Flower Girl Dresses

Image and Dress from Posh Little Tutus

In three words: too much fun! If you know me it isn’t a stretch to know why I had the most enjoyable time picking out the flower girls’ dresses. Frilly? Flowers? Count me in! Our flower girls are totally the perfect age to play dress up at five and two years old. They are the age when they are super adorable in whatever they wear!

One reason why it was so easy is because I knew their style: “flower princess butterfly” as the five year old expressed it. As long as it was puffy and some shade of pink I knew they’d love it. It was a minimal pressure purchase. I figured as long as it wasn’t uncomfortable in fit or of scratchy fabric it would be just fine. Dealing with young children there is always the risk that their mood will dictate if they like it or not the day of the event. Really, children are a wildcard! But if the girls were happy and excited to wear the dresses from the get-go, then we were on track to have a good day.

Another reason why it was low stress was because I was paying. It could be as expensive or cheap as I’d like. I gave myself the responsibility to pay for all my junior bridesmaid and flower girl dresses. The five girls in total–three juniors and two flower girls–all came from one family. It would be a lot to ask of their parents to buy them all, especially since their mom, the Sister of the Groom, was buying a bridesmaid dress for herself and they were all tracking across the United States to be part of the wedding! So if I could ease any pressure off of them so they could attend happily, I had to do it.

I got a lot of help from the older sisters identifying styles that they thought would be cute on their younger siblings. The 10 year old junior bridesmaid took it on as her project and would always be calling me over to the computer to look at the one that had to be the one because it was way too adorable. From here I learned of some of the brands she liked for the youngsters: Kate Mack, US Angels, Biscotti, Hannah Banana, Halabaloo, Isabella & Chloe, Ooh La La, Posh Little Tutus and Le Pink.

Shopping I did in person on my own time. Hands down my favorite department store–and my recommendation for girl’s special occasion dresses–is Nordstrom. They have a huge variety of fancy dresses and so many of them were exactly what I was looking for. My other top department store was Bloomindales followed by Lord and Taylor, but they had less variety and less price points than Nordstrom. My other favorite shops were the outlets Nordstrom’s Rack, Century 21, Filene’s, and Daffy’s, all of these were great to find good deals. Unfortunately I could never find dresses in the sizes I wanted–they were always just a size off. I liked a lot of summer dresses at J-Crew where I purchased the junior bridesmaid dresses. They were all of coordinating colors (coral and blush pink were everywhere) but most of J-Crew’s special occasion dresses were either in white or too expensive (over $150). Some of the other stores at the mall had great sale rack options, like at Jacadi.

Here are some pictures of my most favorite flower girl dresses from my outings:

Jacadi Paris

Nordstrom

Nordstrom

Nordstrom

Nordstrom

J-Crew

J-Crew

J-Crew

J-Crew

I ended up purchasing the girls’ outfits at Nordstrom. The two year old’s had a rosette on the bodice and the five year old’s had petals making up the the top. I just thought they were too cute and classic looking to pass up! Flowery? Check! Pink? Check? Flowy. Check!

Nordstrom

Groomsmen Attire

Finding the perfect groomsmen outfit was harder than finding bridesmaid dresses! Much harder. After visiting Men’s Warehouse and trying on suits we realized we didn’t want a tuxedo. It was going to be too stiff, too heavy, and too much for a more casual outdoor wedding. The problem with was finding a suit that would work.

Rental stores are so good because they have different styles in stock, purchasing is less time sensitive–the three month turn over in mall stores becomes even more of a rush when trying for a hard to find size–and really, it requires minimal effort from the dudes. There is a clerk that knows what they need once they drop the wedding party’s name so they aren’t left to hunt for the right things all by themselves. Typically getting the guys to the rental store and on time is something that us brides go crazy trying to coordinate! And rightfully so!!

Our pick for the groomsmen

We tried to find a seersucker suit or a more casual tan suit at a rental store. But to no avail. We tried the main department stores but everything was too expensive to ask our groomsmen to purchase (we were already asking them to travel across the country so we wanted minimal cost). We looked at H&M, Zara, and UNIQLO trying to find low price items–and we did, but not in the range of sizes we needed (darn international slim sizes!).

We found our perfect outfit at a regular mall store called Express. It was exactly the style we wanted and it feel within the $150 or less budget we were hoping for. It was a seersucker vest and pants. I absolutely loved the seersucker vest look for the country club! It was perfect! We tried to take advantage of what the boys already had like white dress shirts and casual white shoes to save them money as well.

