No Strapless Dresses

From my friend Mallory ...

Review: ShoeDazzle & The Dazzle Ever After Collection

My maid of honor and I were discussing shoes the other day. We were talking about them and if everyone is asked to wear the same ones at a wedding.

At times, it's an expensive additional request but it's one that comes with being in the bridal party. I'm in a wedding in March, and we were all asked to buy the same shoes. It's how it is.

My maid of honor and I were talking about it and how you'd be able to cut costs but still have nice shoes. We were brainstorming stores and the very first we came up with was ShoeDazzle.

Have you heard of ShoeDazzle? It's an online store that you sign up for and you are given access to the site, which sells shoes, handbags, and accessories. Everything is really reasonably priced. Average is about $39.95, which is a lot cheaper than you'd pay at a wedding boutique.

But ShoeDazzle isn't a stranger to weddings. In fact, the site had a Dazzle Ever After line, which is where the gorgeous heels in this photo shoot came from.

Now, if you're worried about ordering online and how they will arrive, please don't worry about ShoeDazzle. The ones I got have a fantastic flower on the top and then there's some fake baby's breath in the flower's center. It's so delicate. I was worried it would be destroyed when it arrived.

It wasn't. The shoe came stuffed with paper, so the straps held up in delivery and the flower had a big cardboard circle protecting it. I was really impressed with the shipping.

But even more impressive was the quality of the shoe. It's really delicate with the flower and strap, but the shoe is constructed so well that you have support even though the straps are thin. The bottom of the shoe has a slight platform, and that's really solid. Plus, the arch on the shoe isn't that severe, despite these being 4.5-inch heels.

The best part, though, is that I can wear these all day without a problem. Why? Because there's a built in padding throughout, with extra in the ball of the foot area. So, even if you're standing all day, you still have a soft comfort. It's definitely a huge help.

If you do decide that these are what your bridesmaids are wearing in the wedding, you don't have to worry about them getting ruined in transit. ShoeDazzle includes a bright pink shoe bag, so your girls can toss the pair in there, then pack them when they're heading to your place to get ready. Plus, this bag is great for the actual wedding reception, in case you want to take off your shoes and change into flats if you're dancing too much.

It doesn't seem like you can order from the Dazzle Ever After collection anymore, which is a bummer. You can order wedding heels on Amazon, though, which is actually what I did when I had to buy those shoes for the wedding I had in March. I found out what the name was, ordered, and paid about 30% less on Amazon than I would have if I bought them at a wedding boutique.

BRIDAL BABBLE: If you were choosing shoes for your bridal party, which would you select?

Showing Up Unannounced

The other day, I got a call from a wedding venue, asking if I wanted to make an appointment. It looked pretty in the photo I saw, where it was lit up at night, in front of a lake. The venue is inland, and we're really hoping for something on the beach, but I figured it was worth looking at -- except it's about 45 minutes from home.

Pete wasn't sure it was worth the drive.

So I didn't make an appointment.

I went out for lunch today, a little over an hour from home. On the way up, I passed a sign for the town where the venue is. It was fate, I thought.

I wasn't sure how long lunch would last, so I didn't call anyone. I just figured I could drive by, see where it was located, and check out the lake. If I liked the grounds, I would take Pete for a drive and a formal look.

So, on the way home, I got directions to the venue and stopped by unannounced. I was greeted by this:

That's the photo of the entrance to a gated community, which, incidentally, you're not able to just drive around -- no matter how nicely you ask the gatekeeper. Yeah, I had no idea that the venue was a clubhouse in a gated golf community.

So instead of going in, you're left to do this:

That's me peering in, trying to figure out if there's a side entrance or a fence I could jump.

There wasn't either.

I did ask if I could just drive around (which seems a little crazy, yes, but across the street there's a vineyard community that is accessible to the public), but was told that I could check out the restaurant down the block.

Apparently, you can have a reception here, but that's not what I was looking for, even though there is a very nice hotel in the same parking lot where my out of town guests could stay.

I could have gone in the restaurant to ask and see if someone could show me around the venue. That was an option. But at that point, I had to think logically. It's not coastal. It's quite a drive from where the ceremony would be. It's in a gated community, so all my guests would be stopped at the gate. It's not that big of a hassle, but a minor inconvenience nonetheless.

And this is what the majority of the grass looks like:

Sure, it can't all be green in January, but this is North Carolina so I just expected more green than that patch.

To be honest, I'm kind of glad I didn't make an appointment because the venue wasn't perfect, so I would have been wasting someone's time. And if I didn't just happen to be driving by, I wouldn't have even stopped by unannounced.

It worked out for me, honestly, but it's not the best way to go. Actually scheduling a visit is the best possible course of action. Going all stealth-like and getting stopped before you pass go, not exactly the optimal option.

