All the Goods

Registries are like letters to Santa for grown ups. You get to add whatever your little hearts desire, which is kind of great and kind of crazy. I go back and forth on feeling totally overwhelmed, to guilty and selfish, to super excited and back again.

Having a conversation with my Grandmom totally helped me put it in perspective though. She just celebrated her 85th birthday this year so to say she's old school might be the understatement of the century. That being said, she and I had a chat a few months back while going through her old engagement and wedding albums. There was a picture of all the gifts she and my Grandpop received at their shower and she joked that this was before the time of registries so you got lots of great gifts but nothing matched and you got tons of duplicates and then she pointed out the 3 lamps in the picture (none of which she would have picked out herself) and she laughed and said she wished department stores would have come up with this idea before she got married.

So I've started ours... all 4 of them... and maybe counting :) I had a lonnnnng talk with my big sis tonight and she said just go willie-nillie :) you get a great discount after the wedding on things that still remain on your registry and it helps people see your sense of style. It's also great because it makes it super easy for your guests.

So we're officially registered at Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, Willams-Sonoma and Bed Bath & Beyond. Now if I could just decide on what we want/need.

Any great suggestions are welcome! Pleassssse!

Engagement Pictures - what to (and not to) wear

I've scoured Pinterest for HOURS (days, maybe even weeks) looking for inspirational Engagement Session outfits. I've blog-stalked and had numerous discussions about locations, looks, and styles with my sister, the photographer, and of course Jay (who thinks I'm completely insane).

I look at other peoples engagment sessions that I love and I pin it. When I find a cute outfit I like, I try to figure out how to make Jay coordinate with me but not "matchy matchy"

The best advice I got was: DON'T Match.
Do not both wear variations of the exact same outfit or you run the risk of ending up on this amazing site. (you're welcome for this gem)




The 2nd best advice was: Don't wear something that you won't ever wear again. Look like yourselves. Avoid trends that you wouldn't normally wear or you'll just look silly and like you're trying too hard.
(like these people)

The 3rd thing: have your pictures taken at a spot that you've actually been or will go again. Seeing your beer-only friend trying to pull off pics at a winery is almost as good as seeing your tom-boy sister making out with her future-hubby in a sequin dress with weird back-lighting.

You want your friends and family to say how cute the pictures are, not be asking themselves "what the hell were they thinking?"

Something Borrowed

So maybe I've been living under a rock... but weddings are EXPENSIVE! I feel like I'm just coming to the realization that no matter how much you think you're "saving", you're still spending a Shit-ton of money on things you would otherwise never dream of doing!

Case in point ... the $250 tiara I got at David's Bridal when I got my dress. I didn't even want a tiara, but I got caught up in the moment and carried away and didn't realize the astronomical price of the never-gonna-wear-again accessory that I thought I just had to have. After some buyer's remorse and waffling about whether or not to keep it, I'm happy to report it has been exchanged for something a bit more practical (even if also not to be worn again), bra and slip. It also contributed to the cost of my Rehearsal Dinner Dress.

Enter the reason I feel I've really been living under a rock.... HAPPILY EVER BORROWED! It's wedding website where you can rent jewelry and accessories for the big day and return them when you're done! Kind of a fabulous idea when the goodies you're finding cost hundreds and you just cannot justify spending that much on something you'll more than likely never wear again!

I'm kind of obsessed with this.