Heel Grips

I swear, I must have a problem keeping shoes on my feet! I was wearing my new shoes around the apartment yesterday (can you tell I'm excited?) and the slingback strap kept falling off. I couldn't figure out if they had to be tighter or looser. I think the problem is that the strap hits too low on my ankle, so it doesn't take much for it to slip off. But, that's where Foot Petals comes in...

These fabulous little strips of...whatever...stick to the slingback strap and help it grip to your heel! I've never tried them before, but I know a few people who have and they love them! At just $6.95, I think it might be worth it!

However, like any good bride on a budget, I'm test-driving a cheaper option! I put a thin strip of duct tape on the strap instead. I doubt it's as "grippy" as the Foot Petals version, but it might be just enough. So, one strap is duct taped and the other is au natural. I'll post my results soon!

Ciao,

My wedding shoes!

I found the most fabulous wedding shoes this weekend! They always say third time's the charm...

So, without further ado, here are the gorgeous pink heels:


When I found them, I rattled off to my MOH why they were so perfect.

• Peeptoe
• Slingback
• Flower detail, aaaand...
  
• Pink!

They're not available online anymore in pink, but here's the link to the pair in black.

This may sound kind of silly, but I seriously think God brought these shoes to me! My MOH and I were shopping the Kohl's clearance racks (got a sweater dress at 90% off for $4!!!), and I decided to put back a cute cute cute blue cropped cardigan because it was only 60% off for $12. I mean, hey, I'm on a budget! So, perhaps God was rewarding me for not splurging!

I actually almost walked out of the shoe department without seeing these, since someone was blocking that particular aisle with their large heinie. Or maybe it was their cart...I can't remember. Anyway, we decided to take one last stroll through the area we missed and then we found them! The first pair we found were size 6, so we quickly ran to the size 9 rack. Low and behold, there were two pairs available! Oddly enough, one box had two lefts and the other had two rights (good thing I caught that! Hehe, I'd literally be dancing with two left feet!), but we got them sorted out and I'm ecstatic about them!

What a whirlwind, but at least now I can put the shoe search to rest!

Ciao,

My Bling

Over the last few years, I have refined my style again and again. However, there have been some mainstays that comprise my signature style. These items include ruffles, anything, and big chunky necklaces! So, naturally, I want to incorporate these into my wedding attire. So, the first step is the necklace!

I asked for this Banana Republic oversized pearl necklace for Christmas - I even ranked it #1 on my list! But, as luck would have it, my mom failed to get it for me. :( Luckily, my birthday was right around the corner, and I emphasized the fact that I LOOOOVED this necklace! Alas, I did get it for my birthday, and I couldn't be happier! :) I've already worn it a few times, but I plan to wear it proudly on our wedding day!


Ciao,

Bird, Bird, Bird is the Word...

I really dislike birds, and it started waaay before I saw the movie! I think it started when I was about 5 or 6 and a bird pooped on my head. Ever since then, I've been convinced they're are out to get me. Just last week, three birds nearly dive-bombed me! Talk about scary!

So, the idea that I would include anything with the word "bird" in our wedding is a bit absurd. However, I have fallen in love with the birdcage veil!


I honestly wasn't keen on the idea of a veil when I first started this planning process. The notion of a long flowy veil just didn't seem to match my style. Besides, with a shorter dress, a long veil would look kind of silly.

But then, I discovered the birdcage veil and fell in love instantly! I can't decide which style of veil I want, though... Here are my options from the fabulous website, somethingbold.com:

The Marilyn Veil

I love that this bride wore hers forward for the ceremony and flipped back afterward. This is ideally how I'd like to wear mine. My only concern is that it's a little too big and would cover more of my face than I'd like. So, that bring us to the second option...

The Elizabeth Veil

I would still have the option of wearing it forward or backward, but it would be a bit daintier and not completely hiding my face. Just a little pop of poof on the head!

The only problem is that I would like to wear my hair half-up in a bouffant (I want to call it a mini-beehive, but, seriously?, beehives and birdcages is getting a little to animal house-y for my liking) like Christina or Carrie...

However, my concern is where do I put the veil??!!!