BRIDAL BABBLE: Did you make appointments for every venue you looked at?

Pin Of The Week: Bridesmaids Pre-Wedding Photo

I've kind of become obsessed with Pinterest. I will just sit up at night, pinning. Yeah, pinning is a verb in my vocabulary now. That's how obsessed I am.

Last night (well, this morning at 3:15am), I pinned this bridesmaid pre-wedding photo:

Love this.

You get all your bridesmaids together and each holds a sign. In this case, they read: "Just" "wait" "till" "you" "see" "her". Six words.

Me? I have eight girls, so mine would have to be: "Just" "wait" "till" "you" "see" "her" "!" "!" Six words, two punctuation marks. Not as fun.

"You" "still" "have" "time" "to" "change" "your" "mind". Eight words.

I'm kidding, of course. But it is eight words.

The possibilities with this are kinda endless.

When you figure out what you want to say, snap a picture, and text it to the groom. Adorable.

BRIDAL BABBLE: Like I said, I have eight girls in my bridal party. If you have to come up with an eight word phrase for my bridesmaids pre-wedding photo, what would it be?

DIY: Will You Be My Bridesmaid? Rings (& My Proposal)

I'm only doing this wedding thing once. That's the plan. Get engaged once, have an engagement party once, ask your bridal party once, get married once.

Which means I get one shot to make an impression.

I found this wonderful idea on Something Turquoise and I knew it was what I had to do.

I took these photos back in November, when I actually made them, but I couldn't post this until I asked all my bridesmaids. I asked them all at my engagement party, except one, who wasn't able to make it, so I had to wait until I saw her in January.

Now that they've all been proposed to, I can post the tutorial.

Now, back in November, I didn't think that it would be smart to actually assemble all the necessary craft items and take a photo like my other awesome amazing DIY tutorials. Sorry about that.

What You'll Need:

• Pink construction paper
• Red construction paper (My engagement party color was red, so I did red and pink. You can choose any two colors you want)
• White construction paper
• Pen
• Scissors
• Glue
• Ring boxes
• Rings (I picked these up at Claire's for $7.99 for a package of four; that was years ago, though, so you might want to check out something like this from Amazon)

What You'll Do:

Place the ring box at the end of the construction paper.

Cut an entire strip. Don't worry about measuring now. Just cut the whole strip. It's easier.

Now measure. Wrap the strip around the box and cut it so there is a bit of overlap, but not too much.

Cut the strip, leaving about three-quarters or so. You want some of the box to show through for dramatics. But, you don't want to cut the strip too soon or you'll have an issue with the next few steps.

Cut out a pink heart, just about the size of the red strip.

Write "Will you ... " on it.

I'm gonna suggest against red pen. I was trying to have it match the stripe, but it is so faint. Not good.

So I re-wrote them in black. Much better.

Add a dab of glue to the heart and affix it to the red strip.

I added a white heart to one of them so I knew it was for my Maid of Honor.

Cut a white sheet of paper the size of the back of the ring box, dab a dollop of glue, and affix it to the back of the box.

Finish your proposal.

Seven of mine finished with, "Be my bridesmaid?" and one finished with "Be my Maid of Honor."

I added a little pink heart on them, just because it looked a little plain with me.

Stick a ring in the box. That one above, it's one I got out of a candle, but it's what I had on hand when I was making these. I wasn't sure what type of ring to put in them. Costume jewelry. Random jewelry I had that I didn't want. Rings from the arcade.

And then ...

I found these rings when I was in Claire's. Adorable. Perfect. And they came in a pack of four. I needed eight, so this was perfect. I picked up two packs of four and it was the happiest $16 I've spent in a long time.

Like I said, perfect.

After all your rings are in the boxes, close them, and close with the strip. I didn't glue it down; I wrapped it tightly and put a dollop of glue on the paper, then affixed the other flap to it. That way, you could slide the strip on and off if you wanted.

And, finally ... propose to your bridesmaids.

The above, that's a complete reenactment of the moment, exactly six seconds after I handed her the box. I didn't get down on one knee when I asked my girls, but for sake of this photo, I did.

BRIDAL BABBLE: How did you ask your bridesmaids?

Got your bridesmaids?
Learn about their dresses in our What Is Bridesmaid Dress Shopping Like? post.

Book It With Wedding Books

When we were home in New York, Pete went to hang out with his friends who just got married in August.

The bride passed two books along to him to give to me.

She gave us Maria McBride-Mellinger's The Perfect Wedding and The Perfect Wedding Reception. I opened The Perfect Wedding and was greeted with this picture ...

... and the advice that I should book my groom a massage for the day of the wedding so he can, basically, relax and bond with his friends.

