Life. Love. Lipstick.

In the next couple of weeks, we will be tying the knot, just the two of us, with an anniversary party to follow in a year.  I spent the last week searching online and in person for the dress that is “just right.”  I don’t even know how to describe what I was looking for, except tailored, chic, and flattering… not easy when you’re quite visibly pregnant.  I found it!  

While looking on Motherhood Maternity’s website, I found the dress… for only $35.  What a good deal!  Then I ended up looking on Walmart.com just before I was going to order, and what did I find?  Same dress for $18!  I ordered it immediately.

Without further ado, here is the perfect dress for me!

The plan for the whole look is to put either red or green shoes with it, and maybe, just maybe, make a little birdcage veil.  We’ll see how much time I have before our wedding day.

Today, while out shopping, I stopped into my local Maternity Works and tried on the size I ordered.  PERFECT!  I can’t wait to put the whole look together!

Today I ran across 3 very different and amazing weddings, all which had one thing in common: awesome fashion sense!

First up, captured by Ashley Brokop, is these dashing men in suspenders in khakis.  The entire wedding of Lizzy and Johnathan is so darling.  Do yourself a favor and check out the compilation done by Southern Weddings.

Once again, let’s give it up for stylish grooms.  Now, it is entirely possible that the bride was behind the idea to wear such an awesome jacket and pocket square.  Regardless of whose idea it was, I’m loving it!  You also will not want to miss the ceremony photos from the wedding of Breanna and Charlie, shot by my favorite beach wedding photographer, Paul Johnson.  It’s truly breathtaking!

I found a dreamy set of photos on Style Me Pretty, and while not my personal style, the dress worn by bride Elle is so romantic and beautiful.  The photography alone, by Twin Lens Photography, is enough reason to go check out this post on SMP.

I decided to ask a few of my friends for pictures and details from their weddings.  The first of these is from Leigh Ann, a gorgeous Southern Belle who had a traditional wedding in Mississippi.  

Ok, I’m a known hater of all things purple, but it was used in such a wonderful way in this wedding.  Dare I say, I think the purple could be one of my favorite accents to black and white now?!?

This bride’s adorable look, paired with the gorgeous reception details makes for an amazing wedding!  The photography was by Melissa Jill, and I especially love the reception detail shots.

You can see Melissa Jill’s entire post about this wedding on her blog.

I am endlessly amazed by the projects that the Bees complete for their weddings.  Here are the latest two projects to impress me.

First is fortune cookie Save-the-Dates by Miss Dumpling.  Much of the reception is paying tribute to Miss Dumpling’s Southern roots, and as Mr. Dumpling is half-Chinese, the couple saw it fit to honor his roots as well.  I absolutely love the significance and the presentation!  

Be sure to check out the full post for project details and more photos.

The other awesome project is CD favors by Miss Pomegranate.  Now, I realize that CD favors aren’t exactly a fresh idea.  However, the attention to detail and awesome design of this CD warrants a little recognition for sure!

You’ll definitely want to read this full post as well!

I love, love weddings that are relaxed, fun, and unique.  So naturally I love the idea of providing fun for kids from 1 to 92!  It is becoming more and more common for a wedding to have a designated kid are, whether it’s a table or an entire room.

I say why not take it a bit further…Pinatas, hula hoops, bounce houses!  Just a few pieces of inspiration…

The idea for this post came from this photo by Katie Moos.  I love the pretty castle bounce house and the huge balls!  How fun would it be to arrive at this wedding and see this lawn packed with fun?!

And further searching led me to roughly 70 cajillion photos of bounce houses at weddings.  Needless to say, this is becoming quite a trend.

[The bottom 2 photos are from the Wiebners and Melenbacker Photography. I'm honestly not sure where I got the first one.]

Bounce houses aren’t the only unconventional wedding activity I found around the web.  Here are a few other things I loved.

Hula hoops…

Pinatas…

Karaoke…

And even hopscotch…

Some wedding guests probably wouldn’t be interested in bouncing around or shimmying around in a hula hoop.  However, having these carefree activities around those people would spread the energy.  It would really put people in a festive mood!

So, I can’t help it… I have to do this.  I have to give my company some props!  I work for WH|BM, and right now is a great time to go in for wedding items!  Whether you are looking for a wedding dress, rehearsal dress, jewelry, or just need some inspiration, you should really stop in.

Here are just a few things that I’ve seen that would be perfect for weddings.

Outfits for a rehearsal dinner or other pre-wedding parties:

The LeJardin dress, paired with the reversible croc belt.

The Houndstooth Silk dress (that has pockets.  love a dress with pockets!)

Strapless Silk Blossom dress (one of my personal faves)

Two-Tone dress – absolutely perfect in person!  so so cute.

Accessories for the bride or bridesmaids (would also make good BM gifts):

The Midnight Melange bracelet.. words can not describe how gorgeous and sparkly this is in person.  Such a dramatic piece… I’m considering it for my own wedding, even though i don’t have a date or a dress.

The Sultry Breeze evening bag

Hand-tied glass pearl necklace

Absolutely gorgeous Atelier brooches.  I would love to have this on my bouquet, in my hair, or on a sash.

And on a related note, you can host a Girls’ Night Out party at a White House | Black Market store.  You can invite 10 guests to join you in discounted merchandise and refreshments.  This is a great idea for bachelorette parties or an alternative to a bridal luncheon.  Ask a WH|BM near you for all the details.

If you live in the Orlando area, please stop by the store at Mall at Millenia and see me!  I’ll give you a discount if you mention you read it on my blog!

Wow.  What can I say about this wedding?  Seersucker suits, eyelet dresses…. It is so full of personality and even though I don’t know the couple, I can tell their wedding design totally reflects them.  

yet another stunning job by the geniuses at Our Labor of Love.

go check out the rest of the post.  You’ll be sooo glad you did!

So, we (I) changed our (my) minds again about a small wedding vs. an elopement.  

We have decided that we (I) may regret not having the whole celebration if we don’t have it.

I’m very excited about this, and eager to put down a couple of deposits so that I don’t change my mind again!  Um, I mean, so we don’t change our minds!

As for the details, we don’t really have any yet… spring or summer ’09, 60 guests, lots of budget and DIY things going on!  Stay tuned!

I ran across this lovely wedding on one of my favorite blogs, snippet & ink. This is definitely my kind of wedding!  Simple, modern, and lots of GREEN!  I love the non-bridesmaid dresses, the spider mums, and the bride’s look.  

This wedding was shot by Lisa Lefkowitz, and I’m telling you now, if you haven’t seen her work, you’re missing out.  Check her out.