silver or gold.....

when i ordered my dress.....i remember the saleslady asking me.....

"is this the color you want?"

"yes."

"the ivory and silver?"

"yes."

from there i was set. in my mind i was thinking ivory and silver. for a minute i wondered if my dress would look out of place amongst all the Expresso and Gold. But i figured that it would somehow all work out in the end.

when my dress arrived, i lfell for the ivory color all over again. i was adamantly against a white dress. it didnt seem to invoke Autumn to me...i wanted rich, warm...stark white wasn't doing that for me.....

originally, i wanted red/garnet shoes. i thought this would be a great pop of color under my dress. a trend i was happy to participate in.....

there aren't that many fabulous, inexpensive red shoes out there.....dyables weren't sitting as well with me bc i've experienced the dye running before in the rain.

some months ago....while wasting time on a lunch break, i ventured into Target....and bought these:

They were $12.99 and comfy:

i thought i could at least wear them to the reception...so i put them away in a corner of my room where i store a lot of random junk.....

time passed and i sorta forgot about them......

then the other week, i wandered into a Shoe Dept. They were having a sale, and i saw they had clutches. there was one that caught my eye. it would do. it would fit my bridal essentials (lipstick/gloss, compact, gum, ect) and most importantly, it was on sale.

i stood there for awhile wondering what color to get....my dress was ivory and silver. i should get silver, right? but would the silver clutch clash with everyone else in their warm colors? maybe i should get the gold bc it would match everything else.....i was tired, so the answer wasn't coming to me. i ended up having to call my mom. who advised silver since that was the color of my beadwork.



its got "crystals" or something in the center but they don't sparkle. i chose this style bc i thought the pleats/rouching complimented my skirt.

now, a few hours ago, i was surfing the net looking for flat shoes......

Lets all take a moment to drool over these Shannon Britton flats:

....sigh....

i'd pretty much forgotten about the gold pair i bought. i wanted something fancy to wear under my dress which could be worn again. there aren't many dressy flats online that fall within my price range and are in my size. life is soo exciting on friday nites when one's FI is miles and miles away.

then i remembered my gold flats....and subsequently the silver clutch.

now, just yesterday, i was reading in either InStyle or Glamour that one of the fashion rules to break this upcoming fall season was the "don't mix metals" rule. but i wasn't actively going for that. i simply made these purchases independent of each other without thinking.

so....i wondered, did my gold ballet flats match the dress? they should i theorized. there is no beading on the bottom of my dress. just the ivory skirt. ivory is warm so the gold flats should look fine, right?

how did the shoe look against the beading? (not that it would matter technically....)

ok....so it goes. no clashing there......now, what about my silver clutch? the gold flats went so well, i figured that the clutch would clash....

seems that the clutch looks fine with the silver beading....

but i still wonder.....should i take the clutch back and get gold....since the ballet flats are gold? i haven't made my mind up about the flats. i've had to tell myself over and over that i don't need to spend significant money on shoes bc no one will see them. but its sooo tempting to fall prey to the siren song of "bridal shoes". shoes for brides!!! i'm a bride!!! i should have "bridal shoes"!!!

meh.....

today, i'm feeling lazy enough to let it go. the planning every tiny detail is wearing thin on me...

whatchu guys think? the clutch is a wristlet, so it will be easy to keep up with....and i've been carrying a purse faithfully since i was 2 years old, so i know it will get used on the actual day of.....

does this mixing of metals work? or would you match?

the dress, the jewelry...

I'm not sure why my pics didnt show up in the last post. I wonder if it had anything to do with the fact that i tried the multiple upload feature instead of downloading each pic individually? to be safe, i uploaded these one by one. hopefully, they are visible.

first up, the back of the dress:

that is indeed a modestly panel. yay! i dont have to worry about my back being out....though my mother seems to think that it would look very nice without it. she says the lacings give much coverage. i dont doubt that, but i am a sweater.....and thoughts of hugging my guests and they feeling that my back is wet does not sit well with me.

now, for my back in the dress:

The dress is a bit big so in order to get it to stay up, we had to pull the lacings snug, which is causing this wierd rippling effect. i cringe at the thought of how much it will be to take in my bodice. there is a lot of beading.

The skirt looks kinda saggy from this angle....i may need an additional slip. i didnt want one bc i dont want the additional poof or the extra fabirc that would make me hot. But i am willing to try one on to see if it would fill my dress out better.

