I get giddy for shoes and wedding photos!

Every girl dreams of her wedding, the dress, all the details.. However, most girls didn't look for a top notch photographer for two years before her wedding.  Welcome to my world.  For me, a photographer is the most important vendor. Pictures are what allow you to tell your story over and over again on a daily basis when the wedding is over.  I love pictures that tell a story.  I have been to so many weddings that were beautiful with so many fine details that deserved to be captured only to see the couples wedding pictures and frown. No picture of the table scape, forget the invites, no pictures of the reactions of the guest during the couples first dance.

You can ask anyone, I am crazy in love with wedding pictures.  Every now and then on my search for a wedding photographer, I would find someone I thought I liked.  I would of course, follow their work only to later be disappointed by one of their weddings.  There are a ton of people who call themselves photographers out there, so brides beware!!  Just because you have a camera and think you know how to use photoshop does NOT mean you have talent.  Then there are those who have talent, know they have talent, and while their pictures look pretty awesome, they don't always listen to what their clients want..so the result is just okay.

Many of you know, my sister is a photographer.  She is wonderful, pure talent... sometimes she is so good she doesn't even see it. She will be taking some of our engagement pictures, which I can't wait for but when it comes to my wedding day I need her to be my sister.  She grounds me and keeps me focused, which will be much needed on my wedding day ( I also want her in wedding pictures).   

For my wedding I was looking for someone with pure talent, education specifically in photography, someone who is fun and will listen to what I see for my wedding pictures.  For two years, I have been watching Edmonson upload wedding after wedding and every time I look at their pictures I feel giddy. You know that feeling you get when you see a fabulous pair of shoes in the window? Yeah, just like that.  I knew early on, they were the only choice for me when it came to my wedding pictures, to the point I would have changed my wedding date if I had to so I could have them photograph my wedding. This week we booked them as our photographer and I couldn't be happier. They are so nice and fun!  Our pictures are going to be amazing!!  Prepare yourself. 

http://www.edmonsonweddings.com/    Photo Credit: David & Luke Edmonson ( all photos below)

VEGAS BABY

So in case you didn't know I have the best friend in the world, who happens to be my matron of honor!!  Last weekend I was lucky enough to be able to take a few days off from studying to head down to Houston to see her and her adorable little family!  It had actually been a few months since I had since her so it was a real treat for both of us.  Also, I hadn't been able to show her my RING yet so that was an added plus.  Of course we talked wedding stuff, like we always do.. and she told me about some planning she had been doing.  VEGAS baby!  I am so excited for my bachelorette party!!  She is planning everything down to the smallest detail, it's sure to be an amazing weekend.  I have been blessed in my life to have amazing girlfriends and I can't wait for us all to take a weekend off our crazy busy lives to be together and celebrate life, love and wonderful friendships.  So now when I lay down to sleep, I am dreaming of Vegas!!  Give it a few days, I am sure the wedding dreams will come back to me soon..

Let them eat CAKE!

I think one of the high points of being a guest at a wedding is getting to eat the wonderful wedding cake.  For us girls, we enjoy other things about weddings of course. I know I have never been to a wedding where I didn't cry during the ceremony. To be perfectly honest, I cry even when I watch weddings on TV, even in a move when I know it's not real.  Yeah, I am a big sap. So I think most brides have a very clear idea of their dream wedding cake, I do not.  I have never really cared much about the wedding cake.  Of course I care how it tastes... and want it to look nice, but I am not one of those brides who has a dream cake.  I feel like I have so many other things, like my designer shoes, that I dream about when I think of our wedding rather than the cake.  Here is what I do know. I am very traditional about most things, like getting married in a church, music, my dress being white etc.. but when it comes to cake I think we will mix things up a bit.  We hate white cake, boring.  We love chocolate for sure.  So while I am not sure what flavor we will pick I can promise you it won't be white wedding cake.  The last few days I have been working on a wedding budget ( thanks Dad) and in the process looking up vendors.  I did find a cake that I think is rather fabulous.  I like this look, what do you think? ( Minus the pink of course)

Wedding Traditions

Here are some fun facts about the history of wedding traditions!

