So, my plan was to write a blog post at least once a week. Should be no problem right? Well, then Thanksgiving Break happened. I helped my family paint our living room, shopped for the thirteen desserts we made for Thanksgiving, and did not accomplish almost any of the homework I needed to do, let alone write a blog post. I decided I would do it when I got back to school.
Then, finals happened. I've only been back for nine days, but I've written two drafts of ten page research papers, re-written those into final papers, written a debate (giving it tomorrow), reeled and developed five rolls of film, developed twenty prints, written twenty pages in my thesis, and still have two finals, a portfolio critique, a debate left. At this point, this is how I feel.
But, I will survive, and prevail. My roommate Katie and I (the one in the above picture) have pretty much lived in fuzzy aqua robes for a week. My other roommate Rachael has lived in red, furry PJ's covered in dog prints (Note: Rachael just fell over and started crying, we're not sure why). But guess what? We're surviving. During finals week, anything goes, as long as you make it to your final with stuff in your brain.
However, back to weddings.
What is the first question I'm asked after people find out I'm engaged? Have you gotten a dress yet? Total strangers get super excited about wedding dresses, ask me if I have pictures, and, in a couple of instances, tear up when they see the pictures of me in my dress.
To be honest, getting my wedding dress was an incredible experience. My sisters and I are avid watchers of "Say Yes to the Dress". We found the show, perhaps five years ago, and we've seen every episode (of the ones that used to be on Netflix). When Netflix took "Say Yes to the Dress" off its available shows, I told my sister. She screamed and fell over.
We really like the show.
I don't particularly like all the drama on it. I don't care whether a mother of a bride is really controlling and makes everyone cry. I just like the dresses. My brother walked into the room one time when me and my sisters were watching the show. He paused for a moment, "The dresses all look the same," he said. Then he walked out. We started shouting at him, trying to explain the differences between ivory, off-white, and white. The differences between mermaid, fit and flare, or a combination of the two. He didn't care, he just kept walking, but to us, those differences are distinct and important.
I thought a lot about what my wedding dress would look like before I was even engaged. Many girls have. I once asked a four year old little girl what she wanted her wedding dress to be. She spent five minutes detailing it: it would be pink, full of bows, and she would wear a crown.
I saw a dress on "Say Yes to the Dress" that I loved. It was gorgeous. Ivory, gold embellishments, wide skirt, ruched top, with one sleeve done in delicate roses. I loved it. I wanted it. It was $20,000. Yeah. I didn't get that dress. And in fact, the dress I got, for so much less, I loved so much more.
Unfortunately, my fiancee reads these posts. And I don't want him knowing anything about my dress. Therefore, neither will you. I'm sorry, I feel bad for not telling you every exquisite detail, but I'm a firm believer in your dress being a surprise for your groom. Know that it is magical. Beautiful. It made me cry.
I can however, tell you my experience at the bridal salon I went to. I went to look for my dress almost as soon as I got home from London. My little sister (Well, she's 20) Erin, was studying abroad in Italy all summer through her culinary program and she wanted to pick out the dress with me. I got home on a Sunday, she left the next Friday. The only day we had available to go, was Tuesday. I wanted to go to the same bridal salon my best friend Victoria had gone to, called Betsy Robinson's Bridal Collections. Her experience there had been amazing, and I wanted mine to be the same. However, Betsy Robinson's is closed on Tuesdays. My mom decided to call the store, to see if explaining our circumstances would change anything. The lovely manager called the owner and asked for permission to open the salon just for us. He agreed, and we went that Tuesday. We had eight people in total at the salon: me, my four sisters, my mom, Tyler's wonderful mother, and my best friend Victoria. I was always told not to bring a crowd with you to pick a wedding dress, but my crowd are all wonderful, dear ladies who I felt I needed with me.
When we got to the salon that Tuesday, the manager welcomed us in, and we started exploring the racks. Lace, silk, organza, tulle, taffeta. There are certain things I hate on wedding dresses. Taffeta. I detest the stiff, starched look of it. Never show me anything in taffeta. I also hate high-low wedding dresses (is it high or low? WHICH ONE?), and am not a big fan of tulle. Everyone helped me pull dresses from the racks, and the manager and my mom helped me get them on. It's hard to put on a wedding gown. All the cinching and stepping, and pulling and prodding. Also, they're really expensive, and I was super afraid of tearing something. However, I got the first one on, and stepped out of my room. There were oohs, and ahhs, sighs. That first dress was lovely, but not quite right. I tried on eight more, but it was the second dress I kept going back to, the second one that I wanted to twirl in. And that second dress was the one I bought. I only went to one salon, only tried on eight dresses. But when you know, you know. Yuck. I hate how cliched that sentence is. Sometimes cliches are true though, and in this case, that one is.
I love my dress. I haven't thought about that $20,000 one since I got mine. Perhaps it's the fact that it is mine. It's the one I chose to walk down the aisle in. It seems like it was made for me. Sadly I can't tell tell you if it was blush, or cream, or white. I can't tell you if it was lace, or silk.
But you can be sure, it was not taffeta.
Betsy Robinson's Bridal is a highly regarded salon in my area, and with good reason. The staff are wonderful, working within your budget and taste, and they actually seem to care. If you are in the Carroll County area, I recommend you checking them out. Here's a link to their website-- (http://www.robinsonsbridal.com).
This Buzzfeed article has lots of charts and diagrams on weddings in general, but also several on wedding dresses that I found helpful.
