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!
Do you see the problem? She is having a really hard time raising her arms above her head!! Those straps are surprisingly restricting, making it near impossible to raise your arms above shoulder height. Obviously, I don’t really care all that much, seeing as I bought the dress, but it does present somewhat of a problem when it comes to one main part of the wedding: The first dance. You see, Mr. Elk is about a foot taller than me, and so it is imperative that I be able to actually reach his shoulders, a feat that may not be possible with those straps!
Mrs. 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.
After finding my dress, my next mission was shoes. (I would love to show pictures, but the mister assured me he wouldn’t be able to avoid the temptation! So you’ll have to get by with my rather elusive description.) My dress is a very classic modified A-line gown with a bit of a vintage look. (I’m sure that doesn’t help at all!) I wanted a shoe that reflected a similar style. I also knew that I loved color, but I wasn’t necessarily set on it. I wanted something somewhat delicate and definitely feminine. The downfall was that it had to be a flat/kitten heel.
I’m not a super-tall girl, but at 5’7”, I am above average height. The dress I ordered fit me perfectly at the length it was, but the catch was that I would only be able to wear a minimal heel. I did have the option to add additional length, but at a couple hundred bucks for a few inches plus extra alterations fees, it just didn’t seem practical. (Plus, I’m a total flats girl anyways. I love you, Tory Burch!) With Momma and Sis Hawk in tow, we hit up every major department store in Richmond, plus made a trip to the Williamsburg outlets. I was extremely disheartened, finding really only two viable options:
(Please excuse my horribly swollen feet after a full day of shopping)
Personal Photo
(Left: Vera Wang Lavender Label “Luna” flat, Right Kate Spade “Marlena,” which comes in ivory)
The next day we visited Carytown, a quaint area in Richmond’s uptown neighborhood featuring strictly boutique shopping. In the first store we visited, I found these:
Mrs. Mole, Los Angeles/Las VegasAge and Occupation: 29, Test Prep InstructorFiance's Age and Occupation: 31, User Experience ArchitectEngagement Date: April 2011Wedding Date: January 2012Venue: Wynn Las Vegas/Bouchon BistroAbout Me: I’m a Wisconsinite-turned-Angeleno who is planning a destination wedding in Las Vegas. I am passionate about education: I spent 23 (!) consecutive years in school, and now I work to help other people get into graduate programs. I love running on the treadmill, buying bath products from Lush, learning new moves in step aerobics, and exploring my neighborhood on foot. I am sometimes snobby about food, but I am rarely snobby about books. I read everything from Geoffrey Chaucer to Iris Murdoch to Chuck Klosterman to Candace Bushnell. My fiance and I are getting married on our third anniversary!
In some cultures, pearls are said to represent tears. As such, brides are cautioned against wearing them on their wedding days so that they do not begin their new lives with sorrow. Interestingly enough, there is also a counter superstition: pearls take the place of a bride’s real tears, thus eliminating any sadness and leading to a joyful marriage.
If the latter superstition is true, I am going to be one happy wife. (We won’t talk about the implications of the former!) I absolutely love pearls, and I am going to be wearing them on my wedding day. In fact, I am going to be wearing a lot of pearls.
Remember those Kate Spade shoes that the hive helped me decide to wear? They have pearl details on them.
Pearls on the toes
My mother is also going to be giving me for my birthday a pair of crystal and pearl earrings. They were the perfect find, especially since they match my dress’s belt!
Mrs. High Wire, DallasAge and Occupation: 23, Legal AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Director of CommunicationsEngagement Date: October 9, 2010Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: Clark GardensAbout Me: My loves include yoga, anything spicy, our eccentric cat, our rambunctious dog, and Mr. High Wire, of course! Like the steadiness act of the tightrope walker, this gal is busy balancing life while planning a wedding to the man of her dreams. We’re hosting a laid-back, vintage-inspired, bird themed wedding with heavy doses of love, good eats (did someone say tacos and margaritas?), and endless Texas charm. Mr. High Wire and I are so happy to have you along for the walk across the tight rope.
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!
Alternative title: How I Ended Up With Two Pairs of Wedding Shoes
Like pretty much any woman who has ever existed, I love shoes. Heels, sandals, and fancy sporty shoes. Designer shoes to Payless shoes, I love them all. Lately, I spend most of my time online looking at shoes that I can’t afford. Or you know, couldn’t possibly walk in.
I would break all sorts of body parts in these babies.
Christian Louboutin “ballerina” heels / Image via Glamour.com
A couple of weeks ago, my favorite shoe site, Kate Spade hosted a “Friends & Family” sale. 30% off EVERYTHING in stores and online. I think I literally squealed in my chair. Mr. Warbs looked kind of worried. A Kate Spade shoe sale meant that I could now possibly afford to buy the shoes I’d been coveting for months:
Mrs. Mole, Los Angeles/Las VegasAge and Occupation: 29, Test Prep InstructorFiance's Age and Occupation: 31, User Experience ArchitectEngagement Date: April 2011Wedding Date: January 2012Venue: Wynn Las Vegas/Bouchon BistroAbout Me: I’m a Wisconsinite-turned-Angeleno who is planning a destination wedding in Las Vegas. I am passionate about education: I spent 23 (!) consecutive years in school, and now I work to help other people get into graduate programs. I love running on the treadmill, buying bath products from Lush, learning new moves in step aerobics, and exploring my neighborhood on foot. I am sometimes snobby about food, but I am rarely snobby about books. I read everything from Geoffrey Chaucer to Iris Murdoch to Chuck Klosterman to Candace Bushnell. My fiance and I are getting married on our third anniversary!
