Finding The Dress

DON, DO NOT READ THIS POST OR YOU WILL SEE THE DRESS AND DAMN OUR MARRIAGE FOREVER!!! #superstitious

Seriously, do not ruin this moment. Take your nosy self on out of here. ;)

Ok, ladies, now that he's gone...I have a VERY curious groom, ya'll. I have been keeping him posted on my dress shopping progress, and he is super excited to see me in my dress and super jealous of everyone who has seen it when he knows he can't.

Anyway, I found my wedding gown in near-record time. I was really hesitant to shop, because I have packed on the pounds as the stress of my first teaching job has gotten to me, and as awful as this sounds, I really did not believe anything would look good on me. Brides, if any of you are feeling like I did, calm down. You will be beautiful on your wedding day, and find a gown that feels like it was made especially for you.

It only took two shopping trips for me to find my dress, and both were at David's Bridal. I hear good and bad things about David's, and I was honestly not expecting to find my dress there, but when you find the one, you can't question it.

Our first shopping trip was on Black Friday, and let me tell you, it was a bust. My consultant was trying to help me and two other brides, and she did not pull a lot of dresses for me. Since she was so busy, she did not put me in a long-line bra and slip, just a regular strapless, and that made a lot of difference in how the dresses were fitting me. I found two that I felt ok in, but neither were really right, so Mom and I left without buying anything.

David's Bridal Style 9V9743

My mom actually really liked this dress, especially the train. For some reason, the train really reminded me of Natalie Portman's Queen Amidala costumes from Star Wars. Yes. You can't unsee it. I also did not like what this dress did to my hips. The consultant kept putting me in empire waist dresses because she said they would flatter me, but I wasn't feeling it. 

David's Bridal Style 9WG3707

This dress was my favorite of the day. I really loved it because it had pockets. However, it was going to be quite heavy for our July wedding, and the cleavage was a little over the top for me. Neither of these dresses made me feel like a bride.

For our second appointment, I asked for a different consultant, and the lady we got was wonderful. She immediately put me in the right type of undergarments, and pulled some dresses. She put me in some of my mom's picks and my maid of honor's picks. Finally, she decided to put me in a dress that she thought would flatter me. 

Drum roll please...

This is David's Bridal Style 9V3587. I hated it on the model on the website. I hated it on the hanger. Neither of those things did this dress justice. As soon as I saw myself in this dress, I started to tear up. I was definitely having one of those moments. This made me feel beautiful, and I did not want to take it off at all! The lace appliques were exactly what I wanted, and the blingy belt options kept my mom happy. I am so freaking excited for my fiance to see me in this dress. It truly took my breath away. We bought it on the spot, in solid ivory. It is shown here in champagne and ivory. 

We even picked the bridesmaids' dresses while we were at it. All in all, a very productive day! And I couldn't be happier with my choice!

How long did it take you to find your gown?

Love, 

Linds

Groom Guest Post: From One Groom to Another

As excited as I am to plan this wedding, my excitement pales in comparison sometimes to Don's. Since I promised to involve him in the process in every way, I asked him to do a guest post here for our readers. He asked me what he should write about, and I told him to write about whatever's on his heart. Without further ado, here are Don's words from one groom to another. 

I am getting married! Needless to say, when I wrote, “marry me?” in the sand, I was not expecting a barrage of questions from all of the women in my life. 

Some grooms like to be told when and where to show up and that is the end of it, but I knew from the beginning that I was not like that. I’ll be honest, like most guys, I have never had a dream wedding planned out, but I still wanted to be involved because a wedding is our day, not just mine or hers – despite how it sometimes seems from my mother, her mother, and even my fiancée. Especially in the South, the role of a groom is greatly reduced to just showing up, and even if I weren’t in the South, I imagine my struggles are similar to other grooms elsewhere. With that in mine, here are some tips for being an involved groom without being over bearing.

Communicate!

