Wedding Recap: The Dress!

My Casablanca wedding dress on model

My dress was an ivory silk Casablanca a-line with box pleats from 2005. I was previously engaged and had already paid it off (approximately $799) so I commissioned some alterations to change things up for our October 2010 wedding. For example, my seamstress, the fabulous, Anne Ventresco, added a sweetheart neckline, added multiple bustle points and hemmed it so that I could easily swish around as I danced.
 

Photo by Davina plus Daniel (c) 2010

Photo by Davina plus Daniel (c) 2010

Blue Valentine Wedding Fashion

My BFF and I saw the critically acclaimed Blue Valentine last night. I was totally charmed by Ryan Gosling's portrayal of Dean, a hopeless romantic and IMHO, harmless drunk.

And I adored both characters' thrift store wedding attire. Dare I try to find both these outfits for less than $250 for both?

Costume design by Erin Benach

To modernize things a bit, check out the sharp gray pinstripe suit Gosling's wearing on this month's cover of GQ.  Perfect for a groom's suit, it's Ralph Lauren Black Label.

Image from GQ.com

We're the Budget Savvy Bride's Wedding of the Week!

Vera + Fred, photo by Davina plus Daniel

Jessica, owner of The Budget Savvy Bride, raves that our wedding might have some of her favorite details of all time! Check out Davina plus Daniel's gorgeous photos and see my extensive write-up on the budget breakdown.

$10,000 total budget: Read how at The Budget Savvy Bride's feature of our wedding

• Accessories and apparel, including rings (e.g. $145 for both) alterations and buying the bridesmaid dresses: 15%
• Venue, including reception hall and church: 20%
• Photography, day-of and e-session: 16%
• Cake: 6%
• Stationery: 4%
• Catering including rentals, labor and tips: 17%
• Makeup: 1%
• Music: 10%
• Flowers/decor: 6%
• Officiant: 5%
• Coordination: 0%

A reading to remember

Jeremy Townsend shares his reading for the ceremony - photo by Davina + Daniel, 2010

One of my favorite moments from our wedding was hearing our friend, Jeremy -- who happened to introduce me and Fred nearly six years ago -- read something he had written himself. Here's an excerpt:

This isn't your ordinary sunday.
some of us have traveled great distances to be here.
most of us have never been in this room before.
we're probably wearing clothes we rarely wear.
and soon, we'll be dining and dancing with people we've only just met.
It is an extraordinary day, and yet, it feels perfectly natural.

Like the spectacular hills and vistas surrounding the Bay, this ceremony, the wedding of fred and vera, pulls us all up onto a peak together. for decades to come, this day will stand as a benchmark in all of our lives....

It turns out that harmony is considered the vertical aspect of music, separate elements stack up to make something new. melody, being the horizontal aspect of music, tells the story of this new thing as it moves through the world.

Today, we lend our voices to the first few notes of the music they'll make together...

- Jeremy Townsend, (c) 2010

 

A wedding dress that won't break your piggy bank

Ivy and Aster's Dream a Little Dream: Silk chiffon sheared bodice with chiffon mini ruffle party skirt.

Ivy and Aster are two best friends "who dreamed of happily ever afters." Their designs are for the romantic and whimsical bride -- fluffy, ruffly, and very girlie. J'adore! The short dresses are very budget friendly, anywhere from $600-900. Now that's something to cheer about.

Let them eat (donut) cake

Aaron + Brooke's whimsical take on the traditional wedding cake

The bride and groom got to cut into this giant donut and about 90 guests each got their own chocolate or glazed donut on a silver plate with orchid. Having donuts (from Red's Donuts in Monterey) for dessert was super budget friendly -- about $1.00 per guest.

A Carmel Engagement

Camille + Andy frolicking on a beach at Carmel-by-the-Sea

Happy New Year! We spent New Year's at Carmel-by-the-Sea and as you probably know, NYE is one of the most popular times for couples to get engaged and Carmel is among the most romantic towns in the US. Carmel's intimate maze of cobblestone alleys, plethora of European boutiques and bistros coupled with the sound of waves crashing on the Pacific Coast less than a mile away make you forget you're in California.

So it's fitting my first post of 2011 features the engagement session of Andy + Camille, shot on location at Carmel and just published on Lawrence Ha's site on New Year's Eve. [Andy and Camille were married last May at the Silver Creek Country Club; see also the post regarding the elegant details of Andy and Camille's beautiful wedding, coordinated by yours truly.]

Photo by Lawrence Ha.