I am so mad

That I didn't find this site BEFORE my wedding. These dresses are totally awesome! And completely affordable!! And they rent them too. Damn it!!

I mean, my dress was okay. It was definitely affordable :) But it was way too boobalicious, and I had to keep hiking up the front of it all night - those bad boys just didn't have enough support. It's the one thing I would change if I could go back. Le sigh. Maybe I can help someone else avoid making the same mistake. Your dress is important!! Not $2,000 worth of important, but you do want to make sure you're as happy with it as you can possibly afford to be. I felt too overwhelmed and was too afraid of being a high maintenance bride to make enough of a stink over choosing my dress. Lesson learned.



Yes. This is me singing with my sister and my cuz. We had a lot of live music that day :) But the point I'm trying to illustrate with this pic is actually the complete lack of mammary support. I had a bra on, I swear! Like it made a difference. Ugh.

And so. What makes a dress perfect:
1. It fits you. Perfectly. (read: enough booby support! and make sure you're not going to be tripping over it while you're dancing!).
2. It's flattering (Hello saggy migillcutty.)
3. It fits your budget. (aka doesn't make you want to cry every time you remember the price tag. Also, you don't have to sell your soul to get it.)
4. It's comfortable enough to let you focus fully on what is happening around you.
5. It makes you feel like the most specialist girl in the room (not because that's what it's all about, but because you'll be getting a lot of attention, and it's kind of nice to feel like you're dressed for it :)). Don't underestimate the value of feeling pretty.

So stalk your dress!! It's out there! Whether you're having a formal wedding for 400 people or eloping in Kuala Lumpur, trust me, It Will Be Worth It.

That being said, as long as you manage to look this happy the first time you dance with your husband (or wife), then nothing else really matters that much. Yeah, I'm pretty lucky.



Seriously though. Don't be afraid to insist on getting yourself a dress that makes you feel super special. Really. It will be one less thing to worry about that day - you'll know you look awesome, and you won't have to be constantly worrying that your naughties are showing :) Which obviously equals having way more fun :)

p.s. sorry about the extreme hiatus. for whatever reason, I just haven't been feeling it lately. I'll try to be better... much love to you all!!

p.p.s. Also, I want to point out that the reason Matt and I aren't gazing into one another's eyes in this shot is that we were LITERALLY surrounded on all sides by our guests, who were all singing our first dance song TO us (Dream a Little Dream). So we alternated between looking at each other and looking at all the other people we love! Absolutely one of the most incredible experiences of my life.

Reception: Part Uno

There is so much to say about this day, I'm just going to dive in. Here's hoping it's not too out of order and confusing. I'm thinking it will take at least two posts to cover it all...


Amanda and her beau, pre-ceremony



Mel as supermodel superhero, also pre-ceremony

My cousins Amanda and Melanie were my AMAZING day-of coordinators. When I asked them if they would do it, I really thought the work would be minimal. Shows how much I know. Luckily, they are two of the most generous, calm, efficient, organized and did I say generous? people I know, and they took it all in stride. I don't know what I would have done without them. Amanda took my phone from me the morning of the wedding, and then went to the venue site to make sure all the vendors were under control. She fielded all my phone calls, and only called my sister (my MOH who was with me all day) if there was something she didn't know the answer to. She came up with this idea, and talked me into it - she wanted me to be able to focus on the getting married part, and not the "omg we don't have napkins" part. She's brilliant. She also made all the flags that were hanging at the reception. By herself. In between tours. Like I said, she's amazing. Check her out here.


Manders did the flags, I did the birds...

The caterer was late. They didn't bring napkins. The musicians ended up having to do a sound check that morning, because we were missing some vital piece of equipment and couldn't do it the night before (Matt was a CHAMP that day - he was at the church all morning, running around in his tux, getting shit DONE). Things definitely went wrong, but thanks to the incredible support system we had, it all got handled. Amanda and Mel ran out to get napkins, like half an hour before the ceremony. They also picked up dozens of yellow and blue balloons to line the pathway to the garden. Totally their idea, and totally amazing and helpful. I think the most incredible thing about the wedding (apart from getting married, of course) was the unbelievable wave of support we felt that day, and the days preceding.

Sitting in my parents house the Thursday before, with at least three cousins, four siblings, and one nephew all sitting in a circle, assembling programs..... having so many people show up the day before (a weekday, I might add) to help set up the reception space that we were finished in a fraction of the time I had allotted, and some people didn't even need to do anything..... seeing pictures, taken the morning of the wedding, of people running around the hall, setting up the music, while I was obliviously hanging out with my bridesmaids.... arriving at the reception and seeing it utterly transformed.... GORGEOUS flowers, everywhere...... wine bottles all out and opened, hundreds of candles lit, all without my saying anything about it..... just amazing.


Magical wedding elves doing some last minute set-up the morning of...

It really was a community project, and that made it so much more special and meaningful.

Seriously? I'm already tapped out for today. Tomorrow, I tackle the music. Oh. The Music.

Color Swoon!

via green wedding shoes

Love love LOVE these colors... especially the top right picture. So bright and happy! I'm on the lookout for anything that color turquoise to use in our decor....

*happy sigh*

back to the fun stuff!!

After that rather heavy post on friday, I'm ready for something light and airy...

Isn't this gorgeous? So cosy and elegant all at once. Via Once Wed.

There's a lot going on these days! Obviously, the wedding: preparations roll on. We're trying to get all the invitations printed (check!), mounted (check!), wrapped, addressed, and mailed today. I bought the most awesome stamps yesterday:

I could eat them they are so freaking sweet!

I'll post pictures of the invites as soon as everyone's received theirs.

Also, we found out TODAY that we got the apartment! We're moving! I mean, we're just moving downstairs, so that's pretty rad, but moving nonetheless. And since our neighbor just moved out yesterday, the place is open NOW. So hopefully we can get the keys ASAP and do a gradual move over the course of the week. Which means I can clean the hell out of both places fairly easily. And the neat freak in me does a little jig. I'm stilling trying to wrap my brain around the fact that we're going to have a BACKYARD!! I can plant things!! I can have a vegetable garden!! I'm not even going to TRY and comprehend the fact that we're going to have a washer and dryer. One major life adjustment at a time, please! Hahaha, I just realized how ridiculous that sounds coming from me right now.

And trust, there WILL be pictures posted up here of our lovely new apartment very soon.

ALSO. i stumbled on this selection of dishware from Anthropologie. And I'm not exaggerating when I say that they make me DROOL. I have never lusted after dishes before. NEVER. But these.... holy moses. Needless to say, I figured out a way to register for them :)

Check it:

Be still my heart. I want a little of everything - the mixy matchyness would be so pretty. LOVE!

Oh, and if you need some help with keeping your perspective, or if you just want to giggle, check out this great article via 2000 wedding, via mental floss.

ttfn!!

candle glow

maybe it's especially appealing to me right now, in this cold grey city, but i might have to swipe this idea for our centerpieces.......




via apartment therapy