Wedding Wednesday: Dress Rejects

I found the "lost" pictures from the last few rounds of dress shopping! I wanted to share them because I see that some readers are finding my blog by searching for specific dresses. I know when I was dress shopping, I would rather see a dress on a real bride instead of those angry looking 14 year olds that wedding designers use as models.

So, here a few dresses that didn't make the cut!

Allure 2216 - Sadly, it's been so long since I shopped for a wedding dress, that I can't remember exactly what I didn't like about each dress. This one was strapless, which I was really trying to avoid though. (and let's ignore the awkward face, please!)

Casablanca 1875 - Halter, which you know I didn't like much. Also, no tulle which I LOVE. Skirt was just too plain for me, I think.

Casablanca 1899 - I think this one had definite potential. Lots of pretty lace and great straps. It also has a pretty train. I think this one was in my top 5 for sure.

 

Unknown designer - Strapless which I didn't want and the skirt wasn't full enough.

 Unknown designer - One of my bridesmaids picked this one out. I really don't like the look of pick-up skirts. I felt like I had a down comforter around my waist!

Maggie Sottero Lily - I really liked that Maggie Sottero dresses have lace up backs. It made trying them on nice because they would actually close unlike zipper dresses. Plus, they did fabulous things for the waist. Sadly, the Maggie dresses that I was interested in were out of my budget, so I didn't try on many. This dress was pretty, but the skirt wasn't full enough for my tastes.

Unknown designer - This skirt was too full! I really though I'd have a hard time getting down the aisle with this one. Plus, you can't see it, but it was strapless.

 

Unknown designer - Very pretty dress! Loved the lace and the skirt. Hated that it was strapless. 

Remember last week when I told you that I ultimately had to decide between Casablanca 1930 and another dress? This is that dress!

 

Unknown designer - Can you see how similar this dress is to my 1930? Loved the lace, loved the tulle, loved the sash. Ultimately, I just liked the look of the 1930 better, but this was definitely choice #2!

Please leave me a comment if you happen to known designers and/or styles of any of the dresses. I would love to know what they are. Especially, my second choice dress!

Pinterest Sunday

Time for my weekly Pinterest roundup! Every Sunday, I share with you a few of my favorite finds from the previous week.

With the new season starting in just one month, this week's theme is Doctor Who!

First, we combine my love of The Doctor with my owl obsession.

Source: tumblr.com via Jenn on Pinterest

I think the Eleventh Doctor Owl is so cute and oddly, looks just like him!

Next, I'll be passing this along to my crafty sister-in-law.

Source: boingboing.net via Jenn on Pinterest

She's going to make me some Tardis socks as soon as she finds the right shade of blue yarn.

And finally, I want this in my house so badly!

Source: scrappyjedi.com via Jenn on Pinterest

I'm totally keeping my eye out for the perfect cabinet to turn into a Tardis.

Random Ramblings

I found the pictures of the wedding dresses that didn't make the cut during the last few rounds of dress shopping. I'll be sharing those sometime next week. I've noticed that some readers are finding my blog by searching for a specific wedding dress, so I'm glad that I can help out with a few dresses. I know when I was dress shopping, I much preferred to see dresses on real brides and not the angry looking 14 year olds that the designers use in their ads.

I'm working on making a battle plan for the Vera Bradley Outlet Sale. My friend Tricia has never been and my mom hasn't been in a few years, so I want them prepared. I'll be sure to share it with you soon.

Speaking of Vera Bradley, they are have a sale today.
One Day Deal! Sale colors of our Backpack only $59 with the All In One Wristlet only $22. Offer valid Saturday, March 26, 2011.
I don't have either of those bags, but I'm sure they're great products. I love all of my Vera Bradley products!

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Wedding Wednesday: Dress Shopping Take 3

We only had four more bridal salons to in the area to check out. If the dress wasn't found at one of these, I'd have to start looking at stores that were more than an hour away. I don't really remember when I went to the various salons, so I'll just tell you about them.

