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!
Underwear! Yes, this is a post about underwear. Woo? Woo! After I made a decision about my dress, I was then faced with the question of what I was going to wear under my dress. Luckily for me, I had the dress at home in my closet. This meant that I was able not only to have impromptu fashion shows (and mirror photo shoots) but also to try out a variety of undergarments in preparation for alterations.
A reminder of my dress, an example of said mirror photo shoots
My dress is strapless, so I knew that I had a few options: wearing a strapless bra, sewing in built-in cups, or going braless. I wasn’t at all excited about the third option. I wear a 34/36C, and I always feel a little awkward (read: jiggly) going braless. I was also a little worried about the second option. The consultant at the store warned me that sewing cups into this specific dress might not give me much support. My wedding day is one time that I don’t want to worry about adjusting or fixing or smooshing things back into place. So option one it was!
Mrs. Ladyfingers, Saint Petersburg, FLAge and Occupation: 30, Marketing ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Sports WriterEngagement Date: December 24, 2010Wedding Date: November 2011Venue: Palma Sola Botanical ParkAbout Me: I hail from Oklahoma, he was born and raised in Long Island. Fate brought us together, and now we live in a cute little rental house with our nutty dog, and our aloof cat. We both love to read, watch movies, explore our town, and laugh like hyenas. When I’m not obsessively wedding crafting, I enjoy stalking style and decorating blogs, making collages and painting, napping, thrifting, rearranging our bookshelves, and being a total weirdo with my friends. Hi!
After the must-have perfume search, my next slightly frivolous purchase was my wedding day underpinnings. I’m blessed by my dress (not by my bod) to not have to don constricting foundation garments or long-line bustiers, so all that I needed was a little pair o’ panties. I started where I always do—online.
Let’s just say I don’t own a ton of lingerie. It makes me nervous, and ends up not being, um… worn very long, so it strikes me as kinda unnecessary. My idea of “sexy panties” are these:
An actual pair of undies I own, and trot out for “sexy nights”/ Image via Target
I wanted something more grown up, feminine, and “special occasion-y, but I was discouraged that all my wedding panty searches were unearthing such finds as these:
Mrs. Cannon, Toledo, OHAge and Occupation: 27, Financial AnalystFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, AssemblerEngagement Date: February 28, 2011Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: Epworth UMC & Ward PavilionAbout Me: I'm the curious combination of being a go-with-the-flow, laid back, obsessive planner. I try desperately to stay as busy as possible at all times (and am succeeding big time right now!) My biggest loves in life are Law & Order: SVU, Community (the show, not the concept, although I like that, too), ice cream, white cheddar popcorn, beer, hiking, knitting, decorating, writing, being outside, spending time with friends and family and musical theater. Mr. Cannon is pretty sweet, too. We've had a lot of fun traveling and having adventures all over the country, but have finally moved back near our hometown to settle down. We're planning a low-key, colorful, fun wedding and an awesome-to-the-max reception.
I’ve posted a few pictures of myself here, so you may have noticed something about me. In case you haven’t, I will post this um, over-exposed picture from Mother’s Day to make it clear what I’m talking about:
I am, to use the medical term, emboobulated in the chestal region. As this picture illustrates, if my bra is not doing its job properly, and I have made the ill-advised decision to wear a low-cut shirt, it gets, as scientists say, totes ridonkulous. Of course Mr. Cannon just decided to take this completely over the top (ha, see what I did there?) picture without warning me about my problem. Men! *eye roll*
This is highly relevant to my wedding because I have to maintain a tasteful level of mammary exposure during the event known as “church cleavage.” Read more…
Mrs. Snow Cone, Pittsburgh/Johnstown, PAAge and Occupation: 23, Public Health Graduate StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 23, EngineerEngagement Date: April 9, 2010Wedding Date: August 2011Venue: OMOS Church ceremony/Sunnehanna Country Club receptionAbout Me: I’m one of the lucky ones---I met my future husband at the ripe old age of 13, started dating him as a mature woman of 15, and have been enjoying the ride ever since. Here we are, 8 years later, living in Pittsburgh, planning a "homestination" wedding in the place our school romance began---Johnstown, PA. I thrive on talking a mile a minute, eating my weight in chocolate, and internet shopping. I love a lengthy to-do list almost as much as I love a healthy amount of chaos in my life. Mr. Snow Cone and I watch countless episodes of Friends and The West Wing on repeat, root for rival college sports teams, and make each other laugh each and every day. We’re putting together a small-town wedding with a big personality and a classically modern (or modernly classic?) look for 250 of our closest family and friends. It’s been 8+ years in the making, and sometimes I still can’t believe I’m finally getting to marry my high school sweetheart!
