Elizabeth Taylor's Weddings Photos

Leaving her first wedding, to hotel barren, Paris-Hilton-great-uncle Nicky Hilton.
Even though I know there are seven more to follow,
and this one resulted in a not-great marriage,
which lasted for less time than most cheeses take to age,
it's hard not to see how happy and swept-away she is.

Style, class, drama--all good things to keep in mind on the wedding day.

Well- Suited

I am constantly amazed at the different approaches Dave and I take to wedding planning. Me buying my dress: 4 bridal shops, weeks of searching, agonizing decisions. Him buying his suit: 5 minutes in Joseph A. Banks because they were having a sale.

We'd already gone shopping once for his suit (in Manhattan's suit district. Yes, it exists.), and it didn't go great. Slightly overwhelmed by the choices, Dave had mostly resolved to either go back to Brooks Bros. when they finally put out their spring/summer suits or get something custom made. Either way, since he was buying suits for his groomsmen, he knew it was going to be difficult, expensive, or both to find something that looked nice and fit four differently-sized guys.

Which is why I'm impressed that, as we were walking to the bank last Saturday, he did a double-take at a sale sign for suits at Joseph A. Banks and walked out half an hour later with his wedding suit, another suit for job interviews/presentations, and 4 matching suits for presents for his groomsmen. Every suit was extremely well-made and, if not for the aMAZing sale, too pricey to consider. His total savings were actually more than the total cost of my gown. AND he even ended up with an absolutely beautiful suit--navy blue, like he wanted, with an interesting herringbone weave to set things off.

Dashing.

I think he was skipping on his way out of the store.

We stopped in a department store to look at shoes and as we passed a row of ties he snatched the first gold one he could find ("Bam. Tie. Done."). It was impressive.

All he needed was a pocket square and his shirt, but he was worried he'd already successfully resolved so many wedding issues ("Lemon, I'm Reaganing.") that he didn't want to tempt fate.

So, suit: check. Presents for groomsmen: check. Jealous fiancee: check.

BHLDN: Doesn't Like Vowels, Does Like Pretty

Urban Outfitter's new bridal line, BHLDN (aka "BEHOLDEN," for those of you who, like me, thought they were looking at one of those vision tests in doctors' offices), launched today. And it's preeeetty.


Granted, my main experiences with Urban Outfitters mostly involved the Harvard Square Bargain Basement, not really loving paying $110 for a shredded t-shirt with a distressed image of James Dean, BUT-- I really like these dresses.


For sure, Urban Outfitters knows its type:
bohemian, detailed, vintage-inspired

I could see any number of sun-kissed California brides
wearing this for their vineyard wedding.


Granted, a little grandmotherly,
but the bride who goes for this would have a risky sense of style


Pure architectual fun.
And I love the delicate silver in lieu of traditional ivory


Woah. They can't all be winners.


They have more than gowns, though.
I love this frothy, over the top bolero jacket.
The $300 price tag? Not so much.


Ditto these sweet ivory gloves.


Bridesmaid dresses!
Most them did not look terribly forgiving
(I pity the poor girls bamboozled into wearing this),
but a few, like this sweet blue number, stand out.

Another one!
Chic, classic, just different enough to be interesting.


All in all, some pretty dresses, although the prices were surprisingly high.

The appeal (and high price tags) of most bridal gowns comes from their hand made-ness, with the designers popping up at trunk shows to sell their dresses in person, long waits while teams of seamstresses work their magic. You show up to a bridal store, you want to see your dress in person, try it on, know how it feels. It's sort of a serious purchase (at the very least, an expensive one), and not really the kind of thing you want to "Add To Cart."

Unless I'm missing something (in which case their website is seriously lacking in information), you can only buy these dresses online. Urban Outfitters not being especially known for fine craftsmanship, I would be wary of plunking down $3k+ dollars with no idea of how the fabric feels or what the fit is.

