Meeting MY Dress

In the beginning of November, I received a card in the mail from CC’s (where I bought my dress) letting me know that my gown had arrived in the shop! I was floored; when I purchased it back in June they had informed me that it could take up to early 2010 for the gown to come in. I guess not!!!

As you can imagine, the anticipation for my Florida trip for Thanksgiving was incredible. I wanted to meet my gown in person!

So, on the rainy Tuesday before Thanksgiving, mom and I made the drive out to St. Petersburg. If you remember, when I shopped for my dress originally, I didn’t get those mushy-gushy “OH MY GOSH THIS IS MY DRESS” feelings. I was secretly hoping that they would appear that day. I should have known better than to have that expectation, because alas, once again it didn’t happen. Sadly, it kind of threw me into a bit of a bad mood during our visit, which I shouldn’t have let happen. But hey, I’m not perfect.

However, I WAS excited about the fact that MY dress was in a much smaller size than the sample I tried on was in! When I was fitted for my gown, we found out that the smallest size James Clifford makes is a 2, so we had to go ahead and order it, despite the fact that the measurements were still going to be off. Darn you, awkward wedding dress sizing! From what I have heard around the wedding blog land, typically you wear a size or two up from your street clothes size. Hm. Apparently James Clifford runs more true to size than I would have thought! As it stands, they don’t make a size 0 dress, so I was out of luck; we are going to have to alter it!

Ok, ok…I know what you really want is to see pictures of me in the dress. Your wish is my command. Justin, if you are reading this, STOP! Do not pass go, do not collect $200. Walk away from your computer, do not scroll down! Please? Ok thank you…

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If you can’t tell, the bust is huge, but probably because I have so little to work with to start! That is definitely going to be taken in, and some “support” is going to be sewn in. The waist and hips are also too large, and will have to be taken in a few inches. Check out the handful of fabric the seamstress has in her hands!

Thankfully, they informed me that all of the alterations were rather simple in nature to complete, so I could hold off on being measured and pinned until a return visit at a later date. Whew! 6 months of not being able to fluctuate my dress size would have been absolute torture! Can you imagine?

I had a bit of a subdued temper tantrum (in my head mostly) when I first saw the train. It looked completely different to me than the original sample…the lace was bunching around the train and it looked sloppy to me. Thankfully, the seamstress brought me out the sample so I could compare them, and we realized that the lace on the train was connected to the lining on the dress, and that in the sample it had been detached. Easy fix! The seamstress went ahead and cut the strings connecting the two pieces, and I was instantly relieved. See the difference?

Sample dress (with major clippage going on in front to make it appear like it fits!)

Before the fix

After the fix

Ok, enough about all the dress details…I’ll leave you with a few more pictures…

How long did it take for your dress to come in? Were you pumped to meet it in person?

Music Monday #13

Please click “play” and enjoy…

I’ve been cleaning out my music files again, and I stumbled upon this little beauty! What do we think…first dance material? Justin and I did meet at the end of summer, so it does have some relevance to the lyrics in the song! I guess I’m just a big fan of the “you have stolen my heart” line as well…very sweet.

Thoughts? Ideas? Opinions? Happy Music Monday! J

My Gifts…to you (a bit early)!

As the holidays swiftly approach, I KNOW you’ve been doing some shopping for your friends and loved ones. And, I thought that I might help you out a bit by sharing some invites to some exclusive websites!

First: RueLaLa! If you aren’t familiar with it, RueLaLa is an exclusive website that offers private sale boutiques that are only open for a limited time. You can find designer brands (Cole Haan, BCBG, La Perla, kate spade, Gucci, etc. etc!) at slashed prices! You can go straight to the site and get put on the waiting list, but who wants to wait? I have an invite for you: click here! Membership is free, AND if you sign up before December 24, you automatically will receive a $10 credit to spend!

Next: Gilt Group! This is very similar to RueLaLa; it is an exclusive internet site with designer brands at much cheaper prices! Membership is free on this site as well! Personally, I think that the sales are a little more extensive, and they seem to have more high-end designers. You can find jewelry, handbags, clothing, and beauty items! Once again, you can sign up for the waiting list, OR you can use my invitation! Click here!

Finally: Rent the Runway! Now THIS is a cool concept, in my opinion. If you haven’t heard of it, this site allows you to RENT designer dresses for an EXTREMELY low price! I would just die to wear a designer dress to some of my wedding week occasions, but I am absolutely not made of money. This site alleviates that problem! And, they categorize the items according to the type of event you could wear them to (seriously, they have a “Rehearsal Dinner” and “Honeymoon” category…how convenient is that?)! Just take a look:

This Alice + Olivia dress rents for $50, retail is $415!

This beautiful Catherine Malandrino dress would be awesome for my daytime rehearsal, and it rents for only $75!

Oh, and I drool over the thought of wearing this dress by Adam for my bachelorette party…for $50!

Basically, you order the item that you want to rent (and let them know what date you need it by), and your size, and they will deliver the item to you. AND, if it is your first time renting from that particular designer, they will send you your size AND the next closest size, just to make sure that you will have a good fit! How cool is that?

So, I know you want to get in on this action! If you want to bypass the waitlist, send me a separate message with your name and email (I won’t publish it in the comments section, I promise!), and I will pass along the invitation!

So, go get your shop on!

Win a KitchenAid Stand Mixer!!!

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Oh my goodness, my jaw just dropped when I saw this giveaway! I wasn't joking in the title...for real...you can enter to win a KitchenAid stand mixer on Mrsdealfinder's blog!

CLICK HERE NOW to get yourself in the running!!!!

Vintage-y Vases

So, if you recall, I somewhat recently decided to make a switcheroo in regards to my reception flowers. Bye bye hydrangeas, hello baby’s breath!

