Saturday, March 27, 2010

Dum dum da dum...dum dum da dum.....

Why, yes, that is a wedding march I'm dum-dumming in my title.  (really?  you didn't get it?  gee, I thought it was soooo obvious...)

Here's my good news, my dearest friend from high school, Patty is getting married this fall in Massachusetts.  (that's not her, btw, it's one of our planning pics found by here ever-resourceful sister, I believe.) I am absolutely thrilled for her because she is without a doubt the best person I know - so smart, so good, so funny, so generous, a great athlete.  As in she was the complete package.  Is there anything she can't do?  Ummmmm, she never tested well, but that's pretty much the biggest flaw she had, I think.  And it didn't interfere with her getting into college.  And even though I will always love William & Mary and it is part of my soul, I have to admit that UVA actually is a good school.  I'm just not going to pay for my kids to go there.  Anywhere else but there...

So she found a really great guy and they are getting married...and I get to be a or the bridesmaid (numbers not yet finally determined).  Which reminds me of a funny story about Grace Kelly when she was getting married and they were trying to explain bridesmaids to the foreign press because at the time (no idea if it's still true), bridesmaids where much younger unmarried women, so the phrase just didn't translate.  So as a 38-year-old married woman, I get to be a bridesmaid, and I couldn't be happier.  Especially since I'm supposed to wear navy blue, my all-time fave color. (Yes, it's about more than just the dress, but the dress is so much fun, isn't it?) And E & M might be flower girl & ring bearer.  How cute for words.  (E's feeling a little shy about it right now)

Yes, it's about more than just the dress, but come on...the dress is so much fun, isn't it? I can't wait to go looking at dresses with Patty - I hope she goes with white-white, as opposed to off-white.  You know how most people need a tan to look good in white?  She dosen't - she always wears that color well.  She is currently favoring some Alfred Angelo dresses, and we have plans to go to one of their salons soon to check them out.

And I'm looking forward, yes to finding one for me, it's like the supporting actress category at the Oscars - I'm the supporter - a good background!  And I'm supposed to wear navy blue, my all-time fave color. It has been a while since I've been in a wedding.  I remember the bright purple dresses for my sister's wedding (she did go to ECU, you know) - not anything I ever wore again, but they did photograph so well with the flowers.  And when her hubby's sister got married a year or two later, they recycled the dresses - I was more than happy to hand that over.  Even the Liz Claiborne dress I wore in a friend's wedding - it was hot pink - I wore it one other time and then retired it - it just wasn't a me color. And there are so many more options today than back when I got married.

You know J Crew has a huge bridal section.  silver_lining was kind enough to warn me on the Polyvore below about the side zippers in some of the dresses, so I'll be on the look out for that.  snaphappy is going to be in a wedding in the fall, accompanying in her grandfather, so she's supposed to be wearing navy also - and the bride is looking at J Crew navy dresses.  So I think snaphappy and I will be popping down to the Georgetown B&M in the next month to check out the selection, since that one has their bridal salon.

Ann Taylor has their whole bridal line, although it seems more skewed to bridesmaid dresses lately.  I'm actually strongly considering one of their dresses, not a bridesmaid one, but part of the regular line,which is 30% off right now with code DRESS30.  Of course, by the time I got around to looking at actually ordering it, the smaller size was gone, so I ordered the other dress in the smaller size.  (all dresses currently under consideration in Polyvore below)

And right on cue, timing-wise, I just got an email from my PR Specialist contact at White House Black Market about their new bridal line. And well, since I'm not a PR Specialist, I'll let her tell you about it:
Recognizing that White House Black Market is already a destination for women planning events as special to their lives as their wedding day, the boutique fashion brand is thrilled to introduce a new Limited-Edition Bridal Collection! The collection features a stunning bridal gown ($498) beautifully designed in soft ivory satin with a fitted bodice and elegant asymmetrical skirt, complemented by a matching ivory satin clutch ($68) and heels ($98). The collection will be the centerpiece of a new service-oriented initiative of affordable couture: Wedding Specialists in four select boutiques (New York, Los Angeles, Houston and Chicago) available to assist in all aspects of dressing a wedding with the chicest in-season White House Black Market silhouettes, accessories and gifts. Wedding Specialists will also be available through a dedicated number (888.WED.WHBM) and through a new online service, the Wedding Boutique, at WHBM.COM/WEDDING. The gown is available for fitting at our boutiques mentioned above and is available for purchase exclusively by phone and online at WHBM.COM.
I would love to hear some feedback from all of you concerning wedding dresses and bridesmaid dresses.

