, tell her. Ask if she is willing to help you.  If not, let her know that you will not be able to be in the wedding, but you are so flattered that she asked and you would love to help with programs or seating on her big day.  I know, I know.  I am a big mean-y, but it only make sense.  Also, it will keep you from becoming a crazy whiner, from going broke, and from hurting the relationship that you have with the Bride.  Once you sign on to be the perfect maid, it is time to shell out the money for the dress or shoes that you may never wear again. Sorry!

2. Like what the bride likes and hate what the bride hates.  This may seem counter to your friendship or your personality, but you are going to have to bite the bullet if you want to be a good maid.  It is not your day.  It is not your wedding.  When it is, you get to choose everything!    If she asks for your opinion, give it her in a very kind and encouraging way.

3. Be sympathetic!  Panning a wedding is a super crazy time of life.  My brain is wired for events, but not everyone else’s brain is the same.  Lend a listening ear (even if the discussion is about crazy in-laws or the type of paper for the invitations).  Offer to go to appointments with the Bride (she needs someone to be there to support her in her decisions – refer to rule 2).  In other words, be a wonderful friend!  Play the bad guy with unruly maids, so she doesn’t have to.

4. Plan or help with planning a Bridal Shower, Lingerie Shower and/or Bachlorette Party.  I know that not everyone has a giant piggy bank to pull from, but there are things that can be done that do not cost an arm and a leg.  You can be in charge of games/activities or you can be in charge of invitations (find a creative friend and print them yourself) or you can be in charge of making all the desserts. Pick a duty that is needed that fits within your budget and do it to the best of your ability.  Make sure to plan the dates around the brides schedule and plan it far enough in advance that invites can be sent out 1.5 months or more in advance.

5. Take time off for the Rehearsal and Wedding.  You need to be available all day the day before and the day of the wedding.  The bride might need you to run an errand, help with a family member, help set-up the church, or just give her a hug.  I promise that you do not want to miss those moments.

6. Smile.  It might be 105 degrees on the wedding day (and you are wearing a long dress) or you might be taking the 500th picture of the day, but you need to keep smiling.  You do not want your sour/sad face to caught in pictures or worse yet, you do not want to hurt your friend’s feelings or mess up her big day.  Just a reminder you signed up for all of this when you became a Bridesmaid.

7. Have fun!  Seems silly that this is now a rule, but being a bridesmaid is fun!  

 

In conclusion, please don’t act like the crazy women on that show, especially if you are the maid/matron of honor.  Happy Tuesday!

 

Dressy Wednesday

Another crazy week!  Event 1 is done, but now we are prepping for event 2!  Good gravy, is it Friday yet?

Do you remember when I posted the soft pink and gray inspiration board in April? Wouldn’t this dress from Macy’s be adorable with that kind of color scheme?  It would also be a great dress to wear to a bridal shower or wedding (or out to dinner)!    I love it with the soft pink bouquet.

 

 

Red and Tiffany Blue Inspiration Board

A sweet friend of mine is getting married, and she is trying to figure out her color scheme.  She knows she wants the classic red flowers, but she is open to other accent colors.  One of my favorite color combos is Tiffany blue and red.  It is a modern take on the gorgeous red flowers that everyone enjoys.  I<3 Tiffany blue!  It makes me think of those fabulous little boxes and the stunning things that are inside those boxes (my hubby spoils me). 

Here is the inspiration board that I came up with:

Red roses and blue bird flowers, blue dresses and red balloons, red carnations, 3 piece centerpiece, red and blue table-scape, red peep toe, invitation, ballroom set-up, cake, candy station, red soda, blue candy, red dress

 

Flower Friday

Today, I had to take 2 trips to Sam’s Club to get all of the supplies that I need for my next big campus event.  CRAZINESS!  So thankful for my new car and my student worker, Destiny, who was such a trooper with her crazy boss.  $700 later, my office is a little more chaotic, but at least it is organized chaos.  I keep telling myself this so that I don’t go crazy. 

On to the more important item of the day…Flowers.  I heart these so very much.  Pink and garden-y=love.  What do you think?

Photography by The Nickols via Style Me Pretty.

Also, please notice the lovely bridesmaids’ gowns from J.Crew that I posted about here.  I would love to wear this dress in a wedding!

 

Dressy Wednesday

Hello my wonderful blog readers!  I am so sorry that I have not posted yet this week.  I was hoping to on Monday or yesterday, but I had to get a tooth extracted.  They gave me some crazy pain-killers that knocked me out all of Monday evening and made me feel like crud most of Tuesday.  Then my power went out during a crazy storm that rolled through our area.  We went to the in-law’s house (who had power…yay!) last night, but I forgot to bring my computer.  Fail.  Sorry.

Any who, my mouth is still hurting but I refuse to take anything but ibuprofen.  My husband thinks that I am stubborn, but me and prescribed medicine are in a fight and I am going to win.

Who’s ready for the long weekend?  I AM!  I am hoping to have a patriotic wedding board up by Friday.  I heart summer and memorial day and picnics and cookouts and my pool opening.  <3

Ok, so I did a little Etsy searching today and found this little gem by Amanda Archer…

Love it!!  It comes in all sorts of colors, but I am loving the navy for summer.  Paired with white flowers, red ribbon, and some cute wedge sandals like these from DSW:

Perfect for attending a wedding or for your bridesmaids!

PS – Happy 27th Birthday to my wonderful friend (and Maid of Honor) of 23 years, Sarah!  Love and miss you so very much!  Wish I could take you out for lunch and pedicures to celebrate today!  So thankful for you and our talk this early this morning.  Hope you enjoyed the awesome message that I left you.

 

Dressy Wednesday

This week has been filled with perfect weather and a super productive cleaning spree.  I walked into my house yesterday after a trip to the local wholesale club and could smell the clean new house smell.  YUM!  I guess I am just a late bloomer when it comes to spring cleaning.  The only things left to tackle at home are my bathroom (I dread cleaning it for some reason) and our garage (BOOOO!).  The garage is going to require that we purchase more shelves for the ginormous amount of vases that I want to store, so I guess it will have to wait until this weekend.  (PS – we also seriously cleaned my office yesterday, and it looks and feels a.maz.ing.)

On an entirely different note, I have been contacted by 2 brides for day of coordination for their weddings this fall!  That thrills my heart more than you know.  Also, they are in some pretty fab locations…Williamsburg and Norfolk Botanical Gardens! 

Ok…on to today’s dress picks.  Aren’t these just gorgeous?  The dress is by Aqua Closet at Bloomingdales and comes in royal blue and black. They would be super comfortable, so easy to cut off and wear again, and would look great on so many different body types.  (It would also be a great dress for prom…although I may be too old to make this call.  I know my high school girls from church sometimes read my blog.  Maybe they can weigh-in in the comments section.)

As an added bonus, this dress also comes in white for a bride on a low budget looking for a beautiful gown!  A wedding dress for $250…Woohoo!  Now that is a great deal!

Happy Wednesday!  Hope you have a wonderful day!