Online Shopping Saved My Life

Hey everyone! As you can see from my lack of blog posts, I am busy and stressed.  This time of year is always a killer.  BUT, it's April 30th, which means I am close to the light!  Normally I would have reached the light by today but because of the good old Heartbleed Virus, the tax deadline has been extended to May 5th.  Yayyyyyy. 

 

My thoughts exactly.

 

Between dealing with tax season, trying to wrangle RSVPs out of everyone, spending the last five days shuttling between a dance competition and work, and tackling our wedding to-do list as the weeks fly by, I've been more than a little frazzled.  We do have a huge support system around us and people are always offering to help, but there are some things you just can't delegate and I seem to be smack in the middle of a giant list of those types of to-dos.  I even took this selfie the other day when I was right in the thick of accomplishing wedding tasks like a boss:

 

Straight up.

What has been my saving grace throughout this experience has been the magic of online shopping.  If there's two things I have very little patience for, other than the flagrant misuse of the words "your" and "you're", it's shopping and running around.  I'm not someone who likes to spend an entire day driving from store to store, meandering around inside looking at things, humming and hawing over what to buy, and coming home with carefully and painstakingly selected purchases.  I like to get in, make a beeline for what I want, haul ass to the cash register (bonus points if I walk extra fast to beat someone into the line) and get outta dodge.  And nothing gets my blood boiling faster than if a store doesn't have something I want, or worse, they do carry it but are out of stock.  ANGER. 

This is why online shopping is the single greatest thing ever.  You can peruse from the privacy of your own home, where your path is not blocked by people who are too lazy to support their own body weight so they lean on their cart and sloooooowly amble through the aisles.  If something is out of stock, it's listed right there on the website and you know not to buy it, instead of driving all the way to Polo Park only to make it out of the parking lot, through the mall, into the store and to the devastating sight of an empty shelf, only to be cheerfully told that the store on the other side of the city has one in.  You click on a few things, enter your credit card info and it's sent right to your doorstep.  Heaven.

 

WIN.

So here are some of the things that have been delivered to me and some that are in transit!


Guestbook, Schmestbook

I'm not sure why I abhor the traditional wedding accessories so much.  Maybe it's because I am naturally rebellious, maybe it's because I hate the idea of being the same as every other bride out there, maybe I just want to be different for the sake of being different. I dunno.  But when I thought about a guestbook, I just thought, for what?  Yes, absolutely it's nice to have the names and well wishes of all the people you invited to your special day.  But in an ugly white book with lace and ribbons on it that you're never going to look at again ever in your life?  No.  Enter the magic of online shopping.  All you have to do is Google "guest book alternatives" and voila!  You have access to every creative idea that every creative bride has ever come up with.  So I ordered this:

 

Awe!!!

It's a shadow box that has our initials and wedding date personalized on it, and inside are paper hearts that guests and sign and put their well wishes on.  Then when the wedding is over, there is this insert that you can arrange the hearts on into one big heart, and display it in your home!  Comme ca:

 

Super sweet.

The only problem was, these paper hearts are literally the size of a quarter.  There isn't enough space to write a first name on one, let alone anything else.  So luckily I enlisted the talents of a very awesome lady with a Cricut to cut me out some decent sized paper hearts.  Yay!

 

So cute, but WAY too small.

Bridesmaid Swag

I've said it before and I'll say it again.  Being a bridesmaid is the worst.  It's a thankless, expensive, tiring pursuit of nonstop work and even if you are lucky enough to be in the wedding party of a bride who's not batshit crazy, you still want to tear your hair out at the end of it all.  So at the very least, you should walk away with some decent presents.  I bought these bags from The Wedding Shoppe to hold the gifts:

 

These totes are totes awesome.

 

And these robes from Wedding Prep Gals to wear the morning of the wedding:

 

Anything with rhinestones and I'm in.

And not to leave my buddy Grambo out, but he doesn't have any use for a white tote bag or a satin, bedazzled robe (and least I don't think he does).  So I got him this ultra masculine initialed man's toiletry bag:

 

Super manly.