Image from Express

Below is a letter we sent to our groomsmen (originally with links but now outdated).

—–

Hey Groomsmen,
Here is what you should do while stores are stocked this month:
1. Sign up for a “15% off your next purchase” coupon
2. Purchase the following groomsmen attire (in-store or online)

Basically the outfit is a vest, pants, and white shirt (picture of the outfit is attached–we are not wearing ties).

5-BUTTON STRIPED CORDED COTTON SUIT VEST – COLOR: CABANA $79.50

STRIPED CORDED COTTON PRODUCER SUIT PANT – COLOR: CABANA $69.50

YOUR OWN WHITE DRESS SHIRT OR 1MX MODERN FIT STRETCH COTTON SHIRT – COLOR: TRUE WHITE

YOUR OWN WHITE SHOES: SLIP ON VANS, CONVERSE, OR SIMILAR STYLE (WALMART HAS CHEAP ONES FOR $15)

Image from Shoes.com

——-

We sent this in April–you would think they wouldn’t wait until July to buy!! Well they did–well, two of them did and that screwed everything up! That left me in panic mode. Three groomsmen had the entire outfit. But one of them now couldn’t fit into his vest.  One person only bought the pants and (in July) couldn’t find a vest. The bestman didn’t buy a thing thinking that we would automatically buy his since he was the “best” man. So we were down three vests, one pant.

For one entire weekend I bought every single seersucker vest I could find–that I could afford. Thankfully a lot were on sale at Macy’s (Bones & Rags, DKNY, Nautica) but they were not the same fabric, color, style of our Express outfits. I figured as long as they were in seersucker vests we would be okay, but I wasn’t excited about it. Some vests had navy blue stripes, some tan, some thin, some wide, some wrinkly fabric. One word: Headache!!

 

Our variety of groomsmen attire

I ended up with 6 miscellaneous vests unsure what was going to fit, bought an extra jacket thinking the best man could wear that if the others didn’t work, I found the missing pants at Express after going to three different locations!

The other thing that happened: we planned on Mr. Pashmina wearing the matching jacket so he would be a dressier than the groomsmen, but still matching. He didn’t fit into it! We never tried it on when we first settled on it so we were left to find another suit. Thankfully this wasn’t in July. But still…

In the end everything worked out, but I didn’t know how it was going to look until I was at the aisle! I left it for my groom to figure out.

Anthropologie, Come On! Let’s See Some Dresses Already

Anthropologie. Image from anthropologiest.blogaroonie.com

After news of Anthropologie launching its own bridal line back last year, for some reason I keep on searching to see if anything has came out yet! I know I am married. I know that they said it was going to be Spring 2011. But for some reason I have searched “anthropologie wedding dresses” twice this month. Anxious or something? I guess I am just excited to see what they come up with. I have a feeling (I am hoping) that they will be a little unexpected and uber romantic. Anthropologie has a distinctive feminine, vintage feel, and at times a downtown/global vibe (it is the sister brand to Urban Outfitters–one of my other favorites). As a frugal-ista I love it when store brands come up with their own bridal lines because they are often more affordable than traditional dresses (think JCrew, Nicole Miller). So, for this sale rack searcher, I am eagerly awaiting their launch! Until they get their buns in gear, I have put together a few dresses as eye candy. Will something like these dresses be part of Anthro’s line? What clothing lines are you stalking?

Claire Pettibone. Image from blissweddingstudio.com.

Temperley London. Image from marieclaire.co.uk

Blumarine Sposa. Image from brides.com

Jenny Peckham. Image from perfectbound.blogspot.com.

Temperley London. Image from fashionbride.files.wordpress.com.

Blumarine Sposa. Image from oggisposi.tgcom.it.

Image from JCrew.

Anna Sui. Image from Net-a-Porter.

Roksanda. Image from Net-a-Porter.

Going Far & Away with Allure

I returned my original wedding dress because my groom saw it. It wasn’t just because he was superstitious. I really wanted him to be surprised when he saw me too. I think it adds to the fun of a wedding–him not knowing exactly what to expect when you enter the room. So I was happy with my decision. And I knew my superstitious man would be happy with my decision!! So it all worked out in the end. And no, I didn’t take a picture of myself in my the new gown! I didn’t even try it on again when I went down to the store to make the switch. I just didn’t want to risk anything!!!