This is really relationship advice 101, but the same is true for the wedding. I cannot explain how many times we were looking at a venue and then when asked if we like it, we have competing views. That is totally OK! The two of you will disagree on things, and that think you thought was really cool might be completely tacky or look terrible. Look at the pros and the cons of everything, and you will see that you and your fiancée have some opinions in common. Talk around what you like, not what you disagree on otherwise the conversation will always turn negative – sell something, don’t bash it.

Mothers really liked being brides

Your mother was probably a bride and if she wasn’t, then she thought about being a bride. Everything she thought was cool in 1991 is still cool to her today. On top of that, Pinterest and other blogging sites exist, so now you have an amalgam of 1991 and the hottest, trendiest wedding innovations. Unfortunately, those two often don’t mix well. You have to think from the perspective of your mother (or Mother in Law). Just like your future wife, she had a billion wedding ideas floating around while she was trying to plan, and your father or her mother probably shot them down. She may be trying to live vicariously through your wedding. Secondly, wedding etiquette was ingrained in her and she probably has very specific ideas about what is expected from a wedding.

How do you cope with this? You might need to have a come-to-Jesus meeting with the mothers. It is not 1991, and it is not their wedding. Moreover, etiquette is nice, but we have to have our wedding, and really making our day special is more important than making someone else happy. That being said…

My parents on their wedding day

Lindsey's parents on their wedding day

Etiquette matters

I know I just said etiquette doesn’t matter. For the most part it doesn’t, but it is not worth it to upset your grandmother over it. There are certain expectations around weddings. Does this mean you need to follow all of them as though you are Emily Post? Nope, you don’t. Etiquette is actually great at providing some structure and advice as to what you should be doing. It should not dominate your wedding though. My advice: get an etiquette book and read up on what you should be doing. Some of it will seem strange, but do it. If you see something you find absolutely awful (like some wording on an invitation), then change it. It isn’t the end of the world, and if someone doesn’t come to your ceremony because the etiquette was wrong, they probably didn’t really want to come anyways and they’ll probably send a gift anyways since they love etiquette so much.

Be Happy and Get Excited

You always see people frantically scouring Pinterest or trying to figure out the perfect way to do something. As someone who likes to be precise, I can appreciate all of that, and I have scoured Pinetrest trying to make some DIY crafts. People get into arguments over all sorts of crazy wedding things. Literally any part of the wedding is up for debate – and this is not just because my fiancée and I were debaters. Everyone will have an opinion and it is overwhelming and at times annoying when you really disagree with someone but you’re trying to be nice. At the end of the day, on July 9^th, I will be marrying the love of my life. That is the fact of the matter regardless of how much arguing happens. You are getting ready to start your life with someone that you love and cherish and she loves and cherishes you too. I always tell Lindsey, “I’m so excited to be marrying you!” and I don’t do it because I want to seem excited, it is because I genuinely am excited. You have to take a step back from all of the inevitable drama that is a wedding and realize that what you’re about to do is incredibly special and something to be excited for.

Everyone is pushing both of you a million different directions. Listen to them and if you disagree, then you disagree. If you see something tacky, speak up. In the same breath, realize that you probably like something tacky, so be ready for criticism. The Mothers and the bride will bicker, just try to make your opinion known without seeming overbearing. Most of all though, enjoy it and get ready to marry the woman of your dreams! 

Rings, Rings, and More Rings

In case ya'll haven't noticed, I really love jewelry. When we took my ring in to be resized and dipped a few days ago, they told us it would take four or five days to get it back. My finger felt SO NAKED without my ring. My fiance thought I was crazy, but I needed a stand-in ring.

This is my promise ring from my fiance, which he presented to me right before I left for college, almost five years ago now. It's a blue topaz, which is my birthstone. Normally I would just wear this in place of my engagement ring, but we've been out of town on an extended vacation and I hadn't packed it.

Cue Walmart. Yes, Walmart. Does this girl look like she's about to drop hundreds of dollars on a temporary ring just to make my finger feel less naked? Nah.

