Miracle on (Insert) Street

Oh...mah...gawd!!!  And no, I am not asking Becky to look at anyone's butt....this is a WAY better OH MAH GAWD!  I...are you ready...bought my rehearsal dinner dress today!!  Say whaaaaaaa? That's right, I did.  Let's back it up a little.  Again, not talking about someone's butt.


I have had my heart set on buying a certain type of dress for my rehearsal dinner.  I knew what color I wanted, and there was no budging.  Did I NEED a new dress? Nope, but I sure wanted one.  I found one I REALLY loved, I thought it was fantastic.

Image via Posh Girl Vintage

I absolutely loved love that dress.  Minor issue was that the dress was over $500, and it also was totally not my size.  That site sells vintage clothes, so the size they have is the only size you can get. I don't have a waist the size of a pencil, so that was NOT going to work for me.  Also, since it is not my official wedding gown, I felt very uncomfortable with spending that kind of money on a dress I can never really wear again. I can't exactly roll up to another wedding in a white dress.  I am not Pippa.

So that GORGEOUS dress was out.  So what did I do? I turned to the most amazing place I knew of on the internet.  Etsy.  Oh ETSY...how I do love thee.  Sure enough, I found a gown that had the same basic style! Tight waist, poofy bottom, sheer top, LOVE IT! And it was an amazing price! $85!! Holy crap!

Image via ETSY seller Elegance 50's

It came in quickly through the mail and I was so excited to try it on.  I ran into the bedroom, and attempted to zip it up.  Crappers...my back is apparently a lot larger than what this seller thought was a size 14.  That's honestly not possible, this dress was more a size 6.  However, I still decided to go model it for my mom and sister, even though I looked a little tacky.

They LOVED the dress, but there was no way the back would zip.  I decided I would bring it to a tailor to see if they could take it out.  Being completely flighty as I am, I never got to the tailor so I emailed the vendor and they told me they could not accept a return on that dress since it was longer than a couple days.  UGH! Sad day for me...that doesn't work well.  So I did what any person would do...stuck it in my bedroom and went on with my life.


Well, I turned to Google...almost as trustworthy as ETSY.  And I did come across quite a few gowns I really liked.  I also made sure to not go above $250 for this gown since it's just for the rehearsal dinner, and I knew that I preferably wanted a cocktail length dress so people don't see it as a "bridal" dress.

Image Via Shopstyle

Image Via Shopstyle

Image Via Shopstyle

Image Via TJ Formal

Image Via Shopstyle

One thing I DID have to try to keep remembering is that the dresses will not look like the way they do on the models...I am not a size 2 and I do not have a personal trainer.  So, I had to be realistic when looking at dresses.  So...this was out.

Image Via Shopstyle

There were so many pretty dresses out there, but I finally made up my mind on the one I wanted.  However, I wasn't ready to spend that money.  At the time I still needed a bridal shower dress and a lot of wedding stuff.  So yet ANOTHER dress was not on my list of priorities.  I did, however, swoon over that dress for a couple months.


Fast forward to today.  At lunch one of my best friends started talking about her dress that she is wanting to buy for her renewal of the vows.  In November, she will have been married ten years so they're throwing a party.  I asked her to send me a link to her dress.  When we got back to our desks, sure enough she sent me the link.  I got so excited for her and I decided I wanted to show her the dress I wanted to get for my rehearsal.  So I went to the website and all of a sudden I saw a mirage.  The dress appeared to be on sale, for more than half off.  Now I know I didn't sleep much last night but I didn't think I was THAT delusional. After reading all the small print, expecting to see something like "with mail in rebate" or "only with use of __ credit card", but upon further investigation, I didn't see any stipulations other than "Until October 1 or while quantities last".  HOLLA!!!! I clicked on the size drop down and they DID still have my size! Omg this is the best thing ever.  Before getting TOO excited, I finished the purchase to make sure there wasn't a catch.  Turns out...NO CATCH! This is honestly happening. I am getting a dress I have been drooling over for two months for less than HALF the original cost.  I truly could no longer think of a reason not to get this dress.  This was too good to be true.  This is like Tom Cruise exciting.

