Pretty Posies

(these pretty bouquets that I absolutely love are from The Knot gallery)

Over Thanksgiving, I'm doing some serious Wedding planning. I live 3 hours away from my hometown where our wedding is going to be, so every visit back home is jam packed. As I previously blogged, I am going dress shopping that weekend, but I'm also meeting with our florist to do a consultation, and am really excited about that.

Our florist The Flowerman is phenomenal, and is a DIYer's (is that even really a word?) dream. They offer three different options for creating the flower arrangements for weddings:

1. Designer Weddings, "if you can dream it up, we can make it happen", this option is akin to that of a traditional florist who designs your flowers from start to finish, you also get a free consultation, itemized list, and cost saving tips/ideas. This is ideal for the bride who has an idea of what she wants, but wants the florist to put together all of the arrangements.

2. Do It Yourself Wedding Guide, this one is the dream of the DIY bride. They offer consultations, order the flowers for you & provide everything you need to create your arrangements. You choose a day right before your wedding to have a "Floral Construction Party"... how fun does that sound?! And they also recommend that you enroll in one of their Floral Design Classes before you create your wedding arrangements.

3. Combination Weddings, this is for the bride who wants to DIY, but is a bit apprehensive. You get the consultation, price quotes... and the satisfaction of doing your flowers, but with a lot more help of their staff.

And, it gets better... I've picked up a bouquet here and there for my mom when I've come home, and their prices are really reasonable. They were also picked as one of The Knot Best of 2007 AND rated with $- inexpensive.

My mom and aunt are really getting into this part of the wedding planning, they're going to go to one of the Floral Design Classes later this month, and hopefully I can go to one with them near Christmastime. I haven't decided which of the three I will go with, however, it is nice to have these options. Right now, I'm probably leaning towards the combination route, maybe making the bouts and corsages for our parents. I like the idea of those being handmade by me (and maybe my FI if I can get him into it).

Celebrate Generously

The Wedding is your day, but its also a wonderful opportunity to raise support, money, and awareness for some of your favorite causes. We're getting ready to register this month, but we're going to do at least one or two of our registries through the I Do Foundation. All you have to do is go to their website and fill out registry info. By simply buying gifts online off your registry up to 10% of your guests' gift purchases can go towards your selected charity. Not sure which you'd like to donate to? They have a list of different charities categorized by the cause.

In addition to raising money through your gift registry, you can also do so through your Honeymoon, Invitations, and Favors. The gift registry idea would be great if you're already planning on doing a donation for your favors, here are some favor ideas from The Knot, that are both adorable and generous.

Down the Aisle...

Its the moment it all begins. Most brides spend years anticipating it, months planning it, and hours that morning getting ready for it. For most brides, walking down the aisle is a moment of excitement and anxious butterflies. But when I first got engaged, it was the last thing I wanted to think about. Now, 6 months or so into planning, its something I've started to seriously think about.

I know for me, walking down the aisle will be one of the most wonderful moments of my life, but it could also be bittersweet. My dad died when I was younger, and now 10 years later, I'm facing a moment most girls can't imagine without their dads, and even though he's gone, I'm still one of those girls. When I first started thinking about it, I thought that I might have my mom walk me down, but we would probably cry way too much trying to walk down together. Then, like my friend Molly who also lost her dad, I thought maybe I would walk down alone, because my dad isn't replaceable. Molly is actually going to walk half way down by herself, and have her fiance meet her halfway, which I just think is adorable. Its just such a symbolic way for them to say to their friends and family how much their love together has meant, and how supportive their love is.

But I've finally decided, and asked my dad's best friend Greg. They were friends for over 35 years when my dad died, and were incredibly close. Our families have remained close over the years, and his family is my family. I know that if there were one person my dad would want to walk me down the aisle it would be Greg, he's the man my dad respected most. I've also decided that since I won't have a first dance with my dad, I'll walk down the aisle to an instrumental version of one of the songs we would have danced to, I Can't Help Falling In Love With You by Elvis Presley, or I was also considering Unforgettable, by Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole. I'm excited now to walk down the aisle, and it will be even more special to me now with Greg by my side for my dad, and one of our songs playing.

I think that if you're faced with this choice, you ultimately have to do what feels best to you. Having Greg walk me down the aisle is just one of the many options I considered, but for me, its what I'm most comfortable with, just as the decision to walk halfway down alone is perfect for my friend Molly, just as walking down the aisle alone may be the perfect tribute to how much another bride loved her father. This is one of the few wedding details that is only and all about you and what you want, no compromise.

Unveiled

You always hear that most brides are either veil brides or hair brides, its just a fact. But what if I want a beautiful veil AND gorgeous hair on my wedding day? Can I have my veil and wear it too? I'm thinking for my wedding of wearing my hair down: gorgeous, romantic curls ala Carrie Bradshaw in the final season of Sex and the City. I just think they look so soft and romantic, & perfectly embody the look I want for my wedding day. However, I don't know if I like the way a veil would look with that.

