If you read my first post, you may remember just how much I was dreading this part of the process. I think I worded it as “dreaded with a capital D”. We have been engaged for eleven months. I JUST started looking for a dress. Our wedding is in the summer, so, I kinda had no choice but to start looking. For those that can’t stand the suspense, I successfully found and purchased my dress. The road to get there was both shockingly awesome and sadly depressing at different points.
Let’s start with the specifics. I am not a standard bridal size. On top of this I am also a little . . . different? Weird? I don’t know. I have short hair (growing out a pixie kind of short hair), glasses and more than a few tattoos. I knew from day one, I wanted to look like me on my wedding day. I don’t want to hide my tattoos, actually, just the opposite. I wanted my two half sleeves to show and if any of my other pieces of artwork showed I was totally OK with that. So, I’m curvy, a little different, and I hate shopping. Drop me off in a clothing store and I get overwhelmed in minutes. Let’s jump into the deep end of a sea of White, Ecru, Off White, Diamond White, Ivory, Blush, and Champagne! Actually, a sea of champagne would have been helpful.
With my PhD in Say Yes to the Dress and I Found the Gown, I calculated that I needed, at minimum, six months. I gave myself an extra month to pretend I WANTED to dress shop. I thought about who and what and when and where a trillion times.
The first shop we decided on was a small shop in Harford County. The owner is an absolutely lovely woman that reminded me in so many ways of my grandmother. Her assistant was an equally lovely lady that made me comfortable from the moment we walked in, “You are the bride. You are glowing. I can always tell who the bride is by the glow.” I had no idea I was glowing, but thanks! It was just us on that Saturday morning, so we had the run of the place. The selection of sizes in this shop really surprised me though. So, A+ in that department. I was convinced I wouldn’t be able to try anything on.
In tow, I had my mom, two of my girlfriends and my future mother in law. They bee lined for the racks while I gave the owner the specifics: I have no idea what I want. The girls were pulling dresses left and right, some of which I tried, and some of which were vetoed. I am pretty sure I had hives by this point. I was directed to the dressing room and assisted into the first gown – a high neck, low back lace dress. It was an immediate favorite of the moms.
The second dress was denied as I looked (and felt) a bit like a Barbie cake. The ball gown silhouette did nothing to show off my curves, which was a fiancé request. Third was a Grecian inspired strapless chiffon gown. Beautiful, but not it.
I tried on a few more that I was kind of meh about, and then I tried on another lace dress, this one strapless with a corset back. My glow friend really cinched me down and HOLY HELL… where did that come from? She opened the door and I turned to face my entourage. Their mouths literally dropped open. There were lots of “look at your waist!” and squealing going on.
My mom came in the room and I felt it. The moment where it all hits you at once. Honestly, I don’t really think it was about that particular dress, more about how I felt, how I saw what everyone else says they see in me. I saw a teeny waist and a pretty substantial amount of cleavage. I cried and then I realized that this was a HUGE amount of money to drop on one of the first dresses I’d tried on. We left that day with a pretty firm thought that I had likely found the dress, but that I wanted to be sure. I wasn’t.
I scheduled an appointment at another shop for the following Saturday. The shop is absolutely beautiful and we were greeted immediately by our consultant and manager of the store. I gave her my price point and some things I knew I did and didn’t want. We pulled a bunch of dresses and got to the dressing room. I did mention to her that I had found a gown (!!!) that I really loved but wanted to be sure. I showed her a picture. She asked me “If you found it, why are you still looking?” Honestly, a legit question and one I had been asking myself. The money was a big factor, but, that is mostly because I am cheap as hell. I buy nothing without a discount or a coupon. So, why was I still looking?
Honestly, the dresses I tried on here are kind of a blur. I was sort of on an island to get the dresses on by myself, and the consultant came in to help zip/cinch/stuff/pull lining/fan me. As a street size sixteen, and a bridal size 16-22 depending on the cut, I was disappointed in the selection of things in my size. Of the likely 8-10 dresses we pulled at least 6 were too small to even attempt to squeeze into. I was getting more and more frustrated with each failed attempt. My consultant was wonderful though, and I cannot stress that enough. We grabbed a lace gown that was sadly a 12, but was fairly stretchy lace. We got it on, with the liner bunched up in a super unflattering way right around my middle. We smoothed the lace out over the bunch and out I went.
All three LOVED it and said it beat the previous dress. I felt differently, but, I think that was mainly because I have an awful time visualizing myself without picking myself apart. It’s a nasty habit.
We left the shop shortly after, and I felt utterly defeated. I thought the gown was pretty, I was still thinking about the first dress, and I couldn’t help thinking about the cost of the dress in terms of other vendors: this would be almost what we paid for our coordinator. This could be used for flowers, décor, the officiant and like four other things. Again, I’m cheap frugal. I didn’t sleep that night.