Our apartment is beginning to fill with items for our wedding. Now don’t worry; we aren’t at Hoarders level yet. I am in no danger of getting crushed by a falling stack of programs in the living room or swallowed by a sea of washi tape hidden behind the pantry door. However, there are favor cards in the desk. There are invitation samples on the bookshelf. There is a sparkly hair clip in the medicine cabinet. And there are three new shoe boxes in my closet. That’s right. I have purchased three pairs of shoes for one occasion.
(And I almost bought another pair today. PSA: Nordstrom Rack at the Howard Hughes Center in Los Angeles has two pairs of white satin Jimmy Choo pumps for $49.99. Size 38.5/8.5 and 41/11.)
Mrs. Raccoon, IndianapolisAge and Occupation: 22, StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Graduate StudentEngagement Date: Christmas 2010Wedding Date: January 2012Venue: Catholic Church, Chateau Thomas WineryAbout Me: I'm a wholesome Midwestern girl, TV series junkie, professional shower singer, and Anglophile. I love my fiance, crock pot cooking, my cat Heepo, going for the gusto, and all things wedding. Mr. Raccoon is pretty sweet, too! He’s a mad scientist that loves to travel. We met my first night on campus and have been inseparable since.
Remember at the beginning when I went on and on about picking dresses for the bridesmaids and then never shared what we actually chose? Oops! To make up for it, here is a picture of Bridesmaid Paws showing off the final selection!
I think the girls will be rocking mismatched shoes with this one!
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!
When I first thought of wedding shoes, I thought “mmm, k.”
I am not a shoe girl. I have never paid more than maybe 75 bucks for a pair of dressy shoes. I think the most expensive pair of shoes I own are my UGGs. Does that count? And, yes, I don’t care how “uggly” they are, I love me some UGGs.
Early on in planning I decided I wanted my something blue to be my shoes. Plus, factoring in our peacock/blue color scheme I thought it made a lot of sense.
Apparently I am unconsciously trying to BE Carrie Bradshaw on my wedding day (minus the part where my groom loses his ish and ditches me, only to propose later with some Manolos), because not only did she have the blue shoes, but she also had that peacock thing going on.
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!
If you are any thing like me, (and I am guessing you at least something like me because you are reading and enjoying this wedding blog) you can look at wedding stuff for HOURS, consuming endless hours of websites, magazines, blogs and pictures. I love to soak in all the frilly, glittery, lacy, shiny goodness like a bridal sponge.
I like to obsess over dresses (even though I have chosen mine and could not be happier). There is just so much diversity! Maybe I should just start wearing wedding dresses exclusively. I am pretty sure (finances aside) I could wear a different one every day for a year, and love them all.
Mrs. 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!
As with all well-laid plans, our dress-shopping adventure did not go exactly as intended. You see, our New York City shopping itinerary turned out to go to waste because…wait for it…I bought my dress in Nashville!
Because I am cruel, you are going to have to wait a bit longer to see my dress, BUT because I am not that cruel, I will share another aspect of my wedding-day look: my shoes!
I was apparently on a decision-making roll after purchasing my dress, because while we were in New York (not shopping for wedding dresses) I bought my shoes! I felt a little silly buying them nearly 11 months before the wedding, but I could not resist! I’m pretty sure neither my foot size nor my love for these shoes will be changing anytime soon.
Mrs. Raccoon, IndianapolisAge and Occupation: 22, StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Graduate StudentEngagement Date: Christmas 2010Wedding Date: January 2012Venue: Catholic Church, Chateau Thomas WineryAbout Me: I'm a wholesome Midwestern girl, TV series junkie, professional shower singer, and Anglophile. I love my fiance, crock pot cooking, my cat Heepo, going for the gusto, and all things wedding. Mr. Raccoon is pretty sweet, too! He’s a mad scientist that loves to travel. We met my first night on campus and have been inseparable since.
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!
I don’t even need to tell you why I’m in love. Just look at the TURQUOISE SOLES. Amazing. 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!
I have a problem I need to own up to. I have a serious addiction to all things accessories. My need for accessories can not be quelled. For one, I thought this would be a good organization solution:
Personal photo of my lame closet
It’s now a tangled mess, and that’s just a touch of the mass heap I own.
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!
First and foremost, before we get to the good stuff, I LOVE ZAPPOS. If you haven’t used them yet, find a reason to! Sure, they have a huge selection of shoes. Sure, they have free shipping. Sure, they have a 365 day return policy.
They also sent me two pairs of shoes within 24 hours of ordering them. I didn’t even ask them to…I was perfectly happy waiting 3-5 days for their standard free shipping when I ordered a few pairs one morning back in April. When I got an email early afternoon on the same day saying that they were already being shipped, I thought, “sweet!” Then, when Mr. Foxy texted me around 1PM the day after to tell me that they were just delivered?
My jaw hit the floor. Amazing. And perfect, because I’m probably one of the most impatient people you’ll meet.
As I mentioned, I made this purchase back in April—with spring and Easter season starting up, there were lots of pretty colored shoes out there that weren’t available a few months prior. And one of those colors was fortunately turquoise.
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!
Hive, I have a very exciting wedding event coming up in a few weeks. (You will hear all about it—don’t fret!) So, you all know what that means! I will get to wear my non-wedding bridal shoes!! As luck will have it, the shoes have arrived! Would you like a little peeky-pie?
The BOX! Oooh, look at the hearts! (I think it means I will luv them.)
Image via Style Me Pretty / Photo by Katy Gray
Unique Wedding Favors