After that it was pretty simple. I totally feared the alteration experience, but for no good reason. Blame this too on my “Say Yes to the Dress” watching. In reality, it was really like playing dress up. How fun is that?! Everyone was so nice, all the brides and their families were so excited.

RK Bridal also offers alterations so I stayed with them. There policy is that they charge a max of $300, nothing more, no matter what needs to be done. Thankfully I didn’t need much–really  I could have worn the dress out the door. They didn’t need to alter the length or the size…well, okay, one thing they did need to resize…the bust. They had to take them down a notch…or two! So for $175 I had soft cups added so I wouldn’t need a bra, which was super awesome because it has a low back, and the boning took down on the bust. It was pretty simple and not at all anxiety inducing like I feared.

One of my tips for trying on dresses as well as for alteration appointments is to wear boy short nude panties. I even kept a pair in my purse near the end when I was getting super stressed out so I wouldn’t forget them. I don’t really like being nude with strangers so having a good pair of panties with full coverage made me feel more comfortable. Even when my top was exposed.

At each of the three appointment–spread out over four months–I took it as an opportunity to try out hairstyle ideas and try on my newly purchased accessories to make sure they matched. I was in between four hairstyles from the get-go so I went to each with a new hairdo, it was pretty fun. Nothing professional but it definitely helped me visualize what would look good with the dress before my hair trial. My main contenders were a side ponytail, a loose relaxed braid, ballerina bun, and a side chignon. My first appointment I cut the idea of long, loose hair. I quickly realized that with a pretty neckline my hair would look better up, especially mine that always falls flat.

It was great having the alterations at the store because RK had a billion veils and hair feathers to try on with the gown. This is where I fell in love with cathedral length veils (more on the creation of my veil by the supremely talented Mrs. Hot Wings).

Did you have a good time at your alteration appointment? What are your tips for other brides-to-be?

*all images personal photos.

With This Dress I Become Superstitious

Image from Maggie Sottero Destinations. RD1044

My Mini BFFs *Personal Photo

On Valentine’s Day my two nieces accompanied me to select my wedding dress. It was four months in the making–about half a dozen appointments. I was ecstatic to take my two helpers with me for this occasion.

It was monumental to me!

When we entered RK Bridal I explained the store’s concept: I’ll put our name on the list, then pull dresses off the rack that you like. When they call our name a clerk will help us try them on. “It’s more of a self-service bridal salon,” I say. Their eyes widened as they eyed the thousands of white dresses hanging on racks! It was like going through Barbie’s closet with the 10 and 13 year old girls. It was just too much fun for us all.

We searched but couldn’t find the Sottero Destination gown we initially came to the store to try on (RD1044). One of the first we pulled was a Maggie Sottero gown with a champagne sash and middle beaded accent. Then we asked the clerk about RD1044 and added it to the pile. The last dress we added was an Allure with a heavy sweetheart neckline and a low dipping back. When my named was called and my little assistants and I were escorted to the room. My shop attendant quickly feel in love with the two girls as did the entire store. Little did they know that these two girls have a fashionista as a mama and talk the terms “empire” and “gossamer” as if it was their native tongue.

The two final selections were exactly the first and the last that we chose: the Sottero’s “Vanessa” and Allure’s Far & Away “922.” Both were chiffon, empire waisted, babydoll dresses. The Vanessa was more polished while the Allure a bit more destination wedding. I really liked both! But it was 1:30 pm and we were due at Saja at 2! So we hailed a cab and went speeding off to the appointment.

Vanessa. Image from Maggie Sottero

I tried on the three gowns that were my original final contenders and they quickly feel flat. They were gorgeous but they didn’t feel special enough. And the girls were way underwhelmed. It never felt so right to leave Saja and drive straight back to RK Bridal.

I could have picked either one but then with the nieces’ seal of approval, we decided the Vanessa was the one. And with that we got our pictures taken so we would always remember the day and my new dress!

When we got back later that night the girls wanted to show their uncle pictures of their day in NYC and then this is when my groom saw me in the dress! This may not be a big deal to some girls but my man is superstitious! He quickly looked up from the iPhone he was staring at an said with shock, “I think I just saw something I wasn’t supposed to!” Later that night he asked me “Isn’t it bad luck to see you in your dress?” I said, “Yes. I’m going to have to get another!” with a bit of a teasing humor. And with these words I was doomed: “Maybe that is better. We don’t want to start off with bad luck!”