The next morning I got out of bed and felt like hell. I felt guilty for thinking of spending so much on a piece of clothing. I wanted to see if I could find something else that I loved that maybe wasn’t quite as pricey. Frugal really should be my middle name. I had been checking out David’s Bridal gowns for a while online. I thought the quality would be so much less than what I had been looking at previously, but, I thought it was at least worth a look in person. I scheduled an appointment for the next day. I wanted to puke and had myself convinced I wouldn’t find anything and would have this issue with the price and OMG I had to find something because ….. this is my brain on wedding gowns.
My mom and I went alone to this appointment and met our sales person who was just a peach. She was six months pregnant and it took everything in me not to rub her belly for good luck cause lord knows I was gonna need it. I again told her what I liked and didn’t and a price point that I was more comfortable with. She pulled probably four gowns up front and I vetoed two of them. I tried the other two on, but wasn’t feeling them. She pulled some more. Not so much. I felt the anxiety rising. She brought in a few more, two of which were on mannequins and we had requested to see. One was too beaded for my outside summer wedding, but the second was a super lightweight taffeta that was extremely simple. I had absolutely no hope for it. I walked out and I looked and looked and we added a belt and she pulled it in because OMG I WAS IN A DRESS TOO BIG FOR ME to show me and my mom how it would fit after alterations. I took it off and tried on a few more. I tried it on again. Several of the ladies in the store were commenting on my shape in the dress and smiling at me. I liked what I saw, but, why wasn’t I having “The Moment”? I was scared to commit.
She wrote down all the information and we went to have margaritas and Mexican food . . . because who doesn’t while trying to feel ultra skinny? I really just needed a drink. Was I settling because of the money? I listed out the pros and the cons. WHY WAS THIS SO HARD?! Then, I started to see it in my head. I started to see how the simplicity of this dress suited our outdoor rustic summer baseball vintage shenanigans much better than the others I had tried. I saw the ways that I could accessorize this dress, which is what I wanted from the beginning, and wouldn’t have been possible with the others. I saw myself, with my Chuck Taylors and my birdcage veil and my tattoos and the love of my life standing there, together, becoming husband and wife. That? That right there was exactly what I needed. That was MY moment.
So we went back to DB. We found our girl again, who was of course helping approximately 15 other people and I asked her if I could try it again. She looked worried because they were BUSY, but, she found me an open room and my mom helped me back into it and that was that. She asked me if this was it. I said yes, but, I wasn’t ringing the bell. She laughed and said it was what they always did when brides picked a dress, but she wouldn’t make me do it. CRISIS AVERTED. We bought the dress and it’s in already and ready for me to pick up. I still can’t believe that it took so much waffling for me to see what I needed. To commit to something so silly. Finding the man? Easy Peasy. Finding the dress? Hardest thing EVER. – Kyleigh Karagianis
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Love, A Wedding & Baseball: In the Clutch
Want a lesson in baseball terminology? No? Too bad. To be “in the clutch” means to perform well when it really matters in a game. My game? The paper goods. The Save the Dates. The invitations. The programs and the escort cards and the menus and the OMG I AM LOSING MY MIND OVER PAPER. I don’t care that everyone except my mom and my mother-in-law will likely throw all of this away when all is said and done. It matters to me that it all be awesome.
We talked about what we liked and didn’t like, and it was clear fairly early on that while he had an opinion about the final result, the getting to the final result part was kinda my deal. I took to Google, like all crazed brides do (alright, I admit it, Pinterest too) and looked at a zillion ideas. I started to narrow it down from the vast ideas on the web, to some of the craziness in my head.
I knew I wanted to order all the paper stuff at one time since I didn’t want to pay shipping (hey! I’m frugal!) I also initially planned to print everything myself at home but after research, I found it to be actually MORE cost effective to have it printed elsewhere, if I did it right.
I compared pricing of printing with five or six different local printers (from Office Depot and Staples to large printers to little mom and pop shops). I got quotes for the number I figured we would need (approximately 75 Save the Dates, 75 Invites, programs and escort cards. As I thought, the chains were pretty comparable, around $0.60+ per side for color, and $0.10+ per side for B&W. I had them all quote me their rate, as well as what it would be if I supplied my own card stock. Ultimately, we went with a fantastic print shop in Havre de Grace, Office Centre. Their prices were awesome, they were willing to help with pretty much anything, and ALL of the folks I spoke with there were SO nice. Not gonna lie, a person’s attitude while quoting me, will sway me almost immediately. I’d rather pay more to someone pleasant, than get it for less and deal with sour puss all the time. No thank you!
So once I decided where to get things printed, I researched paper pricing for the things that I was planning. For Save the Dates, I decided to have a few of our engagement pictures as the backdrop and the info as an overlay. Side note: I am not a graphic designer and have done everything with Microsoft Office software. It’s turned out just fabulously, so don’t feel like you need to be a Photoshop wiz to do paper goods yourself!
Steve and I sat down and narrowed down the pictures we wanted to include, and moved things around in Publisher until we were satisfied. I emailed Kristen at Office Centre to ensure things were how she needed them, and off we went! The finished product came out pretty nice!