• Rain on your wedding day is actually considered good luck, according to Hindu tradition. So if it rains, pray it pours!  One can never have too much luck.
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• Middle Eastern brides paint henna on their hands and feet.  This ornate art is believed to protect the bride from the evil.
•  In the US, most brides have four bridesmaids, including the maid of honor.
• Legend says single women will dream of their future husbands if they sleep with a slice of the groom’s cake under their pillows.   So single gals- ask for a slice to go!
•  Viva Las Vegas!  If Elvis and neon lights are the keys to your dream wedding, don’t plan your Vegas “I Do’s” on Valentine’s Day or New Year’s Day.  These two holidays are the two busiest days for weddings in Las Vegas.
• A traditional Jewish wedding ceremony takes place under a chupah, which symbolizes that the bride and groom are creating a home together.  This tradition stems from the Biblical wedding of Abraham and Sarah.
• Hello sunshine! In Ireland, a sunny wedding day means good luck for the couple.
•  Engagement and wedding rings are worn on the fourth finger of the left hand because it was once thought that a vein in that finger led directly to the heart.  Awww!
• Why something old, something new, something barrowed, something blue?  Something old is meant to represent and link the bride with her family and their past. Something new is good luck and represents success and the bride’s hopes for a bright future in her new role as a wife. The wedding gown is often chosen as the “new”.  Something borrowed represents to the bride that friends and family will be there for her not only on her special day, but also in the future when help is needed.  Something blue refers back to ancient times.  Blue was a symbol of faithfulness, purity and loyalty.
•  The term “best man” dates back to the times when Scotsmen kidnapped their brides to be. The friend of the groom who had excelled at the abduction was given the title “best man”.

Bridal Shows

Has anyone ever been to a bridal show? Well, I was super excited to attend one this past weekend.  I had never been to one but figured this was a great place to jump start my planning, see great local vendors, and win some free stuff! After all one of my bridesmaids won a free photo booth for her wedding by attending one, so I was sold.  So I called my friend Tiffany, who is fabulous and just as in love with weddings as I am, and off we went.  If I grading this bridal show like I grade graduate students papers all week long, this show would get a C-.
Here is what I did like: You got to see local vendors (we will talk about this in a moment), I was there with great company ( tiffany made me laugh really hard) and there was WINE!! Oh and I got some cute pink stuff, thanks to Tiff's catching skills!

Dislikes:  First of all we walk in and there are no signs to direct us to where the bridal show actually is. Yes, I knew I was in the correct hotel but which ball room is this thing in?  Lucky for us, Tiff and I are pretty smart and we were able to figure it out.  We walk in, speed past everyone ( I pre-registred because thats how we roll) and I enter for all the free drawings.  Of course they didn't tell you then that to win anything you had to say until 4:00pm so a ton of brides left.  We walk into a rather small ballroom ( this is Dallas, I thought we went BIG on everything?) and start walking around to the vendors.  Right away I looked at Tiff and said "WTF."  I kinda felt like I was back in the 90's looking at some of the vendor displays.  Everything looked cheap, basically it was a room full of all my dislikes posted in a previous blog..  Okay people, disclaimer... I am all about saving money for your wedding.  It is a little crazy to spend 50K on your grand affair, I get that however just because you are saving money doesn't mean your wedding has to look cheap. Trust me you can have a very nice wedding on a small budget.  One of my favorite parts of the entire day was when I would walk up and ask these vendors questions, here is a recap for ya.  Vendor: " Hi, how are you."  me " great how are you."  Vendor: " we have this beautiful old farm venue ( points at picture of something that sort of looks like a barn, maybe)"  me: " Oh, ok."  Vendor " do you have a location booked yet?"  Me: " Yes we have booked at the Adolphus Hotel, downtown in the French Room. Vendor: " oh, wow okay have a nice day." Me " you too."
The first time this happened, I looked at my friend, who was laughing really hard.  I asked her "what the heck was that"  I think you had to be there to see their faces.. this trend continued a dozen times.  When I asked other vendors like DJs " Have you ever done a wedding at the Adolphus before, I am concerned about the acoustics in the room" few of them had.  I think I realized a few things about Bridal shows, or at least this bridal show.  1) It all depends on your perspective, we were there to have fun so we had fun.. laughing at really aggressive, odd, bad driving brides because we didn't take this all too seriously. While other people were clearly there to  "book their entire wedding in one afternoon."  2) you can win some free stuff. At this show they didn't give away a photobooth ( the thing I wanted) but they did give a way a free honeymoon!!!  Which I would have taken with open arms, although we still would be going to Italy on our real honeymoon and using that one for something else ( so I am glad someone who needed it more than I do got it).  3) I think Bridal shows target a specific type of bride.  I just don't think I am her, that's all I think I need to say!!
So after we walked around Tiffany and I got our glasses of wine and sat front row for their Bridal Fashion Show.  Now before you start picturing New York Fashion week, just wait... these girls weren't real models ( although they thought they were) and the dresses were....well...how do I say this? Not my style at all.