And then I'm going to fill the totes with all kinds of cool gifts!  And probably just fill Graeme's with a bunch of liquor bottles, because that's kinda how we roll.


Sparkle Sparkle

My "something new" is coming from my grandmother (GOB....I guess?) and she graciously offered to buy me my earrings for the big day.  This one was a no-brainer.  To the Swarovski website I went!  Gah....my love for Swarovski knows no bounds.  And when I saw these Talesia drop earrings, I was smitten.  

 

Even the packaging is lovely!  Sigh...

 

 

 

 

Squeeeee!

 

I love sparkly things!


Pillow Schmillow

Again, the idea of the normal white pillow being carried by the ring bearer didn't appeal to me.  I honestly cannot put my finger on why.  It's not that I don't like the pillows.  I like them okay.  I just want to be different.  It's weird!  Anyway, I found this ring box for Matthew to carry that I LOVE, from Flowers and Favors.  It's sleek, it's personalized with our names and wedding date and has a cute little Mr. and Mrs. division in there.  It didn't come without its challenges, because of all the sites I found this on none of them shipped to Canada and I was getting ready to send FOB down to Pembina to pick this up.  But then I got reckless and paid $33 for shipping on the last site I found because some tasks just need to get DONE already.  Like Eric told me, it's a good thing I'm cute.  ;)

 

 

 

Adorbs.

 

That's all for now!  But there is more coming in the mail so stay tuned!  ;)

And just because I'm feeling SO EXCITED because I just came from a dress fitting, here's a peek at the blingy hairpiece I got for my wedding ensemble:

 

Wheeeeeeee!

Happy Wedding Wednesday!!!



~M

Change of A Dress

....I have a confession to make.

I wasn't really going to blog about this at all, because really who would know?  But in the spirit of being open about my bridal perspective on this grand adventure, here it goes.

I changed my dress. 

*collective gasp*

I know, I KNOW.  After I posted on the blog about how much I loved the one I chose, and then I posted AGAIN about how I didn't have any dress regret, I go and do this?  But before you start questioning my sanity, allow me to explain.

 

"This one?  Or this one?  Or thisoneorthisoneorthisoneorthisone...."

The original dress I chose was be-ea-au-tiful.  I loved it, I really did.  It had everything I wanted in a dress (which I would love to describe to you in excrutiating detail but I really want the whole thing to be a big surprise for my future husband!) and I was absolutely ready to commit.  In my mind, I already had committed.  I was in a common-law relationship with that dress, in the eyes of the wedding gods we were already bound, and buying it was simply a formality.

So when I returned to the store in early September to officially order and buy the dress, I put it back on to indulge in one last round of swishing and swaying before my dress search experience was over for good.  At first I was giddy as a schoolgirl, and then I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and there was one brief fleeting moment where I wondered aloud if the dress was perfectly flattering in all the right places.  After I said it out loud, and the bridal consultants and my MOB started looking at me critically and trying to assure me it was a good pick, my doubt grew a little.  Before I could try to even start discerning if I really was shying away from committing or if I just had a case of cold feet, the consultant said those taboo words, the words you NEVER say to a bride once she's picked a dress.  "Well we have a dress that just came in, from the designer's new line, if you'd like to see it."

 

"UM YEAH I WANNA SEE IT"

 

 

So then I broke the cardinal rule of wedding dress shopping, and tried on a dress after I had already made my choice.  And damn.  Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn.  New Dress blew Old Dress out of the water.  New Dress made Old Dress look like a stinking pile of garbage.  New Dress hugged me in all the right places.  Old Dress felt like wearing a potato sack.  Okay I might be exaggerating.  But it certainly wasn't that I didn't love Old Dress, it's just that I love New Dress more!  If possible, it was even more perfect and more gorgeous than the old one.  And then there was the whole "you're the first bride to ever try the dress on, I just took it out of the box yesterday, you'd be the first bride in Winnipeg to order this dress as we have exclusive rights to the line" thing that got me. 

 

 

 

"It's not you...it's me...."

