Love is All About "We": The Dress!

All photos below by The Wiebners unless otherwise noted. We purchased a disc of all unedited images from our wedding day, so some post-processing has been done by me for the purpose of sharing the photos with you. Click on any photo to enlarge.

When it was time to put on my dress, I had butterflies. This was the moment that would really make me a bride.



I was starting to feel a little overwhelmed as so many people were now in our suite (six bridesmaids, my aunt, MIL Cupcake, my mom, two makeup artists and a photographer) so I asked that not everyone come into the bedroom while I got into my dress. It was just my mom, my maid and matron of honor, and my aunt. Looking back, I hope that no one felt shunned from this experience by my request, but I needed a little breathing space!

Naked time! Stepping into the dress with the help of MOH Nicole and my mom

It's funny how the photos of a bride getting into her dress are so iconic and it seems like such a process, but for me, it was all pretty quick! (Thanks to a zipper covered by fake buttons... we would have had to build an extra 20 minutes into our timeline if those buttons needed a crochet hook.)


My dress is from Casablanca Bridal (it is style 1860 in Champagne) and I felt like it was made just for me!

My mom zipping me up

Done!

I love this photo of my mom looking at me

The only thing that took a little bit of time was, um, adjusting *ahem* the girls. I couldn't find a bra that would work with my dress and not be painfully uncomfortable, so I opted to have cups sewn into the bra. I was still a little nervous, though, as I wanted everyone to behave and stay in their designated corners (as MOH Nicole says, "divide and conquer") — enter the magical world of double-sided tape. I had picked up a roll of fashion tape a few days beforehand, and it ended up being a lifesaver (for me and a few of the bridesmaids). Probably the best $10 I ever spent!

Only a true best friend would reach down your dress to put fashion tape on your boobs

The girls are good to go!

It was now time for the finishing touches... the accessories that I had so carefully chosen.


I had asked SIL Cupcake to help me out with my "something blue" — putting blue crystals on the bottom of her shoes was something she had done for her wedding day, so I thought I'd continue the tradition. She carefully glued our initials and wedding date on the bottom of my Liz René shoes, so my "something blue" was with me all day long.

{photo by SIL Cupcake}

Momma Cupcake helped me from falling over (I tend to do klutzy things like this from time to time) while Aunt Jane helped me with my shoes. We call this the "Cinderella moment"!



Next up was my custom-made bracelet from Tracy Tayan (Tracy now has a website up since I last posted about her amazing work!)

The bracelet is lying on top of my something borrowed (a handkerchief from my mom with her first initial on it, which was about to become my new last initial) and my something old (a yellow-edged handkerchief that my Nana left for me when she passed away two months before the wedding. She had asked SIL Cupcake to give it to me.)

Most of my nerves started melting away and I was starting to get really, really excited!

SIL Cupcake peeking in

Bracelet: on. Next up were my Lunessa earrings:



I packed my clutch with my handkerchiefs, phone, and a few cosmetic items for touch-ups.


Then came time for the real crowning moment: the veil. I absolutely loved my veil. If it didn't always feel like it was in the way, I would have considered wearing it all day. It had such delicate detailing along the edges and I felt like it was the perfect accent to my dress.

A closeup of the detailing on my veil {photo by SIL Cupcake}

My mom didn't know the best way to put my veil on and didn't want to mess up my 'do, so DOC Jenn Poletti came to the rescue. She had just arrived and we put her right to work. (Ours was one of the last weddings Jenn worked in 2008 — she was pregnant with twin boys who later arrived in January!)

Jenn and I became good friends throughout the planning process — our nickname for each other is BIFF (which stands for Best Internet Friend Forever) because we emailed each other so much! Half of the time it was about The Hills, though, not the wedding....

I love this picture

"Well, I guess that's it?... I'm a bride now!"

I had everything I needed, so I made my way out of the bedroom and found that my dad had arrived.

He's happy to see me!

I look like a mischievous little kid here! I guess I really couldn't contain my excitement at that point.

Here comes our "prom" pose — me pinning the boutonniere onto my dad's lapel (or pretending to pin it on for the sake of a photo... I think I eventually gave up and made Jenn do it for me).

