I'm alive! (plus adventures in bridesmaid's dresses)

Hello blog world! (Er, like, the two of you that might actually read this ;-) I know it has been wayyyyy too long since I have written on this here blog. The new job has been keeping me super busy, but it has also been keeping me super happy. To actually come home after a 10 or 11 hour workday and still be smiling -- well it's certainly something new for me, to say the least.

One thing I'm learning to balance with the new job is keeping up with wedding planning. I'm not going to lie: anywhere from 15%-85% of my day at my last job was often spent daydreaming and researching for the wedding! I had lots of time to pore over wedding blogs, dress websites, etc. etc. I certainly can't do this anymore, but luckily those months that I was able to do lots of research helped me to come up with pretty clear ideas of what I want/don't want, so now I have an easier time making decisions.

One big decision that I am super excited about: bridesmaid's dresses! I had seen this photo on the Alfred Sung website a few months ago, and immediately loved it. Although I am normally not a fan of halter styles, there was something about this one that was less trendy and more vintage that I really liked. It seems to go quite well with the vibe of my dress and the "vintage charm meets modern whimsy" motif, and it meets three of my other requirements: not strapless, not satin (it's a nice blend that isn't too shiny like satin, nor is it too slinky like chiffon), and it is t-length.

MatOH and I went to check out the dress in person a few weeks ago, and we both immediately loved it. She tried on a few other dresses that day, but we both kept coming back to this one. I took my mom to see the dress a few weeks later, and emailed a photo to the rest of the 'maids, and the decision was unanimous: it's perfect!

I know this is straying from my color scheme somewhat, but the teal color kept drawing me in so that is what I decided to go with. I am still going to keep chartreuse and plum as accent colors, but I have always loved teal and I am very happy to keep this as the main signature color. Through the magic of Photoshop, I took the photo of the dress from the Alfred Sung website and made it teal, for your viewing pleasure:



Did anyone else have such an easy time deciding on bridesmaid's gowns?

A pretty big week for Miss Blushing

The last week has been pretty big/exciting for me, for two reasons:

1.) I got the job! I received an offer on Monday evening, and handed in my resignation at my current job on Tuesday. I was a nervous wreck before doing so, because it's just such a difficult thing to do, but once it was over I felt liberated and nothing but excited for the next chapter in my career. I will wrap things up in two weeks, have a few days off to get myself situated, and then begin my new adventure on October 3!

2.) I got "the" dress! Last Saturday Mama Blushing, MIL Blushing, and my MatOH came along when I went to try on the Casablanca dress one more time at The Wedding Touch. As MatOH said, it was a "no brainer" and the troops were unanimous -- I HAD to get this dress! I kept it on for maybe 15 or 20 minutes, loving every second of it and loving the dress more and more the longer I kept it on. So, I got measured, and wonderful Mama Blushing (who does so much for me and is doing so much for our wedding that I could never thank her enough) put down the deposit. DONE! Such a great feeling!

Without further ado, here is the dress, once again, but with yours truly wearing it! (Mr. Blushing, I know you are really not into this blog thing, but if for some reason you are reading this.... STOP NOW!!!!!!! Thankyouverymuch :-) )

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That's me! In MY wedding dress! Teehee.

The back.... we didn't take a lot of time to lay out the train all pretty, but you get the gist.



Aside from the few clips, the sample was very close to my normal size, so this is the size we ordered. For an extra $85, we will also have it custom cut to my height (which will probably save us a few hundred dollars in the alterations that would have otherwise been needed removing and re-stitching all of the detailed lace along the bottom hem). It is hard to tell, but the sample is champagne and that is the same color I ended up ordering. It's basically a more pink ivory that is flattering to my Italian skin tone (where as regular ivory has more yellow, which brings out the olive tone of my skin, which I am not a fan of!).

Also, you can't see in pictures, but each button on the back is beaded with the same detail as the rest of the dress. Truly spectacular!!!

I really like the veil that I am wearing, too. I didn't see the need to order that right away, but I might end up buying this one. I like how the subtle scalloped edge picks up the detail of the dropped waist, and the beading along the edge frames my face while picking up the beading on the dress. I'm also not a fan of "poof" so I like that this veil is a single layer -- no blusher for me (just not my thing and I swear I feel claustrophobic when I wear a blusher.... yes, I'm weird like that!). I would get it a bit longer (I honestly forget the length I want.... 50-something inches? They wrote it down!) because I liked the way another longer veil looked with the dress.

I am so ecstatic about this purchase; I feel like I really found the dress that suits my body, style, and personality to a T. I also like that it will help to set the tone for a somewhat vintage-meets-modern/eclectic style wedding, in terms of decor, flowers, and stationery.

