Weddingbee

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I guess the whole process has made me realize how much pressure I’ve been putting on not only myself, but this wedding in general. I have lost focus of what the day is truly about and am letting these little things upset me way too much. I sit here tearing up as I say this because Miss Hydrangea is thoroughly disappointed in herself for letting it all get this far.

Today, I’m going to start really enjoying this process and not let the small stuff get to me. This is about Mr. H and I wanting to spend the rest of our lives together, nothing more, nothing less.

I want to share with you some of the pics from my photographer, Cesar Perez, and his wife, Tanya, because they are truly great to work with. After hearing how I felt about how I looked, he immediately offered to do another shoot for me, whether I choose to get a new dress or keep the one that I have. His support and understanding is truly admirable since I’m sure it’s not the best thing in the world to hear that a bride you photographed is unhappy with her pics (again, I reiterate, because of the way I chose to style myself for the pics, but not the pics themselves).

Even now, as I look back through them, the way I look is starting to grow on me. I think that, with the advice of some of our fellow Bees, I just needed to take a step back and look at the pictures from another perspective, and not be so self-critical.

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At only $20 each, I’d say it’s a pretty good deal! They also have these cute towel-in-a-bag options ($18) that, while meant for young girls, I would totally sport myself!

You can find these, and more, at Koo Koo Bear Kids!
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If that’s any indication of how the wedding day will be, I’m definitely going to need a couple of glasses of champagne before all of the festivities to calm my nerves, and learn how to pace my energy throughout the day because it was a long one. I was so nervous the entire day to have everything on me all at once. Up until this point, everything having to do with being a bride had been in the store or in my closet.

A few tips for those of you who are going to take portraits:

- Take an entourage. – My mom recently had surgery on her wrist so we knew she wouldn’t be able to do much heavy lifting. Luckily, one of my bridesmaids (and best friends) offered to take a half day at work to help. She ended up carrying the back in of my dress for the better half of the two hour session. My mom was in charge of the sheets and veil and, believe it or not, even our photographer’s wife had to help us on the shoot as well.

- Pack a white sheet. – In fact, pack more then one white sheet. If you plan on taking your pictures outside, near the grass, or in a remote area, this sheet will come in handy to help you keep from staining your dress. It’s inevitable that it will get a little dirty, but this will definitely help.

- Pack some hand wipes. – We took my pictures in an old cotton mill that was under construction, so there was dust everywhere. That, and the fact that it was humid and 90 degrees outside, led to some wiping of the face full of makeup. The hand wipes definitely came in handy to make sure we didn’t transfer any of the dirty stuff onto my dress.

- Bring a fan. – Just a paper fan will work fine, but you wouldn’t believe how hot you will get underneath that dress!

- Bring blotting sheets. – Or tissue, etc. If there is any chance of heat, you will need these to blot your face. Unfortunately, I didn’t have them, so hopefully my face doesn’t look like it’s melting off in the photos.

- HAVE FUN! – It can be extremely emotional being dressed as a bride in all of its glory for the first time. Remember that these pictures are supposed to be fun and portray how happy and exciting this time is for you. It took me a while to lighten up, but, after I began sweating, all formality was gone and I spent the day joking around with everyone and trying my best to be a model (which is def not natural for me)!

I think the most emotional part of the day for me was not putting on the whole outfit or posing for the pictures, but picking up my bouquet. Bella Flora made the most beautiful bouquet of white peonies and incorporated my cross that, when I picked it up, I seriously almost got teary eyed – not an easy thing to do to me.

I have to give another hand to my photographers, Cesar and Tanya Perez, because they truly made me feel more at ease in front of the camera and I can’t wait to see the shots that they got! The teaser pics should be in later this week, so you’ll definitely be hearing more about them soon. All in all, even if you don’t do bridal portraits in your area, I would really recommend them so that you can get some time to adjust to your dress, and to relax in front of the camera.

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Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s a beautiful bouquet. But, all of a sudden, I decided that I wanted something a little more romantic and traditional for this one particular item in our wedding. Immediately I thought “Peonies!”

(Image from here)

I e-mailed our wedding coordinator to see if this would be a possibility for my portraits, since the likelihood of having peonies in our late-September wedding didn’t look so hot. Luckily, the florist said he could definitely do a bouquet of all white peonies. I can’t wait to pick it up tomorrow and see the final result with my bridal cross that I purchased for the bouquet.

(Image from here)

My next task is to find a similar type of flower that we could use in September for my bouquet, it just has to be the color white … any ideas?

