Mrs. Aardvark, Beaver Dam, WIAge and Occupation: 23, Assistant Product ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 31, Business Analyst Engagement Date: May 28th, 2011Wedding Date: April 2012Venue: St. Philip Catholic Church/Arcadia Brewing Co.About Me: I am a resourceful lady who love surprises and adventure. At the same time, I value traditions, family and friends. I like to make crafty messes, sometimes, clean them up, and do pretty much anything outdoors. The Mister and I are pretty avid cyclists---we have nine bikes in our home right now...and one motorcycle! We both enjoy eating food we can't pronounce (language doesn't really matter) and going places we've never been. We currently reside in rural Wisconsin, enjoying the cheese and beer it has to offer, and getting outside whenever we can!
Over the Labor Day weekend, I took a trip with my mom and Mr. Aardvark down to Ohio to visit my grandpa. We also got to catch up with Mr. Aardvark’s parents and MOH MD. It was a very nice family-filled weekend with lots of chit chat, catching up, and just a splash of wedding talk. It was the first time I had been able to meet with MOH MD since becoming engaged, and though it was only a few hours, it was so nice to have some time with a member of the wedding party. As we were heading home, across four states, it got me thinking about my side of the wedding party. You see, as the title implies, I have five bridesmaids in five different states. That’s right: MOH MD is in Ohio, Flossy is in Nebraska, Red is in Minnesota, Sis is in Michigan, and OT is now here, in Wisconsin. That’s a pretty big spread!
So far it has not really caused any issues. Everyone is pretty computer savvy and email has been a life saver. Not all of the girls knew each other when we started, so I made a private Facebook group to facilitate stalking, or at least putting faces with names. That also seems to be working well. They are all such fantastic ladies I can’t wait to have them all in one place at one time!
Speaking of one place at one time, there has been some talk of a group-dress-shop-weekend in Chicago in the fall. This would be the best case scenario. All of us are very busy, but we should know in the next week or so whether or not our schedule stars will align to make this possible. (Keep your fingers crossed!)
If that falls through I think we may divide and conquer and have “West of the Mississippi River” and “East of the Mississippi River” groups and shop that way. If that also proves impossible (hey, we are some busy ladies!) we will do a virtual group shop, in which everyone would go to her local store with a list of “contender” dresses. Take pictures, send pictures and comments, vote. For obvious reasons, the biggest one being I would not get to hang out with my ladies, this would be less than ideal.
Earlier in the planning process I isolated the dress styles pretty quickly and sent the following image out to my girls. Read more…
Mrs. Porcupine, NYC/Lancaster, PAAge and Occupation: 26, Sales Coordinator/PublishingFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Assistant Manager/SalesEngagement Date: August 8, 2010Wedding Date: March 2012Venue: Riverdale ManorAbout Me: I'm a born and bred New Yorker with a love/hate relationship for the city I have always called home. Although I may seem quiet from afar, I have a loud personality once you get to know me. I am a book nerd at heart, but love a night out in the city with good friends. I have a serious addiction to all things cheese, chocolate, cardigans, Mexican food, and reality TV. The future hubs and I met in college, settled in New York, and decided to go with a rustic/peacock infused wedding in Lancaster, PA, right near his hometown. Come the big day, we will be together 5 years, and we're looking forward to making it official!
Part two of the bridesmaids’-dress hunt began on a gray day in NYC, the day before Hurricane Irene was set to strike. I was feeling a case of the blahs.
I didn’t have high hopes for the first stop: Here Comes the Bridesmaid. The shop is located in an office building, which I didn’t realize when I made the appointment. Nothing wrong with that, but it’s a weird feeling walking into an office to look at dresses. I took the elevator up and found the office suite. Although not what I imagined, the store has a great selection. The sales associate pulled every single one of the dresses I hoped to have the girls try on. When the girls came in, we started the try-on.
We immediately had a case of the Goldilocks (this one’s too big, this one’s too little, this one’s juuust right—or not).