(http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/these-diagrams-are-everything-you-need-to-plan-your-wedding?sub=2937477_2343966). I like charts, they help de-mystify many things. And the rights and wrongs of wedding dresses sometimes really need to be de-mystified.
Good luck to everyone on finals.
Instead of the picture of my dress that I know all of you want to see, here's a picture of my beautiful roommate Katie, frantically writing things. Nothing as awesome as a blog on wedding dresses, but still good things.
However, back to weddings.
What is the first question I'm asked after people find out I'm engaged? Have you gotten a dress yet? Total strangers get super excited about wedding dresses, ask me if I have pictures, and, in a couple of instances, tear up when they see the pictures of me in my dress.
To be honest, getting my wedding dress was an incredible experience. My sisters and I are avid watchers of "Say Yes to the Dress". We found the show, perhaps five years ago, and we've seen every episode (of the ones that used to be on Netflix). When Netflix took "Say Yes to the Dress" off its available shows, I told my sister. She screamed and fell over.
We really like the show.
I don't particularly like all the drama on it. I don't care whether a mother of a bride is really controlling and makes everyone cry. I just like the dresses. My brother walked into the room one time when me and my sisters were watching the show. He paused for a moment, "The dresses all look the same," he said. Then he walked out. We started shouting at him, trying to explain the differences between ivory, off-white, and white. The differences between mermaid, fit and flare, or a combination of the two. He didn't care, he just kept walking, but to us, those differences are distinct and important.
I thought a lot about what my wedding dress would look like before I was even engaged. Many girls have. I once asked a four year old little girl what she wanted her wedding dress to be. She spent five minutes detailing it: it would be pink, full of bows, and she would wear a crown.
I saw a dress on "Say Yes to the Dress" that I loved. It was gorgeous. Ivory, gold embellishments, wide skirt, ruched top, with one sleeve done in delicate roses. I loved it. I wanted it. It was $20,000. Yeah. I didn't get that dress. And in fact, the dress I got, for so much less, I loved so much more.
Unfortunately, my fiancee reads these posts. And I don't want him knowing anything about my dress. Therefore, neither will you. I'm sorry, I feel bad for not telling you every exquisite detail, but I'm a firm believer in your dress being a surprise for your groom. Know that it is magical. Beautiful. It made me cry.
I can however, tell you my experience at the bridal salon I went to. I went to look for my dress almost as soon as I got home from London. My little sister (Well, she's 20) Erin, was studying abroad in Italy all summer through her culinary program and she wanted to pick out the dress with me. I got home on a Sunday, she left the next Friday. The only day we had available to go, was Tuesday. I wanted to go to the same bridal salon my best friend Victoria had gone to, called Betsy Robinson's Bridal Collections. Her experience there had been amazing, and I wanted mine to be the same. However, Betsy Robinson's is closed on Tuesdays. My mom decided to call the store, to see if explaining our circumstances would change anything. The lovely manager called the owner and asked for permission to open the salon just for us. He agreed, and we went that Tuesday. We had eight people in total at the salon: me, my four sisters, my mom, Tyler's wonderful mother, and my best friend Victoria. I was always told not to bring a crowd with you to pick a wedding dress, but my crowd are all wonderful, dear ladies who I felt I needed with me.
When we got to the salon that Tuesday, the manager welcomed us in, and we started exploring the racks. Lace, silk, organza, tulle, taffeta. There are certain things I hate on wedding dresses. Taffeta. I detest the stiff, starched look of it. Never show me anything in taffeta. I also hate high-low wedding dresses (is it high or low? WHICH ONE?), and am not a big fan of tulle. Everyone helped me pull dresses from the racks, and the manager and my mom helped me get them on. It's hard to put on a wedding gown. All the cinching and stepping, and pulling and prodding. Also, they're really expensive, and I was super afraid of tearing something. However, I got the first one on, and stepped out of my room. There were oohs, and ahhs, sighs. That first dress was lovely, but not quite right. I tried on eight more, but it was the second dress I kept going back to, the second one that I wanted to twirl in. And that second dress was the one I bought. I only went to one salon, only tried on eight dresses. But when you know, you know. Yuck. I hate how cliched that sentence is. Sometimes cliches are true though, and in this case, that one is.
I love my dress. I haven't thought about that $20,000 one since I got mine. Perhaps it's the fact that it is mine. It's the one I chose to walk down the aisle in. It seems like it was made for me. Sadly I can't tell tell you if it was blush, or cream, or white. I can't tell you if it was lace, or silk.
But you can be sure, it was not taffeta.
Betsy Robinson's Bridal is a highly regarded salon in my area, and with good reason. The staff are wonderful, working within your budget and taste, and they actually seem to care. If you are in the Carroll County area, I recommend you checking them out. Here's a link to their website-- (http://www.robinsonsbridal.com).
This Buzzfeed article has lots of charts and diagrams on weddings in general, but also several on wedding dresses that I found helpful.
(http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/these-diagrams-are-everything-you-need-to-plan-your-wedding?sub=2937477_2343966). I like charts, they help de-mystify many things. And the rights and wrongs of wedding dresses sometimes really need to be de-mystified.
Good luck to everyone on finals.
Instead of the picture of my dress that I know all of you want to see, here's a picture of my beautiful roommate Katie, frantically writing things. Nothing as awesome as a blog on wedding dresses, but still good things.