4.05.2011

Wedding Diary: What We Wore



. . . . . . .



. . . . . . .
HE
brandon didn't have too much opinion about the wedding. Okay...he might have had a little {a lot} more than the average guy, after all, he is an artist and aesthetics are instinct. I'm really grateful he had such good input, it helped me make a lot of decisions and made the over-all feeling of our wedding "us" not just me :) We decided he could dress the men and I'd dress the ladies, a fair deal right? All the wedding party men wore black tuxes & bow ties.

they looked dashing





{suit from BR that he wore in our pre-wedding day pics}



SHE
{my look is a little more complex, naturally}

I incorporated 6 generations of wedding wear from my mother's side into my ensemble.
(some borrowed. Many I'm blessed to now call my own. Thank you Grandma C.)


6 Generations: wedding pin
chose to pin it to my bouquet rather than wear it.




5 Generations: Aunt Roba's wedding lace
leftover from the dress her mother made her
used some in the hairpiece (that I made the morning of my wedding!)




did she have great taste or what?



3 Generations: My Grandma C's Handkerchief
used to wrap around my bouquet (in photo with wedding pin)

2 Generations: from my mother
lace from her wedding dress (she made) secretly stitched inside my skirt
+ her dainty diamond necklace



1 Generation: the dress!


I had plans A-Z about my dress, all of which included my mother making it. I had worked for a bridal shop before and felt I had tried on every dress in the book. I wanted something "me" not "her" ya know....typical bridzilla stuff. our hunt for the perfect lace had been a big fat failure and the wedding was getting closer. I even {almost} resorted to this idea (which I still think would have worked....maybe). But when I chanced upon a dress at JCrew.com whilst looking for the perfect hooneymoon bathing suit (which I also found)
the dress struck me:

it was simple
it was timeless
it was original
it was so me

I ordered two sizes (online mind you) and my mother and I crossed our fingers hoping it would work. When I finally tried it on, my mom and I got all waterworks and I refused to take it off for at least an hour. I said "yes" to the dress in my parents bedroom :) it was almost perfect. I still desired a handmade touch: my mother added the chiffon ruffle at the neck and bottom of skirt.
perfect.

oh and can I mention how comfortable I was all day! This dress is so light and airy! and a cinch to put on. with my homemade hairdo and self applied makeup: getting ready on my wedding day was as easy as pie. and that's just how I wanted it. No stress, no timetables, no looking like someone I'm not. Just me.


{shoes were also jcrew but from downeast outfitters}

BRIDESMAIDS
a question I got asked again and again while planning my wedding was "what are your colors?" and I had the hardest time answering. reason being: I didn't pick any. I didn't want my wedding to scream a color but instead, a feeling. Turns out that "feeling" showed itself in pastels and muted broken color. My mother found the dresses at Sundance Catelogue. I love them so much I even got one for me :) (they were a killer, knock-the-wind-outtaya, steal of a deal. but what else can you expect from my mom? :)



we hemmed the dresses so they'd hit just at the knee instead of mid-calf. I used the excess fabric to make each girl a headband (each a little different) as well as little flower poms that we attached to their matching ballet flats.
{this is how I kept myself busy during my bed-ridden weeks before the wedding}

and that is what we wore
more wedding diary entries coming soon!


***
all flowers done by this lovely lady
{minus the bouquet of all peonies, made by me}
all photos taken by this lovely lady




8 comments:

  1. Love it Claire!! What a beautiful wedding!! So perfect!

    ReplyDelete
  2. ok, your dress.
    that is THE perfect dress. i love it.
    everything looked amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  3. i love how you are talking about your weddings. weddings are so so fun!!! i love your idea about the brides maids being in printed dresses. i might steal that idea if you don't mind. i can't wait for the next post!

    ReplyDelete
  4. so neat! i loved all the original touches. and i LOVE your dress. so beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  5. you are flawless.

    make babies, please. they'll be little angels.

    ReplyDelete
  6. i love what the bridesmaids are wearing! so perfect (: i don't think couples pay enough attention to those anymore

    ReplyDelete
  7. I have no idea what you're even talking about when you say you were a bridezilla. To this day, you were one of the easiest brides I've ever worked with. And your flowers turned out so great, that's the first wedding in my portfolio.

    Not to mention I am OBSESSED with your wedding gown. Obsessed, I tell you.

    ReplyDelete