{M+D} Let's hear it for the girls!

Bridesmaid dresses. To most, it is a horrible phrase. They even made a movie about how bad bridesmaids dresses can be, and mocking the phrase "at least they can wear it again!" I will admit, bridesmaids dress shopping is hard. I want all my girls to look good and they all have different body types, hair colors, skin tones, and styles. I want them to be comfortable and feel beautiful, too! So, what to do, what to do....


My colors are pink, grey, and white. BUT, I feel like the pink is so muted, everyone will be washed out by them.

Source: projectwedding.com via Madeline on Pinterest

(These girls are all nice and tan, so it works a little better... but they have no shape, or style really and definitely would not be worn again.)


And grey dresses with grey tuxes, might be grey overload.

 

Source: grey-bridesmaid-dress.wed-ding.co via Madeline on Pinterest

These dresses are pretty, and maybe with white on top would give contract to the guys tuxes... but still unsure.

So, what I really want is...pattern!

Source: lillypulitzer.com via Madeline on Pinterest

I love this dress! And it comes in three different styles... but it might be a little bright. My color is a lighter pink, but I definitely want to use different shades to give depth. It could be catigorized under the "fun" aspect of the wedding style, but would probably look a little funny next to a grey tux though... However, I think if we used pattern, we would be able to bring in the pink and white and still look pretty. Any suggestions? I can't seem to find patterned bridesmaid dresses anywhere. Or regular dresses in a pattern I like.

Oh, and I can't forget my little girls! I have the two most adorable flower girls! My inspiration for them is tutus!

Source: littlemoos.com.au via Madeline on Pinterest


Dan's mom owns a dance studio, so Danny grew up dancing, along with his sisters and now my flower girls! I think they would be fun while still be elegant and I know the girls will feel right at home in them. Plus, you can't get much cuter than a tutu!

{M+D} Groom styling

Ok, so we have the venue, you've seen the overall feel I am going for, and the way that I want to look on the day. Next up, the groom! This, in some ways was a little difficult, in others, so easy. Dan, as usual, knew what he wanted. He was wearing a tux. Think black, think James Bond. Done. Well... with all of the soft colors of the wedding and the more relaxed feel, we (okay, I) thought the tux may be too stuffy. But, he is the groom, and this is important to him, so what to do, what to do. Compromise, of course. So, here is the groom (and all the guys!) inspiration:

Source: wishspecialevents.com via Madeline on Pinterest

Source: elizabethannedesigns.com via Madeline on Pinterest

Source: myweddingnigeria.com via Madeline on Pinterest

The compromise, you ask? Grey tuxes! They are softer, but still elegant and beautiful, and still a tux. Hopefully, we will be able to find some beautiful ones. And, of course, fun accessories: a beautiful tie, or maybe all different ties, and fun socks! I LOVE fun socks and Dan and I went knee sock bowling on one of our first dates!

Another knee sock bowling date

So, I think with beautiful grey tuxes and fun accessories the guys will look awesome and ready to dance the night away!

{M+D} Registry Must Haves

Tonight, truly is the end of an era. I will go see Harry Potter, the 7th film part II, with my sister (chances are, we saw the first movie together, so it is kind of fitting). I remember my first time seeing the books, I was in Downtown Winchester at The Winchester Book Gallery and they looked so cool. And I wanted them so bad. Mom bought me the first one and I loved it and couldn't wait for the rest. I was 11 and in elementary school. Now I am 23, and getting married. Time goes by way too fast!


But on a wedding related note, Dan and I have been setting up our registries. I know, I know this does not need to be done so soon, but with Danny so far away it was one thing that he could really help with. Nowadays, many couples have lived together or are older when they get married, thus they have a lot of the stuff that they need for their home. Dan and I have pretty much lived in college & military housing, so we need everything. It is really fun to think that everyone we love will help us turn our first house into our home, and all of those things will be with us for a long time! I can't wait- to have Dan back and to set up our first house!


So, my question to you is what do I need on my registry? Sure, I have all the basics (dishes, towels, bedding, et cetera) , but what is that one thing in your kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, or anywhere that you just couldn't live without?

{M+D} THE Dress

I have a confession. I have not been THAT in to finding my wedding dress. Yes, it will be my most photographed article of clothing I ever wear, and I want to love it, but I don't spend hours looking at dresses online. I don't want a HUGE Cinderella dress. I don't want to be on Say Yes to the Dress. I do, however, want to say "yes" to some dress at some time.


In my day-to-day life, I am not what I would call a weird dresser. I wear jeans and t-shirts most of the time, and usually they are pretty plain. Most of my wardrobe comes from such out-there places as J-Crew and Ann Taylor Loft, but when I put on a really dressy dress, it usually is a little out there. Examples:

Prom, Junior Year

Prom, Sophomore Year

Yes, I wore a fire colored dress with millions of sequins and a black and white dress (with an awesome back & a mermaid bottom) and gloves. Who was I? I have no idea, but I loved those dresses! It was fun being different. Now, I am not saying that I want to wear bright orange on my wedding day, but I just don't want to be too traditional. I want something I can actually move in, something that is comfortable to dance in, something that is elegant but still fun (remember my wedding planning words!) and something that is beautiful. So without further embarrassment with high school photos, here are my dress inspirations!

