Fashion Friday: Bridesmaid Blues Part II

 I need some serious input. Two of the J.Crew dresses that I wrote about here are now on sale - with an extra 30% off through Monday. The catch is that they are on FINAL sale, meaning I can't return them. While my size is consistent when it comes to J.Crew, I have concerns about the fit - at least for one of the dresses...

This is the dress that has me the most enchanted.

I adore the color, the sweetheart neckline, and the tiered ruffles. Oh, and did I mention it's $121 off its original price, which puts it within what I wanted to spend? So what's the problem?

Well, this side view has me a bit concerned that I might be swimming in layers of fabric.

You see, body skimming cuts tend to look better on me since I am more curvy on my bottom half than my top half. Ordering this dress would thus be a bit of a gamble, and I am not much for gambling.

The Erika dress is a much safer bet since I already own a J.Crew dress in a similar cut and I am sure that it will fit. It is about $45 less than the Soiree dress above, which is a definite bonus, but it's simplicity is looking more bland than classic by comparison. But on the flip side, that might mean that the dress will age better over the years than a trendier style...

As you can tell, I am rationalizing in circles here. It's time for an intervention. Should I go with the dress that has captured my fancy and run the risk that it may be too voluminous for my frame? Or should I go with the sure fit that's easier on the bank account? I have to make a decision by Monday, and I can't do it without you. Please help!

Fashion Friday: Bridesmaid Blues

Fashion Friday is back but this week's title post is a little misleading. You see, I am deeply honored to be in my dear friend Megan's swiftly-approaching wedding as one of her bridesmaids. And like many modern brides these days, Megan is sweetly letting us maids pick our own bridesmaids dresses. She did give us some guidelines: navy or dark blue, knee length, and a shiny/iridescent fabric that catches some light (read: not chiffon). So for months I have been on the hunt for the perfect navy dress that won't break the bank. But with less than one hundred days till Megan and her hubby-to-be say "I do," I really need to step up my search.

(As a side note, this is one wedding trend I love. I did this in my own wedding, and it really lets everyone look like themselves, pick something flattering, and not go broke. Have you seen the price of the typical bridesmaid's dress? Ouch!)

My first thought was to check out Rent the Runway for a dress I could rent for Meg's big day. This ingenious website is a spin-off of the infamous Bag, Borrow, or Steal. I used Rent the Runway to rent a dress for my girl Lianna's rehearsal dinner, and I found the whole process easy - especially on the pocketbook. But when I checked out the available navy dresses, I have to admit I was more that a little disappointed.

This the Rebecca Taylor Blue Smoke Tiered Dress. The flirty ruffled skirt caught my eye, as did the $50 rental fee, but I think it is too short for a girl of my height and might look too baby-dollish on me. Also, I don't want to detract attention from the star of the show: Megan.

I also found this dress, Brielle Bow by Badgley Mischka, which is a little more appropriate. At $100 dollars to rent for the weekend, it is definitely still in my price range. Since it is part of RTR's bridesmaids collection, they will even ship it to me any time in the next 60 days to make sure that I like it before I commit to wearing it for the actual wedding. That's a pretty sweet deal.

 Source for above images.

The problem is, I am not crazy about it, and I keep going to back to J.Crew where there are three dresses that scream me.

Here's the first.

She's the Silk Organza Soiree Dress in Dragonfly Blue. I see her as a more ladylike version of the Rebecca Taylor dress above. It's a little less voluminous, a lot longer, and there are less tiers, which help tone it down but still keep it flirty. But it's also the most expensive. (Cue the sound effects.) Wah-wah...

I am also drawn to this dress:

It's the Cotton Cady Erica Dress in Classic Navy. It's a classic silhouette that I can wear again and again, it has pockets, and it's $50 less than the Soiree. But it's not nearly as fun... 

To my surprise, I am also falling hard for this dress:

I had been envisioning something strapless all along (perhaps because I didn't wear one for my own wedding?), but I am drawn to the twist detail at the bust and the dramatic back of the Elizabeth Wrap Dress in Dark Navy. It reminds me of my own wedding dress, which I still adore, but I am worried it might be a little too buttoned up for a spring wedding. Perhaps it's the cap sleeves...

