For the rehearsal dinner

The event:
The night before the wedding, held at a fun/dressy casual restaurant Southwestern restaurant across the street from our church. 6pm, June. Indoor/outdoor patio.

The inspiration:
A little bit Palm Beach, a little bit picnic, a little bit Santa Fe. Turquoise, yellow, or white. Short. Cotton. Cardigan? Jack Rogers and pearls.

The dresses:
I'm having a much harder time finding dresses online that I like for this event. Here are some of the contenders.


Suzi Chin


Watters


Talbots



Amanda Archer @Etsy


J. Crew


Anthro

Help, please!

For the bridal shower/engagement party

The event:
Bridal shower in the morning, followed by co-ed engagement party for lunch. Thrown by my aunt, at a fancy-pants hotel in DC, in May. Guests include family and friends.

The inspiration:

Audrey.


Jackie.

The dresses:


Talbots


Target


Ann Taylor


J. Crew

I've also considered LulaKate and Elizabeth McKay. Any other suggestions?

The Dress(es)

Until recently, I've been focusing my energy on finding The Dress (and with only four months until The Big Day, I'm finally going in over-drive). I've spent days searching in bridal salons, department stores, and online, only to realize I don't just need to find The Dress; I need to find The Dresses. As in:

• The Dress for the bridal shower/engagement party
• The Dress for our engagement portrait
• The Dress for the rehearsal dinner
• The Dress for Sunday Brunch
• and, of course, The Dress

We are also planning to have a reception (or two) after the wedding, but I can't even start on that yet.

Help!

Over the next few days, I'll be posting some of my ideas for these different events. Maybe I'll even do a Polyvore. Maybe not. Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

I really want to wear this dress:

by the lovely Jules Reid, of course.

(can I justify brocade in June in Santa Fe?)

Anthropologie Wedding Dresses

Anthropologie's new wedding collection. What do you think?

More pictures here!

Wedding Dress Shopping: What to Bring

1. Moral support. Mom, godmother, grandmother, future sister-in-law; whoever you can trust to give you honest feedback--but also tell you that you look beautiful!
   
2. A strapless bra and Skinny Britches (or similar slimming shorts). You'll be hopping in and out of a lot of dresses, and it's nice to be a little more covered. Many of the nicer boutiques will have strapless bras you can use, but it's nice to have your own (especially if you're not a 34B, which is apparently a very popular size).
   
3. A hairbrush for primping between dresses and veils (I chose my Mason Pearson, of course). Also: hair ties or clips for imagining updos.
   
4. High heels (or whatever shoes you plan on wearing). They don't have to be "the" shoes, but I chose to bring the tallest shoes I could walk in. Especially if you're short (like me), the dresses are going to look very different with varying amounts of added height! Again, nice stores will have ones you can borrow, but it's nice to have your own.
   
5. Water, chapstick, and mints. They won't let you eat or drink anywhere near the gowns, but it's good to hydrate between shops or during breaks!
6. Camera or camera phone. Many boutiques won't let you take pictures, but just in case, it's nice to have with you. It can be hard to keep straight a dozen different white dresses!
7. Pen and paper. If you can't take a picture, at least you can write down the information! This is also helpful to keep track of information (like when you have to order by, rush shipping fees, tailoring fees) that you'll want to compare later on.
   
8. Not much else. You don't want to be lugging around a duffel bag between boutiques. I would recommend scheduling 2-3 stops a day (but not any more!). That seems to be the right amount to keep all the dresses in your mind's eye, without totally exhausting you. Okay, you'll be totally exhausted, but at least you'll still be able to think at the end of the day. Any more than 3 is too much!

What did you bring wedding dress shopping? What do you wish you'd brought?

I'm busy dress shopping, but...

Here's a little blast from the past:

My mother (the very tan blonde) in a bridesmaid dress from the 80's