The birdcage veil. Awesome Etsy finds!

Personally,I love them. The birdcage veil. Classic beauty. I am so thrilled to see them back in style. My Fiance not so much lol. When I told him of my intentions to get one, he was not as excited as I was.
I said to him “Isn’t this cute!!”
He said…
“Cute if youre my Grandma”
My thought then was…if your Grandma had one I would take it! Along with her old prom dress too!!

Here are some fab finds from Etsy

OMG!! These awesome styles are from annemichelleheirloom.
Her prices are PERFECT (around $45.00)

Be sure to check out her stunning combs as well!

Our next awesome Esty seller is veillady

I just LOVE the one below!!

Only $28.00!! Gotta love it!!

This next seller has stolen my heart!! VintageBox1947

OMG! The above is PINK!!

Seriously..this is STUNNING!!

I can go on forever here, but I would like to show one more site!

Brenda’s Bridal Veils

Her selection is huge

Hummm..I wonder if I can pull one of these off with my dress?Shhhh don’t tell my Fiance!!

Here comes the groom!

We always seem to forget about the groom. Well not really, but he sure does take a back seat to all of the planning! I decided to focus on some cool groom styles. From classic and elegant, to country and chic.These are all styles to die for and will surely make your man look as wonderful as you!

Something very classic. For all those ladies scared to put the men in pink..worry no more!

 

This all black I just LOVE. How chic can you get!

The caption on the below says it all. Having an Old Hollywood theme? Take it back to the Rat pack with the guys! This is from Men’s Wearhouse. FAB!!

 

Headed to the beach? This is simply classic!

 The look of chocolate.

Here is something clean and chic. Perfect for that backyard wedding!

 

How sexy can a gray suit get? Pretty sexy!

Simply Vintage!

baby’s breath wedding decor

We all know brides have a budget.How is it possible to make your wedding and reception look romantic with real flowers and not break the bank?

Baby’s Breath.

 

 

 

It just goes to show…you can get fab on a budget!!

The ring finally came!!

My ring has been in the works for a while now. After almost 10 years we had everything planned. His Uncle is a jeweler part time so he asked for what I wanted and from there it was nothing but a waiting game..until tonight!!
I am still in awe!! Even though I picked it, designed it and knew it was coming..seeing it in person blew me away!! I love it so much!! I am blessed!!

 

Here was my inspiration for the ring (This design is from Tiffany & Company)

I cheated on my dress…

I did what I was afraid I would do..cheat on my dress, BIG TIME. Let me share the story…

Saturday my MOH came out to try on some dresses at the place I purchased my gown from. She asked me how come we weren’t looking at any other salons..My reply was
“Because I will be tempted to cheat on my dress”
She said she understood and we continued looking through the bridesmaid dresses.
My MOH really loved one style dress, I looked at the price and got sticker shock! I said to my Cousin (my Maid of Honor)
“I know Jamie has this dress a TON cheaper” (Jamie is the owner of Bella Sposa in Tinley Park, Illinois)
My MOH then said “well, lets go!!”
So we went to go see Jamie at Bella Sposa Salon.

My MOH felt jipped because she only saw me in ONE dress. So she MADE me try on others.. Jamie didn’t want me to..she didn’t want me to fall in love. I grabbed a dress off the sample rack and threw it on.
Thats when trouble hit. My MOH started CRYING and got goose bumps all over..I got very emotional as well. I actually FELT like a bride for the first time!! OH NOOO!!!!

I called Chris to tell him the bad news..I found another dress and I HAVE to have it. Guess what he said..
JUST GET IT!! (The sample was $99.00, with alterations it will run about $350.00)
Here is the shitty news….

I bought my dress and paid in full. All sales final. So my MOH called the other salon and expressed the issue..
They took off the additional price of the alterations and the extra length, so that I can get refunded. That alone covers the cost of the new dress with the new alterations (I am getting $425.00 back)

SOOOOOOOOOOO..I now have 2 dresses for what I paid for one!!
I will be selling my Casablanca dress but at least now I dont feel as though I spent MORE money. In the end, we broke even and I still stayed under budget!!
Girls this dress is amazing. The pics are awful because they are from my cell. I always wanted a dress with pickups but every one I tried on never looked good on me.

I got the princess gown I always wanted but never looked good in.

It was nothing but fate!! I owe it all to my MOH (My cousin) for this one!!
I HAVE NEVER BEEN HAPPIER!!!

My Gown is from the awesome Bella Sposa Boutique .

If you like in the Chicago land area you MUST visit Jamie at Bella Sposa. Her and her staff are wonderful. She also has a sample sale going on where gowns start at 99 bucks!

Heres the front of my NEW dress! It is taffeta and a bright white. In the picture the pleats under the bust are not laying correctly. That will be corrected once the gown is fitted.

The back bustled..How stunning is this!! Jamie did the bustle and I ADORE it!! Girls, I really do feel like a bride.