Next up on the to-do list was to figure out what to display the beautiful poufs of baby’s breath in!

My mom and I began by scouring JoAnn Fabrics, Michaels, and the like. We saw a lot of the same thing; clear glass vases in different shapes/heights. It could work, but I wasn’t in love.

Then, we decided to try our luck elsewhere by visiting our all-time favorite stores; TJ Maxx and Marshalls. My mom mentioned that she had seen some pretty vintage-looking vases there previously. We walked down the aisles in anticipation…

And…boy was I glad we went there! Vases in various shapes, sizes, and patterns galore! And they were a very reasonable price, ranging from $3.99 for the smaller pieces to $7.99 for the larger ones! We quickly gathered every single vase we could see into the shopping cart…and then proceeded to visit every TJ Maxx and Marshalls in the Tampa/Clearwater area to clean them out!

Here is our stash…I am just loving them!

I plan to combine at least one taller vase with a shorter one, and add some “extra” items on the table (such as bird figurines, vintage books, and tea cups)…I’ll show you some of my first trials shortly! And my favorite aspect of these vases is that we will DEFINITELY re-use them after the wedding! My mom is fond of them, and they match the décor in the house…and I know that I will want to keep a handful for Justin and I to decorate our new home! Sure, there will most likely be some leftovers, but I am loving the fact that I don’t have to rent them for $15 a vase (since that is what we were previously quoted by a florist for similar containers…yikes!)!

Are you planning on DIY’ing your centerpieces? What did you do/are you planning to do with the containers after the day is done?

My feelings on “THE dress,” part 4…That loving feeling...

If you need to catch up…here are Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3…

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So, you are aware at this point that I selected my wedding gown. What you may or may not have noticed was how I failed to describe my overwhelming feelings of joy and excitement at finding “THE dress.”

Oh…wait…that’s because I DIDN’T have those feelings.

I find it very interesting when I read over and over how girls find their dress and immediately know that they were meant to be together. And, it isn’t that I’m unhappy with my dress. Quite the contrary! I know that it is absolutely perfect for me; it will make me look spectacular on my wedding day, no doubt in my mind. But, where were the butterflies? The excited squeals? The tears? There was nothing…not even a titter. Overall, during my shopping experience, I never became excitable. My mother and I discussed the options at length, we tore apart the different features of the dresses that we had looked at, and I came to a decision in the end.

So, I wonder…what would it take for me to achieve that giddy, I’m going to jump up and down in glee feeling? Well, if I had to guess, it would probably appear if I were to don a gown WAY out of my price range. I pay attention to fashion, I love designers…it would be unreal to wear a Monique Lhuillier or a Vera Wang…a girl can dream! But hey, that is all it is…a dream. And I have reality to focus on.

And, you know what? Just because I didn’t have the feeling during the dress shopping experience, DOESN’T mean that I won’t get it later on. Just you wait, I’m going to turn into a blubbery wreck when I am completely put together…the hair, the makeup, the shoes…that’ll push me over the edge in the end. I’m just…on hold for the moment being.

I know I am not the first bride who has experienced this, and I certainly won’t be the last one. If you are worried about this happening to you as well, here is my piece of advice: don’t let it frustrate you. Everyone’s shopping experience is different, and just because you aren’t jumping around the dressing room, screaming at the top of your lungs, or turning into a puddle of happy tears over your dress does NOT mean that you will look any less spectacular on your wedding day. Of this I am certain.

Did YOU get that feeling when you found your dress???

My feelings on “THE dress,” part 3…I make up my mind…

I suppose I should have started my dress-buying series with the caveat that the shopping experience happened months ago (in the summer, actually)…thank you to everyone who has offered advice/tips over the past few days though!

So…where did I leave off? In Part 1, I looked for inspiration. In Part 2, I started shopping.

And in Part 3, it’s the moment you’ve been waiting for. I make up my darned mind!

After shopping around at a few other stores, my mom, grandma, and I headed in to CC’s Boutique in St. Petersburg for my appointment. I filled out my info card, and then my consultant, Monica, met with me to start the dress process (by the way, if you are shopping for a dress at CC’s, I HIGHLY recommend that you ask for Monica; she was amazing!). She had me describe the details that I was looking for in my dress…I provided her with 5 words: lace, strapless, sweetheart neckline, fitted. Then we began.

Monica explained that the first dress that she brings out is the one that she feels matches the closest to what your ideal dress is. Depending on how you react to the different aspects (too tight? Too sparkly? Too poofy?), she adjusts her dress selections from that point.

And…wouldn’t you know it…the dress I purchased was indeed the first one she brought me. James Clifford J1820.

It met all of my criteria; strapless, form fitting, the neckline, and the lace…perfection. No sparkle, no beading. Glorious. My grandma started to cry. Aha…now we were getting somewhere!

Obviously, we couldn’t stop at the first dress, so I spent the next hour or so trying on various gowns, comparing each one to the first dress. I tried a beautiful organza gown in champagne that was a contender for a few minutes (actually, you may have seen it before, on a featured wedding on TheKnot! And, coincidentally, she got married at my venue…), but in the end I thought it looked too juvenile. I already look like I’m about 16 to the average person, I didn’t want to enhance it!

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In the end though, none were close to being as perfect on me as the James Clifford. Ladies and gentlemen, I think we have a winner!

So, do you want to see it?

Well, the stock photos at least…for now…but I will say that the photos pale in comparison to this dress in real life…they just don’t do it a bit of justice whatsoever.

If you are Justin, AVERT your eyes! And, if you don't want to see it, just don't scroll down!!!

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So…did you feel a sense of relief after you found your dress?