Picture Perfect

Photography was one of the most important things for me when we started wedding planning. I wasn’t really sure about having a videographer at our wedding, but having amazing photos that we could look at forever was a top priority.

My first meeting was with the photographer that my wedding coordinators recommended, Andrea Polito. Her pictures on her site are beautiful, but I was a little apprehensive as to whether or not she was as photojournalistic and artsy as I wanted for our wedding. She also happens to be a popular photographer in the area, and, while her reputation is great, I though I might want a photographer that was a little less known (I guess that's my wanting to be different kicking in).

I was excited to sit down and meet with her, look at more pictures and get a better idea of who she is. To me, half the battle is finding a personality that meshes with your own. I tend to know exactly what I want out of things, and whomever my photographer would end up being, they had a large task at hand because photos rank up there with some of the most important aspects of my wedding...like, the groom. Just kidding about that last part, but the photos are extremely important to me!

Here are a few pictures by Andrea that I found from http://www.dallasweddingplanner.com/:

Right off the bat, Andrea’s studio was completely impressive. I entered a room with a large dining room table loaded with portraits and portfolios. Pictures were on all of the walls and music was playing. It was a very relaxed and fun atmosphere. She also had an impressive setup with her computer which was shown on a flat screen television mounted on the wall. Her pictures are awesome, and she was completely into learning your ideas and wants for photography, not just what she likes.

Her pricing was pretty reasonable, especially due to the fact that you automatically get two photographers at your wedding, 7 hours of coverage and all of the negatives from your special day. As I mentioned in a previous post, though, I tend to meet with vendors in threes…stay tuned for the other reviews and my final pick!

Bouquet Bling

When we first met with our florist, we discussed putting a rosary in my bouquet. I thought this would be a lovely touch to our Catholic ceremony. As time passed, and I browsed the internet, I came upon another idea.

One of my favorite stores to checkout online, Room Service Home, has these beautiful crosses:

(2007 Faith, Hope & Love Crosses)

(Bridal Cross)

(2008 Purity, Strength & Beauty Crosses)

I went ahead and bought the bridal, faith, hope, love and strength crosses for each of the bouquets that we will carry down the aisle. I plan to give the crosses to each of the girls as part of their wedding gifts, although I'm not sure which girl will receive which cross. I chose the strength cross for my mother because, as Mr. Hydrangea says, "She is your rock."

They have a full set of 2008 crosses, but I loved the 2007 crosses because they are Faith, Hope and Love. Right now you can get the Bridal Cross for $29 (originally $48) and the 2007 collection for $74 (originally $98). I have to warn you though, their shipping is a little outrageous - $21 for UPS Ground. I loved them so much, though, that I had to snatch them up anyways and can't wait to see how they will look!

Alternative to the Groom's Cake

For my wedding reception, I want to try incorporating new ideas that are fun and entertaining that our guests will remember for a long time to come. Partly because I like to be a little different, but mostly because I want everyone to have an awesome time.

In the South, you grow up attending wedding receptions where there is the wedding cake...and then there's the groom's cake. If any of you have seen Steel Magnolias, think blood red armadillo cake. To many, it's the chocolate cake at the reception, usually depicting something important to the groom, whether it be his alma mater, favorite sports team or hobby.

Mr. Hydrangea is pretty impartial to the whole wedding planning process. He likes to stay in the background and watch Mom H and I plan, and only gives his opinion if it is something that really concerns him. A few months ago, I brought up an alternative for his groom's cake which he seemed to like.

Instead of having the traditional groom's cake, there is a popular Italian Gelato Cafe here in the Dallas area, Paciugo. For a price not far off from a groom's cake, you can get this cute cart at your reception with up to 4 flavors, cups, utensils and a server for 200 guests.

There happens to be a Paciugo about a one minute walk from the hotel where we are having our reception. Mr. H and I went in one night and talked to their manager about reserving the cart. We tasted almost every flavor they had in the store and were sold on the idea.