And all of this brings me to one of my favorite wedding conversations - the First Dance, or more specifically The Song.  What song did you dance to or what song do you plan to dance to?  And more importantly, what songs just make you utterly cringe when you hear them?  I admit to actually having my opinion of someone affected if I learn they did their first dance to a (IMO) completely and utterly cheese-tastic song.  I mean there's sappy and sentimental and then there's just schmatlz and ick.  You know how some songs on the radio will actually make your skin crawl?  Yep, those songs...  Feel free to let loose on your opinions there - music is so individual, isn't?

Polyvore of bridesmaid dress possibilities:

Photo credit note: sorry - no idea on the photo credits sprinkled throughout, other than the WHBM pics - the others came from a planning email from the bride. :)

26 comments:

itztru said...

You could wear any of those dresses and it would look perfect! How nice to choose a dress you can wear again! I once attended a wedding where the bride & groom (2nd marriage) danced to "Wild Thing" by the Troggs. Massachusetts in the fall? Hmmm, side trip planned to Vermont?

Real Working Mom of OC said...

The Eva Cassidy version of Fleetwood Mac's Songbird is beautiful! I hadn't heard it before I got married, or I probably would have used it. Enjoy the wedding planning with your friend!!

kendra said...

I really like #5! Not such a fan of 1, 2, 7.

According to Moi said...

#3! I saw the full-length version on a friend of mine and it is sooooo flattering! I drool at it every time I see this dress online! I can't wait until I have an event I can wear it to - I'd buy it in a heartbeat! Great choices.

kater said...

oh my goodness you are making me want to get married again! Wedding planning is so fun - especially when you're not the bride so things are less high stakes and you can have fun with it!

my recommendations (for what they're worth):
I got married a year ago and didn't do j.crew bridesmaid dresses for one reason - they don't release the colors for upcoming seasons (i.e., I was looking for a holiday wedding - red especially - in april when they had all the spring colors like pinks and greens). But since you're doing navy that totally isn't an issue for you guys and I can't wait to hear opinions about the j. crew dresses!

Are you and the bride going to look here in the d.c. area or in MA? I ended up getting my bridesmaid dresses at a boutique just for bridesmaids in baltimore called Garnish (http://garnishboutique.com/) and I CANNOT recommend it enough. The owner is fantastic and the experience itself is so fun. We were the only group in the store, got to pull all the dresses ourselves and ended up trying on lords knows how many dresses, and there was NO HOVERING by overbearing sales assistants. The owner also stocks a few bridal dresses - like j. crew ones not super fancy, but pretty and very unique. Seriously, we wanted to just live in that store!

I got my dress at a great boutique in Georgetown called Hitched (http://www.hitchedsalon.com/). And I had a great experience there as well. They have a wonderful staff (ask for lynette!), beautiful dresses, and were very accomodating. Although I got my gown there, they also have bridesmaid dresses. Again, I can't recommend them enough, especially if you're friend will be in the area for bridal gown shopping.

Sorry for the long post but this topic brings back all sorts of fun memories!

Kathy said...

I like #3 and #5. If you are in our area, I hope you will set aside 5 minutes to meet Seashell and I! We would be thrilled to meet a bloggie friend. Did you go to William and Mary? It is on Seashell's list!

prince snow farm said...

Such beautiful images. I miss planning a wedding. A good friend of mine is planning hers right now as well. It's such a happy time. Ditto to what Kathy said...please visit if you are close by...maybe we could all get together if you are towards the Cape.

snaphappy said...

Thanks for doing all the research for my cousin! ;) I personally love #3 and #5 -- for me. I think I'll be wearing something a little different than the bridesmaids, which is fine with me -- but in the same color (to the greatest extent possible). Navy makes that so easy!

snaphappy said...

Just reread my comment -- didn't mean to imply that I didn't like those dresses for YOU! I'm tired -- we drove for 16 hrs straight yesterday! Anyway, you will look amazing in any of those dresses!

tm said...

I like #3 and #4. Plus, you get to wear a color you love which is great-- imagine having to deal with a color you hate or doesn't look good on you?

