27 dresses

 via pinterest

well.. not yet, but i'm well on my way!

last weekend my mom and bridesmaid serina accompanied me to my first bridal appointment (actually, it was a first for everyone), which we almost didn't make due to langley's confusing roads (there are three 88 avenues... guess how many tries it took to get on the right one?), an unpleasant gesture from a woman with a mullet in a white pick up truck and a one way road back on to the highway, which lead us all the way up near abbotsford before we could turn back around.

minus the harrowing commute, the appointment was off to a good start. let me just say though, clicking through pictures of wedding dresses is most definitely not the same as physically trying them on.. those things are heavy and induce quite a significant amount of sweat. and i'm not talking about a mild mist across my forehead either, i'm talking back-turned-into-a-slip-n-slide sweaty (all you future brides out there, think twice before you rush to a sample sale)!

ok so minus our harrowing commute and minus the intense perspiration, fun times really were had, i'm telling you! but it was hard to find a dress that didn't have boob shields.. and by boob shields i mean boning in the chest area that makes you want to knock on them and entertain the crowd with lame knock knock jokes. just kidding, knock knock jokes aren't lame, they're awesome!

so minus our harrowing commute and minus the intense perspiration and minus the boob shields, it was a very valuable experience in that i was able to try on many different styles and figure out what worked for me.. once we got to a dress that all of us could agree on, our wonderful sales associate amanda decided to add some bling (if you're a fan of tlc's say yes to the dress), or jack it up (if you're a fan of syttd: atlanta) by adding a glittery belt and finally... a veil. the second most important aspect of a bride's attire. a simple piece of tulle that inexplicably turns a white dress into a wedding dress. amanda gingerly placed the veil in my hair, took a step back, beamed at my entourage before looking back at me and breathlessly asked, 

"so what do you think??"

i took a long, hard look at myself. i studied the light veil that cascaded down the bottom half of my head and stopped delicately at my shoulders. i assessed the contrast of the tulle against the beautiful lace detail of the dress i had on. then i realized i had what resembled a cloud sitting on my head and aptly replied,

"i feel stupid."

so minus our harrowing commute and minus the intense perspiration and minus the boob shields and minus the stupid cloud on my head, the fun times really, truly began when i got out of my dresses and my mom and serina started getting into theirs. beautiful, flowy, ethereal chiffon gowns in dove greys, muted pinks and nudes. they looked so pretty and i couldn't help but feel proud at how gosh darn amazing they were going to look on our wedding day.

that was fun. minus nothing.

mama's birthday

not too long ago we celebrated my mama's birthday at the boathouse on white rock beach, not to be confused with this boathouse, where we'll be having our wedding reception!

couldn't help getting a shot of another case of unintentional twinness. seeing as how we were literally outside our door, i suppose one of them, one that lived here, could've gone back in and changed, but one of them couldn't be bothered, so twinness it was!

paparazzi shot.

money shot.

i know i've mentioned this before, but i love the way michael looks at me. doesn't stop me from punching him when i catch him at it though.. only because it makes me flustered and when i get flustered i get red and sweaty and i don't want him looking at me when my face is red. you know??

happy fifty-ish birthday mama! i promise i won't make you a grandma for a long long time.

it's here!

happy first weekend of fall!

i for one cannot wait to get lost in big sweaters..

wrap myself up in gigantic scarves..

and embrace leather again..

tis the season!

*all images via pinterest

jumping 101

step 1. bring your hands in front of you

step 2. swing them back to gain some momentum

step 3. jump!

if it didn't work the first time, that's okay, don't be discouraged! just go back to step 1 and start again.

1..

 2..

3!

once you've mastered the basics, get creative! 

michelle and i are seasoned pros, so we just skip step 1 and dive straight into step 2.

see?

pros.

 bonus points if you can land gracefully. points detracted if you can't control your face.

note to self.. control your face.

knot it

little women was and remains my favorite book of all time.. i must have read it at least 10 times throughout my youth! even now, certain things will trigger small details from the classic novel (that now has more pages falling out than glued in due to 10+ years of overuse).

whenever i peruse wedding dresses online, i'm reminded of meg's wedding scene, when amy expresses her reluctance to hug her soon-to-be-wed sister for fear of wrinkling her dress. meg encourages her and everyone else to hug and kiss her as they please, saying that she'd welcome wrinkles that came from displays of love and affection. i'd like to carry on that sentiment by picking a dress that allows me to be accessible and relaxed, able to carry cute babies and hug my dog, and heck, even play frisbee if the situation calls for it! on a day meant to celebrate love, i definitely would not want my outfit to hinder my ability to receive such expressions from close friends and family..

last week i posted about the perfect sweet escape.. today i bring to you the perfect dress! with my *first* bridal appointment coming up this weekend, i've been trying to narrow down exactly what i'm looking for..

an accentuated sweetheart neckline (if i were to go the strapless route)..

this dress looks like it was made of unbleached cotton or muslin, which i love.   
unfinished? unpolished? so me!

 forget bustles, knots are where it's at! this is something i'm prone to do with my own maxi dresses.. tie it at knee's length so i can go about my business without worrying about snags and drags.

 

the dress is long enough to have a small train, but not so long that it restricts movement. a wedding dress that needs to be bustled for the reception is definitely not for me!

isn't the color of the dress so wonderful? i'll definitely be avoiding starch whites, instead opting for creams and ivorys, like the one above.

what's comforting is that everyone i've talked to about wedding dresses seems to agree on what style suits me best. hopefully it'll make it easier to select one, knowing that i have a specific look in mind!

worse comes to worst, i'll tie a bedsheet under my armpits and call it a day. how's that for unstructured?

the fair

this post is pretty belated, but michael, michelle and i went to the pne on the last saturday they were open for the season. 

the little girl puppy teenager sitting in the back seat was pretty excited.. look at that face!

