Weddingbee Blog

When deciding on outfits for our engagement pictures, I knew I wanted to take one set of casual pictures and another with a little bit dressier feel.

We are lucky to have a fantastic location for our pictures—my grandparents’ old farm. My parents still live next door and, although family no longer lives on the farm property, we still own the land and ramshackle barns that make for a perfect backdrop.

The casual outfit was an easy find. Because of the country/farm feel of the setting, I wanted to find a cute plaid or “country looking” shirt to pair with jeans and some boots. One lunchtime trip to Macy’s and I scored the perfect shirt—in our wedding color, no less!

Image via Macy’s (in navy—no longer available)

I purchased this shirt in navy and, although it’s hard to see in the online picture, there is stiching detail around the two front pockets and along the button-front enclosure. The stitching adds the perfect touch of country that I was going for—plus it’s a button-down shirt that is flattering and doesn’t pull across the girls (AKA da boobs)!

Finding a dress that fit my vision proved to be a bit more challenging. My criteria were: navy and sleeves. I carry a lot of weight in my upper arms, and sleeveless dresses can make me feel self-conscious (although my wedding gown is sleeveless, but we’ll get to that at a later time!).

The first dress I found online was EXACTLY what I was going for. I first heard of eShakti while I was browsing around Weddingbee. They carry clothing in sizes 0–26W, and you can customize any of their items from the sleeve type to the length to the neckline! There are so many options to ensure you get the fit and look you want.

While looking through their dress selection, I ran across this beauty:

Images via eShakti

I waited two days, and when I finally decided to place the order the navy was out of stock!!! I was heartbroken, to say the least. By the time it was back in stock, there was no chance it would arrive in time for our pictures. (I’m not giving up my dreams of this dress quite yet, though—it just might make an appearance at a shower or rehearsal dinner!)

After that letdown, I did some more internet searching and ordered these two:

Image via Igigi

Image via Kiyonna

I really liked the dress from Igigi more, but it was also $135!

The dresses were scheduled to arrive the Thursday before our Sunday pictures. I figured if neither worked, I would have to rush out to the mall and pray that I found something, when…

…on my way to work the Tuesday before the pics, I decided to walk a different route to the office from my train. I passed an Ashley Stewart store a block away from the office and took another lunchtime trip to check out what they had. Before I ventured out, I went online and found another dress that met my criteria.

Image via Ashley Stewart

To sweeten the pot even more, the dress was on clearance for $29.99! But there was a catch—they only had a size 12 left online.

I headed out with little hope of finding something great, and when I walked into the store there was a rack of dresses straight ahead. I started looking at each style and spotted something navy. It was the same dress—and in my size! I snatched it up and tried it on: perfect fit. And the best part? It rang up for $24.99!

This dress was meant for me! I can’t believe how easy it turned out to be in the end. I was totally confident we would rock our engagement pictures.

Anyone else have that perfect dress show up when you needed it most?