The front of the bodice:

My boobs are wonky in this pic bc one was slipping. my mom didnt catch that, so my very first pictures of me in the actual dress are riddled with wonky boobs. You can also see the rippling from attempting to get the dress snug. no bra with a too big dress means there is little defined shape. i am sure that with the proper undergarments and alterations, things should look at least 50% better.

Since, i require help to get into my dress, i knew i had better try on my jewelry sets, bc i know my mom. she's not going to help me try on the gown multiple times. she doesn't think i need to. yeah, she's probably right.....but i'd like to put it on anyway, bc face it, the wedding day is sooo short! when else would i get to wear a wedding gown????

Introducing Set Number 1 and the "ladies". "Ladies" bc these girls are all grown up. nothing girlish about them:

Over there? I don't see anything.....

The camera flash doesn't allow the detail to come thru well but this necklace is indeed my favorite. i feel like it offsets my chest area nicely. fills up the space better.

This shot gives better visual of the detail:

Yes, I am the kind of girl who wears green eyeliner to match her outfit...

as u can see...there is a good bit of real estate to consider. my mom is quite nervous with all the boobage. i have no idea what can be done with it. i figure it has to get better when they tighten the bodice and i'm wearing a bra. i doubt it could get worse......

Set Number 2:

What in the world am i looking at?

This style is the more simple of the 2, but its crystals better echo the embellishments of my gown, so I think i should probably go with this one. I also love these earrings the best. i tried combining the 2...the necklace from the first and the earrings from the second. and in dim lighting it looks fine, but when i'm in natural light, the look is too forced. they clearly dont compliment each other. So i guess i'll have to pic one over the other.

Don't get me wrong....its not like I dont like the 2nd set. it is sparkly. and i do love all things sparkly! its just not very unique. i had wanted something "different" but i really dont see the need to pour more money into this area. both sets are nice.

These were some of my very first eBay purchases. Costing me,(with shipping) $7.41 and $13.60, respectively.

the issue of straps........

unavoidable.

for now.

i've got to have a sturdy back up plan for my "ladies". they can get quite rambunctious and the last thing i need is for them to make an untimely appearance before the honeymoon! so for now, straps it is. i noticed that after mere minutes of wearing my gown without them, the top was slipping down, and i was tugging it up. I do NOT want to do that all day. i didnt have to tug once after i got those straps in place. Deal Sealed.

apparently, I'm getting married......

i was sooo at a lost for words when i got home that day. i drove thru 2 thunderstorms and when i stumbled into the door, i had to have looked crazy. i was tired and shell shocked from the downpours i endured.

i was on the phone with LR at the time and when i stepped in...i knew i immediately had to get off the phone. i have no idea what he was saying. when i stepped in the door it was if i couldnt comprehend his language.......

"LR.....baby....i got to go"

"huh?"

"LR, i have got to go NOW!"

he hung up and i knew he was confused, but i knew i couldnt be on the phone with him as i was trying to figure out what was going on.

i grabbed the box by the staircase and tipped it so it fell on its side. the first thing i noticed that it was light. very light. the 2nd thing i noticed was that it had a lot of labels on it......my eyes scanned each one...i was growing a little nervous.....i was trying to control my emotions bc i didnt want to get my hopes up....

then.....there it was. i saw it.

the return address label....

my dress was here!. 2 weeks ahead of schedule. 3 weeks really, if i count the delivery it should have taken to get to my house.

i dropped my purse. and screamed.....

I also had to pee....pretty badly. So i picked up my box and took it upstairs to my hot as hell room over the garage. i turned on the air since the current temperature was hovering around 95. then i went to the bathroom....and stayed in there a while bc nerves were wrecking havoc on my stomach and making me pay for 4 months worth of dress stress....

when i tip toed back upstairs, i was moving slowly. very slowly. i had been waiting for the dress so long that it was hard to wrap my brain around the fact that the dress was here...sitting in my house...on my bed....it was surreal.

i opened the box carefully....very carefully. taking deep breaths all the way.....

Missing Picture

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I was pretty impressed with the way my dress was packaged. It really wasn't wrinkled at all!