For two days I couldn’t decide what to do. I even posted a poll on Weddingbee. 95% of people said I should just keep the original dress. “Pretend that it was a different one, he would never know.” “Don’t pay attention to the crazy superstition, it is modern times now!” All these thing made me feel better about the situation but in the end I felt I would be lying to my man. If it was important to him…and he is a superstitious guy (driving on your birthday is bad luck, don’t bring a pillow outside or someone will die, don’t go to sleep with your hair wet or you’ll go blind, etc.) then it had to be my superstition too!! So with that dress I became superstitious.

Image from Tom's Bridal. Allure 922

With a few frantic phone calls and an in-person visit to RK I changed my dress to my other favorite–the Allure 922!

Do you believe in the superstition? What would you have done?

Finding ‘The One’ with My Nieces

Image from Adrienne's

There were a few really great experiences after the Jenny Yoo appointment. Mainly at Adrienne’s in the Lower East Side with a big group of my single friends. But all the dresses were double, triple my budget. There were no contenders. Then at The Bridal Garden, a used wedding dress store that gives the proceeds to education, with one of my lovely co-workers also looking for gowns. But I just couldn’t rationalize spending over $1200 for a used gown. It had great fabric and was by La Esposa but for that price (my max budget) I wanted something new!

So let’s fast forward a few appointments! I just can’t wait any longer to tell you about the dress I finally purchased and the one I ultimately wore…!

Vintage @ The Bridal Garden. *Personal photo

On Valentine’s Day my nieces accompanied me on my final dress appointments. It ultimately came down to the three Saja dresses. I had an appointment at 2pm and thought it would be really fun for us to have a girls day together. From the very beginning of wedding planning the nieces–fourteen and ten–have been my mini-assistants and petite-BFFs! The older one especially texting me about every appointment I went to and at times to check on my latest project milestone. They were just way, way cute. It was so adorable to have sheer excitement from the two kids.  I  especially thought it would be a great bonding experience for us if they were the ones that helped me ultimately pick out my gown. I decided weeks earlier that I was going to buy something that day. There were going to be no more wedding dress appointments. No more! I was going to decide on a dress and move on to bridesmaid dresses. With just 5 months left things needed to get settled.

La Esposa @ The Bridal Garden *Personal photo.

The nieces spent the weekend with me and the night before our outing I showed them all the gowns that I liked so they knew what style I was looking for. The three of us happened upon one dress that I loved but never tried on. I said something like “too bad I can’t try this on before.” Then it occurred to me that we had time to hit RK Bridal beforehand. They were open on Sundays, didn’t require appointments, and if we got there early we could try the dress on then get some lunch at Alice’s Tea Cup or some cutesy, girly cafe, then make our 2pm at Saja. So that Sunday morning, we headed out to the Big Apple to find the one I wasn’t expecting.

Nice is an Understatement: Jenny Yoo Bridal Alternatives

At Jenny Yoo I was shocked at how opposite my appointment could be with the same exact elements: mainly a solo bride shopping for her dress. Walking into the crisp, clean Jenny Yoo studio in the Fashion District of New York City, the clerk immediately greeted me with a smile and made me feel at home. The clerk was super sweet and began to ask me about my wedding and if there were any dresses I was specifically interested in seeing. I thought to myself that those were the words I was waiting for, and I quickly rustled up a list of contenders that I wrote down while at home. I mentioned many of the same dresses that I blogged about a few months ago to the clerk which ended up being about dozen. Unfortunately not everything from the new 2010 collection was in stock yet–like Mackenzie, my first choice (darn!!). So she left me to browse on my own while she checked which they did have. Moving around the store I relished the calm, and supported environment. It was nothing like the small boutique I visited earlier, no snarky comments, no pretentiousness (phew!!).

Image from Jenny Yoo - Mira

After liking, but not loving all my initial favorites I decided to try on a wild card dress. It was called Mira.  I dismissed it at first when I saw it online because I thought it looked too much like a white sarong. Not formal enough and just too beachy. But on, I liked it! It had flow and movement, and while it was beachy it also made me feel like a ballerina ready to float nimbly down a formal aisle. I even liked the dress so much that I asked to see the accompanying bridesmaid dresses (since Jenny Yoo is mostly known for these) and left with a total entourage in mind. But alas…it wasn’t the one. But check out the pictures anyhow…and their 2011 collection is coming out so check out their site too.