 

despite it being the last weekend of the fair at the pne, line ups were not bad at all around opening time.. which meant shorter periods of mental preparation. a fan of roller coasters, i am not!

sometimes i had to be forcibly restrained.. but all in good fun, right? right? wrong. 

michael on the other hand didn't need any encouragement. he loves roller coasters..

and fair food. lots and lots of fair food.

can you spot michael and michelle below? i think michael was trying to tell me we should go see the gun show after this ride.

we went and saw the horse jumping show instead. it was awesome!

horses jumped.

 of course, we had to indulge the baby sister with an obligatory game prize,

as well as an i-so-need-this-henna tattoo.

one tatted up teenager, just in time for the new school year!

after a full 6 hours at the pne, we finally made our way back home and i limped to the couch. just as i was getting comfortable, my mom asked me to help get dinner ready. michelle asked if we could go again. michael wanted to know if i'd like to go for a bike ride. luna begged to be taken for a walk.

this was my response.

elopement

not that we would ever dare to do this, but sometimes an elopement sounds extra sweet and tempting.. slipping away and cementing what started all this in the first place.. a love between two people! i am both floored and envious of the images below.. 

the bride made a ring pouch comprised of sentimental tokens that hung around their dog's neck..

and her bouquet is comprised of flowers they gathered on the way to their ceremony site in big sur.

this represents the basic family unit that michael and i will have upon marriage: husband, wife and dog. the most beautifulest, most cutest, most wonderfulest dog in the whole wide world.

sexy, sweet and tender, all wrapped in one!

i love this photo more than words can express. a special shoutout to my girl spyo, who's already expecting a barefoot wedding and roskho, who i know would definitely appreciate this photo, maybe even more than me!

check out ruffled to see more images of this beautiful elopement.. you know you want to.

intimacy vs. community

one of the perks of booking our reception venue is that it has a capacity of less than 150 people, which guarantees a more intimate celebration with our loved ones (although my ultimate ideal wedding would be capped at 50 and held in our backyard). however, as we slowly approach the date the limited guest list begins to weigh more heavily in our minds.. and hearts.

both michael and i come from two large (and mostly separate) church communities, and although the initial intent was to invite only those who had a close relationship with either michael, myself, or both, there is no denying the large number of people who have witnessed our growth and shaped our youth throughout the years. the familiar faces whose fondness and care for us stems from their friendships with our parents. the many individuals who take pride in our achievements and offer support through difficulties..

 

not to mention that this is the first wedding for both sides of the family!

but how to reconcile a 300 person production of mostly friends and acquaintances of our parents with the small, intimate wedding we've both been dreaming of? 

no really, how do we do it? 

thoughts?

into the wild

we're going camping!

via pinterest

to say we're excited is an understatement.. neither of us have camped since '04 and we can't wait to set up our tent by the river, eat grilled everything and roast marshmallows over the fire at night! word on the street is we're going to a very remote location with no showers or bathrooms.. (michael if you're reading this before we leave, don't forget the shovel!)

we're also certainly looking forward to a nice change of pace, to get out of the city and enjoy each other's company without any interruptions. i anticipate the next 3 days will be blissfully technology free and plenty of swimming and horseplay will ensue.. including a few 'real men competitions,' as in "real men fish with their hands" or "real men don't need lighters to start fires" and "real men don't sleep in tents," which is fine by me as long as there is food on my plate, a fire to keep my feet warm, and a tent to protect me from the elements as i sleep!

have a great weekend! 

all eyes on the groom

suit? or tux?

a tux may be cost effective, but when planning the wedding budget we made sure to allocate an equal amount, if not more to michael's attire rather than my own. in many ways it makes more sense for the groom to buy and the bride to rent, doesn't it? afterall the same suit may be worn on many occasions in the future, whereas the wedding gown will be lovingly sealed up and stored in a dark closet after a brief 8 hours of wear. that's why when searching for sartorial inspiration online, i've been looking at armani, boss and zegna for him, and craigslist* for me.

on our wedding day i would love to see michael in a slim cut, charcoal grey suit.. a bit like the one below.

how great is that shade of grey? this groom's suit is by theory.

 

but it is our wedding day and all, so perhaps a tie would be appropriate to tie in the look, har har.

 

 

so dapper with his side part! which also happens to be a very good look for michael.

just as the bride stands out in white, i think dressing the groom in a lighter shade than the rest of his groomsmen is a brilliant way to set him apart!

 

... and then we have this. because boys will be boys. and so will men. 

 

 

*yep, i went there.

chevron

hope everyone had a fantastic labour long weekend! we most definitely enjoyed ourselves, but after a jam-packed 3 days of pure fun with family and friends, michael and i both woke up this morning a little worse for the wear.. which is why i thought today would be the perfect day to share a bit about chevron stripes. we're all dizzy and blurry anyways, right?

i've hemmed and hawed about chevron before, but my trip to india has renewed my interest in this particular pattern.. and yes, i am aware of my need to watch out before our wedding takes on so much indian inspiration that it resembles the set of a bollywood music video. but what's wrong with that?

back to my point. see? here it is on the front gate before the taj mahal..

and on the taj itself.. can you spot it?

i've condensed it for your viewing pleasure. i'm nice.

and hello, color scheme. the peach, the ivory, the grey.. a perfect match!

perhaps we'll feel more comfortable infusing a bit of this pattern into our wedding decor knowing that it has withstood the test of time, as the 'big souvenir for a dead lady' was built.. a really long time ago.