So we want to do an experiment of sorts.  We want to see how many brides we can get to share the same wedding dress in 2010.  (Our goal is at least three!)

If you want to wear this wedding dress, send us an email with your name and wedding date and location.

If it fits and works with your wedding date – you can wear it for free!  We’ll ship it to you.  And even pay to have it cleaned and shipped to the next bride.  So all you have to do is look beautiful on your wedding day.

The dress measures 36 C/D in the bust.  Waist and hips are free.  It is 5′8″ in length.

Interested?  Email us and we’ll send you the details.

First of all, Jarrod took me downtown to The Melting Pot for fondue last Wednesday for my birthday dinner. It was quite delicious–I had eaten fondue before, but never from The Melting Pot. Anyway, we were walking back to the car afterward and saw a mannequin in a store window wearing a lavender paisley tie! Jarrod pronounced it the perfect tie, what he had been looking for all along, and now we just need to call the store up and buy it. So that’s on its way to being done.

I ordered my veil a few weeks ago and finally got it on Wednesday. (Actually, now that I think about it, everything I’m writing about happened on my birthday.) I tried it on with the dress and everything, and even though I’m not one to be moved to tears by my clothing, I was getting a little watery. I’m sure I could have squeezed out a tear or two if I had really tried hard.

The veil just really tied things together and made me look like  a real bride. I have these moments of consciousness where I realize that I’m actually getting married, and kind of soon at that. Marriage has been my lifelong dream, is that sad? It’s how I am. I’m a sucker for ro-coms (the hip new way of saying “romantic comedy, FYI) and happy endings.

For technical details and in order to put in this really sweet guide to veils that I found online, I will tell you what exactly I purchased. It’s a waltz length veil, which comes down pretty far, but not to the floor. More like calf-length. It really dresses up my dress, if you understand what I’m trying to say. The dress I chose is pretty informal, and the veil makes me seem a little bit more bride-ish.

I opted out of any kind of sparkles or rhinestones. I can add some later if I really want them, but I’m fine with just a plain veil. It’s only one layer, falls nicely…it does the job! I wasn’t sure about the color, because I ordered it online. I ended up choosing light ivory, which goes perfectly with my dress.

So I’m satisfied with that part of the wedding preparation! Now, the envelopes.

November and December are my “Address the envelopes” month. So I thought I would go ahead and order the envelopes. Only, instead of ordering A9 size envelopes, I ordered A6, which makes a difference when you’re trying to cram an invitation inside an envelope that’s too small! Yeah…I opened the box, took an envelope out, and immediately realized my mistake. So I’m going to have to return those and reorder them in the right size. But it’s all good. You live you learn, right? Right.

Jen & Jake | August 15, 2009 | Chicago, Illinois

How he proposed
Jake and I met three years ago while out with a mutual friend.  He claims he knew that night that I was the girl he was going to marry — who would have guessed he would be right!  Despite the fact that he had to leave Chicago shortly afterwards to finish grad school in Arizona, we started seeing each other.  Somewhere over the course of the next few weeks, I must have mentioned that I always envisioned ‘the proposal’ to be a simple, private event on the beach of some exotic destination spot.  Thirty days and thirty dates later, Jake left our hometown for Tucson, but my words stayed with him.

In May of 2008, after nearly two years together, we took advantage of a long weekend and hopped a flight to Puerto Rico.  Our second night there, we walked along the beach, where, just as I had pictured it, Jake asked to marry me!

The ceremony
We were married in a Catholic ceremony at St. Hyacinth Basilica, the church in which my dad had served as an altar boy growing up.  My father walked me down the aisle, and we were surrounded by our dearest family and friends as we said our vows.

Afterwards, our photog Glen was able to rally everyone together on the front steps for a group picture – I love looking at the expression on each person’s face!

The reception
My initial vision for the wedding included an outdoor reception.  Those who live in Chicago, however, know that hosting any event outdoors is risky, thanks to our very unpredictable weather!  So, we decided to be ‘practical’ and find an indoor venue.  However, months and many tears later, after a less than desirable experience with our banquet facility, we canceled our reservation with them.  We were only 3 months away from our date!  As we scrambled to explore our options, we realized this could be fate, and that an outdoor celebration was meant to be.  A perfect reception site lay right in Jake’s backyard, a beautiful setting on 3 acres of land, overlooking open fields and massive oak trees.

