Andrea's Wedding: The Big Day!

You've been following along for the past few months, and I am so pleased to finally show off the fruits of our labor in planning a budget-friendly, backyard beach wedding (in under three months). This past weekend, we ventured to the western shore of Michigan in celebration of Andrea and Paul's nuptials. There were 19 people total, and the day could not have been more beautiful. Seriously. It was 80 degrees without a cloud in the sky. I really don't think the photos need comments; they kind of tell their own story.

There are, however, a few items of note I'd like to point out.
1. Yes - I am wearing THE SAME dress I wore to the Martha's Vineyard wedding last month. The zipper on the dress I was supposed to wear broke as we were getting ready, and I had to call in this back-up. Good thing I love me some yellow.
2. The photographer you see a few shots down, who is also wearing yellow, is the one and only Alicia Bock. She is my favorite photographer. I found her through blogging, and she even came with a polaroid camera. She was a delight to have there, and I cannot wait to see her photos!
3. If you have questions about sources or anything, I first encourage you to search through LCY. I'm guessing it's here somewhere, including information on the wedding attire, the bamboo flatware, the twinkle lights, and the centerpieces.

And now for a few glamour shots...

Andrea's Wedding: The Fashion

Sticking with the spirit of wedding-related posts this week, I've had so many requests as to what I'll be wearing at my sister's intimate beach wedding this summer, and even triple the requests about Andrea's dress. I don't want to leave you all in the dark, but I also want her gown to be a surprise, so I'm giving you a sneak peak at three of the dresses she tried on, one of which she chose. And let me tell you, for you laid-back, non-Bridezillas out there, this is the way to go. She ordered a bunch of gowns online in her size, had them all delivered to my mom's house, we opened a bottle of champagne, and she went to town trying them all on. They were all so beautiful, and many are reasonably priced (and they give teachers a discount!!!). I highly recommend this if you're not looking for the headache that is bridal boutiques and crying families who get all choked up when their baby girl finds "the one."

Dune Gown

Taryn Gown

Whitney Gown

So yes. It's one of the above gowns. But you won't know which one until August, after pictures are uploaded!

I will be donning the Lois shift dress from Calypso that you may remember I blogged about back in April. Perfectly beachy, yes? I just wish my hair was as sun-kissed as the model's.

The two lil' flower girls will be wearing this blush-colored Katy dress, also from J.Crew. Casual. Comfortable. Cotton. Perfect for a hot July day.

I'm not positive if this is still happening, but I know Andrea wanted Paul in a light-colored vest, similar to the look above. Fingers crossed that pans out because this guy looks f. i. n. e.

I can't remember if I've shown you, but this is where the ceremony will take place.

Kind of perfect, yes?

And I just had to share a shot of the puppers from the night Andrea tried on her dresses. They go with me everywhere, no matter how sleepy they are.

Side by Side: Striped dresses

Granted they are my two favorite places to shop for clothes, but I was a bit surprised and a little disappointed at the unoriginality in how similar these grey striped dresses are from Anthropologie and J.Crew. But once I looked at the cut and details of both, I absolutely, without a doubt, prefer one over the other. Do you have a favorite?

If Coco, Audrey, and Brigitte did it...

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...then why aren't you?

I know, I know this blog is all about creating yourself and thinking outside the box and finding the person you are through trial and error and life's experiences. (And you thought this was just a design blog.) But we all need a bit of inspiration in the process, yes? So if you're going to be taking cues from anyone, you're better off looking to these wildly successful and talented females. I mean, they don't just hand out the title of "historical icon" to anybody.

And that's all I have to say about that.

Urban Outfitters Nautical Tee

Milly striped sweater

Urban Outfitters striped tunic

J.Crew vintage bateau top

A.P.C.'s stripe cotton and linen T

Rag & Bone short sleeve wide striped top

I pinky swear this is the last time I'll post on the subject.