My suggestion (since...you're asking?) would have been to follow J.Crew's model. Their line of wedding gowns is stunning--exquisitely beautiful and moderately priced. Although I didn't try on any J.Crew dresses, a friend went with them for her wedding last summer, and I was blown away at how beautiful and elegant she looked (her dress was less than $500, I would have believed it was over $5000). Plus, J.Crew invested in their wedding gowns by creating a whole mini bridal store in Manhattan. No luck if you're not in the Tri-State area maybe, but a gorgeous (and classic) $600 gown is a heck of a lot less risky to buy online than a $4000 origami-inspired Urban creation.

Still, I applaud BHLDN's range of gowns and was pleasantly surprised by how much else they had to offer. I could definitely see a bride planning her whole wedding in the BHLDN world, clicking "Add To Cart" on shoes, dresses, lingerie, and necklaces. It would, at least, allow you to dress shop in your pajamas.

Valentine

Does this have anything to do with weddings?
A collection of pretty, Valentine's Day clothing?
My dream outfit?

Um, weddings mean love means Valentine's?
Close enough.

Lacy Embroidery

I think celebrity weddings are a little silly in general, but I did love Nicole Richie's lacy embroidered sleeve:
My wonderful talented grandma is making my wedding veil, and I would love love love to include this in the design. What a sweet, pretty, personal detail (to share with German tabloid magazines...).

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Christmastime is almost here!

If I knew how to knit well-enough, I would be making these for me and my kiddo:



They are called Smittens and they're for couples to hold hands as they walk. I know, right?

For all you knitters, here's the pattern

This is a Picture of a Dress. It is Not My Dress. But it is Pretty.

sureeus moddle sez:
o hai. iz sumthin in mah hahr?

We have dress. It's true! I own a wedding gown (or, really, my mom put down half a deposit on a wedding gown BUT STILL!), and I love it.

Picking out a wedding gown was pretty terrifying (see Trip 1: wherein I almost had a panic attack in the bridal salon. Not to mention Trip 2: when the kind saleslady had to talk me in the soothing, calm tones one uses on nervous horses and crazy people). But by the time I tried it on for the last time (Trip 3: warehouse, 1 million dresses, crowd gathering around my changing area) and bought it (Trip 4: nice owner, tiny shop), I felt like a pro. My strapless bra came out from a holster. I could balance on those tiny block things in front of the three-way mirror like a champ.

In the end I went with a dress that's light and flowy, a classic silhouette but with unique embellishments. It looks effortless, beautiful, romantic, casual--like most things, it's nothing I would have chosen from the start, but as soon as I made my decision, I knew it was right.

Unfortunately, I can't post a picture of it here, because my wonderful fiance reads this blog and this would ruin the surpriiiiise. Trust me, though. It's awesome. If you leave me a comment though I'll email you a picture! Unless you're Dave. Then you only get to see this:

Dear fiance, Why do I have a picture of Liz Lemon in the wedding dress she bought back in Season 2? Did I maybe once-upon-a-time try to find the dress so you could fulfill all your "I heart Tina" dreams? I admit nothing. But I WOULD have sat around in it watching TV and eating cheetos. For, you know, authenticity.

Buying a Wedding Dress is Strange and Surreal

Lovely Bridal. Yes it is.

Now that the Wedding Countdown is in effect, I'm back to doing all those things that brides-to-be are supposed to do. On the agenda for today: dresses!

Through various linked blogs, I somehow stumbled upon Lovely Bridal, a bridal boutique in the West Village, and today I checked it out with my mom and Evie, the maid of honor. It was...an experience.

The day got off to an inauspicious start, what with my mom and me walking 20 minutes out of our way, and then with the restaurant we were supposed to have lunch with being closed. Like, forever. Hot, sweaty, tired, and hungry, I was feeling iffy before we even stepped into the shop.

Luckily, things turned up from there. We found an awesome restaurant just down the street, where I had the most aMAZing goat cheese raviolis (must try to recreate...). We walked out and were wondering where the shop could be when Evie pointed to the building across the street, festooned with multicolored bunting and a chalkboard sign. Bingo.

