My bridal weekend in Miami

"To love someone deeply gives you strength.
Being loved by someone deeply gives you courage."
- Lao Tzu

One of the biggest tasks for the bride-to-be is selecting the perfect wedding gown. There are so many options and styles to choose from that it can turn into a daunting task. My friend Jessica came to my rescue to help me locate the perfect dress. She planned an extravagant bridal weekend trip to Miami. We ventured across the state on Friday and spent the night before our shopping excursion relaxing poolside.
While relaxing, I read a magazine article with tips on selecting the perfect gown. It said the dress is the focal point of the wedding. I'm not sure I agree with that, but I do think it's a big part of the wedding. The gown makes a statement about who the bride is. It showcases her style and personality and I really want a dress that captures all of that for me.
We woke up early Saturday for our retail therapy. She made appointments at some fabulous boutiques that treated me like a princess. I tried on dozens of gowns including ones from Vera Wang and Oscar de le Renta. The fabrics and detailing were amazing. Sure they come with a price tag, but some of them are worth it.
There were so many choices except for straps - like 90 percent of the gowns are strapless. Good thing... I'm not against strapless. I had so much fun looking at accessories, hair pieces and experimenting with sashes. These are relatively new and I love the idea. These sashes come in a variety of colors and with all different types of embellishments. They completely change the look of the gown and add some personalization. Plus, you can change the sash for a different look for the reception instead of wearing a different gown.
We had such a great trip and I have a better sense of what will work best for my body and what type of dress I want. I think I have it narrowed down to a few choices, but am still going to do a bit more exploring before deciding on "the one."

-Penny

Our first dance

"Dancing with the feet is one thing,
but dancing with the heart is another."

Adam and I have spent the last few weeks listening to romantic ballads trying to find the perfect tune for our first dance. We don't have similar tastes in music so it has been challenging for us. We started the process by writing down all of our favorite love songs. We spent a couple evenings listening to all the selections and kept eliminating until we narrowed it down to a top six.
In random order they are:


-I Believe in You and Me - Whitney Houston
-Quit Your Life - MxPx
-Let's Stay Together - Al Green
-Somewhere Over the Rainbow - Martina Mcbride
-What a Wonderful World - Eva Cassidy
-No One - Alicia Keyes

We have a poll on our blog so you can vote for your favorite tune. Let us know which one is your favorite. The winning song will be used for our first dance as husband and wife.

-Penny

Our first bridal show

"Let this be our destiny, to begin each new day together
to share our lives forever."

Adam and I loaded the car and headed North to Tampa last weekend for our very first bridal show experience. We picked up his parents so they could join us on this adventure. We arrived at the hotel in downtown set up to accommodate the show. We lined up behind dozens of other brides-to-be waiting to attend the "Ultimate Bridal Show." We didn't have to wait long... and I was one of the first 100 brides to enter (no. 98) so I received a goodie bag with Clinique makeup, a guest book and other wedding odds and ends. The holding area was equipped with appetizers and a jazz musician performing in the back. Finally, the doors opened. To be honest, we both thought it would be bigger. There were less than 25 booths scattered along the sides of the room with a runway in the center. The majority of the booths were devoted to photographers. I really enjoyed the ones showcasing local bakeries. They brought samples that were delicious. I tasted the best red velvet cake with buttercream icing. I'm seriously considering that flavor for our wedding cake. Adam really enjoyed the champagne fountain at one of the booths. The show lasted several hours that were split up by a fashion show of wedding gowns and bridesmaid dresses. I really liked a couple dresses from Demetrios. At the conclusion of the show prizes were awarded. I was really hoping for the $1500 honeymoon package... that was about the only prize we could use since all the prizes were for local vendors. Maybe we should attend a show in the Hoosier state.

Wish me luck talking Adam into that...

-Penny

A wedding tradition

"Love is a smile to share, An ear to listen and a heart to love."

Tossing a garter is considered to be the oldest surviving wedding tradition so I wanted to personalize this detail of our wedding. I spent a month searching for the perfect customized garter. There are so many choices out there. If you can dream it someone can make it. Adam and I discussed lots of options including going with something sports releated like the Colts, Bills or Pacers. We considered honoring Adam's fraternity with the purple and gold of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. Then Adam suggested we commemorate our alma mater and get a Ball State University one. It was the perfect choice because we met in college and our wedding colors are the same as the school's colors. We're also planning to attach an SAE pin to the garter so we can still honor Adam's fraternity. I purchased our garter from Let's Dance Garters. They have beautiful products, great quality and excellent service. They didn't have one for Ball State, but she agreed to make one special for us and no additional cost. (The picture is of the Arizona Cardinals, but ours looks just like this minus the pin in the middle)

-Penny