I think the way he is looking at me in this photo is very sweet... I am the only daughter and the last of two kids to get married, so it was a big day for both of my parents.

{photo by SIL Cupcake}

I also got the first glimpse at my bouquet that had arrived earlier from Blue Moon. I loved it! Somehow, despite my frazzled descriptions of what I wanted, Wade managed to put together the perfect bouquet for me.

{photo by SIL Cupcake}

One last iPhone check (I'm addicted) and we, were ready to go!


Next up: the guy's get sexy!


Previously in our wedding recaps:
The Eve of Our Big Day: The Rehearsal Dinner
Love is All About "We": Getting Gorgeous

Love is All About "We": Getting Gorgeous

Let the recaps begin!

All photos below by The Wiebners unless otherwise noted. We purchased a disc of all unedited images from our wedding day, so some post-processing has been done by me for the purpose of sharing the photos with you. Click on any photo to enlarge.

After our rehearsal dinner, I truly felt nothing but excitement for the next day. I had stressed for long enough over all of the little details — I couldn't change anything at that point and was more than ready for our big day to arrive after a 19-month engagement. I actually felt pretty calm (which is so unlike me).

I spent my last night as a single gal with my mom in the Presidential Suite (ooh la la!) of The Desmond. I slept like a dream and awoke around 8:30 on September 20 feeling refreshed and ready to go. Emily arrived soon after and got right down to business setting up her workspace.


Soon after, Natalie also arrived, and one-by-one my bridesmaids started trickling in. It was time to get beautified!

Bridesmaid Chrissy getting made up and looking adorable {photo by SIL Cupcake}

Emily primping MIL Cupcake... see the pin she's wearing on her shirt? It's a "Mother of the Groom" pin that Momma Cupcake wore while getting ready on my brother's wedding day, and passed it down to MIL Cupcake. {photo by SIL Cupcake}

I wasn't scheduled to begin hair and makeup right away, so while everyone else started their routines, I took some time to myself to take a nice long, warm shower and mentally prepare myself for the day ahead. I put on my Team Bride tank, the same one that SIL Cupcake wore while getting ready to get hitched to my brother in 2007 and generously lent to me for my big day.


Then, "Mission: Get Gorgeous" began! First up: Natalie, the hair magician.

Mrs. Cupcake needs some beautification. Badly.
(And could my posture be any less bridal? Sheesh.) {photo by SIL Cupcake}

Natalie did a fabulous job on my hair and topped it off with the Twigs & Honey flower I had custom made.


Then it was time for Emily to work her magic and put my face on.

iPhone in lap? Check. Bridal glow? Check.

This is about when the nerves set in. Not nerves as in "do I really want to go through with this?" but nerves as in "this is the day we have been planning for so long, and it's really finally here, and I get to marry the love of my life. Eek!" Having my makeup applied really started to make it feel real.

Momma Cupcake, beautified and dressed, watching my transformation

As my makeup was coming along, the girls started coming back in after getting dressed in their rooms at The Desmond.

My Aunt Jane and cousins/bridesmaids Michele and Coleen, who came up from New Orleans for our big day

Michele had generously taken care of one of my last-minute to-dos for me: she bought 20 mini black and white parasols at a Mardi Gras store in New Orleans before boarding her plane to Philadelphia. We later used these while dancing it up to the Mummers Strut at the reception; the parasols were absolutely perfect. In case the other bridesmaids weren't sure how to strut, Michele demonstrated:


Chrissy returned to the suite, bearing a card from Mr. Cupcake. Instead of getting each other wedding gifts, we had both agreed to just write each other a nice card to exchange while we were getting ready.


Emily stopped doing my makeup for a moment so I could read what my hubby-to-be had written to me.

This is my "aww I'm so happy and lucky and I'm trying not to cry because I don't want to ruin my makeup" face. I love the reflection of Chrissy and Maid of Honor Nicole in the mirror.

Okay, Emily, stop slacking and get back to work!


I had purchased the Chanel lipcolor that Emily used during my makeup trial so I would have something for touch-ups throughout the day. I kept it in my $15 clutch from a no-name jewelry store in NYC and added the teal flower from Twigs & Honey.


