Weddingbee Blog

My dress doesn’t call for much in the department of underthings. A simple pair of undies, and that’s about it. Even if it did, most supportive undergarments aren’t the most desirable in the bedroom, anyway.

A quick scan of Nordstrom’s lingerie department led my eye to one particular rack: Elle Macpherson Intimates. Sure, they aren’t full get-ups. They’re bras and undies adorned with lace, see-through mesh, and all things girly and frilly. To put it more simply, they’re plain old pretty.

Unfortunately, they didn’t have my size in the one matching set I liked, but I once I got home, my internet search revealed so much more than what the store contained. First of all, these aren’t as pricey as, say, Agent Provocateur. And, not that I need it, but these come in sizes up to E for girls with what Bruschetta would call Beefsteak-size ladies. Check out these adorable sets:

Infatuation Contour Bra ($80)

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Okay, first let me remind you: I’m decidedly not well-endowed. This Bruschetta’s “tomatoes” are definitely cherry (not Beefsteak) sized.

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I was still surprised, though, at my most recent dress fitting, when one of my, um, tomatoes staged a successful escape over the top of my gown.

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Since I recently made my first fitting appointment, I realized I needed to get cracking on finding all the “underthings” for the dress. First stop? Shapewear.

I had been recommended to Trousseau in Tysons Corner, VA; but that would mean an hour drive in a car with no A/C. So instead, my mother and I swung by Bra La La in Laurel, MD. The main problem with finding undergarments for my dress is that the deep v in the back instantly knocks Spanx, and many others, out of the running. After finding a few low backed styles, we settled on my favorite, which to my surprise was more on the “delicate/pretty” side of the spectrum, vs. the “industrial/military style” that I suspected would be needed.

I then asked for more shapewear because the corset we decided on doesn’t exactly reach the “pouch” area. The girl brought several items that were more on the pretty side and less on the functional side, until I finally had to tell her - I needed her to bring on the big guns, the “tough gals” of the shapewear world. She protested only a moment that I “would want something pretty on my wedding night”. So I informed her of my super secret plan to just change all my underthings before Mr.D and I headed to bed that night. Just try to envision getting industrial strength shapewear off in 7 seconds - it’s possible, but pretty humorous.
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Translation: Always Wear Underwear

For those of you who are dorky like me, a former geek who studied six years of Latin, you’ll know that that is the most incorrect Latin ever. Don’t ask me what actual Latin is, ’cause I couldn’t tell you at this point.

Anyhoo… I started down this path of cheesiness so that I could talk about my undergarment shopping experience. Like many NYC brides, I went to Bra*Tenders in Hell’s Kitchen in Manhattan, and I have to say that what I’ve read about the store was correct. The lovely woman who helped me (I’m so sorry that I am now blanking on her name, which is a shame, because she was so knowledgeable) looked at me and pretty much knew what size I was. No measuring tape required. MAD SKILLZ, yo! Aaaahhhh my size… well let’s just say that the statement that most women are not wearing their correct bra size is indeed correct! What size am I? That I will not reveal, BUT I will say that I never even knew that my size existed!

I was told that while I am lucky to be relatively slender, I am what’s called “full breasted” (I guess I can’t deny that). Most American makers of bras assume that if you are “full breasted”, that you are also full-figured or have a wider back. Au contraire… apparently women in the UK and other parts of Europe have a wider range of bra size options than we do. Boo, Victoria’s Secret! (Hmmm…maybe the lack of size options is the secret.) Dear American bra makers, give us more choice!
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I can rock a low v-neck while maintaining a more than passable level of modesty, because my dip in the gene pool left me rather tiny on top — and normally, I’m totally fine with that. For ladies on the other end of the spectrum, my position could sometimes seem like a mighty fine place to be. But it can definitely be frustrating — more than once, I’ve found a cute top while shopping, only to have to leave it at the store, because the size that’s smallest enough to fit my chest is too tight around my (apparently He-Man-esque) arms. And most bras aren’t readily available in my size, or they lack the necessary padding that makes me feel like I have, in fact, passed puberty. Well-endowed I am not, so you can see why, as my first fitting approached, I was stressing about finding an ideal undergarment.

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So, my “gift wrap” came a few days ago. Mr. CC didn’t want to even see it, but I rushed to the bedroom to try them on.

There are no pictures to document this nightmare.

The pink one:

Wasn’t too bad. They have heavily Photoshopped the stock photo, cause my nipples show right through that see-through fabric. But I guess that’s half the point, aye?

The ivory one, on the other hand:
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When I visited my mom on Sunday, she gave me a gift that one of her friends had left for me. It was some lingerie. And it came just in time. (BTW, I didn’t know Victoria’s Secret sells Betsy Johnson.)

I had on my mental checklist to purchase a little something for our wedding night, but it was waaaay low on the priority list.

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So, now I don’t have to! It’s white, bridal-y, simple, and fits! I love when unexpected things work out just right!

What does your wedding night lingerie look like?

After the toasts have been made, the cake has been cut, and the garter has been tossed, the bride and groom make their way to the nuptial bed. I mean, wasn’t that the point? Okay, we obviously haven’t exactly saved ourselves for marriage*, but yeah, after the party is over, I’m guessing he’s going to expect a little party of our own, and probably wants his present wrapped in a pretty package.