Mrs. Porcupine, NYC/Lancaster, PAAge and Occupation: 26, Sales Coordinator/PublishingFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Assistant Manager/SalesEngagement Date: August 8, 2010Wedding Date: March 2012Venue: Riverdale ManorAbout Me: I'm a born and bred New Yorker with a love/hate relationship for the city I have always called home. Although I may seem quiet from afar, I have a loud personality once you get to know me. I am a book nerd at heart, but love a night out in the city with good friends. I have a serious addiction to all things cheese, chocolate, cardigans, Mexican food, and reality TV. The future hubs and I met in college, settled in New York, and decided to go with a rustic/peacock infused wedding in Lancaster, PA, right near his hometown. Come the big day, we will be together 5 years, and we're looking forward to making it official!
I am having the bridesmaid blues…literally and figuratively, it seems.
On top of being really picky about bridesmaids’ dresses (nothing stands out to me), I cannot find the right shade of blue on the right dress. Yes, this sounds ridiculous, but here’s my problem.
On the rare occasion a designer has the right blue, they do not have it available in a dress I like. Most designers go with the standard royal, navy, teal, and baby blue. Those aren’t really my colors. I want deep blue and deep green. Navy can work, but I’m not ready to settle on navy yet. I have hope.
One Friday afternoon, on a glorious half-day summer Friday, a few of my bridesmaids who were also free (i.e., the teachers, nurse, and student) met up at RK Bridal in the city. We looked through the racks, and I picked a few dresses that I had already spotted online and also let the girls pick out what they liked as long as it stuck with the overall look I was going for.
I had previously thought my solution was found with Wtoo’s sapphire/emerald combo. I loved the colors together, and although it is simple I thought it had a unique look to it. The first bridesmaids’-dress fail, however, was seeing my very favorite dress from the interwebs off the rack. Apparently I forgot how different online vs. real life can be.
Mrs. Skunk, AtlantaAge and Occupation: 23, Post baccalaureate studentFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Mechanical DesignerEngagement Date: February 13, 2011Wedding Date: November 2011Venue: Neverland Farms About Me: I’m a Georgia peach born and raised in the dirty dirty. I love reading, baking lots of sweets and forcing them on my friends, and most of all, rock climbing. I am in the process of applying to graduate school in physical therapy and I work at farmers’ markets around town selling bread for a local bakery. The mister and I met while rock climbing just over two years ago and have been inseparable ever since. Our climbing friends mean the world to us and have played an integral role in our relationship. We’re planning a barnyard shindig filled with good food, good friends, and lots of love.
With the girls picked, we needed a plan for bridesmaids’ dresses. OK, plan made: “Girls, go pick out a dress.” I offered no color, style, length, or sleeve guidelines. I think that it proved to be a little unnerving to my girls. Actually, I know BM C. Koala may have been ready to kill me at various points in her search. The only thing I asked was that they all wear cowboy boots. I’m not a particularly country girl, but there was no way that I was going to wear heels all day during an outdoor wedding. This bandwagon I wasn’t going to miss hopping on!
Mrs. 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 my previous post on bridesmaids’ dresses? The one where I played the part of the gracious bride who left the dress decisions up to the girls? Well, I kind of went back on that a teeny bit. OK, maybe more than a teeny bit, but I’m still being flexible!
Mrs. Petit Four, San Antonio/Isla MujeresAge and Occupation: 25, Technology teacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Math Teacher and Football CoachEngagement Date: Feb 13, 2010Wedding Date: March 2012Venue: Zama Beach Club, Isla Mujeres, MexicoAbout Me: I am a polka-dot obsessed, destination wedding diva living and loving in the great state of Texas. I am an island girl at heart and I visit the beach as often as I can. I am a wannabe DIY goddess, but that doesn’t mean I won’t give it my best shot. I love pearl earrings, the color pink, and ruffles are a part of my everyday wardrobe. My wonderful fiance and I are planning a destination wedding with our closest family and friends and we’re leaving a trail of glitter in our path!
I have written a couple of times about bridesmaids’ dresses and different options I have considered. I started off wanting to just let my girls pick out their own dresses. I often dreamed of us frolicking in the white, powdery sand in gorgeously mismatched dresses.