As the date drew near, we were concerned about the weather; Chicago was experiencing the ‘year without a summer.’  We were incredibly blessed however — It warmed up and stayed dry the week before the wedding, while the tent was constructed and final details were addressed.  The weather on the day of the wedding was absolutely perfect and the entire day went off without a hitch.  Truly, the best day of my life!

I will never forget arriving at the house after the ceremony and pictures, and seeing that our vision had come together.  Our families had worked so hard on the details, and to see the big picture was phenomenal – beyond my expectations.

How Jen knew the gown was the one
I visited a few bridal salons, and knew right away that Lazaro gowns were it for me.  When I tried mine on, the words ‘this is it’ flew out of my mouth.  Its shape was feminine and flattering, it had an incredible amount of beading and detail that made it so unique.. it was just perfect!

Advice for other brides

relax and take time to breath the few days leading up to the wedding.  Be prepared but when you wake up that morning, clear your head and enjoy every minute.  Brides tend to take control in the planning process, but on the wedding day, your one job is savor the experience – so let the people closest to you take over — they will make sure that things run smoothly.

Photography: Glen Abog
Jen’s Wedding Dress: Lazaro LZ3866

If you are looking for a dress like that, here are some of our current favorites.

Drew & Brian | September 5, 2009 | Tucson, Arizona

How he proposed
Brian proposed on Thanksgiving weekend at my parent’s house in Northern California.  It was during dinner with my parents and I was definitely not expecting it.  It was so meaningful to share that experience with my parents.

The ceremony
The ceremony was held in the historic courtyard of the Hacienda del Sol.  The setting is stunning so we left the decor very simple with just rose petals down the aisle.  My brother was our officiant and we wrote the ceremony – so it had a very intimate feel.  The hit of the ceremony was when guests arrived and they were served Prickly Pear Margaritas before the ceremony began.

The reception
The reception was held in the Casa Feliz at the Hacienda del Sol.  We opted to have handmade tortilla chips, salsa, and guacamole instead of bread and butter.  For our salad course we served shrimp ceviche.

Our main course was a pairing of Sea Bass and Filet Mignon.  After dinner the dancing began!  We also created an outdoor lounge by the bar where the men enjoyed cigars and their drinks.

The moment Drew will never forget
My dad is a very talented writer and he wrote a beautiful grace before we ate about our love.  It was so meaningful and heartfelt.

The wedding theme
I really wanted to play on the historic Spanish/Mexican architucture of the venue so my wedding theme was driven by the southwest and Spain.  My dress was very romantic so that set the tone for the theme. When the guests arrived at the hotel they were given a gift bag with some Arizona tokens – Chips and Salsa from our favorite Mexican restaurant, coronas, bottled water, and advil.  For the table centerpieces I purchased Wax Vessels to mimic candelabras and paired them with pale yellow roses.  The vessels made the whole room have a romantic glow.  For table numbers we drove across the border to Mexico and purchased hand painted address tiles.  We made a homemade southwestern seasoning for our favors and tied it with a festive yellow raffeta bow.

What was it about your wedding dress that made the “the one”
I was dead set on an all lace dress but when I arrived at Destiny’s Bride and explained my theme of the wedding the sales lady immediately pulled my dress out.  It was beautiful but I still had doubts.  That is until I tried it on.  The fabric was amazing and it fit like a glove.  It was so romantic and feminine and it felt like it was made for me.

Advice for other brides
As an event planner and also a recent bride I would say my best advice would be to keep it personal and try to incorporate your groom as much as possible.  Brides can get so caught up in their dream wedding that they forget what their future husbands like or want.  Brian loves Mexican food so that is what dictated our menu.  Brian hates dancing so we made sure there was a cool place for the men to hang out and enjoy their cigars.

Wedding Photography: Kelly Rashka

Drew’s Wedding Dress: Augusta Jones Tatum

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that you have to get a start on this early, apparently. Like, as soon as you get engaged. I can’t really say much, because Jarrod has made me swear to secrecy on our arrangements for the first night. He’s afraid that his friends/enemies will have pizzas delivered to us all night if they find out where we’re going to be staying.

What I will say is that one place we were interested in staying in is booked solid for the night of June 5th! How is that even possible? Anyway, we ended up finding an even sweeter place, so no worries on that. Moving on.