A good wedding day look requires a good number of facets to be working together flawlessly. The hair, the makeup, the dress, the jewelry, the veil, the shoes. All brides want these pieces to come together effortlessly and beautifully, creating a vision in bridal beauty, no doubt. One piece of the puzzle that doesn’t get its moment in the spotlight but is still hugely responsible for the overall look coming together is the undergarmentry. Without the proper underwear, it’s easy for a beautiful dress to drape awkwardly over any one person’s body, a rather unsightly smudge on the otherwise ideal look.
In order to avoid any lumps or bumps in my mid-section, I decided to invest in my first piece of shapewear for w-day. I decided to go with Spanx Super Power Panties, as seen here:
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.
It is time to get alterations done on my dress which means figuring out what exactly I’m going to wear underneath it. I decided to scope out the shapewear at Victoria’s Secret—specifically the bust minimizing strapless bra. I may have mentioned that my dress didn’t zip up so I was curious what kind of effect this bra would have. I put on my old standby strapless bra, measured the ol’ bust, put the tape measure in the purse and hightailed it to my closest Vickie’s.
My thoughts on the strapless minimizer? I have never found a strapless bra that actually felt supportive. It has underwire and is made out of a super stretchy supportive fabric. It also has some strong elastic in the back that keeps things in place.
Mrs. Pony, Bloomington, ILAge and Occupation: 25, AttorneyFiance's Age and Occupation: 34, AttorneyEngagement Date: March 22, 2010Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: Mackinaw Valley Vineyard; Bloomington Center for the Performing ArtsAbout Me: I found my Southern counterpart in law school and since he popped the question last March, we have been busy graduating, job searching, bar taking, and wedding planning. My loves include must see TV, magnets, quotes, anything green, my car, fun socks, the Cubs, and my Mr. Together we love wine, playing outside, and exploring the world together. Stay tuned to see our Midwest wedding full of Southern charm, vintage flair, lots of DIY details, and a whole lot o’ wine.
After three attempts and no suitable garter, I turned to the internet and found this tutorial. Although it took my addled brain a few minutes to understand what was written, I figured it out and made my garter in no time. Because I changed a few things, here are is my tutorial for DIY-ing your own garter.
Materials needed: lace, ribbon, elastic, two safety pins, sewing machine, and hot glue gun.
Step 1: Measure out your materials. I just wrapped the elastic around my leg where it was comfortable and cut it, but you can be more precise and use a ruler if you are so inclined. I like to take shortcuts, which you will notice a lot during this tutorial. To measure the ribbon and lace, I just wrapped them around my leg twice and cut them. If you want more ruffles in your garter, just cut these a little longer.
Note: For this tutorial, you should make sure that your ribbon is wider than your elastic. In my case, I used 3/4″ elastic and ribbon that was about 1 1/4″. This gave me plenty of fabric to create the necessary gathering for the garter.
Step 2: Hot glue your ribbons together. You could sew them and make them look nicer if you wish, but my glue skills are marginally better than my sewing skills, so I stuck with the glue.
