Tickled Plum

Recently, the bridal attendants and I visited a bridal salon to search for a matching dress that would complement the one the Bruschetta 'maids will be wearing. We selected a number of JLM Couture -- Alvina Valenta, Jim Hjelm and Lazaro -- bridesmaid dresses, but on the girls, none looked quite right. (Unfortunately, there were no samples of the three dresses I posted about previously.)

After eight frustrating fits, I suggested we try the Bruschetta 'maids Amsale dress. And...magic. Seriously. As trite as that may sound, the dress really did look amazing.

Despite how great it looked on everyone, I was hesitant to select the same dress for the bridal attendants (even if we did it in a different color), since they won't be walking or standing with the bridal party during the wedding -- wouldn't it confuse our guests? But, Amsale Aberra -- whom I so want to hug right now! -- had designed another knee length, tissue taffeta dress that was equally flattering.

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It's a more A-line silhoutte than it appears in this picture, so don't judge too harshly by this one photo! And we'll be ordering it in a deep purple -- Amsale's tissue tafetta "plum" color -- so it will blend well with the black Bruschetta 'maid dresses, but be slightly different.

The only issue? The 12- to 16-week production time has me worrying it'll be a too-tight turnaround to order the dresses and get them in and altered for the wedding. I'm hoping someone from the bridal salon will be able to help remedy the situation, by either placing a rush on the order or simply telling me to relax and focus on something else!

I love the design -- and have a new favorite bridesmaid dress designer. What do you think of this new dress? And, what (who?) is the most flattering designer you've encountered on your bridesmaid dress search?

A Second Helping

After we found and finalized the bridesmaid dresses, I remember thinking (somewhat wistfully), "Huh. Well, that was easy." Don't get me wrong. Easy is great. I love easy. But, I also enjoyed the brief time we spent perusing the racks and having my girls try on dresses of floaty tissue taffeta and supple silk.

Then, Mer, Tiff and Sherry -- the three additions to the Bruschetta wedding (henceforth referred to as the Bruschetta bridal attendants...unless you've got some more suggestions for me!) -- decided they'd like to wear matching dresses. So, I'm starting the bridesmaid dress search anew, and I could really use some help from the hive!

I'd prefer this new dress (because yes, we all want another look for these girls) also be knee-length and in a similar fabric to the tissue taffeta Amsales. (So chiffon and satin dresses, while lovely, won't work.) Color? I'd still like neutral -- maybe black, but I'm open to dark grey or deep purple as well. I'm looking for something that coordinates well with the bridesmaid dress, too. (Here's a look at the Amsale the Bruschetta 'maids all loved as much as I do!)

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And I'd like to keep the cost as close to under $200 as possible. (We'll hopefully manage this by either placing the order from the salon where I ordered my gown [discount!], or purchasing them from another local dress shop that I know grants a percentage off for multiple bridesmaid dress orders.)

Using this criteria, here are the current favorites...

• Dress #1: A simple (but still striking!) halter-style from Amsale

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• Dress #2: Sweetheart, shirring and strapless from Alvina Valenta

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• Dress #3: Yummy folds of fabric from Lazaro

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The girls will, of course, have input in this decision. And how the dresses fit will also help determine the winner. But, I'd love to get some say from the hive as well.

Which is your favorite? And, if you have any suggestions of other designs, please share!

The LBD

When you think of summer, what colors come to mind?

Yellows, definitely. Light blues, pinks, whites, sure. But black?

Yes! With the appropriate style, black offers a dark canvas -- perfect for making summer florals go POP! And, with the right design and fabric, even a knee-length style becomes formal.

See? Dresses from the Jim Hjelm line (and family) were my original inspiration.

short and sweet - by Whisked Away on Polyvore.com

The bridesmaid dress search was surprisingly easy: first, a visit with Sister Bruschetta to try out countless options. We learned which dresses can make anyone look pregnant (goodbye, empire waists!), which were just plain uncomfortable and which would fit the feel of our late summer, black tie (preferred) soiree.

