Currently Obsessing Over: Pocketwatch Necklaces

Received this past Christmas; this is my new fave piece to wear :) Can't help wearing it with everything bc I think it goes so well with everything!



via fred flare

Wedding: Floral Shop Dress

Last summer I posted about how I wanted a happy, perfect, tea dress for my rehearsal or shower from Sohomode. She still has her shop open and her dresses are still lovely, but I ended up buying the Floral Shop Dress over at modcloth.com. I do feel bad for not helping out an independent shop, but hey we are in a recession and it was $30 cheaper and included free shipping. That and I was a bit worried about Sohomode's fabric selections and how it would all come together in the end. Either way I still got a happy tea dress to wear somewhere for my wedding :)

Wedding: 3rd Times a Charm

So last wedding post I left you with was about a dress outing to All the Rage at Hilltop. But I have been a bad lil blogger and have not updated you on such important events as PURCHASING A DRESS! WEE! I knew I'd be buying a dress there because it was a perfect mix of both my experience at Pure English and David's Bridal. It wasn't overly priced as Pure English, but I felt more like a valued customer than at David's Bridal. I felt like a bride but not a stuffy couture bride, bc thats not me in spirit or in what I'm willing to spend. The sales ladies are very helpful, but they let you breathe and let you pick out what you want to see, while still being helpful and picking things that you might not think of trying on.

I think I was also set on buying on this trip because I was just tired of searching. You'd think searching for something like your bridal gown would be something you wouldn't get tired of. But it is a tiring process. The search, the trying on, the coordinating everyone else's schedules. I just wanted to be done with it and check another thing off my list.

At first I was having second thoughts about my dress. Mainly bc I wasted my "this is it" dress feeling on a Paloma Blanca dress not in my budget (pictured right). But after much thought I realized that I am happy with the dress I purchased. It fit all the criteria of style, fit, and price. As mentioned before, I won't be posting my actual dress bc my fiance is a very supportive fiance and visits my blog every now and again. But I will tell you what my criteria was and that it is a Maggie Sottero dress. Also, I'll post some of the other contenders that didn't quite make the cut.

Criteria:
Lace
Cap sleeves or key hole back
A-line, sheath or trumpet shape
Light-weight for my summer barn wedding.
Vintage feel
Non-traditional
No satin

some Pure English Dresses:

a bit too simple for me...

not quite digging the asymmetrical sleeves...

I liked the gathering detail at the waist, but the all over lace
was a bit heavy and looked a bit matronly in person.

some David's Bridal Dresses:

I loved how this dress looked on me and it would've been perfect
for a barn wedding but I wasn't willing to pay $500 for a short dress...
it makes me look like i have a teeny waist :)

Unfortunately, I don't have any pics of the dresses I tried on at All the Rage. As I said I was kind of tired of the dress search and I think my MOH was too, so we didn't even remember to take pics until we came to the dress I ended up purchasing. But I had an overall great experience at ATR. I felt their service, selection, and prices made it an overall good buying experience.

Wedding: My Photographer

Sean Young x City
Originally uploaded by http://www.flickr.com/people/bautistaphotos/

Alo! I wanted to share some vendor info. Our photographer for the wedding, Chris Bautista, is a good friend of mine. I'm pretty sure I've known him since I was in middle school. You may have already seen some of his work via the 757 links in the sidebar of this little blog. It was pretty much a no-brainer to whom I wanted to shoot our wedding. His style is something you can't teach, which wasn't since he is basically self-taught when it comes to photography. Some people just have an eye for photography and others just have an expensive camera and call themselves photographers (not anyone in particular...jus sayin'). I love his use of lighting and the photo-journalistic style he does his weddings in. I'm so happy he's agreed to do our wedding. We'll also be doing engagement photos at some point. So keep an eye out!

http://www.bautistaphotos.com/ or bautistaphotos on flickr for more examples of Chris' work :)

Elementary my dear...

I heart capelettes. I bought one similar to the one to the right last year at an end of the season clearance at delias.com for quite a steal. Mine is made out of a yummy tweed but the overall shape is the same. I was getting breakfast one morning at an Sbux and an older lady came up to me and asked where I got it. She said it was "soo chic!" It made me laugh and beam bc unexpected compliments are always the best. Alexis over @ "My Mama Made It" is giving away a lovely wool cape. I love that it has a hood! I'm taking my chances at winning it...and you should too bc I like to share the love. :)

2010 Sewing Calendar

calendar 2
Originally uploaded by stardustshoes

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! 2010 is extra special for me since as some may know I'll be getting married this year! Crazy to think that this time next year I will have a whole different lastname and be in a different tax bracket, okay well the 2nd isn't as exciting but still.

I started the New Year off right by being uber productive in the house today. I did some Spring cleaning in the middle of Winter. What better way to start the New Year than to purge a few things?

Productivity is key this year. I must get wedding planning underway. My SIL got me this 2010 Sewing Calendar for Christmas. It's pretty sweet, it has a detailed projects w/instructions & patterns for every few days of the year. A lot of the projects were submitted & compiled by the crafty people here in blogland. (Follow picture link for one of the contributors). Hopefully, it will help me stay productive in the crafty areas as well. Here's to a productive, exciting, and new 2010!