First up, a small boutique in a strip mall. Let's call it P Boutique. The store was quite small with one wall dedicated to bridal gowns. My mom and I were not very impressed. The sales girls stood talking at the counter and just let us look. I think I might have tried on one dress, but it didn't deserve pictures if I did. We struck out here. (This store has since moved to a better location and is the store where my brother's fiancee found her dress.)

Next up, A's Bridal. It was set in a new shopping center not far from the mall. It was a nice large store, but selection? Try very little! The owner waited on us and she only had a handful of bridal dresses. I knew the place had opened recently, but it was sad. I tried on a few dresses to be nice, but none of them were "the one." (This store has since closed.)

Next, we have B Boutique. We headed here one Saturday morning without an appointment. (Note that I hadn't had an appointment for any of the previous dress shopping trips.) This store previously did not even take appointments and had recently begun accepting them, but there ad's didn't say they were necessary. Well, that Saturday morning, they were. We were told to come back later that afternoon. I was annoyed because if you needed an appointment, why not just say it in your ad? I was so annoyed, that I didn't really want to go back, but my bridesmaids and mom convinced me. Boy, was I glad I did!

The store is very nice with a fabulous selection of dresses. There are dresses everywhere! The salesladies were very nice and helpful. They let us go through the dresses and pull ones that I wanted to try. When I had a good selection of dresses, I was led to a spacious dressing room and my bridal consultant helped me get them on. I was a little nervous about having somebody help me get dressed, but my consultant was so nice that I soon got over it and it seemed pretty normal. Plus, some of those dresses are hard to get into! Here are some pictures of what I tried on...

I don't remember the designer of this dress...I think it may have been Allure as I like many of their dresses. Anyone know?  I loved that it was all tulle. It was very light and floaty, but I didn't want strapless and it just didn't have enough bling for me. This was choice number two.

Choice number one?

Casablanca 1930! Yes, the very first dress I ever tried on! I really loved this dress, but something was holding me back on declaring it "the one."

I tried on other dresses, but they either didn't deserve pictures, or they were lost in the great computer crash that happened in the middle of wedding planning. (Back up your wedding planning files!)

Our last bridal salon was G's. I made an appointment and we headed over there one Saturday to see if they had anything different. I told the consultant what I was looking for and she pulled some dresses she thought would work and I pulled some dresses that looked interesting. I tried on a number of dresses and found a new choice number 2. Sadly, pictures are lost.

Then, my consultant pulled out a dress she had picked. Casablanca 1930! I stood there in the Casablanca 1930 comparing it to the other dress. The consultant asked me what didn't like about the 1930 and I finally figured out what was bothering me.  The halter neck. I don't like halters because it feels like it's pulling on my neck and the 1930 is not a light dress! The other dress had regular straps.

The consultant informed me that that was an easy fix. Casablanca will change the dress for a small price. Suddenly, my dress could look like this...

It was so perfect, I actually teared up! No more dress shopping, this is THE ONE!

In the end, I ordered my dress from B Boutique. The dress was cheaper than G's and they offered some nice benefits for ordering from them. I got a free veil or headpiece (It was a credit up to a certain price, so I ended up only paying $25 for my veil.) Plus, my maids got a discount for ordering their dresses from B. Casablanca made the change from halter to straps for $50 more and I had my perfect dress!

Pinterest Sunday

Time for my weekly Pinterest roundup! Every Sunday, I share with you a few of my favorite finds from the previous week.

Sadly, I didn't pin much this week. It was a bit crazy at work this week, so by the time I got home, I didn't spend much time on the computer.

First up, I'm dying to cut my hair and I really like this style.

Source: home.rasysa.com via Jenn on Pinterest

I want to donate my hair since I've put so much work into growing it out, but I don't have enough to donate yet. As of now, I'm planning on cutting it off for my 30th birthday, which gives me another 10 months to keep growing.

Next, some cuteness just in time for Spring.