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Ok, it’s a bit of an exaggeration, except for the tip of my nose. I’ve always been a person who tanned in tanning beds (horrible, I know) but for the past year and a half I have quit the fake baking to save my skin for my future. I had realized how bad it was for me, how much it was costing me, and, finally, got use to my paleness and really started to embrace it.

Unfortunately, because I used to tan, I was also used to going in the sun at the beginning of spring/summer and not having to worry about the burn. I haven’t learned my lesson yet.

My main concern, now, is, what in the world do I do to prevent myself from some major peeling before I have to take pro pics in four days.

Any suggestions?
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Don’t get me wrong, with all of the hard work that has gone into planning, I’m so excited to see how everything turns out. Most importantly, I’m so excited for the wedding to be over, for Mr. H and I to be man and wife, and to finally be our own little family, same last names at all.

I just hate to disappoint people when I answer, “Well, not really yet. I’m ready for it to be over.” They give me this look of horror, like, how dare I say something like that about my wedding? I’m just being honest.

But try me after my bridal portraits next week, when I’ve been made-up, worn the dress and veil, and carried a bouquet around. Then, just then, the excitement might really hit me.

Were you all excited from day one? Did it come and go as planning commenced?
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Bridal portraits are taken before the wedding (I would say normally about 1-2 months in advance) and shows the bride in her full on bridal attire, hair, makeup, the whole shebang. There are various types of photography for all of these pictures, and just like your normal wedding pictures and engagement pictures, you can be traditional, funky, modern, etc.

I am not sure if bridal portraits are a Southern tradition, but I have always grown up knowing about it. Usually a large sized photo of the bride from her bridal portraits is placed somewhere at the wedding, whether it be by the cake or the guestbook, etc. When speaking to my Aunt from California on the phone the other day, she asked me a gazillion questions about the pictures, like she hadn’t ever heard of them before.

I am taking my portraits particularly early (5 months from the wedding) only because about 1-2 months out from our wedding will be the HOTTEST time of the year in Texas, and I don’t really care to sweat that much in my dress and have my face melt off.

My whole immediate family is from Cali, but they have lived in Texas for so long that some Southern traditions have just become normal to them. My Aunt was surprised, as well, that people really put their announcements in the paper. The groom’s cake is something that people who aren’t from the South always get a kick out of as well.

What regional traditions are you incorporating into your wedding that other parts of your country, and the world, are not used to?

*All photos credit to our amazing photographer Perez Photography
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Both options involve some sort of swirls, which seem a little busy to me, but could easily work for the tables. I know this is me being super nitpicky, but which do you all prefer, option 1 (swirl on the bottom) or option 2 (swirl on the top).

What are some good resources for table stands out there?
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My whole life I’ve really had short to medium length hair. Since Mr. H and I got serious, I’ve been growing it out. Maybe it was because in the back of my mind I thought that we were going to get married and I wanted to have long hair to do whatever I would want with it on my big day. Right now, while summer is quickly approaching and the humidity in Texas is getting stronger and stronger, all I really want to do is chop it off.

Yesterday, while getting my hair trimmed and colored, I was so tempted to just cut it off. When you are getting ready for work in the morning and end up sweating off your makeup while you blow-dry your hair, you start to wonder if the length is worth it. I told my awesome stylist (Patty at Richard Hayler, for those of you locals) that she had to wait five months before she could do anything fun with my hair, and I started to wonder if maybe I should do something different in my portraits then what I’ll do on the Big Day.

I have always loved this local wedding in the Dallas area, for many reasons, but particularly for the way the bride wore her hair.

Should I wear my hair down for the portraits and up for the big day? This is the longest my hair has ever been, which is quite an accomplishment for me. I think it would be a great way to try out two hairstyles, but I know some people like to keep it all the same. What did you do for your portraits?
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the inner box

They packed up my gown very securely - it did not shift, wrinkle, or fold during the delivery process - the folded up my gown in a special way as to not wrinkle it and placed several layers of acid-free tissue paper between the folds. They even put a thin layer of gauze-like material on top of the gown to protect it.

They also included a pair of cotton gauze-like gloves for me to wear when I unpacked and inspected the gown.

Here it is! - they cleaned it, fixed the broken bustles, preserved it for me, and steamed it so it is in ready-to-wear condition.

The Bad:
They didn’t fix everything!

A small portion of the top of the gown was not sewn down on the inside of the dress - so it wasn’t perfect….

Also, my veil is ruined!  When they cleaned/preserved my veil, they used some kind of chemical solution that caused the comb of the veil to RUST onto my veil.

I’m calling them first thing this morning, when they open! I sincerely hope they will fix these problems - since they guarantee their work and are very reputable.

I will definitely let you know!

I want to wait to see what they say before I can properly review my experience with their service.
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