StyleMePretty – my FAVORITE wedding blog, posted the new Heirloom Collection from Claire Pettibone. This lingerie comes with a price tag, but it’s handcrafted, french lace and silks – so romantic, and feminine… perfect for the wedding night, or a special anniversary.
I am absolutely in LOVE with the cropped bralette with the scalloped edges… to die for!
Click here to see the rest of the stunning gallery…
P.S. Is that model the most beautiful woman alive or what?
So I am pretty obsessed with weddings in general, and I have a very specific image of what I envision my mother wearing as I walk down the aisle. While the hours I’ve spent daydreaming are rather embarrassing to admit, I stumbled across this dress on Nordstrom’s site while getting in early on the hot NYE dresses, and couldn’t resist posting it.
My mom is the ultimate lady – I think my sister and I have inherited her most prissy, lady-like qualities which is why I was always the last one picked for any group sport in school, and why I am so meticulous about my own clothing. There are certain stories that stand out in my mind about her, and one of the ones we heard over and over as little girls, was about how her mother (our grandmother) would put her on the train in the summers to send her back to stay with her cousins in New Mexico. Because it was the 1950’s, and travel was expensive and “fancy”, my mom would get dressed in her party dress, tights, mary-janes, and little white gloves to make the journey. She’d get off the train, greeted by her cousins who were dirty, shoeless, and fresh off the farm, and they’d tease her for being the miss priss from the big city.
To think of that scene makes me smile, and I always envision my mother as this woman who can do anything and everything flawlessly. The perfect housewife, the ultra mom, the gourmet cook, and master entertainer, who can make a party out of a bottle of wine and some dried pasta.
This dress is the ultimate dress for the ultimate “lady”. The graceful back, full skirt, and boat neck on this dress are so lovely – it’s so perfect… I almost want to buy it right now for my “someday” wedding!
This dress is also super lady-like. It totally reminds me of the dress Diane Lane wears in “Under the Tuscan Sun” – a personal all time favorite… and super pretty and classic.
In the last year, my sister got married, and with that came a whirlwind of events that we needed to put together and host. With a limited budget, my sister went against conformity, and did NOT enlist the help of a wedding planner. Instead she focused on what she wanted the most – good food, open bar, and beautiful florals. Without a planner orchestrating everything, my mom and I rolled up our sleeves and got to work sharpening our flower arranging skills and frosting expertise.
All the planning was so fun, and my mom and I have even thrown around the idea of opening our own party planning company together. Not only is this the stuff we love (flowers, food, and of course drinking), but I have to say, we are pretty good at it! It’s still such a fantasy, but one day that would be pretty amazing. My mom simply refers to us as “CGPP” – Christensen Girls Party Planning. It’s so cute – I kind of love the idea!! I think the name needs some work in the grand scheme, but I would have so much fun, arranging flowers, setting up appointments, and orchestrating large scale events like weddings, showers, and even posh get-togethers. Oh to dream….
My best friend Kira is single (and ready to mingle), but like me, she is SUCH a sucker for weddings.
We both cruise StyleMePretty daily, post inspiration boards, and DVR Say Yes to the Dress. She is convinced that this Amsale dress is THE ONE. I have to admit, it is gorgeous. The detail is amazing, the skirt really makes a statement… but that begs the question, will you still like that statement 30 years from now?
For me, while I loved it on the runway, and I love it now, I think it would be something that ultimately I would end up thinking was dated. I wonder, even 10 years from now, will we look back and go, wow that was soooo 2011. My mother looked beautiful on her wedding day, but her look was definitely ’70’s. My dad kept encouraging my sister to get a dress “like mom’s” when she got married earlier this year, so maybe it’s ok if it looks dated. Maybe no matter what you get, styles will inevitably change, bridal trends will continue to evolve, and you will still reflect the year you got married.
More variations of this ruffled look
It all started when I was 8. Well… the fantasy of being a princess began when I was 4, but the real obsession began with a secret page torn out of the pattern books at the fabric store. From then it snowballed. How many flower girls would I have? Colors? Pink or pinker? Flowers? Galore! Poofy sleeves? The poofier the better!! (hey, it was the ’80’s)
A formal folder that was once reserved for school was started, and into it went clippings from the special spring wedding section in the Sunday paper. In middle school, I baby-sat for a family whose mom still hung onto her old wedding magazines…… jackpot! And then… the internet. We got a computer when I was in high-school, and there were many MANY hours spent searching for dresses. Rhinestone encrusted, full floaty skirts, tulle, beading, lace, pearls (because that is classy, and elegant) – the more the better. That was the motto.
My tastes (thank god) have evolved, and now I have a much more modern, streamlined idea of what a dress should be. Something simple yet unique. Something interesting and beautiful. Carefully pleated bodices, body skimming trumpet skirts, ballgowns that float instead of drag.
And it’s more than just the dress… its the day… the magic, the whimsy, the celebration of life and love and this whole picture in my head that becomes more and more built up.
Luckily, I have discovered that there are tons of other bridal obsessed woman out there, and that I am not alone. That I can be single, and be totally in love with the idea of my one-day marriage without freaking my boyfriend out. I will get married one day, and then there will be no wedding for me to look forward to. So for now, I do not feel bad at all, and thank god Kris laughs at my wedding magazines. Yes, I have found one that accepts my crazy, still loves me, and tells me I’m his nut… and so, I can continue to day-dream…
Simply Styled 