I'm thinking I would just kinda tack it onto the side of the bouffant and let it flow over the bouffant thing and slightly over my face. But the question is: will the bigger or smaller veil be better for this? I'm leaning slightly toward the smaller veil because it looks a bit more demure. I may even forgo the idea of flipping it back for the reception if the smaller veil isn't in my eyes.

Oh, the decisions! This is only the first pass of this discussion for me - I'm sure I'll be thinking about it for awhile!

Ciao,

Chic LBDs

little Black Dress = LBD = Lovely Bridesmaid Dress

I considered putting my sweet bridesmaids in hot pink dresses. Or even the same dress in various shades of pink and orange. But I decided to be nice and chose a black dress! We'll jazz it up with:

a chic pink sash,

elegant yet sensible black shoes,

classic pearl necklace,

and a fabulous pink and orange bouquet!

Just the right amount of pink and orange - as the fashion rules dictate, only sport up to two items of the same color! :)

So, the girls have all tried on their dresses, and they determined which size they need. Waiting for one dress to be exchanged for the right size, and then all the girls will have their dress!

We haven't looked for any of the accessories yet, but they shouldn't be too hard to find! We have a good idea already of what we want! I'm thinking we could even make the sashes - all it takes is some fabric and thread (ok, and maybe a needle. And a sewing machine).

Ciao,

How to keep the boogie shoes on...

Steve and I are going to have a pretty kickin' first dance, so I have to have shoes that I can, well, dance in! My first thought...professional dance shoes! Let see, there are...

Pointe shoes
(ouch, my toes hurt just thinking about it)

Ballet slippers
(Cute, but not quite what I'm after. My dress is shorter, so they need to look good! I'm thinking heels...)

Tap shoes
(clackity-clack-clack...hehe, just kidding!)

Ballroom shoes
(These are pretty much perfect - they have a heel, peep toe, and ankle strap, but they're not pink! And with all my searches, I could not find any pink ballroom dance shoes!)

Well, at this point I was ready to give up and go barefoot. But then...I found these!

Heelstraps

Pretty perfect, right? They slip right over your shoes! They look best with shoes that don't have sides, unlike mine, so I'd only wear them during the dance. Let's just hope I don't have to do a spontaneous high kick without them on! Bye-bye shoe! :)

There is a slightly cheaper (excuse me, more "cost-effective") shoe strap that I found at a professional dance gear shop...
but they look a little more obvious. Plus, since they just wrap around the instep of the foot, I'm worried they might fall off or something. I'm probably being silly - they wouldn't be for sale if they didn't do their job - but I'm just not sure they're "the ones".

So, let's hope this solution works for the dance, otherwise I'll be back at square one...barefoot!

Ciao!

My my my my my boogie shoes!

I love pink. Not a disputed fact. Never has been, never will be. Just one look into my apartment and a quick scan will yield:

a pink stand mixer

a pink Nalgene bottle

a giant pink calculator
pink shower curtains
pink wine bottles
a pink umbrella...the list goes on!

So, when I had to decide on a shoe to wear at the wedding, why wouldn't I choose pink? I honestly have wanted to wear pink shoes at my wedding since I knew I loved the color pink! But finding the right pair has proven to be quite the task. First, we started with the ever classy Paris Hilton.

Unfortunately, they were a bit too tall for my liking and not quite the right shade of pink. Not a total loss though - I did get to wear them to a wedding a couple months ago! Just not my own... :)



Onto option #2 - the forever cheaptastic Forever 21. Loved these shoes the moment I saw them!
However, the vamp is a little too high for my liking, the peeptoe is too wide, and the pleated detail looked, well, cheap. I actually have a couple of pink ribbons in this color (coincidentally, they came from the Paris Hilton shoe box!) that I may use in place of the pleated detail - I just have to buy some matching thread to finish off the ends of the ribbon.


However!! There is a third option! :) These fabulous little babies from Wet Seal.
Pink: check! Peeptoe: check! Bow: check! The lace detail will look really pretty with my dress because they both have sort of a vintage feel to them.

So, now my plan is to fix up the Forever 21 heels and purchase the Wet Seal heels so that I can wear one pair for the wedding and the other for the rehearsal dinner. A girl can never have too many pink shoes!

Ciao!