BHLDN On A Budget!

Like many women, my heart swoons whenever I step inside Anthropologie. Sadly, I cannot afford to shop there regularly, especially on a grad student budget in the middle of a recession! However, I was thrilled to recently learn that the team behind Anthropologie decided to venture into another one of my passions, the wedding world, with their new store, BHLDN.

A great feature of the BHLDN website is that it offers more than just a shopping experience for brides. It includes free interactive experiences to help inspire you while planning your wedding, and provide another great way to procrastinate ;-) For example, I took a fun quiz called "What Kind of Bride Are You?" and discovered that I am a Romantic Nostalgic bride, which was a very accurate portrayal of my vintage Cape Cod wedding. The website also offers MoodBoards, aka inspiration boards, where you can view their products based on themes or color palettes, or even create your own board!

Disclaimer: I guarantee you will love everything BHLDN offers, but like it's sister store Anthropologie, products from here do not come cheap. Since one of my goals is to provide wedding inspiration for brides on a budget, I have scoured the site and chosen the best wedding attire and accessories for budget-minded brides.

Here are 2 boards featuring my favorite dresses, that are all an amazing steal at $1600 or less!

Finally, another great way to incorporate the romantic, unique, and vintage products BHLDN offers while not breaking the bank is to carefully choose more affordable accessories for your big day. Here are my top picks:

Images from center, then clockwise from top left: Choose a lovely silk hat/birdcage veil for a vintage vibe ($120); Love coasters provide a romantic touch ($14 for 10); Don polka dot gloves for a unique look ($40); Brighten up your fete with colorful straws ($6 a pack); Eat your cake with a pair of engraved love forks ($24 a pair); Serve treats on lovely pedestals ($68-$88); Statement earrings are great bridesmaid's gifts ($66); Accessorize your cocktail hour with love stirrers ($22 for 24); Use adorable mini teapots as escort card holders ($52 for 6); Glam a simple pair of shoes with colorful pom poms! ($25 per pair); Choose simple but sophisticated letterpress invites ($26 for 8); Chalkboard vases make unforgettable table numbers ($18); Faux flowers are a great way to save money without compromising on style ($32 for 5).

A Pink Palette

Much to my dismay, I am almost out of my favorite perfume, Flowerbomb (which I of course wore on my wedding day). So I decided to turn my obsession with this pink perfume into an inspiration board for all you brides. This board combines a few of my favorite things (J.Crew, peonies, candy, and horses).

Happy weekend everyone!

Wedding Recaps: Gettin' Ready - The Dress!

So I'm finally getting around to more wedding recaps.  Though I've already revealed the wedding dress I bought in a post prior to my wedding, here are some actual pictures of me in my dress!

All photographs by the talented Seth Kammueller of Chicago.

 My sis painstakingly buttoning the back of my dress (using a crochet hook, which was the best advice EVER) while I wait, slightly chilly!

Still gettin' buttoned up!

Random artsy shot, not sure what I'm doing :)

My amazing hairstylist Jess helping me with my veil

Finding the bustle on the veil. It was a small flower!

Ready to go get hitched!

Brides, what was your getting ready process like? If you are still engaged, how do you envision the morning before your wedding?

Stay tuned for more wedding recaps and dress pics!

The Dress Reveal!

Hello bloggers! I'm so thrilled to be back in Chicago post honeymoon and able to regularly blog again! I'm still waiting for the photographs from my photographer, which we should have by next week (yay!), so in the meantime I have decided to finally share my wedding dress with you!

I was one of the brides who chose not to post anything about my dress before the wedding because I did not want my now hubby to sneak a peak and ruin the surprise. I'm really glad I waited, because he told me that he could have never imagined my dress and he was so excited to see me in it for the first time on our big day. The dress is called Fanal, and the designer is La Sposa. Here are pictures of the front and back of the dress from La Sposa's website.

This dress is in the color oyster, however I ordered mine in the more traditional ivory. I bought my dress a small bridal shop called Wedding Belles, LTD, located in the suburbs of Chicago. I had visited several other shops in the Chicagoland area before making this boutique my last visit. I did all of the shopping for my dress in one weekend, and was very eager to find "the one," since my mom had flown out from the Cape to help me.

I should explain that this dress was not at all what I had in mind when I envisioned my wedding dress. For one, I was vehemently again wearing a strapless dress, as I had visions of it falling down and being annoyed by pulling it up all night. I also imagined myself in a very simple sheath, more like a beach dress, with out any fluff or pouf, like this cute J. Crew number:

The La Sposa that I purchased, though, was the last dress I had tried on at the store, however, and once I put it on I had "The Moment." This is the moment where I knew this dress, regardless of the fact that it was strapless, satin, or anything else I had abhorred, was meant for me. I loved how the ruching across the body made it more ornate without having to add beading, while being still simple and modern, and how slimming and tall it made me look! Plus, the heavier material did end up being perfect for my winter nuptials. 

Overall, I couldn't be happier with my decision, and everyone genuinely raved about how perfect and lovely the dress was for me. I will be waiting to receive my wedding photos before posting any pictures of me in the dress. However, here a some pictures I found online from Feather Love Photography of another gorgeous bride who recently rocked this dress in a surprise wedding (how awesome is that, btw?!) in the same color as I have!

Wedding Dress Inspiration: Nicole Miller

I tried on a plethora of dresses in my search for the perfect gown, and one store I went to was Nicole Miller in Chicago.  Trying on her dresses was a real pleasure, as they were all so soft and comfortable, I didn't ever want to take them off!  They really evoked the feel of a breezy beach day, and would make a perfect destination wedding or beach ceremony dress.  My favorite dress was the one in the top center, for it's unique crinkly metallic fabric, but ultimately I chose a different dress when we decided to have a winter wedding on the Cape instead.

I have heard recently many modern brides saying they are not fans of poufy, princess dresses, and want something simple and chic.  If that is more your speed, then I definitely recommend trying Nicole Miller.  Her dresses are so figure flattering that I literally loved every dress I put on.  I think you will feel the same.

Wedding Dress Inspiration: Nature!

I realized today that it is odd that I have a blog devoted to all things wedding and I have not yet had a post about one of the most exciting parts of wedding planning: the dress.  This is probably my first wedding dress post because with only 2 months (yay!) until my wedding to Cape Cod Groom, I have already found my pretty frock.  Yet, just because I have my wedding dress does not mean I've stopped obsessively checking JCrew and other website for their new lines, just to see some lovely dresses to swoon over.  Thus, I decided to share some finds with all the future brides out there who may still be looking for their dream dress.

One trend that I've been noticing lately is how many dresses have elements of the Earth incorporated into them.  Flowers are obviously the most common natural addition to a dress, but recently I've begun seeing other intricacies inspired by Mother Nature, and I have to say, though I never would have thought of them, I am finding myself loving them!

The first three dresses are available at JCrew and, as a winter bride, I think it's hard for brides getting married in this unpopular season to find an appropriate dress.  I like how the first dress has subtle berries at the neckline, and think this would also work well at a fall wedding.  The ruffles on the second dress remind me of snow, and the tiny polka dots on the outside sheathe are just plain adorable.  I chose the next two dresses because they both incorporate flowers, but each in a very different way.  And I am crazy about the bright pink flower on the JCrew dress, this is a great unexpected pop of color that totally works.  The last two dresses are by Pronovias and I love the way the beading on the last dress looks like sea shells.  I could totally picture this dress at a destination or beach wedding! They are all so gorgeous that it's hard to choose my favorite, and I'm glad I don't have to! Which one do you prefer?