September has been our most productive wedding planning month since January, when we selected a celebration date, our reception venue, and put down our deposit.
I am happy to report that we designed our save the date cards, which may not sound like a huge accomplishment, but was. Guests will receive them in the coming weeks. We also blocked off rooms at three hotels not far from our reception site. A full list of accommodations available to friends and family, in a range of prices, can be found here. Be sure to shoot us an e-mail if you have any questions.
Our 3rd and 4th September accomplishments centered around attire for all the gals.
We had a rough start to the evening set aside for bridesmaid dress shopping which included terrible rush hour traffic to Long Island, and a shop incorrectly advertising the designers they carry. Bridesmaids Katie and Tara saved the evening though, locating the dress line I had in mind at Bridal Elegance in Dix Hills, and setting up a last minute appointment. Without giving away too much information, I'll say that a color, fabric, and dress style was selected that suits each person. And while I was anticipating a challenge given the number of women involved, it was the easiest thing we've done so far and a lot of fun.
A bit earlier in the month, I began wedding gown shopping with my parents and Patrice in Manhattan (at the Lovely Bride and Wedding Atelier) and Brooklyn (at Michelle New York and Sposabella Couture), visiting all four shops in one day. While I didn't make a purchase, I narrowed down my gown preference to a particular shape and style, and two dresses that I considered contenders. The following appointment was a few weekends later at Paradise Bridal in Patchogue with my parents, Olivia, and Katie as the sounding board. I tried on a number of gowns, which led to a bit of confusion over preferred style. I ultimately walked away liking two gowns but not enough to surpass my original contenders.
Needing a reminder of what contender no. 2 looked like, I returned to Sposabella Couture (just a couple of blocks from our apartment in Park Slope). My co-worker Diana kindly accompanied me providing another opinion, since only my parents had seen this dress. After trying it on - and snapping a few photos - I was pretty certain that this was my dress, telling the woman who owns the shop, Alice, I'd be in touch.
I had one additional appointment that following Saturday, back at Bridal Elegance, where we selected the bridesmaids dresses. Earlier in the week my mom said I would, "go back to one of the two gowns I had originally tried on" and that "this appointment was just an exercise to make sure I wasn't missing something." I mostly agreed, but still I wanted to a look a bit more.
With family and friends in tow, including my mom and Olivia, my Aunt Sheila, and bridesmaids Brigid and Katie, I continued the search. A couple of dresses had caught my eye during our visit earlier in the month, and they had a few designers that I was interested in and hadn't tried. I tried on a few new styles, to make sure I wasn't missing anything, as well as a few crazy styles just for fun. In the end though, I went back to the shape that I first loved. I found a dress that is elegant with a bit of whimsy, and with a few alterations next year will be perfect. It feels so great to have this accomplished.
