The Best Part Is, You Can Shorten It and Wear It Again!

Fox 2000

The title is the catch phrase from the movie, 27 Dresses. The main character in that movie has been a bridesmaid 27 times, and managed not to have a normal looking dress out of the bunch, yet each bride assures that the dress can easily be worn again.  The sad thing is, the movie’s costume designer said that every dress in that movie was found somewhere in the world as an actual bridesmaid option.    

Selecting a bridesmaid dress is hard.  You have numerous girls, all different body types, different skin tones, and different levels of confidence.  On top of that, most bridal stores make your order and pay for the dress months before you get to try it on.  For those girls who live out of state, getting an exact match for everyone takes coordination. 

   

For my wedding, I took a swatch of ribbon that I had been using for color coordination to Brides by Demetrios.  They carry  different bridesmaid lines (for example Jordan, Bill Levkoff, Dessy, Eden), so I found the line that had a fabric that most closely matched the color of my ribbon.  Each girl then chose her own dress in the fabric out of the line I chose.  My girls wore Eden dresses in cranberry french satin.   

Of course, the problem with bridesmaid dresses is that they are usually expensive, they all look the same (strapless A-line), and most girls will never wear them again unless they happen to be young enough to still go to prom.  For brides looking to have their girls in trendier dresses, and in many cases, less expensive dresses, Albuquerque actually offers a large selection of “evening” type dresses.    

For those of you with girls on a budget, Target has some amazing designer lines at a steal (about $40), and the dresses are great!  Also, check out Urban Outfitters in Nob Hill which offers a TON of affordable, unique pieces.  Here are some of my other favorites from around town:   

Anthropologie $179

 

Anthropologie $158

 

BCBG $248

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

BCBG $260

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cache $188

 

Cache $158

 

  

Dillards $150

 

  

Dillards $89

 

Gianni Bini at Dillards $168

 

  

Jessica Howard at Dillards $80

 

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  

White House Black Market $168

 

Store Info:

  

   

Target: www.target.com   

Urban Outfitters (on Central in Nob Hill) www.urbanoutfitters.com   

Dillards (Winrock and Cottonwood) www.dillards.com   

White House, Black Market (On Academy and Wyoming, at ABQ Uptown) www.whitehouseblackmarket.com   

Cache (Cottonwood Mall) www.cache.com   

Anthropologie (ABQ Uptown) www.anthropologie.com

Don’t Hate Your Bridesmaids

My fabulous bridesmaid Kaitlin, helping with the garter!

Over the weekend I was checking out a bridal forum and offered my support to a bride who was expressing her frustration over her maid of honor.  While I had no intention of doing anything other than letting the poor girl know that she wasn’t being out of line,  I inadvertently suggested that a maid of honor’s job is to become a slave for outrageous demands.  It was pointed out to me by ANOTHER poster on this bride’s “rant” (perhaps rightfully so), that the ONLY responsibility of a bridesmaid is to show up to the wedding.  I decided that it wasn’t appropriate to use this thread to ponder  having bridesmaids at all if their only purpose is to show up to the wedding (I had 175 other guests to do that part). 

So, instead I decided to dedicate the next few posts to Bridesmaids.  These are the lovely women who have supported us, and who wish us the greatest happiness.  They go to bridal showers with us, they helped us pick our dress, and they volunteer their Saturdays to help make placecards.  Whether they go above and beyond to make our shower/bachelorette party/wedding absolutely perfect, or whether they simply show up at the wedding to sign the witness line,  I think it is part of the BRIDE’s responsibility to not put them in a situation that causes awkardness or hurt feelings, and to make sure that each girl (or guy if the case may be) knows that she is grateful for their friendship and their help with her big day….and if bridezilla does accidently make an appearence, at least they know that somewhere in there is the loving friend they once knew!

So stay tuned! I’m working on finding out of the box ideas for bridesmaid dresses, great ABQ bachelorette party ideas, and great bridesmaid gifts for the lovely ladies in your wedding party, so let me know if you’ve found something awesome that you’d like to share!

Something Blue…For Your Shoe!

