My dear sweet Mands is getting married in only 36 days! INSANE! The maid of honor - Amanda’s hilarious and ridiculously fun sister Ashley (also known as Shleyb or SHLEYBERT) - and I threw a BEAUTIFUL bridal shower on Saturday, January 9th and very soon that will get a post all its own as it is quite deserving of some blog love. However, THIS post is about the dress and the shoes because my friends, I SAID YES TO THE DRESS and it wasn’t even that hard. ahhh!
Amanda said she wanted us to wear floor length, grey dresses. That was really her only stipulation. As a bridesmaid I think it is SO wonderful when the bride lets you pick your own dress - obviously it means you’re going to look far more attractive because you’re going to pick a dress that fits and flatters your body. That said, it also becomes a bit more challenging because…it means…THE HUNT IS ON. If you get an ugly dress it is nobody’s fault but your own. We looked a bit at David’s bridal and Nordstrom the day Amanda said yes to her dress and then I did some hunting on JCrew and Nordstrom.com. That’s when I spotted the dress I thought would probably be “the one”.
I love the flowy tulle, the sweetheart shaped illusion neckline so it pretends to be strapless but you won’t be caught tugging and pulling on it all evening long. The color is basically perfection - that perfect blend of a true grey with the slightest hint of pink so it doesn’t err sluggish, but feels dreamy and sophisticated. It is slightly too expensive, but it’s a bridesmaid dress, so they all are. I sent the picture to a few trusted friends and asked for their gut instinct. They all loved it. I pulled out the trusty measuring tape and did my best to figure out my size. I committed and ordered the very biggest size available and the internal panic started to set in. What if it arrived and didn’t fit or I looked absolutely hideodious in it? I waited with anticipation for the dress to arrive while the bride lovingly affirmed me and confidently reminded me I would look absolutely GORGEOUS in the dress (she really is the sweetest). The dress arrived and I opened the box - the dress was just as pretty in person as it looked online. I took it out of the bag with trepidation and pulled it on. The moment arrived when it was time for the zipper - always the scariest part - it went right up with ease. Maybe for the first time, I felt a tiny smidge of pride over the weight loss. I took it down to San Diego a few days later to give Anna an in-person glimpse and she immediately said I needed to order a smaller size. A SMALLER SIZE. Y’all this NEVER happens. I have always been the biggest bridesmaid in the bunch so it was truly a moment of glory. The smaller dress hasn’t arrived yet, but I am so excited to have a beautiful dress that fits and needs to be SMALLER to fit me. What a wonderful and fun little gift that will be as I get ready on Amanda’s day!
With the dress selection complete it was time to go shoe shopping. The dress is grey, so shoes were going to be a bit tricky. The dress is floor length, so realistically they weren’t even going to show, but I still wanted something really fun that would make me feel fancy and put together. I also wanted something comfortable because weddings are long (I mean we’re talking a day at Disneyland long here) and if you’re gonna hit the dance floor, the last thing you want to be thinking is “man, my feet are killing me”. Because I knew the dress needed to be altered, I needed to decide on shoes somewhat quickly because alterations require some time. In the midst of shower planning and preparations for the bachelorette and the wedding itself, I started to get a tinge overwhelmed by the shoes. I couldn’t seem to figure out what color would be best or really even what I wanted overall. And everything I looked at was so ridiculously expensive and I wanted to keep things as budget friendly as possible. So - as I so often do when I am in desperate need - I asked my bests for help. Anna immediately said wear flats. Em said I should wear the black and gold heels I purchased for her wedding. Amanda, just took care of it all. She started sending me links of shoes and we laughed over how many of the shoes she sent looked just like something she would wear. In the long run, my sweet friend and decided shoes would be the perfect thank you for throwing her bridal shower so I will be wearing the most beautiful pair of Cinderella slippers under my dress. They look just like me and I cried the biggest tears when I opened them. I honestly couldn’t have picked a better pair - they’re flats but perfectly fancy with a hint of sparkle.
So the outfit selections are basically done. Now we’re down to scheduling the alterations, getting a haircut (which is happening on Tuesday) and determining what to wear to the rehearsal dinner! It is all coming together and I am getting really excited. Couldn’t love the bride more and I couldn’t be more grateful to be part of this celebration! Cheers to Mr. and Mrs. Roth - and to the continuing tales of a bridesmaid!
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