I picked this up off the costume jewelry rack just to have something on my hand, and I kid you not, I have gotten loads of compliments on this ring. It almost makes me wish I had gone with a colored stone for my engagement ring! I guess people just notice them more because they see clear stones on left hands all the time. 

Do you wear a ring in place of your regular engagement ring or band?

Love, 

Linds

Bling, Bling, We Chose Rings!

My engagement ring has been snagging on my clothes lately, so I figured it was time to take it in to the jewelry store for an inspection.

The one bad thing about purchasing important pieces of jewelry from Etsy sellers, as we did, is that you are not getting any sort of protection plan with your purchase. Since my ring is white gold, I can expect to shell about between $40 and $60 every time it starts to get yellow and needs to be redipped, as well as for any repair work. I guess it's a small price to pay for a ring that you love, but definitely something to think about if you (or your groom!) haven't picked yours out yet.

Sure enough, my prongs needed to be retipped. Since Don was with me in the jewelry store, we decided to browse for wedding bands while we were there, and ended up finding bands we both love.

Don's is a 6 mm white gold band, and mine is a 2mm white gold and diamond ring wrap. For a lot of brides, it is way too thin, but I love small and delicate jewelry, and I loved the way it looked on my finger! We decided to go ahead and put our rings on layaway, so we'll have them in a few weeks! I can't wait. 

Sorry for the extreme close-up and blurry quality!

When I went back to the store yesterday, I got to pick up my newly pronged and dipped engagement ring, as well as try it on with the band. I DIED, ya'll, it just makes me melt to see them together on my finger. It was perfection. 

How did you pick a wedding band? 

Love, 

Linds

Vendor Love:

Rings - Fred Meyer Jewelers 

Hers

His

Things I Stressed About

When Mr. Blue Moon and I first got engaged, one of the things I was most nervous about was working out all the little details with my parents. There was never really a question that my parents would pay for a good portion of my wedding. We are Southerners, and it was something my mom's parents did for her, and we have always made jokes since I was a little girl about my dad footing the bill for this shindig. That said, the way this usually goes down in Southern families is that since the bride's parents are paying, the bride's parents want (and deserve!) a lot of input in the wedding. I have a great relationship with my parents, but we are also very different people. This is my list of all the things I was initially worried about dealing with, and how we are handling it...for better or worse!

1. Food: Mr. Blue Moon and I have been vegetarians for going on three years, and I never really imagined serving anything other than vegetarian food at the wedding. Many of our guests don't eat meat, but our families both do. The menu has been a source of contention between Mom and I from the get-go. She thinks it's bad-hostessing to not offer a meat option, but I think the reception menu should be a reflection of the couple. Either way, we both want to make sure all of our guests are happy and that no one leaves hungry, but we still haven't decided on a final menu. Thankfully, it's just as important to my mom to help me pick out a fabulous meal for our vegetarian and vegan friends to enjoy. I hate going to weddings where I can only nibble on the veggie display!

From My Big Fat Greek Wedding via Joy Runner

2. Booze: The majority of my family doesn't drink. Not a glass of champagne on the holidays, no wine at dinner, nothing. =This is the lifestyle I was raised in, and I've always been ok with it. I have never really questioned that I would be having a dry wedding due to my family's preferences, but my parents compromised on this one and agreed to allow us to serve it to please all our guests. Though I will always respect my parents for sticking to their guns as they were raising my brothers and I and trying to provide us the very best example they could, I'm glad that we will have different options for our wedding guests who choose to partake. At the end of the day, I want everyone to have a great time at our reception and be happy with both the alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverage options (I can make some rockin' mocktails). 