In planning my own, “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue,” I knew I wanted items that could serve as conversation pieces during the evening when talking to people who I didn’t know.  I had the something old (a beautiful vintage hairpin given to me at my bridal shower by my mother-in-law which was her mother’s), and something borrowed (a rosary blessed by the Pope, lent to me by my Hindu friend), and lots of new stuff, but nothing blue.  I wanted something discreet enough not to be blaring, yet accessible enough to pull out when people asked about it (no blue undergarments for this bride!). 

I don’t remember where I stumbled upon these adorable under shoe appliques, but the idea is genius!

These appliques are available at the Mindy E Store (www.mindyweiss.com) for a crazy reasonable price tag of $3.75.  However, if you are DIY like me (or your wedding is in a couple of days), head to Michael’s Craft Store, grab some blue rhinestones and some hot glue, and make your own.  I recommend using letter templates on parchment paper (make sure the letters fit on your shoe), tracing the letters with hot glue (half a letter at a time so the glue doesn’t cool down), placing the rhinestones with tweezers, and then peeling the applique off and gluing it to the bottom of your shoe.  MAKE SURE it doesn’t read, “DO I?” or “I OD” when read from the back!

 

FOR THE GUTSY BRIDE: If you want a little more blue and a great conversation starter, and don’t mind the great aunt who will inevitably judge you for not wearing white, go for some blue shoes! Most dresses are too long to showcase shoes without you lifting up your layers of toule anyway, so why not have fun with them?

Here are some of my favorites from around Albuquerque!

Steve Madden, $100 at Dillard’s

Guess, $100 at Dillard’s

$59 at Aldo Shoe’s (Coronado Center)

$89 at Aldo Shoe’s (Coronado Center)

Nina, $70 at Dillard’s

$89 at Aldo Shoe’s (Coronado Center)

Chinese Laundry, $75 at Shoe’s on a Shoestring

Jessica Simpson, $22 at Shoe’s on a Shoestring

Mootsie Tootsie, $15 at Shoe’s on a Shoestring

You can also visit websites at:

Dillards (Winrock and Cottonwood)…  www.dillards.com

Aldo (Coronado Center)….  www.aldoshoes.com

Shoe’s on a Shoestring (Coors Bypass and Montgomery/Louisiana)….  www.shoesonashoestring.com

Golden Globe Fashion and Your Wedding

 

Lea Michele in a HUGE Oscar de la Renta

I am an award season junkie.  Back in high school, I used to inspire my prom attire/hair/make-up after the glamorous stylings of award show celebrities, and I still set up camp in front of the T.V. to steal ideas from those people who live their lives looking fashionable.  And what better way to get inspiration for your wedding, which is really you own personal RED CARPET MOMENT, than to seen the season’s most amazing dresses from the most desired designers, hairstyles and make-up put together by people who are the top in their industry, and jewels worthy of royalty.   

Here are some of my favorites from last night which would easily translate to a gorgeous wedding dress or hairstyle.

The ladies stayed away from big ball gowns for the most part last night (except Lea Michele who lived out the princess in all of us), and opted for trumpet and mermaid instead with amazing details and interesting necklines, including a lot of super flattering one shouldered looks. 

Emily Blunt

Carey Mulligan with a cute headband in Nina Ricci

Drew In Atelier Versace and a classic updo

Heidi Klum in Roberto Cavalli

Jennifer Gardner in Atelier Versace with a half up/half down do

Maggie in RM by Roland Mouret

Sandra Bullock in Bottega Ventea

Tina Fey in a Zac Posen vintage inspired dress and hair

Toni Collette

And what bride doesn’t want her groom looking like an A-Lister?  The key? Stay away from vests (PLEASE), and consider long ties over bow ties (though bow ties do hold their own on the red carpet). 

 

PHOTO CREDITS: Most of these images were taken from usweekly.com, with others coming from spreadit.org, justjared.buzznet.com, and dailymail.com.

Call to all Albuquerque Brides!

 

Ok, let’s face it ladies.  We’ve all seen the bridal magazines and those amazing photo shoots of weddings and had bridal envy.  Sure, if you have $100,000 to spend, and a beach side reception venue in Waikiki, you are going to have a pretty amazing-looking wedding.

But for the rest of us….