* Personal photo

*Personal photo.

*Personal photo.

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Saja Gowns with Watery Eyes

Well I said I had two requirements: to feel beautiful and for the dress to cost $1500 dollars or less. But I quickly realized that I didn’t want a typical gown. I liked the “bridal alternatives,” the “destination gowns,” and anything made from chiffon. They were ethereal and appealed to my bohemian sensibility. So after seeing beautiful pictures for Saja gowns I quickly made my appointment.

Image from 100 Layer Cake

But then this is when the happiness stops. My best friend backed out on me the day before the appointment and I was feeling really sad that no one from my new family was interested in going to bridal dress appointments with me. I really wanted my own family to come with me since I thought these dresses were surely going to be the one. But they were 2,500 miles away on the opposite coast! So I went into the appointment feeling very low. I didn’t even ask any of my other friends to come with me when my other friend backed out. I was just depressed, wishing I could share this experience with my mom and sister.

Then the abrupt clerk hit me where it hurt within 5 minutes into the appointment. “You really should bring someone when you come to these appointments. Why didn’t you bring anyone?” Never did I feel so hurt…I felt as if I had no one…no one was available, no one wanted to come, no one was as excited about me for this. My eyes were welling up as she led me into the dressing room and I told her “No one could come.” And then she pressed the point further. “Well try these on now. Then come back when you can bring someone. Really, no one could come? You need to get a friend’s opinion who knows your style. Who do you know who knows your style?” I took a deep breath and told her “I know my style” and pulled the curtain shut with a bit of a New York attitude.

And there were three that I really, really liked. They were effortlessly pretty.

And if they made me feel pretty even while I was feeling so low then they certainly were possibilities. The wide-strap one made me feel long and lean, the strapless one had beautiful draping and had my favorite blush color, and the leaves on the other one seemed Grecian which I liked (although it was two sizes too small and didn’t look great actually on). And all under $800, so that could definitely could work for me.

When my fiance and his friend picked me up at the store after the appointment they could read that I wasn’t feeling myself. Asking me, “You didn’t like any of them?” I replied, “I did. I just didn’t have fun.”  I remember thinking, wedding planning was making me feel so lonely. But without giving it a second thought, and in the company of my some of my favorite people, I emailed my mom and sister pics of the dresses. And then did nothing related to weddings with the two boys and had the best time!

Did your moods ever get the better of you during one of your bridal appointments? Did you ever go at it alone wishing you were with an entourage?

Finding My Dress

Image from MichelleBrusegaard on Etsy

When everyone kept asking me what type of dress I had in mind for my wedding I kept on thinking about my favorite Barbie doll when I was a child. I didn’t tell anyone at the time but that is my little truth! It was the 1985 Peaches & Cream edition–yes, I’ve done my research for this post–you know, the one with the ruffly peach ball gown and the strapless opal bodice (well it was only strapless because my straps wore off after too much play). She was the epitome of beauty. She was Hollywood glamour before I even realized it! I loved the way the colors in her skirt changed colors with the layers of peaches and pink chiffons (or whatever light fabric it was). I even thought about having a wedding dress made so it could be similar. But quickly in that next moment I knew I wasn’t that much of a fanatic! With my luck it would probably look more beauty queen than Veronica Lake.

From fashioncookiejar.com

So while I wait for our professional photographs to come in I wanted to tell you about the journey (okay, long journey) finding my dress. I know I was always searching to see real women (not models in ads) in the gowns I coveted.  So hopefully this will help some of you as you find yours.

I had two requirements for my dress: I had to feel beautiful in it and it couldn’t cost more than $1500. So in the coming posts I am going to show you pictures from my outings to Saja and Jenny Yoo (both boutique-y alternatives to fluffy gowns), The Wedding Garden (an upscale thrift store with big designer names), and J-Crew (and I’ve already posted about Oleg Cassini at Dillard’s and David’s Bridal). To finally decide on Maggie Sottero and then ultimately Allure at RK Bridal (a no-frills shop with thousands of dresses that you choose yourself). So get ready for bad pictures!!

Did you have hidden inspiration behind your gown selection? Did you visit a number of stores before you found the one?