I did not realize there was beef between UVA and William & Mary? Academic, cultural or athletic? I was only aware of the Tech rivalry (in all of the above). Not that I went to any of those schools, just lived in town and am attached to a wahoo, lol. :P

Leslie said...

Hello, I just stumbled upon your blog from J.Crew Aficionado. :) Congrats to your friend (and you for being a bridesmaid). I'm getting married this September, and having pink and navy blue as the colors. I love navy blue too! All of the dresses are lovely, but you might really like the Sophia dress. I'm such a fan. It's very flattering and versatile.

My fiance and I are in the midst of trying to figure out our first dance song. It's so difficult to find something that isn't overly cheesy, but is also sentimental. Oh, the exciting decisions of wedding planning!

post-fab princess said...

They're all beautiful, but I especially love 4, 5 and 7. And I think they have extra good re-wear potential!!

J.CrewJD said...

I looove #3... that's the Cecelia, right? It is so very flattering. I think it has a side zip but, I've tried it on and at least on that one, it didn't stick out oddly.

Summerilla said...

Oh how exciting - you're going to look beautiful in which ever dress you choose. I'd definitely love to hear about the Georgetown JCrew wedding section. You know just in case one of these days I need to visit there.

HeidiG said...

itztru - no time for a side trip, I'm afraid - we'll be in on Fri and out on Sun since we're taking the kiddies out of school the 1st week of Nov for a Disney trip. It would have been great timing, though. Wild Thing - love it!!

Real Working Mom of OC - good suggestion!

kendra - thanks!

NoJCrewinJapan - thanks!

kater-thanks for the great suggestions - I bet the red dresses were gorgeous!

Kathy - I'll be in Cohasset - how close is that? Yes, I did go to W&M - love love loved it, and love it still. :)

monogramgirl - Cohasset? I think that's Cape-ish? We'll have to talk.

snaphappy - looking forward to hitting Gtown with you (that would be George, as opposed to our usual German, hehe)

tastymoog- no, it's not athletic - definitely academic and very high school, without question. A very HS, Virginia thing. :)

Leslie - thanks for visiting! And what an exciting time for you - there really are so many more options today as opposed to when I got married 15 years ago! (I was 23.)

PFP - thanks!

Em - thanks! and thanks for the zipper info - it drives me crazy when they do that - so nice to know some of the bmaid dresses might be better!

Summerilla - thanks! Will definitely pass along the Gtown scoop when we go! :)

Peggy said...

Hi Heidi! I gave you a Sunshine Award today on my blog. You can see it here!
http://shehathdonewhatshecould.blogspot.com/2010/03/sunshine-award.html

CECE said...

Hello! How wonderful, I love going to weddings. Some people hate it but I absolutely love finding a dress and getting all dolled up =) I guess I am alone on my choice, #7 I think that will look really good on you. That only means its my favorite but you can pick any of those coz you carry your clothes well so it doesnt really matter which one you pick =) Have fun! Congratulations to your friend!

Suzy said...

Hi Heidi,
Beautiful dresses, I couldn't choose one!
I left you an award on my blog last night - hope you like it!
Suzy

Anonymous said...

I used #5, the silk Sophia dress, in navy for my 5 bridesmaids...they all loved it, despite being vastly different body types. None needed to have it altered, one got a great deal on eBay, and they all have worn or will wear it again!

Slastena said...

Heidi-Happy Blessed easter!

Debye said...

I like 3,5,6 and 7! I love wedding planning......so fun!

There are a few great first dance songs that make me cringe but with my luck they would be ones that other bloggers danced to and I'd feel like a meanie!

dinagideon said...

Hi, Heidi! Long time no talk. :) Just wanted to let you know I am thinking of you. Enjoy this sunny, amazing day!

Moda said...

Number 1 or 2.
Why? Because they are modern, cool and chic!

Anonymous said...

Where are you Heidi? I miss seeing your OOTDs and J Crew reviews. Come back soon! Hope all is well. :)

Anonymous said...

Heidi I also want to echo the comment where are you and you are missed? I hope everything is allright.

HeidiG said...

Thanks again for the feedback, ladies.

Wow, it really is the 2nd half of April, isn't it? Yeeks. My Spring Break break really took a wrong turn, huh?

Anon & casual-crew - thanks for the notes - I really appreciate it!!