So much for being faithful…

Coco Myles. All hail the bridesmaids!!

Ok, I have been looking for BM dresses forever. My dilemma is “hey its a damn recession!” My girls are purchasing their own dresses and to ask them to pay 300 for a dress is just flat out stupid. Let’s not forget that I have to pay for my dress, the dresses for my 2 daughters, My FH’s tux and my 2 sons tux rentals as well. I have to purchase for a  family of 6 for wedding attire.
While all my BMs said as long as I dont go over 250, its fine..I still just cant do it..not even for myself (like I said I have to dress a family of 6!)
So a while ago, my MOH found a site called coco myles.

http://cocomyles.com/

Let me tell you..AMAZING!! You ladies HAVE to check them out.
I have ordered fabric swatches from them before (FREE!) and they were FAST. I got them in 2 days!
You can pick different skirts to different tops etc…Gotta love the custom! To be honest, they blow away Davids Bridal with the mix and match.
Their turn around time for a custom dress is 6 weeks. I have yet to design any dress that cost more than 140 bucks!
I have also found some reviews:

http://www.weddingwire.com/reviews/coco-myles-rye/e6c7afdb3481c44b.html

as well as one from the BBB (They gave the company an  A-!!)

http://www.bbb.org/new-york-city/business-reviews/dressmakers/coco-myles-inc-in-rye-ny-105104/

After some more research on the site, they also say the following:

We also offer mix-and-match sizing whereby our Custom Couture dresses can be made with the top and bottom in different sizes. The dress is still a one-piece gown but simply uses different sizing for the tops and bottom that may be better suited to your body type. We recommend using this service if your bust and waist measurements are off by more than two sizes as per our specifications (e.g., size 8 bust and size 14 waist). There is an additional $20.00 charge for this service. If you’d like to use this service, please add $20.00 to our Additional Charges field at checkout. Please then send us an email after you order to advise us of the specific sizing you need for the top and bottom of the dress. We’ll then confirm all details in a return email confirmation to you..
The lengths of our dresses vary depending on style. We provide the lengths for each of our dresses in our Dress Specification window located next to the measuring tape icon. If you would like to have our dresses made with additional length, or less length, we can do this for an additional charge of $10.00 (up to 6″). If this is something you’re interested in, please email us. You can also just add $10.00 to the Additional Charges field at checkout and then email us to advise how many inches we should add or subtract from the dress length. We will then confirm your order, including length details, via email.

OK that alone sold me. Most salons charge and arm and a leg for extra length or to shorten a hem.

So I have decided that the girls will rock out the CoCo Myles dresses.
As far as style etc..I am still unsure. I have dealt with their customer service before and they are FANTASTIC. I asked them to send me some real pictures of a few skirt styles, I will post them as soon as I receive them.

Now, take a look at each picture closely. The price is there. If you notice the bottom of the dress picture you will see exact measurements. Theres a drop down menu and as the sizes change, the measurements change..FAB!!

Posted are some of the styles I am thinking of for my girls.
I hope this helps some of you ladies in the quest for a custom BM dress that wont break the bank, has a awesome BBB rating and gets rave reviews from other brides!!

YES THEY SHIP INTERNATIONAL!!

 

 

 

 

Shoes. Did someone say shoes?

Ahhh shoes. What woman doesn’t love shoes? A brides wedding day gives her the opportunity to splurge on something we normally dont splurge on. Most women dont drop 200 bucks o a pair of shoes to go clubbing in..but our wedding day…Thats different! The funny thing is, no one sees them (well unless you get a great photographer that gets every candid shot imaginable)
So lets talk shoes. The reasonable and the “Oh no you didn’t”

Lets starts with coloriffics. Great prices and wonderful shoes!! Take a look at some of these beauties!!

 The above style is called  SIERRA. They sell for $72.95
Colors are ivory, latte,white and silver. They also sell them in a lower heel and their called Carmen.

Here is a stunner!! Called Atlantis. They retail for $84.95(below)

Check out the heels on these babies!!

That is style CORONADO $69.95. They come in silver, gold and black!

We all love glitter!! These silver glitter beauties are stunning and affordable!

Style:GALA  $55.95

Now Zappos has a wonderful selection of bridal shoes. They start and $50.00 and up

You can visit them here.

Touch Ups Sharmaine &64.00

Kate Spade Gali $348.00

RSVP style Portia $57.90

Ok, I LOVE these babies and I think I will be getting them!!

Martinez Valero Skyler !$117.25(above)

 

Calvin Klein Pretty $159.95

 

Ohh how we all love Nina!! Nina Xtina $99.95

I could go on with Zappos all day long. Ladies be sure to check them out. I have personally ordered from them in the past and had nothing but the best service. Make sure you read the reviews on each of the shoes. Many brides post reviews on their comfort and if they are true to fit.

They also have a awesome “something blue” category!!

Check it out!

