The Swimsuit Search Begins

This morning I got an email from J.Crew about their spring sale. Every year it takes me a few tries to find a swimsuit that makes me happy. I have been saving a J.Crew gift card from a swimsuit I returned last summer. I think I was more focused on wedding planning than finding a swimsuit :) Today I ordered this one from J.Crew and was so happy that it was on sale!

images from J.Crew

J.Crew Behind the Design

The new J.Crew catalog just arrived in the mail and of course I am in love with everything. Is it legal to have so many amazing things in one place? :) They have a great feature about the designers and what inspires them. You can read more about them online too. I love this quote from one of the women's designers.

"I keep a seasonal journal for concepting. Anything from a ticket stub that finds its way into a graphic tee to a feather that might not get used at all--we use the journal every day." -M.W.

p.s. Check out this cool crafty post on ScrappyTime!

Lemlem at J.Crew

image from J.Crew

Yesterday I received the new J.Crew catalog in the mail and the first thing I noticed were the beautiful pieces handcrafted by Lemlem. Liya Kebede, an international goodwill ambassador and model for J.Crew, created Lemlem "as a way to inspire economic independence in her native country and to preserve the art of weaving." Not only are the pieces beautiful but I love the meaning behind them :)

p.s. Today is the launch of Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts!

Very Pretty Dress

image from J.Crew

This would make such a pretty bridesmaid dress and of course I love the color :)

Don't forget to enter my giveaway too :)

My Dream Bag

image from J.Crew

I ♥ This Dress

images from J.Crew

How pretty is this dress?! :)

I ♥ the J.Crew Jackie Cardigan

image from J.Crew

I probably wear my black Jackie cardigan from J.Crew that I got last year at least once a week. It's a little faded but I love it and how can you not love the name. If I could I would have it in every color :)

I think this would be a great bridesmaid gift too!

My Dress and the Petticoats

{first petticoat taken out}

{last petticoat taken out}

{final version of my dress}

I loved my dress and still do, I'm still trying to figure out a way to wear it again :) I joked about wearing it with a cardigan to our brunch the day after our wedding :)

During my fittings though I had a like/love relationship with my dress. I felt like it was a little poufy for me with all the petticoats underneath, so at my second fitting the top petticoat was taken out. After all the fittings it was shipped to me in North Carolina but the top needed to be altered a tiny bit and I found a great tailor that fixed it for me in just a few days.

When I got home from the tailor I tried it on and decided that I wanted to take out the last petticoat. With my mom on the phone with me I took the smallest scissors I had and carefully cut the last petticoat out. After that I tried it on one last time and that was the moment that I really felt comfortable and happy wearing my dress :)

007

{click on board to enlarge images}

dress image from Jenny Packham, James Bond image from Time Out London, venue image from the Knot

martini image from Domino, perfume image from Bond Lifestyle
orchids image from Martha Stewart, dress image from J.Crew, suitcase image from 007 Museum

Yesterday we went to see Quantum of Solace and it was so good! It made me think how cool would it be to have a James Bond inspired wedding? :)

Dress Shopping a Year Ago Today

image from J.Crew

This is the first dress I fell in love with but was unavailable when I seriously started shopping and also a little expensive :) I love the J.Crew wedding dresses because they are simple and so pretty!

Last year I found my dress on the first and only day I went shopping with my mom and sister in Colorado. It was only the seventh dress I tried on but I knew it was the one. The dress was a gift from my mom and more expensive than I thought my dress would cost but it was a sample on sale for less than half of the original price. I'm pretty sure I gasped when I saw the original price and label :)

{my first fitting}

My Mom's Wedding Dress

Yesterday I was talking to my sister about my mom's wedding dress. My mom gave it to my sister and sent it to her a few days ago {it had been stored away in my mom's basement}. I love this dress :) The color is so pretty and I also love that my mom bought her dress only three months before her wedding in 1976 in Colorado. Last night my sister took some photographs for me and it fits my sister's dress form perfectly!

images from my sister

Team Bride

My mom had this bride t-shirt made for me and team bride t-shirts made for her, my fiance's mom, my maid of honor, and my bridesmaids. We all wore them the Thursday before the wedding as everyone arrived, unpacked, and got ready for the wedding. The week after the wedding I was still wearing my bride t-shirt at the beach :)

T-Shirt For My Fiance

My fiance's bachelor party is this weekend. His best man made him a t-shirt so I made him one too :)

My Dress is Here

My dress was delivered today. Here are some pictures of the box and some small details that don't show the actual dress just in case my fiance reads this :) I'm excited it's here but it still needs to have a few alterations done :(

Rehearsal Dinner Dress

my rehearsal dinner dress

image from J.Crew

Groomsmen and Usher Suits

Here is the suit our groomsmen and ushers are going to wear. We are going to rent them from the Black Tie Affair on the Outer Banks. I think they are going to look really nice with the bridesmaid dresses.

image from Jim's Formal Wear

Bridesmaids Dresses Delivered

I am so excited! My mom called me tonight to let me know that the bridesmaid dresses for my sister in law and my future sister in law were delivered to her today! We weren't expecting to receive them till about the first week in August or maybe a little sooner. Tomorrow I'll find out if my sister and my friend received their dresses too. Next weekend I go home for my final dress fitting so I'll get to see the bridesmaid dresses in person. Thread Design is amazing!

Bridesmaid Dresses

The bridesmaid dresses were ordered yesterday! They are from Thread Design and are turquoise cotton seersucker. I can’t wait to see them in person!

Wedding Dress and Shoes

Over Thanksgiving when I was home visiting my family in Colorado I bought my dress with my mom and sister. We only went to two stores and my sister found “the dress” on the sale rack at the last store. I think it was only the seventh dress I tried on and I definitely had that moment that I hear so much about when you find “the dress”. I have one more fitting in June and then I bring my dress home to North Carolina! Here is a picture of my shoes that I found at J.Crew for a great deal with the shoe clips my mom wore at her wedding that I will wear too!