 

 

So after trying on the new dress, it was pretty much a no-brainer.  I had to have it.  And I am happy to say that really, truly, honestly this time I've said Yes To The Dress and I'm 100% over the moon with my choice.  The dress is ordered, bought and paid for and just came in this past weekend, and it is every bit as gorgeous as I imagined!  I tried it on with the shoes and a lovely cathedral length veil and it was the perfect look.  So happy!!!

 

 

 

For real this time.

 

 

And that's that!

 

Eric and I met with our stationer a couple weeks ago and the invitations are picked and being finalized as I blog.  I will say, my fiance has great taste.  Anytime he gives his opinion on anything wedding related I always glow a little because he chooses so well!  And that's not even bride-speak for "he consistently chooses what I want him to choose", he really does give great input which is awesome.  :)

 

So to end this post here's a little sneak peek at what's cookin' over at Sweetness Stationery ....

 

 

 

AHHHHH I'M SO EXCITED!!!

 

 

Happy Wedding Wednesday!!!

 

 

 

~M

 

 

 

Hello, Lover...

Hey everyone!  It's so crazy that it's 2014!  I can't believe I'm getting married in just five short months!  It feels like this engagement flew by so fast.  Time does fly when you're having fun, and 2013 was certainly a whirlwind.  The wedding is coming up fast and now is the time that we're working on more of the little details. 

A lot of people have asked me if I am going to the Wonderful Wedding Show this weekend, and all I can say is, been there, done that, got the crappy bag of flyers.  You can read about my experience at last year's wedding show here - and back then I fully planned to go again this year to check it out, and especially to enter all the draws again.  But now that it's arrived, I can safely say no way.  I'd rather get in the ocean with the whale sharks 100 more times than swim the Estrogen Sea again.  Plus, we already have most of the wedding planned and the vendors booked, and I can find more than enough inspiration on Pinterest and in my wedding mags, so I'm gonna take a pass. 

 

Indeed...

 

But I know what you're thinking, how could I bury the lead?!?!  It's the post you've all been waiting for!  Haha, well maybe not.  But I know I was excited when I finally chose my wedding shoes and ordered them!

This has honestly been such an agonizing decision.  Believe me, I know how stupid that sounds, but it has.  Way harder than choosing a dress.  I have waffled back and forth on how to approach choosing a shoe.  I knew that I wanted to strass a pair, but they needed to be exactly the right pair.  I didn't want to pay $800 for a pair of unstrassed Louboutins only to slap crazy glue all over them (have mercy).  But I also didn't want to spend 40 hours gluing $400 worth of rhinestones onto a pair of $40 shoes.  I was looking for a peeptoe pump with a hidden platform and a 4" heel or higher, and they had to be either white or beige, because even when strassing carefully some of the color of the shoe peeks through.  I looked and looked and looked but it was impossible to find a pair of quality pumps that matched all my specifications.

 

These are actually called "Very Riche".  Because you have to be very riche to be able to afford them.

Then I saw Christina Aguilera at the AMA's, wearing the exact pair of Louboutins I was inspired by.  And to be honest, once I saw them on a body, wearing a white dress no less - let's just say, me no likey.  It's like a blinding flash of bling, all up in your face.  With my dress, I am going for the "floaty and romantic" look, not the "Real Housewives of New Jersey" look.  I don't want to end up looking like I'm wearing two tin cans on my feet.  So after I saw these photos, it was back to the drawing board.

 

She looks stunning!  The shoes though, I don't love them.  :(

 

So now what?  Back to more of the CL Daffodile Strass style, with a closed toe?  More of a Manolo style, with no platform and a pointed toe?  Should I just forget this all together?  I mean, I'm only going to be wearing the shoes for the ceremony, photos, and dinner, I won't be dancing in them for very long.  And they'll be covered by my dress, so who cares?  But it's shoes.  I love shoes, and on my wedding day shouldn't I be wearing the most spectacular pair I've ever owned?  Gah.  Waffle waffle. 