I think that, deep down, Mr. H still wants his own cake, and my cake isn't the most important element of the wedding to me, so I'm still going to try to keep mine simple and get a little chocolate cake for Mr. H as well.

Have any of you incorporated fun, out of the ordinary ideas into your reception?

My First DIY!

I wanted to give my bridesmaids something thoughtful when I asked them to be a part of my big day. But then I procrastinated…and waited a little more…and put it on the backburner. With 8 months to go, I figure I better get a move on it.

I decided instead of just scratching the project and asking them via phone, I would go ahead with what I had planned. There are a few elements to the gift, but the first element is a homemade card. Each one of them will receive a similar card, but the dress on the front will be different. I also had to create one groomsman card for one of Mr. H's guys that isn't local.

All of the products are from Michael’s. I went into a local scrap-booking store first, but was so intimidated and confused, I went back to a place where I felt comfortable for my first project.

The Materials

Step One

I started by taking my cute black and white damask wrapping paper (found during Christmas at, of all places, Old Navy), tracing the size of the envelope onto the backside and cutting it accordingly. Then, I took the adhesive tape and put in on one half of the card. I wrapped that half first, then folded it over and finished wrapping the card.

Step Two

The next step was to cut out the black cardstock to place on the front. I pretty much eyeballed the first one and then cut the other three to the same size. I also cut out the white cardstock, ½” shorter in the width and height and used the adhesive to attach it to the black cardstock.

Step Three

I placed the cardstock onto the card wrapped in the damask paper. I then used adhesive squares to attach the dresses and give them a 3-D look. The dresses were found on istockphoto and I printed, cut out and traced them onto the remaining black cardstock. Since I am going to have black bridesmaid’s dresses, I figured this would be perfect. (And I can use the images over and over for other print projects in the future!)

After the first couple of cards, I got a little fancy and did some rounded corners. The more I worked on them, the braver I was to play around a bit. I was going to put something cute on the front with my own writing, but was worried about messing up the whole thing after all that work, so I left it as is.

The inside of the girls' cards said the following:

I wanted to pick something
You all would like
that way you wouldn't
have any gripes
As much as I looked
and as much as I liked
I just couldn't justify
paying that price
So for my big day,
this is all that I ask
Please pick something black
And pick something long
And please don't let me see
your boobs or your thong
Your hair and your maeup
are all on me
As long as you are my bridesmaid to be!

The boys' card said the following:

I always knew one day
I'd be a groom
I just never knew who
would fill the room
The time is now here
and I must decide
Who I want to stand
When I take my bride
It would be a great honor
If you would agree
To stand at the altar
And be a groomsman for me!

I placed each card inside these cute damask boxes filled with tissue paper. Along with the card and box was a personalized photo album for each girl (more on that fiasco to come)! The girls really loved the cards, which, ultimately, was most important to me. I'm just relieved it all turned out well. Since I'm not very sentimental, I felt uncomfortable getting all mushy when asking them, so, instead, I handed them their presents and let them read the card.


I can only aspire to be as great as some of our other crafty Bees, but I have to say I did enjoy my first DIY project. Hopefully this is the first of many to come!

**On a side note...I am no poet, nor do I even claim to know the proper ways to form a poem. I just did them on the fly and wrote them down to my best ability :)

Las Tradiciones - Parte Uno

The past two Sundays, Mr. Hydrangea and I have begun to ask his family to participate in our wedding for all of the Hispanic traditions that will be incorporated into our wedding ceremony. Well, I should say they all talked and I more or less listened as they all spoke in Spanish. I can understand nearly everything, but have yet to work up the nerve to try to speak to his family. I get a little embarrassed and intimidated, which I’m hoping I’ll grow out of one of these days.

Because one of the couples that we wanted to ask to be in the ceremony lives in Mexico, we had to call them and ask them to be the Padrinos for the arras. Essentially this means that they will purchase the arras, or coins, that we will use in the ceremony. The arras are the 13 coins that the Padrinos bring up to the altar and hand to the groom. The groom then places these coins into the bride’s hands to symbolize his promise to support his new family.

