wedding style

Finally...

Little G. caught a stomach bug at the beginning of last weekend, which forced me to slow down and do very little aside from eat, sleep and cuddle.  And I think it's been one of the most relaxing weekends I've had in a very long time.  G.'s tearing up the house and climbing on boxes to look out windows so I think it's safe to say he's almost 100%. 

Since Krista did a little recap featuroo on my wedding last week, I thought I'd take a post to elaborate on my wedding style.  I know a lot of you are either married, engaged or soon to be engaged and who doesn't love talking weddings?  Especially wedding gowns and shoes and flowers and... sigh, I actually wouldn't mind reliving the whole thing, is that crazy?  Well, since I planned my wedding in 30 short days, probably not.  Gotta be honest... I have no idea how you long engagement ladies do it.  I wouldn't have any hair left.  Or a husband to speak of.  Just... no, thanks.

Before we started planning our wedding, I'd watched some tv shows ("Whose Wedding is it Anyway?," anyone?) and flipped through magazines on trips to the bookstore.  Believe it or not, my dress wasn't the tough part... it was the bridesmaids and the flowers that tripped me up when it came to the style of my wedding.

Of course, a lot can be said about the style of a wedding by the dress a bride wears... but I really think it's the bridesmaid dresses (and the flowers, too) that seal the deal on the overall tone of a wedding's style.  There are usually multiple bridesmaids, all up front with you, which means that whatever cut, color or theme you choose is not going solo... it's repetitive.  So you better be prepared to either keep it simple or make sure the impact it will have is the one you're going for.  Maybe it's just me, but I can't tell you how many times I've been to a wedding and noticed almost nothing about the bride because the bridesmaids stole the show (and not in a good way, if you know what I mean).  All that to say... I probably stressed more over the bridesmaids and the flowers than any other element of style in my wedding.

With such limited time to shop (which meant ordering was out of the question), I took my 'maids with me for an entire day of searching the racks and trying on lots of dresses that just didn't work.  The wedding would be in the evening which usually means formal but, wanting the overall feel to be more relaxed, I wanted the dresses to be short.  I also wanted my ladies to be able to wear them again without actually looking like a bridesmaid again. We finally arrived at White House Black Market, of all places, and I asked the girls to try on a dress just on a whim and it ended up working.  You all already know I am a fan of black and brown together (and I've sported it twice this week alone!) so you won't be surprised at the final choice...

 In Krista's post, I noted that all of the girls were pretty different in shape so it needed to be universally flattering.  Honestly, I didn't think that dress would be but it worked.  I think, anyway.  If we didn't find a dress that looked good I was just going to have them pick out a black dress of their choice in the same length but with the overall feel of the wedding being sort of formal, I'm glad we found something. :)

Like, I said... my choice was easy.  Too easy.  I knew I wanted strapless, lots of lace, not a lot of bulk.  Fairytale look without a princess cut.  First day, first boutique where I actually tried dresses on... kazaam!

I got it, right?  Strapless, lots of lace, no big poofy skirt, sweet little train... really, really, really (!) loved my dress.  Maybe I should wear it for our Valentine's Day date.  No?  Okay, if you're sure...

Everything else pretty much went to the flowers.  Floating petals with tealights on the tables, hydrangeas and callas for the bridesmaids and then my bouquet... which, other than the dress, may have been my absolute favorite thing.  And maybe my most stressed-over element if you can believe it.  I think our florist was a little daunted by my request, ha!  But boy did she deliver.  It's still in my parents' freezer.  Which is probably gross and definitely not the real way to preserve it but by the time we really thought about it it was too late.  The bouquet kept my own ensemble from going too over the top formal and gave it a little whimsy and a garden feel which I loved.  This photo doesn't do it the justice it deserves but I still love to gaze at it from time to time...

Probably my favorite style day ever... what's your wedding style like?  Past, present, future... whatever!