We rang the doorbell and were greeted by the owner, Lanie List, who cheerfully remembered (from my appointment email), my mom's and Evie's names, and invited us to look around the store. Right from the start, I knew Lovely was my kind of store--beautiful, modern, classy gowns, handcrafted jewelry, a sweet and DIY-aesthetic. Lanie pulled some dresses, including one I'd seen online (on Lovely's blog!), and we went upstairs to try them on.

Ok. Trying on gowns. Let me just put it out there, I don't really like being the center of attention. I don't love everyone looking at me, definitely don't know what to do/say. I mean, I don't even really like going shopping for regular things, let alone the clothing that I will wear on the day when I marry my kiddo. So I was, to put it bluntly, nervous. Actually, I confessed to Evie during lunch that I'd been debating throwing back a shot before heading out on this excursion, but then I thought about how once I defended an honors thesis without breaking a sweat and these are just dresses dammit! and I decided I could do it. Sorta.

I tried on the first gown, the one I'd seen online and been drooling over for weeks, came out into the main area, and that's when it hit me--I am getting married. Whaaaat?!! I didn't even need to see myself in the dress, and in fact I almost couldn't look at myself. Lanie put the veil on, threw the blusher over my head, and I just kept repeating to myself, "Hold it together! Hold it together!"

I felt the same thing the last time I tried on gowns, this feeling that all this is really real and I'm actually going to be wearing a dress and standing in front of Dave and all our friends and family, but it was different today--so much stronger. After a few minutes I went back into the changing area to try on another gown.

"You're totally freaked out, aren't you?" Lanie said. I started laughing and said that this whole experience was just so surreal--we've been engaged for so long and now things are actually happening and I don't even know what to think (in an incredibly happy way). So she started telling me a little about her own experience, how she didn't like bridal boutiques and for her wedding just bought a white dress in a store off the street, and then how she decided to start this boutique to give people a relaxed, friendly place to find a dress (and not mortgage their houses to buy it).

I tried on a few more dresses and felt more relaxed--talking about details, silhouettes, lengths--although the dresses were not leaping out at me like with that first one. Don't get me wrong--gorgeous, impeccably-made, comfy--but just not the kind of "this is my wedding gown" feeling that I'm looking for. Before we left, I tried on the first dress again, just to double-check how I felt. And there it was, that feeling again that I had to hold it together, that overwhelming "We're getting married!" feeling.

I do petrified Bambi pretty good, huh?
I swear I'm actually happy in this picture!

Lanie tucked a veil into my hair, threw the blusher over my head, and then started laughing, "I know--you're like, ok, enough!" It was true, but not because I was unhappy--the whole experience was getting so overwhelming that I was worried I was going to start leaking happy tears, and somehow I don't really want to be one of those people who break down in the bridal salon. I told Lanie I wanted to sleep on it, which she agreed was probably a good idea (or maybe she was just worried about my flop sweat getting on her beautiful gowns. I kid!), and we headed out into the sunset.

Do I looooove the dress? Maybe not in the way that I love my red cowgirl boots (which, to be fair, I wore to the boutique), but it definitely was something special. Beautiful? Check. Flattering? Checkity-check. So I'm going to think on it, maybe check out a few more dresses, see how I feel in a few days. It's very weird, all of this, this whole wedding experience. Sigh. Am I one of those crazy people who freaks out over every little wedding thing (uh. yeees?)? Oh wedding dress, I will beat you yet...

Heeeaven, I'm in Heaven...

I was chatting with one of my coworkers today about dancing dates (Dave and I hit up the world's smallest salsa floor over the weekend), and she asked if Dave and I were going to take dancing lessons for the wedding. I won't stoop so low as to insult my future's husband's dancing skills (again. sorry puppy.), but I said that yeah, probably dance lessons would be fun, especially since our first dance might be to a 1940s romantic jazz song. I said something about wishing I could be Ginger Rogers, or at least having a dress like hers. Something about big romantic jazz which needs a low-cut, flowing dress...

The infamous feather dress from Top Hat

After the first scene they had to stop filming because
all the feathers were flying up Fred Astaire's nose


Note: wedding dress must have cape.