Last night, we (myself, Mr. H, FMIL Hydrangea and FFIL Hydrangea) went in person to meet with another Aunt and Uncle, but they live in our hometown so we made a personal visit. They knew that we were coming over, so they had cheesecake and fruit waiting and we sat and chatted. At one point, I had to nudge Mr. H because he was nervous as to what to say, so he kept waiting…and waiting…and waiting. Finally he asked them to be our Padrinos for the anillos (wedding rings). While these Padrinos can give money for the rings or purchase them for us, they will also bring the rings up to the altar and hand them to the priest during the ceremony.

For our last stop of the night, we went to Mr. H’s Padrinos’ home. These are his Godparents who baptized him when he was an infant. We sat down and all talked a little, and then Mr. H asked them to be the Padrinos de Velación, which essentially means that they will help to pay for the church for the ceremony. Because they baptized him as a child, it is considered one of their responsibilities as Godparents to pay for the church when Mr. H gets married. Then we ate more cheesecake.

Most of these items we intend on purchasing ourselves. When the Padrinos accepted to be in the wedding, we just told them that they could contribute whatever they would like towards the wedding. These couples are asked to participate not only financially, but also to act as our mentors throughout our engagement and our marriage. It is considered an honor for them to be asked to participate in the wedding, but for us it is also an honor for them to accept the position.

I really enjoyed visiting with Mr. H’s family, although the communication barrier sometimes left me a little confused. Next weekend we are off to ask a few more people to participate, but I know one thing that I definitely will not do before we go: eat dinner. After two houses and two large pieces of cheesecake, I thought I was going to burst.

More to come…

La Musica

Planning a multicultural wedding isn't as hard I had thought it would be. May I remind you that I still have 8 months left, but I'm going to be optimistic about this fact. The most difficult thing (aside from cutting down the guest list) has been figuring out what to do with the music at our wedding.

Mr. Hydrangea's family is from Mexico - and his generation is the first born in the U.S. Their musical tastes tend to be very traditional Mexican music. My family is a traditional American family, with musical tastes that are all shades of the rainbow...except Hispanic music. Not because they dislike it, but because none of them were raised listening to it.

In the beginning, Mr. Hydrangea and I wanted to have live music at our wedding. We think that the entertainment value of a live band would be awesome and a little different then just a dj. As we researched more and more for a band to play at our wedding, it became very evident that having a band that could play both your "regular" music and the traditional Mexican music that his family likes would be a VERY difficult task (and also an expensive one at that).

From the day that I started researching for our wedding (which happened to be a couple of months into our relationship...a little premature I know), I researched all avenues for each type of vendor and came upon a popular Dallas dj who also happened to own a popular lighting company in Dallas, Lite Dallas. Since I was sure I wanted live music, I left this option on the back burner. Fast forward to 5 months after our engagement and I decided to give the dj a shot, musically.

To my surprise, when I spoke to him on the phone he mentioned that one of his assistants happens to be Hispanic and that they perform about 7-8 of the same types of weddings each year. I figured this might be a really good thing, so I setup a time to meet with him to see his personality and find out what kind of a dj he really is, i.e. is he cheesy?!

Definitely not so! I think this was the most excited I've seen Mr. Hydrangea through the whole planning process, and the one meeting I've managed to get him to attend for the wedding. He completely calmed our nerves about having a typical dj and made us feel even better about combining our two VERY different families in one big room.

The best part is that we will most likely have a Mexican Trio to play for our cocktail hour so we will still have some element of live music at our wedding.

(picture from www.triosoldemexico.com)

Andy has you fill out an entire notebook of important facts: where to be, what you like, who can (and cannot) make speeches, details on your wedding party, etc. The fun part is that when he introduces our wedding party, he's going to to a lighthearted roast of each of them to break the ice and get everyone's attention.

We are really excited about having a dj, instead of a band. If money was no object, we'd have it all. How did you all decide your music for your reception? Did any of you face the dilemma of blending to cultures, and music genres, into your party?

