Gorg.eous

How lovely and elegant is this?

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Am loving Katie Holmes with this 'do. Retro and pretty.

My hair trial will be next weekend (in Kingsport) and I'm pulling some inspiration photos for the hair stylist. Here are some of my faves:

Images above from theknot.com and weddingbee.com

Will probably go for a simple high bun, with the veil over the top of the bun (not underneath). No hair flowers, but pretty sure I will wear a non-tiara-y sparkly headband. I hope the hair guy can make my hair look bigger and thicker than it is!

The dress has arrived!

It's been several months since I found THE DRESS. The sample I tried on was quite a bit different that the order I placed--I wanted a lighter color, longer hem and waaay longer train. A girl needs a train on her wedding day. (The purpose of this silly extra swath of fabric? I'm not sure--but it looks awesome and dramatic, right?)

So, I was dying to see my dress in person after having tried to picture it in my mind hundreds of times. THE DRESS was supposed to be delivered to the store "around the week of September 24th" (ug, vagueness with details of this importance? seriously?). I called Houston Bridal & Formal on Thursday of this week, since I figured I had tested my patience enough. And as luck would have it, it had arrived that day! Me and the dress have a special connection that way ;)

They told me to hold off till Saturday to come in for a visit, since they were 'checking it over' (which doesn't reassure, but whatev). So, I came in at the dot of three, which is the earliest they take walk-ins on weekends.

Friends--it is even more beautiful and stunning than I imagined! The bridal consulant ladies had to watch me ooh and ahh for about five minutes as I inspected it from every angle. Color: the perfect creamy ivory, length: perfect, train: superfantastic! I even got a little teary eyed. And then I changed back in to my regular-girl clothes and grudgingly left without it so that they can steam and press it before I pick it up at the end of the month. Elation and sigh of relief and excitement to wear it on the big day!!!

I did discover that I will need some help in the bust area for some filling-out-itude. Hitting Victoria's Secret today to look for something that I'm not sure exists: strapless, padded, ivory, low-back (ish), push-up bra (but not too too cleavage inducing, which isn't really possible for me anyhow). Wish me luck.

As if that weren't enough of me being ridiculously happy for the day--I also found my perfect rehearsal dinner dress, after many hours of online shopping over the past few weeks (slash stalking of bananarepublic.com and jcrew.com for sales). I found it at Saks of all places (I do not shop at a Saks usually unless it is associated with some mega outlet discounts). Here is a sneak peak of the detail of the dress. And the back is super special and different! I will save the full reveal for later :)

Drumroll please...

After much deliberation and procrastination, we have decided to spend our honeymoon at the Turks & Caicos islands (!!!!). This was one of the lingering 'to dos' that was sorta stressing me out so I am thrilled that we've booked it and more thrilled about the destination! T&C is an ideal vacay destination for me (beautiful beaches and hot temps!) and A (fishing, diving, water-related activities!). There will be some relaxing by the beach and also some scheduled excursions for mr. cant-sit-still (this would def be A's Indian name--mine would be lays-by-pool).
In case you need a geography refresher (I did) T&C is a group of 8 major islands and 30 other islands and cays. It's nestled northeast of the Dominican Republic and just east of the Bahaman islands. Technically, it's not in the Caribbean, but is an Atlantic Ocean island. T&C gets gold stars from a fancy magazine I can't remember the name of (as a top beach destination) and the diving is supposed to be some of the best in the world.

It's not crazy touristy, which A likes about it, and the crime and poverty rates are extremely low. The blue of the water is insanely neon:

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I've been so excited for the wedding that I haven't had a chance to start getting excited for the honeymoon--but now that we have plane tickets and hotel reservations it's starting to feel more real! Am hoping that A will be exhausted from all of the wedding activities and will lay with me by the beach for a day or two :) Maybe we can even whip up some margaritas and guacamole...

Showers of Flowers

I was never really a 'flowers' girl. Didn't have a favorite flower. Didn't really get all that jazzed by flowers as gifts from boyfriends. They just didn't do it for me.

That was then.

Now that I have been thrust into the world of wedding planning--a huge (and seriously dumbly expensive) portion of which seems to revolve around many different flowers for many different occasions--I confess I have a major obsession with hydrangeas. When I walk by them in the grocery store, I linger a bit too long and inspect them with glee. And I confirm that I made the right choice in choosing this lovely flower as the star in my wedding day (and wedding stationery) floral plan. I'm not sure when or why it happened, but I love them. They are adorable.

Apparently there are many delightful varieties (70-75) of hydrangea and some of my favorites are the regular blue hydrangea and the bright green and antique green. Coincidentally (or not really) these are our wedding colors! A few inspiration photos that I've snipped for the inspiration board:

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Isn't this gorgeous?!

And bridesmaid's will have bouquets like this (but instead of white picture bright iguana green):

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Since my mom has amazing flower arranging skills, she is going to be doing all of the flowers herself, with the help of another flower arranging buddy. Many of the other flowers we are hoping to use will depend on whether or not a frost comes to East Tennessee before October 24th. Which it will likely. So, lots of game time decisions to be made on flowers in the couple of weeks before the wedding.
Since I'm somewhat of a flower novice, I am not quite sure what other flowers I like to go with them. What flowers do you think would go well?

Put a ring on it

Although I was kinda wary, picking A's wedding ring out of a jewelry store catalog worked out great! Isn't it awesome?! Very classic and traditional, but not boring. Perfect.
Took us all of about 15 minutes to look at the options and decide. It's a 7mm wide white gold comfort fit band. This shopping trip seemed way too easy for something you're going to wear every day. For the rest of your life. I've spent more time trying to find a movie at Blockbuster.
This photo shoot of our rings was my attempt at creative ring photography (see our invitation in the background?). Doesn't his size 10 ring make mine look so petite!?
As for my wedding band, I am leaning towards getting the matching band that goes with my engagement ring.
Finding the bands has been so much easier than picking out the engagment ring!

Teaser--we've made a decision (and booked flights) for the honeymoon! More on that later in the week.

i heart Snippet & ink

Snippet & ink is one of the more inspirational wedding blogs I've come across in my wedding planning journey of the internets. Such beautiful photography and inspiration boards. Wonderful little slices of perfection like this:

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How cute are those straws?! How precious is the nerdy beaker for a flower vase?! And a perfectly salted margarita?! I am squirming in my seat with inspiration. Which is again making me want to realize my initial dream of having margaritas (a favorite drink of mine and A's) at our wedding. Perhaps it is better to step away from the wedding blogs and magazines once the bulk of the planning is complete. Too much temptation to micro-plan every last detail to Martha-Stewart-perfection. Le sigh.

Here's the dilemma on the margaritas--we have decided to have a classy and tasteful selection of wines and beers, only. A few reasons for this: Most people are entirely happy with one of these two choices (or will drink both). Plus many of my family don't drink at all for various reasons, and wine/beer seems like a nice compromise from the all-out full bar. BUT, I am also torn with the idea of having a signature cocktail. Something personalized and fun (like margaritas--with our Mexican/Latin food, how perfect!) to spice things up for the party. Also to consider--the extra hassle of having margarita glasses (not necessarily the margarita glasses-glasses, but some extra barware), plus salt and limes, plus time for the bartender to fix up cocktails to order.

All things considered, it is probably best to stick to wine and beer. Thoughts? Maybe margaritas will have to wait for the honeymoon :)