The Dress and Accessories!

For me, one of the things I was most looking forward to with the wedding planning was dress shopping.  I love dresses - in general they are my go-to clothing choice.  So getting to choose a big fancy dress for my wedding seemed like so much fun.  However, it actually was more of a high pressure process than anything else!  It's a big decision to make, and an expensive one at that!  Note that all pictures are from my fantastic photographer, Holly Redmond.

The Dress!

After only two appointments at Priscilla of Boston and L'elite with a very small entourage (my mom and one friend) we made the big decision.  The extra push came a lot easier because Priscilla was having a 20% off sale that ended two days later, and I did not want to miss that.  Even more of a sign was the dress I bought was one that I had seen in Priscilla when I was in the store when another friend was trying on dresses over a year earlier!  I knew the straps would prevent me from hauling up the dress the entire night and a bit of comfort was going to be key.

Top Close Up

This was not a outdoor summer dress.  With its crystal and pearl beading on top and the heavy skirt on the bottom it was going to be perfect for a New Year's Eve wedding.  I knew the top of the dress was going to glitter perfectly in all the candle light at Willowdale, which allows open flame.

Shoes!

When it came to all the accessories I was not totally sure what I wanted.  To start, I knew for shoes I wanted something a bit over-the-top and fun.  I am a huge shoe fan, so I used my wedding as an excuse to buy some that were totally crazy.  When I found some purple glitter heels in Palm Beach I knew they were the ones.  Purple was the accent color for the wedding so it did fit in somewhere.  That, and unless I was pulling up my dress you could not even see my shoes.

Shoes and Veil

For headpieces I was at a loss - I knew I did not want a long veil (it just would not work indoors, and I could see myself getting hung up on corners), but I did not know what I wanted.  After loads of internet searching (Etsy if perfect for this!), I decided I would go with a small birdcage veil for the ceremony, and then get a bit crazy for the actual reception.  After trolling Etsy for what seemed like weeks, not wanting to press the submit button, I stumbled upon Michele Woodford from ifanhour who seemed to have the perfect veil for me - in ivory with small crystal accents (I needed to balance the sparkle!).  I will say, it took all four of my bridesmaids to put this veil on properly, but the end result worked out so well.  They wanted to make sure there was just a little coverage for my face to provide a hint of mystery.






I had the shoes and ceremony veil set.  Now I needed some jewelry.  With the top of the dress being really elaborate I knew I did not need any big necklaces or earrings.  I had a statement bracelet in mind, but that category can get rather large and pricey fast.  However, I live close to The Ruby Door on Charles Street, which has all sorts of vintage and re-worked jewelry at tons of price points that I have taken advantage of many times.  The Ruby Door was a casualty of the DeLuca's fire and only recently reopened - lucky me!

One afternoon I stopped by and talked with the owner, Tracey Weiss, about what I was looking for and she understood and further elaborated on my little vision.  She went through her store and pulled out some suggestions and ideas to give me a starting-off point.  After going back a few more times to look at some pieces, I finally decided on a large square broach that would clip around a bracelet of moonstones that she would make herself.  It was honestly more than I would hope for!  It was so well made - I danced the night away (and I am one of those terrible arm dancers too) without any problems.  If you have not stopped by The Ruby Door, you are in for a treat.  To complete my jewerly for the night, my friend L let me borrow the earrings she wore at her wedding, which were large studs with pearls and diamonds that worked perfectly with my dress.  Something borrowed, check!  It all came together so well!

Right After the Ceremony!

About to get my dance on...

All that was left was the reception hair piece.  I knew I wanted something fun but was struggling to find something that would work.  I wanted something a bit three-dimensional, but I was having trouble committing to that style.  Then, while at SoWa one day, Nick and I found Galvin-ized Headwear, which seemed to solve all of my problems!  Marie Galvin is a milliner who makes some of the most over the top and exciting headwear.  Her store is filled with everything from headbands to facinators to some hats fit for Derby day.  It was fun just to poke around in her shop and play dress-up.  After a few trips back to the store and some chats with Marie I left with one of her more ready-to-wear bridal pieces that slid right into the side of my head and added the perfect accent to my reception outfit.  It was just the perfect amount of whimsy and fun to switch from ceremony to NYE party!

Working with the local and small businesses helped make it all more personal.  Tracey at the Ruby Door even made my bridesmaids earrings.  Each piece was unique and exactly what I wanted.  As you can see, everything was comfortable and I was able to get my dance on for the entire night.  Althoug,h the shoes did not make it - my back up flats saved me!

I will say, my wedding was the same day as Priscilla's official closing, and while I spoke to a few amazing women at Priscilla's who were more than helpful, the company itself did nothing beyond sell me the dress when it came in.  I luckily was connected to one of the seamstresses of Priscilla's who did an amazing job with the tailoring.  Also, the dry cleaners right near my mom's house streamed the dress the day before the wedding.  Somehow, with all the moving of the dress, and the different people touching it, I did not turn into one of those statistics where the dress was ruined the day before the wedding!