Used and Pre-Owned Wedding Dresses

Okay. As I mentioned on an earlier post I've already bought my dress, but I'm having second thoughts after seeing another dress. I started browsing for used or pre-owned wedding dress websites to see if my fantasy Lela Rose dress was being sold for a lower price. Let me get to my point. There are a lot of websites out there, how should I distinguish the good from the bad (or shall I say, the legit versus the rip off)?

Check out the recent New York Times article appropriately titled, "With This Dress I Thee Wed and Wed and Wed." for more advice about buying used dresses.

Granted I haven't had first-hand experience, it seems that these are the best sites out there.

• preownedweddingdresses.com
• weddingbee.com
• oncewed.com
• ebay.com

Second Guessing the Dress?!

I thought I had found the perfect dress, but then I saw a real wedding post at the oh-so inspirational Style Me Pretty blog and changed my mind. Check out this gorgeous wedding of Day and Max (photographed by Aaron Delesie). I absolutely fell in love with her Lela Rose "The Lily Pond" dress. Wow! However, after an hour's worth of searching the internet, I discovered that my new favorite dress retails for $7000. Maybe if I won the lottery or inherited a small fortune then I could justify paying that much for a wedding dress, otherwise I think my $1800 Reverie dress will have to do. Is it natural to second guess the dress? I sure hope so.

Goody Bags for Out of Town Guests

Granted we haven't even booked hotel rooms for out of town guests, I've been thinking about goody baskets for our guests that are traveling the extra mile to see us exchange vows. Since the wedding and reception are in KY, I'm thinking about gathering some Kentucky-themed edibles.

I think it might be cute to go to KFC and ask for some unused buckets (hopefully they would be free) and then stick the edibles in the bucket. So far here's my list of possible edibles:

• Travel size bottles of bourbon (i.e. Maker's Mark or Wild Turkey)
• Cans of Ale-8
• Kizito cookies
• Kenny's Cajun Popcorn
• Mint Julep mix
• Apple Butter from Huber's (actually it's from Southern Indiana)
• Chocolate Bourbon balls
• A horse shoe (it's not edible but might be a nice touch to represent the Derby)
• A baby Louisville Slugger bat (again, not edible)

I found this great online shop called A Taste of Kentucky, which gave me some of these ideas. There's also a store on Bardstown Road called Why Lousiville that has kitschy gifts and t-shirts.

Inspirational Words

I recently found this neat inspiration/brainstorm website via The Pink Book Blog. The site is called Wordle, check it out! Here's my Wordle:

Color Swatches

I haven't quite decided on a color scheme yet. Originally I was thinking reds, browns, oranges, but now I want yellow! Yellow has always been a fave of mine but I thought it might be too "bright" for my October wedding. Now I'm thinking golden yellow, terra cotta/spice/cinnamon and red. Here are some inspirational fabric swatches I've found online for my draft color palette.

Top (L to R): Diagonal in Tan by BJ Lantz for Studio E found via Fabric Supplies on Etsy; Sweet Grid in Yellow by Yuwa Fabrics found via purlsoho.com; Palo Alto Terracotta by Richloom #100048 via housefabric.com.
Bottom Row (L to R): Ochre by P + B Textiles found via purlsoho.com; Henna Garden in Citrus by Sandi Henderson found via Fabric Supplies on Etsy; Floral in Orange by BJ Lantz for Studio E found via Fabric Supplies on Etsy.

Shoes Glorious Shoes!

I thought I might forego shoes all together for my wedding since I'll be walking down the aisle in superbly soft manicured garden grass, however, I reconsidered when I saw the cover of Southern Weddings magazine (and those fabulous yellow rose shoes). Since I saw that cover I've been obsessed with shoes. Here are some fabulous finds from the web, though I will admit some are absurdly priced.

Top Row (L to R): Pura Lopez 'N604' Pump at Nordstrom; Pedro Garcia Dannie satin pumps at www.net-a-porter.com; Pedro Garcia melany sequin peep toe pumps at www.net-a-porter.com; Martino Valero 'Camila' Sandal at Nordstrom. Middle Row (L to R): Poste Mistress Caitlyn Curl Cream patent shoes at Office shoes; Manolo Blahnik Chiffon d'Orsay Sandal at Bergdorf Goodman; Seychelles Reservations for Two at www.seychellesfootwear.com. Last Row (L to R): Poetic License 'Frills' sandal at Nordstrom; Stuart Weitzman Pomposos Chocolate Satin at www.jildorshoes.com; Madison Harding Patent Mary Jane at Nordstrom; Pedro Garcia Arabella crystal sandals at www.net-a-porter.com.

{inspiration} winter wonderland

It's a snow day! Snow days rock, I mean who doesn't love the fact that you are free to curl up on the couch, drink a cup of hot chocolate and watch tv all day (or in my case browse the web for wedding ideas). Have I ever mentioned that I'm a grad student? In my six years as a professional student I have never had a college snow day. In honor of the snow and ice that barricades me in my little apartment, I have created a winter-themed collage. On a side note, I'm not a techie and am usually pretty slow to discover the latest and greatest (in MBA lingo, I'm not an early adopter in the product life cycle). However I was super excited when I discovered the collage feature in Picasa. My previous inspiration board was crafted in Photoshop and it took me forever. Enjoy my inspiration.

Credits: Top Row (L to R): Snowflake invite via The Knot, Photo by Jenna Walker Photography, Denver; Dress via Brides.com, Photo by Perry Hagopian; Ice skates via www.allposters.com; Homemade marshmallows via bakingbites.com.
Middle Row (L to R): Six-tier snowflake cake via Martha Stewart; Bridal bouquet by Emplume, Detroit, Photo by Nicole Ladonne Photography, Ann Arbor, found via The Knot; Snowflake earrings by H. Stern, hstern.net, found via Brides.com; Starry favor via Martha Stewart; Pitcher Inn in Warren, Vermont; White fireplace by New England Lifestyle.
Bottom Row (L to R): Bride in winter coat; Mitten favor via WeddingStyle; Four-tier snowflake cake by Cakemakers, Etc., Dan the Cake Man, Chattanooga, Photo by Bold Imagery by Jason Connel, Hixson found via The Knot; Snowflake sculpture by Sculpted Ice Works; White chocolate fountatin by Champagne and Chocolate Fountains of Oxford; Kate Spade shoes via socialdesignevents.blogspot.com; Cup of hot chocolate via South Point Mountain Home Vacation Rentals; Snowflake wedding favor boxes via The Knot, Photo by Jennifer Lindberg Weddings, Austin.