Now I can start diving into the world of shoes, jewelry, and bridesmaid dresses!!!! :-)

Dress shopping extravaganza, vol. III

Yesterday, I went on my third dress shopping excursion. This time it was just me and my mom, and we had appointments at a whopping four bridal salons in the area. Maybe that was a little ambitious, but we had a blast!

We started out at 10 a.m. at Forever Formals in Kennett Square, PA. Tracey was our sales assistant, and she was 100% delightful to work with. She let my mom and me look through the dresses and stepped in only when we found something we thought I should try on. The fitting room here was the nicest and most spacious I had been in yet, and Tracey was helpful and speedy without rushing us.

We found some really beautiful gowns -- some looked okay on, and some looked ridiculous and I didn't even get in them all the way before I took them off! There was one in particular that we liked the best out of them all: The Maggie Sottero Marissa dress. They had it in the darkest color, which was called Vienna Cream, but try to picture it in ivory!





I was surprised by how flattering the neckline was on me; I liked the crystal details on the neckline and on the "knife pleats" below the dropped waist. I liked the asymmetrical cut and the asymmetrical crystal detail in the back. The train was a little plain for my liking, but Tracey said we could probably add some crystal details. I wasn't so sure about the corset back, since I've always been a bigger fan of buttons, and I think I could grow to like the corset. Also, I am trying not to have my mind too set on the lace thing, but it just didn't seem as "me" as the dresses I had tried with lace. My mom really loved this dress on me, and I certainly liked it a lot, but was looking forward to continuing our search to see what else was out there.

Our second stop was The Wedding Touch in Frazer, PA. Sylvia was our sales assistant, and she was very sweet (although a bit of a talker!). She truly enjoys what she does and got a good feel for what I liked the more I talked to her. I tried on a few really pretty dresses, but wasn't extremely blown away by anything. I thought that maybe I was just at the point of trying on so many gowns that I was becoming numb to the "feeling" I was supposed to have!

....Until I tried on a particular Casablanca gown.

The style # is 1860, and unfortunately I was not allowed to take photos (I still don't really get this, but what can you do?). I don't think the photos online do the dress any justice, and it looks completely different on me since I am shorter, bustier, and overall curvier than this model! But, this is all I've got, so try to visualize if you can:

This photo is a little weird to me -- like they Photoshopped her chest away!

This is a little more "normal" looking and shows the amazing lace and beading.

Love. This. Train.

It is not what I imagined for myself at the beginning, yet it has a lot of the details that I have liked in other dresses -- the v-neck (that really sits on the outermost point of the shoulder, which I love), the dropped waist, the slimmer fit (while not a sheath dress, it does have a little bit of poof without being overwhelming), and, of course: lace, lace, lace.

The detailing seems like a lot, but when I put it on, I just felt like a much better version of myself. The details weren't overwhelming to my size or figure, and I liked that the beading and lace really blended into the rest of the dress (I hate when details stand out in a different color or tone). Overall it had a very vintage, classic feel to it that seems to suit my "old soul" type of personality and style (or at least the style I've always wished I had!).

My mom was also really into this dress -- I know she is not the one who will be wearing the dress, and there were certainly some dresses that she loved on the hanger than I wouldn't even try on, but it seems like when I find something that is right, it is something that we both love equally. She is my best friend and I really value her opinion; plus, she used to be really into sewing (she sewed her own wedding gown and ALL her bridesmaid's gowns back in the 70s!), so I trust her opinion on how things are made and how nice materials are.

The real "wow" moment for this dress came when my mom started to tear up -- as much of a crier as I am, my mom has never been quite as emotional as me. So when she IS emotional, I cry, even if I don't know why she's crying! She started to get a little teary-eyed and said "it just reminds me of my mother" and we both lost it. (My grandmother died when my mom was 24, before I was born.) Through my tears I joked, "well now I have to get it!" But it was really the first dress that gave me that "the one" feeling. (It's not an urban wedding myth after all!) It felt good to know that this had the vintage charm of something my grandmother might have worn, and that didn't make me feel like I needed to work on my body to make me love it more -- it looked great on me, the way I am right now. Things just started to fall into place. And, bonus: it is under $1000!

Funny thing: when we got into the car to go to our next stop, I paged through my wedding binder and found that I had torn out a picture of this dress before! It still looked completely different, but it was fun to know that I had noticed it before.

To cut this novel short, I will say that we continued on to our last two appointments, the second of which was at a store that carried the original Jasmine "dream dress" that I thought I loved -- and this dress no longer did anything for me. Aside from it being about three sizes too big on me, I just saw that it wasn't the dress that would truly flatter me, even if it was the right size and altered to fit me. It was a great starting off point which eventually led me to "the" dress, though.

