Bachelorette

Saturday night we threw Melissa the best bachelorette we could manage! With everything that has been doing on with her, we just wanted her to have the best possible time. Mission accomplished!

Everyone minus me and plus a few others took a bus to some wineries all day. I met up with everyone for dinner and the bars.

We dressed up to go out downtown in the worst b-maid dresses we could find.

This picture is from the local paper's online photo gallery for Halloween. The caption below it says "A bride and her groomsmen walk down Main Street on Saturday, Oct. 30th." I personally don't feel as if we look manly, thank you!

I pinned a bow to my dress to give due honor to the classic bridesmaid butt bow.

No idea:

It was a great night, and I hope Melissa had a blast!

Also, a hangover at age 24 takes much, much longer to shake than a hangover did a few years ago. Who knew.

What did you dress up as for Halloween?

Bachelorette Debauchery

So, my bachelorette par-tay was Saturday, and it was out of this world.

The day started off with a present for me to wear for the day. It's a personalized bride shirt from the Wedding Chicks, and it was so, so cute.


Alli and I dropped Henry off at my parents for the day and picked up Mary. Henry sits in our laps while we drive. He isn't spoiled or anything, I swear.


We made a pit stop in Perryville at Hoeckle's donuts. It's pretty much the highlight of the town. Obviously:

Our next stop was close to the City Museum, so we stopped for a pic. If you ever visit St. Louis, definitely go here, it's amazing.

Then we were off to the London Tea Room for lunch/tea! Melissa had called ahead and had dessert waiting for us (bad*ss), and we had a lovely lunch and Alli and I shared a pot of tangerine ginger tea.


The tea was awesome. Iced tea would've made much more sense, since it was 90 something outside with 90% humidity...but then we wouldn't have gotten to pour it out of a tea pot, and that just couldn't happen.

My lovely Maids of Honor.


I was presented with a gift at every stop that day (so much spoiling), and Alli got me a mug from an Etsy seller with a Pride and Prejudice quote on it that said "You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you." I love it. I love it even more because Elizabeth totally turned Mr. Darcy down after that proposal. Hehehe. I've had my eye on that mug for forever, thank you Alli!

Then we went antiquing on Cherokee street, which ruled. I love thrifting/antiquing, and new stores are always fun. The owner of the following shop was a real artist, he had stuff I have never seen before, like old circus advertisements. I scored a copy of Pearl S. Buck's Imperial Woman (it's my FAV Pearl S. Buck book, and it's a pretty copy) at the coolest bookstore ever. Hammond's books was a maze and shelves of books were absolutely everywhere. I am 100% going back to spend the afternoon the next time I have a chance.


After 2 and a half hours of antiquing, we saw a restored mansion, the Chatillon-Demenil house. Our tour guide was really quirky and funny and she was an architectural preservationist of some sort, so she had some really interesting things to say about how the home was restored.

Then we went to the zoo! I LOVE the zoo, it's such a happy place. No room for sadness at the zoo. I was forced to wear a crown with a veil (I obviously didn't mind) and one little girl thought I was a princess. My ladies certainly made me feel like one!

The ring is ON IT!


Then we rode the train around....I love this train so much. And Melissa, love her so much too.

See how wonky my hair is? Thank you humidity...another reason I was so impressed that my hair trial worked out!


So it poured after we got off the train but we waited it out at the train station and then headed to dinner. The rainbow made it worth it.


Melissa went to dinner there the night before to drop off centerpieces. She made these herself...isn't she the best?


All of the ladies at Square One Brewery. Yum, beer!


Me and Alli.

I am 99.9% sure I said something totally inappropriate and told my sisters to put earmuffs on. I love how grossed out Mary looks, hehehe!


Do you SEE Alli's face here? I am obviously talking nonsense. That's what 3 beers does to me. Yup, 3 beers...that's why Ryan's marrying me, I'm a cheap date.


