Bridesmaid Dresses: the Search for the Holy Grail

I have looked at what feels like thousands upon thousands of bridesmaid dresses, searching for something that looks great on different body types, won't break the bank, and (most importantly) comes in my elusive dark champagne/latte/taupe/acorn/whatever color. My idea for the bridesmaid dresses was to choose a designer, a fabric, and a color and let the girls choose their own styles. This way, everyone has input on what she wears, but everyone still matches. The problem with this idea has been that the only dresses that come in the color I'm looking for tend to be way more expensive than ideal and most of them aren't very flattering. And so the search continues with a combination of websites, magazines, and random visits to dress shops.

On a spur-of-the-moment bridal shop trip, a few of my BMs (That's wedding talk for "bridesmaids". Do you like the new wedding lingo I'm picking up? hahaha..) tried on about 10 dresses that I had looked at online and thought would have met all the criteria. I was mostly wrong. The dresses all came in the appropriate color; however, were way pricey and only 2 of them looked good on everyone. A couple of weeks later, I found some dresses online that I thought were way cute, over $100 less than the ones we tried on, and had the right fabric/color. The only problem was that they only have 3 stores in the country. My sister happened to be going to Boston (one of the three cities) that week and was able to get a last minute appointment to try on a bunch of dresses and take pictures. There were some seriously cute options, and they're all styles that are classic and won't be out of style by the time of the wedding.

I'm still conflicted about one thing, though. I prefer knee-length dresses. I think they're more fun, have a younger look, and just generally look cuter. However, everyone keeps telling me that because I'm planning for an evening wedding the dresses should be floor length. While they're still nice and all, I kinda feel like they're stuffier. Plus, given the color I'm looking at for the dresses, if they do actually want to reuse the dresses, the bridesmaids wouldn't have to pay the extra money to get them in floor length as well as to get them shortened after the wedding. In the end, I generally feel like the bridesmaids should choose the dress(es) because I want them to have input about what they will be wearing. But I always pictured knee-length dresses. Maybe I always pictured a daytime wedding and never realized it. Although, in late May there will still be daylight at 7 PM.

So can I have short dresses for an evening wedding that takes place during daylight? Seriously. I need help with this one. Pleeeeaassseeee comment/facebook/email/whatever me with your thoughts on this.

Thanks. :)

Fun times...!

So I'm taking a break from practicing for my practical tomorrow morning (accepting happy thoughts from everyone, by the way) to say how excited I am that Tim's sister, and my practically-already-sister, is engaged!! Congratulations to Kate and Kevin!!! They're such a great couple in addition to being wonderful people individually, and I couldn't possibly be more excited that not only am I going to officially become a part of their family but that we're also going to be planning one of the biggest days of our lives together! This very exciting and happy news definitely came at a good time, as school seems to be sucking every last ray of :) out of my life lately. It definitely helped to remind me that there is a life outside of MCG's School of Allied Health Sciences building. (To all my classmates reading this: Seriously. It exists. Just ask someone who's not in PT school... if you ever come across someone who's not in PT school...) As the next few days approach, I just need to do what I can and remember that this does not define me. School is a part of me, but not the whole of me. Happy things happen, and THAT is what I'm about. I've got a fiancé who I love more than anything, a great and supportive family (including Tim's family), amazing friends, a super adorable guinea pig and the cutest puppy ever. I don't know where I'd be without any one of them, and I'm so blessed to have them all in my life. And that is what is keeping me going. I'll do my best and live to fight another day because I have them standing with me just as I stand with them. No matter what.

Congratulations, again, Kate and Kevin!! :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)..... (You get the picture. But in case you don't, here are a few pictures of some awesome people!)

It's finally March!

March is finally here. This means warmer weather, Spring Break around the corner, and the stressful nearing of the end of the semester. In wedding talk, however, it means I get to start the process of booking the church and setting an actual date for the wedding! I am so looking forward to being able to tell people an exact date, rather than a month we have in mind.

I've been getting the "How's wedding planning going?" question a lot in the last few weeks. The answer is: It's not. School has effectively executed a hostile takeover of my life. As I write this, I'm taking a break from editing a paper, writing another paper, working on a project, working on another project, and miscellaneous studying. It's really starting to pile up. What bothers me most about this, though, is that I know the quality of my work can't be the best because I'm having to divert attention from each item to accomplish all of them. Turning in mediocre work stresses me out. Hopefully, I'll find some time during the next couple of months to work on the wedding and spend time with friends. Having a life outside of MCG is pivotal to my sanity.

Here's hoping the next few months go off without a hitch!