i was skipping through a couple of blogs a while back when one of them wrote about some new wedding dresses available at j.crew. while j.crew is not in my regular list of stores [even the outlet is too spendy for my thrifty self] i have checked out its wedding section as their bridesmaid dresses are typically average priced. at least for weddings.
i’m just not that into the j.crew wedding dresses.
don’t get me wrong; the dresses are lovely but aside from a few of them [aka the ones i can afford], i think they’re very plain. and the ones that do have that added oomph that catch my eye are just way out of my budget. i call that the “ooooh, oh!” clause. i see a picture and i’m all, “oooooh.” then i see the price, “oh!”
what’s more, i just can’t help but think if i’m going to drop $1,000 or more on a dress it’s not going to be from j.crew. nothing against their store or quality of dresses [i hear good things] but it’s a name thing with me and i’m not afraid to admit it. it just seems like if i had that kind of cash, why not go full out and splurge on a priscilla of boston or jim hjelm [though i know his dresses cost a lot more than just $1,000] or a monique lhuillier. or even a vera wang?
what i don’t get, however, is how they’re touted as a more affordable option. as i know “affordable” varies depending on the person, i’ll just say that this is not an affordable option for me.
and in the end, at over a thousand dollars, i’d feel like i just overspent for a j.crew dress instead of overspending on a “but it’s jim hjelm!” dress kind of feeling.
as pretty as you can be, j.crew, you’re just not for me.
yesterday i had the pleasure of meeting up with mrs. peeptoe and mrs. penguin of weddingbee at triple rock brewery in berkeley.
to be honest, i was a little nervous about going, considering i’m one of the few readers who aren’t engaged, but that apprehension was quickly dispelled upon meeting mrs. peep toe and fellow reader, bean. i had such a great time chatting with everyone. even pengy knew i had been a long time reader [surprisingly i think i had seniority at the table. ha! i’ve been reading since the original generation of bees [or bugs]]. we never lacked for topics and it was great learning a bit more about the hive, each other and our weddings, well, their weddings. we even bounced a few ideas off each other!
even though i met several of my friends from the internet [including the boy] it never fails to surprise me how you can create such a feeling of familiarity without really knowing the other people. and that’s what i love about weddingbee.
mrs. peep toe and mrs. penguin are just as bubbly and wonderful as their posts. i’m really glad i had a chance to meet everyone. i’m hoping we have another get together. they are tons of fun!
so i’ve been thinking about centerpieces.
right now i’ve been leaning towards doing something with branches. more specifically, i’ve been locked on the idea of those crystal trees.
not necessarily with manzanita branches as those tend to be a bit much for what i want to do [and super spendy!], but another branchy branch.
yes branchy branch is the technical term.
here’s my issue: as much as i’m digging the crystal trees, i feel like it’ll be too elegantly fancy for the fun, casual, romantic yet fun [repetition means it’s important] feeling i’m shooting for. don’t you think?
that said this centerpiece from once wed has really grown on me. it still has the non-floral branchy aspect i want but is kind of dressy casual at the same time. and anything that can be done ahead of time is a plus in my book. doesn’t it feel like it’d fit in the overall mood of the day a lot better than the crystal tree?
so this is what i’m thinking, tell me if i’m crazy. so how about those branches with green and blue tissue paper flowers in a milk bottle vase, aka those painted frappucino bottles? since the bottles will be painted, i can easily secure the branches in some clay to the bottom of the bottle and then weight it down with whatever else. plus i can paint numbers right on the side and have them double as the table numbers. bonus points for cutting down on the table clutter!
the best part is how inexpensive this could potentially be. tissue paper is cheap, i can search area parks for branches and i have a coworker who drinks frappucinos by the case so i can easily ask if they can save the bottles for me. if not, it wouldn’t be so horrible to have to buy some and drink it myself.
i like to call those “sacrifices.”
so remember how i was saying that looking at dresses didn’t really excite me much? yes i know that was just yesterday.
well, i found something that made me go, “whoa…like what?!”
introducing watters brides “harmony.” isn’t she pretty? did you see the back of the dress? hawt! and apparently i like lace. huh, would you check that out.
0h and she’s so out of my budget. figures. but hey, it’s free to look!