The Moment of Truth

Remember when I tried on dresses with my mom? I didn't think it would happen, but it did. I found a dress I loved even more than that first dress I tried on!

{Allure Inspiration}

I first looked at dresses back in April when my mom was visiting us up north from Florida. Months passed and the wedding slipped farther into the back of my mind. My fiance and I moved across the midwest from St. Louis, MO to Milwaukee, WI and started brand new jobs in our brand new city. And suddenly it was summer! I was quite distracted for my entire birthday month of July, understandably for a 25 year old. The summer slowly started winding down and with it some troubling news arrived.

Late in the month, I received a phone call from my sister informing me that my oldest sister had been diagnosed with breast cancer and would be needing surgery to remove the infected tissue. If that wasn't troubling enough, two days later my mom was checked into the hospital with an enlarged spleen. We came to find out that her spleen was enlarged due to the influx of white blood cells in her system; the next day she was diagnosed with leukemia. I took the next few weeks to visit my mom in Florida and the entire month of September became a blur. I returned to Milwaukee and with it my normal routine when my calendar reminded me that the wedding was 9 months away. I welcomed the distraction and decided it was time to finalize my wedding dress selection.

My mom, center, and sister, right of center.

I got my butt into gear and finally made appointments to try on wedding dresses in early October. I invited my two sisters to come along for the ride once again as they knew how I felt and looked in that first dress. We visited two different boutiques that day, the latter held the key to my wedding day dreams. The mood was set with classic love songs filling the air and beautiful white dresses at our fingertips. They didn't have my first dress there, "what was I going to compare to?!" I thought. The dress was just purchased off the rack the week before but my consultant understood the qualities I loved about it...thank god!

So I continued the search by trying on dresses I hadn't seen before - this one was too beaded, the other too Cinderella, this one too stuffy - then she brought it in.

It was so beautiful on the hanger - the lace and beading I loved in that first dress. I don't want to give it all away but wow, was it stunning! I stepped into the dress and it just felt right - only after it was clipped to my body, of course. I walked out to show my sisters, the train tickling the ground behind me. I stood on the pedestal in front of the three-way mirror and knew. This dress was me!

I can't tell you what song was playing but it was sappy enough for me to tear up, although that shouldn't be surprising. I couldn't help but imagine standing next to my fiance, Rob, on our wedding day. Then I thought about my mom and how she would love this dress, from head to toe. I knew it was right and didn't want to take it off! We played dress up even more, picking out veils and pinning them in my hair. It really was perfect - I got that feeling I was wanting from the beginning. Although I didn't pick the dress that I first saw with my mom, I knew she would approve and possibly love this one even more than the original "one". So I snapped some photos and signed the dotted line. I was so relieved to find this dress and experience that feeling. I know that it doesn't happen with everyone, but I was so happy that it happened to me. I sent pictures to my mom on the ride home from the boutique only to receive her approval moments later. I couldn't have asked for a better feeling.

Did you get to experience this feeling when searching for your dress? How did your adventures go?

UPDATE: The dress has arrived and my first fitting is March 8. I can't wait to see what it looks like now that its my size! And I get to try it on next to my sister, whose bridesmaid's dress just arrived as well!

Save-The-Date Scratch Offs

Hello There! 

I’m very excited to share with you one of my most recent craft adventures - and key element in announcing the wedding – my save-the-dates! I’ve been doing some research on unique ways to get this date out there to guests and this Martha Stewart Scratch-Off project was screaming my name. I’ve completed a similar project before when asking my bridesmaids to be a part of the wedding and I liked it so much that I wanted to do it again!

"Be My Maid" Scratch-Off

Here’s how to try it yourself!

Materials:

An upcoming invitation, announcement or card.

Your favorite shade of acrylic paint (I chose silver this time around but have used non-metallic ones as well!)

Dish soap (generic works just fine)

Paintbrush

Paint tray/Container Lid

Clear sticker paper or clear packing tape

Instructions:

First select the stationary that you’d like to turn scratch-off! 

I chose the backside of our save-the-dates

Once you’ve determined which area will be hidden from view, cut a piece of clear sticker paper or packing tape to cover the area. I like to leave a little extra in all directions so the content being revealed is centralized after scratched. I luckily have a Silhouette Cameo (AND LOVE IT!) so I utilized the clear sticker paper. I measured the area needed for the scratch off and created my own template in the silhouette software and sent it to be cut – it was super easy! Before I had the Silhouette, which seems SO long ago, I cut from the clear packing tape I had in the closet – I utilized this method in my bridesmaid project (picture above).

Painted stickers to be placed on the save-the-dates.

Place the cut label over your previously designated area to be scratched off. Make sure you don’t have any creases or folds in the sticker/tape so the final product looks more polished. On your paint tray, mix even amounts of dish soap and acrylic paint. If you can, try to mix slowly to avoid bubbles -  don’t worry if some pop up, you can always pop them after mixing with a toothpick. Now you can go ahead and paint over the scratch off area covered by tape/sticker! Have fun with this! Paint hearts, diamonds, rectangles, anything you can imagine (and are confident in painting)!

Sit back and let it dry, I like to wait overnight if I have time but really you only have to wait a few hours. Depending on the clarity of your paint color you may need to do two coats. That’s it! SO simple!

