Happy Bride Happy Bridesmaids

Today was the day that made this event even more real. I can't believe how quickly everything is coming up. 3 months ago, I had a day trip planned with my closest girls to find their dress. How crazy is it to think that I have only 7 months to go? I can say now that I am reaching that stage where I am thinking nonstop at night about flowers, djs, photography, and that I am going to be married in less than a year! Last night was probably one of the worst. I did not get any sleep. I feel like a 5 year old on Christmas Eve waiting for Santa to come with the presents.

8 o'clock finally rolled around and I got myself out of bed. I let the girls know to be ready at 8:30 because we had to take 1960. I don't know how many of you are familiar with Houston but 1960 has got to be THE worst when it comes to traffic lights. Don't even get me started.

We reached Alfred Angelo at 9:55 for an appointment at 10.

Walking in, I already felt excited. I knew we were going to find their dresses today and that they would be gorgeous.

We were greeted by a woman who seemed surprised to see us all with big smiles on our face. Apparently, she never has a hard time picking out the bride because she is smiling but all of us were. That comment made my day. Not only was I extremely happy but so were my girls. We talked a little about styles and their personalities, of course Clarissa was described as the "blunt" one you find in every group.

The appointment was off to a quick start but I wasn't complaining. She brought us a few strapless sweetheart dresses made of Chiffon. There were 2 dresses that stood out to us. One was a beautiful one shoulder, floor-length dress that looked flattering on all of them. It was a little over budget but we agreed to keep it in mind. The next one was a strapless Chiffon dress with a ruched bodess.

The girls really seemed to like this one, even more than the first dress they tried on. Of course, there were a couple in between that we just won't mention.Once again, this dress was beautiful on the girls but over budget. We decided that $150 was a reasonable budget when taking into consideration that there will be alterations, accessories and other expenses. This dress was $180.

Next, we decided to try on satin dresses because they would match my wedding gown. Honestly, I wasn't too hopeful with this one but turns out, I was surprised.

They tried on a satin gown with a sweetheart neckline and simple beading. All of us agreed that this dress was beautiful but would look better had there not been as much poof. The consultant informed us that we could take the tulle out so that the dress would lay a little flatter. However, this dress was $200.

Being that we liked this dress, we asked if we could find a similar outline but without the extra fabric underneath. This brought out our winner. A satin gown, sweetheart neckline, slimming, elegant and simple. The best part is it was under budget. We had all sorts of ideas for accessories!

 

Next, we picked the colors. For the bridesmaids we chose "Blue Box" and for Stacey we chose "Beyond The Sea". The dresses should arrive in a few weeks and I am so excited to see the fit and color all together on these wonderful ladies!

Of course, when we are called to pick up the dresses I will be sure to take pictures and share my joy.

Nothing but heaven itself is better than a friend who is really a friend. - Plautus

Sam Moon Trip: Accessories

I mentioned in my previous post that I would be posting about my trip to Sam Moon. As you know, my mom and grandma came down to visit me. After our long day of shopping, we decided to head over to Sam Moon to pick out fabulous accessories to go with our purchases. I wasn't exactly looking for anything but every shopper knows that's the best time to go.

I walked up to a glass case because everything that sparkles catches my eye within a matter of seconds. I looked down and found the most gorgeous head piece. I immediately imagined myself with a beautiful veil attached to this head piece. Once this flashed through my head, I had to have it.

I asked for assistance and a very sweet lady held it in a box for me to pick up once I was ready to purchase. I walked around a little bit longer to find the perfect necklace and earrings for my dress. And what's even better, it matched my head piece as well. How lucky can I possibly be? I have the perfect man, the perfect dress, the perfect location, and now the perfect accessories.

I cannot wait to be walking down that isle towards my best friend and love of my life. 7 months and 7 days away.

All I can say at this point is I'm blessed.

Full Day Of Shopping

So let's start off by saying I've had a good week. Today one of my close friends/bridesmaid is turning 21. Last night we had an ABC party for her and I truly believe everyone had a good time.

A few days before this event, my grandmother and my mom came on down to see me. We hit up The Woodlands mall, Willowbrook Mall, Alfred Angelo, Panache Bridal, and who knows what else. We got up at 9am to hit the road and arrived back home at 8:30pm.

Our first stop was the Woodlands. We shopped around Dillards, Macys, Bridal and Formal Wear, and several other smaller stores that looked to be on the nicer side. My mom had decided that she would like to wear a floor-length gown. Looking around Macys, my mom found a beautiful taffeta gown. She tried it on and all 3 of us agreed that the fabric was flattering on her, but the neckline did nothing for her. We moved on to Dillards and found an Alex Evenings dress that was the same style, only a dark shade of brown (almost on the copper side) but had a beautiful v neckline. We all that this gown did wonders for my mom, but it was too big so she decided to order it online. Mom found her wedding day gown, check!

I found a dress to wear for the rehearsal dinner but I think I will just wait for the price to drop just a little bit. I don't know who Adrianna Papell is, but her dresses are gorgeous.

Next, we decided to head further South to hit up Panache Bridal off Highway 66. Let me tell you, our first sign should have been that it was next to a pawn shop. We walked in to no greetings, no assistance, and poorly made dresses. We headed over to what looked like mother-of-the-bride gowns only to find that there was no such thing as a fine line between frumpy and sleazy. When we did come across a gown that might have looked decent, the fabric was torn and the dress was well over budget. Still with no assistance, we left. I'm pretty sure they didn't notice we were even there, or maybe they did.

We drove maybe half a mile to come across Alfred Angelo. Their mother and grandmother of the bride dresses were nothing special either. However, I spotted the bridesmaids section and decided to make an appointment next weekend. Once the woman noticed we were into more than "just browsing" she helped us with making the appointment and picking out a color that would be a couple of shades darker for my lovely maid of honor to wear. All in all, I was pleased and very excited for bridesmaid dress shopping on Saturday! (Which of course I will keep you posted). Bridesmaid dress prep, check!

Next, we went over to Willowbrook Mall. I was impressed. I had never been to this mall before but I think I will be making a second trip soon. We went straight into Dillards in hopes of finding that gown in a smaller size but turns out they didn't even carry that dress. Good news is, she tried on a very flattering knee length dress that she could easily wear to the rehearsal dinner. Mom's rehearsal dinner dress, check!

 It looks WAY better on my mom, just saying.

My grandma knew what color she wanted to wear and decided she has a dress at home that would be perfect for the occasion. I was so glad to have had her come and see me. Not to mention, she should get an infinite amount of credit for lasting through me and my mom's shopping addiction.

Last stop before dinner was Sam Moon. I won't go into too much detail on this stop only because I plan on writing a whole separate piece for this. Let's just say I found something special for the big day.

Finally, it was time for dinner. Of course, I had to take them to my favorite place probably in all of the Houston area, Wild Ginger. My mom and I ordered several rolls of sushi and my grandmother order shrimp, but I think the three of us know "shrimp" was an understatement. This had to have been the biggest plate of shrimp I have ever seen but it looked delicious.

The next couple of weeks are going to be pretty busy. Bridesmaid dress shopping is on the 11, engagement pictures (finally) will be done by Shannon Vandivier on the 14th, I will be talking to the florist soon to go over ideas for wedding day decorations, and hopefully John and I will be sitting down for some taste testing with Ralph's catering business soon. I love it when things are moving. This day is getting closer and closer and no one can even imagine my excitement.
 

Love is a symbol of eternity.  It wipes out all sense of time, destroying all memory of a beginning and all fear of an end.  ~Author Unknown