I Said "YES!" (To the Dress)

I am sitting here on Cloud 9 as I type up this blog post because today I SAID "YES" TO THE DRESS and I have officially found my gown!!!  Oh the glory!!!  I must admit that for me it was nothing like you see in the movies or on tv.  No tears of joy, no crying mother, no dramatic gasps from my MOH as I walked out of the fitting room.  I don't think I expected any of that to occur but it's funny how different things are in reality compared to what you envisioned in your head.

Today I attended a Maggie Sottero trunk show at Bijou Bridal.  I have been eyeing this wedding designer ever since I started browsing online for wedding dresses.  I was excited when I learned that Bijou was hosting a trunk show today.  So I made an appointment to attend and I'm so glad that I did because I found my dress!

Bijou Bridal store in Paramus, NJ

I loved the elegance of Bijou Bridal.  I have gone dress shopping a few other times before but this is the first place that really felt like a bridal salon.  It was a really big store, with gorgeous displays, soft colors and a really elegant feel.  I believe this is their flagship location but they have a few other locations here in the States.  I'm not sure if those are equally as large.  Bijou also carries many different designers aside from Maggie Sottero including Casablanca Bridals (another great brand I like), Watters Bridal and Enzoani just to name a few others.

When I arrived at Bijou I already had an idea of what I was looking for.  I've spent my previous wedding dress hunts trying on different kinds of dresses and deciding what I liked most. I tried different types of fabric (Satin, Organza, Taffeta, Lace, etc) as well as different silhouettes (A-line, Ballgown, Fit n Flare).  similar dress so you can get an idea of what I chose.  This is NOT the dress that I got (that's a secret til 9/14/14!).

Different dress silhouettes.  Photo from Pinterest.

 As I mentioned in a previous blog post I really like the fit and flare/trumpet silhouette.  So when my appointment began I got right down to business looking for exactly what I wanted.  I ended up trying on only 3 dresses in the whole store. This was not because they didn't have beautiful dresses but because I wasn't interested in trying on any dress that I didn't think could be "the one".  I only wanted to try on dresses that had exactly what I was looking for.  I ended up choosing a dress that I felt the best in.  From head to toe I loved everything about the dress.  It felt so fabulous being in it.  Below I have posted a

Lauren dress by Maggie Sottero

I can't believe I chose my dress!  Things are starting to fall into place.  I was so grateful to have my mother and my MOH there with me while I tried on dresses and especially since I found it with them.  I'm also glad that the hunt is over with and I can keep focusing on the next plans to make without the added pressure of finding a dress.  I am really looking forward to booking our wedding officiant next as we haven't done that yet.  Hopefully that will be done by the end of this month and then I think I'll take a breather/break from wedding planning for the holidays.  I hope you enjoyed this post!  Til next time...

-Michelle G

P.S. Only 337 more days to go!

My Bridesmaids

I started out not even wanting a bridal party because Pete and I initially thought we were having a very small wedding. I thought I would just have my sister as maid of honor. But then we decided to have a bigger wedding and thought it would be nice to have a bridal party. So we decided on just 4 bridesmaids and 4 groomsmen. But that wasn't enough. We felt like we were leaving people out of such an important day. So we decided on 6 bridesmaids and 6 groomsmen.  I'm so glad that we are able to have such a great group of people who will be part of our wedding.  This has been one of my favorite parts of wedding planning so far.

My Fabulous Bridesmaids

I tend to keep my inner circle very small.  So when I had to choose bridesmaids it was pretty easy for me to know who I wanted.  I wanted people who love and support me and my relationship with Pete.  I wanted people who knew me for many years and whose relationship with me has stood the test of time.  I wanted people who I knew I would still be close with years after my wedding day.    It is this handful of people who have remained in my life throughout it all and who I felt should stand up there with me on what is to be the most important day of my life so far.  So here they are... my fabulous bridesmaids!!! :)

This is me and Jessica, my sister and Maid of Honor (MOH).  I chose my sister because she's the closest to me and I couldn't imagine anyone else standing up there as MOH.  It is a big honor and my sister is deserving of it.  I know she will do a great job!  