I want to also add a great site called my My Glass Slipper

They have a tone of designer dyeable wedding shoes priced reasonable to pretty darn high.

Stay tuned for more posts on shoes. I can’t get enough of them!

Pimp my wedding reception!

So I have finally decided on our centerpieces. Finding pictures is another story! I want to keep it classy and elegant. A touch of vintage but still having a modern twist. (HUH?!)

So our tables will be white linens with white chair covers and a black sash.
Something like this:

For the centerpieces we plan on using a tall Eiffel vase that has white flowers. The vase will be filled with the water crystals and lit by white LED lights:

The flowers will be drapped in crystals like so (white flowers not red):

We will then have votives lit around the base of the vase. I think this will create a very elegant look and give some modern class.

Let us not forget our dance floor!:

We will also have white LED lighting up all the walls in the venue.

As for the head tables…this has to look fab as well! I am not sure about the black draping yet but for the lights we will be using LED icicle lights. Day after Christmas sales here I come!!

I know my ideas are coming together great in my head..I just wonder what it will look like in person lol!

I’m tempted to have an affair..on my dress!!

I have said it time and time again. I have serious commitment issues. Not with my wonderful fiance..with my DRESS! I purchased it the day after Thanksgiving and it was not on a whim.
I have tried on at least 100 dresses. It was a long and painful process for me. This to me, has been the worst part of my planning. I did fall in love with my dress. I danced in the salon like a silly idiot. I got giddy before it was even zippered up…I started rejoicing!! “I found it!!” I yelled.
What made me love this dress was that it is not a cookie cutter gown. I have never seen a bride post it on any of the bridal communities. I wanted different because I am different. Chris was always stuck on that word “wedding-ish”. It had to be wedding-ish. This to me was wedding-ish. It had the skirt I wanted. It was fitted. It felt timeless and classic. To me it was a dress that would of been worn back in the day of old Hollywood. The pleats, the accents.
After all of this, I sit here thinking “Do I still love it?”
I have seen brides time and time again second guess their dress after it is paid for. I am now one of those brides. I always thought they were silly for doing so..I do not think so anymore.
Saturday I am going to the salon once again with my Maid of Honor and my future Sister in Law so they can pick their dresses. I will put on my gown once again..I hope I still feel the love. I am so scared I will not.
I really hope I do not have an affair on my dress…

 

 

 

Ya know, after loading these pictures…I don’t think I will have the affair!!

3rd times a charm

I love my WBC sisters and I love doing different write ups on them. We have all heard of the expression third times a charm. This wonderful bride take us there. Here is the story of 3rdtimebride

My Name is Wanda, and when I walk down the isle next Oct. 2010 I will be 50 yrs old and a 3rd time bride.
Looking Back I didn’t think I would be in this place in my life,Meaning as I like to joke; Trying to give Liz Taylor’s 8x Bride a run for her Title.
I make the joke because of the looks I get from People, friends, family and yes even people who work in the Wedding Industry.
First the congratulate me then go Quite “oh” well how can I help? It seems all the usual sparkle goes out of their sales pitch!

Its been an eventful trip toward my 3rd Marriage, but being the Hopeless Romantic I always have looked for a” forever kind of love” Like the Old song says.
I really think I have found it with my new Love Len.

How We met was a very Today kind of way, that you hear more of today. We both joined an on line dating site.
Personally I met 5 or 6 men for coffee, and even dated 1 or 2 a couple of times.
with not much luck. So I stopped visiting the site but did not take my profile off, and Just got on with being a single Mom.

When Len E mailed me, I was just at a point of being off Men, So I wasn’t really interested in meeting him but he kept E mailing me, so we chatted on line for a bit, when I finally gave him my phone number Poor Len was so nervous He talked almost too fast to understand, It made me think of what My Old Gym teacher In grade 7 told us before our first dance….” If the Boy gets up the nerve to ask you to dance, even if you don’t know him, or like him, think of how hard it was for him to ask, and its only one dance.”
So Luckily for Len, I took that same approach to meeting him for a coffee…. I figured it would only be 20 Min’s. out of my life right? why not? LOL
We meet at a Tim Horton’s coffee near my house. Len was already there waiting and looking like that little grade 7 boy I pictured in my mind. We talked for quite a while when Len reached into his bag, and pulled out Tomatoes, corn and eggs… saying, Here this is for you…. I had to laugh Most Men brought flowers!
Well ( don’t tell my boys) but that 20 min. coffee lasted from 11 am Saturday until 5 pm Sunday . Coffee, Movie,Dinner, breakfast and Lunch again then I had to Kick him out finally because My boys where coming home. But He came back Tuesday night to meet my Boys, and We have been together almost everyday since.

I wish Wanda and Len nothing but the very best! I myself am a second time bride and I believe love is love, no matter how long or how many times it takes you to find it. Sometimes we have to kiss a few frogs to find our prince. I am glad Wanda found hers, and no matter what the age..she will be and is a stunning and fabulous bride!!