Mrs. 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.
I like to consider myself a rebel in some respects. I know it’s not wholly true, but it’s really fun to talk and blog about. So in continuing with the rebellious spirit of previous posts, I’d like to cover all the “rebellious” things that concern our wedding-party attire that have gone down so far.
Mrs. Sunhat, Dyer, IN Age and Occupation: 32, Tax AccountantFiance's Age and Occupation: 35, Landscape ForemanEngagement Date: September 25, 2010Wedding Date: December 2011Venues: St. Andrew the Apostle, Fiesta PalaceAbout Me: I'm a Midwest girl who grew up in the country and now works in the big city! I love cooking, entertaining, reading (addicted to my Kindle) and going to the movies. I don't miss an episode of Hoarders and I start cleaning every time I watch! My profession doesn't call for much creativity so wedding planning has been a great outlet. Mr. Sunhat and I met online three years ago, cheer for rival MLB teams and share a home with our dog, Wrigley. We are planning a traditional, Polish, Catholic wedding with lots of DIY elements and some fun surprises. I'm so excited to be married on New Year's Eve and we can't wait to ring in the new year as husband and wife!
Several weeks after the first bridesmaids’ dress excursion, MOB, MOH, and Bridesmaid S met up in South Bend, Indiana at a bridal salon to try on more styles. I wasn’t able to make the trip out there, as it was during tax season and I was slightly busy.
The ladies did an amazing job at taking lots and lots of pictures and calling me with questions and opinions on what they liked best. I wanted my girls to be comfortable and like what they would be wearing, so I was happy for the feedback.
Warning: Picture-heavy post ahead! Because I wasn’t there, I don’t have style numbers for many of the gowns and I apologize for that.
Mrs. Sunhat, Dyer, IN Age and Occupation: 32, Tax AccountantFiance's Age and Occupation: 35, Landscape ForemanEngagement Date: September 25, 2010Wedding Date: December 2011Venues: St. Andrew the Apostle, Fiesta PalaceAbout Me: I'm a Midwest girl who grew up in the country and now works in the big city! I love cooking, entertaining, reading (addicted to my Kindle) and going to the movies. I don't miss an episode of Hoarders and I start cleaning every time I watch! My profession doesn't call for much creativity so wedding planning has been a great outlet. Mr. Sunhat and I met online three years ago, cheer for rival MLB teams and share a home with our dog, Wrigley. We are planning a traditional, Polish, Catholic wedding with lots of DIY elements and some fun surprises. I'm so excited to be married on New Year's Eve and we can't wait to ring in the new year as husband and wife!
When it was time to look at bridesmaids’ dresses, my MOH, Bridesmaid S, and Bridesmaid K joined me and MOB at a shop near my house. We had an appointment, but when we walked in the door, there was no one around! We waited a few minutes and hollered out a hello or two, but still no one. We finally had to walk to the back of the store to find the associate. This rough start made me a little nervous, but I was determined to have a good experience and have fun!
I told the associate we were looking for floor-length dresses for a winter wedding and were looking for options in silver, pewter, or charcoal colors. She directed us to the right area of the shop and let us look at our leisure.
The girls knew I really liked dresses that had a brooch or beading embellishment—something to make them stand out and have a wintery feel. Other than that, I was pretty open to styles and suggestions.
Mrs. 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!
Mrs. Petit Four, San Antonio/Isla MujeresAge and Occupation: 25, Technology teacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Math Teacher and Football CoachEngagement Date: Feb 13, 2010Wedding Date: March 2012Venue: Zama Beach Club, Isla Mujeres, MexicoAbout Me: I am a polka-dot obsessed, destination wedding diva living and loving in the great state of Texas. I am an island girl at heart and I visit the beach as often as I can. I am a wannabe DIY goddess, but that doesn’t mean I won’t give it my best shot. I love pearl earrings, the color pink, and ruffles are a part of my everyday wardrobe. My wonderful fiance and I are planning a destination wedding with our closest family and friends and we’re leaving a trail of glitter in our path!