3. The Dress: Dress shopping was the part I was least excited about out of everything. I was worried that what my Mom likes and what I like on me were not the same thing, and since she graciously offered to buy my dress, I wanted something we both loved. I like lace and lean towards simpler looking gowns, probably because I have put on weight over the past two years and feel really self-conscious about anything that draws too much attention to me. My mom really likes bling and the wow factor and would encourage me to try anything on no matter how much I felt like it wouldn't flatter me. It's nice to have someone who always thinks I look like my best self. I guess that's what moms are for! Thankfully, this resolved itself because Mom and I both fell in love with the same dress. I was so glad I took her dress shopping with me and got to have that bridal moment with her. It was perfect!

How are you resolving differences between all the parties interested in your wedding? Has anything surprised you during the planning process with family members?

Asking My Bridesmaids

I love cutesy stuff. I really, really do. I love all the bridesmaids boxes I see on Pinterest, the custom wine and champagne bottle labels, the monogrammed tumblers and jewelry and robes. I wanted to put together something nice for asking my girls, and it had to fit with the wedding theme. I randomly found these Msaon-jar-looking travel cups at the store one day, and bought like ten. I did not know at the time what I would use them for, but I did know I liked them and could find some kind of wedding use for them.

Meanwhile, my best friend since kindergarten, MOH K, was coming to visit me in my college town so that we could attend a concert together. We are Nashville girls, and would pretty much follow Luke Bryan to the ends of the earth. ;) But in the midst of all the excitement over the concert, I was also considering the fact that I might not see MOH K again for several months, and I knew I didn't want to ask any of my other bridesmaids before I asked her to be my maid of honor.

Enter the Mason jar cups. I decided to stuff these babies full of wedding goodies and things in wedding colors. I picked out earrings for my bridesmaids, and included those. I put in fancy chocolates, and pretty make-up that will go with my wedding palette. I ended up ordering PDF files from Etsy to print off onto cardstock for my cards. They come with different hair colors for the girls, so of course I picked one that matched all of my bridesmaids hair. Because I am OCD about random stuff like that.

From April Heather Art via at Etsy.com

When I met with MOH K for brunch on the day before she left, I presented her with her stuffed travel mug and a sweet letter inside her card, both wrapped up in wedding color paper (our colors are lilac and mint).

She said YES!

It was the great end to a fun weekend, and I ended up repeating this process with my other girls. Receiving fun goodies is definitely a great way to hype everyone up for the wedding! 

How did you ask your bridesmaids to join you on your wedding day?

**All Personal Photos

In Which We Attempt to DIY: The Handfasting Cord

I don't know when I first learned about the tradition of handfasting in wedding ceremonies. It's a very old tradition that can be seen across many centuries and cultures all around the world. It involves literally "tying the knot," by binding the couples hands together during the wedding ceremony as an outward demonstration of commitment.I love this tradition, and for history buffs like Don and I, it will be a fun part of our wedding ceremony that incorporates some of our interests and who we are.

The question, of course, was what to use for the handfasting itself.

Photo from BBC via Cherish Ceremonies

Will and Kate used some satiny looking something for their handfasting, and it involved the priest merely folding it over their clasped hands. I have seen several handfasting cords and ribbons for sale, too, but nothing really spoke to me. 

Via Darby Smart

From InfinitielyEntwined via Etsy.com

Handfasting with a tartan looks beautiful, and would be a fun tie-in to my family's Scottish heritage, but as far as I know, the nearest ancestors who had their own tartan would be my maternal grandmother's family, and that seemed like a stretch. 

From Little Legs Baby Kilts via Etsy.com

Eventually, my mother-in-law and I decided to make the handfasting cord ourselves. Mr. Blue Moon and I picked spools of ribbon in the wedding colors, and I sat down at his parents house to work. This is the result of maybe an hour of testing different braids, knots, and twists.

Personal Photos

There's not a real science to my method.We ended up making two basic ribbon braids, and then intertwining those two braids together. The finished product, which is maybe a foot long, will be wrapped around our hands on the big day. The next decision will be to figure out what kind of vows we want to say, or what we would like to be read, immediately before  and during our handfasting.

Will your wedding ceremony include handfasting, or another interesting tradition?