Later, we made a second trip with all the girls to select the dress from a (much narrower) list of options. We quickly eliminated cleave-necks from the running -- definitely not church appropriate! I saved my favorite for last, and everyone quickly agreed: the chosen gown's (yes, it's knee-length, but formal enough [in my opinion] to earn an upgrade from "dress") tissue taffeta is deliciously luxurious. Universally flattering. And (::gasp::) rewearable!

Accessorizing the Amsales is the next hurdle.

I first thought of strappy, black dress sandals -- and was quite content with this decision -- until Mama Bruschetta pointed out the model's metallic heels. At first I was torn, but now I'm all about the idea of silvery dress sandals.

I created an inspiration board to try and make sense of the options (and included some silver earrings, as each girl can wear her favorite [modest] pair; I'm considering nixing necklaces altogether). What do you think?

if the shoe fits... - by Whisked Away on Polyvore.com

Cold Hands, Warm Hearts

I love my friends.

They comfort me and allay my bridal guilt.

They come out at night to try on bridesmaid dresses when its 17 degrees out (but feels like 10).

They easily agree on the same Amsale bridesmaid dress, and with orders placed, we're able to cross another item off the to-do list.

I think that deserves a little recognition, don't you?

With an evening appointment at the salon, I knew we wouldn't have time for dinner before or after. But, I wanted a way to show my gratitude to the girls, and give them a (hopefully!) fond memory of the evening -- especially since it was the first time a few of them met!

Enter Crafty Miss Bruschetta. The resulting warm fuzzies came into being after many (many!) trips for supplies, and way too many needle pricks -- because hey, I'm still new at this.

Continuing to hammer home the color theme, I made each girl a puffy heart (ornament? I guess that's what I intended them to be). On each, I included a smaller heart of tulle; however, I made the size of tulle heart reflective of the time I've known each girl. Largest for Sister Bruschetta, and decreasing in size from there -- but still very cute.

And, not to be left out of the party, I created a bridal-y one for myself!

I wanted some cute packaging for the hearts, and found perfectly-sized black take-out cartons. After some hastily-made yarn pom-poms (to identify whose is in which box), I stepped back to admire my handiwork!


Our appointment was quick and efficient -- five gowns in the running, and an hour later, with the winner selected and each girl measured, there was time for a group shot before we headed out into the frigid (frigid!) February night.

(Yup, I'm absent in this one because I'm behind the camera -- the full group shot [taken by a bridal salon associate] was blurry, because my camera stinks.)

Was picking your bridesmaid attire an easy process? And what do you think about black dresses during the summer?

Let Them Eat Cake...

…but make them bake it first!

Back up with me a bit. Soon after Mr. Bruschetta and I were engaged, I found a gift idea in a magazine that turned out to be the perfect way to assemble my half of the wedding party. Nearly six months after I bookmarked it, with a newly-minted DIY spirit (and some crafting goodies to boost my confidence), I set to work on my first wedding-related project.

I wasn't feeling too skilled -- I'd only recently discovered Weddingbee! -- but knew I wanted to create a card that incorporated a food pun and our wedding colors. Using my brand-new Cuttlebug, I punched out each letter, and affixed them to the cards.

To accompany each card, I followed a recipe for a cake-in-a-jar: all the necessary dry ingredients, layered into a reusable glass jar. (Mocha chip for the bridesmaids; pineapple spice for MOH Sister Bruschetta.)

Lastly, I tied on the cards, with the recipe for the cake affixed to the front of the envelopes.

What's that? You'd like to get a bit closer to check out the recipes? Sure thing!

I loved presenting each cake-in-a-jar to my girls. Each “ask” began disguised as a dinner to catch up – and one even turned into a double date sleepover! All happily agreed to join me along the altar in August.

Did you use a creative method of "proposing" to your bridal party?