november bits

Florals from my last round of arranging, an outfit for a (super) windy day, and some beautiful silk ribbon that I've been collecting for the wedding. I may use the ribbon for my bridal bouquet, because I love the idea of all that raw silk hanging long in different colors. So far I've had my heart set on a white/cream/green color theme (which you can clearly see in my obsessive wedding Pinterest board) because I love the simplicity of it, and I want the textures and details to come through without lots of color muddling things. But there's something compelling about certain shades of copper and pale mushroom brown and faded rust, which makes me think I may need to consider adding an accent color. The wedding may be seven months away (!!!), but I'm completely immersed in all of the tiny details and I'm loving every second.

the wedding dress hunt, part one

Our wedding may still be over a year away (May 14th of 2016) but I could hardly wait to start searching for a dress. Mostly because I know myself well, and I am going to be one picky lady when it comes to finding The One. My search began in New York with the adorable Liz (who is also newly engaged!) by my side and it was definitely an eye opening experience. Also, it's worth mentioning that the only thing I came close to actually purchasing that day was a vintage mint green sequined cardigan trimmed with marabou. Shocking, I know.

We went to four spots: Alexandra Grecco's studio (of course), the Manhattan Vintage Clothing Show (home of the sequined cardigan I sadly did not buy), Stone Fox Bride, and Lovely Bride. Alexandra's dresses and studio were just as expected: perfectly amazing. The dove grey silk number in the second and third photos was my favorite and made me feel like I was wearing the lightest, softest nightgown. The vintage show was overwhelming but fun, and I did see a lot of wedding-worthy frocks but they were mostly from the 1920's and 1930's and built for a 12 year old's body.

I was really excited about the next stop, Stone Fox Bride, but my experience lasted all of ten minutes because the samples were incredibly tiny (mostly size 2's) and the selection (although very pretty) was surprisingly small and beyond my budget. Also, the woman assisting me had a slightly cold demeanor that made me feel as though I was being hurried through the experience, which is not pleasant when you're standing there half naked wearing some unflattering high waisted nude underwear and struggling to pull complicated garments on and off. I only tried three dresses on, felt terrible about myself, and quickly got dressed so that I could cheer on Liz (who was only having slightly more luck than I did). I imagine a tiny lady would be in heaven here, but it wasn't for me.

Fortunately our last stop, Lovely Bride, made up for this awkward experience. The woman assisting me was a total doll (whew) and made me feel comfortable despite the aforementioned weird trying-on-white-dresses underwear situation. Liz and I both had one main reason for going to Lovely and that was the selection of Rue de Seine dresses (I'm wearing my favorite in the last photo). I tried on about ten different dresses and really liked three of them but none of them were quite perfect, although it did help me rule out certain things that probably don't look too flattering on me.

I would love to find a vintage dress but I'm still open to something new. I like the idea of finding a dress by a designer I love (Honor? Erdem, perhaps?) that isn't technically a wedding dress, since the thought of wearing something really bridal-y turns me off. In the meantime I will be trolling the internet for options like a madwoman. Wish me luck, and let me know in the comments if you have any wedding dress hunting advice (or horror stories) of your own!

a sweet proposal

We are getting married! (But you probably knew this already if you follow me on Instagram.)

Last weekend Christopher took me to one of our favorite places in the world, Bridgeton House, a gorgeous bed & breakfast on the Delaware River. He's quite the romantic anyways so I didn't think anything of it, I just thought he was being sweet. And then, in front of the fireplace and a cheese plate, with the DVD menu of When Harry Met Sally playing on a loop (I thought it was strange that he wouldn't press play, I didn't even realize he was nervous and stalling), he suddenly got down on one knee and I was so surprised that I started crying, which made him all choked up. And then he asked me to marry him, to which I replied, "Of course!" And now we're both floating on some kind of gooey romantic cloud together. I don't think I will ever be able to watch When Harry Met Sally again without dissolving into a puddle of sentimental tears.

The beautiful ring Christopher proposed with is a vintage 1920's art deco beauty, and the best part is the cool mustard yellow citrine stone. I've never been a fancy jewelry kind of girl, preferring cheap plastic stuff from the flea market and creepy brooches, but this ring really feels like me and I love that it's not traditional. And that color!

I'm completely over the moon, and I say this as someone who never imagined getting married, who couldn't have fathomed loving someone enough to want to marry them. When I moved to Philadelphia almost three years ago I never in a million years would have predicted that I would meet this hilarious and handsome mountain man from Maine, fall madly in love, and then be engaged to marry him. It makes it even more special to the both of us, because neither one of us was seeking this, nor did we see it coming even when people around us started to see some electricity. Forgive my very earnest cheesiness, but I do feel like the luckiest lady in the world right now because I know I will get to grow old with my favorite person.