It's official... I have found my dress!

I just got some pictures back that my Mom took when her, my little sister, my MOH and I went back to Amari Bridal in Franklin on 7/10. We went through some of the dresses I really liked the last time I went with Kevin's family.. but then I tried one on I hadn't seen before. And it just hit me. I had found my wedding dress. When I first put it on, it felt just like another beautiful gown.. but after a few minutes, I couldn't get over it and didn't want to take it off. It's by Casablanca, style 1827. It's a sweetheart, strapless top with very delicate beading and a low back. The dress is described as A-line, but the one I tried on (even with a zippered back) is much more fitted with a flowing, lace-accented skirt. I feel like the pictures don't do it justice.. When it's on, it's lightweight, comfortable and I feel like a million bucks (which is why we spend $$$ for something we'll wear for 8 hours, right?!) I'm looking to go back for my measuring and ordering in August. I'm going to have some customizations done with the designer to alter the train length as well as have a lace-up back put in, replacing the zippered back. I have some pictures you can click on below... (The dress they had was in a brighter white than the ivory I'll be wearing)

*The first few minutes I had it on... http://tinypic.com/r/2hgfcjr/3

*The back, showing the lace layer of the skirt... http://i28.tinypic.com/2r42xp1.jpg

*Side view! http://i25.tinypic.com/10ridjk.jpg

*Close up of beading on top... http://i29.tinypic.com/rw722g.jpg

*Excitement! My MOH Sammy, Sister Dylani and I... http://i30.tinypic.com/ixxv0p.jpg

*Another back view... http://i31.tinypic.com/2ahi4gl.jpg

*Veiled... http://i29.tinypic.com/347wxnp.jpg

Engagement Party Success!

We had our engagement party last weekend and it was definitely a success! We had it at Big City, a pool bar in Allston. It was casual but definitely eclectic and random enough to fit into Kev & I’s environment. There were 4 pool tables, a food station with different apps, pizzas and salads, a guest card station with some of our engagement pics around, and then a few TV’s so everyone could keep an eye on the World Cup final. We had a good turn out (45 out of the 60 or so invited) and everyone seemed to mingle and enjoy themselves. My Mom helped me make these awesome floral arrangements of sunflowers and snapdragons in big mason jars with brown raffia bows around the jar... very casual, summertime feel. Kevin’s sister helped me assemble all of the favors, which were little Chinese take-out boxes filled with 2 fortune cookies from Fancy Fortune Cookies (with, of course, random customized notes from Kev & I) and different colored tissue paper to match the blue/pink/brown theme we had. We also had a decent amount of desserts! My Aunt in Arizona shipped out lots of awesome cookies from her bakery, TerraBites,which we set up around the room for the party. Then, after most of the food was demolished, we brought out about 5 dozen cupcakes that my Mom & sister had made and we had decorated that morning. Those, also with the pink/blue/brown theme, came out super cute and VERY delicious.

Towards the end of the party we had a trivia session where the Best Man and the Maid of Honor read 5 questions about us including How long we’ve been together, Where we met, Who asked who out, What countries we’ve traveled to, and Where would we be in 5 years… for the last one, the best answer (judged by Kevin & I) won. The best answer, we decided, was “in a house with a dog” (It made me go “awhhhh” and we decided that was the most realistic image for us in the near-ish future). Runners up included “Aruba” and “Retired”. Hahaha

One of my bridesmaids from Montreal even went through 12 strenuous hours of bus rides just to be around for the shindig. J THAT is dedication!! 4/5 of my bridal party was around for the party, and it was pretty much the same for Kev’s groomsmen. Both of our immediate families were there, along with lots of friends and close pals who we wanted to share the day with. My buddy Christina who did some of our engagement shots from Prima Portraits was around for the day and got great shots of everyone. Once I get those pictures, I’ll make sure to post them.

All in all, a great day with great memories. I’m so glad we got this special times with our friends.. Next stop? Wedding!

Oh yeah, AND we stayed in our budget :)