It's embarrassing the amount of hours I spent scouring the internet looking at shoes after this, so I'll spare you the details, but one glorious afternoon, lightning struck.  I came across a pair of glorious Badgley Mischka bridal shoes, and fell in love right away.  I have to say I surprised myself, because these are NOT AT ALL what I thought I would pick.  I thought for sure I would be wearing a pair of pumps.  But these little beauties totally embody the floaty and romantic look I'm going for, and they will match my dress perfectly.  May I present the Badgley Mischka "Adele":

 

 

 

 

 

Ahhhhhhh so excited!!!

I love these shoes for so many reasons, and I also love how much they remind me of one of my favorite shows of all time, Sex and the City.  Oh Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda, how I miss you and all your adventures.  (Except your second movie.  That was a train wreck.)  Anyway, Badgley Mischka was the designer of Charlotte's second wedding dress, when she married Harry:

 

"Oh gawd...you look like Audrey Hepburn......owitz"

 

 

And as soon as I saw the Adele, they reminded me of these Christian Louboutin cascade ruffle sandals that Carrie wears on her last date with Big before he moves to Napa:

 

 

 

 

 

"Hello, lover...."

 

 

I still want a pair of blingy shoes, so I feel like these are the perfect pair to strass.  I can strass the heel of them and put a few rhinestones in the petals, and feel sparkly while still feeling dainty and pretty.  Ooh yayyyyy!  I simply cannot WAIT until they arrive!!! 

 

Now I just have to figure out how to stop....

Speaking of bling, Eric and I ordered our wedding bands this past weekend!  This was a really special experience, so I will be sharing that with you next week!  I don't have my engagement ring right now (sad face) because our jeweller is working with it as we speak, so hopefully by next Wednesday I'll have it back in time for blogging!


Happy Wedding Wednesday!!!


~M

WARNING: Cuteness Overload

Hello all!

So as much as I loved trying on bridal gowns, and swishing and swaying in all the gorgeous organza and lace before finally settling on the perfect one, let me assure you that it is nothing compared to going through the same process with the cutest and tiniest of humans! 

 

"Their small features and oversized eyes trigger a hormonal response in humans.  It's autonomic.  It's what keeps us from eating them."

We took Aislin flower girl dress shopping on the weekend, and it was so fun!  I loved seeing her in all the adorable little dresses.  There is nothing cuter than a little girl in a fancy dress.

The first was a floaty white dress with an organza overlay and white flowered belt:

 

Oh she's cute....and she knows it.

 

 

Floof!

I liked this dress, but I really wanted Aislin to be a mini-me and there weren't really any flowers incorporated into my dress, so we passed on this one.


The next was a pink strap dress with rosette detailing on it (that did come in white) and pretty trim:

 

OMG.  She's just wee.

I liked this one too, and I loved the poufyness factor, but again wasn't a fan of the big rose on the belly.  So although she looked really cute and princessy in pink, we passed on this one too.


The next was a layered and striped dress, and in Aislin's words, "this one's a bit big":

 

Gasp.  I have no words.  What a little doll.

This dress is cute, but for someone older.  I don't believe that spaghetti straps belong on three year olds, so even though I loved the coutureyness of it and the fact that it looked different, it wasn't the right one.

It was around this time that I learned that trying to photograph a child is just like trying to photograph wild animals.  You have to be incredibly patient, you need to stalk them as they go about their business in their natural habitat, and if they get even the slightest sniff of an inkling that you are trying to take a picture of them, they will run away in the other direction.

One of many blurry action shots that ended up on my camera phone...lol

 



It was also at this point that she couldn't understand why we were parading her around in dresses like a circus monkey oohing and ahhing at her when all she wanted to do was run around naked and play.  So we shoved another dress on her, but she was pretty much not having it.  And I can't blame her either, I also have zero shopping stamina.  Five outfits is like my max, and then I just wanna get the hell outta dodge and have a cocktail.

But luckily for us, and her, we found the perfect adorable little dress for her to wear on our big day, this floaty organza dress with a crinoline underlay and ribbon detailing on the back:

 

CUTENESS.

