Mexico Bound

Hooray! One of my dear friends recently got engaged and asked me to stand up in her wedding. She's clearly on the top of her game, as the invitation came cleverly disguised as a luggage tag. Jordan and Ryan are planning on tying the knot in Mexico next year. I'm so happy for them, and I'm so excited to be a part of their special day. I guess this marks #3 for me in terms of bridesmaid duties. I love standing up in weddings, I really do. Maybe it's because I haven't done it 27 times, or because I have the coolest friends ever. Either way, I wanted to share this super cute idea with you. She ordered the custom luggage tags from Shutterfly.

If you didn't already guess...that's Jordan and I at my bachelorette party. Love it!

Vintage Hair Pieces

Veils and hair pieces are usually left for the bride, but in this case the bridesmaids got to have all the fun! Check out these stunning vintage birdcage veils with floral pieces that the bride's mother handmade for each of the girls. The rest of this wedding is equally as beautiful - check it out here. Sorry for the lack of posts this week - it's been a crazy one. Hope everyone has a wonderful, sunny weekend!

Happy Bouquets

This post is for Kim! I've been helping her brainstorm wedding ideas - lately it's been all about flowers. Her wedding is next August, and she picked out these amazing "caspian blue" bridesmaid dresses from J. Crew (I just got mine in the mail last week). Her main color scheme will be navy, ivory & silver, but she'd like to bring in pops of color with the flowers. I found the following bouquets on Bride's Cafe. I'm loving all of these mixtures, especially the ones with yellow. Do you have any suggestions or links to other multi-colored bouquets? Happy Friday!

Flowers - Bridesmaid Dress - Tuxedo

dropping like flies...

It seems like everyone I know has been getting engaged lately - and I'm so pumped! One of my best friends, and recent bridesmaids, Kim, got engaged a few weeks ago. Her ring (below) is absolutely beautiful - I love it! Good job Jeff! Last week, Kim asked me to stand up in her wedding, which I was honored and excited to accept. They've set a date for next summer, and Kim has already picked out a great bridesmaid dress from J.Crew for all of us to wear. Congratulations Kim and Jeff - I'm so thrilled for you guys and I'm here to help in any way possible.

Her beautiful engagement bling!

Kim and I

J. Crew Bridesmaid Dress  - $215.00

Black Bridesmaid Dresses

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My bridesmaids will be wearing black. When we were still hunting for the perfect dress, I searched the internet for cute, tea-length black dresses. Bill Levkoff had a great selection! All of the dresses above are by him and the prices are reasonable. My girls tried on most of these styles, but in the end we went with a different designer and fabric (more on that later). However, Style #874 and #611 above were awesome - I'd highly recommend checking them out!

Real Wedding: Amanda & Dave (Part I)

Check out this beautiful wedding that took place in Scottsdale, AZ last weekend. Amanda and Dave said "I do" outdoors at the Westin Kierland Resort and Spa. It was an intimate affair with only 37 guests, including close family and friends. The predominant color of the wedding was purple, which is evident from the beautiful photos below. Amanda wore a Maggie Sottero gown. The bride's identical twin sister, Amy, was the Maid of Honor, wearing a dress by Melissa Sweet. Other close girlfriends (bridesmaids) were asked to wear a favorite black dress and matching accessories. One of my favorites...the flowers! Amanda's bouquet was absolutely stunning! More to come soon...

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Vendors/Credits:

Photography: Lavish Memories by Abby Miller (Fort Wayne, IN)

Location: Westin Kierland Resort & Spa (Scottsdale, AZ)

Florist: Butterfly Petals (Gilbert, AZ)

Bridal Gown: Maggie Sottero "Berkley"

MOH Dress: Melissa Sweet

Bridal Shoes: Aldo Shoes

Budget Friendly Dresses

Athena (Silver/Taupe); $38.40

Nina (black); $44.00

Holly Navy; $28.00

Christina (Navy); $33.60

I wanted to share this great site I recently discovered, 1 Happy Girl Boutique, with everyone. Paige, the founder of the boutique, is a local Chicago based model and shopping fanatic. These dresses are too cute - I especially love the silver one. They would be perfect for a rehearsal dinner ensemble or even bridesmaid dresses. Budget friendly too - prices starting as low as $20!