The dress: Which look? Wednesday, May 6, 2009

I LOVE fashion. You wouldn't know it, since I'm a plus-size, but I love clothes & makeup and girly things. And I am unabashed about it! Unlike what some feminists would have us to believe, it's perfectly okay to be a Single Independent Woman and simultaneously buy into the whole "girliness" thing. I regularly toe the line between cynicism ("The Wedding industrial complex is a horrible fabrication) and a slight irrationality (pink! Oh, so pretty!).

This is especially exciting, since I decided recently to increase my wedding budget. In real life, I am a whiz at getting high quality clothes for less, usually through well-timed sales or using extra discounts or mailing list coupons, etc. But for the wedding dress, that won't be possible--as a plus size, there are hardly no "sample sale" possibilities, and most of the "pre-owned" dresses on the market are sample sizes that have been altered down to even more impossible sizes. So unless I want something from one of the Major Plus-Size Designers (David's, Alfred Angelo, Bonny) I'll have to custom order. :::sigh:::

I'm in love with two different types of dresses. Those with a beautiful, romantic, slightly ethereal feel:

And the classic ballgown look, which is more accessible (easier to find) and most likely will fit better, especially if it's a nice modified A-line and not super poofy (the first one was featured in an earlier post):

Of course, complicating things is that I refuse to wear a strapless dress, which eliminates a lot of my options (no, I don't like the "cap sleeve" Mormon-style dresses--those make my chest look even bigger!).

I haven't been able to find the "romantic/flowy" look in concert with the "non-strapless ballgown" look, so I'll most likely have to give up one or the other. We'll see what happens!

Black Tie Territory Saturday, April 11, 2009

My fiancé & I have been looking at venues for months! I began by casting a wide net online, and eliminating venues that were simply too expensive or had shoddy customer service. With that, we toured six venues and fell in love with one of them!

I'm going to withhold the name of our choice for now, but it's a relatively undiscovered ballroom near downtown, and it's beautiful! It doesn't quite have the indoor/outdoor feel I was looking for, but it's even better; plenty of windows for beautiful light, and formal décor.

I love the garden idea with all its cute, rustic DIY opportunities. But part of that was because I didn't think we could afford much else. But with the selection of this venue, I've suddenly realized we are heading into Black Tie territory--suddenly, it looks like the "black tie" wedding I'd always envisioned could become a reality! Most importantly, my fiancé is on board with the idea. I couldn't be happier.

Keeping with my "outside in" philosophy, I refused to get attached to ANY ideas until we've selected a venue. Everything, from the dress to the flowers, needs to coordinate with your space in order to be cohesive. So now, let the planning & idea gathering begin!

At the gym the other day, I eagerly read my latest copy of Martha Stewart Weddings, and featured prominently is the formal Rainbow Room wedding of Priya & Ralph. What an excellent example of a formal wedding, and how timely! Most of these images were photographed by Dan Loh. Find more pictures from Priya & Ralph's wedding on his blog.










Another wedding that immediately comes to mind is the wedding of Darcy Miller, wedding editor for Martha Stewart Weddings. I was in college when Darcy was married nearly 10 years ago, and I still remember the awe I felt looking at these wedding photos in the magazine. Amazing! The timelessness of a black tie wedding is unparalleled. Not ONE element of Darcy's wedding can be considered "out of style" now. Amazing!

A google search for Darcy & Andy's wedding reveals a 2001 article from indiebride.com, ripping apart Darcy's über-traditional affair as well as her choice to share the details of her courtship & wedding in the pages of the magazine. I wonder what the author would say now, 10 years later, with the advent of blogs, social networks, virtually instant digital photo uploading, and the massive explosion of the bridal industry! In 2009, Darcy's publishing her own wedding seems like a natural choice.