After thoughts...

I wish I could say that trying on wedding dresses was magical and amazing and that I had such a great time. That all my fears just disappeared. I will say, in the end, I did have a good time, but thats just because I have amazing friends. Unfortunately, it did turn out to be exactly what I was afraid of.



The first shop we went to, which I wont mention by name anymore cause they suck, was horrible. I knew going there that they are a consignment shop so I was taking a big chance not only that they would have something I liked there, but also something in my size. But they do carry the La Sposa line which ranges in sizes from 2-24 so I figured they would have SOEMTHING in my size to try on. Im considered pretty average as far as American sizes go. I didnt really expect it to be too much of an issue. I had also heard really good things about this shop.

I was pretty frustrated from the beginning though. The store was really small with maybe 2 tiny dressing rooms. The ladies working there didnt seem too thrilled that we stopped in even though you dont need an appointment and I had even tried to make one earlier that day. I started going through the dresses while Rue snapped photos and we waited for Ama and Hal to get there. I really didnt see much I liked except one vintage dress that was very simple. Definitely not my ideal wedding dress, but I would have bought it for another special occassion.

I picked out that one to try on and one of the ladies suggested a couple others. Nothing really fit though. She shoved a couple dresses at me in the dressing room (I should mention she just kept walking in without asking me if that was ok or not) and there were a couple I could get on, but they were not what I was looking for. She repeatedly told me that the La Sposa line comes in all sizes so they can order me something, but why would I want to order a dress I cant try on and have no idea how it would look or fit? Maybe thats the way the bridal world goes, but I at least need to be able to try on something similar so I can get a feel for it. She also knew this was my first time trying dresses on so I had no idea what I liked or what looked good on me.

After dealing with this bitchy lady, I may or may not have left the store in tears. Of course the only thing I wanted at that point was to cuddle up in Ned's arms and cry about how Im never going to find a dress so we cant get married, but I was with my girls and they were determined to get me excited again. My idea of cocktails was postponed until I checked out another shop. The only one we could think of where it didnt matter if we had an appointment or not was David's Bridal.

Im not a big fan of David's. Most of the dresses seem pretty basic and I find the materials to be a bit on the cheap side. I know that I want a more unique dress than something at David's. But what the hell, right? What did I have to lose? At least I knew there would be tons of stuff for me to try on and I could maybe get an idea of what style I like. And that I did.

I only tried on about half a dozen dresses there, but I did get a feel for what I like and what I feel pretty in. The first dress was awesome. It totally made me feel good about myself again. There were a couple dresses I didnt like and two more that I thought were really pretty, but probably not right for my body type.

(I will also mention that Robyn threatened the sales lady at David's that if she made me cry she would kill her. Haha. My bridesmaids are very protective! Dont mess with them!)

And even though David's Bridal is not for me, I was happy we went there. They did have really nice sales people working there and a huge selection of dresses in all sizes. I definitely felt better after the whole experience after visiting them.

So what now? Well, now Im going to Europe to forget about all of this for a couple weeks! But not really. Ned and I are going to Europe and we leave in a week, but all this wedding stuff will still be on my mind. Im actually looking forward to resuming my dress search when I return. There are a few more shops I want to check out. But to tell you the truth, Im pretty sure Im going to have my dress made for me. I dont think Im going to find that one magical dress and I would rather just design it myself. I have a lot of ideas in my mind after this first dress experience and Im determined to have that amazing dress that makes me feel like a million bucks on my wedding day.

I only have one photo to share from the night right now and that is Robyn on her bike. She road all the way from Lake City to my place in Minneapolis wearing pearls and still had fabulous hair! I love this girl!

DIY BM Cards

Im a pretty sentimental girl. Ill admit it. I like doing things for those I care about. I like making things special and having them stand out. I like creating memories.

When it came to asking my girl friends to be my bridesmaids, I knew I wanted to do it in a special way rather than just blurting it out. As I mentioned in a previous post, I was planning to ask all three at our Girls Weekend Getaway, but unfortunately Hallie couldnt make it. So I asked her the previous weekend when we were spending the afternoon together baking cookies and taking the dogs to the dog park. With Amanda and Robyn, I was able to wait until we were up at the cabin.



I didnt really have a specific image in mind when it came to making the cards for my girls. I just happened to be at a craft store looking at paper when I came across this really cute pink swirly pattern and a chartreuse stripey pattern. I knew I somehow wanted to use them, but wasnt quite sure how. I also picked up some ribbon, envelopes, basic white card stock and some sparkly cardboard letters. At another trip to the craft store I also picked up some little mini black frames and a dress stamp. (The swallow stamp I also used was one from my own collection.)

When I sat down to make the first card, it just sort of fell together. I left the pink paper as is, but reinforced it by gluing white card stock to the backside. I wrapped the ribbon around it and affixed the letter "H" for "Hallie". Then I used the dress stamp and cut it out and put the little frame around it. Inside the cards I wrote a very heart felt message to each girl. I lined the envelopes in the stripey green paper and tucked the cards in. I also wrapped a wider ribbon around the outside of the envelope and repeated the process with the swallow stamp and the frame.











And for each girl, I got a gift bag full of LUSH products (bath bombs, bath bars, massage bars) and tucked the card in there with a picture frame, journal and imported vegetable French soap.





-Gan

My amazing bridesmaids

Since I officially asked the last two of my bridesmaids this last weekend to be a part of my wedding, I feel like its alright for me to start talking about them. Im so excited to have these three amazing women in my life. I couldnt be more thrilled that they all said yes.

The 4 of us had been planning a girls weekend getaway (second annual one) for a couple weeks. Unfortunately, I knew one of the girls, Hallie, wasnt going to be able to make it due to morning sickness as shes 11 weeks pregnant. I had been planning to ask all 3 girls at once, but realized that wasnt going to be possible.

The weekend prior to Girls Weekend Getaway '09, I got Hallie's gift bag ready and headed over to her place to spend the afternoon. She was incredibly surprised by the gifts and card, but immediately said yes and I could tell she was truly excited. I dont think she had even considered I would choose her, but I have no idea why I wouldnt! She is one of the sweetest and kindest girls I know. She is always there for her friends and has such a positive attitude about life. I have been so blessed to have her in my life this last year.



Amanda technically already knew that she was not only one of my bridesmaids, but actually my maid of honor. I let that slip the night we went to The Knot party at the Graves hotel. I had already ran it by my fiance that I was going to ask her, but wanted to wait until GWG. But when we got to the party I introduced her as my MOH and told her the plan. Thats kinda what happens with best friends, its hard to keep secrets. I dont think there is anything I can keep from Ama. She totally gets me. I know she is always there if there is anything I need and is incredibly supportive and always encouraging me.



I brought Ama and Robyn's gift bags with me to the cabin for Girls Weekend and surprised them when we got there. Robyn also seemed incredibly blown away by the whole thing, but she jumped up and down and gave me a huge hug. Robyn is one of those people that has an infectious smile. She is always finding something to laugh about and has this incredible way of looking at the world. Shes always ready to take on a project and I dont think there is anything she cant conquer. Ive known her for about 5 years and my life has definitely been for the better with her in it. She inspires me so much.



Heres to the amazing women in my life! Thanks for not only being a part of my wedding, but for being in my life. I dont know what I would do without you.


Girls Weekend Getaway '08. Hallie (Hal), Robyn (Rue) & me (Gan).


Girls Weekend Getaway '09. Robyn (Rue), me (Gan) & Amanda (Ama).

-Gan