Style race: Wedding Bells are Ringing!

Ok, so I’m back! New name, new home, and new blogging subjects! Boy do I have a lot to tell you! We will start with July 14, 2011. This night was my rehearsal dinner. It went seamlessly. The food was incredible, the drinks were flowing, and the company was incredible. My outfit: a BCBG Maxazria adorable candlelight lace dress with ruffles at the waist and bottom. This dress was the absolute perfect pick for my rehearsal dinner. As the bride, I searched high and low for the perfect dress to wear at my rehearsal dinner; I think that it was more difficult to find this dress than it was to find my wedding dress, but I will get to that later! I even planned on making my own rehearsal dinner dress, but with the planning I had to do, and the deadline steadily approaching for me to complete my Personal Training Exam, I had no time; so here we are, my mom and me, frantically looking for the perfect dress to impress people and blow them away even more than I did at my engagement party in April. Searching corner to corner at Sacks Fifth Avenue in New Orleans, My mom and I spotted the dress at the same time. Walking toward the dressing room, we had our expectations, but the dress went above and beyond. It’s funny how an item of clothing can make one feel on top of the world and so satisfied when she finds it. A simple and understated off-white dress was the perfect garment to wear at the dinner. Fast forward one day to July 15, 2011, and now I am as calm as a cucumber, getting my hair done and drinking Champagne punch with my incredible bridesmaids. I cannot wait to put on my gown. It is a…wait for it… Vera Wang candlelight gown with tulle overlay and incredible imbellishments at the bust. This dress, just like my new husband, was the very first dress I spotted and, I immediately fell in love with it. Now any girl who has been dress shopping with her mother knows that her mom can be skeptical to commit to the first dress, and this is understandable. “We have to see what else is out there.” Since she is footing the bill, I reluctantly agree, and we leave Mimi’s without a dress. Off to Mississippi with my mother-in-law to be and my mother, and we visit 3 shops there; nothing can hold a candle to Vera. I find myself dreaming about walking down the ailse in it, and I even compare every dress I try on to it. Back in New Orleans, my mother thinks it’s a good idea to try Pearl’s Place… don’t EVER go here. They have a huge selection, but you will feel as if you need three showers after you leave, and the service is awful. My mom knows how badly I want Vera, so without trying on a single dress in Pearl’s Place, we leave, and she gives me the second best gift I could ask for for my wedding (the first was throwing the party, and let me tell you… It was a BLAST).As for my veil, I already knew what to do. I knew that the dress was much too magnificent to distract it with a veil, so I would make my own birdcage. A simple, flirty, and effortless piece that complemented my dress perfectly was the perfect thing I could have added to the gown. Not once did I ever think I made a wrong decision by choosing this dress, and not once did I think I needed to see more gowns. Ladies, treat your gowns like your men, once you find the right one, stop looking, because you could drive yourself crazy with all of the options out there. Yes, there are many gorgeous gowns, and you would look good in more than one of them, but you must embrace your decision and enjoy the big day, because it goes by way too quickly! Below are some pictures of all of my outfits I wore for all of my events. Enjoy! And run on fashion friends, run on!

Engagement Party April 1, 2010