I love everything about this
from the Chiquita Banana shoulder ruffles
to the page boy collar
to the row of delicate front buttons
to the exploding bustle of hums
all the way on down to the sweet little rosette on the shoe

It's probably some kind of bad luck to post an image
from The Gay Divorcee on a wedding blog...

And because no post about the lovely Ginger
would be complete without a shot of her dancing:



Did you know she put lead weights in her skirts,
so they would fly up and twirl exactly right? Sigh

The Happiest Song in the World

Let me just put it out there, I am a Gleek. And while Dave and I are still on the Great Wedding Music Hunt, there is one song that I know I will dance to at my wedding: the Glee girls' mash-up of "Walkin' On Sunshine" and "Halo," also known as the happiest song in the world. It is like taking pure perkiness and distilling it into 2 minutes and 6 seconds. Every time I put it on I can't help but dance around like a foo'--I just love how it so well expresses the crazy joy you feel when you've found the person you looove.

And, it's also possible I love it so much because those girls look downright adorable in their pretty yellow frocks (big hair? headbands? little silver flats? yes please). I'm thinking of throwing my bridesmaids into yellow (except Evie, my MOH extraordinaire, has requested a color that doesn't wash her out) or wearing some yellow shoes or requesting Dave stick a little yellow flower in his boutonniere. It's a nice little ray of sunshine. Here are some of my faves:

This is Quinn's dress, from Calvin Klein.
It's sold out, but I am like 80% positive I saw it at Marshall's for half off last week
(let's all give it up for the big M)

My first obsession, wedding-planning-wise, were daffodils.
"Let's have a daffodil-themed wedding!" I shouted.
"Um...whaa?" Dave asked.
It was a dark time, filled with many brightly-colored flowers.
The obsession has since waned ('specially because we're probably having a fall wedding),
but I still like this daffodil bouquet ($37 from EdenProject)
and matching boutonniere ($5 from Blooming Gorgeous)

My gown (spoiler alert!) will probably be strapless
I love this sweet garden-themed necklace ($48 from Anthropologie)


I'm pretty much set on wearing yellow shoes, something with some sunshine,
and whimsy, and a bright dash of color.
These suede beauties (by Joan & David, $155.04 from Zappos) are pretty sweet.

Then again, these cuties (by Asics, $64.99 from Online Shoes) ain't too bad either

All That Glitters

Seeing as the last few posts have been more on the serious side, I thought it would be nice to have a more frivolous post. That said, Sparkles!



A little glitter is a nice way to bling-out the wedding without going all "WE Presents Platinum Weddings" on everyone.

Clockwise from the top-left:
Jimmy Choo, Logan Glitter d'Orsay Pumps: $495.00
Kenneth Pool: $17,990
J. Crew, Crushed Glitter minaudiere: $50
Monsoon, Vintage Beaded Flower Girl Dress: $100
Bordello, Peep toe Boot Platform Gold Glitter Shoes: $53.95
Chanel, Sequin Bolero Shrug


*I would also like to note that the majority of these things are inSANEly expensive (if you bought all those things the bill would equal the average annual income for a real estate broker). Try not to get enraged that people spend so much money on silly things and just focus on the pretty stuff...

Kick Up Ma Heels

I'm not sure what shoes I'll wear on my wedding day except that I know they won't be white (or clear or silver or dyable) and will probably be brightly colored and good for dancing. I'm thinking probably something along the lines of a bright yellow Mary Jane heel, but while walking down the street on the phone with Dave, I passed a Western-style leather goods store and decided that nothing would be nicer than a pair of little red cowgirl boots to do some dancin in.

Something tells me they will probably be vetoed by my mom, my friends, and (admittedly) my own fashion sense, but at least they got Dave's approval.


These beauties on sale at Etsy (of course. I tried looking elsewhere first but should have just stuck with the tried and true): $155 from Rust Belt Threads

A Lovely Day for the Ballet

I danced for about 13 years and while I've hung up my ballet slippers for now I still have a soft spot for the very lovely costumes. If I was having a 1920s Swan-Lake-themed wedding, this would be pretty much perfect: a gauzy, romantic, glittery cloud (not to mention the gorgeous feather headdress).

Image of Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova as The Dying Swan