Then Alli drove us back to Cape. It was a day that made me feel so cared about and loved. Everything was so thoughtful and amazing and I felt so spoiled. I can't thank Alli and Melissa enough for putting everything together, and all of my bridesmaid's for pampering the pants off of me!

What did you do for your bachelorette party? No bad*ss dance moves like you, Em, the only moves I have I learned from the Wii Dance game!

For the Ladies

Last night, I wrapped the bridesmaid's presents.

Bridesmaids: Please vacate the premises.














I probably shouldn't've wrapped them so early, but I really don't want to be scrambling right before the rehearsal. If I don't do something when I think of it, it probably won't happen.

So I told you all that I made them tote bags, which I finished a long time ago. I ended up having enough scraps of fabric left over from that project to make my bridesmaid's matching jewelry rolls as well.

Sorry about the sideways....



The ribbon unties and you can thread rings through it, and there are 2 good sized zipper compartments to store jewelry in. You roll it up and tie it with the 2 long ribbons (I put little tags on them so people would know what they are).

And here is a tote bag with a jewelry roll:


This set is for Ryan's sister Erin, I love the pop of pink.

I also got a lightweight pashmina for everyone - red for the MOH's, since they're wearing aqua dresses, vice versa for the other B-maids.



So there it is, a bridesmaid present in its full form. They are all wrapped and sitting in a corner. I just need to write cards to the ladies and tie some ribbon and we're all done! Love having this crossed off my list...

I'm really glad I made their presents...I was able to get them more than if I had just bought them presents, and each bridesmaid has a tote bag/jewelry roll with fabric picked out just for them. Plus it was fun.

What are you doing for your bridesmaid's presents?

They're Done!

The bouquets I have been working on since AUGUST are finished! And they are exactly what I had in my head...it is so exciting to be able to create something and have it match up perfectly with what you had in your head, isn't it?

Alli modeled one for me:



Here's more of a close up:



And the bottom so you can see how I covered that not-especially-attractive bouquet holder. The ribbon wrap is 100% perfect but I think it's definitely close enough.


My bouquet is a touch bigger, and will have an aqua handle wrap. I found the rhinestone pins at thrift stores...a few of them are earrings that my dad used his saw/drill thingy to cut the earring part off, then I hot glued a pin back from Hobby Lobby on and pinned them into the bouquet.

So all 5 bridesmaid's bouquets are done, I'm waiting on feathers for mine. I ordered 3 inch feathers that worked nicely for the smaller bridesmaid's bouquets, but they weren't big enough for mine. I got the feathers for an amazing price from Etsy seller SimplySilverbyHeena. She's awesome, so if you need feathers check her out!

I am so thrilled with these, I can't wait to see how they look with my dress!

Want to make your own?

Here's the inspiration for my bouquet, and here's how I made the satin flowers. This is how I shaped the bouquet.

Don't want to make your own because it takes an obnoxiously lengthy amount of time? E-mail me, we'll talk!

So what do you think ladies? Don't they look 1000000x better than this attempt!

Patting myself on the back...

Because I successfully completed some bridesmaid's bags...and I have never seen more beautiful tote bags in all of my life. I am making some for myself after I get all of the ones for the girls out of the way! I am tempted to take a page out of the Selfish Seamstress's book....

I'm going to be obnoxious and show off...here's a completed bridesmaid's bag:


I really like how structured the bag is, it looks really nice and tailored in real life. Once I got the hang of it, the other bags have been going so, so fast. I have 3 100% done and 2 more that just need the handles sewn on and the sides structured. I thought this project would take me forever but that hasn't been the case at all.

I do want to give the bridesmaid's something in addition to these bags, but I'm kind of stuck. The only thing I can think of is a vintage rhinestone pin. I want to give them something they'll really use and love. What are you all giving your bridesmaid's, any ideas for me?

Bags

Ladies who are standing up with me on July 24th, 2010: If you are not Alli or Mary, please go grab some coffee or water, pet your dog(s), or maybe take a nap. This is somewhat of a surprise.