Overall, it was a fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon which would otherwise be used to study or write reports.  I had such a wonderful time with Tiffany and I am so thankful she agreed to go with me.  I know few people in the world who think like I do about weddings and she is one of them, so we made a perfect match!!

bridesmaid dresses

Needless to say, I have been looking at bridesmaids dresses since the Spring 2009 lines came out ( told you I have been planning this wedding for a long time).  Those of you who know me know how much I really hate bridesmaid dresses.  The whole concept to me is silly... "Hi, I am the bride so I would like for you to go out and buy yourself this ugly, $500 dress that you will surely never wear again." I have been a bridesmaid in so many weddings I have lost count. I have worn some fabulous dresses, ones that I will still never wear again, and I have worn some very ugly dresses that I wouldn't have ever put on my body if it wasn't for the bride "thinking the dress was perfect." I remember one dress in particular which some of us actually burned ( yes it was that bad).  And what makes this whole situation worse was I ( as the bridesmaid) had to actually pay for that dress I hated!  So while I was the bridesmaid all these years I never said this but now as the bride I can say it... No, if I as the bride expect my bridesmaids to all dress alike then I need to pay for the dresses, period.  And why would I want them wearing something they didn't love? Or why would I want to pay $500 for a dress that they will clearly never wear again? Having said all this, as I look at the new spring 2011 bridesmaid collections my heart seems to belong to Jenny Yoo.

 So as I add up the cost of these dresses for my six beautiful bridesmaids I hear my dad saying "budget, budget, budget" ( which we have already blown by the way). My father is another post. He is so practical. He always says things to me like "think about where you are spending your money."  If it was up to me, I would clearly have all things fabulous without even thinking of the price. However, I am on a budget for this wedding so I do have to think about where I spend my money!
So last night, after playing in the sand with kids for five hours doing therapy, I come home and start doing some wedding stuff while BCS is doing baseball stuff.  I decide to start looking at new arrivals from all the new collections for Spring 2011 to get a jump start on outfits for engagement pictures.  I quickly go to a site I have used a few times to get fabulous designer dresses.  I instantly had an idea....Rent the Runway (Renttherunway.com) has just launched a bridesmaid collection. Basically, you rent designer dresses for a fraction of the cost.  We are talking badgley mischka, catherine malandrino, Nicole Miller, Robert Rodriguez and so many others!! Dresses that are normally over $1,000 rent for $75!
What I love about this idea:
-my girls get to wear a fab designer gown, within my price range
-I can spend the money on something else ( like a fab honeymoon photoshoot in Italy)
-I get my own personal stylist to help me find the perfect dresses for the girls!
-you can reserve the dresses up to six months in advance
-You get a free in home fitting, where the dresses are sent, you decide on your size ( they send multiple sizes) then you send them back.. all I pay is shipping!
-Since it's for a wedding, we get an 8 day rental.
Whats not to love?  Here are some dresses I love.  What do you think?

Bibhu Mohapatra 

Diane Von Frstenberg

The Adolphus Hotel, a Dallas classic

 For those of you who don't know I have been mildly crazy about this hotel since moving to Dallas 4 years ago to start graduate school.  Brett Colby and I were walking downtown one afternoon and I saw this hotel and said " wow look how pretty that is" around that time a bride all dressed in white walked out from the tall glass doors and I thought to myself  how neat it would be to be married there.  A few years later, I was placed at a practicum site that was actually attached to the hotel.  On a particularly bad day ( after seeing a very difficult client) I decided to take a walk, I ended up at the Adolphus hotel.. sitting in the lobby.  I think I must have sat there for almost an hour, thinking and crying.  I kept thinking if I had what it took to finish graduate school, will I be an effective psychologist etc..  Right about when I was a complete mess and little old women walked up to me.  She was the vision of an older Dallas women.  Adorned in pearls and big texas hair.  She sat down next to me and asked if I was okay.  I told her I was, just had a bad day.  She told me she had married her husband 30 years ago in this hotel.  She beamed up when telling me their love story.  She said "there will be good days and bad, and in the end all there is is LOVE."  A few minutes later, her husband came down, took her by the hand and off they went.  I remember praying in that moment that I would always have a love like that, one that stood the test of time!
So there ya go, thats why I love this hotel.. classic, traditional, lovely. Now for all you history buffs here is more information on this fabulous place where I will become Mrs. Stephens!
This baroque masterpiece has been a legend among America's historic hotels since 1912, when Missouri beer baron Adolphus Busch was approached by city founders to erect a luxury palace worthy of the Lone Star State and one of his most lucrative markets. Fame, fortune, and flamboyance came together in 21 stories of unabashed beaux arts splendor that critics have called “the most beautiful building west of Venice.” Throughout its history, luminaries such as Babe Ruth, the Vanderbilts, U2, Oscar de la Renta, Donald Trump, and Queen Elizabeth II have chosen The Adolphus as their Dallas pied-a-terre. Add a touch of European charm and sophistication to your own Lone Star visit. You will feel right at home at The Adolphus, where magnificent architecture, first-class service and a dynamic downtown location set the stage for a truly regal experience.