Because Jarrod gets 90 days of vacation between graduation and when his job begins, we’re going to travel around as much of the world as we can. For the first week, though, we’re going to stay on Santorini, one of the Greek Isles. You know, the beautiful one with all the white buildings with blue doors.

True story: Jarrod’s mom sent me a little birthday package (happy birthday to me, by the way! I’m 23 today) but I couldn’t hold off on opening it until today. Saturday I just ripped it all open, and there in it was the newest edition of Brides. Later that evening Jarrod and I were idly flipping through the pages. You know I’ve snagged a good one when he is willing to browse the magazines with me! (What we really like to do, actually, is make fun of some of the awful dresses. But anyway.) Toward the end was a small article on Santorini! It was basically just a comparison of a splurge hotel vs. a budget hotel. The budget hotel caught our eye and sounded really neat, so we went to the website to check it out a little more.

It’s called “Chelidonia”, (www.chelidonia.com) and happens to be in Oia, the town we were planning on staying in anyway! The rooms are actually restored houses that were dug out after an earthquake hit Oia a while back. So they’re very traditional Santorini, and each room comes with its own kitchenette, as well as a patio, bedroom, bathroom, and sitting area. Sweet, right?

After our little wedding night hotel scare (”We’re going to have to stay in a Super 8!”), we didn’t waste any time in checking availability for the nights we were hoping to be in Santorini. And the room we want is free! So this is wonderful. Kind of silly that we found our hotel in Brides, but whatever works, right? It seems surreal, but I think this whole wedding thing might actually be happening!

I’ve always known that destination weddings were the most fun of all.  Sylvia and Albert took it up a notch from there with their private beach location, fun decor and HOURLY tequila shots for their guests. Here’s more about their fabulous wedding.

Sylvia & Albert | May 14, 2009 | Cancun, Mexico

What you did on your first date:

A nice dinner

How you knew he was the one

I was out with my friends having lunch when I saw a man selling puppies.  I walked over to pet them and I got attached to one of them  without knowing the price. I didn’t have that type of money with me to buy it so I left miserable.  Albert called me to ask me to dinner that night and I told him I was sad because of that puppy I had seen and was unable to get.  He rang my doorbell to pick me up that night for dinner and in walks “cookie” I was in tears of joy and knew he was the one.  For someone to go out of their way to find “the man” selling the puppies to me was a keeper.

The ceremony

We had our sand-ceremony in the hotel’s gazebo over looking the ocean. During our ceremony my husband provided rings for the my children to incorporate them to our wedding as well and exchanged kid vows with them.

The moment Sylvia will never forget

Walking down the aisle with my dad and seeing the look on my husband’s face when he first saw me.

The reception

After our ceremony, our guests were greeted by ushers who provided them with champagne and escorted them to cocktail hour.  That setup was on the garden overlooking the ocean with a lounge like setting.

It took place at Dream’s private beach .  We had a 4-course sit down dinner, a DJ (DJ. Mannia), and an illuminated dance floor for everyone to dance.  We had an open bar throughout our reception and we ordered tequila shots for all our guests every hour until the wedding was over.

The wedding theme

I decided to go with a theme.  I went with hot pink, white, black and a touch of zebra print.  My zebra pink was just to make the rest of my colors pop.  (ex: zebra runners over white linens and black napkins). Since my wedding was on the beach I gave all my guests starfish necklaces and the men money clips.

Advice for other brides:

Enjoy your day as much as possible.  Do not get into debt over your wedding, make a budget and stick to it.  Your photographer should be the most important investment since you will see your photos forever, don’t forget to ask him to include in his package a trash your dress shoot, those pictures come out amazing.

Engagement Photography: O Photography
Wedding Photography: Dumas Photography
Sylvia’s Ceremony/Reception Wedding Dress: Pronovias Donaire

I know what you have to say – Carnations – really?!!?!?? Yes – Carnations! They are a beautiful choice when appropriately used – plus they are a super affordable option and come in such a wide verity of colors they are the perfect flower for many wedding applications.

We searched the web for some great images of carnation uses at weddings and found these for you to check out. They are great for structured looks – like balls, and tight arrangements. I agree, they are not a great filler flower – they tend to stick out, but check out these great applications and uses of carnations and I dare you to tell me that they are not beautiful!

Photo courtesy of Wedding Jeannie.

Photo courtesy of Cornerstone Events.

