Miss Mink, Charlottesville, VirginiaAge and Occupation: 34, College AdministratorFiance's Age and Occupation: 40, Craft Beer ConsultantEngagement Date: November 26, 2010Wedding Date: June 2012Venue: Pippin Hill Farm & VineyardsAbout Me: I left a pre-war brownstone in Boston six years ago to live in a funky, Southern city where Thomas Jefferson, Dave Matthews, and urban chicken keepers enjoy equal social standing. I still love my Patriots and Red Sox, but have fallen in love with Virginia. I work in education and specialize in integrating technology into my work to improve the student experience. I’m a diehard blogger, animal lover, jamband follower, and DIYer. I paint to relax and have transferred by energy from home projects to wedding projects in recent months. When Mr. Mink and I started talking about marriage, we knew our wedding would be outdoors, that my golden retriever would be part of the day, and that the music would be fantastic. We’ve taken a few risks during our planning process and we’ve been enjoying the process immensely!
If you’re a dog person, you probably understand why some couples have their dogs in their weddings. The relationship between a dog and owner is about unconditional love, companionship, and dependability.
There was a time when I didn’t understand why people were so crazy for dogs. I thought the idea of having a dog in a wedding was downright strange. When Junior Mink came into my life four years ago, everything changed. Part of me wanted him in our wedding, but part of me worried about having him there.
Miss Mink, Charlottesville, VirginiaAge and Occupation: 34, College AdministratorFiance's Age and Occupation: 40, Craft Beer ConsultantEngagement Date: November 26, 2010Wedding Date: June 2012Venue: Pippin Hill Farm & VineyardsAbout Me: I left a pre-war brownstone in Boston six years ago to live in a funky, Southern city where Thomas Jefferson, Dave Matthews, and urban chicken keepers enjoy equal social standing. I still love my Patriots and Red Sox, but have fallen in love with Virginia. I work in education and specialize in integrating technology into my work to improve the student experience. I’m a diehard blogger, animal lover, jamband follower, and DIYer. I paint to relax and have transferred by energy from home projects to wedding projects in recent months. When Mr. Mink and I started talking about marriage, we knew our wedding would be outdoors, that my golden retriever would be part of the day, and that the music would be fantastic. We’ve taken a few risks during our planning process and we’ve been enjoying the process immensely!
I have a secret, dear bees. You aren’t my first. There was something else before you. You see, before I was a Weddingbee blogger, I was a design blogger. My love of color had me poring over my paint fan decks just days after we got engaged. I was in search of inspiration for a color scheme.
Just days after getting engaged, we were being asked questions about our date, our venue, my dress, and all kinds of details that we hadn’t even thought about. I thought that if we made one decision, we’d feel a little less pressure to have answers for all those questions we were getting.
I eventually pulled together a selection of blues and blue-greens from Pantone’s Matching System Chart, the PMS, and showed them to Mr. Mink. His response: “Cool.”
I then started looking at wedding blogs for real weddings that used those colors. I also found myself looking at the special occasion dresses on the J.Crew and Ann Taylor websites. At J.Crew “Matisse Blue” jumped out at me, and at Ann Taylor “Plume” felt just right.
Miss Elk, City: Syracuse/Long IslandAge and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Computer EngineerEngagement Date: November 22, 2010Wedding Date: May 2012Venue: The Old Field Club About Me: I’m a Long Island girl finishing my last year of medical school in western NY, on the road to becoming a pediatrician. When I’m not studying or sleeping at the hospital, I spend my free time watching bad TV (Vampire Diaries anyone?), playing with my pooch, singing incredibly off-key (to the annoyance of Mr. Elk ), and reading Harry Potter for the zillionth time. Mr. Elk and I are planning a secular wedding infused with both Irish and cultural Jewish traditions. Only a week after I become an M.D., I will get my Mrs. degree, too!
Miss Warbler, Long Beach/MalibuAge and Occupation: 24, Quality Assurance EditorFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Handheld AdministratorEngagement Date: December 7, 2010Wedding Date: April 2012Venue: Calamigos Ranch MalibuAbout Me: I’m a Korean BBQ loving, cheesecake enthusiast bride living in the LBC! By day I write and edit for an online search engine marketing company. By night I am a volunteer food taster of all that is delicious. I am fortunate to be marrying an amazing man who loves me and my quirky ways. I love food, books, indie music, and Harry Potter. We are planning a small, intimate wedding up in the Malibu Hills with our closest family and friends. With the help of my wonderful fiance, our loved ones, and red velvet cheesecake, our wedding will be glorious!