So I'm making tote bags for all of my bridesmaid's, courtesy of the sewing book I got for Christmas, One Yard Wonders. I have all of the fabric together too! The fabric on the far left is for one of Ryan's sisters, its a chocolate brown with lilac detailing. The coral is for Ryan's other sister, the yellow is for one of my sisters, the brown and green is for my friend Melissa, and the 2-D zoo print is for my sister Mary.

Whew.



The chocolate brown, coral and yellow I got at a discount home decor fabric warehouse for $5/yard, which is a great deal for thicker fabric. The brown and green I got at Hobby Lobby with a 40% coupon, and Mary's animal print I ordered offline for maybe $10?

Anyway, I need to buy fabric to line the bags in, but it won't be expensive. I will buy a thicker fabric to line the animal print with since that fabric is on the thin side. The tote bags do much better with a thicker fabric to give them some shape.

I started with the coral, and wow does my machine hate that fabric. It pulled and tugged and was awful to work with. I showed the results to my sister Alli and she said I was being anal retentive, so I'm going to finish it (hopefully tonight) and see how it is. If it's awful, I have another 40% Hobby Lobby coupon I can use to buy more fabric. *Edited to add: I had to buy more fabric last night. Lesson learned!*

It's amazing how fast these go together now that I've made a practice one! I need to get better at cutting accurately.

I'm also hoping to make envelope shaped pouches with the scraps left over from the bags. We'll see!

I feel like I need to add something else to their gifts...we'll see! I want to give them stuff they'll use, and tote bags like this can be used to library books, groceries, work out clothes, anything really.

What are you gifting your bridesmaid's?

Bridesmaids Updates

A few days ago my maid of honor Mary's dress came in from J Crew. She ordered the Clementine, and it was a 20% your order of $150 or more sale, so we didn't have to pay full price. It looked really nice on her, it's a great dress.

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My other maid of honor, Allison, ordered her J Crew dress over Christmas when it was on sale for $100. My mom scored a brand new J Crew aqua dress off Ebay for $20, so Alli will have her choice of dresses.

The other 3 bridesmaid's ordered this dress from David's Bridal

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It's style 83259 and we're getting it in Ruby. It looks kind of shapeless in this picture, but we're pairing it with a sash in Ruby which really makes the dress. The dress was $100 and the sash was $15, so it turned out to be right where I wanted it in terms of price. I wish I could've given the girls a choice, but David's Bridal only had 2-3 dresses in Ruby that weren't cotton, and I didn't think the cotton looked very formal. Of the 2-3 Ruby dresses in satin (the only other fabric option), this was by far the best choice. I wish I could've given the bridesmaid's more of a choice when it came to dresses, but after the mess with J Crew (offering aqua dresses in 4 styles that have the exact same silhouette which might not be flattering on everyone), this is what ended up working out the best. I shopped around Macy's and Nordstroms and the like for red dresses, but with spring coming on, the pickings were slim. I had not idea that trying to give the bridesmaid's a choice would be so difficult! Anyway, the dresses are taken care of, so that's done (whew!).

Now everyone's asking me what color shoes to buy...I'm thinking silver? I don't know, I'm going to leave it up to them.

Also, round one of dress alterations were completed yesterday! I went to the bridal salon after I got off work with my mom and tried it on. It fits like a dream, and it is gorgeous! It was bizarre to be in a dress that fit me so perfectly. The hem is perfect and it lets my shoes peek out just a little bit. The shop had to add 2 points to the bustle to make it lay right and add a hook and eye closure, and then they're going to steam it and it will be done! My mom and I were blown away with the impeccable work the seamstress did. I'll post pics after round 2.

Are your bridesmaid's dresses taken care of? How did you alterations turn out?

Gifts

I don't think I mentioned that I just asked my friend Melissa a few days ago to be a bridesmaid, but I did and I am super excited!

