Wedding Wednesday: Oleg Cassini CD278! Wednesday, May 20, 2009

This blog comes up in a lot of searches for the David's Bridal CD278 dress, and I'm happy to deliver! Today I saw the wedding of Andrea & Mark on the Southern Weddings blog, and I immediately recognized Andrea's dress as the popular Oleg Cassini ballgown, dress number CD278 from David's Bridal.

Since this dress was introduced relatively recently, I have yet to see it widely photographed, and it hasn't come up in "used dress" sales yet. As far as I know, Andrea is the first bride to be photographed & published wearing this dress. And she is a stunning bride!

Check out how well the dress photographs:











Andrea & Mark's wedding was photographed beautifully by Olivia Griffin, and you can see more details from the wedding at Southern Weddings.

Wedding Wednesday: Ama & Charles Wednesday, May 13, 2009

This week's Wedding Wednesday features the beautiful Akan wedding of Ama & Charles, both of whom are of Ghanaian descent. I found this wedding in Southern Weddings magazine, but more images can be found on the blog of Heartistic Fotos (now known as Mandy & Me).

Of their design inspiration, the couple says: The event was largely influenced by Akan traditional marriage ceremonies, with a touch of outside-the-box creativity. We’re both of Ghanaian origin, particularly of the Akan ethnicity. According to Akan marriage customs, the man’s family has to go to the woman’s family’s home to ask her hand in marriage. The man’s family has to present gifts (pieces of traditional cloth, alcoholic beverages, etc) and pay a bribe price in exchange of the woman. This is purely symbolic and bears little resemblance to a transaction. Our invitations, napkins, and favors all bore the Akan Adinkra symbol for marriage.

I love the photographers' artistic approach to this wedding... now on to the images!

First Bridal Purchase! Sunday, May 10, 2009

I drove all over the place to find the new Nordstrom Rack that was just opened, and there wasn't really anything there. I was disappointed, since it had taken me about an hour to find it (can you believe I got lost, even with a GPS!). But I did find it and on my way out, wandered over to the jewelry section. That's when I found these:



Look how pretty! I was immediately drawn to them. I love the way they catch the light and the way they move & sparkle. They even reflect the purple of the orchids behind them. Of course, I don't have a dress yet--but I do have a very clear idea of how I'd like the wedding to look, and since I have that, I'm letting my intuition guide me when it comes to the little things. How perfect!

The best part? They're only $35, marked 60% off!

Nightmare! Thursday, May 7, 2009

I had my first wedding nightmare months ago, after we were first engaged and I'd just barely started wedding planning. I was already an emotional mess, feeling all kinds of happy & conflicting things as people do when faced with such a major life change!

The priority at the time was selecting a wedding venue, and I just couldn't find anything that seemed "right" for us. I was worried about finding a dress, and the budget, and all kinds of things.

So the nightmare started with the venue. Nothing was done, and I was in my (ugly) wedding dress with my mom and guests were scattered everywhere. The place had a weird red floor, and I was in my dress trying to put linen & table settings out. There were no flowers, since I'd forgotten to order them.

Then, in walks my photographer, Jessica Claire (wow, this really was a dream!). But because of all the chaos, she wasn't even shooting--she was helping us with the terrible mess. And there was a flood in the middle of all this.

Then, everyone was supposed to go upstairs for the ceremony. The venue had two floors, but no staircase! So people were upstairs and floating downstairs or falling outright.

My dress was dirty and in tatters. Everyone started to leave, and after 2 hours, there was no wedding at all. And Jessica Claire walked out (after shooting 2 photos) and said, "Wow, that was easy!" and all I could think was, "Oh no, there went $15,000!"

Unbelievable. I know nightmares are a part of the process, but I know they're not really about the wedding. They're about all the emotion & simultaneous reflection & looking forward that happens during engagement, bla bla bla... but they sure are hilarious!

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!

Wedding Wednesday: Zane & Judy

I love looking at the beautiful photos over at project wedding. It's so great to look at the bios of married women and see how their "inspiration boards" and ideas have come together. I liked looking at Zane & Judy's wedding, which was beautiful & classic. Judy is an especially beautiful bride! Photographed by Nataly Lemus. Some of my favorite details:

Blog Discovery of the Week Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Well, I don't know if I'll discover a new blog every week, but it sounds good.

Being added to the list this week is Jessica of An Atlanta Bride, who describes herself thusly:

I'm an Atlanta newlywed who married Mr. Wonderful in March of 2009. When I got engaged, I immersed myself in all things wedding related to ensure that our treasured day was amazing...in every aspect. This blog was created to share all of the details, leading up to the big day, with family and friends...and anyone else who happened to come across this site looking for inspiration! Now, it also showcases how beautifully our wedding day came together.

She's in the process of posting her wedding recaps now. Check it out!



photo by Karen Nickel Photography