Source: acottageinthewoods.tumblr.com via Jenn on Pinterest

I love little bunnies! Unfortunately, I don't think our cats would enjoying having a bunny hopping around the house.

Finally, if you have been following my Pinterest posts, you know I'm obsessed with Ikea spice rack bookshelves.

Source: ohdeedoh.com via Jenn on Pinterest

I just love it! We're planning on making a trip to Ikea next month and I think I'll be grabbing a couple of these while we're there!

The ABC's of Me

My good friend Tricia over at Knackicity did this and I thought it would be a fun post! By the way, if you love a good deal, you should really follow Tricia's blog. She's always finding great deals. Plus, be sure to follow her on Facebook. When she gets to 1,000 followers, she's giving away a $25 Amazon gift card! How awesome is that?

{A} - Age: 23 *cough29cough*

{B} - Bed Size: Queen (A really crappy one. We're on the hunt for a good deal because we desperately need a new mattress!)

{C} - Chore I Hate Doing: Um, all of them! Cleaning the kitchen is my least favorite though. I always manage to convince my husband to do it.

{D} - Dogs: We don't have one currently. (I really want a corgi!) But, my mom has my family's adorable yellow lab, Boomer. And I love Tricia's one-eyed dog, Dewey.

{E} - Essential Start To Your Day Item: Weather report I can't get dressed until I've checked the weather for the day.

{F} - Favorite Color: Pink

{G} - Gold or Silver: White gold or silver

{H} - Height: 5'8"

(I)-Instruments I play: I played the violin for 9 years, but I haven't played for 10 years now, so not sure how good I'd be if I tried I can still read music though which comes in handy during hymns at Mass.

{J} - Job Title: Department Supervisor

{K} - Kids: Someday soon, I hope.

{L} - Live: Northern Indiana

{M} - Mom's Name: Susan

{N} - Nickname: I don't really have one that I know of...Jenn is about as nickname as it gets.

{O} - Overnight Hospital Stays: Just when I was born

{P} - Pet Peeve: I have so many and they change every day. Today's is people who have to be over dramatic about something at all times. My Facebook wall gets ridiculous sometimes.

{Q} - Quote From a Movie:  "You have bewitched me heart and soul and I love, I love, I love you" Pride & Prejudice

{R} - Right or Left Handed: Right

{S} - Siblings: 2 younger brothers


{T} - Time I Wake Up: Depends on my schedule...usually an hour or two before I have to leave for work.


{U} - Underwear:: Boy briefs or hipsters


{V} - Vegetable I Dislike: Peas They are vile!


{W} - What Makes Me Run Late: Husband not setting the alarm or I can't find my keys

{X} - X-Rays I've Had: Mouth and arm


{Y} - Yummy Food I Make: Desserts and fajitas


{Z} - Zoo Animal I Love: Giraffes, penguins, and red pandas

Let me know if you do this and I'll check it out!

Wedding Wednesday: Dress Shopping Take 2

A few weeks after our first shopping trip, we decided to try it again.

We decided to start at a bridal boutique just down the road from the store we first visited. They often have pretty dresses in the window. When we entered the small store, we were greeted and helped by the Hispanic gentleman that owns the store. After he found out what kind of dress I wanted, he began to pull out samples for me to look at. It is very hard to get a good sense of a dress when it's in a plastic bag, so I tried to be open minded and selected a few to try.

Here's where the trip turns comical. The fitting room was basically a closet. It locked from the outside, so if I wanted out of the room, I had to knock on the door and he would open it. And there was no mirror in the room, so to look in a mirror, I had to be let out of the room! Luckily, my mom and my MOH fit in the room with me and they let me know if I should even bother to look in the mirror.

I'll share with you some pictures that my MOH took in the closet. I don't have any info about designers or style. I'm not sure that we even bothered to write them down if the info was even available.

Lace, of course. I don't like spaghetti straps though.

Love what this one did for my waist, don't love the side ruffle there.