Step 3: Sew one edge of your ribbon to your lace. It will then look something like this:
Mrs. Pony, Bloomington, ILAge and Occupation: 25, AttorneyFiance's Age and Occupation: 34, AttorneyEngagement Date: March 22, 2010Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: Mackinaw Valley Vineyard; Bloomington Center for the Performing ArtsAbout Me: I found my Southern counterpart in law school and since he popped the question last March, we have been busy graduating, job searching, bar taking, and wedding planning. My loves include must see TV, magnets, quotes, anything green, my car, fun socks, the Cubs, and my Mr. Together we love wine, playing outside, and exploring the world together. Stay tuned to see our Midwest wedding full of Southern charm, vintage flair, lots of DIY details, and a whole lot o’ wine.
This past weekend I got the itch to make something for the wedding. Not being one to ignore my urges (mmm…ice cream), I quickly started looking for the easiest task on my list of DIY projects to conquer. (I said was feeling creative, not overly ambitious.)
Originally, I wanted to start on our cake topper, but my inspiration well was dry on that front, so I moved on. Deciding I was too lazy to drive anywhere to pick up additional materials, I knew this project would have to be one in which all the components were at my disposal. Looking around, I realized I had enough elastic, fabric scraps, and lace to make a garter. What I lacked was a plan. Undeterred, I sought inspiration and assumed I would figure out how to make something wonderful from pure internet osmosis.
I found plenty of gorgeous pictures to get my creative juices flowing:
Mrs. Hyena, College Station, TXAge and Occupation: 23, Marketing SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Aerospace Engineering Grad StudentEngagement Date: January 8, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Downtown 202About Me: I'm a Texas girl who met my future hubby in high school, then headed up to Oklahoma for a college education (BOOMER SOONER!) before moving back to the Lone Star State to be with him. I love reading and recycling, Photoshop and reality TV, making lame jokes and then laughing at them, quoting movies, and Mr. Hyena most of all. I'm perpetually early and I like to get things accomplished. When my cat meows at me, I meow back. We're planning a laid-back, unintentionally DIY wedding with a cocktail-party vibe, and can't wait to celebrate our nuptials with our nearest and dearest!
Ms. Sloth, PhiladelphiaAge and Occupation: 35, Account Manager and Fashion BloggerFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Design AdminEngagement Date: December 25, 2009Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Bartram's GardenAbout Me: I'm an internet junkie and music snob with a good eye for a bargain. I couldn't live without thrift store shopping, cheeseburgers, sushi, Coke Zero, websites devoted to silly photos of baby animals, Photoshop, and Mr. Sloth. Speaking of which, he and I are a pair of goofball homebody nerds who love our beagle (the most ridiculously adorable dog EVER) to an embarrassing degree. We're planning a low-key and intimate yet festive and quirky outdoor wedding with DIY details and deeply personal touches, and it's all taking place in the city where we fell in love and call home: Philadelphia.
Okay, hive. Today, we’re going to talk about chub rub, which Urban Dictionary defines as “the rubbing and chafing of chubby thighs against one another during long walks or duration of activity.”
Yeah, I suffer from chub rub whenever I wear a skirt or dress without tights. Although I think that “chub rub” is a bit of a misnomer, because I’ve suffered from this all my life, when I was a size 6 and when I was a size 16. It’s just the way my thighs are shaped. They rub together no matter how big or small they are. So I’m going to call it “not-just-chub rub,” or NJCR for short.
I’ve tried different solutions to NJCR. I’ve rubbed deodorant on my inner thighs to create a protective barrier. It helped with the chafing, but felt kind of gross. Last year, Mrs. Rainbow turned me on to using Monistat Chafing Gel instead of my usual Smashbox Photofinish Primer (it’s the same formula, but the Monistat is waaaaay cheaper), I figured I’d try that on my thighs, since that’s what it’s made for. Again, it helped with the chafing, but didn’t help with the fact that my thighs rubbed together, and in the summer, it could get sweaty (sorry to be so gross).
