This week's inspiration:

This wedding! I am loving the lace, one shoulder gown, the simple air comb, the hints of burlap; everything so classy and pretty.

Embracing the great outdoors: Rustic Weddings

A beautiful example of a simple, well done rustic wedding. Outdoor ceremony and reception, dance floor under beautiful strings of light, and lots of celebratory good times. I want people to dance the night away at my wedding, laughter floating through the night sky, a celebration of life, love, family and friendship. Just realized that I'm a giant cheeseball with a Cinderella complex. Let's settle for love and see if everyone joins in the celebration.

I've been corresponding with my cousin via e-mail over wedding dresses, and I think we might have reached a consensus and perhaps even found THE dress for the ceremony. It's airy and beautiful, without being an overdone mess of a Shelby dress (if you didn't get the Steel Magnolias reference, we can't be friends). It has a bit of a floral motif, so maybe the bridesmaids dresses can reflect that with their dresses.

I've decided that I want two dresses for the wedding: the main dress which  will be used for the ceremony and part of the reception, and then change into a lighter, shorter dress for the rest of the night. I might just be looking for an excuse to show off the gorgeous heels I plan on wearing that day. Let's dance the night away!

Don't let Mother Nature ruin your big day

Unfortunately, when having an outdoor wedding there are many things to consider. Luckily, I don't live anywhere near a dessert, but I do have other climatological issues to deal with such as rain. Lots of it. One of the issues with living in a tropical country, no? 

On the lookout for the perfect gown

I am many things, but a princess I am not, so let's just nix the 20 foot train + matching veil, the $10,000 wedding gown by such and such renowned designer and the $700 shoes with matching purse. There's a wedding budget to keep in mind, plus I'm a rather practical shopper and excellent bargain finder, so I have no doubt the dress I have in mind is out there. It just needs to be found. Let's get started then!

    

      Light and airy, it has a rather vintage 60's feel to it. 

The Vintage Wedding Dress Company

BCBG Max Azria Tiered Lace Gown

Lily Wedding

I don't remember where I got this from, woops.

The Limited

Textured bride and another orphan image. 

Something Old

If you're looking into buying a vintage wedding gown, The Frock has a bridal department with unbelievable vintage wedding gowns by top designers. Prices are steep, but you might just fall in love all over again.

I Do by Seychelles

I LIKE:

I Do by
Seychelles

How gorgeous are they?! I'm absolutely smitten.

Martha's Vineyard Wedding

I'm loving this simple, meaningful wedding on Martha's Vineyard. Notice the twine and the mason jars, items I would also like to incorporate in the wedding reception.

Alix & Ollie | A Martha's Vineyard Wedding Trailer from I Do Films on Vimeo.

Go Big or Go Home

Somehow we became that couple that wears matching costumes. Drew's outfit had two secret pockets sewn to keep his cellphone and cash; one inside the red sash and another one somewhere on the white tunic. We never actually discovered the last pocket; that's how well hidden it was. 

Another costume surprise: somewhere around 12 midnight it suddenly dawned on me that my costume was not bathroom friendly. By that I mean, it was so complicated to take off, that in order to go to the bathroom I would have to dismantle the entire outfit. It somehow didn't matter anyway, because I was sweating ever so profusely under layers of makeup, leotards, satin, synthetic hair, cardboard and pantyhose that I never had the urge to use the bathroom until the very end and by then I was ready to go home (attending a civil wedding, driving two hours, taking an hour and a half to get my costume on, and then attending a huge Halloween party all on the same day will do that to you). 

Drew lucked out with his costume because he was basically wearing a pajama. It was also his first adult Halloween where he dressed up. It took some convincing, but once I showed him pics of past halloweens he decided to go with it. We had such a blast!

The eyeliner marker I bought didn't last a minute, so I had to resort to my trusty old pencil eyeliner. Max Factor, you have tricked me! The eyeshadow (Revlon Matte Eyeshadow) lasted All. Night. Long. and all through the day as well. It stained my eyelids a soft blue that could be seen in bright daylight. Not even makeup remover could erase it! Took a couple of showers and some effusive face and eyelid scrubbing to finally come off. 

This is the first time I truly make my own costume and it was worth it!