 

Mori Lee Blu 4527 This was the only dress that I felt the need to look in the mirror. It was chiffon with lace, both fabrics I liked. However, it was so big that it was hard to tell what it really looked like.

 

Loved the lace, but the front bow was a bit much.

We then headed back to the local boutique we first went to because they had tweeted that they were getting new Maggie Sottero gowns in and I had my eye on a new Maggie. Sadly, after browsing the racks, we realized there were no new dresses. We decided not to waste the trip and had my MOH try on some bridesmaids dresses.

We eventually ended up hitting a wedding boutique in a small town about 20 minutes away. They had a mice selection, fabulous dressing rooms and a friendly staff.

This is Forever Yours 46209.  I liked the lace on top and the back was really interesting.

Casablanca 1875 I really liked Casablanca dresses! This one was nice and the waist is great, but it was a little too plain for my tastes.


I admit that I was comparing every dress I tried on to another one I had tried on previously. Was that dress the one? We still had two more wedding boutiques to visit. What would we find there?

Pinterest Sunday

Time for my weekly Pinterest roundup! Every Sunday, I share with you a few of my favorite finds from the previous week.

Today's theme is "Pricey, but cute!"

First up, spring is coming and that means summer is around the corner. If I was brave enough to actually wear a swimsuit in public, I'd love to have this one.

Source: modcloth.com via Jenn on Pinterest

Next, I really must convince my husband that this would be a nice anniversary present.

Source: kohls.com via Jenn on Pinterest

Love the eyes and that he's sitting on a little branch.

Lastly, I know I'm not pregnant, but I really would like to buy this.

Source: shop.nordstrom.com via Jenn on Pinterest

Nordstrom has a collection of children's clothing based on the Disney ride, It's a Small World. It's all inspired by the artwork of Mary Blair, which I just love. This spring the collection is based on Japan. It will be India in the summer, Scotland in the fall, and Russia in the winter. I cannot wait to see what they come up with for those seasons!

Random Ramblings

Because I just want to get these out of my head...

Why do they make samples of shampoo so hard to open? I got a sample of shampoo and conditioner that is supposed to help split ends (Ew, mine are so bad for some reason and I get my hair trimmed regularly) I'm in the shower and I can't get the stupid thing open. I had to get out of the shower, find some nail scissors and cut it open.

I'm hungry, but have no idea what I want to eat. I hate trying to figure out dinner during Lent. I always want something that involves meat. And I always forget that chicken is in fact meat. (I tend to think of meat as red meat and not white meats.) We had fish on Wednesday night and I'm not feeling pasta tonight. I think I'm going to convince my husband to make me grilled cheese. He makes the best grilled cheese sandwiches!

My boss offered to let me have tomorrow off. Instead of say yes like I really wanted to, I had to be a responsible adult and turn it down because I need money.  My bank account is sad. Luckily, I actually get to work during the day tomorrow so I'll have the evening to be lazy at home. And I have Monday off next week, so it's not too bad. Someday I'll have a job where I don't have to work weekends.

I saw this on Blush!nk today and I just loved it.



First of all, I like this song so much better from a guy's perspective. Secondly, only using his voice and mouth to do all of that? Amazing! I'm off to find more of his work!

Wedding Wednesday: Dress Shopping Take 1

When I finally decided that it was time to start dress shopping, I decided to start at a local boutique that also has a bridal department. My mom, my MOH, and BM T headed there one Thursday when they were open later in the evening.

This particular store carries 3 brands of bridal dresses, Allure, Casablanca, and Maggie Sottero. They were arranged by brand and size and the saleslady allowed us to go through the racks and pull anything in which we were interested. They also had a sale rack of sample dresses for sale. The selection was limited due to a sample sale they had had a week before, but we were able to find several dresses to try.

