Crucial (and by that I mean relatively unimportant) wedding updates below!
1. I picked a wedding day perfume!
To Catch Up: Read This Post.
I had narrowed it down between Vera Wang’s Princess and Coach’s Poppy Flower and wasn’t going to reveal my final choice until after the Big Day. Well, screw that, things change, and now I have something to reveal.
The Princess perfume was in a beautiful bottle and aptly named, but Mr. Sword and I weren’t too sold on the actual scent. I was really leaning toward Poppy Flower when BM L Dawg told me it was an “everyday” perfume and not a wedding perfume. Whaa??
In the first post I talked about how much perfume BM L Dawg has, so I wasn’t at all surprised she had an opinion. And I took her opinion to heart because she is a perfume snob much in the same way I am a nail salon snob and I love her for it. 
Back to the drawing board it was! After much procrastinating, and one final visit to Sephora, I’ve made a decision and I’m really excited to share it now!
image via Sephora
Marchesa. The bottle alone was enough to make me fall in love (I think it’ll photograph wonderfully with my jewelry), but the scent is elegant, sophisticated, romantic, and fancy. Perfect for a wedding day perfume. I splurged on the larger size bottle for $85.00, but I had a $50.00 gift card for Sephora, so it wasn’t too bad and it’ll last me forever. I can see myself wearing this most date nights and evenings out. And, Mr. Sword approves too! I’m so glad I decided to search a bit longer before making a decision!
2. Whitening your teeth sucks! It literally hurts.
To Catch Up: Read This Post.
I cannot believe how much I dislike the process of teeth whitening. I ended up buying a set of 10 strips from my dentist who can offer something with a bit more potency than your local store.
I’ve used nine out the ten so far, but I haven’t been wearing them consecutive nights in a row, which may be the reason I’m not seeing good enough results. I feel like most of my teeth are getting whiter, but I also feel like my yellowed side fangs (and the main reason I’m doing this!) look pretty much the same. Super annoying.
Plus, it’s incredibly uncomfortable. My gums and tongue must be extra sensitive because if the whitening goop gets in certain places, it stings and burns really badly!
Once the 20 minutes are up you’re supposed to brush your teeth. Again, my mouth feels like it’s on fire! I shouldn’t be surprised—I have the most bland palette ever and can’t stand eating spicy foods. Even some mouthwashes are too much for me to handle.
This is the price I pay…that and the $60.00 I spent on the strips.
Mr. Sword still has zero interest in whitening, but he’s using the whitening toothpaste I bought him! Thank you to those of you who suggested that in the comments last time!
(all photos personal unless otherwise noted)
Has anyone smelled Marchesa? Does it look like a good wedding perfume?
Am I doing this whitening thing wrong? Should I keep going in attempt to whiten my side teeth by March, or just let it go and let my photog edit away! Any tips out there?
I was given whitening paste to throw into my retainers since I had gotten braces. Trust me, it does suck. I’m just exactly like you! I think Dorito’s are hot sometimes. 
Get them as white as you can – but remember that the photographer can edit your teeth whiter without a problem! You won’t even remember that your teeth weren’t up to your standards. 
Sensodyne (the regular kind, not the whitening) and Aleve! Not sure about the whitening system you’re using, but if the trays are reusable after you finished using one, clean the remaining bleach out and put Sensodyne paste in the tray, and wear the tray with the Sensodyne for 20 – 30 minutes. It helps a bit. And Aleve is an anti-inflammatory so it helps calm the nerves of your teeth.
I know you’re almost finished, but if you decide to bleach again, there is a great system called DayWhite and NightWhite. It can be a bit pricey based on your dentist… but they will take molds of your teeth and make custom fitting bleaching trays. This way, the bleach will stay put and not burn your gums or tongue =( With the trays you can also bleach your “fang teeth” directly to try and get them whiter. The trays also last forever, so in a few years when you’re ready to do a touch up, you just have to buy the touch up bleach which is WAY cheaper then the starter kit.
Best of luck to you on the bleaching, and your wedding!!!!
When the dentist tried to sell me Tres White, I went straight to Amazon. They were much cheaper and you can actually read the reviews.
Did you let them get to room temperature before applying?
As a PP recommended, brush with Sensodyne (I usually brush the goop off without toothpaste first, then with toothpaste).
I split the pack of Tres White with FI, and I only wore them for 30 minutes, so my results weren’t great. I’m going to try a whole pack, 60 minutes each, next time.
I’ve had great results with Crest Strips but my teeth can’t handle it, those really hurt (me).
I love your perfume choice! I love Coach Poppy Flower, but that’s one of my everyday perfumes, so I completely understand it not being special enough for your wedding-day scent (though I recommend it for everyday ). I’m going to have to look for that Marchesa, though, because the bottle alone is to die for! So glamorous!
My FI and I are currently working through the Sephora sampler pack (I know that’s not what it’s called, but we’ll pretend) to pick our Wedding Day scents. I’ve been disappointed with the staying power of almost all of them – I’m a huge scent person (an entire drawer dedicated to sprays & lotions) so this is a BFD to me.
I love the Marchesa bottle and I totally feel your whitening pain. The things we do, am I right?
What about the “glo” teeth whitening system from Sephora? Does that work? Would it be good for someone with sensitive teeth (since I am now even MORE terrified to try this)?
I’ve used the standard Crest Whitestrips before, but that’s about as much as my teeth can handle. I’ve tried the Premium Whitestrips and they just make my teeth hurt, and same with the gel trays. I just buy Crest Whitening toothpaste and call it good; maybe it’s my imagination, but I feel like my teeth are whiter than they were before I started using it?
I have trays that I got for becoming a new client at the dentist I go to…yeah groupon…they are custom fit trays (think mouthguards…which you could probably do instead) I fill it full of goop and leave it on over night. my teeth were super sensitive after using it the first time. I changed to a softer tooth brush and used the sensitive toothpaste they suggested I use…after a few days it went away.
Perfume wise I am loving Christina Aguleria’s Red Sin…FI smelled it when I tried it on a while back and fell in love with it
I haven’t smelled the perfume, but the bottle is so cute!
As for the whitening, I experienced excrutiating pain with no results, so I don’t believe in them anymore.
thanks for all the tips! Maybe if I get ambitious I will try again on the teeth whitening thing!
@Blonde17Jess: Yay, glad you like it!
Mrs. Sword, Chicago Age and Occupation: 28, Nanny/Actress Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Software Engineer Engagement Date: February 19, 2012 Wedding Date: March 2013 Venue: Embassy Suites Bloomington West in Bloomington, MN About Me: I am a true girly-girl originally from the great state of Minnesota and my fiancé hails from the beautiful country of Scotland. We met and fell in love in our favorite city, Chicago, and are having a blast blending our cultures for "A Highland Fairy Tale" wedding! We are truly a case of opposites attract in that he’s a world traveling introvert and I’m a social butterfly who is never too far from home. We both love hanging out with family and friends, fine dining, and laughing at ourselves. He drinks a lot of beer and I talk too much. We wouldn’t have it any other way!
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