 

 

Love the interesting back...

 

 

 

 

Another photo of her on the run...

 

  

Now I can't let my cutie little mini-me go out in front of all those people without being appropriately blinged.  So in addition to strassing her a little pair of ballet flats, I'm going to make her a strassed ribbon belt, to go with the dress since the front of it is pretty but plain.  And we changed the organza ribbon on the back to white as well.  And of course, when the sales associate asked me if I wanted an extra layer of crinoline underneath for extra pouf?  UM, YEAH.

 

 

 

I know.  Shopping tires me out too.  Let's blow this pop stand

and get some Kinder Surprise.



I would tell you about bridesmaids dress shopping as well, but there's not really much to tell.  I have the most efficient set of bridesmaids a girl could possibly assemble.  We were in and out of David's in about 15 minutes, and zero photos were taken.  It pretty much went like this:

Me:  "Okay, you guys pick some dresses you like, and I'm gonna go sit over here."

Jess:  "How about this one?"

Melissa:  "I like that one."

Tara:  "Me too"

(they all try it on)

Me:  "Okay so we're all good with this one?"

Bridesmaids Superforce:  "Yep."

Me:  "Want to try anything else on?"

Bridesmaids Superforce:  "Nope."

Me:  "Awesome, let's go to Joey's for bellinis."


Done and done.  They ended up choosing this famous Vera Wang in black:

 

Unique, chic and super fashion forward.  It looked awesome on all of them, and I love it!  I also love that it was on Gossip Girl.  Except we will do without the weirdo fascinators.

So that's two more things crossed off the list!  Yay!  I feel like a wedding planning beast these days.


Just a reminder that our wedding social is coming up on November 16th!  I will be doing another post soon about our awesome prizes!  Based on the crowd that has already bought entry to this shindig, you will not want to miss out.  It's gonna be an awesome party!  Message me for tickets!
 
 
Happy Wedding Wednesday!!!



~M

Details, Details

So I've been dealing a lot with wedding vendors lately.  I've had countless emails, phone calls, and meetings with all sorts of people regarding our wedding.  It's been hectic dealing with all the vendors, trying to ensure every aspect of the wedding is covered, trying to ensure it all fits in the budget, and making sure everything coordinates together.  I am not even going to lie about my feelings.

I LOVE IT.

Faaaaaabuloussssss!

 

 

I posted a FB status the other day about how my favorite part of wedding planning is meeting with vendors.  For who else can you sit there and talk about the smallest details of your wedding, your vision, your overall theme, how you want ostrich feathers in your bouquet because you feel their uniqueness, texture and movement matches with the soft yet fashion forward quality of your dress, how your 3 year old niece is going to wear a pair of Swarovski crystal-encrusted shoes, and how you prefer pintuck to plain and eggplant to indigo.  And they don't judge you.  They don't try to change the subject.  They don't think any of your ideas are bad or disagree that you should actually send out Save the Date cards because their friend Cindy from work didn't and she regretted it.  They sit and listen as you babble on about your day nonstop, only interrupting to excitedly agree with everything that you've planned and tell you how perfect it is.  I know that they're probably hiding any negative opinions they may have and their primary goal is to get my business and my money, and I don't care.  They are a captive audience and I.  Love.  It.

 

To be truthful, I can tell which vendors love their work and which vendors are going through the motions to make a buck.  I think it takes a special type of person to be involved in the business of weddings, where cash is king and women are crazy.  I have such a respect for vendors that love what they do so much, that putting up with bridezillas week in and week out is worth it to them.  So when looking for people that are going to be in charge of HUGE parts of our special day, personality matters as much as price.

 

 

 

 

"Yes Mickaela, I agree, the vintage trend is SOOOO overdone..."

 

 

So in talking a lot about all these little details, I've come across several (and I mean several) opportunities to spend just a little bit more here, and a little bit more there, to get these extra things, and upgrade to that, etc.  It becomes a little overwhelming to dissect a quote and figure out what's going to mean enough to you to spend the extra cash and what you can do without.  When I'm not sure about those details, I usually use the Google machine to see what other brides have said about it.  In doing so, I found a very interesting article about the top 5 biggest money wasters in wedding planning.  So I thought I'd share that today with some of my thoughts!

