Wedding Wednesday: The Dress

It's been a while since I've posted anything about our wedding. 

I've decided to keep the posts going in order of events of the special day.

If you didn't catch my last wedding post, it was all about getting glammed up in the morning. 

After the hair was curled and sprayed; after the make up was flawless and lashes were on, it was time to put on THE dress!

You can read the full story of how I found my dress here.

The designer of my dress is Priscilla of Boston, of whom I had never heard of before shopping for a bridal gown. The bridal consultant told me she was THE wedding dress designer even before Vera Wang started making wedding dresses.

After doing a little on line research, I come to find that P.o.B. has been around since 1945 and that she designed a wedding dress for Grace Kelly when she married the Prince of Monaco in 1956...

The dresses were the first of it's kind, to be worn with no girdles, braziers or 
(more modernly) even spanx! 

I knew I wanted a dress that was different, but fit my sense of style.
I didn't want it to be too "poofy" or ball-gown style.
I also didn't want it to be too form fitting or sheath.
I tried on a few strapless dresses and I just felt uncomfortable;
as if I would be pulling it up all night.
I tried a few on with halters and lace necklines, but they felt too heavy on top.
The moment I tried on this dress, I fell in love with the delicate crystal straps.
I loved the vintage look to the detailed straps, ivory colored pure silk fabric and the silk covered buttons that lined the entire back seam of the dress.
The sweetheart neckline flattered my curves and the fabric hugged in all the right places.

The only time I let the train out was during the ceremony.

The rest of the time it stayed bustled in the back. 

Fun fact: My veil was my "something borrowed!"

The crystal detail and the scalloped hem went perfectly with the style of my dress.

My friend bought it for her wedding several years ago,

and since then there have been 4 of us that have worn it for our weddings!

I just handed it off to the next in line, getting married in May!

It's our "sisterhood of the traveling veil" story :)

All photos above by Together We Click.

More wedding photos to come!

xoxo, Lindsay

Monday Motivation...

That's right... I'm back in action with a little motivation for this chilly, fall Monday. It comes at a time in my life when I need motivation and positive thoughts BIG TIME. 

I had my first real "Bridal Breakdown" yesterday and I'm still trying to get my head back in the game. I have been cool, calm and collected for so long and now that we've got a little less than 3 weeks to go, my to-do list is not dwindling as fast as I would have liked. On top of that, this seating arrangement stuff is killing me...Last minute guest additions and people that we STILL have to follow up with to find out if they are coming or not. It's enough to make a type A, control freak, planner, bride-zilla to go CRAY CRAY! 

When my dad asked me to count the guest list in front of him because he didn't trust my math I lost it! Big croco-dilly tears and reverted back to my high school days when he would just look at me in disappointment and I would bust out in tears... he didn't mean any disrespect and quickly realized how upset and stressed I was and apologized. It just was the straw that broke the camels back. The tears kept coming for a good hour and I had to leave to try to catch my cool again. I just drove for a while and tried to breathe. I went to Jo Ann's to get some more ribbon for a project and I'm sure everyone there thought I was high or sick or something. My eyes were still swollen and red, make up worn off. 

I took the rest of the day off. That's right, I took Sunday off of work, off of wedding planning and projects, off of house chores, off of worrying and list making, etc. I just sat on the couch with Bill and 'watched football' (insert played on my phone and zoned out). Bill asked what he could do to help and I gave him the task of putting tags on our ceremony exit horns. It was the sweetest thing to watch him tie pink twine around the gold sparkly horns while watching football. My heart felt at ease. I knew everything would be OK. 

+++

Sometimes we just need to take a breather and know that things will work out on their own. I need to realize that people are willing to help, so I need to give up some control. I need to take some time to myself and relax before I go crazy. 

I found this free download yesterday from Design Love Fest designed by Lauren Essl. I immediately downloaded and made it my new desk top.

Sometimes, us control freaks think we can do everything ourselves. However, we quickly realize that we are only one person with 2 hands and 1 brain. Once I asked for help, I actually felt so much better. I am going to keep this on my desk top as a reminder that it is OK to ask for help. 

Happy Monday Loves!

Real Talk // Priorities

Have you ever felt like you have so much to do that you don’t know where to start? You get so overwhelmed that you just push everything aside (mentally and physically) and focus on an insignificant task that makes you feel better in the short term. IE – I have been trying to “eat clean” these past few days to shed a few extra water weight pounds and have been consumed with it. When I start on a project, I start to obsess over it. I made a grocery list of all fruits and veggies and left the store with about 10 bags of food. My fridge is stuffed with melons, berries, apples, oranges, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, peppers, etc…Heck I even bought a Papaya for goodness sake?! Have you ever bought a Papaya? It sounded good and it is good…But, there really is no need for ALL of that food to be in my house. As I sit and think, I realize that I am trying to distract myself from what I really need to be focusing on.