I really do think that this is the one! I'm still going to sleep on it a little bit, but I don't see anything changing my mind about this one. :-)

Miss Blushing, meet the road block. Road block, meet Miss Blushing.

Remember all that talk about "dream dress"? Remember when all was right with the world of bridal gowns, and I didn't need to look any further to find exactly what I was looking for?

Boy, did I get ahead of myself!

Last weekend Mr. Blushing and I went to visit his parents, about a 2 hour drive from where we live. By early Saturday afteroon, Mr. Blushing started to feel under the weather and proceeded to take a nap, and since his naps tend to last for many hours, I knew I was on my own. Being kind of bored and knowing that FMIL (whose only child is Mr. Blushing, and who also has 6 nephews and one lone niece) was chomping at the bit to go dress shopping with me, I proposed that we go check out a local shop I had found online called Taylored for You Bridal Boutique. (That's not a typo -- the owner's name is Taylor, which is why it is spelled the way it is!) I called the shop and Taylor herself said I didn't need an appointment and they would have some time to show me some dresses, so we got right in the car and ventured over there.

I really wasn't expecting to have as much fun as I did! Taylored for You is a cute little house-turned-shop that has a pink dress-shaped sign out front. Inside, the shop was tiny but clean, and overall it was a wonderfully friendly and professional environment. At first, I only found 3 dresses on the racks that I wanted to try on, but Taylor's employee, Leigh, kept pulling things out that she thought I would like. She ended up having a real knack for picking things that were flattering to my shape, and, even better, most of the samples fit me like a glove (albeit a slightly tight glove) so I could really envision what it would look like without clips all over it.

Now I know I went through this whole thing about not wanting a strapless dress, and not really liking satin..... but then, I laid my eyes on Lea Ann Belter's Olivia dress. It was one of the three that I had originally taken off the rack to try on, and when I put it on -- I don't know, something happened!


Something about the subtle heart-shaped neckline was really flattering to my not-quite-petite bust, and just look at the waist it gives me! Believe me, that is not my waist, it is a complete illusion. The satin was the softest, most beautiful satin I have ever felt, and the lack of too much "poof" really suited my 5' 3.75" frame (yes, that 3/4" matters!). Granted, I am standing on a stool, but I just felt very tall and slender and.... bridal.

Did I mention that Mr. Blushing's mom cried when I put this on? Granted, it was the first dress of the lot that I tried on, and the first time she had ever really seen me in a bridal gown, but at least she didn't think it looked bad on me. Definitely, definitely did not think it looked bad on me.

I also really liked this dress below, although it still doesn't have enough going on up top for me to love it as much as the Olivia. I actually don't know the name of this dress, but it is also a Lea Ann Belter. One thing I do love about it is the slimmer fit below the waist -- apparently that is flattering to my figure. Who knew?


**Please disregard back-fat bulge.... tight glove, remember?

I also tried on this dress with a little lace bolero jacket from another dress (but never snapped a photo), and I really liked that, but we all decided I probably wouldn't end up wearing it. I just think it's amusing that this dress is strapless, satin, AND has a sash and I still managed to like it.

Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, both of these dresses are pretty much completely out of my budget, so I really can't consider them as real contenders. But now that I have tried on such beautiful creations, I am not as set on my original Jasmine choice as I was before. Maybe I really don't know exactly what I'm looking for, and maybe I need to look further, not just for a dress that I love but a dress that looks good on me. I am going to do a bit more exploring with my mom this weekend, and I also have to keep in mind that I have just over a year until my wedding so I don't NEED to order my dress for a few more months. But still, I get the feeling it is going to end up being a much more difficult decision than I anticipated a few weeks ago.

Just for fun, here are a few more photos from our dress shopping extravaganza at Taylored for You -- Leigh had me in all sorts of get-ups! These aren't "me" enough, but they were really stunning dresses. It made for a really fun, unexpected afternoon! Taylor and Leigh were the best bridal boutique salespeople I have met so far.... friendly, not pushy, they allowed photos, and they really, thoroughly love what they do.

I tucked in the capped sleeves, as they were a bit too wide for my liking.... we all thought they would look better smaller, but don't mind how puffy they are appearing here!

Check out that train!

This is not my taste at all, and the neckline is not one bit flattering on me.... but the beading on this dress was incredible. Taylor and Leigh have their own nicknames for all the dresses, and they called this one the "Hollywood" dress!

This was way too poofy for me, and something about the straight neckline and sash/bow made me feel too young, but the fabric was really lightweight. Would be great for a hot summer day!