Remember the frustration I felt shopping with my mom for her dress? Well, it was all for naught because she found her dress! Without me. I guess shopping with me put too much pressure on her shoulders. Sometimes it’s better to just step back and trust the woman who brought you into this world. I received an excited phone call from her over the weekend. Not only did she find her dress, she also found dresses for my Special Ops Flower Girls (shhh, we’re working on something). Sweet. Now that all of my ladies have their dresses, it’s the guys’ turn! Good luck Mr. Warbs!
I have no idea which store she purchased these dresses from. When I asked she could only say, “Um…it was a store next to Target.” Only my mother. Here are the dresses! Sorry about the photo quality.
Flower Girl Apple, Mama Warbs and Flower Girl Lala
Miss Elk, City: Syracuse/Long IslandAge and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Computer EngineerEngagement Date: November 22, 2010Wedding Date: May 2012Venue: The Old Field Club About Me: I’m a Long Island girl finishing my last year of medical school in western NY, on the road to becoming a pediatrician. When I’m not studying or sleeping at the hospital, I spend my free time watching bad TV (Vampire Diaries anyone?), playing with my pooch, singing incredibly off-key (to the annoyance of Mr. Elk ), and reading Harry Potter for the zillionth time. Mr. Elk and I are planning a secular wedding infused with both Irish and cultural Jewish traditions. Only a week after I become an M.D., I will get my Mrs. degree, too!
Last I discussed this topic, I had decided to go with mismatched styles of long chiffon Bari Jay dresses in the color wisteria. I bragged that it was a simple decision. I boasted about how quickly I had made up my mind. I was proud of my decisiveness. Well, I come back with my tail between my legs and my antlers in a tizzy. I changed my mind.
Even though I am happy with my choice of designer, length, and fabric, and my decision to allow my girls to pick whatever style they want, I cannot get past this nagging desire to have mismatched colors as well. You see, I have always hated overly matchy things. Even as a child when my mom would buy me beautiful matching outfits, I would take the pieces apart and wear them with other pieces so as to not match too much. So the idea of eight girls wearing the same color, standing next to each other most of the evening has been getting to me…I am just so nervous it will look TOO matchy-matchy.
And just look at how awesome these look? I mean, seriously, I couldn’t help but get a complex looking at pictures like these:
Miss Hawk, Richmond, VAAge and Occupation: 26, FinanceFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, District SupervisorEngagement Date: March 13, 2011Wedding Date: May 2012Venue: The Chapel of the Sir Christopher Wren Building, 2007 Legacy HallAbout Me: I’m an Arizona-born girl who has spent the majority of my life living below the Mason-Dixon line. The South has definitely earned a special place in my heart (alongside my Virginia born and bred fiance, of course!). We are planning a traditional Christian ceremony at my alma mater in historic Williamsburg, Virginia, followed by a rocking reception filled with Southern cooking and vintage/shabby chic details. When we’re not wedding planning, we enjoy spending time with our three dogs, going for runs together, watching plenty of football (or baseball depending on the season), and sampling new wine.
Today I excitedly met two of my ladies, MOH A and BM R, at a local bridal shop, Tiffany’s. After visiting their website and scoping out the designers they carried, I was very hopeful that we might find something great and be able to come a decision. We searched through the racks and picked up what felt like 50 dresses. I was very optimistic at first, finding both a collection of satin and chiffon dresses that we all agreed were great, but when we emptied the room of all the discard dresses, we were a little underwhelmed with what we had left.
Miss Elk, City: Syracuse/Long IslandAge and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Computer EngineerEngagement Date: November 22, 2010Wedding Date: May 2012Venue: The Old Field Club About Me: I’m a Long Island girl finishing my last year of medical school in western NY, on the road to becoming a pediatrician. When I’m not studying or sleeping at the hospital, I spend my free time watching bad TV (Vampire Diaries anyone?), playing with my pooch, singing incredibly off-key (to the annoyance of Mr. Elk ), and reading Harry Potter for the zillionth time. Mr. Elk and I are planning a secular wedding infused with both Irish and cultural Jewish traditions. Only a week after I become an M.D., I will get my Mrs. degree, too!
