WEDDING STUFF.
So Kristin is getting married in September, yay! They opted for a destination wedding, and the destination is . . . ITALY!!!
Yep, going to Rome, I am, I am. I have to get a passport and all kinds of stuff, but the most important thing, is, of course . . . the DRESS.
Kristin bought her gown at a sample sale at a private salon the week before last. She's shopping for a veil and other accessories now. She didn't care about colors or anything like that, so we're able to pretty much pick our own dresses. I went out with Amanda last week and previewed a few so that I'd have a few ideas in place, and she made me try on some gowns that I NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS would've tried on my own. Oddly enough, two of them took top honors and I was really hoping that everyone else would like them, too.
On Saturday, all the ladies of the wedding party gathered at David's Bridal. Now, seriously, I cannot say enough good things about that store. All things considered, their prices are reasonable in comparison to other stores, and the service is pretty good-- although it *is* kind of a crapshoot, depending upon one's assigned salesperson. Some are certainly better than others!
I've bought two gowns from them, and brought four other people to the store, all of whom purchased gowns as well. At this point, I think I should be getting kickbacks.
Anyway, here's the final lineup:
This long chiffon dress with beaded trim, in "Apple" for the groom's sister, and in "Lapis" for me. As shown in this picture, the Lapis color is weirdly light . . . but it's actually a super-deep amethyst purple, and looks really nice next to the Apple red.
If you look at this dress and choose the Lapis, it gives you a much better idea of the color.
The mother of the bride got this beautiful goddess-style gown, in a gorgeous deep wine, like a cabernet or a merlot. Stunning, absolutely stunning! Again, the color on screen is much, MUCH lighter than the reality.
And the mother of the groom opted for this very elegant column dress, in marine blue ( kind of like a lighter shade of navy ) speckled with silver. In the picture, they show the model with the chiffon wrap tied around her waist like some kind of freaky belt, but it actually looks much nicer without the useless accessory.
We all had to buy satin wraps as well, because the church rules are very strict, and no see-through shawls or wraps are allowed. I figured that a satin stole would be easier to deal with in the heat than an actual jacket would be, and surprisingly, the different fabrics look nice together.
I'm not usually the chiffon "type", but I really, really, REALLY love this dress! It's amazing, because it's nothing at all like what I would have chosen on my own, and yet, it looks gorgeous. I feel like a princess! And, you know, the more you love your bridesmaid's gown, the more likely you are to want to wear it again.
Now I just have to get shoes. I think it will be these silver satin sandals, because I want something comfortable for tromping around and standing. It's not like a wedding here, where a limo takes you everywhere-- apparently, you take THE METRO. That's gonna be weird! Anyway, we are supposed to have photos taken at the Forum and the Coliseum. Evidently, it's traditional. This will be after the photos in Tarquinia, which is where we're staying.
Oh, and Kristin kind of has this bee in her bonnet now; she thinks it would be really cute if all of us wore tiaras, since she's wearing one as her headpiece. We tried on a few at the store, and I have to admit that it was a nice look. Even the mothers looked good wearing them. It remains to be seen if we'll follow through on the idea, though-- I'm not sure I want to take the princess look quite that far. Then again, why not? It might be fun!
The other thing I need to get is some kind of foundation garment. Because of the cut of the gown and the kind of fabric it is, I can't wear my corset-- every hook and bone and bit of lace shows right through. I tried on a longline at the store, but I wear a 42 G bra normally, and that thing wasn't very comfortable . . . the biggest cup size they had was still only a DD. And there were still bones poking in or out at odd places. Being plus-sized and super-short probably wasn't helping.
Anybody have any suggestions? Ideas? Experiences of their own to share?
Whoo-hoo! I'm getting SO EXCITED!
Yep, going to Rome, I am, I am. I have to get a passport and all kinds of stuff, but the most important thing, is, of course . . . the DRESS.
Kristin bought her gown at a sample sale at a private salon the week before last. She's shopping for a veil and other accessories now. She didn't care about colors or anything like that, so we're able to pretty much pick our own dresses. I went out with Amanda last week and previewed a few so that I'd have a few ideas in place, and she made me try on some gowns that I NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS would've tried on my own. Oddly enough, two of them took top honors and I was really hoping that everyone else would like them, too.
On Saturday, all the ladies of the wedding party gathered at David's Bridal. Now, seriously, I cannot say enough good things about that store. All things considered, their prices are reasonable in comparison to other stores, and the service is pretty good-- although it *is* kind of a crapshoot, depending upon one's assigned salesperson. Some are certainly better than others!
I've bought two gowns from them, and brought four other people to the store, all of whom purchased gowns as well. At this point, I think I should be getting kickbacks.
Anyway, here's the final lineup:
This long chiffon dress with beaded trim, in "Apple" for the groom's sister, and in "Lapis" for me. As shown in this picture, the Lapis color is weirdly light . . . but it's actually a super-deep amethyst purple, and looks really nice next to the Apple red.
If you look at this dress and choose the Lapis, it gives you a much better idea of the color.
The mother of the bride got this beautiful goddess-style gown, in a gorgeous deep wine, like a cabernet or a merlot. Stunning, absolutely stunning! Again, the color on screen is much, MUCH lighter than the reality.
And the mother of the groom opted for this very elegant column dress, in marine blue ( kind of like a lighter shade of navy ) speckled with silver. In the picture, they show the model with the chiffon wrap tied around her waist like some kind of freaky belt, but it actually looks much nicer without the useless accessory.
We all had to buy satin wraps as well, because the church rules are very strict, and no see-through shawls or wraps are allowed. I figured that a satin stole would be easier to deal with in the heat than an actual jacket would be, and surprisingly, the different fabrics look nice together.
I'm not usually the chiffon "type", but I really, really, REALLY love this dress! It's amazing, because it's nothing at all like what I would have chosen on my own, and yet, it looks gorgeous. I feel like a princess! And, you know, the more you love your bridesmaid's gown, the more likely you are to want to wear it again.
Now I just have to get shoes. I think it will be these silver satin sandals, because I want something comfortable for tromping around and standing. It's not like a wedding here, where a limo takes you everywhere-- apparently, you take THE METRO. That's gonna be weird! Anyway, we are supposed to have photos taken at the Forum and the Coliseum. Evidently, it's traditional. This will be after the photos in Tarquinia, which is where we're staying.
Oh, and Kristin kind of has this bee in her bonnet now; she thinks it would be really cute if all of us wore tiaras, since she's wearing one as her headpiece. We tried on a few at the store, and I have to admit that it was a nice look. Even the mothers looked good wearing them. It remains to be seen if we'll follow through on the idea, though-- I'm not sure I want to take the princess look quite that far. Then again, why not? It might be fun!
The other thing I need to get is some kind of foundation garment. Because of the cut of the gown and the kind of fabric it is, I can't wear my corset-- every hook and bone and bit of lace shows right through. I tried on a longline at the store, but I wear a 42 G bra normally, and that thing wasn't very comfortable . . . the biggest cup size they had was still only a DD. And there were still bones poking in or out at odd places. Being plus-sized and super-short probably wasn't helping.
Anybody have any suggestions? Ideas? Experiences of their own to share?
Whoo-hoo! I'm getting SO EXCITED!