I love Albuquerque, however planning a wedding here wasn’t the easiest task, especially when I really wanted something resembling a magazine photo shoot (I was the queen of bridal envy).  Albuquerque doesn’t have a very developed wedding industry, and resources for the bride on a budget (and who isn’t right now) are hard to come by.

So, now that my wedding is over, I want to see what other brides are doing.  I want to help Burque girls (and those girls in other towns around here) share ideas and help each other make weddings in Albuquerque beautiful!

I am asking for your help.   I want websites you used/vendors you used.  I want ideas, I want helpful hints, and I want pictures. I want to feature your Albuquerque wedding here on this website!  If you have something to say about Albuquerque/Central New Mexico weddings, I want to hear about it!  If you had a cool bachlorette party, bridal shower, or rehearsal dinner, I want to know about it and feature it! If you had a neat event of any sort with elements that can be applied to weddings, let me know! I want to show everyone that Albuquerque weddings can be just as amazing as those Martha Stewart designer shoots.

You can send stuff (except virus…please don’t send those) to albuquerquebride@live.com and I will get in contact with you

Thanks, and I look forward to seeing some amazing weddingness!

-Amy

Favorite Wedding Moments: Part 2: The Dance

I wish I could be a celebrity.  Not necessarily because of the money or the glamour or the VIP treatment (though sometimes that sounds like fun), but being a celebrity is the only way I can get a spot on Dancing with the Stars.  After years of ballet, tap, jazz, and high school show choir, I have little knowledge of ballroom dancing and I have dreams of being whisked around in a hot sequened outfit to the rumba….whatever that involves. 

So, natually I thought my wedding with 175 pairs of eyes watching me, would be the best place to try out some ballroom dancing moves.  But, with Aaron and my work schedules, finding the time to take lessons was near impossible, so I went right to the souce.  I youtubed Dancing with the Stars reruns and taught us how to cha cha. 

We chose Rosemary Clooney’s version of the fabulous standard, “Sway,” took parts out of 3 different choreographed numbers, and fell down a lot trying to figure out lifts.  Aaron has probably danced a total of 1 hour in his entire life, so this didn’t come easy to him, but he is a wonderful person and was more than happy to entertain my whims.

So, on the evening of November 28th, with only a handful of people knowing what was coming, we made our grand entrance into the reception room (I was wearing my much shorter and dancing friendly dress), our amazing DJ put the song on, and we danced, and had a great time! We messed up a lot, we missed an entire section, but we were having so much fun being total goons, that it didn’t matter. 

Because it was a surprise, I have yet to find anyone with an actual recording of it, and only a few pictures were taken, but in my mind it was absolutely perfect.  When we were checking out of the hotel the next morning, the people at the front desk said that the entire hotel staff was talking about our dance.

We did have a traditional “first (second) dance later with my real wedding dress for pictures sake, but our choreographed number was the real show stopper, and it didn’t take too much effort: just a few hours copying youtube moves, and a playful attitude (and maybe some of our cocktail hour “signature” drinks)!

My Favorite Wedding Moments: Part 1, The Dress(es)

Ok, just kidding.  I’m not done with my wedding yet.  Here I am, a month into my marriage, trying to pretend that I am still a happy little bride planning my happy little wedding.  Aside from walking around the house in my dress (don’t judge), the only way I can live out my fantasy is by talking more about my wedding. 

A month later, I am still getting comments about the event.  I worked hard to make my wedding unique, and noteworthy for reasons other than drunk groomsmen escapades (fortunately all of my groomsmen behaved, so no story there anyway).  I talked a lot about the planning in previous posts, but I thought it might be fun to show a little bit of what actually went down on November 28th and share how I (hopefully) made my wedding stand out.    The first thing to discuss is the other “one,”…..my dress…..and my other dress.  

I had about three grandma-gasping elements to my bridal appearance.  First, I chose an ivory dress over a white one.  As much as I love my slightly untanned, middle-of-autumn skin, no need to showcase it in pictures with a white dress.  I got my mermaid style, sweetheart neckline dress at Brides by Demetrios with a chapel length train (still too long in my book).  I went with straps to avoid the little fat bulge that comes out of the armpit (even the skinniest of girls have this).  I finished off the look with 4 inch burgundy shoes that I probably would die for from Badgley Mischka.