Here is a wedding that I did this past August. Alicia’s colors were Navy and Hot Pink – and to her florist and my delight – she loved carnations and wanted her girls to carry hot pink carnation bouquets. The girls flowers really pop off their dresses, and were exactly what Alicia was looking for. It was perfect, and since she saved on their bouquets, she was able to splurge on her own bouquet of Calla Lilly’s!

The Look for Less is posted monthly.

About: Tricia Huddas & Co. specializes in destination weddings in historic Savannah Georgia and the Southeast.  Whether you are planning an intimate evening or a bold affair, Tricia Huddas & Co will bring your event together with style, elegance and grace.

Aubrey & Cody September 6, 2009, Oklahoma City

What we did on our first date:
Cody is such a charmer.  He lived in a small town about 2 hours from where I lived.  He attended the same church as I did on occasion because he had some good friends that went there.  He ended up going on the same church singles retreat as I did, and we met for the first time.  I was invited to a bible study by his best friend, who I had no idea was Cody’s best friend at the time.  When I showed up to the bible study, I saw Cody there.  I was so thrilled to see him.  Our Tuesday night bible studies became more of our date nights.  He asked me one Tuesday night to not make plans that following weekend.  He made plans to come and pick me up and travel to Tulsa on Saturday.  He had arranged to eat at a great Italian restaurant, my favorite, and to see a play.  I think he was trying to impress me, and it worked!  We had one great road trip together, talking and laughing for hours.  He had my full attention from that day forward!

How I knew he was the one:
Cody wasn’t like any other man I had met.  He had every quality that I was looking for.  I was almost amazed at how wonderful and sweet he was, it seemed to good to be true.  I knew he was the one because everyone that knew him loved him, he had a great family and he treated them all so well, he treated me the same no matter where we were, and he always was able to put a smile on my face.  I never had any doubts about him, there was no question on whether or not he loved me.  I had moved to Austin, TX a few months after meeting him.  We were both scared about being away from one another.  But there wasn’t a day that went by that we didn’t talk, and there wasn’t a weekend that went by that we didn’t travel to see each other.  Our love grew quickly and just 3 months after my move, we were engaged!  We knew right away that we were meant to be together.  When you know…you know!

The Ceremony
Our ceremony was a beautiful outdoor garden wedding.  The wedding took place at Castle Falls.  The venue is an authentic historic castle nestled on five lush and spacious acres near the heart of Oklahoma City.  The garden was amidst a cascading waterfall, towering cedars and oaks.  It was an elegant and nostalgic castle setting.  The Castle is modeled after a Normandy castle which gives it an old world charm and created an unparalleled environment.

As guests entered the ceremony, they were welcomed with scrolls and were given fresh cold water bottles, fans to make up for the warm weather, and postcards that boasted a picture of the castle on the front that guests would write their addresses on for us to send them our thank you.

While the guests waited, we had instrumental music playing, as well as the sound of the waterfall in the background.  The wedding party entered from the back through two tall wooden doors that opened to the garden.

Cody is a huge OU fan, and as a surprise for him, I played the OU song as we kissed.  The preacher was given a flag that he kept in the back of his jacket, he pulled it out and waved it.  Cody was so thrilled, along with all of the other OU fans there.  We had a beautiful ceremony that ended with the perfect kiss.

The Moment from wedding Aubrey never forget
I absolutely loved the look on my husband’s face as I walked down the aisle.  He’s not the crying type, but he had tears in his eyes.  I was nervous all the way up until I saw him.  And as we held each others hands, I felt calm and at ease.

The Reception
Our reception was held at the same venue (which was great for all of the out of town guests).  Just steps away from the royal garden, guests entered the reception hall.  It boasted high dark ceilings, a large fire place both inside and out, tall windows to see out to the garden and surrounding areas and a sleek and modern set up.  The colors of the room are naturally warm, and went perfectly with my décor.

My florist made tall centerpieces made out of large dark red sticks and tied single flowers to each one.  This allowed guests to sit at the table and see everyone around it, as well as added the perfect touch to the room.  A family tradition is to make wedding mints.  So I had purchased jars, handmade the labels, and filled them with mints that were set up on our favor table.

Our cake was placed at the front of the room by the large fire place.  It had all hand rolled pearls on each layer with an anemone sugar flower on the side.  The grooms cake fit in perfectly with his profession as a physician’s assistant, it was a pill bottle with pills spilling out of it.