Source: watters.com via Madeline on Pinterest

Source: weddinginspirasi.com via Madeline on Pinterest

Source: goweddingdress.com via Madeline on Pinterest

Source: watters.com via Madeline on Pinterest

Any favorites? Any other ideas? Hopefully, we will go dress shopping soon- perhaps that will make me catch the wedding dress bug, or at least give me an idea of what I want!

{M+D} Invitation Inspiration

There is so much amazing wedding inspiration out there that I decided to collect things that I love about each part of the wedding. I am trying to start at the beginning (the invitation) and go through the wedding until the end (the exit?) Again, this is inspiration and how and if each picture will manifest itself in my own wedding is questionable! I don't want to show you too much!


I LOVE paper. I LOVE words. I was an English major, and I love love love seeing the words that mean so much look just as pretty on the paper. Consequently, I love looking at invitations and seeing what they actually say about the person and what the design and style says about the person. The words that I have come up with for the wedding are modern, elegant, & fun! So, combining those will be the challenge!

Source: ohsobeautifulpaper.com via Madeline on Pinterest

Source: ohsobeautifulpaper.com via Madeline on Pinterest

Source: ohsobeautifulpaper.com via Madeline on Pinterest

Source: minted.com via Madeline on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Madeline on Pinterest

Modern: clean lines, simple fonts
Elegant: soft colors, beautiful fonts
Fun: washi tape, baker's twine, envelope liners, kraft paper


It is so fun to have the paper say things about you and be a preview for what is to come at the wedding! Having all the paper details match also creates a cohesive feel to the wedding, so making sure you get it right is important! So much fun!

Wedding Inspiration

Wedding inspiration is interesting and can come from anywhere! All of the images below are from Style Me Pretty but I have found inspiration from everywhere! I love all of the images below for different reasons- the colors, the textures, the lighting, the type of photography. Not all of these things do I want in the wedding, but they all give me ideas for my own big day!

Things that I love:
Light- since the wedding is going to be outside, I want there to be plenty of candles, string lights, and lanterns. It just makes things magical.
White: As you can tell, white is a big color player above. I love the simplicity and elegance of the white and pops of color go a long way.
Fun details: With all the white and the elegant, I still want fun! I want the wedding to be relaxed and carefree with tons of dancing! Interesting details like striped straws (I love straws of any kind!), fun card holders, interesting guest books, and surprises are what make weddings memorable!


As  you can see, I still have some inspiration to narrow down. I want the wedding to have a cohesive feel, be elegant, fun, and represent Dan and me. That's a lot to ask for!


Any favorites? Other ideas I should think about? Like it? Hate it?

Distance Wedding Planning & Engagement Pictures!!

It has been almost 6 weeks since I graduated from W&M and it is now July! Ah! I am finally home for good (besides a weekend at the beach and perhaps some trips to DC). Now that I am here, I can unpack, do laundry, and start planning- planning the wedding AND planning for school. Being between three schools I need to be very organized, and I like to be ahead, so I will probably have at least a few weeks of lesson plans ready. I'm so excited for my own students and my own way of doing things. I have a great department and a great school, so I can't wait!

In other planning news, this is how most decisions get made:

I am so so thankful to have Skype/iChat. I have no idea what we would do if we had to wait for letters! As I said before, Dan has lots of opinions, all which are generally the opposite of mine, so we sit here and have conversations that lead to links and inspiration. Some conversations:

"Do you like that _____?"

"I don't see a ____?"

"Oh wrong link..."

"This one?"

"...no."

Being on the same page, literally, is often difficult. But it is fun to look at things and hash out details- or at least decide what we don't like- that seems to be easier than what we do! Other conversations go like this:

"I haven't talked to you at all today..."

"Yes, you have."

"No, I haven't."

"Yes, I talked to you this morning."

"That was my last night!"

"Oh..."

Despite all of these interesting aspects, we are starting to come together on some things. But inspiration is to come in its own post... promise. For now- engagement pictures! Since Dan sprung this whole getting married thing on me, and was leaving in 2 weeks, I didn't think we would even have time for pictures. In comes Larry- Dan's neighbor and photographer! He did the pictures for both of Dan's sisters' wedding and has done the dance photos for his mom's studio for a long time as well. He has photographed thousands of weddings and agreed to shoot our engagement photos the next week!  Poof- a plan!

All photos below by Larry Darling- darlingphotography.com. The photos can be viewed and ordered here:

Some favorites:

Source

Source

As you can see, we made props! I don't want to show you all of my favorites- we are still trying to decide what to do for save the dates! Something fun? Classy? Apple Blossomy? Creative? Any ideas are welcome!

Larry did such a great job- he made us feel so comfortable and was open to anything we wanted to try!