The pretty package is causing some serious stress around here.

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Why?
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Um, well hopefully not ALL of them, but I’m crossing my fingers for one in particular (that’s you, Mr. Gloss).

As we discussed here, my workout regimen is not going so hot, so I figure the next best thing to actual weight loss is a weight loss illusion… i.e., SPANX!!

Hey – a girl is allowed to have a little help, right? Fake it till you make it, ladies.

Who knew there were so many SPANX options? The girl at Nordstrom was SUPER helpful—we had a very informative Q&A:
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I’m not well-versed when it comes to buying bras. I usually wear the same Calvin Klein or Gap Body underwire bras I’ve been buying since college. Which leads me to my next wedding-related challenge. Allow me to be frank with you, hive. The “girls” will need some wedding day enhancement. They aren’t the biggest girls in the world, and I’d like for them to really fill out my dress.

(CAUTION: Anyone reading at work, there are undergarment-related photos ahead…)

Here are some of the options I am exploring.

Victoria’s Secret Seamless Bustier: A simple multi-tasker (holds in the tummy, too). It seems low maintenance and easy enough for me to handle.

Cleavage Cupcakes:
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I woke up this morning a little tense from an apparent nightmare. It was about underpants. (?)

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I vaguely remembered something about the reception room not being set up. But what really stirred me was that I didn’t have underpants. That is, I didn’t have the right ones. Sans proper pantalones. Eeek. My first morsel of panic working its way into my wedding planning psyche.
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I find it rude when a cashier doesn’t greet me as I enter their checkout lane. (At Walmart, the credit card pin pad asks you if your cashier was friendly today and I’ve been guilty of checking “no” when deserved.) I’m a no-pickle-on-a-cheeseburger person, and I always request it, so I really dislike getting attitude from a fast food clerk when I bring my pickle-clad burger to the front with hopes of correcting my order. With the way our economy is heading, I really don’t understand why more employers don’t stress the importance of customer service to their employees. My money is good at lots of stores, so please, earn my business by being friendly, courteous, and concerned if I have an issue.

That said, shopping for a bustier to support the girls on the wedding day brought a surprisingly awesome customer service experience at a major department store.

Before I tell you the good, let me tell you the bad. I had my first gown fitting over the weekend, so a few weeks before, I knew I needed to purchase the appropriate undergarments to go with my dress. I needed a strapless, nude, or ivory long-line bra, so I set out to what I thought would be the best place to find one—a bridal store. I’m not going to name names, but this was a bridal chain store for which I’ve read positive reviews for their bra offerings.

When I got to the store, I told them what size bra I normally wear, but told them I was unsure about size since I heard the long-line bras fit differently. The sales attendant handed me two sizes and showed me a dressing room. She said to holler if I needed help and then walked away. Well, I’m not Gumby, nor am I as flexible as an Olympic gymnast, so putting on a long-line bra by myself was near impossible.
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As the wedding date looms closer and closer, I’ve begun to think about not only my dress and accessories, but what I will be wearing underneath my dress, if you catch my drift. Tee hee hee!

I’ve searched high and low for things that will not only tickle Mr. Powder Puff’s fancy, but will also serve a purpose. Namely, to make me look and FEEL my gorgeous best on the big day.

And since I love you all so much, I’ll give you a peek into my trousseau.

When I think of weddings, I envision comfort, breeziness, breathability, with a hint of sexiness. Which is where these bad boys come in.

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So, my first dress fitting is today!! I am so nervous.

It won’t actually be my dress, but a muslin of my dress made to fit my body!! While I have been working extra hard to get my body into shape (I’ll post on this soon), I figured it wouldn’t hurt to have some extra under-roo help.

So, I went looking for the holy Mecca of underwear shapers—Spanks!!!

With the help of the woman in the undies department, I grabbed a few shapers and headed to the dressing room.

First up, the Spanks shaper and smoother.

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I hate to go against the grain, but I didn’t love the Spanks! They were totally comfortable, and they made everything smoother, but it didn’t feel like anything was sucked in.
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Of course, we hear from our grandmothers and mothers that we need something OLD, something NEW, something BORROWED, and something BLUE. I was thinking this would be pretty simple, because I have my great-grandmother’s rosary as my OLD, my dress as my NEW, and my jewelry (hopefully) will be BORROWED, but I just couldn’t think of a visible blue. I wanted it to be something visible, so that my family members could say, “Ah, there’s her blue.” I had thought about dyeing my crinoline, a la Avocado’s post, but I was afraid of messing up an expensive crinoline! So, I thought about my garter instead. I originally wanted an LSU garter, since that’s my and Mr. BF’s alma mater. I went online, and nothing was grabbing my attention. I’m really not much of a lace fan, so I knew I’d have trouble with lacy garters.

Out of boredom, I logged onto Etsy and found Garter Lady. She has CUTE garters at really reasonable prices! Check out some of what she has!

I immediately thought of Mrs. Sea Breeze with her purple wedding day accessories when I saw this one!

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