We Search for the Church

Mr. Blue Moon and I have always known that we preferred a church ceremony. I was raised in a very religious Christian household, although my family has grown more relaxed over the years, and as a little girl, I always dreamed of walking down the aisle in my family's church.

Here's the current congregation in front of the church. Mom and Dad are standing in the back! // Via Franklin Church of Christ

However, the church is not what I had in mind on the outside, and the inside probably seats around 200 or 250 people. Since we are keeping our wedding to about 85 people, my family church would swallow us. I pictured a small, intimate, historic chapel.

Most gorgeous church of all time! // via Wikimedia Commons

That's Mr. Blue Moon's family's church near our town's square. His family has attended for a couple of generations. For several years before we got engaged, we talked about getting married in this church, but the inside is very grand and a little more formal than I envisioned for our small affair. Even though it really appealed to me because of the sentimental value attached, it just didn't feel exactly right. I had a vision in my head, and I needed to find it!

This Methodist church was another strong consideration. // via Wikipedia

We had briefly considered using this little white church just down the street from my parents. I have always wanted to get married in a white church, and I love that this one is maybe two or three minutes from the house where I grew up. However, I know a ton of brides that have gotten married there, so it was messing with my vision of what our wedding would look like. It's hard to plan when you're constantly comparing your wedding to everyone else's, and wondering which of your ideas are really yours!

Fantastic chapel in Brentwood, Tennessee // via All Things Marriage

The strongest contender before we found our church was Owen Chapel. It was built in the early 1800s, and I love that historic aspect. It is also a functioning church of Christ, which is the brand of Christianity I was raised in, and I knew I would be comfortable planning there and that it would make my family happy. The inside is completely beautiful. I love all the white and the light, airy feel of it. 

Photo by Evin Photography

I love the high ceilings, the pretty white pews, the light fixtures. And the lady who manages the weddings is a sweetheart and would be so fun to work with. However, my cousin had a beautiful wedding here in 2014, and as much as I loved everything about it, I wanted to give my family a change of scenery! I also really didn't like the idea of moving the wedding outside of our hometown of Franklin, Tennessee.

Via the Presbytery of Middle Tennessee

 TA-DA! :)

My maid of honor and I noticed this church while we were driving around in the country one day. It's another historic chapel, and has my white siding that I've always envisioned. We parked the car, got out to peek in the windows, and noticed that it had a center aisle. I was sold! Mr. Blue Moon got in touch with the pastor, and they put us down in their book. When we went to look around inside, we both knew that this would be the one. It felt right, and we could see ourselves getting married there. Seating 85, it's perfect for the size of our wedding! 

Doesn't Mr. Blue Moon look great walking around in here? // Personal Photos

 The ceilings have exposed wood beams throughout, really old chandeliers, and there are white clapboard walls. It also features heavy double doors into the sanctuary space, so I am already picturing how lovely it will be to swing them open for my entrance. Hey, a girl only gets to be a bride once! 

Sometimes we find the perfect things randomly, but I'm so happy my maid of honor noticed this building. It will make a beautiful wedding, and I can't wait to meet Mr. Blue Moon in here in just a few short months to say "I Do!"

How did you choose the perfect ceremony venue?



A Bridesmaid Bowed Out, and It Was Not a Catastrophe

We finally nailed down the wedding reception location, which I'll talk about soon in another post (yay!), so I posted it on the Facebook group I have set up for our wedding party. A few minutes after posting the updates about our wedding, one of my dearest friends messaged me and told me that she can't make it to the wedding because she has recently landed an amazing internship in South Africa. My heart dropped for just a second because I seriously love this girl, ya'll. I met her through my college debate team, as we were the only two women from my university to travel and compete nationally on a team full of men. We were always hotel roomies on our trips around the country, and we shared so many laughs and great times together.

Jaz would have made my wedding day so much more awesome than it will already be!