--Attention lovely ladies who are standing up with me July 24th: This post discusses what I am thinking about giving you as a gift. If you like surprises then I would suggest stopping now. Melissa and Alli, this is not news to you, so disregard.--

I now have 5 bridesmaids gifts to get together, but I think I have some ideas that will do nicely. Remember for Christmas my mom gave me that One Yard Wonders sewing book? In the book there are directions to make cloth tote bags that are nicely lined and have a pocket. There are also directions to make these really cute envelope pouches (literally like a cloth padded envelope with a button or a ribbon to close it). I thought that making each girl a bag and a pouch would be great for bridesmaid's gifts. I want to make each girl a bag and a pouch and have the bag and pouch coordinate, but get everyone a different pattern/color scheme. I'm also thinking (depending on the fabric) about embroidering their initial on the bag.

Have you seen how cute fabric is nowadays?

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It's an Alexander Henry print from his Lorenza collection, and it's $8.95 a yard. A bit high, but I don't need much yardage for these projects, 1.75 yards max (I am way, way overestimating) per set of pouch and bag.

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I should probably save that fabric for baby gifts, but I love it.

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My sister Alli is loving that coral color right now, this would be great for her.

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Melissa is getting married in November, and her colors are sage green, chocolate brown and champagne. I thought it'd be cute to make her stuff in her wedding colors and then she could use the bag to carry essentials on her wedding day (by her carry I mean me, I am there to help!). She has more traditional tastes than I do, and this is awfully mod, so I need to keep looking.

I LOVE this print, I just don't know who for....

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So many options, ahhh!

For Melissa, I know what colors I'm looking for. For my sister Alli, I'd like to find a really modern print with apples on it (she loves apples and they're kind of Orla Kiely-esque). If not, something in a coral color. She likes the really modern graphic stuff like I do. For my sister Mary....something with donuts on it would be funny (that girl really, really loves her donuts) but I don't want it to look kitchsy. I'll need Alli's help on that one. But for Ryan's sisters, Erin and Kate, I am drawing a blank. I don't know them well enough yet to know what colors or prints they'd like.

So what do you all think? Would tote bags with a matching/coordinating make-up bag/camera case/pouch for whatever be too Holly Hobby/Susie Homemade/Cheap? Be honest! I know that I would LOVE something like this (I hoard canvas bags, because I use them for everything, groceries, trips to the library, lunch bags, etc.) and I love to have little pouches to organize things in my purse. But while I appreciate a homemade gift, not everyone does, and I get that. Any ideas on fabric for his sisters? What are you doing for you attendants gifts?

New Search

I want my bridesmaids to have a choice in their dresses. I genuinely want them to wear the dresses again, and I think that is much more likely if they are given a variety of dresses to choose from. The original plan was to pick a color and let the ladies decide which style they would like. J Crew was going to be my solution to this, but they are only offering the color that works with the wedding colors in 4 dress styles....and the dress styles are really, really similar. See what I mean?



It's basically the exact same silhouette, over and over again. Plus, all of the dresses are over $200. I am not going to ask these girls to spend $200 on a dress when they have such a limited selection.

So I'm on the hunt for bridesmaid's dresses that don't look like bridesmaid's dresses....and I'm thinking red. One of my maid's of honor bought an aqua dress on sale, and my other maid of honor is going to buy a J Crew dress (there's one she really likes, and my mom is paying, so it isn't coming out of her 17 year old pockets, which I would feel awful about). I think that having the maids of honor in aqua and the bridesmaids in red will look really good and be a good way to set apart the maids of honor.

I'm really wanting to keep the dresses under $150...so I'm appealing to you lovely ladies (and gent/s?). Where should I look for affordable red dresses with a decent variety of styles? I've looked at David's Bridal, but they don't have many options in short dresses (though it would work as a last resort).

So any suggestions? And are you setting your maid(s) of honor apart in any way?

More Options

I posted here about how thrilled I was that J Crew is bringing by Tropical Aqua for the spring, that color will be perfect for bridesmaid's dresses.