I'm gonna get my groom a 12-pack and it'll do the same thing.

I actually haven't flipped through either of the books yet, aside for that one page exception, but there should be better advice inside. The girl who lent these to us, she said she saved a ton by reading them.

Wedding books seem to be the way to go (plus they're a lot cheaper than a wedding planner).

If you're planning your first wedding, like I am, there's a lot you don't know. It's more than just picking a venue, taste testing the food, and sampling some cake. You have to make a decision on everything: from what type of menu you want, to linens and where to rent them, to negotiating a hotel rate for your out of town guests, and more. It's a lot. And there's a lot that you just don't think about and have a good chance of overlooking.

That's why a book comes in handy. You don't have to brainstorm and think of what you might have to think of. The authors already thought of everything, so you just have to go through the wedding book like a checklist.

And you can use these as ideas of where you can cut costs and save money.

My maid of honor texted me this morning and told me to pick up Bridal Bargains, which is a wedding book dedicated to helping you whittle down your wedding costs. Perfect.

It seems like I'll have a lot of reading to do in my future ... which is good for you guys because I'll just pass the advice along and then all you have to do is read this blog, not a book.

BRIDAL BABBLE: Did you pick up any wedding books? Which ones do you suggest?

Get A Free Gift At Bloomingdales For Registering By 2/28/15

We talked once before about registry rewards, which is not so much a formal term as it is one I coined.

Registry rewards, basically, are items you earn for free, just for registering. Different stores have different qualifications for freebies and not all stores offer these.

But if you find a store that does, it might definitely dictate where you register, which dictates where your guests spend their money, which makes the stores rich. So it's worth it for a store to throw you a free knife set or pot.

Bloomingdales realizes this and is giving new registrants a little perk. If you create a registry between now and February 28, 2015, and fill it with $6,500+ items by March 7, 2015, you can get a free Vera Wang picture frame. Your gift must be picked up in store and it's while supplies last.

The official details are here.

There aren't any Bloomingdales around here, so we didn't take advantage of this. If you want to know about our wedding registry, you can check out this post.

BRIDAL BABBLE: Do registry rewards influence where you register? Or, if you are already registered, did it?

Paying Postage Properly

There's something magical about a gorgeous wedding invitation.

Just take my friends Nicole and Stephen. Their invite, in a word: beautiful.

You open the heavy envelope, and there, inside is an invitation.

But it's more than an invitation. It's a gateway, if you will, to all the components of your wedding.

And inside, there's everything you need to know.

There's the invitation, with all the vital information: names, date, time, location.

And then, in the side pocket, there's a card for directions, one for accommodations, one about the reception, and the response card.

Although it's not pictured, there was also a stamped envelope for the response card.

This package, obviously, is not covered by one forever stamp.

But how much does it cost? I have no idea. You have no idea. You know who does have an idea? The post office.

You should put together all the components of your wedding invitation and weigh them at the post office so you know exactly how much postage is needed for the invitation and for the response card.

You don't want to have to worry about invitations or RSVP cards not arriving because of insufficient funds. I mean, can you imagine your grandma not getting her invite because you were short 20 cents on the postage? Or your college buddies and their wives show up at the wedding and you don't have room for them because you never got the RSVP back so you assumed they declined. Oh the headaches.

So really, this is fantastic advice, and I had to pass it along to you.

BRIDAL BABBLE: What's the average cost for a wedding invitation? Anyone know?

I Broke The Rules. I Fell In Love.

You never mean to fall in love. That's not how it goes. You don't decide. You don't pick who you fall in love with. You just fall.

And it's usually the most amazing and beautiful thing you can do.

Except in my case. In my case, it's a disaster.

When I'm shopping, for anything -- a car, a dress, a birthday present -- I always tell myself not to fall in love with anything, and especially don't fall in love with the first thing you see. If you buy the first thing you see, you won't shop around, and you'll risk either overpaying or buying the wrong thing.

I'm amazing at buying presents. Fantastically amazing that people should hire me to buy their gifts. Unfortunately, it's a very unmarketable skill to have, so no one is hiring me. But the reason I'm good is because I don't fall in love right away.

Except now.

Pete and I went to a bridal expo on Sunday and we found a venue that I fell in love with. So in love that I couldn't get the floor to ceiling windows out of my head. Every seat is a window seat. Every. Single. One.

I couldn't stop thinking about the photo we saw taken from the loft, the one looking down on the perfectly wrapped chairs with their perfect satin bows.

No matter how hard I tried to push the words, "This is the place" out of my mind, I couldn't stop telling myself, "This is the place."

And then I got an email with prices.

