Bridal and Gift, The final show-down

And so it comes to be, that I did indeed find a dress on my travels. You see, I found the dress I LOVED and I thought about it all the time. It was at Ana's Bridal.


But just that night I was at a party in my apartment. A recently wed couple was discussing their wedding. "Where did you get your dress" I asked her, totally in the dress mode. "Bridal and Gift, have you been there, if you haven't I highly suggest you go!". Really? I thought.


The year before I had bought a bridesmaids dress there. It was a nice place, but small. The woman there were helpful and they had lots and lots of nice designer dresses. But when it came time to get our measurements, well... they read them ALOUD. I was totally embarrassed! After all, I was with a size 2 bride, her size 0 sister, and three single digit sized bridesmaids. My chest was in a whole new number set than theirs. UH

Then came the alterations. Again my woman was so friendly, but insisted I didn't need the top tighter. On the wedding day I put on the dress and the top fell down. Luckily she had gone above and beyond and created spaghetti straps for me and added hook and eyes so I was able to secure the dress. 


I went there not expecting much- and boy was I in for a surprise. They had revamped the store. Downstairs was tons of gowns, upstairs was solely bridesmaids and Maggie Sotteros.


I went into the room and the woman had tons of dresses for me to try on. I never asked about prices and she never told me- which was weird. But she was really focused on finding what I was looking for. I was the only person in front of the mirror and the only person there. I felt totally waited on hand and foot and also like I had a ton of privacy.


I have to say it was the first place I went to, besides Helene's that I felt I got the whole "bridal experience".
And so, I did find a dress I really liked there. It was a plain A-Line Justin Alexander with pinch pleating at the top and a long train. It was pretty simple, but it had the most beautiful swavorski crystal belt!


I still had the dress at Ana's in my head though. And then a light bulb went off. Bridal and Gift gave me the experience I wanted and carried the line I loved. Could they order the dress I saw at Ana's?
In fact...they could!! Without a flinch, I ordered the dress!


I got the experience AND the dress. They may not have a fancy website or champagne and strawberries- but there was lots of love and attention.


Right before I left, Linda, the owner, came over and hugged me and whispered in my ear "congratulations and welcome to our family!"

REAL BRIDE OF THE WEEK: Kate!

The Real Bride this week is Kate. Not only is she a close friend of mine, but also a bridesmaid. Kate will tie the knot in July of 2012! Kate and her fiance Eric knew one another off and on through college, but started dating after their time at URI. Eric proposed while they were vacationing on a cruise in January 2010. 
See below for details on her wedding inspiration and plans!

Kate and Eric at Countryfest!

A photo of Kate and Eric after they  were engaged in January 2010

Q: Your wedding date? July 14, 2012.  The ceremony is at the First Unitarian Church in Providence, with a backyard tent reception at my aunt and uncle's in Cumberland.

The First Unitarian Church on Providence's East Side

Q: Your colors and or theme? 

I sent each of my bridesmaids a bright bouquet to ask them to be in our wedding, and the colors felt right.  Eggplant purple and bright yellow it is!  We are going with a eclectic/summer party theme, with every table having a different setting - some vintage, victorian, different patterns and colors - using china that belongs to different family members of ours.  

 

Q: What is your inspiration for flowers and colors?

The inspiration has been the wildflowers my cousin Jennifer is growing in her garden for us!  She is using them to make our centerpieces, and they're stunning!

Q: The best part of planning is...
Choosing all of your favorite things and seeing your day come together, piece by piece.

Q: The worst part is...The guest list!  Where to cut?  Should they have a "plus one"?  You want people from all areas of your life to share in your joy, but it difficult for that to be possible.

If you were to go back and give your newly engaged self some advice...

 A two and a half year engagement seemed endless at first.  I'd go back and tell myself, "Don't stress about a long engagement, sister!"  It's a blessing and a chance to enjoy without hurrying.

NEW SERIES: REAL BRIDES

Since it's Friday, I wanted to announce my series for next week's post: REAL BRIDES.

These are women in my life, friends, colleagues, my girls from the knot boards, etc that are planning their wedding. Hopefully they will inspire you in some way :)

And...how could I start this series without first focusing on myself and my fiance, TJ.

Hello! This is us about a year and a half ago. We were in Utah visiting his family.

Here is our ceremony site: The South Ferry Church. I think this is SUCH an amazing shot of it...

About us: We met while I was living in Boston and TJ was working for a few weeks at the USS Constitution in Charlestown. We ended up having to do long distance for a while (Boston to slc... how I am sooo familiar with that flight!), and then TJ was deployed for 9 months to Afghanistan. He came back in June 2009 and moved to Rhode Island that October.

and...here are the details:
Wedding Date: 8-25-2012
Ceremony: South Ferry Church
Reception: Narragansett Towers


And our reception site... The Towers, Narragansett



Wedding Colors/Scheme: Blush Pink, Gold, White, some black - Vintage meets Hollywood Glam

Best Part of Planning: Meeting so many new friends-either my knottie girls or my vendors. There is a "world" of wedding planning--that I never knew existed---its like another universe. But, it's so fun!

Worst Part: Paying for it-- I thought money grew on trees?!

What advice would I give my "newly" engaged self: You can't and you Won't make everyone happy. Everyone has an opinion, take it in stride. Keep wedding chatter to a minimum-- start a blog so you can discuss your wedding there instead.... :) (hahaha)