So I bought the dress.  It was an unforeseen turn of events.  While I was at lunch talking about my friend's renewal, I never would have thought that would lead me to FINALLY buying my rehearsal dinner dress.  I have ALWAYS been a firm believer in "everything happens for a reason" and "what's meant to be will always find a way" and this just proved it.  I got my dress, shipping, and tax for less than half the original price of the dress, because of one conversation.  This rocks!

I Showered

So this past weekend, I had my bridal shower!  It was absolutely fantastic!  I had tons of great friends there, awesome decorations, and amazing food.  I truly don't think there has ever been a better bridal shower in the history of the world!

No, not THAT History of the World!  My MOH and my older sister put most of the shower together.  They did a great job.  I was so happy to see that the theme matched my wedding without going too overboard.  I also liked that instead of a large, tacky veil, they gave me a simple pin that said "bride".  

There were lots of balloons and a couple hanging decorations, but the main focus of the party was the kitchen and dining room tables.  They were decked out and looked scrumptious!  The food was perfect.  There was a chicken platter, fruit platter, cheese platter, deviled eggs, mini cupcakes, spinach dip, and then THIS AMAZING CAKE!

NOM NOM NOM! I made sure to not fill up on the finger foods so I could devour that cake...which I did.  I even tried to steal the cake from my friend Carrie.  Oopsies!  I am just a big fatty...especially when it comes to cake.

The games we played were the classic clothespin game (can't say wedding, bride, groom, honeymoon, or Eric), wedding gift bingo, wedding word scrabble, and "How well does the bride know the groom" which I got 12/16 questions correct.  I'd say for only knowing my man 11 months I did pretty darn well! *High fives self* Boo yah!


When it came time to open gifts, I got to sit in the awkward "look at me" chair and have all the attention on me.  Yayyyyyyy....my favorite.  It was a little strange, and I did feel like I had to put on a show for people.  However, it was worth it!  I actually had a very good time opening the presents and had a lot of fun interacting with everyone while I did it.  It wasn't AS awkward as I originally thought, but it still isn't in my top five favorite things to do.

Sadly, however, my fear of candid photos was justified.  I probably only have one normal picture from the whole hour or so I opened presents.  Here's that shining star amongst rocks.

I look excited, I only see 1.5 chins...all in all it's a fairly normal "opening presents" photo.  However, the rest of the 100's of pictures that were taken looked like this.

Ugh...I KNEW photos would be taken, yet those are the faces I make? I give up.  I'm going to have to warn my wedding photographer ahead of time because THOSE ^^...those lovelies above us...that is NOT how I want to remember my wedding.  Lesson learned, on the wedding day I must ALWAYS pay attention to EVERY face I am making.  Otherwise it's bad news bears.


Here are some of my favorites from the shower.  They're pictures of my friends and family and just prove how much fun the shower was.  

This is me and just my sisters, missing one though :(

Kristen and me

Sisters being normal

Um, I HAD to sneak one in of me and my nephew Logan....AMAZING

MOH, me, Shannon (older sister)

Cutting ze cake

Three of my funny friends caught eating

This is a group shot of most guests

All in all, my shower was amazing.  It went by faster than I can describe, and I am sure that's foreshadowing for the wedding day.  I got AMAZING gifts, got to hang out with amazing friends and family, and had a blast with most of my favorite women in one room.  I am so lucky to have friends that are so friendly and get along with everyone.  I am very blessed to have such unique, GORGEOUS friends! I mean come on, look at that picture! Everyone is BEAUTIFUL!  I made out like a bandit at the shower and am SO lucky to have so many people support me and be there for me on one of the most important days of my life!

TX/O Who?