Keeping My Sanity

I know there’s a lot of hype about the iPhone, and a lot of mixed reviews. I gave Mr. Hydrangea the HARDEST time when he just had to have one right when they came out. It was just so much money for something that would be replaced by a new model in no time.

Then I saw the iPhone and played with the display phone at the Mac store...and once Mr. H bought his, I made him return to the Mac store within an hour so that I could get my own.

(picture from techdigest.tv)

I am now a full believer in the iPhone. Because of this phone, my mom and I were always able to get directions at anytime to our venue appointments. I could constantly keep up with my e-mails for the wedding anywhere at anytime.

Mr. Hydrangea, who started me on this craze, now thinks I spend a little too much time with it! All in all, every phone has its positive and negative aspects but this is, by far, the best phone I've ever had. It has saved me from a lot of potential wedding headaches and I've only just begun!

However, as great as technology can be, I also have another organization system. Just like Mrs. Corn, I have a wedding binder. The phone is perfect for communication, but this binder is truly how I’m surviving wedding planning.

I always have been EXTREMELY eager (or overzealous and obsessive to some) when it comes to planning and organizing, whether it's files, parties, family outings, weekend plans, vacations, etc. I’ve already trashed everything that is no longer of use, but, yes, my 3” binder is still completely full.

I’ve made tabs for each service and aspect of the wedding, behind which are the contracts (in protectors) as well as cards, brochures, etc. I’ve also started a spreadsheet containing the vendor name, contact name, phone, e-mail, payments made, payments owed and the dates they are to be paid by, that I keep in the front, along with the budget and timeline.

Without my binder, I would be lost. Planning a wedding has so many elements and details so how do you guys manage to keep everything organized?

A Floral Affair

My experience with finding our florist was relatively easy. The wedding planners gave me their recommendations (which happened to consist of the 3 florists that I loved online) and setup the appointments. When I first started planning this wedding, I was leaning towards the traditional wedding with your traditional types of flower arrangements. After choosing The W as our wedding reception venue, my whole game plan changed. Now, our wedding is modern/contemporary and instead of the traditional sage green/brown colors, we are sticking to black and white.

The first florist we went to visit was Bella Flora, which also happens to be the in-house florist for The W. They were amazing. I immediately clicked with the florist and our ideas just seemed to flow. I left the meeting SO excited and ready for the day to be here...that's when I knew that not only was I REALLY engaged, but the wedding planning was becoming more then just a venue search. Here are some samples of their work:



My next meeting was a few days later with Fete des Fleurs, also a popular floral company in Dallas. They were awesome as well...all of their flowers are extremely gorgeous, but they seemed to lean on the more traditional side (in my opinion). While they really listened to me and tried to satisfy my wants during the discussion (the owner was incredibly nice), I just knew when I left that it wouldn't have been a perfect fit for this event. I think deep down my mind was made up before I even walked in there, which wasn't entirely fair to Fete des Fleurs. I would recommend them to anyone because, if I wasn't planning the modern/contemporary event that I am, I would use them in a heart beat. Here's some samples of their work:

And, if you are wondering after that first paragraph, what happened to the last florist? Well, once I talked to the coordinators about how I felt after the first two appointments, they agreed that my third appointment wasn't necessary. The third company tended to create flowers more like Fete des Fleurs, and my heart was already set on Bella Flora.

So there you have it, my positive experience at finding a florist. I would suggest that once you have your reception venue booked, find out their in-house florist because they will know what best fits the atmosphere of the venue. Also, if you're from Dallas, you have MANY amazing options for flowers, but these I would definitely put on your list to check out!

During my planning process, I've stuck with the number 3. I visit at least 3 vendors for each item I need. How many vendors did you all meet with when deciding the major elements of your wedding?

It's Our Wedding!

You’ll notice that I talk about Mom Hydrangea a lot in my posts. There are several reasons for this, so I’ll try to condense the full story.