After doing some research on bridesmaids’ dresses, I knew I wanted my girls to wear something pretty, but not too stuffy and formal. It is a beach wedding, after all.
I happened to stumble upon Target’s website, and it turns out that they actually have some really cute dresses that could work as bridesmaids’ dresses. Here are a few of the cute dresses that they have.
Mrs. Petit Four, San Antonio/Isla MujeresAge and Occupation: 25, Technology teacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Math Teacher and Football CoachEngagement Date: Feb 13, 2010Wedding Date: March 2012Venue: Zama Beach Club, Isla Mujeres, MexicoAbout Me: I am a polka-dot obsessed, destination wedding diva living and loving in the great state of Texas. I am an island girl at heart and I visit the beach as often as I can. I am a wannabe DIY goddess, but that doesn’t mean I won’t give it my best shot. I love pearl earrings, the color pink, and ruffles are a part of my everyday wardrobe. My wonderful fiance and I are planning a destination wedding with our closest family and friends and we’re leaving a trail of glitter in our path!
I seriously love my bridesmaids. I could not have asked for a more beautiful (inside and out), caring, awesome group of girls to be with me on my big day. So, it was only fitting that I wanted them to wear something they would totally love and feel great in. Something puffy and shiny, with lots of ruffles…heh, JK.
Mrs. 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.
No matter how much you want to bury your head in the sand and try and forget about the million and one details of wedding planning, you must take time and find actual clothes to wear. Not doing that is against the law. At least in Illinois. With this in mind, I had to figure out something to wear to our engagement party. It was shaping up be a big party, so I had to be dressed impeccably.
Well, I think I put too much pressure on myself. I didn’t really have the time or money to shop the way I’d like. And I had the silly notion I should wear our wedding colors. There’s only one problem with that. “Regency” isn’t really in right now.
Personal photo of wedding color palette
Left to right: regency, black, taupe, ivory, gold
Color fail.
So I branched out. I found a great dress at Delia’s that I bought. Read more…
Ms. Gazelle, Calgary/VancouverAge and Occupation: 32, EngineerFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Technology AnalystEngagement Date: September 3, 2010Wedding Date: July 2011Venue: Brock House Restaurant, VancouverAbout Me: I am a marathon runner, cyclist, Ironman triathlete and beautiful shoe fiend who also loves kicking back and watching Glee. I grew up a bit of a nomad as I traveled around the world with my family, living everywhere from Australia to England to South America and Indonesia. I finally settled in Calgary a few years ago and met Mr. Gazelle who loves me even though we cheer for different hockey teams. We are planning a bit of a destination wedding in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia and we can’t wait to share the day with our close family and friends.
Something that I was never able to share with the Hive before the wedding were our finished bridesmaids’ dresses. My mom, being the awesome seamstress that she is, offered to make the dresses for our girls. We settled upon Butterick B5322 for MOH-T:
And for BM-D, she would get the strapless version of Simplicity 4070. Read more…
Mrs. 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.
In my last post, I left off with ominous words. Yes, we left David’s Bridal and headed to Eva’s Bridal. This wasn’t the Eva’s Bridal in Tinley Park where I bought my dress. This was the Eva’s Bridal in Orland Park. They had dresses and were up the street, so we figured we’d check them out so the day wouldn’t be a total waste.
After the magic with the first dresses, I didn’t think we’d find it again. But I went through the same routine nonetheless:
Have the girls pick out dresses they all seriously like.
Veto the ones I hate on sight.
Have them try on the dresses they picked.
Have other girls try on dresses as I decide they work on each successive girl.
We changed it up this time and made step #3 “make sure the dress is available in our color choice.” We looked at all the purples and ultimately chose that same blue-ish purple color we now know is called Regency.
I didn’t have high hopes that we’d find yet another dress that looked amazing on every girl. They’re just too different. They have seriously different body types. Kind of like this: Read more…
Unique Wedding Favors
Photo by SugarLove Weddings via Polka Dot Bride