Well, I think I might have found a compromise. While searching for a veil option I liked, I stumbled upon Unveiled Bridal Designs. Its a website that specializes in custom veils. Each veil made is designed uniquely for the bride by Dorene. What most excites me about her veils, is that she specializes mainly in the birdcage style veil. What I liked is that you don't just get to pick the style, but she has a ton of different materials for the combs, flowers, beading, pearls, etc. If I do decide to wear a veil, it will definitely be one of her creations. Her designs seem to perfectly suit her brides, whether they want modern, classic, or funky. She really tries to represent their personality down to every detail. I may even see if she'll use a butterfly adorned with pearls that was part of a pin that my Grandma gave me.

Jim Hjelm: A Lovely Addiction

In my search for the dress, I've definitely fallen in love with certain styles. In my head, my perfect dress is an amalgamation of: Strapless, Sweetheart neckline, and either A-line or Mermaid/Trumpet. I also tend to fancy lace (rather than beading) and satin sashes.

But in my search for the perfect dress, I also must admit I've fallen in love with Jim Hjelm, and its getting pretty serious. I know I'm not the only one with this addiction Miss Penguin from the Weddingbee blogged about her Designer Lusting over Jim Hjelm dresses.

There are a couple that I've tried on and liked, and a couple that just look absolutely gorgeous. The crazy thing is, that there's a few different styles I like. While I've always envisioned myself as a soft, romantic bride with lace and curls, there are some sleeker more modern gowns that I absolutely love as well.

In my incessant internet surfing of bridal gowns, I've always had an aversion to bead work. I think it looks great on some girls, but I don't know that it suits me. At least that's what I thought before I fell in love with these two gowns.



I tried on the dress on the left on my first and only visit so far on the advice of the bridal consultant at Gallippo's in Toledo, Ohio. The dress also has a clean shape, and accentuates my curves rather nicely, and since the beading is only focused on the bustline it wasn't too overpowering. I love the back of the one on the right, and its a simple, but very powerful gown. They're both a bit more sleek and modern than I would have picked for myself.



While I do love, love, love these dresses there was one I tried on that has stolen my heart, and gave me that this is it feeling. Unfortunately, it also would have stolen all my money, and left me with that broke bank feeling. When I went in, I gave my consultant a price range, but I also said that I specifically wanted to try this gown on, so I, unfortunately, am the cause of my own heartbreak.


I love the lace, the thin satin ribbon, the flared shape, the slight sweetheart, sigh. But most of all, I am totally in love with the layered fluted hem at the bottom. Actually the dress is just a dream. I haven't decided if I'm going to talk myself out of the dress, suck it up and buy it, or find it online preowned. We'll see how this next dress shopping trip goes.

T-H-E Bridal District

I am e x c i t e d. I just made an appointment to go wedding dress shopping the day after Thanksgiving! Which makes me both excited and insane, but its the only day I'll be able to go with my MOH, my madre, and her madre. We're going to the Reading Bridal District down in Cincinnati, Ohio. The district is the home of over 30 different wedding related businesses and services, all within a two miles! Most of them are on the same street even.

The two bridal salons I've made appointments at are on the same street of this Bridal Mecca: European Bridal and Bridal & Formal. European Bridal used to actually be two separate stores, European Bridal and Classic Bride, that were housed in the same building, the first floor features dresses under $1800 and the second floor features gowns over $1800. I plan on trying on dresses on both floors. And Bridal & Formal is the largest wedding dress salon in the country... so I'm a bit nervous that it might be overwhelming. But I'm excited to see all of their options, and hopefully find the dress!

Your Love Is Better Than Ice Cream

I just realized in my previous post on the glorious cake I forgot about the ice cream. Whoopsie Poops!

Graeter's Ice Cream is a little piece of heaven right here in Southwest Ohio, I'm not kidding when I say its some of the most uh-mazing stuff in the world. My personal favs are Mocha Chocolate Chip (when I'm feeling indulgent) and Blueberry Sorbet (when I'm being good), and Brandon's favorite can vary on any given day, but he has an affinity for the Black Raspberry Chip. I'm hoping to have a couple different kinds at our reception, but I have some opposition, he's mostly concerned about the cost, which is a major concern. But I know all of our in-town guests would love this hometown favorite and I'd like to give our out-of-town guests a taste (literally) of our hometown.

It would also be a cute personal touch, because we've spent so much time there together throughout the past four years. We're actually planning on doing part of our e-session there, because the store is so quaint and picture perfect. I would love to use one of the pictures from the e-session at our reception. Maybe put a framed picture on the table where the ice cream is served with the a framed copy of the lyrics to the Sarah McLachlan song Ice Cream.