 

 

5.  Meaningless and Expensive Wedding Favors.  "Your guests' presence is a present, indeed, but you don't have to pay them back with custom-printed tchotchkes that you might end up lugging home or tossing in the trash."

 

I do agree with this one.  When Eric and I were first looking at favors, we really wanted them to be representative of us and our shared love of wine, and something that our guests would actually use.  But at $6 to $10 a pop, an engraved corkscrew for every guest was putting our budget in the stratosphere.  So we looked at bottle stoppers, glasses, all sorts of things.  But when we finally decided on the cookies that you can read about in this post, it was the perfect fit.  They are Eric's favorite, people love to eat, and with how delicious they are there is less of a chance they will end up left on the table at the end of the night.  But if they are, it's okay because we didn't break the bank.  And fine, maybe we will find a good home for them.  ;)

 

 

 

LOL.  Cookie Monster DOES do that...

 

 

 

4.  The Dress.  "On one hand, it's a once in a lifetime occasion. On the other, it's just that -- once -- that you'll only be wearing your wedding dress, so do you really want to spend a couple of mortgage payments on it?"

Um, YEAH.  Next.

But seriously though, I do understand some people's stance on this.  Yes, you only wear it once.  But while I don't believe that your wedding day is the happiest day of your life (at least I hope it's not!), I DO believe that your wedding dress is the most important garment you will ever wear.  It is also a day where ALL EYES are on you.  So an ill-fitted Kijiji purchased satin disaster will not suffice.  I don't think this is a place to skimp.  A bride should look and feel her best, so I don't think spending a little more is a "waste".  To a point, of course.  When you're just paying for the designer label then yes, it's a waste.  Like this Pnina Tornai monstrosity, which was $34,000..............

 

Mother of God.

 

 

 

3.  Huge Wedding Cakes.  "Some couples only invite 50 guests, but they still order a cake that serves 300. With cakes going for $2-$15 a slice, that extra size adds up quickly."

 

I don't have this problem because my MOB is a Cake Boss and is making us a glorious wedding cake made of dummies, with a real tier on top just for us two.  But even if she wasn't, I still don't think we would be having real cake.  Nobody loves wedding cake.  Nobody walks away from a wedding going, "Damn, that cake was the best damn thing I've ever had in my mouth.  I would get a room with that cake.  I would show that cake a good time."  And now, with most meals served at weddings that include some kind of fancy dessert, there is no need to double-dessert and also serve wedding cake.  So agree.  Big waste of cash.

 

 

 

Am I actually seeing this?

 

 

 

2.  Printed Programs and Menus.  "Everyone there is there for your wedding, and if they don't know who the bride and groom are then they shouldn't be there.  Spend less money telling them what they're going to eat and more money on the actual food!"

 

Okay hold on.  I'm all for cutting costs, but this is going a little far.  Yes everyone that is going to the wedding should have some working knowledge of the bride and groom.  But what about all the other people standing up there?  Hey, who are those chicks in dresses?  How do they know the bride?  Why is there a guy standing on the girls side?  Which one of them is Eric's brother again?  Who is that lady marrying them?  She seems to know them.  Does she know them?  I know Eric's parents, what are Mickaela's parents names?  Wait, who is this MC guy?  How does he know the couple?  If ONLY there were some way of figuring all this out!  Our programs are like $1.75 each or something.  Not a huge price to pay to introduce our guests to all the people that are most important to our day.

 

And menus, well, I like to know what I'm going to eat.  And same thing, they are not that expensive.  I would hardly say this is the #2 money waster!  Unless the menus are being printed on $100 bills.

 

 

 

Come on, this is freakin' cute!  And fun!