Oh, my! Champagne! How did that get in here?


Back to the makeup...


When my makeup was all done, I took a look in the bathroom mirror and I got a little nervous; the flourescent lights made my cheeks look really, really pink, and I was nervous about the bags under my eyes (from lack of sleep for, oh, the last 3 months!); Emily patiently listened as I came back out a little panicky and asked if she could make a few adjustments.


We stood right next to the window to get a bit more natural light, which helped her be able to make a few final changes. In hindsight, I think she had it right the first time — I was just letting my nerves get to me! But I still felt better after we had it absolutely perfect.


Yup. Perfect!


Another special delivery arrived as I was just about ready to get into my dress: the flowers from Blue Moon Florist!

My bouquet {photo by SIL Cupcake}

Bridesmaids bouquets {photo by SIL Cupcake}

Then, it was just about time. Maid of Honor Nicole and Matron of Honor Kelli (9 months pregnant and a wonderful trooper!) excitedly got ready to help me into my dress...


You didn't think I would give it all to you at once, did you? You'll have to wait and see!

Attention Philly/NJ brides!

Weddingbee reader Anne L. kindly emailed me about this amazing sale going on in Pennsauken, New Jersey, this Saturday (Valentine's Day!). The Goodwill location at 5461 Route 70 will be selling wedding gowns.... Now, I know what you're thinking, and these are not just any wedding gowns that women donated from their 1986 wedding (complete with puffy sleeves). Nope; the good people of Goodwill went door-to-door to area bridal stores asking for donations, and acquired modern gowns to sell to the public at very, very generous prices.

This article from 6abc.com says:

Used gowns will sell for about $50, while new designer sample gowns will cost up to $300. A Reem Acra New York that originally sold for about $1200 will cost $250 at the sale. A Jasmine Haute Couture gown that originally sold for about $900 will cost about $200 at the sale.

The store will also have tuxedos, flower-girl dresses and accessories at significant discounts.

Of course, a sale like this does not happen every day, so you might want to arrive before the doors open at 9 a.m. if you are hoping to get your hands on one of these bargains.... it's worth a shot, as you never know what great deal you may find!

These photos aren't the greatest, but give you a small glimpse into what they'll be offering. If the sale is successful, it will become an annual event.

Happy shopping!

Goodwill Industries
5461 Route 70
Pennsauken, New Jersey
(856) 662-1650

A Very, Very Special Delivery!

Lookie lookie at what arrived on our doorstep yesterday....


Our wedding photo proofs from The Wiebners!

They arrived in a pretty little box, complete with our wedding colors. (Alright, so they're also the Wiebners' signature colors, but I am going to pretend that they picked this box especially for us!)


Inside: nine — count 'em, NINE — spiral bound books containing all 770 of our beautiful photos.


We have already seen all of these photos via the online proofing site that the Wiebners set up, but it's so much more exciting to see them live and in person! We also received a DVD with all of the digital images, so you know what that means.... PHOTO RECAPS! No promises about how soon I'll get these up on the 'bee (I have a feeling it's going to be a very difficult task to sort through so many gorgeous shots) but I do promise that you'll finally get a chance to see our complete wedding day from start to finish.


I am so excited to finally have my hands on these.... the Wiebners did an absolutely amazing job, and our photos were certainly worth the wait. How long did you have to wait for your wedding proofs?

Why Didn't I Think of That?

I realize that my last post was also about cake.... but really, I can just never get enough of pretty cakes, no matter how long ago our wedding was! The cake design was one of those details that had me stumped for the longest time throughout our planning process, so I still enjoy finding unique designs that may inspire some of you.

This cake immediately made me think, now why didn't I think of that?

Cake by Dahlia's Custom Cakes in Ann Arbor, Michigan; found via Cake Wrecks (obviously, this was a non-wreck featured on the site!)

Yes — those are M&Ms! I love that from a distance, it looks like a sort of retro homage to cross-stitch.... but up close, it's all M&Ms in their delightful, chocolatey goodness.

I'm sure this took some time and quite a bit of planning, but the effect is totally priceless. What do you think? Would you go for an M&Ms cake like this for your wedding day?