Wedding Invitations

Haha! I got my invites last week in the mail from Vistaprint and I have been adding my little touches to it. For $19.87 (On the 10 invites free promotion) for 20 invites inclusive of postage, I am really pleased with the overall finish product...Including the sample batch I purchased at a more expensive price, all up it works out to be $1.22 per invite. I am adding tiny pearls to the lace part of the invitation for the 3D effect... and then printing out the labels to address the envelopes out myself... but this is the cheapest and best compromise for the invites in my opinion!

My Wedding Shoes

I'm so excited! They are Christian Louboutin's - Duvette 85 in Crepe in Off White! I got them for a steal at $500. I am so excited but am I crazy spending so much on shoes? I only get married once right? Now I am wondering if I can get away with not buying another pair for the reception dress cause this pair has a red sole so that still matches right? *Fingers crossed I won't be judged*

My DIY projects...

for when I really want something but its proving too expensive to get the things I want:

1)My Quill Pen for the signing of the Register Of Marriage:

2) My Guestbook:

3) My Centerpieces

 4) My Wishing Well!!! Hahaha, well, it will be when I am done decorating it with some organza or tulle to keep the envelopes from falling out.

I love it! And it opens in half instead of having an awkward little door and has a solid base which makes it so perfect for a wishing well. And guess how much I paid for it? $15!!!

5) Our monogram, although I am still not sure where I'd be using this logo yet. FH is a superman fan if I haven't already mentioned this?

My Reception Dress

 I had been reluctant to get another dress, but FH really fancies the idea of me changing into a reception dress because all the weddings he had attended have had the girls do that*. So I caved. I saw this girl (total stranger) in a wedding video whilst I was 'researching' and she wore the most beautiful dress. Inspired by her I searched on the internet for a dressmaker who would make it for me...

How crazy tiny is this world...Her wedding, her dressmaker and I were located in 3 different countries and we had managed to find each other in the end.

The day it dawned on me that I managed to find the exact designer for the dress was one of the happiest of my life. I am still in awe to this day. I'm having this dress made as a reception gown and I asked for a mermaid skirt instead of this gorgeous train, just so that the two dresses remain different styles for the day.

It is a modern Cheongsam and it is going to be bright red. I am getting it after Easter, I can't wait!

*Most people find the wedding dress to be the highlight of a wedding. But if you are Chinese you'd be familiar with the indulgent traditions of wearing more than one dress on the day(s), in which case the styles and color choices magnifies obviously.

My White Dress ~ The journey and the destination

The day I went to start looking for dresses, I realised very quickly that what I had thought would look good on me wasn't the most flattering. I didn't want a huge skirt cause I think it silly to push my new husband away from me because he would keep stepping on my dress. Plus those dresses are heavy and the brides in them always look a little awkward walking in them. I think. I had thought that I'd like something quite elegant like this one:

but was afraid that it would make my bum look even bigger!

and this Maggie Sottero dress had always had my attention from when it first came out. But I didn't have the right body shape to pull it off.

Anyways, my first dress-shopping experience was with Roz la Kelin and I had thought this dress was quite pretty and when I first saw myself in it I had thought now this is a bride...

And I tried this on, another Maggie Sotterro dress. I think this was the Evelyn? My manager at work is getting this one now and I am sure it looks way better on her than it did on me. Cause I can't even hold the dress up, plus this dress has a very dipped back and my back is scarred. Hmm... not that great a look.

Anyways, there were other dresses but they always looked good, but just not quite right. And I was there in yet another bridal store thinking its not going to do anything for me. And then I tried on Henry Roth's Harley dress... not what I had asked for. I had asked for the Haley, but the Harley made me think... perhaps I don't want to be elegant. Maybe I wanted to be romantic? Tulle and diamantes and everything nice you know?

*****

Then I tried on a 2011 collection dress from Alfred Angelo not intending to buy anything like this at all but tried it on for fun.... the workmanship is excellent and it looks way more expensive and exquisite than a dress that is less than $2k. His designs are really flattering too in a very elegant way. So walking down the gallery in the bridal shop with their chandelier on...I couldn't stop admiring the sparkly details on the dress...and how it shimmered with every sway and glittered with every turn.

I bought the dress and at that moment in time, sealed the theme for the wedding which I was totally unsure about before that. Alfred Angelo's Style 850 dress:

Note though...I hinted the style of my dress (after I paid the deposit for it) to FH and he had had a different style in mind which made me really disappointed that my dress might not have the 'wow' factor) but unfortunately the bridal shop I went to already ordered the dress and I couldn't bear to lose my deposit. I bit the bullet and stuck with my dress and luckily whilst planning other details for the wedding, have now fallen in love with it again.