Mom H was married to my father when they were really young. As most of us would say now, it was a shotgun wedding. From that came my parents’ first family: my two brothers. When my brothers were 15 and 17, Mom H became pregnant with yours truly.

My parents like to call me their second family. For most of my life my brothers were out of the house and off doing their own thing. Sure they came home for holidays and occasionally moved in for a short amount of time, but we didn’t grow up with each other as most siblings do. Because of this, I became very close to my mom. I always had her undivided attention and we did everything together.

When I got engaged, the question of who would be my Maid of Honor was not a hard one: I wanted Mom H. After meeting with our soon to be wedding planners one evening, Mom H and I went to dinner and the discussion of what she would wear came up. She really wanted to wear navy blue as it’s her favorite color and really looks good on her. At this point, I had to let her know.

I was hoping to plan something special to ask my mom to be in my wedding, but, unfortunately, this was not to be. I asked her then and there if she would be my Matron of Honor. After all, no matter how great some of my best girlfriends are, they have never been through as much with me - watched me grow up, talked to me at least several times daily and put up with me for 26 years like Mom H has (and that’s no easy thing)!

So I broke the news that navy was not an option…but that black was.

Last weekend, Mom H and I went shopping for her dress. We looked and looked and were about to give up in frustration, when we found this:

As she debated whether or not she should get it, and I told her it was worth it, she turned to me and said, “Well this is OUR wedding!” It couldn’t be more true. Because she never got to have a wedding of her own, because she is my Matron of Honor, because she helps me with everything and because I love her so much, it really is OUR wedding. Sorry Mr. H.

Calling All Dallas Brides

There is a bridal show this weekend in Dallas sponsored by Macy's Registry. The show is at Dallas Market Hall and will feature over 350 vendors. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children under 14.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to go, but it might be of some help locating vendors and getting ideas for your weddings! Don't forget to make labels with all your pertinent info (Name, Contact Info, Wedding Date, etc.), otherwise you're hand will be sore from filling things out!

Sometimes Things Come In Pairs

Some girls opt for two dresses. Some girls have two different ceremonies. For me, I have two pairs of shoes. Right before we found my wedding shoes, Mom H found something on a sale rack. Cute navy blue flats with the same style name as my Mom's name. Fate? I think so.

I explained to Mom H how, most likely, my feet will be killing me after a few hours in heels so these would be so cute to wear at the reception instead of having a barefoot bride on the dancefloor. She actually agreed (after a little persuasion) and, so, I introduce to you, my other pair of wedding shoes:

Did anyone else out there opt for a lower shoe at your reception?

Photos for Everyone!

When I began planning our wedding, I immediately started to think of fun ways for our guests to celebrate with us. I had recently been rummaging through a D Magazine, and I came across an ad for a photobooth company. I thought this was such a cute idea so I checked out their website and was completely impressed. While photobooths are really becoming popular these days, this booth offers some cool options for both you, and your guests.

The company, boothBOOTH, brings the photobooth to your event, but they also provide high resolution photos in both color and black and white for your guests AND they put up a website after your event where your guests can visit to view and purchase the pics! One of the partners in the company is a popular Dallas wedding photographer, Gary Donihoo with f8studio...check his site out as well. His pics are amazing.

We're Engaged!

I never thought that I really cared about having an engagement party until about a month or so into being engaged. I was ready to make sure everyone I knew was as excited as I was, but I didn't want to ask someone to throw us an engagement party (and no one was offering). My mom and I talked about it, but she said she was already planning (and paying) for the wedding and that was about as much as she could handle. Can't blame her for that. Mr. Hydrangea's family doesn't really throw engagement parties in his culture, and I wouldn't feel comfortable asking them.

After thinking about it, and reading many articles online about how couples now throw their own engagement parties, I brought it up to Mr. Hydrangea and he, surprisingly, thought it was a great idea for us to throw our own. So we set a date and ordered some cute invitations (a sample is pictured below) online at Polka Dot Design.