When I unfolded it, I tried to remember how it was folded so I could refold it exactly bc I dont have a garment bag for it yet.



after, i unfolded it.....i inspected it. not every single square inch, my nerves were too high for that. but i did do a fairly close look over to check for any obvious problems.


seeing none, i took a deep breath...and called my mom upstairs. Despite a long, very hot day, and faltering deodorant, i wanted to try the dress on right then at that very moment. in retrospect, i would have taken a shower, bc then i wouldnt have had to cut my time in my new dress short for fear of "stinking it up"!



i have pictures of me in the gown.....of course they are all terrible. something is seriously wrong with my face in each and every one. and every picture accurately depicts the chaos that is my "studio apt".



but, i know those who've been keeping up with me want to know how it fit? how does the back look?



the dress does not fit. it will need to be altered. despite putting on lbs since i ordered the dress, it is still too big. i am disappointed to say the least. this will mean costly alterations.



the lace up back did come out nicely:

Missing Picture

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


and my back....well, its still fat obviously, but it does not bulge out of the dress in the unsightly way i feared. though its not model smooth and perfect as many brides strive for....i'm actually ok with it. i prayed that my fat would not bubble out the back of the dress. my fat does not bubble out the back of the dress. prayer answered. i'm happy.

of course, in true fashion, i have found another "flaw" that i was blissfully unaware of that now makes me quite unhappy. sigh.....and that is my side view.

while i don't look half bad from the front or the back. my side view, makes me cringe. i of course will NOT be posting a picture of that. at least not yet. i met with my doctor yesterday and will be working closely with her in order to whittle away a few inches before d-day. Spanx can't handle arm fat....or boobage.....and i believe my tummy is going to need something stronger than the tight pantyhose master can muster.

the new prayer is that this program will give me some results despite my hectic schedule and barely having any time much less energy for exercise.

Other wise, i will ask that my photographer take no pictures of me from a dead on side angle. not a single one......

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sorry....i seem to be having technical difficulties. I'm going to try to reload the pics tonite!

bio update.....

I've been giving my bio a little love today.... "The Look" page has been updated. It includes a tiny sneak peek at my fresh off the truck dress.....Check it out HERE

Special Delivery......

I got my dress.....

Please excuse the terrible mess.....i am sooo embarrassed to post these pictures. Please keep in mind that my entire 2 bedroom apartment is now stuffed into my parents loft space.

More details to follow.....Promise.

bling...revisited.

i'm back....and as promised, i'm going to recap a few things.....today, its jewelry!

i know i said that i'd go to the store after my first failed internet jewelry venture. and to my credit i did look in one store. it was awful. plus i love how the internet lets me look in several stores at once! so, i went back on my idea that i would not purchase anymore jewelry online. my engagement ring was an online purchase so i know good things can result!

I ventured to Ebay after reading in quite a few knottie bios where the bride found some part of her bridal assemble from there.

it certainly is a great resource and many different looks can be found on Ebay's enormous site. Its especially great for hunting down vintage-esque pieces since those are quite popular nowadays.

I saw lots crystal pieces and bid on quite a few. ebay was a new concept for me, so in the first few days i went bid crazy. i wasn't even carefully considering some pieces before bidding on them...which means i have made a few unnecessary purchases. but its all good. i like to accessorize. **wink**

The 2 main contenders that i ordered are below:







Both necklaces are part of a set with matching earrings. Both are from Ebay seller Jewelry3721.

When I came home Sunday, the necklace right above made with the "cat eye" stone had arrived....

its beautiful!!! i was sooo excited about it. my mom did not love it online. she is more geared toward sparkly and the cat eye didnt seem to sparkle to her, but its does indeed sparkle in person thanks to the rhinestones that surround the pendant as well as on the earrings.

I haven't received the first necklace yet, but i expect it in a few days. I'm not showing my mom until i have seen both sets. I really believe it will be one of these 2 sets. i'm not buying anymore jewelry for now. i can't wait to see the pieces with my dress!

aside from these 2 jewelry sets, I bought another necklace set made up of topaz crystals and champagne pearls. this was a spur of the moment purchase:



A vintagey necklace by 1928. its darling but the pendant is very, very small....and dainty. it will make a nice church necklace:



I also bought a cute pair of crystal chandelier earrings:



i thought at one point i could wear these with my dress, but they were a lot smaller than i'd like for them to be stand alone pieces (1.75"). They are still a great pair of earrings and will look great on a nice evening out or formal dinner.

hopefully, the bridal jewelry chapter is about to close.

just a short break.....

i'll be MIA 'til for a minute. LR is in town (yay!) and we are busy, busy, busy....

but when i get back I'll of course fill you in on whats been happening. such as

-the sitdown thats taking place with the outlaws on Friday (me=scared).

-The groom will be taking the guys to see the tuxes and possibly get measured.

-Our first (and only!) premarital session that will take place this Saturday

-some possible headway made on the jewelry front

-my extra quick, very first cake tasting!

Hope you all have great holidays! looking forward to catching up with everyone when I get back!

Blessings!