Weddingbee Blog

Mr. Archer and I have been super-busy with consulting lately—pageant season is in full swing! That means lots of last minute lessons, rhinestoning tons of outfits, fielding calls from nervy moms, and perpetually packing and unpacking. Last week, we were in Baton Rouge for a pageant, and we were lucky enough to spend the weekend with three of our four flower girls! We adore these girls, and they are getting really excited for our big day. All three of them are first-time flower girls, so they’re all feeling rather important… and the excitement multiplies exponentially when they are together. Much fun was had…

There were cuddles,

foolishness,

and after-hours playtime with their mamas (who we love as much, if not more, as their kids)…

All this fun was exhausting… especially for Flower Girl J! (Full disclosure: this kid can fall sleep anywhere… we’ll probably find her asleep under a table at the reception!)

Thank goodness Mr. A is handy at carrying sleepy children!

We both worked hard and played hard though- in between stage time and tickle fights, we also finalized the attire for these cuties!

My inspiration for flower girls came from a little girl’s dress I had come across while shopping for a pageant wardrobe and saved to my favorites (long before Mr. A popped the question). I was already plenty crazy, so I really avoided pre-planning while waiting- this was literally the only thing I had saved.

saratoga by johanna grace

Funnily enough, really the only thing I didn’t change from the original (obscenely priced!) dress was the full skirt with pleated trim. The rest of the dress… um, evolved. A picture’s worth a thousand words, so thankfully I can show you a sketch!

My super-talented mom is making these dresses. They’ll be white dupioni silk, with a yellow sash that matches the bridesmaids. The bodice will be sleeveless, with a square neckline edged by hand-crocheted lace. The skirt will be full and tea-length, trimmed with a narrowly pleated ruffle and a bit more lace. They’re classic but ladylike, neither too childish nor mature, and elegant looking but comfy enough for plenty of frolicking.

As for accessories, they’ll each wear a wreath of baby’s breath in their hair. I almost wanted them to look like little ballerinas, so I chose ballet flats with ribbon ties, and since these stylish girls needed some sassy shoes, we’ll be dyeing them yellow (along with my kate spades)!

via advantage bridal

Is it sad that I’m more excited for a shoe picture with my flower girls than my new husband?

Mr. Archer and I will be gifting these sweet girls with their final touch—a pair of pearl earrings. While those don’t quite fit into our “budget wedding” parameters, I fudged felt it was a reasonable exception—mostly because I found them on sale. More importantly, though, I wanted to give the girls something that would go beyond our wedding day, and (in the South, at least) a girl’s first pair of pearl earrings is a special heirloom. My hope is that as they wear them for school pictures, holidays, sorority recruitment, and wherever else their lives take them, they’ll think of us and know just how beloved they are, and how much it meant to us to have them share in our special day.

via overstock

How are you dressing and styling the miniature members of your wedding party? Are you gifting them as well? If so, are you going with a fun gift or a fancy one?