We kept it very small, just immediate family and a few close family friends. It was mainly my side of the family because Mr. H's culture invites everyone to parties and our new house just can't hold them all! It was the first time that both of our families completely met (eeek!), but it went over smoothly.

Mr. Hydrangea and I decided that it was best to have it at our house so that both families would have a neutral and comfortable area to meet. Things went very well and it was a big success! Both families got along greatly (aside from some communication barriers) and we are both relieved to have that huge task behind us!

My uncle from Arizona is married to a hispanic woman, so it was nice to have someone from my side of the family that could completely communicate with Mr. Hydrangea's family. We had too much Italian food from a local restaurant that was so delicious...and Mr. Hydrangea's mom brought us a big tres leches cake (my favorite!) that was one of the best I've had.

One of the highlights of the night were when my aunt and uncle, who flew in from California, gave us our toasting flutes for the wedding. They are Waterford Wishes Love and Romance champagne flutes. All of the gifts were wonderful, but this was truly the most touching.

Here are a couple of pictures from the night...

Mr. Hydrangea and I as the guests were leaving...we wanted to take pictures earlier when we looked a little more put together, but once the guests arrived, we were too busy to remember.

The beautiful champagne flutes that we will use at our wedding.

We also got a present from our registry...a Mojito set (a favorite of ours)!

All in all, it was a great night for everyone to meet and to ease any tensions our families had about getting together. Everyone was so nice and generous - we really weren't expecting any gifts, and we received quite a few.


Did any of you have an engagement party - or throw it yourself?

If the Shoe Fits...

Since I will have my first fitting next Saturday for my dress, I called to ask what all I should bring with me. Naomi at Blush Couture said any undergarments (a la Spanx, which I'm sure will become my best friend) and my shoes. My shoes...oh my God, I hadn't really even thought about shoes. Luckily, Mom Hydrangea and I were out on a shopping excursion for wedding things this past weekend, so off we went to look at shoes.

In my previous post I mentioned the pin that I will be wearing in my hair the day of the wedding. It is a beautiful sapphire and diamond heirloom piece that I have admired since I was a little girl. To tie this in, I really wanted navy shoes to go with my dress. I figured it would be no big deal, but Mom H and I had the HARDEST time finding navy blue shoes that looked appropriate for my dress.

After searching all over the mall, we went into Barney's and I fell in love with an amazing pair of navy blue shoes. Mind you, these were the ONLY contenders we had found all day. Mom H told me to try them on, but we'd probably hold off on purchasing them. After I put them on, and Mom H thought about it a little more, she caved (mainly because she saw how hard this shoe shopping excursion was and didn't want to have to do it again) and we got them.

So now...the pièce de résistance -

Was shoe shopping as hard for you all as it was for me?? Especially for something that people might not even see the day of your wedding!

Make Me Up!

Two weeks ago, I went on a mission to find my hair and makeup artist for the wedding.
I booked two appointments in one weekend...my skin and hair weren't happy with me for that. Friday afternoon was my first trial run. I was very nervous because I've always just hit up the makeup counter for a free makeover and buy a lipstick. My hair, I've only had done a handful of times, each by different people.

Mom Hydrangea attended the first of two appointments with me. The second happened to fall on a Sunday and, unfortunately, Mom Hydrangea had other plans aka the Cowboy's game was on tv (which they lost... :( tear). We drove to a small studio in Deep Ellum, an area that is known for its creative inhabitants. Everything seemed to be running smoothly, but the artist and I weren't seeing the same thing when it came to my makeup. It took so much time to finally finish it (and I still wasn't loving it) that she had to hurry with my hair and this is what I ended up with:

Yes, it had been less then an hour and this is what my hair looked like. I was not happy at all. I wanted a really low pony with curls. I'm not sure how you describe it, but here was my inspiration photo:

And this is how my makeup ended up:

The makeup wasn't my favorite either. It was partially my fault - I had told her I wanted something very natural, but as she put on the makeup I realized that I wanted natural colors, but a very dramatic eye. She, at the last minute, added more liner and this is what I got. I wasn't loving it at all. We didn't even have time to put on lashes because she informed us that our 2 hour trial time was almost over.