Then, I opted not to wear a veil.  While I know many girls say they don’t feel like a bride until they put a veil on, I’ve always felt like I was going to a costume party (or making my first communion) in one.  Plus, why have one more thing to get tangled in stuff? Instead, I went to www.etsy.com (a GREAT resource for everything) and found the most fabulous hair barrette that held its own against my dress by Brenda’s bridal veils at http://www.etsy.com/shop/brendasbridalveils.  I got my hair done by Sarah Chang at Mark Pardo in Nob Hill, and loved it!

As much as I loved this masterpiece of a dress, I couldn’t move anywhere very fast, and I had a very rational fear of an old college friend (or coworker) spilling a glass of red wine all over it. 

So, I changed!  I made my grand entrance into the reception in a much lighter, friendlier gown.  I got this one at Target for way cheaper than the real gown (it was one of their “limited edition” party dresses), and shortened the hem.  This allowed me to do a much more fun choreographed number for our first dance, and eat without worry during dinner…and good thing because I definitely spilled some green beans on it!  I changed back into my real dress after dinner for all of the events, and then put the shorter dress on for the dance.  I also changed the shoes with this dress into slightly more comfortable and dance friendy Antonio Melani ones. 

The dress change made for my own Lady Gaga at the AMA’s moment (minus Kermit), and I stayed comfortable throughout the night!

So Now What?

First, if you haven’t already, please check out our wedding photos! www.pictage.com/619611

Well, the wedding has passed, the honeymoon is over, and the excitement of our first married Christmas has come to an end.  I have been debating about what to do about this blog.  Its purpose, to detail the adventures of wedding planning in a city with limited wedding resources, has been served.  While I wish I could get married everyday (with a very vocal opposition from both my husband and my father), I know that I will never get the chance to relive planning my own wedding and enjoy being a bride.

While I suppose I can give up my “bride” title, I am not ready to give up writing.  This afternoon I finally got to watch Julie and Julia, a fun story blending the aspirations of two women in two different times in history to write something.  I hardly dare to think that someday some New York Times editor will prompt my blog to become a novel and movie (but hey, if that happens I will be pretty excited).  However, I do hope that my experiences, whether they be in attempting to create the coolest wedding, or in simply trying to survive the first year of marriage, will inspire people or at least humor them for a moment.  And if not, then I have no problem writing for myself!

I haven’t quite figured out what niche I will pursue in this blog (though I imagine trying to channel Julia Child’s French cooking will NOT be the route I will follow unless I magically take an interest in cooking) but hopefully, with any luck, my adventures simply living in Albuquerque will come to serve a much larger purpose!

So stay tuned.

“I Look Like a Fish!”

I’m not sure what it is about getting married that causes what surely must be perfectly lovely ladies turn into the absolute worst versions of themselves.  The term “Bridezilla” has become standard vocabulary, and every chick channel has a reality show highlighting the ridiculous behavior of girls about ready to walk down the aisle.

I personally have tried to be as unbridezilla like as possible.  Yes, I am freaking out about strange details and yes I have gone so far as to log into Aaron’s facebook account (with his stated permission) to let his groomsmen know they needed to get the tuxes rented.  I’ve even jokingly encouraged my sisters to think twice before having some Thanksgiving pumpkin pie (they are size 0… I don’t think we have to worry). I have not (at least I hope) been rude, demanding, or impossible to people trying to make my wedding the best possible day for me.

Apparently this is not the case for the bride I encountered at Demetrios this evening.

I am on my 3rd dress fitting.  This is because Dorothy, the lovely seamstress through Demetrios will not let me walk out of there until everything on the dress is perfect.  Tonight, I walked into the fitting at the same time as another bride (she was scheduled earlier, but was running late).  We both got our dresses on, and we both walked out onto the floor at the same time.

I loved my dress.  She did not love hers.

All I hear is the other bride getting agitated at poor Dorothy for ruining her dress. 

UGLY BRIDE LADY: I want it to lay flat.  Why did you make it flare out?

DOROTHY: It’s a mermaid style dress.  It is supposed to flare out.

UGLY BRIDE LADY: This isn’t what it looked like when I bought it. I want you to fix it.  I LOOK LIKE A FISH!

DOROTHY: I can do that, but the dress is designed to have a little flare.  See?(points at me) Like hers.