 

Work has been intense and there are some projects that I could be focusing more time on. The wedding planning had come to a halt for a few weeks, but we are back in action and scheduled a meeting with a few DJs this week. I am hoping to nail down DJ and cake this month. I have an event that I will be styling at the end of the month that I have not even started storyboarding. I have so many DIY projects that I want to tackle and post on the blog…The list goes on…That is the thing that helps me calm down and focus…Making lists! I make lists for everything in my life! Daily lists…lists for lists! No joke! It works. It feel so great to check off those lists and see physically that I have accomplished a goal, no matter how small or insignificant it may be.

 

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Much like in life, when planning for a large event (such as a wedding) it is important to know your priorities. Physically write them down. Discuss them with your partner to make sure you are on the same page. Ours went like this:

1)      A day that we will remember and look back on as the best day of our lives. A day that we can declare our love for each other in front of friends, family and God. More mushy stuff…you get the point. This is obviously the first priority for many couples getting married.

2)      Being married in a church – We pondered this a bit when we found out that our church had another wedding schedule on our date. We had to push back our wedding start time to 5:00 pm (yes, I know that typically couples get married at the half hour so the hands are on the upswing, but this I will discuss maybe in a later post). Our venue is scheduled for 6 – midnight, so we didn’t want to cut in too much time from our venue rental time block. I always wanted to have an evening wedding, so this is fine with me. I’m glad we are able to get married in the church where we will become members. We will bring our children to this church and will have memories there for years to come. Of course, church weddings are not for everyone and there are certainly so many venues that are able to host ceremonies and reception in one place. This is completely a personal choice and one that should obviously be discussed between the bride and groom.

3)      Location - Location being Columbus. We thought about a destination, but we both have some close relatives that would not be able to travel that we would want there. Also, we don’t like the feeling of putting any one out and having people pay for traveling arrangements. Now this is completely our own opinion and I absolutely understand the idea of a destination wedding, it is just not for us.

4)      Atmosphere – For me the ambiance and décor is very important, being an event stylist and attracted to all things aesthetic. I was looking for a venue that was elegant, chic and romantic but with a minimalist feel because I wanted the décor to pop. The venue we chose (the Ivory Room) was perfect for my vision. We both want to cater to our guests, so the big open space of our venue will allow guests to move about and shake their groove things on the open dance floor. This is why we chose the venue that we did.

I’m going to stop there because I don’t want to bore you too much with wedding details. Of course, we do take into consideration the BUDGET. Ahhh…the dreaded budget. One of the first things you should do as an engaged couple is talk about your budget for a wedding. Are the bride’s parents paying or helping to pay? Or do you need to pitch in. Are both sets of parents helping? I’ve heard every combination, so it is completely up to what you and your signif (and parents) decide works best.

So, when it comes to priorities…WRITE THEM DOWN! Discuss if there are others that need to be involved. Before you start signing vendor contracts and trying on wedding gowns…You must first decide on what is important to you as a couple for your special day and go from there…

I hope this helps you as it has helped me :)

 

Advice for the Bride-to-be // Shower Etiquette

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Ever since I got engaged, I have been more and more interested in the etiquette of weddings and the events are associated with them. There are so many traditions and idiosyncrasies that are involved with the American wedding now-a-days, that you could easily feel overwhelmed just googling the subject. One could reference the tried and true Emily Post Etiquette book. Her books are legendary and are still used and (re)published to this day. However, trends and traditions have changed over the past 100 years and it is important to not only make sure brides and grooms follow certain rules of etiquette and tradition, but also to make sure their special day reflects their lifestyle and personalities.

 

The subject of bridal shower etiquette has come up once or twice in my conversations with close friends recently. Who should host a bridal shower? Traditionally, it has been the Maid of Honor, a close family friend or neighbor. It should never be the mother or mother-in-law nor any of the immediate family members of the bride. This, I believe is pretty common. Now this has morphed into a joint shower hosted by all the bridesmaids, or there are some instances of an aunt or non-immediate family member hosting a bridal shower. Also, the co-worker shower has become the popular bonus shower these days. If you do happen to have multiple showers, one should never invite guests to more than one shower. This translates to "I want more than one gift from you" and that could leave a bad taste in your guests mouth. If you do have multiple showers, the only duplicate guests could be your mother or bridesmaids (who are made aware that they do not need to purchase a second gift). The guest list for your shower(s) should of course be of those invited to your wedding. This also rings true for engagement parties, bachelorette parties, etc. A shower should feel more intimate, so it is important to keep the guest list to a minimum if possible.