Prices that are flirting with the very edge of my budget. Prices that include amazing views but don't include a cocktail hour (not an option). Prices that will allow my guests to eat incredible seafood entrees, but only two plated hors d'oeuvres brought around by waiters (additional is extra). Prices that give every guest a window seat, but don't include the perfectly wrapped chairs with their perfect satin bows (both are additional costs).

The logical side of my brain is saying, "This is not the place."

But I keep thinking of the view, the beauty, the fact that I'm in love with this place.

I didn't mean to fall in love. That's not how it went. I didn't decide. I didn't pick this venue to fall in love with. I just fell.

And it's a disaster because picking this venue with blow up my budget. But you only get married once. Well, you should only get married once. Shouldn't you have what you love?

BRIDAL BABBLE: Has this happened to you?

DIY: Wine Cork Table Cards (Arts & Crafts Tutorial)

Pete opened a bottle of wine last night and I jumped on him. Not literally.

Don't throw the cork out, I yelled. Literally. I wanted to make sure he heard me. I need it to make something.

He handed it over and, instead of telling me our apartment was turning into a garbage pail because I'm saving miscellaneous items for my craft projects, he told me it wasn't exactly cork and hoped that it would work.

It did.

Work for what, you ask. Oh, my crazy idea for table cards.

Wine Cork Table Cards

If you want to make these wine cork table cards, you should probably start drinking a lot of wine. Or, in case you can't drink that much, you'll be happy to know that you can actually buy recycled wine corks in bulk on Amazon. It's a lot cheaper than buying all the wine just for the wine corks.

What You'll Need:

A knife (I grabbed the easiest to grab one, which just happened to be the biggest one)

Construction paper

A blank business card

A cork

A permanent ink marker or a pen, whatever's handy

Glue

Scissors (which were camera shy) or a heart-shaped craft punch

I happened to have all these items on hand, so I paid a whopping nothing.

What You'll Do:

Cut the piece of construction paper in any shape you want.

I went with a heart, which is wedding appropriate ... and very easy to cut. But a solid heart, well that looked more preschool Valentine's Day party rather than elegant wedding. So I had to jazz it up a bit.

I cut out the inside of the heart and, I don't know, somehow this made it a bit more elegant. Feel free to cut whatever shape you'd like. Circle, square, snowflake. Whatever works. If you're not so handy with scissors, use a heart-shaped craft punch. It'll make sure every card is uniform too.

Glue the construction paper cut out.

Affix it wherever appropriate on your business card.

Follow suit with the rest of the design.

Elegant and glamorous.

I cut a flower too, just because I thought the tables would look pretty if the cards had different designs. Consider one design per table instead of just haphazardly scribbling names on cards. Then, have the designs coordinate with your centerpieces so it's a lot easier for people to find their seats.

Write the names of your guests on the side opposite the design. And then, if you're me, stand back and realize that this fat permanent ink marker probably wasn't the best writing utensil to choose. Yes, it's purple so it matched, but look how sloppy my handwriting looks.

And I actually practiced before writing on the card. Oh well.

Martha and George came out a little neater, but I would definitely use a different pen if I was actually making these for a wedding.

Now comes the dangerous part. Cutting the cork.

As I mentioned before, this isn't exactly a cork. It's more of a rubber stopper, so it wasn't that easy to cut. It probably would have been a lot easier with an X-acto knife, but I didn't have one handy.

You really need to cut into the cork, deep enough for it to hold the card in place. You don't want a shallow gash that gives the cards the opportunity to fall out.

Stick the card in the slit (making sure that the name, the table number, and your beautiful design as all visible) and line these wine cork table cards up at your wedding.

And, if you are drinking a ton of wine to get these wine corks, you can turn them into twine-wrapped wine bottles or glittered wine bottles.

BRIDAL BABBLE: What shapes would you cut if you were making these wine cork table cards?

Pin Of The Week: Bachelorette Party Invites

I was at dinner with my maid of honor last week, showing her ideas I pinned on Pinterest.

I love this one, I said, but absolutely do not make it for me.

The "one" is the bachelorette party invitation below:

I absolutely love these bachelorette party invitations. I think it's adorable, simple to make, and a great way to tell the party guests what size the bride-to-be is. All you need is some construction paper and a little lace. You can go the easy route and buy sticker letters instead of trying to cut and paste them.

It's so easy, I think I'll end up doing a DIY tutorial on it, once I get my hands on some lace.

But if you know my family, you know that I'd probably end up getting some crotchless panties in my size if these went in my bachelorette party invitations.

No. Thank. You.

But, I promise you. Next wedding I'm in, I'm so making these.

BRIDAL BABBLE: Would you encourage your guests to buy bras and panties for the bride ... or would you be worried about what they'd end up bringing?