My solution in high school and college was to wear spandex biker shorts under everything. Keep in mind that I was in high school and college in the late ’80s/early ’90s, so the only biker shorts I could find looked like this. The HORROR!
Mrs. Waffle, AustinAge and Occupation: 31, Costumer/ArtistFiance's Age and Occupation: 33, AnimatorEngagement Date: July 27, 2010Wedding Date: June 2011Venue: Hummingbird HouseAbout Me: My life is pretty much spent in a sea of fabric, paint, sequins and drama. When I’m not working, I play on a trivia team, take Broadway dance classes, read, buy shoes, and occasionally geek out on video games. I am an American girl who loves all things British and Mr. Waffle is a Brit who loves all things American...I guess it was meant to be!
While preparing for my fitting today, I was thinking about what in the world I was going to wear under my dress. I’m pretty picky and finicky when it comes to underpants. For a girl of my stature, I’m carrying quite a bit of luscious luggage in the back. I’ve gone through a lot of trial and error with finding exactly the brand, shape and size of underwear that are comfortable and won’t ride up the booty. Goodness knows, I do NOT want to be this…
WEDGIE PICKING BRIDE
Therefore, I am going to skip looking for pretty, lacy, fancy pants and head straight for the underpants I know and trust, which makes me soooooo happy I decided to go with a gown that is fuller on the bottom instead of a mermaid or trumpet style. If I had to wear a thong all day, I would be miserable.
Lucky for me, there are some really sweet and cute styles out there right now in my favorite cuts that would be perfect for my something blue and keep me comfortable all day long.
Ms. Sloth, PhiladelphiaAge and Occupation: 35, Account Manager and Fashion BloggerFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Design AdminEngagement Date: December 25, 2009Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Bartram's GardenAbout Me: I'm an internet junkie and music snob with a good eye for a bargain. I couldn't live without thrift store shopping, cheeseburgers, sushi, Coke Zero, websites devoted to silly photos of baby animals, Photoshop, and Mr. Sloth. Speaking of which, he and I are a pair of goofball homebody nerds who love our beagle (the most ridiculously adorable dog EVER) to an embarrassing degree. We're planning a low-key and intimate yet festive and quirky outdoor wedding with DIY details and deeply personal touches, and it's all taking place in the city where we fell in love and call home: Philadelphia.
When I bought my BHLDN dress, I was so, so, so excited that it had a built-in support, which meant that I wouldn’t need to find a long-line bra.
But then I made an appointment with a seamstress (is that a PC term anymore? It sounds so outdated and sexist to me, like “stewardess.” Howzabout I call her a “dressmaker” instead, even though she is not making my dress?) and while I was speaking to her on the phone, the dressmaker suggested that I buy a long-line bra anyway, just in case.
It’s been about a million years since I’ve bought new bras (you should see how stretched out and ratty my bras are right now, oops), and after losing 30 pounds, I have no idea what my bra size actually is. So instead of ordering a bra online and crossing my fingers that it would fit, I decided to go for a good, old-fashioned bra fitting.
I Yelped and found a little shop just a few blocks from my office, so I headed out on my lunch break. Read more…
Mrs. Rainbow, TampaAge and Occupation: 22, Makeup ArtistFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Electrical Engineer/ProgrammerEngagement Date: November 27, 2008Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: The Gamble PlantationAbout Me: I'm a quirky (and slightly Type-A) freelance makeup artist who was born in Washington State, raised in Alabama, and now living with my one and only in sunny Florida. I'm fashion and beauty obsessed, and have recently discovered my inner domestic diva extraordinaire. I'm a wannabe chef, decorating addict, and trying desperately to be as crafty as possible---albeit only with a glue gun. I'm hopelessly in love with my fiance, and all things sparkly and feathery. Despite the glittery exterior, I'm a total hippie on the inside. When I'm not making up pretty faces, I love doing what I can to help people, animals, and the environment. Someday the FI and I will change the world, but first we're tackling our modern-vintage-Marie-Antoinette-meets-Alice-in-Wonderland inspired wedding. I just can't wait to be Mrs. Rainbow!