We cut costs by putting together our own playlist on an iPod and hired a technician to run our music and slideshow.  Guests were free to flow inside and out.  We had appetizers set up in the back of the room with fruits, nuts, meats, cheeses, and a wonderful punch made by the castle.

The Wedding Theme
Our wedding theme was Vintage Modern.  The castle was the perfect setting for this elegant styled wedding.  My bridesmaids wore long charcoal dresses that matched the groomsmen’s tie and vest.  The matron of honor wore a deep gold dress that matched the best man’s tie and vest.  And I wore a champagne ivory dress embellished with crystals around my waist.

The groom wore a deep gold striped tie and vest to match.  My jewelry was all vintage and handmade.  My earrings and bracelet matched each other and the design on the dress and were both handmade pieces.  I wore a 40 year old family pearl ring and wore a classy cascading flower arrangement by Toni Federici in my hair.  My veil flowed past the train on my dress and was made extra thick around the crown to really put the perfect touch on the whole look.

Guests received handmade scrolls that I dripped wax on and stamped with a ‘P’.  At the very top, it read “Once upon a time, in a castle far far away….”  We kept the ceremony looking very natural and modern by not overdoing it with flowers.  The garden had tall Cedar and Oak tree’s that towered over the seating area.  Inside the building for the reception, I kept a clean look by using black table clothes and used a soft lace fabric to lay over some of the tables as accents.  The centerpieces gave height to the room along with the tall ceilings in the building.  The pearls on the cake matched the pearl ring that I was wearing and gave a soft vintage look as well.  The soft glow of gold around the room accented the black and charcoal colors used to create a warm modern vintage style.

Advice for other brides
Keep a notebook with numbers, names, information, and schedules of what you need to do.  Keeping organized will really help when it comes to making final payments and needing to know what needs to still be done.  When you first get engaged, sit down with your fiancé and figure out a budget.  Knowing what you are expecting to pay will help you narrow down venues, florists, photographers, etc.  And have fun, don’t get upset with your family or friends.  This is something you only get to do once!  The most important thing is that, regardless of how you do it, you will be happily married soon enough!

Aubrey’s Wedding Dress: Prisicilla of Boston 4021

• Begin addressing invitations (I need the envelopes first!)
• Start planning the honeymoon (Yippee! Santorini or bust!)
• Pick out the bridesmaid dress fabric and patterns (I’m going to have my girls pick a sewing pattern for a dress they love, and then make the dresses using the same pattern)
• Start mapping the ceremony out with Bob (Probably can be pushed back to January, as we haven’t begun our premarital counseling yet)
• Send save-the-dates (Will do this at the very beginning of January)
• Reserve the tent and tables
• Contact Nate about possibly being the iTunes DJ
• Make sure the florist is booked (Yes, but I need to send her ideas still!)
• Start composing day-of timeline
• Have first dress fitting (I’m not sure if this is quite as important, since my dress is a pretty simple design. I mean, yes–I need to get it shortened. But I’ll hold off on any size adjustments until March or so)

So yes! These are my tasks for the next two months. Now, the guestbook.

It’s always seemed strange to me, having a guestbook for your wedding attendees to sign. I mean, what’s the purpose? To see exactly who came to your wedding when you’re older? We had a guestbook at my high school graduation party, and I’ve never really opened it up since that day.

I don’t want to dispense with the guestbook. I just want it to be more functional…and beautiful!

Several years ago, when I was a cashier at Kroger and there was no one checking out, my friend and I would take the wedding magazines and plan our dream weddings. In one issue I saw a really cute typewriter idea, with a scroll of paper that you have people type on, but again–what’s the point? Plus, where would I ever find a typewriter like that. I’m sure I could, but nah.

My second idea was this, from Uncommongoods.com, the wishing wall. Isn’t it cute? Guests write little wishes on the slips of paper, roll them up, and stick them in the little compartments. Then you can have it as a little piece of wall art afterward! It even comes with a little chest to store extra wishes in. Alas, Jarrod was not too keen on this idea. I don’t know why, silly fiance!

And then I came upon this idea, something that our photographers, Grant and Leandra Longenbaugh, offer. The perfect solution! It’s a book of engagement pictures that guests can write in as they please, and then when the wedding is over, it serves as a nice coffee table book as well as a compilation of engagement photos. And so that’s what our guestbook will be! Now my task is to pick out the pictures that we want to be in the book. Which, I think I might just do now, since I’m thinking about it anyway!