For many people living in Texas, TX/OU weekend is an important weekend every year.  It gives them reasons to dress up in their favorite UT gear, get drunk, watch football, and yell at friends who support THE WRONG team!  For me though, it means quite a bit more than just partying with my friends...although partying with friends is AWESOME(especially my friends).  


Last year at the TX/OU Downtown block party, I was with my best friend and her boyfriend.  We were at Hooters having a good time.  While we were there, a mutual friend of ours showed up with a friend, a friend I had never met before.  I found this friend to be VERY cute, and I told him that.  I even told him that he was going to be my boyfriend for the night.  And sure enough, he didn't really leave my side that entire night.  His name was Eric, and I was a BIG fan of him.  Our whole group hung out at the block party all night, then when it was time to go, we headed out and went to IHOP.  I actually rode with Eric to IHOP and we shared a meal together.  It was the country omlette with chocolate chip pancakes...my FAVORITE meal there.  Our mutual friend, the one who basically introduced us, took this below picture of us at IHOP and it's actually our only picture together that whole night.

It's not a very good picture since it was taken with our friends cellphone, but I love this picture because it's our first official picture together.  After dinner(breakfast I guess) he took me home.  And that was the end of that night.  The next day was the actual TX/OU football game and I went to my friend's house(the same friend I hung out with the night before) to watch the game.  About 20 minutes after I got there, guess who showed up?  THAT'S RIGHT! ERIC!  We didn't talk much since I was talking to all the people at the party, and the next thing I knew he had left to go to work.  I continued having a good time with my friends and then it went from daylight to nighttime.  At about 10:30 Eric showed up back at the party.  We hung out until it was time to leave.  The next day, we texted a little and then a mere four days later we went on our FIRST official date.  We've been together ever since then.  Never even attempted to just date, kind of went head first into a serious relationship.


That time of year is upon us again.  In two weekends it will be TX/OU weekend again and I am so excited.  I met great friends last year and met the man I am going to marry.  TX/OU weekend holds a lot of significance for me and I am VERY much looking forward to what this year has to offer.  I cannot WAIT to make more memories and take lots of pictures.  Here are just a few from last year.

I cannot wait for more memories and good times.  Thank you TX/OU for introducing me to the love of my life and for holding so much significance, more than just a football game.

From Journaling to Blogging, The Mind of a Crazy Woman

This is going to be a kind of serious, personal post.  I came across something today that got me thinking about how one's writing style/mindset changes over the years.  While I was about to start writing out thank you's for my bridal shower, I realized I needed a hard surface to write on so I went to my entertainment center and grabbed a hard covered journal.  It ended up being a journal of mine from 7 years ago and earlier.  So between writing thank you's, I took time to read some of my earlier journal entries.


As I have said before, I REALLY love writing.  Whether it's blogging, journaling, or even writing fiction, I just love to write.  Putting thoughts on paper for me has always been a passion, and sometimes I get a little overly creative.  In reading a few of my journal entries, I realized that whatever was going on in my life at that time really made me have a darker sense of writing and I had a lot of wonderment in what I wrote.  At that time in my life, I journaled to let out a lot of my stress, anger, and even happiness.  I don't like to consider it a diary though because it's not "dear diary" type things.  So I'll stick with journal.  Reading this journal tonight really made me think about that point in my life and how things have changed, how I have grown, and how much my past really has shaped me into the person I am today.  So without further ado, just a couple entries that I read tonight that got me inspired to write about how different I was a mere 7 years ago.


If you don't want to get to know the past mindset of me, please don't keep reading.


July 15
"Gravity, tricky topic.  It holds everything to the earth.  Nobody even cares about it...we just take it for granted.  As I sit here looking at the waves, my mom mentioned how cool it is to think they just keep going and going!  Well...what if they didn't?  What if all of a sudden, gravity just decided to quit...to move on to a planet that appreciates it.  Then what?  Everything would fall?  To where?  I don't know.  Would our ozone keep it in and rather than everything being on the earth, we all just swam in the ozone like a bowl?  Would we continue to fall into outer space where we would die then float for eternity?"