Or should I say eight other dresses! In case you haven’t figured it out, I am talking about bridesmaids’ dresses. Long ago I fell in love with mismatched bridesmaids’ dresses like these:
I absolutely love the coordinating colors and unique look of each bridesmaid. I think it is an awesome way to allow each girl to have her own style and feel comfortable. That being said, I didn’t know how to do this with eight girls realistically, and still end up with a semi-coordinated style.
So I decided if I couldn’t have mismatched colors, I would at least have mismatched styles! I decided on a purple/gray color (not really sure how I came to that decision) and knew that I wanted long chiffon dresses (light enough for summer with a more formal feel!).
Miss Doe, Northern CaliforniaAge and Occupation: 24, Real Estate AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 23, Recycling ManagerEngagement Date: December 25, 2010Wedding Date: May 2012Venue: Monte Verde InnAbout Me: I’m a Rat Pack fan and a Christmas nut that loves to read, good wine, cheesy ’80s movies and ’90s sitcoms. My wiener dog with an attitude problem and lazy basset hound are my constant source of entertainment. He's a hunter and I like cooking so it's not rare to see wild game on our dinner menu. Both of us were born and raised in a small historic farming town where our feet are still firmly planted. We have been together for nearly a decade and have shared many life experiences together, including birthdays that are only one day apart. We are two old souls that are creating our long-awaited wedding with loads of tradition that blends our two styles into rustic elegance in the foothills of Northern California.
This past weekend I checked a huge to-do off the list. We headed over to Alfred Angelo to finally pick out some bridesmaid dresses. I had a very strict guideline for my girls:
Pick whatever dress you want.
Okay, so it was not strict at all. The only general consensus was that they would of course have their dress ordered in the same color and material. Other than that though, they had free rein. So what do they end up doing? They all choose the same exact dress. Of course.
Like most bridesmaids, mine come in various and beautiful shapes, sizes and age. What was most important to me is for them to feel comfortable and happy, which is why I told them to pick whatever dress made them feel that way.
We all decided early on that chiffon would be the material of choice because it breathes well. Plus, chiffon allows you to consume all the food, cake, and wine that you want while still hiding a full belly. When we got to Alfred Angelo we told our fantastic consultant to pull all the mid-length chiffon dresses that they have.
Miss Fox, Washington DC/Havre de Grace, MDAge and Occupation: 26, Massage TherapistFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Field Support EngineerEngagement Date: April 18, 2010Wedding Date: June 2012Venue: Vandiver InnAbout Me: I’m a dancer turned massage therapist who was born and raised in New York. Alas, true love has brought me “south” where I still maintain my penchants for pretty shoes, wine, crossword puzzles, cherry blossoms, and the Mets. I own more sunglasses than a normal person should and don’t eat red meat (though I make up for it by eating my weight in sushi). I tend to be a big planner who likes to get things started early, but generally end up being indecisive and procrastinating when it comes down to it. I have a (not so) secret crush on Chris Carrabba, but my loyalty and love ultimately goes to the future hubs, of course! Together, my Foxy man and I love to discuss (read: debate) politics and current events, have Mario Kart and Scrabble duels, and just laugh. A lot. We’re hoping and planning for a laid back, fun, summery, rustic vibe to our June wedding that will be genuinely “us” – that is, if we finally make some decisions. Huzzah!
Oh how I hate the word “bridesmaids.” I mean…maid?? Really? I prefer brideslady. So brideslady it is! (I know that’s really not much better, but I call all my lovely friends “lady,” so it makes sense in my mind.)
I realize that I haven’t written much…or anything…about said bridesladies yet, even though I have been looking for their dresses since about a month into our engagement. I also chose and asked all my ladies to be in the wedding the very night I got engaged.
Lesson number 23 in wedding planning: if you have a 26-month engagement, do not pick out your bridesladies the night you get engaged. (I very much love all my ladies, but more on this at another time.)
Back to what’s at hand: brideslady dresses! From the start, I knew I wanted them to be some shade of turquoise and some version of chiffon fabric.
Miss Dalmatian, Nashville, TNAge and Occupation: 23, Pediatric NurseFiance's Age and Occupation: 23, Computer Engineer and Entrepreneur Engagement Date: April 13, 2011Wedding Date: May 2012Venue: Historic CedarwoodAbout Me: I am a Northern girl from Chicago who is planning a wedding filled with Southern charm in Nashville, Tennessee. I love dogs, the White Sox, Full House reruns, and anything with ruffles on it. Mr. Dalmatian is my computer-genius problem-solving fiance who is constantly teaching me new things and making me a better person. We live with our adopted pup Echo, who is very excited that his parents are getting married!