 

As disappointed as I am that I won't get to share the day with one of my best friends, I would never expect someone to give up an internship for one day, or even to purchase a ticket for an international flight for one wedding weekend. I'm so proud of my friend for landing an awesome internship!

 

Of course, we are now in a place where Don has five groomsmen and I am only at three bridesmaids, one of them a junior bridesmaid. I don't know if we'll leave the numbers like they are, or ask one more person to join us on our special day.

 

Love,

Linds

The Blue Moons Brainstorm: Our Wedding Vision

Coming up with a unified vision for our wedding was tricky. Mr. Blue Moon and I have pretty different tastes. Left to my own devices, I would plan something totally quirky, like a Harry Potter theme wedding on Halloween (still sounds awesome). Mr. Blue Moon has more classic wedding tastes and has to be talked into even the smallest divergences from a big, traditional wedding.

What the Mr. thinks a wedding should look like. // Collage via FanPop.com

When we first got engaged, I was very into the whole rustic burlap farm scene. I was totally envisioning my bridesmaids in cowboy boots and my guests sitting on hay bales for a hot second.

What I thought a wedding should look like. // Collage via various photographers at WeFollowPics.com

However, as we got deeper into our planning, I realized that "country" is not exactly what I'm going for. We are from the Nashville, Tennessee area and grew up loving all things Southern, but the more and more I pinned to Pinterest, the more and more I realized that cowboy boots and barns are not a true reflection of who we are, either individually or as a couple. Maybe I was just caught up in a craze!

As I honed in on my personal tastes, and figured out how to mesh them with what Mr. Blue Moon was envisioning, I realized that we are leaning more towards a vintage-tea-party style for our wedding. No boots, no barn, minimal burlap. Instead, we started looking for a historic church and reception venue.

Photo by Jessie Holloway Photography via AshleysBrideGuide.com

Photo by Joe Hendricks Photography

This is Owen Chapel in Brentwood, Tennessee. We strongly considered this location for our ceremony venue, but ultimately chose a different church. Since both of us are history buffs, we want historic venues for the ceremony and the reception, and we've decided that a lot of our decor will have vintage and antique details. This made more sense to both of us than either of our original visions. 

Collage via WeddingDecor123

Via RusticWeddingChic.com

We would like to display some of our old family photos and heirlooms at our venues, and I'm choosing soft purples and greens as the main colors in our wedding palette. 

Photo collage via Evermine // Bridal Party {Wedding Bee}, Bouquet {Hey Wedding Lady}, Casual Celebration Wedding Invitation {Evermine}, Macarons {Brides of Adelaide}, Bridal Head Wreath {Wedding Chicks}, Wedding Cake with Lavender {Brides}, Lavender Simple Syrup Wedding Favors {Evermine Blog}, Bird Cage {Green Wedding Shoes}

Via Chappelow Events

Of course, I will still include some of my original rustic touches. Painted Mason jars with baby's breath are a must! We are also considering having our guests sign a wedding quilt, made by my great-aunt, instead of a guest book. I am also asking my aunts and grandmother to bake a pie for a pie bar, in addition to our wedding cake!

Via TheRocheShop at Etsy.com

Photo by Avalanche Photography via The Plunge Project

Photo by Plum Pretty Photography

For the attire, Mr. Blue Moon and I have decided on gray tuxes with brown shoes for the men. 

Photo via Style Me Pretty

I haven't quite decided on a particular look for my bridesmaids yet, but I know I am in love with floral bridesmaids dresses right now. 

Photo by Paula O'Hare via One Fab Day

For me, I know I want something classic, with lace. And a flower crown!

I'm obsessed with the British designer Charlotte Baulbier. That's not going to happen, but hey, a girl can dream.

From the Villa Rose collection by Charlotte Balbier via Love My Dress

I think that by making some compromises, Mr. Blue Moon and I have come up with a wedding vision that suits both of us and reflects who we are. I can't wait to see how it all comes together.

How did you reach an agreement on the look for your wedding day with your husband-to-be?