This entry...makes no sense.  I would love to know what was going through my mind that had me write such...nonsense, yet deep at the same time.  My journal seems to go all over the place.  Each page is very random.  Some are written in paragraph form, and some are all over the place with random LARGE words then things written in the margins, things like "Rain Rain go away, Bridget's heart is made of clay, boys hold and smoosh it bad all day, so take her pain away today" on July 30th and "Somewhere I will find the right guy, I just hope it's not the day I die."  That's kinda, poetic, yet dark.  That was on August 2.  Same summer as the post above.  I would like to think that if someday I got famous, this journal would be a New York Times Best Seller.  It's interesting...and I'm even the one who wrote it.  Although, I feel that at that time in my life, I was not who I am today.  Today I have the man of my dreams, one who does not smoosh my heart and it's certainly not the day I die.  


I do, however, understand why some of the world's best writers have been diagnosed with mental illnesses.  I am not at ALL putting me amongst the top writers category, I am just saying that it seems some of my most creative writing was at a dark point in my life.


August 5
"I have completely pushed my family away, and no matter what I do, I just cannot feel truly happy.  When I smile, it's empty.  There is no feeling behind my smiles, no feeling but emptiness."


Reading that was sad to me.  It reminded me of a time that I have actually blocked partly from my memory.  It does, however, make me connect to my past self.  Even though in my post I wrote about knowing that I was down, sometimes it's hard for a person in that situation to get out of it.  Especially when they have isolated themselves.  I wrote a section to my family, just a short two line sentence.  "Have I told you lately that I love you? Have I told you there's noone above you?"  Some of the weird things I have written in the margins of my journal I am honestly not sure if they're from a poem or song, or if I wrote them.  I truly don't clearly remember this part of my past, obviously for reasons that only my past reveal.  


August 14
"Even if it's hard sometimes, to feel as if the sun still shines, just know that deep within your friends, there's a love for you that never ends."


I like this quote...whether I wrote it or whether someone else did.  It's sweet.  


I have not read my entire journal.  That will be something I definitely do.  I did, however, flip through the pages and looked for things that stood out to me.  I truly am amazed at the style of my writing back then and feel like reading through this journal will actually help me to better understand the woman I have become.  I feel like I am reading a biography or a novel of some sort, yet it's actually me.  It feels kind of weird.


I am glad I found this and I am looking forward to reading the entire thing.  It is VERY long, some days I wrote 8 pages.  And they're big pages with thin lines.  It will take a long time, but I am looking forward to it.  I will also probably write a few more posts about my journal, but I will try to make them a little less dark. 


I know this is completely different than what I normally write, it just was really emotional for me to see this old journal and REALLY influenced me to write some of the things I had written years ago and reflect on them.  It's amazing how people change, and it's amazing how reflecting on one's past can really get someone to think about their present.

Shower Me With Love

My shower is two days away.  This excites me for multiple reasons.  1) I get to see many family and friends who I don't see often all in one place! 2) I LOVE parties! Especially themed parties, so this is going to be excellent.  3) I get presents...duh.  I am sad that not all of my family and friends can make it, but I know they will be there in spirit.  In lieu of some of my friends and family not being able to make it, I cannot wait to see all the decorations, presents, and people having a good time.  I am very much looking forward to the people closest in my life to all be together in one place, celebrating ME AND MY FUTURE HUBBIE(who won't be there, cuz its just girls, uh duh)!!!  The cake? Mine! The food? Mine too! Pretty decorations? Oh yeah, mine! Presents? ALL MIIIIIINE!

"Mine" birds from Finding Nemo

I am, however, a little worried about this party.  I didn't get engagement photos done and I didn't do a bridal portrait shoot.  So this will really be the first time that all the attention is on me.  This makes me nervous.  I don't do well with public speaking, if I notice in a group setting that all ayes are on me I get embarrassed, and I even turn red when people sing happy birthday to me in just a family setting.  I have a VERY "out there" personality that seems to draw attention, yet I am not comfortable with the attention.  It's a very strange combination because I am very loud and sometimes a little obnoxious(so I am told, I disagree), however I am not one of those people all about "me" and wanting constant attention.