It definitely wasn't a great first experience with a trial run. Two days later, I was going back for more, only this time with a different artist. I got ready and headed to a downtown Dallas highrise for my next attempt.

I met with April Ruiz from Pure Colour. She was super nice and I spoke to her the day before and informed her of my first experience. She was so nice and really worked with me to make sure that my second go-around was a much more positive experience.

I do have to say that I had a better idea of what I wanted with the second trial. Here's what I ended up with:

I was much happier with this go-round. I will most likely use my own lipstick on the wedding day because I wasn't feeling this one much, but I loved what she did with my eyes (I'll have lashes on the day of).

My hair came out better then I was imagining. I might tweak it some, but overall I really liked it. The piece that is in my hair is actually a family heirloom - a pin that had been passed down to my mom. It is sapphires and diamonds. Something old, something borrowed and something blue! The earrings are also what I'll be wearing on the day of the wedding. They were my Christmas present from Mom and Dad Hydrangea and I love them!

I booked April then and there. Overall I was happy with the end product and she was so nice to work with - and that's what is most important for me. She does makeup, but also freelances for several tv stations here in Dallas. She was super nice and I can't wait to work with her in the future!

*I realize there are no before pictures. That was intentional - while I love you Bees, I don't quite have the guts to show you what my face looks like without any help. ;)

One Thing I'm Sure Of

One thing I'm sure of for this wedding is my wedding dress. You grow up hearing that "you'll know" when you have found that right dress. My entire life I have not been the most romantic or fairy-tale inclined person, so I was skeptical from the moment we stepped into the first bridal shop as to whether or not I would be able to tell when "I knew."

Let me tell you something - I knew when I had found that right dress. From the moment I stepped into the first shop, Blush Couture, I picked out about five possible wedding dresses. I noticed a smile on the owner's (Naomi) face as she placed them all inside the dressing room...I was soon to find out that all but one of the dresses I had picked by the same designer. Coincidence? I think not.


***MR. HYDRANGEA DO NOT READ ON (even though I doubt you're reading this)***


I always envisioned myself in a certain kind of dress, and, for me, that would be the more traditional, strapless, A-line dress. Similar to the one pictured below. I couldn't have ended up with a dress further from what I had imagined.

About 3 dresses into the fitting, I found the dress. How did I know? It was the only dress that I even bothered to ask to try on a veil with (and it was the only one that actually made me get a bit sentimental).

Ever so cautious, Mom Hydrangea told me to wait and visit a couple of other local shops to see their dresses. We went to Lulu’s Bridal, a quaint little shop on the streets in Uptown. The woman who helped me was very nice and attentive, but I knew my mind was made up, so everything I tried on I quickly said no to.

Finally, Mom Hydrangea took me to Neiman Marcus in downtown Dallas. For those of you not from Texas, this is a very popular place for brides to visit once they are engaged, and my personal Mecca. Many girls from Dallas grow up hoping that one day they will get to make that special trip to the NM bridal salon, and I was no exception to this rule. Their dresses are beautiful, their salon is amazing and the women who help you are very personable. Even with all of the grandeur and excitement of being at NM, I knew that my dress was still at the site of our first wedding dress outing.

Once Mom Hydrangea saw that I couldn’t even find my dress at NM, she knew too. So back we went to Blush Couture.

So what'd I end up with? The design is called Silvana, and it is an off-white modified mermaid silk Mikado with duchess silk inserts by Junko Yoshioka for Bonaparte NY. Here it is below, on the runway. Personally, I don't think that the model does the dress justice because she is just so tiny. I think you need a little junk in the trunk for this one!

I just found out today that the dress is in! My first fitting is next Saturday so I'll be sure to post some pics of myself in it!

On a side note, I found out after I purchased the dress that it was featured in a photo shoot for one of my favorite magazines, D Weddings (the same on that Mrs. Plum’s wedding was just featured in online)! So exciting!

*Photos from brides.com