Here’s what the postcard looks like through out the process.

The fun part of making your own scratch off is tailoring it to your own taste and design.  Have fun with colors and try different shapes and stationary too! I hope I inspired you to make a scratch-off invitation or card of your own!

My Planning Guide

After the initial celebration phrase of getting engaged had past (the one where I jumped up and down and did a couple flips), I realized I had no idea how to plan a wedding. How soon should I pick a venue? Flowers cost how much? What questions do I ask a caterer anyways? Then it hit me. My sister had this binder she always carried around with her while she was wedding planning.

Sarah and TJ's Wedding at a Bowling Alley
How original, right?!

I must get this book! After a few phone calls, I discovered that said book was available at Barnes and Noble at a very modest $20.  Lucky for me, I had a great sister that gave me the book as my first engagement gift! I couldn't wait to start reading through its pages. There are quite a few resources to print your own wedding planning binder (see list below) but they all felt a little incomplete. I wanted something from a reputable source that was tried and true but everyone is a little bit different. I've outlined my favorite wedding planning resources below!

My Preferred Wedding Resources:

The Wedding Planner & Organizer

By: Mindy Weiss

{Barnes & Noble}

Wedding Wire

www.weddingwire.com

{Wedding Wire}

Online wedding planning printables:

Real Simple
Martha Stewart
Botanical PaperWorks

What resources are you using to help plan your wedding?

Finding the ONE

So...I'm a little ahead of schedule.

Since getting engaged, all I've been dreaming about is how everyone and everything else will look on my wedding day. I tend to avoid being the center of attention but on that day, my wedding day, Rob and I will be the main event! It's an exciting thought although terrifying at times.

As its recommended to shop for you wedding dress early, I thought I would take that advice and started searching for my ideal dress early...via Pinterest. I made a "secret" board to ensure Rob didn't get a peek and began pinning like mad. Right away I knew I wanted a tighter fit and fell in love with the mermaid silhouette. My overall wedding theme is Antique Chic so lace only seemed natural.

Visiting my parents in Florida for Martha's Graduation

With my sister Grace expecting her first child in April, I knew my mom would be up from Florida for a visit. I've always wanted my mom to be there when I tried on wedding dresses for the first time. Not that she had loved shopping for clothes when I was younger - I can't remember a time when we successfully went shopping for clothes together - but because I knew it would make me feel... comfortable. My mom would bring me back down to earth and remind me that "all [her] girls are beautiful." I knew she would be happy for me no matter what dress I picked. So I decided to schedule my first bridal gown appointment, just a few months ahead of the 12 month mark. I went into the appointment realizing I may not find the dress, that my ideal silhouette may make me look like a whale and that I may not like anything I try on. I invited my maid of honor and sister, Sarah, and Grace, another sister and bridesmaid. My nephew Ian came along for the ride as well.

My sisters, Sarah and Grace, at one of my soccer matches

I tried to come prepared but with the recent birth of my new nephew, the appointment didn't become real until we were walking through the doors of House of Brides. I was ready with a few magazine clippings of dresses I liked and began to pull. My mom, Sarah and I went around together while Grace and my nephew Ian jumped ahead a few racks. I was looking at dresses with an open mind, knowing that the mermaid silhouette may not be perfect for me. My sisters and mom knew my style right away and were suggesting dresses right up my alley. Lovely lace with a slimmer silhouette. I couldn't wait to see what they looked like on! I was so excited to be experiencing this with my mom and sisters, I felt so lucky in this moment to have them with me.

One of my dress inspirations
{stylemepretty}

After I picked a few - or ten - I headed to the dressing room for the fun part! It was so surreal putting on these beautiful gowns and realizing what it symbolized. I felt so excited to be marrying Rob and knew this dress would represent how I would feel on that day and what I would remember feeling for the rest of my life. My mind was racing with thoughts: Will Rob like this dress? Are all gowns this heavy? What will my mom think of this one? I picked my favorite dress to try on first. I knew I'd compare all other dresses to this one dress, this one feeling. I put it in on and instantly felt something. Walking out of the dressing room, I could feel how special this dress was. As I stood looking into the 360 mirror, I was so elated to hear my mom tell me how beautiful the dress looked. I loved it. Everything about it - except that it was a few sizes too big! - I picked the perfect first dress. As the appointment went on I always came back to that first dress and how it felt. Although I decided to wait on purchasing a dress, I'm glad I had this experience with my mom. I'm hoping to find that dress in the correct size to try on before moving forward. Who knows? Maybe I'll find a dress I love even more [if that's even possible]! Who would you bring to try on wedding dresses for the first time? Did you find your dress the first time around?

Welcome to Fianced!

From every bride I've spoken to, and in every article I've read, your engagement is a very exciting time in your life. For most of us, it only happens once! Time flies when you are having fun, and I know my engagement will be no exception to this rule.

Follow me as I document every step I take as a bride-to-be from figuring out our wedding theme to stepping into the perfect wedding dress!  I'm very much a Pinterest and DIY-fanatic so get ready for some crazy tutorials along the way. As this is my first (and last) time as a "fiance," I know that I will make some mistakes on this journey. My hopes are, that in documenting them, I can laugh and learn from my trials.

Let's get planning!