 

 

 

1.  Endless Mementos.  "The wedding industry loves to sell you on keepsakes.  Does your wedding album need to be preserved in a 50 pound, leather bound book with a glass cover?  Do you really need a personalized pen to sign the guest book? Is preserving your dress and bouquet worth the money and the space in your home? And does every toasting glass, picture frame, and photo album need to be monogrammed with your wedding date?"

 

I can totally see this one.  Wedding albums especially.  When we were meeting with photographers, they would bring out the big kahuna album to show off all their best prints, and while the album was beautiful and looking at the pictures through my misty bride eyes affected my judgement ($3,000 for a book of pictures of the wedding?  Seems reasonable.) I have to admit that I feel like this is a place where couples get absolutely gouged.  I do want a nice album of our wedding photos and some framed photos of us and some special items to remember the day, but I don't think it needs to go into overdrive with preserving the dress and making your home a shrine to your wedding.  As I said before, I don't think your wedding day should be the happiest day of your life!  It should be all the days after!  I'd rather spend money on more happy days with my boo!

 

 

 

He's going to be horrified that I called him my boo.

 

 

 

Happy Wedding Wednesday!!!

 

 

~M

 



Second Guess on the Dress???

Because I am an over-analytical crazy person, I often do tons of research before making a big decision.  I think it through from every angle, analyze all the possible scenarios, plan it down to the smallest detail, and then spend hours of my day repeating this process until the last possible second.

So when I was looking online for different dress buying tips, I got really spooked by a certain topic that seems to crop up often when on the topic of purchasing a bridal gown: Dress Regret.

This is a thing?

 

Wait.  It didn't look like this in the store.

 

 

So as sure as I was gathering photos of dresses I liked, contemplating what undergarments to wear, deciding who was going to be a part of my entourage, analyzing my body type against the various silhouettes, and arming myself with as much preparation as possible for dress shopping, I was also formulating a six-point plan to guard against Dress Regret, to be implemented as soon as I chose a gown:

 

1)  Immediately go home and delete all episodes of Say Yes To The Dress, I Found The Gown, and Randy To The Rescue, including all future recordings.

 

2)  Do not go to any more wedding dress websites.

 

3)  Ignore any pictures of wedding dresses in bridal magazines.

 

4)  Delete all wedding dress pins on Pinterest board.

 

5)  Keep pictures of the selected gown on your phone, and look at them every day to remind yourself that you love this dress.

 

6)  Order this and wear until the wedding:

 

 

 

Does it come with the fake eyelashes?  I could totally pull this off.

 

 

I was nervous because I knew due to my over-analytical nature I would be extremely susceptible to Dress Regret.  Is it really the one?  Is it the most beautiful dress out there, for me?  Is there anything else that would look better?  Did I make a decision too fast?  Am I truly happy with this, the most important garment I will ever wear?

 

Sigh.

 

So naturally, after we left the dress shop and I had picked a gown, I sat calmly, waiting for Dress Regret to kick in.  Waiting.  And waiting.  I can totally deal with this.  Bring it on. I'm ready, I knew this would happen, let's go.

 

And....nothing!  Internet five!

 

 

 

Yessssssssss!

 

 

I have not experienced a single ounce of Dress Regret.  I am so in love with my dress, even when I see other dresses in magazines or online or on TV that are similarly beautiful I am still happy with the choice I made.  I am very realistic and I know there are a lot of lovely gowns out there, and there are going to be new lines coming out soon, and trends will change, and the wedding is still a long way away.  But, I still picture myself walking down the aisle in this dress, and I know it is the perfect one for me.  I think when you find the right dress, you have no want or need to keep looking around for other, better dresses.  Kind of like when you find the right man!  ;)

 

So I don't have to worry about wearing blinders or wiping my Pinterest boards or anything like that.  I feel very relaxed that this very important detail is taken care of, and I can turn my attention to other details.  Next up: bridesmaids dresses!!!  :)

 

 

 

 

Wait.  It didn't look like this in the store.

 

 

 

LOL!

 

My only challenge now is going to be keeping my dress secret for the next 11 months....wahhhh.  I just want to show everyone!

 

 

Happy Wedding Wednesday!!!

 

 

~M