Question for readers: did anyone really get that "this is the dress" feeling the first time they tried on a dress? How did you know? Does this really exist or is it an urban wedding myth??

Finally, we meet.....

Last Friday, I went on the aforementioned journey into bridal gowns. I ventured to two bridal shops with the intention of remaining open-minded, but the dress that I have had my eye on the most still couldn't stay out of the picture for very long. I will hereto forth call said dress "dream dress."

On my dress shopping excursion, I had the pleasure of being accompanied by my fabulous mother and my two best friends (who also happen to be my maid & matron of honor). We began at a nice little shop in my hometown called Bridal Sophisticate. There I tried on about 6 dresses; about 2 of said dresses really tickled my fancy once I had them on. Unfortunately photos weren't allowed, but I do have photos of one from the Jasmine website:

Please disregard the erotic model pose.....

I had seen this dress online a while ago, and have always liked the simplicity and the *bling* details. I know that I said I didn't want a strapless dress, but something about this dress doesn't bother me as much as some other strapless styles, and I love the asymmetrical cut and the embellishment on the side. Once I tried it on with a veil that had some sparkle to it, I really felt like a princess.

After a nice lunch with my favorite ladies, we then ventured to Fantasia Bride & Cocktail in Delaware (hooray for tax-free shopping!), about 25 minutes away. This was actually the only store within about an 80 mile radius that had a sample of the dream dress that has been wooing me for some time now (see post below!). Fantasia was tightly packed with dresses, but we were the only ones in the store so we swiftly picked out about 6 dresses to try on (dream dress being the first, of course). Although this shop wasn't as "posh" as Bridal Sophisticate, the fitting rooms were MUCH more spacious and I didn't feel like I had to squeeze into dresses that were bigger than the room I was standing in.

Anywho, dream dress most definitely did not disappoint! Although the sample was 2 sizes too big on me and they didn't have clips to make it fit a little better, I still felt fabulous in it. Please disregard the oversized-nature of the dress:

Sorry this shot is a little fuzzy.... MOH was trying to sneak a picture without letting the salesperson know that we were taking photos!

The salesperson said we couldn't take photos, but I nicely mentioned that I already knew who made the dress, so she said "okay, just don't tell anyone!" and let us take a better photo with the flash. Sweet-talking always does the trick!

The only thing that slightly concerns me is the width of the lace V-neck -- it doesn't seem as delicate as I pictured it to be. However, this may be cured by actually buying the right size and having a good seamstress fix it up a bit. Aside from that, I love the asymmetrical cut (again), I adore the V-back and my heart skips a beat when I see the train..... it's soooo lovely!!

This store also had the same dress that I had tried on at Bridal Sophisticate, so I got into it again and we took some more photos.

Please pardon goofy grin

Once I saw the photos, it was no contest -- dream dress definitely takes the cake. Although I loved the strapless dress in the store, it doesn't do much for me in pictures, and I'm not sure it's entirely flattering. (Kind of creates a una-boob, no?) Tan lines aside, I'm just not sure it's "me," and something about the lace details of the other dress really call out to me. And frankly, I'm just kind of tired of seeing strapless dresses everywhere I turn.

I plan to still visit a few more bridal shops, but it was such a great day finding one dress that I already love and can picture myself swaying down the aisle in! It's starting to feel more real!!!

Falling in love.....

....with a dress!

Tomorrow is my first excursion into the overwhelming world of bridal gowns. I've been tearing pics out of mags for months now, and know the look I want (or at least, I think it's what I want), but whose to say that those dresses won't look like crapola on my 5'3" not-so-much-stick-then self? I know what looks good on me in terms of regular clothes (note to self: high-necks make bewbies look bigger, v-necks minimize the girls!), but as far as bridal gowns, this is definitely uncharted territory.

I told myself that I would go in with an open mind, but unfortunately I have already allowed myself to go just a little too far with one dress in particular. I couldn't help it -- that damn dress has been putting the moves on me since the moment I first laid eyes on it online, and, well, with weak knees, I eventually gave in to its many advances.

This dress has all of the details I have had in the back of my mind since the beginning, all squeezed into one lovely, delicate pile of taffeta and lace. It is not strapless (although strapless looks good on me, I'm kind of tired of seeing all-strapless wedding gowns and would like to try for something different); it has lace, but is not ALL lace; it has an a-line skirt but not too fru-fru full; it has an assymetrical waist; it has a nice train; and it doesn't have a sash (I feel like sashes only emphasize the shortness of my torso).

Without further ado, the dress that I will be trying on tomorrow (along with several others, I'm sure):






photos from Jasmine Bridal

*Sigh....* Isn't it lovely?