MOH K had been amazingly patient and tried on MANY dresses for me. Unfortunately, even my favorites among them calmly stated “pretty good” as opposed to screaming “perfect!” Despite my desire to make a decision and move on to the next task, pretty good was simply not good enough.
Enter Kate Spade. You may recall that my shoes are Kate Spade. She has rapidly become my biggest designer weakness. I just love how everything is so classy and still so fun! In fact, one of her dresses had been the subject of an email I sent to my mom that read, “The Perfect Bridesmaids’ Dress.” Yes, that’s right—I used the P-word! Unfortunately, the price tag on this amazing little number was not quite as pretty as the lovely floral fabric.
Miss Dalmatian, Nashville, TNAge and Occupation: 23, Pediatric NurseFiance's Age and Occupation: 23, Computer Engineer and Entrepreneur Engagement Date: April 13, 2011Wedding Date: May 2012Venue: Historic CedarwoodAbout Me: I am a Northern girl from Chicago who is planning a wedding filled with Southern charm in Nashville, Tennessee. I love dogs, the White Sox, Full House reruns, and anything with ruffles on it. Mr. Dalmatian is my computer-genius problem-solving fiance who is constantly teaching me new things and making me a better person. We live with our adopted pup Echo, who is very excited that his parents are getting married!
After unsuccessfully searching high and low for patterned bridesmaids’ dresses that met my very picky standards, I expanded my search to include solid dresses as well. With this expansion, approximately 17 bagillion more dresses became options. In order to narrow down the search, I decided to try out a new criterion: sleeves/straps!
I really like the look of non-strapless dresses, and I think quite often they are more flattering and more comfortable. Plus, I wanted my girls to be able to get down on the dance floor without worrying about a wardrobe malfunction!
The first solid dress that stole my heart was the Miraflores dress from BHLDN.
Mr. Dalmatian liked the sleeves, but wasn’t sold on the bow. The bow is actually part of a reversible belt, so it can be worn on the back. This brought the dress up to “OK” in Mr. D’s book, but Mama Dalmatian was worried about the fit being too little girl-ish. As much as I didn’t want to admit it at the time, I could see her concern. To top things off, I wasn’t entirely sold on the more muted pink as opposed to a bright pink. So the Miraflores dress got moved from my potential bridesmaids’ dress folder to my I-love-this-dress-and-will-buy-it-if-an-occasion-arises-for-me-to-wear-it folder.
Miss Dalmatian, Nashville, TNAge and Occupation: 23, Pediatric NurseFiance's Age and Occupation: 23, Computer Engineer and Entrepreneur Engagement Date: April 13, 2011Wedding Date: May 2012Venue: Historic CedarwoodAbout Me: I am a Northern girl from Chicago who is planning a wedding filled with Southern charm in Nashville, Tennessee. I love dogs, the White Sox, Full House reruns, and anything with ruffles on it. Mr. Dalmatian is my computer-genius problem-solving fiance who is constantly teaching me new things and making me a better person. We live with our adopted pup Echo, who is very excited that his parents are getting married!
I really love the whimsical feel of the mismatched-dresses trend that seems to be spreading like fashion-forward wildfire, but when it came time to choose attire for my girls, the traditional side of me was resisting jumping on this bandwagon (as were the traditional sides of my mom and Mr. Dalmatian).
Despite it not being the right look for our wedding, let’s take a quick moment to appreciate how fun mismatched dresses can be:
Image via Etsy / Vintage inspired tea dresses by sohomade
Even though they were going to match, I did still want something unique. Why I feel the constant need to challenge myself by wanting something simultaneously traditional and unique for every aspect of my wedding, I do not know! I quickly convinced myself that having all of the girls in the same dress but having the dresses be a print would be the perfect solution. And so began my obsessively extensive search for a patterned bridesmaids’ dress. Here’s a general idea of what I had in mind:
Miss Fox, Washington DC/Havre de Grace, MDAge and Occupation: 26, Massage TherapistFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Field Support EngineerEngagement Date: April 18, 2010Wedding Date: June 2012Venue: Vandiver InnAbout Me: I’m a dancer turned massage therapist who was born and raised in New York. Alas, true love has brought me “south” where I still maintain my penchants for pretty shoes, wine, crossword puzzles, cherry blossoms, and the Mets. I own more sunglasses than a normal person should and don’t eat red meat (though I make up for it by eating my weight in sushi). I tend to be a big planner who likes to get things started early, but generally end up being indecisive and procrastinating when it comes down to it. I have a (not so) secret crush on Chris Carrabba, but my loyalty and love ultimately goes to the future hubs, of course! Together, my Foxy man and I love to discuss (read: debate) politics and current events, have Mario Kart and Scrabble duels, and just laugh. A lot. We’re hoping and planning for a laid back, fun, summery, rustic vibe to our June wedding that will be genuinely “us” – that is, if we finally make some decisions. Huzzah!