Carmen and me at the Britney Spears concert!

Here's a picture with my cousin, Carmen.  I also asked her to be part of my bridal party.  We have many childhood memories and she is one of my closest cousins! We don't always get to see each other often but it's always a good time when we do.  

Jessica, me (blonde) and Laura during !  

 


I also asked my other cousin, Laura to be a bridesmaid too.  I am very lucky that I get to see her a few times a year especially during the holidays!  I have watched her grow up into such a lovely young woman.  She's always been there and I'm happy she will be there with me on my wedding day!

Kristina & I at her rehearsal dinner!

Kristina and I have been best friends since we were in Kindergarten.  Even though she moved away and we grew up apart we always stayed in touch and visited when we could.  She got married last year and I was part of her day.  When I got engaged, I knew she had to be part of mine.  Our friendship has lasted over 20 years and I feel confident it will last at least another 20!  I'm so glad she will be a bridesmaid!

Carissa and I

I have a lot of really fun memories with Carissa.  We have been friends since 5th grade and even got to go to college together!  She is someone who I know I can always have a good time with.  We have been friends for a very long time and I'm glad we have so many fun memories to laugh about together.

   

Keisha and I have been good friends since high school days.  She's awesome and has always been a good friend to me.  I'm happy we have stayed friends after high school and that she will be part of my wedding day.

How I popped the question!

I posted a blog post previously about the Trash the Dress trend but there is another trend I am finding and it relates to your bridesmaids. More specifically, it relates to how you ask them to be part of your wedding day.  If you browse through Pinterest, Etsy, Zazzle or other sites like that you might find an extensive list of "Bridesmaid invites" that come in the form of adorable note cards, jewelry, keepsake trinkets and other cute crafty ideas that all ask the same question.... "will you be my bridesmaid?"  The point of it is to ask your bridesmaid in a more sentimental and thoughtful way rather then an email, call or text.

For example, one of my bridesmaids got married last year and wanted me to be in her bridal party. We were childhood best friends and she lives out of state.  I received a package from her and when I opened the box it was literally a bottle full of sand and seashells with a "message in a bottle." When I opened the bottle and retrieved the small piece of paper it was a one liner inviting me to be a bridesmaid. Talk about cute!!! I had never gotten something like that or been asked in such a special way. I knew that I wanted to do something similar when my time came.

This is what my friend Kristina did for her bridesmaids! Message in a bottle!  How cute is that!? 

Front of note cards I sent to my bridal party! 

When it was time to ask my bridesmaids I wanted to make it simple, sweet and to the point.  So I decided to find a pretty note card that I could customize with ask each girl's name.  I ended up ordering my note cards on Zazzle.com and I think they came out pretty cute.  They are designed like an invitation and it has the wedding date along with my question.  I haven't shared my wedding date with many people yet aside from immediate family.  I thought this was a cute way of revealing the wedding date as well.  Inside I wrote a nice message asking if they would be my bridesmaid.  Short, simple, cute and to the point.  Exactly what I was going for :) 

Bridesmaid Inspiration

I know it is still super early for my bridesmaids to get their dress but that doesn't mean I haven't already been thinking of all the possibilities!  I am planning to wait on choosing their dresses because I want to get my wedding dress first.  But I've added a few photos from my personal wedding Pinterest board with some of my inspiration.  In the beginning of my Pinterest pinning I felt like I was just pinning a mish mash of random wedding inspiration that had no theme.  However, as I go back now and review my boards I have begun to see the patterns, the vision and themes.  I can't even begin to rave about how useful Pinterest has been for me.  

Hope you enjoyed this post!  I have SO MUCH MORE in the works!  I am going to a trunk show this weekend to keep looking for my wedding dress.  Hopefully I will report back with some exciting news!  Til next time

-Michelle G

P.S. Only 342 more days to go!