We Searched High and Low And...

The dress my sister fell in love is so new that David's doesn't even have it online yet! I'll post pictures as soon as it makes its debut. It's strapless, tea-length and has some ruching along the waist. She will be wearing it in candy pink, which is between a baby pink and a fuchsia. I love it because it is like the other bridesmaids' dresses from J. Crew (simple, dress cotton and tea length). While the other gals will wear brown, they will also wear sashes with their dresses in candy pink. I love that the color is named candy pink, as it combines two of my greatest loves (candy and pink, of course). We did not expect to find her dress at David's Bridal, but in the end it was our favorite. What unexpected items or shops have you uncovered during your wedding planning?

Gifts For The Cure

As my grandmother is a breast cancer survivor, I've done all that I can to support breast cancer research and support and do at least one Race for the Cure each year (I once ran one on showshoes!). Naturally, when I saw this in the American Cancer Society's Hope Shop , I had to buy them for my bridesmaids.

I will use them as welcome bags (which will include each girl's favorite snack, a Nalgene waterbottle in her favorite color, a pair of flip flops from Old Navy in her favorite color and an enamel picture frame in the wedding colors.)

Portions of the proceeds from the sale of the bags benefit the American Cancer Society. To purchase, for $10 each visit www.cancer.org/hopeshop. Happy shopping!

Girls in Brown Dresses with Pink Satin Sashes

So...the bridesmaids dresses are in! I couldn't have planned it better. There are 3 styles and 6 girls, and 2 chose each dress without any suggestion for me! This was wonderful as I tend to be...ahem...minorly obsessive (okay very obsessive) about bizarre things like symmetry that I am sure no one else notices.

Here is 1 of the styles:

I love the dresses and so do the girls! The construction is high quality, the fabric is a nice blend of dressy/casual and, best of all...the dresses have pockets! However, when I thought of these dresses next to mine, it seemed like they might need a little something...

To dress them up a bit and to define waistlines in high-waisted dresses, I ordered these sashes in pearl pink from David's Bridal:

Photo credits and products: www.jcrew.com and http://www.davidsbridal.com/.

Did you add anything to your bridesmaids' dresses once you saw them in person?

Cutest Video Ever!

Gifts For My Gals

Since many of my best gals have never been BMs, I wanted to make their first experience a positive one. Translation-they are going to be very spoiled!!

When they arrive, the BMs, GMs and their dates will be picked up at the airport in the 3 cargo vans (15 passenger) we have rented and will be whisked away to beautiful Estes Park and the cabins we have reserved for them there.

The lovely ladies will each receive one of these reusable grocery bags, which I found at Target. Since we are having a Colorado wedding, and Andrew and I are certified "greenies", I thought this gift would be great from our hearts to theirs...



Now for the inside of the bag....

And on a green note, but a practical one, as Colorado is VERY dry and you must drink A TON of water when you are here, each BM will receive a Nalgene bottle (very Colorado and also very environmental) in their favorite color, like so....

Additionally, in their favorite color will be a pair of the ever affordable, ever useful, Old Navy flip flops (purchased and image from www.oldnavy.com). I am proud of myself because I got them on sale!

Because I found them on sale at Target, and because I am a sucker for a good theme, I got the girls brown enamel frames with pink/green polka dots to add to their bags. This is not the exact frame, but is also adorable. It can be found at http://www.lapetiteplayhouse.com/.

I thought the bags were a fun, on vacation, summer-campish gift, which will be appropriate because we are staying at a summer camp!! The bags will also include each BMs favorite treat.

On a more formal note, the girls will each be receiving one of these to wear on the wedding day. I bought them at http://www.shaneco.com/. which is where this image is from. Thank you economic stimulus! I almost had enough to cover all 7!

And, the fun does not stop there. On the night of the rehearsal dinner, along with their pearls, the girls will all receive a letter than says a day of pampering has been planned in their honor. They will be treated to a brunch at the Dunshabe Teahouse, a mani/pedi at ten20 and will receive a $50 gift certificate toward getting their hair done. It will be an entire afternoon of pampering before our 7:00p.m. ceremony.

What do you think? How did I do?

Pretty Pink Parasols

For all of my girls to carry....2 light pink, 2 lime green, 2 fuschia and a chocolate brown one for my MOH/Little Sis. They arrived from www.idealfavors.com today. Melanie from Ideal Favors has been a pleasure to work with!

Here Come the Bridesmaids.....

So, I know that every bride says this, but I really do want my 'maids to look and feel their best on my wedding day, and I want them to do so in dresses that fit their personal styles and figures best. No cookie cutter BMs here. I've decided on choosing a designer, a fabric, a color and a length, and letting the girls choose from there. Right now, there are two places I am looking to to find the perfect dresses to make my girls look as dazzling as they are......

J. Crew, how I adore you. I have shopped in your store since college, and your clean lines and classic styles never cease to tickle my fancy. And, best of all, you have many dresses that are not taffeta, thus increasing the chances that they might be worn again....

Ideally, though not necessarily, there would be 2 BMs in each of these dresses, with my MOH wearing her choice of dress with a pink sash/sparkling broach to set her apart.

First up, Daisy. Simple, classic and clean......This would look great on just about anyone with it's flattering waistline and A-line skirt.

Next, and possibly my favorite, is Lydia. Flirty with a touch of retro. I'll bet this one is fun for twirling in.

Last but not least, Camilla. The ever popular strapless gown. It's hard to see in such a small picture, but the gathering at the waist is just too cute!

First three dresses courtesy of http://www.jcrew.com/.

J. Crew pros-these dresses are the cutest! These do not look like BM dresses and could definitely be worn again.
J. Crew cons-More expensive than other dresses ($225-255) and no storefront to try them on.

Next up is the ubiquitous David's Bridal. Since my best gals are scattered all over, it would be nice for everyone to be able to try them on in person. That, and dresses are much more reasonable than J. Crew ($180 is the most expensive dress).


Very similar to Lydia, only in taffeta. One of the 'maids commented that it was a bit "busty", but I think the fit would flatter almost everyone.

I love the sweetheart neckline on this dress! It's hard to see in this picture, but the bodice is ruched, which is always very flattering!

This next one is like Daisy, with a bit more cleavage, but is still classy. I am picturing my MOH sis in this with the sash as pictured, and a sparkly broach on the sash. I will give these to her as my gifts (in addition to others that she and the BMs will get).

Second batch courtesy of www.davidsbridal.com. I love their "favorites" and their "dress your wedding party" features!

Pros for David's- are the national locations and prices.

Cons for David's-are that the dresses look very bridal (read taffeta) and alterations can be spendy.

What do you think? Does either option strike you as being better than the others? Ultimately, I will let the girls decide. We started voting yesterday! I will be curious to see what they think!

Asking the Bridesmaids

I wanted to do something original to ask my best gals to be my bridesmaids. I also thought that the asking would be a fun way to reveal my engagement (which was hard for me, because anyone who knows me knows that I have a terrible time keeping good news secret). I turned to http://www.classybride.com/. I had seen the idea in a bridal mag (hard to say which one because I subscribe to so many); I sent jeweled tanks to all of my gals with their title (BM, MOH) on them that came in an adorable box that said....Will you be my? The girls love them (My 17 year old sister is already wearing her MOH tank!) and I think that they will be fun for the bachelorette festivities. Of course I also ordered one for me that is white and says bride in script :)