UGLY BRIDE LADY: (Turns toward me, looks me up and down, makes the ugliest face ever) Oh, no. I do not want to look like that.

Um, thanks, ugly bride lady. 

Call me crazy, but since when does being a bride entitle a girl to act uncivilized.  This woman was so upset over a dress (which she chose) that she was rude to two people who have nothing but the best intentions toward her.

I know the wedding is my day.  I know that I have a whole team of my favorite people and carefully chosen professionals working to keep me happy.  I have no desire to take advantage of them by acting like a sad excuse of a person…even if I do look like a fish.

Current Wedding Nightmare: No Tablecloths

I knew it was coming.  The day when the wedding planning obsession would leak into my subconscious and materialize in my dreams.  That day happened this weekend.

A couple of months ago I started having wedding disaster nightmares that didn’t make a lot of sense.  In one I was driving around frantically trying to find a 24 hour Wal-Mart  to purchase hot curlers, and only finding ones that took 45 minutes to heat up when I had 30 minutes until my wedding.  Why it had to be a 24 hour Wal-Mart, I have no idea since presumably it was 1:00 in the afternoon.

This weekend my nightmare was eerily true to life. In this dream I walk into the reception area and the gorgeous centerpieces are placed on BARE tables. If you have ever seen a bare hotel banquet table, you know how horrifying this vision would be.  In my dream, my hotel wedding coordinator tells me that the linen company got lost, and they won’t be coming, and she can’t deal with it right now because she is trying to make sure the place settings get done.  Dream-state Amy didn’t realize that she wasn’t in reality, so she was convinced her wedding was ruined, and ran off into the bathroom to cry about it. 

While I really, really hope if a similar disaster does occur in reality that I get over it and not let it ruin my day, I am a perfectionist. Right now all of these little details are starting to weigh down on me.  Will I still get married if my place cards aren’t perfectly arranged? Definitely.  Will Aaron and I have a fabulous life together if I choose the wrong hue of room lighting? Without a doubt.  Will I forever be haunted if my first dance timing isn’t flawless? YOU BET. 

I think my dream was a sign to get a move on it.  It is my usual style to do things last minute.  I can’t say how many times I went to bed at 6:00am after researching, writing, and editing papers all night for my 8:00am class during college. It is my way, and it has yet to really fail me.  But perhaps this wedding isn’t the time to prove my procrastination skills. 

I have already made significant leeway over the last couple of weeks in the vendor selection process.  With a lot of research, I am confident that none of these fabulous professionals will allow something as yucky as bare banquet tables to make an appearence on my wedding day.  While the TRUE test of the wedding day execution is five weeks off, I would recommend any of the following wedding professionals as key instruments in wedding day bliss and nightmare free sleep.

Dry Heat Photography: DeAnna has already shown that she can take two very unphotogenic and awkward people, place them in front of quirky backgrounds, and have a miraculous outcome.  Check out our engagement photos at http://www.pictage.com/619611 

Say It With Cake: Talk about a perfect combination of tastiness and flawless execution paired with great customer service.  You can check out my blog about it on www.chambellanlavenderwedding.wordpress.com or you can check her out at www.sayitwithcake.net. 

Something Special With Flowers: If Christine Longthorpe’s British accent doesn’t draw you in, then her unique floral designs and her ability to read your mind and translate your thoughts into centerpieces certainly should.  She is at www.customfloralart.com. 

Carousel of Music: I have been debating the live band vs. dj vs. ipod vs. frank sinatra impersonator (as if I could find one in ABQ) for a few months.  Luckily, Jim Gross can be at least two of those options. And he didn’t flinch when I told him what I wanted for the father/daughter dance (even when he had to download for me).  He is at www.carouselofmusic.com and has some great stories from the 3500 weddings he has performed at. 

Classic Party Rentals: If you can imagine it, you can rent it from these people (their onsite warehouse is HUGE).  If they don’t have it, they have several other sister companies who do.  Cara, the nice saleslady arranged about 10 different linen color/texture combinations for us to decide on, and she keeps me updated on the latest bridal shows.  And despite my dreaming apprehensions, I have no doubt that the linens will be nice and arranged on my tables for my wedding!  They are at www.classicpartyrentals.com.