I-Do, Up-Do

Now that we're almost four months out (OMG, FREAKING OUT!!!), I have compiled a few hairstyles that I really like.

My sister, if you remember, will be doing my hair the day of the wedding, so I need to come up with some styles so that she can figure out what tools she needs to do them, and can hopefully practice a bit.

These are some of the ones that have stuck out to me:

Image via Soul Scapes Photography

Image via Make Me Fabulous

Image via One and Only Paris Photography

But, I haven't yet decided if I will be wearing my hair in an up-do, or a half-do on the day I say I Do.  All I know is that the hairstyle has to be accommodating to a hair flower, because I will be wearing one of those.  I just need to send my mom the material so she can start up with making it.  

Thoughts on these hairstyles? Have you found anything similar to these that you think I will like?

Strike a Pose

My MOH E lives in Indiana, and moved there when FI and I were moving back to RI, so we didn't get to see each other very much while we were temporarily living in the same state.  Now that we are further apart again, it is hard to do dress shopping and for her to help out with different parts of planning the wedding.

So, MOH E was going to be flying down to our parent's house in Georgia for Thanksgiving, so I called up a few shops earlier in the month to make appointments to try on dresses this weekend, since I wasn't sure if there was going to be any other time that we could do this.

There were quite a few dress shops that were going to be open this weekend, but the primary problem I ran into was that a lot of designers are releasing their 2012 collections, so the bridal shops are either returning the 2011 collections to the designers, or selling the samples off the rack in order to make room for the new dresses.  This was pretty devastating, as a lot of the stores that I had previously confirmed specific dress styles with no longer had them in the shop to try on.

But, we made do anyway, and MOH E got to try on a lot of dresses.  What you need to know about MOH E and I is that even though we are sisters, we are completely opposite from each other.  While I have no chest and huge hips, she has no hips and a huge chest.  However, she is taller than me, and weighs so little, that I knew everything was going to look good on her.  The issue was that it was very hard to see what the dresses would really look like since they were clipped so much in the back.  In addition to all that, she is goofy. And I mean really goofy. And she loves to talk, so it's going to be funny to see her mid-talking or making some goofy face in these pictures.

This first dress we thought was really cute, but agreed that the pleats at the waist only on the hip looked kind of silly. It was very comfortable though, very light, and the fabric fell nicely and the dress did come in the green that I was looking for.

Watters Wtoo BM Dress 784 / Personal Picture

This next one was similar in style to the first one that we tried on, except there were more pleats in the skirt, and it's actually a tri-color dress, so if I wanted, I could choose a different color for all three parts of the dress: bust, waistband, and skirt.  It also had straps, which MOH E preferred since her chest is so big, and she hates strapless bras.  

Watters WToo BM Dress 986 / Personal Picture

I wasn't able to get the designer of this dress, I just know that it's not a Watters dress.  This one was really cute, and had the option of being strapless or using spaghetti straps, which MOH E has on in this picture.  The dress was cute, but it didn't come in the right shade of green, and we weren't sure if the pleats being only in the center of the waist may look like she is hiding something, if you know what I mean.

Designer Unknown / Personal Picture

I have loved this dress since I first saw it on the Watters website. I think it is sophisticated enough for anyone to wear it, yet it's modern and stylish.  I really liked the way that it fit MOH E, but her concern was primarily with how she was or was not going to be able to move her arms up and down.

Watters BM Dress 4417 / Personal Picture

Watters BM Dress 4417 / Personal Picture

This next one I thought was very pretty, and really liked it in the black color, too.  It was strapless though, and while MOH E would have worn anything I asked her to, I wanted her to be comfortable in the dress, and that was my next highest concern to me liking the dress.

Watters WToo BM Dress 854 / Personal Picture *Mid-blink with a silly hand motion

I liked this dress a lot from the Watters website too.  It was very modern, yet somewhat conservative and classic.  The belt around the waist added a nice detail, the skirt was a nice shape, and the pleats at the bust-line added a nice touch.  When MOH E tried this dress on, she said, "Oh, wow! I didn't think I was going to like this. AND! It covers my knees!" MOH E really really really HATES her knees.  So, this was a definite plus. And to top it all off, it comes in the perfect shade of green.

Watters BM Dress 8154 / Personal Picture

Watters BM Dress 8154 / Personal Picture

We have a winner. MOH E decided to go with this last dress, Watters 8154. I am very happy with this choice, and I think she is going to be very comfortable in the dress, and even better? She is going to look beautiful!

After MOH E chose her dress, it was time for me to try some on.  MOH E and my mom really wanted to try to get me to look at other dresses, and more specifically, less expensive dresses, so I obliged, even though I didn't want to try any on.  But, you'll have to wait for the next post to see those. :) 

Was shopping for your MOH's dress an easy task? Were you as limited on time as we were?

Pickin' the Ladies

Picking my MOH was easy.  I have a younger sister, and while we really didn't get along very well in middle school and high school, as soon as I left for college, our relationship turn a great turn, and we had a blast when she would come up to visit and when I would visit home for breaks.  I know that all siblings have rocky roads, and believe me, we've had ours, but there was no way I could ask anyone else to be my MOH.  So, I would like to introduce you to my sister, MOH E:

MOH E / Personal Picture

Now, as I mentioned previously, I don't have a lot of friends.  The group of friends I had from high school all lost touch after graduation when we went our separate ways, and while we chat now and then on Facebook, we don't hang out, and we just don't communicate that often. I think that happens a lot, or at least I make myself think that happens a lot, and that I'm just not a friendless loser.

The girls I was closest to in college were great until my junior year, when my class schedule was so overwhelming that I would rather spend my little amount of spare time with FI than them. They started really disliking that, and ignoring me, and that friendship quickly went down the drain after they asked me to be their roommate the next school year and I told them that FI and I were moving in together.  When this happened, I started reaching out to other friends that I didn't live with and saw on a semi-daily basis - those in my music program.  They were great, but again, we weren't that close.

So, needless to say, the only really close friends I have are the ones that I have made after college, which happen to be mutual friends me and FI.  After FI and I moved out to Indiana, one of my music friends from college got engaged, and asked me to be in her bridal party. I of course said yes, and that made me think about all the times we spent together in college.  I was there for her when she was having problems with her roommates, and she was there when I was having problems with mine. We really bonded over that, but at that point, it was really close to the end of our college years, and we didn't have much time left before we went our separate ways. But, the thing that I didn't mention, was that she was the one who introduced FI and I on that trip to New York in college.  If she hadn't been there and been my friend, I would have never met FI.

I decided that if there was anyone that I was going to ask to be a BM in our wedding, it was going to be her. And so I asked, and she was so happy.  Without further ado, here is BM A:

BM A / Personal Picture

 Did you struggle with choosing your bridal party, or did you know right away who you wanted by your side?