After browsing through their spring preview once or twice (ahem, more like ten times), I realized that only 4-5 dresses will be available in that color. Normally not a big deal, but the style of dresses is very, very similar. I want to give my bridesmaid's more options than that, so I have a couple of ideas....

1. J Crew also has a color called "fresh mint." Here it is:

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It's pretty close to aqua, and I'd need to see this up close to the aqua to be sure, but I think that fresh mint and tropical aqua might work nicely. Different shades of aqua, you know? I'd have to see it in person, though.

2. David's Bridal has a color called ruby that is the perfect red, and there are 6 dress styles that come in that color. Actually more than that, but I'm not counting the long dresses.

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There's a David's Bridal in St. Louis, so Ryan's sisters wouldn't have to drive to my hometown to try this dress on.

So I'm thinking, have the girls see if they like any of the Tropical Aqua dresses from J Crew. If they don't, we'll see how the Fresh Mint and the Tropical Aqua look together. If that doesn't work, they'll have another 6 options to choose from at David's Bridal.

I know that every bride says that they want their bridesmaid's to be able to wear their dresses again...but I mean every word of that! I hope that giving the bad*ss women who are standing up with me as many options as I have will increase the odds of the dress being worn again.

What are you doing for bridesmaid's dresses?

Tropical Aqua

Remember when I tried on those J Crew wedding dresses a few months ago, and I found the tropical aqua color J Crew has for some of their special occasion dresses? The wedding consultant at the store didn't know if J Crew would come back out in the spring and she told me to keep checking.

So, last week I was checking out the Bridal section of J Crew stalking my bridesmaid's dresses, and they have a spring preview up. I was flipping through it, hoping to see the tropical aqua color that would be ideal bridesmaid's dresses, and didn't see it. I randomly e-mailed their wedding consultant and asked her if tropical aqua would be making a reappearance.....and this was her reply:

Stacy,

We will have the tropical aqua available in our Silk Taffeta dresses in the Spring Collection. This collection will be available around January. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Best Wishes,

Lauren Harris

J.CREW

Sweet success! Sweet sweet success!

I like the bridesmaid's dresses so much, that I bought one for myself! It was on J Crew's final sale a couple months ago. I wore it to a wedding in September:


And here it is full length with red shoes (they're brand new BCBG peep-toe pumps, I got them at Plato's Closet for $10!):


Basically, I'm in love with this dress. The aqua is pretty much perfect, and the taffeta is such good quality and has a pretty sheen to it. Hopefully the bridesmaid's will love them as much as I do!

I am so relieved that J Crew is coming back out with this color. As soon as the dresses come out in January, I'm going to get all of the bridesmaid's together up in St. Louis and have them pick a couple dresses they'd like to try. It'll work the same way the wedding dress try-on session worked: they'll pick out the dresses they want to try on and let me know what size, and J Crew will bring those dresses in for them to choose from. J Crew's customer service is out of this world!

I'll have the girls pick out whatever dress they'd like in Tropical Aqua. Hopefully there will be a decent selection in the taffeta.

Where are you getting your bridesmaid's dresses from?

One More

My sister Allison is my maid of honor.

When I was shopping with both of my sister's, Mary and Alli, this weekend, Mary said something that made me stop and think. She mentioned that when she gets married, she won't be able to choose between me and Alli for her maid of honor, so she'd just have both of us be the maids of honor.

I thought about it all day. She's right!

So Sunday night, I made sure it was OK with Alli and asked Mary if she would like to be a maid of honor as well.

So now I have two, and I couldn't be happier about it!

By the way, here's Mary in Europe this summer. What's so funny, you might ask?


She just fed a squirrel, and she was really pumped about it.


Now I can force my jock sister to participate in mind-numbing crafting events! *cue evil laugh*

I won't really, but it's funny to threaten Mary with it. I also threatened to make her the flower girl, which was equally hilarious.

Did you switch up your wedding party plans unexpectedly?