A few months ago, I visited my wedding twin M in Philly so we could hunt for a bridesmaids’ dress for her wedding, which is three weeks before mine and Mr. Foxy’s. If you recall, her wedding style is super swanky, classy, and glamorous (thank you, Fergie, for reminding me how to spell that)—basically 100% different from the vibe Foxy and I are going for.
We originally settled on a bold but elegant Lazaro dress.
The texture and weight of the fabric—while it’s much lighter than it appears in the picture, it’s definitely kind of stiff and formfitting. If it ends up being 90+ degrees in Philly when she gets married (a definitely possibility), this would not necessarily be the most comfortable dress.
The wedding party has people of all different shapes and sizes. The style of this dress just doesn’t flatter everybody, plain and simple.
Miss Kettle, Chicago, ILAge and Occupation: 26, Non-Profit Donor Resource CoordinatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Musician & TeacherEngagement Date: May 29, 2011Wedding Date: February 2012Venue: Patrick C. Haley Mansion, Joliet, ILAbout Me: I'm a city girl who loves a good escape, so I'm planning a Chicago wedding outside of the city. I've been described as a quirky yet down-to-earth drama queen who loves fiercely. I used to be a scientist, but now I'm learning to navigate the world of non-profit organizations. I love cooking, blogging, shopping, and music, and movies (Hans Zimmer is my favorite movie composer). Mr. Kettle and I had a short courtship and now we have a happy home with our cat-who-thinks-she's-people, Belle. We spend our days and nights with good food, live music, video games, family, and friends. Our wedding has become this wonderful excuse to bring together hundreds of people we can't bear to be without.
One of the many, many things that still needs to be done for this wedding is to find clothes for important women involved with our wedding. Our wedding party is huge, so there are lots o’ women to clothe. Let’s get to it!
Momma Kettle: We still don’t know what she’s wearing. I’d like her to wear something like this.
Miss Fox, Washington DC/Havre de Grace, MDAge and Occupation: 26, Massage TherapistFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Field Support EngineerEngagement Date: April 18, 2010Wedding Date: June 2012Venue: Vandiver InnAbout Me: I’m a dancer turned massage therapist who was born and raised in New York. Alas, true love has brought me “south” where I still maintain my penchants for pretty shoes, wine, crossword puzzles, cherry blossoms, and the Mets. I own more sunglasses than a normal person should and don’t eat red meat (though I make up for it by eating my weight in sushi). I tend to be a big planner who likes to get things started early, but generally end up being indecisive and procrastinating when it comes down to it. I have a (not so) secret crush on Chris Carrabba, but my loyalty and love ultimately goes to the future hubs, of course! Together, my Foxy man and I love to discuss (read: debate) politics and current events, have Mario Kart and Scrabble duels, and just laugh. A lot. We’re hoping and planning for a laid back, fun, summery, rustic vibe to our June wedding that will be genuinely “us” – that is, if we finally make some decisions. Huzzah!
This past weekend I made a trip to Philly to visit some friends, one of them being my wedding twin (and brideslady) M. I say wedding twin because: 1. she and I are sistas from another mista (yes I went there), 2. our engagement rings are basically the same, coincidentally enough, 3. we’re in each other’s weddings, and 4. we’re getting married about three weeks apart—Mr. Foxy and I actually kind of chose our date based on when they are getting married, truth be told.
We originally picked a date one week after M’s wedding, but she was planning to still be on her honeymoon at that point. I was more than happy to find a different weekend because I totally love M and need her in our wedding. Done and done.
Dresses via Bari Jay/ Poor Photoshopping by moi
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
Image via Flutterfly Events / Photo by Erin Hearts Court
Image via Nine Seventeen Eleven / Photo by Lane Dittoe