One absolutely ridiculous reason I am not looking forward to the shower? Are you ready for this?  Candid photos.  UGH! I hate, hate, HATE the way I look when I don't know a picture is being taken.  I always manage to have six chins, crossed eyes, and a booger in my nose.  It's like when I know a photo is about to be taken, all my skin tightens and I get tanner.  When I don't know a photo is being taken, the camera seems to wash me out, wrinkle my skin, and give me extra rolls and/or facial features.

Did not know photo was being taken/ Knew photo was being taken

Case in point! That is the same night, same outfit...TWO DIFFERENT FACES! Is that not enough evidence for you? Here look at this. Same day, same spot...one face has two chins, but one face has one. Can you guess which shot I didn't know was being taken?

I truly hate it.  I don't understand how I can possibly look so different just because I don't know a photo is being taken.  Am I being dramatic? Nope, absolutely not. This is a legit reason to not want to attend your own bridal shower.  I'll look back at pictures and get really sad that I have 18 chins and cellulite on my arms.  The time I am most anxious about these pictures being taken?  When opening up the gifts.  That's when LOTS of pictures will get taken.  This is what I imagine my photos will look like.

Mad photoshop skillz, y'all

Ugh...no me gusta.  That is NOT how a woman should look at her shower, yet I can pretty much guarantee that I will, minus the onesie.  At the bridal showers and baby showers I have been to, I have always been relieved that I wasn't the one on everyone's mind.  I tend to get red, loud, and really sarcastic when I get nervous.  Freud would probably give me some sort of weird diagnosis, because in all reality, it makes no sense to feel strange being the center of attention yet get LOUDER as a way to try to fix the situation.  I hope at my shower, it doesn't turn into an awkward turtle situation.  

I am really looking forward to it though. I think in a way it will prepare me for the wedding day.  I would much rather be an awkward turtle at my shower than at the wedding.  

Will the Real Disney Princess Please Stand Up?

Every bride wants to feel like a princess on her wedding day.  Lucky for brides all around the world, Alfred Angelo has made a Disney Princess gown collection.  Say whaaaaaaa? I know right! Now we don't have to go to a HUGE gown store looking for a "Cinderella" gown.  We can just get the one Alfred Angelo made! YIPPEE!!!  However, upon further investigation, I don't think some of their gowns hit the nail on the head. Some I completely agree with when it comes to matching the Disney Princess.  However, some fall short.  Let's compare.

Ariel

Ariel was a mermaid, as we all should know, who used a spell to become a human.  As her human self, she wore the below gown.  Poofy sleeves, ball gown style dress, simple detail.

Ariel in wedding gown via Disney Clipart

Alfred Angelo had a different take on Ariel.  He went with a mermaid style gown to go with Ariel's pre-human form.  Makes sense.  A gown that actually looks like Ariel's wedding gown would not fit today's styles.  However making a MERMAID style gown would.  He perfected it by adding ocean-esque style details like pearls and sequins to really give the dress a distinct, princess-y feel.

Ariel gown by Alfred Angelo

I personally love this gown.  I think it really embodies Ariel.  This gown is a thumbs up, way to go Alfie.

Jasmine

Jasmine was the dark, exotic Disney Princess.  For Jasmine's wedding, her dress was long, kind of form fitting, and for a cartoon quite detailed.  She had big, bulky jewelry to add to her look.

Jasmine via Truffle Shuffle

Again, Alfred Angelo went with more of a dress that embodied who Jasmine was, not what she wore on her big day with Aladdin.  While I do like the gown he designed, I feel it was more Grecian inspired.  I am not sure how I would have designed a gown for Jasmine, but I am not sure if I would have done this.

Jasmine via Alfred Angelo

I do like the jeweled neckline.  I think that goes very well with the Jasmine look.

