Real Kentucky Wedding

I was just catching up on my daily reads this morning when I came across a post from the Southern Weddings blog. This real Kentucky wedding of Mallori + Tory features some gorgeous southern details, but what caught my eye immediately was Mallori's amazing gown — to die for!

I love the simple and flattering silhouette, the all over lace detail and the solid sash, it's just to die for! After doing a little poking around, I found out it's by Monique Lhuillier. Don't mind me, I'm just going to go drool over it on the website.

Check out the original post here: Southern Weddings — Mallori + Tori

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Watters bridal gowns

I'm married. Have been for a year and 7 months now, but I still cannot resist browsing through wedding gowns. I strongly feel that us married gals should create a new social "norm", where every 5 years or so we get to celebrate our anniversary with a new wedding gown and a mini-reception. Styles are changing constantly, and there are so many gowns out there that I would love to wear now. Ones that weren't even available when I was gown shopping. Talk about not fair!

We will think about that one... but for now, here are my favorites from Watters Brides!

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Matthew Christopher gown

I'll be the first to admit it... I was a very traditional bride. I still can't picture myself in half of those trendy gowns that are hitting the market lately... but I still love them! This particular gown {MOËT} by Matthew Christopher, would be stunning on a modern bride, looking for a little excitement in the white gown tradition.

Matthew Christopher has a wide range of styles to choose from, including some very traditional selections!

Hope you all have a wonderful time celebrating the New Year!

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Dress Shopping 101

Unless you're planted in the middle of the fashion industry, searching for a wedding gown can be a little intimidating the first time around. For starters, there are so many options! And secondly, the lingo that goes along with each dress style is a never-ending list of foreign words and phrases. Luckily, Brides.com has a very helpful glossary of words you'll need to know, when searching for that perfect ensemble.

Take a quick peek before heading out to your first salon appointment!

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The Kate gown from J. Crew

I'm in love. I usually favor strapless gowns over any other neckline, when it comes to the bride... but this elegant ensemble has made me change my mind! The amazing stylists over at J. Crew paired this gorgeous silk taffeta Kate gown with their lux beaded sash belt, and added a little bit of sparkle to this otherwise simple silhouette. I think it's genius! 

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DIY Bride : Inspiration board contest

Going through my daily blog reads yesterday I came across this post from DIY Bride. I'm not a bride (or groom, for that matter), so I won't be entering, but I thought it was a great idea for a challenge. I put my skills and resources to the test and came up with an inspiration board that totals $387.99, well under the $500 mark. It was a fun assignment, and proved that there are some amazing ensembles out there for a lady on a budget!

The gown is actually from the bridesmaid collection of Dessy, and was found at house of brides. At the Dessy homepage you can play around with different color options, and they have many! $139.00

The Ivory birdcage fascinator is from Etsy. $38.00

The shoes are Chinese Laundry from Piperlime. $60.00

The Paris-Ruby shoe clips are from Absolutely Audrey. $30.00

The garnet circle pendant is from Top Jewelry Stores. $44.99

The Narella earings are from Etsy. $28.00

The Sephora Blockbuster makeup palette is from Sephora. $48.00

Grand Total: $387.99

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Sinfully Simple

I ran across this beautifully simple gown by BCBG at the Nordstrom's site and fell in love! This is one of those no-hassle-no-pulling-at-it-all-night-gorgeous kind of dress. It's definitely got a price tag anyone could love, and it looks like it would be a perfect dancin' dress!

After seeing both sides of a wedding, the simple and the elaborate, my vote definitely goes to simple. 

After having a beautiful strapless wedding gown, equipped with train and all, I know how hard it was to keep it in one place. I have vivid memories of something poking me in the back all night, and someone stepping on my train, busting the bustle. Eh, it happens (luckily it was at the end of the night), but I would have totally traded all of that for a simple, chic look like this one!

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oooh la la, coco!

I’ve always wanted a tea length gown for my wedding, pretty much since they became so popular. But when it came down to the formality of our wedding, there was just no way I could pull it off. So here’s my dream dress in solid form… It’s designed by Amy Kuschel and is called coco. Love this for any vintage inspired wedding or just a fun outdoors tea party type of wedding. It seems like it would be so amusing to wear, swishing around the dance floor, and just think, people would actually be able to see your fabulous shoes the whole day/night!

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House of brides

Millions of name brand dresses at a 20-30% discount.

For example: Dessy 2044

Would usually retail at $240 or more in a boutique, is available at HOB for $166. And they will ship the dresses to one address for free. This bridesmaid’s dress is the one I actually chose for my girls to wear (and looked so flattering on everyone), and ordered it from HOB, which was a huge success!

Check it out if you get a chance.

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White (house) Dresses!

Anytime I am searching for that perfect black (or white) dress for a more formal affair, I immediately think White House Black Market! They never let me down with their dresses and gowns, and they always have something new and trendy in their stores. Which is why I poked my nose around there to see if I could find some appropriate and chic wedding gowns. My poking was a success and I was able to snag two that I absolutely love! These dresses are perfect for that bride who wants to play up her looks and accessories rather than a lacey, frilly dress. With a dress like the two above you could pull off a bold necklace, a crazy up do, or even add some pizzazz with a colored sash to tie around your waist. These are the types of dresses that never go out of style, something that your children will dream to wear, and something you won’t regret buying 30 years from now (I bet you can’t say that about those bridesmaid dresses hanging in your closet)! Plus who can beat a wedding dress for under $300—not even the clearance rack at David’s Bridal will let you get out the door for that.

When choosing a gown for your wedding, think about the atmosphere you want to set up. A huge princess dress with a flowing train isn’t ideal for an outdoor wedding, and also a simple gown with no train is probably going to be out of place in a huge cathedral. Fit your dress with your theme, and everything else will fall into place.

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