Photos by Darrell McDavid. Printing by Office Centre. Photography
Since I had OC print everything, I didn’t have to plan for paper purchase for Save the Dates or invitations (to be printed soon). I researched a zillion online/local paper suppliers and found Paper Presentation to be VERY highly recommended (they have coupon codes sometimes too!) I knew we wanted red envelopes (one of our colors) and that I wanted to do the invitations dual layered (with grey, another color, on the back embossed with a wood grain to be like a bat, and white on the front with the info). We ordered all the envelopes and card stock and some extra adhesive (tape runners are honestly the best in my opinion) for the invites and Save the Dates for somewhere around $50. We vetoed the RSVP envelope in exchange for online RSVP (save a tree!) Printing for the Save the Dates was $30ish full color. Printing for the invites will be $15ish for Invite, RSVP card and Info Card (with website etc.) Not too shabby!
The invite is laid out, but I will have to show you those in a later post, as I don’t want to ruin the surprise for guests. For me, as a Type A, obsessive girl, researching the best deal, finding the best companies to work with, and spending the time to really make everything exactly how we want was totally worth the spreadsheets, comparisons and Googling till the wee hours of the morning.
When we talk about our invites, we will talk about one of the coolest things thus far: Our Willow Tree logo. We are getting married under a willow tree after all. We had it specially created and drawn to our specifications by a friend of the family. SO FANTASTIC!
Next up: I FOUND A DRESS and didn’t die in the process! – Kyleigh Karagianis
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Love, A Wedding & Baseball: Rounding First
I have never been one of those girls who have dreamed about my wedding since childhood. Sure, I thought about it, and knew that I wanted to do it, but that’s where it ended. That is, until my boyfriend of over three years decided on forever for us. My life changed the moment he handed me a baseball inscribed with “Hey sunshine, will you marry me?” and dropped to his knee.
Pit beef should always come with a side of diamonds! At Wargo’s Forest Hill Inn.
The moment was amazing, but, shortly after (approximately two hours) I became an epic organizing, Googling, maniacal, wedding idea searching machine. So much for enjoying the glow, Kyleigh. I calmed down the next day, but, I still haven’t stopped looking for ideas. Okay, okay, my name is Kyleigh and I’m addicted to Pinterest wedding pages. (Don’t you even pretend like you aren’t!)
Let’s back up just a touch . . . Steve and I met in Florida four years ago at a baseball tournament. I was living there at the time and was asked to work the tournament by a friend. He was down from Baltimore to play. I hate to be gross and cliché, but, we both really felt something immediately. He told a friend he was with “there is something about that girl” and I was speechless, which probably hasn’t happened since I was born.
One of the very first pictures of us together at the tournament (smitten, much?)
Needless to say, we were long distance for several months, before I relocated to Maryland. He has two kids, both teenage girls, and having had my parents all over the country myself, I didn’t want him to be away from his kids.
He still plays in local leagues for old dudes (ok, over thirty, but still) and there is no way around baseball being a big part of our lives. From April through November each year, I am a baseball widow. I do go out and support the teams he plays on, yes . . . TEAMS, as often as I can, but three teams, for nine months adds up to a LOT of ball. He did tell me when we met that he “played a lot of baseball” but I had no idea that by “a lot” he meant THAT much!
By Darrell McDavid Photography.
Obviously when we got engaged, baseball was a predominant force in our lives, and translated quickly into him deciding on OMG BASEBALL WEDDING! I rolled my eyes and led the conversation to compromise and brainstormed ways to incorporate something besides baseball into our wedding day. I am a lover of all things vintage and retro and I started thinking about how to incorporate baseball and vintage together. It seemed like a long shot at first, but it’s become a pretty solid idea. When we are asked what type of wedding we are having, our first response is “fun” followed by a “non-cheesy vintage baseball shindig.”
I am, as mentioned above, an organized person by nature. I’m a little (a lot) Type-A, and figured I’d just plan everything and Steve would be one of those grooms that just shows up. Oh how wrong I was. I’m fairly certain from the beginning he had more ideas than I did. Some were just ludicrous like “Hey! The guys should TOTALLY wear baseball uniforms!” but some of them, to be discussed in future posts, got my wheels turning. I started writing everything down that I didn’t immediately deem ridiculous and the vision started to form.
So, as we continue on our journey for the next several months, I’d like you all to join us. There are some things that are decided on (vendors, venue, etc. ) some things that are still brewing in my head (DIY craftiness) and others I’m absolutely dreading with a capital D (dress shopping). I’ll be sure to share it all with you, even the stuff that makes me cringe (failed craftiness and dress shopping).
By Darrell McDavid Photography.
You can also be sure that in each post, I will sneak in a photo of our pup, Cash. Since she is the only baby I’ll be having, I go a little bit nuts about her, so much that our entire wedding website was narrated by her (I just helped type, promise). Here’s to love, a wedding and baseball. – Kyleigh Karagianis