I know everyone is going crazy about BHLDN, the new Anthropologie bridal line. They definitely have some undeniably gorgeous wedding gowns, but what really piqued my interest was their lingerie.
I’ve seen the dresses and accessories, but it seems the lingerie is a bit of an unsung hero.
Mrs. Lioness, AtlantaAge and Occupation: 25, Physical TherapistFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, AttorneyEngagement Date: August 29, 2009Wedding Date: April 2011Venue: Anthony’s Fine DiningAbout Me: I’m a Southern girl with New England roots. I say "wicked" and "y’all" in the same sentence and I like to drink sweet tea with my lobster. Mr. Lion and I are both former Floridians now living in Atlanta, which fortunately is still SEC country...Go Gators! We both love baseball, coffee, traveling, cooking, and playing Words with Friends with each other on our iPhones all day long. I’m very passionate about the things and the people I love, and I tend to plan things with all of my heart...our wedding, of course, is no different! Oh, and also Mr. Lion is a first generation American of Cuban descent. I may look more like Lucy than Ricky, but I’m doing my best to incorporate some Latin elements into our vintage-garden-Southern wedding!
Get it? It’s a play on P. Diddy’s (or whatever he’s calling himself these days) “Vote or Die.” Well, I think that sounds a little dramatic; but seriously, you should vote. On what, you ask?
Mrs. Ostrich, San Francisco/HawaiiAge and Occupation: 30, Fashion Buyer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 38, CopywriterEngagement Date: October 4, 2009Wedding Date: April 2011Venue: Sweet ceremony by the sea and sunset celebration on the North Shore of HawaiiAbout Me: Born in the city of angels and residing in the city by the bay, I’m a fearless fashion buyer by day, a passionate blog author by night and a dreamy bride-to-be in between. I thank my lucky stars to live in such a stunning city that gives me gifts like organic honey lavender ice cream, movie nights in the park, tucked away beaches, legendary record stores, '80s dance parties, awesome sports teams, stellar flea markets, and vintage bookshops. Oh, and I love to dance! We always find every excuse to escape to the beach, and decided a little seaside wedding in Hawaii is our idea of bliss. Full of our favorite people, music, food and sparkly lights, this is one sunset celebration we will always remember.
If there’s one thing I don’t want, it’s an outline of my under stuff. Read more…
Mrs. Brooch, Arlington, VAAge and Occupation: 25, Writer/EditorFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Front Desk ManagerEngagement Date: October 3, 2009Wedding Date: April 2011Venue: Oxon Hill ManorAbout Me: I’m an indecisive girlie-girl with a motor mouth, can-do attitude, and knack for making others laugh. I dream of becoming a best selling novelist like Elizabeth Gilbert or Julie Powell (a girl can dream, right?), and love long road trips, a beautiful countryside, music, blogs, books, and all things vintage/thrift/antique/or homemade. I’m a Virgo, i.e. overly sensitive, emotional, and critical, and there’s no such thing as short and sweet in my world. I want to say and do it all. Mr. Brooch grounds me. I point where to go and he figures out the way. He’s a pragmatic fancy-pants who enjoys video games and movies. We both adore our mutt, Rocky, and spending time with our amazingly supportive family and friends. We’re planning a garden wedding with a formal reception with lots of whimsy and unique, Southern-inspired details.
…is after Christmas, when Victoria’s Secret celebrates their Semi-Annual Sale…
I’m not sure about you guys, but I want a fresh wardrobe of bras and panties when I cross over from Miss to Mrs.! I know it seems silly since he’s seen it all before (*ahem*), but there’s something about wearing a new set that makes me feel new, special, and sexy, which is EXACTLY how I want to feel on our honeymoon. Read more…
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
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