Obviously I need some input here. What are your thoughts? Oh, and we are *officially* homeowners as of yesterday!

Excuse Me, Your Drawers Are Showing

As promised, here the details of a little dresser project I undertook this weekend. It was a fun diversion from packing.

We purchased this dresser from Craigslist over Memorial Day, and it sat in our room for 6+ months untouched...

Except for the clothes strewn on top of and around it.

Okay, I know that this picture is non-defensible, but we had wanted to refinish it with a darker stain before I moved my clothes into it. We talked to people about how to sand or strip the current stain without detaching the thin veneer, but after months of talking in circles, it was the thought of moving a dresser we don't need that finally got my butt in gear. So this weekend I decided to line the drawers (using Young House Love's tutorial) with paper I had saved from our wedding.

Here's the drawers before:

Here's the after:

And here's the secret weapon that made it all possible:

Using a sponge brush, I painted on a thin layer of Mod Podge (which I got at Michael's) on the bottom on the drawer. Then I fixed my pre-cut wrapping paper to the bottom of the drawer, smoothing it out from the center of one side towards the edges, and eventually to the other side. Yep, there are a few bubbles, but it's not too noticeable - especially with clothes on top. I learned that the thinner the layer of Mod Podge, the fewer the bubbles.

I let the paper dry overnight, and the next morning I applied a thin top coat of Mod Podge on top of the paper to seal it. I chose a satin finish, so the paper has a slight sheen that should be wipeable and protect it for years to come.

This was a pretty quick project with a big payoff that makes me happy every time I go to grab something from the dresser. I love the cheery little pops of the graphic paper (all Snow & Graham, for those paper product freaks like me) peeking out from under my clothes, particularly the green papers that remind me of our wedding.  The longest step was cutting the wrapping paper to fit the drawers and waiting for the Mod Podge to cure so I finally put the dresser to use.

I am the only one that saved wedding memorabilia? If not, how have you put it to use?

Confessions of a Bad Bride

I have a confession to make: we only have one picture from our wedding printed and framed in our home, and it was taken by my dad, not our photographer. It's not because we don't want pictures. We do. And in our defense, we actually placed an order with a local camera shop, which they promptly lost. It took us so long to decide which pics and what sizes we wanted that we haven't had the motivation to sit down again and try to recreate our original order.

But one thing we have done is create some meaningful artwork out of our wedding vows.

The heart in the middle has our names, our wedding venue, and the date. (Yes, our wedding was two and a half years ago and we still haven't ordered photos! I know, I know...) Around the heart are our wedding vows, including the Apache Wedding Blessing that concluded the ceremony and inspired our choice for my processional, Ray LaMontagne's "Shelter." We both love the sweet reminder of the promises we made to each other in front of our loved ones - especially on those days when we try each other's patience.

In fact, we adore ours so much that we ordered one for our newlywed friends Lianna and Ethan from MySweetPrints' shop on Etsy.com. (Janette has lots of other lovely personalized prints and was a pleasure to work with, so please check her shop out!) Their ceremony was extra-special since it was written and officiated by our friend Jenny, so I thought the print would be even more meaningful for them.

But I digress. The light blue background complements our blue-grey walls (which look greenish in the photo), and the barn wood frame helps it from being too precious. The frame (from Michael's) complements the other art we have on our mantel.

It's a nude print by she hit pause studios that I became enamored of when I first saw it on Gilt Groupe. Luckily, I was able to score it on the she hit pause studio's Esty site for less than half the cost. The ethereal and moody nude is the yin to our wedding vow's yang. Gotta have some sweet and sultry in our master bedroom, right?

The good news is that all the mantel art and decor will find a new home on our currently hideous bedroom mantel, where I hope it will make that fireplace fade into the background.

What have you done with your wedding vows? Oh, and how long did it take you to order your wedding photos? (Please make me feel like less of a slacker here!)