 

As a bride, you should never ASK someone to throw you a shower. This seems as though you are asking for gifts. You should also never be overly specific with any of the details of the shower like food or decor. You can of course make polite suggestions if you are asked by the host, but never demand anything. Of course, if there is a food allergy of some sort or if you have a handicapped relative or friend that may have specific needs that is understandable.

 

As a bride, you should make sure to greet everyone and say thank you for coming. Allow the host to direct the order of events. The bride should show their appreciation towards the host with a heartfelt thank you note and or thoughtful gift. This shows that you are grateful that they have taken the time (and money) to throw a party in your honor and that they are a valued person in your life.

For more information on wedding etiquette, visit the following sites:

Martha Stewart Weddings

Emily Post Weddings

The Knot

Of course you can always ask your mother or grandmother what traditions are important to them and what the correct etiquette may be. Just remember that a lot has changed over the years when it comes to weddings and wedding related events. It has become more acceptable to bend some of the rules to fit your current lifestyle and values. However, there is some nostalgia connected to a lot of the traditions and etiquette when it comes to weddings and like events that makes you feel more connected to the generations before you.

As the bride, your main job is to be happy and gracious! You just have to show up and look pretty :)

TGIF y'all! (yep, I just threw in a "y'all" after all that etiquette talk)

 

Advice for the Bride-to-be // from the Photographer...

I'm starting a new series called "Advice for the Bride-to-be" on the blog. I will be asking each of my wedding vendors to submit some advice from their perspective and focusing on their specific skill set. I think this will help any bride-to-be's out there and even if you're not engaged yet, book mark this series so you are prepared when the time comes!

 

My photographer was one of the first decisions I made regarding my wedding. I have known Sarah (Sarah Gaylor Photography and owner of the wedding photography company Love Junkies) for many years and trust her creatively and professionally. She shot {these} professional identity photos for me a little while back. She also photographed {this} Thanksgiving tablescape that I put together. Her work speaks for itself and I'm so excited to have her as my wedding photographer!

 

Here's some advice about choosing your wedding photographer from Sarah:
 

 

 

When it comes to capturing your wedding- you know, the day you have dreamed about your whole life- you have one way of preserving the memories and details... Your photographs. Society thrives on imagery; advertising, pinterest, instagram- it's all visual. In my opinion (which is, by nature, a little bias) your photography, aside from the person you are marrying, is the most important investment you will make. It will not only provide you with something to look back on that day, but the photographer, yep- the person, not the images, matters. The sheer amount of photographers in a metropolitan area will blow your mind. The amount of talent is overwhelming. How could you pick the 'right one'? Here is a photographers advice as a peer, a friend, not soliciting your wedding day :)
 

So, wedding day is an all day thing. Guess who you will spend the most time with?? It's not your mom, maid of honor, or your future partner. It's your photographer. Truth. Our job is to be in the moment, capturing the joy, love, and laughter of the day, read: in your business. So, this brings me to my biggest and only advice I can give a potential client. Ready?

 

LIKE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER. LOVE THEM. PERSONALLY AND CREATIVELY.

Why is this important? You spend a lot of time together, this person should make you feel calm, confident, and radiant in your wedding glory! Put your budget aside and really choose from your heart. It made the world of difference having the right person to photograph you and your vision.
 

As a photographer, we understand that there are clients for everyone. You are unique, and so are we. There is plenty to go around- no really, there is. Promise.

Bottom line, we should want to work with you as much as you want to work with us. It makes the world go around!

 

1. Research - ask your venue who they love! Google image search your venue, see what comes up. Ask others who have gotten married who they used. Still not happy? Consult the WWW. Narrow down by style, and budget (with photography generally you get what you pay for- the average in 2012 was $2300, however, the percentage of overall wedding budget is 10-15% on average)

2. You like what you see? Reach out. How do they respond? Indication of service and what to expect. You should have a great feeling right off the bat. Schedule a meeting. Do your personalities click? (pun intended, hehe) ;)

3. Discuss the options of price and packages after you know you want this person on your wedding day getting super personal with you. If its a mutual opportunity for the marriage of client/photographer relationship, you will know what your investment is worth.

Sarah Gaylor Photography
www.sarahgphoto.com
sarahg@sarahgphoto.com
614-323-5013
Twitter: SarahGPhoto
Instagram: #sarahgaylorphotography
Facebook: Sarah Gaylor Photography

Love Junkies
weddings@iheartlovejunkies.com
http://www.iheartlovejunkies.com
614-289-8975
Twitter: IheartLJs
Instagram: #lovejunkies
Facebook: Love Junkies

 

 Thanks so much Sarah! Can't wait to work with you!

 

Check out some of Sarah's work {here} and wedding photography {here}.