Sleeping Beauty a.k.a. Aurora

Aurora is my absolute favorite princess.  Sleeping Beauty is my favorite Disney movie.  So when it came time to buy my wedding gown and I found out there was a Disney Princess collection, I figured I wouldn't even have to shop around.  I KNEW I wanted to be Aurora on my wedding day.  Sans the pink though.

Aurora via Disney Clips

I don't know what it is about Aurora, but I LOVE her.  I will get in heated debates over which princess is best.  However, when it comes to the Sleeping Beauty gown, I will not fight to the death to defend its honor.

Sleeping Beauty gown via Alfred Angelo

Oh Alfie, why did you do this to me? The top of the gown is VERY pretty, but the bottom? I don't understand.  Aurora was classy, sweet, naive, and beautiful.  And you gave her this? *sigh* Sad day for me.  Turns out I don't get to be Aurora for my wedding day.  That silly skirt ruined it.

Tiana

I don't know anything about this princess.  Sadly I did not watch "The Princess and the Frog", so I will just show the dresses.

Princess Tiana via Dr Jays

Tiana via Alfred Angelo

I actually heart this dress.  I think it's really cute.  I like that the pin tucks are not over done, I like the one shoulder, the sweetheart neckline, and the sparkles.  Do I know if it matches Princess Tiana's style? Nope sure don't.  What do I know? Its a heck of a lot better than that Sleeping Beauty monstrosity.

Cinderella

Ahh, the princes everyone refers to when they want to describe their dream wedding.  You hardly ever hear "I want to feel like Belle", it's always "I want to be Cinderella on my wedding day".  She is the epitome of a princess.  Rags to riches, nothing to everything.  Aahhhhh, Cinderella.

Cinderella via Disney Dreaming

With her beautiful ballgown dress and elegant updo, it's no wonder everyone sees her as the perfect bridal inspiration.  Alfred Angelo took a big risk by designing a dress and naming it after this epic princess.

Cinderella via Alfred Angelo

Oh...muh...gawd.  I LOVE this gown.  I think it is everything Cinderella embodies.  Poofy, yet understated.  Sweetheart neckline with elegant detail.  The skirt even has glitter in it.  It is a very pretty gown and definitely fits Cinderella's personality.  Winning.

Belle

Belle, from Beauty and the Beast, is best known for her poofy yellow gown with gatherings and ruffles.  It's such a pretty gown!

Belle via The Disney Wiki

So cutesie!! I love her in that gown! I love the over the shoulder shawl...LOVE LOVE LOVE Belle and her pretty gown.  Alfred Angelo REALLY incorporated a lot of Belle into his gown.

Belle via Alfred Angelo

Um, yes please!! He embodied all the things that I think of when I think of Belle.  Poofy skirt, capped sleeves, gathering in the skirt.  I LOVE this gown and I LOVE that it is TOTALLY BELLE!  Touche Alfie, you win.

Snow White

Snow White, the fairest princess of all.  What is she known for? Pale skin, eating an apple, and living in a forest with dwarfs.  She is the original Disney Princess, so her gown should be original.

Snow White via Disney Wiki

This would be a hard princess to design a dress for because she pretty much wears the same thing during the whole movie. So the design of her dress had to be more off of her personality and the movie plot line as opposed to what Snow White actually wears.

Snow White via Alfred Angelo

I like this one.  A detail one wouldn't know without reading the Alfred Angelo website is that the flowers on the dress are organza apple blossoms.  Therefore bringing in the infamous apple from the fairy tale.

There are two others by Alfred Angelo that just came out.  There is Cinderella Platinum and Rapunzel.  You can see pictures of the gowns at Alfred Angelo Rapunzel and Alfred Angelo Cinderella Platinum.  They're pretty dresses, but not sure what the need to redo the Cinderella dress was.  

All in all, I like that Alfred Angelo stood up and made this collection.  I think most of these princesses would be proud.