We got a spacious fitting room and got to work. The saleslady left us alone for the most part, so we were able to sneak pictures of the dresses. (I am unsure what their actual photo policy is and I was too chicken to ask, so we were sneaky.) One bonus for this shop was that the tags on the dresses had the designer, style, color, and price on them, so we were able to get all the information we needed.

Here's what I tried on...

First up, Casablanca 1930. (Forgive the lack of a head in these pictures...the dressing room wasn't quite spacious enough for pictures.) This is a halter a-line dress with a semi-cathedral train. The sample was in ivory and I loved the color. This dress was from the sale rack. If I bought the sample, I could save $300.

Dress #2 is Maggie Sottero's Mirabella. This was also from the sale rack. I am trying to avoid strapless dresses, but I tried this on just to try it. I didn't care for the asymmetrical bottom of the skirt. I did like the corset back because it made the dress fit well.

Dress #3 was Casablanca 1905. Loved the lace on the top, but the skirt was too plain for me. Also, the sash and bow were velvet, which was an odd choice, I felt.

Dress #4 was Casablanca 1937. I liked the style and the lace. (Can you tell I love lace yet?) But, I hated the beading under the bust on this dress. The saleslady thought it would be possible to get the dress without the large beaded flower that I objected to on the front.

Dress #5 was Casablanca 1899 (hmm, can you tell I liked Casablanca's dresses?) This sample was a little big, so it was hard for me to get a good idea of what it really looked like on me. You'll notice my mom is behind me holding the dress tight. I thought this one had some potential.

Dress #6 - Allure 8634 Again, I liked this style and the lace. However, the lace on my shoulders was itchy. It bothered me for the few minutes I had the dress on and I feared it would be worse if I had to wear the dress for a whole day.

Dress #7 - Maggie Sottero Reyna My MOH picked out this dress. It was too plain for my taste. I loved what it did for my waist. It also had a ruffle on the side, which I'm hiding in the picture because I thought it was ugly.

That's all the dresses I tried on for my first shopping trip. I had a great time and got some good ideas of what I did and did not like in a dress.

How was your first dress shopping trip?

Lent

As you may have deduced from some of my Wedding Wednesday posts, M and I are Catholic. M was born and raised Catholic and I converted prior to our wedding. I was baptized and confirmed at Easter 2 years ago, so this is my third Easter as a Catholic.

Lent is a time to give something up and perhaps pick up some new habits. This year I am giving up caffeinated beverages. I do this every year and every year I think it will stick longer than the 40 days of Lent, but after Easter I go right back to drinking Coke like I never stopped. This year I'm really going to try hard to keep it up! I am also making a plan to work out everyday that I don't close at work. I recently got Just Dance 2 for the Wii and I really enjoy doing the dancing, but I never make time to do it.  Hopefully Lent will give me the motivation I need.

M says that he is giving up pizza for Lent. This is major because he eats pizza several times a week. It's the biggest part of his diet. I think it's going to be tough for him (especially since I'm not giving it up!) but I will be super impressed if he does it.

I'll keep you posted on how we're doing! Are you planning on giving anything up for Lent?

Pinterest Sunday

Time for my weekly Pinterest roundup! Every Sunday, I share with you a few of my favorite finds from the previous week.

I have been dying to do a photo collage somewhere in our house, but cannot seem to come up with either a location or arrangement that I like. I really love this example I found this week.

Source: younghouselove.com via Jenn on Pinterest

It makes me wish we had small wall somewhere in our house.

I know this bedroom has been making the rounds on the internet, but I just have to share in case you haven't seen it.  How awesome is this room?

Source: kuhldesignbuild.com via Jenn on Pinterest

I want a pirate ship in my bedroom!

And finally, it wouldn't be Pinterest Sunday without a dress, would it?

Source: modcloth.com via Jenn on Pinterest

I love the color combo of this one! Sadly, I find these cute dresses, but I have few occasions to wear them. Or the money.  Most of my finds come from my favorite site to browse, Modcloth. If you are interested in browsing, click on the link over on the right there.  They have some of the cutest stuff I've seen!