{random} still alive...

hello my dears! i can't believe it's been over a month since i've posted anything to my beloved blog..but life has been busier than ever! i have so much to share with you, including a move to the suburbs, a san francisco wedding, and a secret project!

but for now, check out these beautiful, dreamlike photos taken by the ever-so-talented erica berger at a friends wedding right here in san francisco:




more to come!

{wedding day} dress and details...

photos by: daniel meigs
hair flowers by: oh my deer (chelsea)
purse by: red ruby rose
jewelry by: me!

Do: get your nails done the day of or the day before..not a few days before. just throwing that out there.

Don't: get a strapless dress. ok. this is shocking, i know..but in my experience, if i had to do it all over again, this would be the one big thing i would change. don't get me wrong, i love my dress! but i wish i would have added some lacy straps for 2 reasons: 1. i was so worried about my bewbies flopping out and shocking guests, that i was hunched over in most of my pictures. 2. as the night went on, no matter how tight the dress was to get into, it stretched out..and i had to keep pulling it up. not sexy.

next: more vendor appreciation & seeing each other for the first time...

{dress} good...better...

i heart my little alterations lady. not only does she know what she's doing (she was a seamstress for chanel for 10 years!)..but she's also fun to go to ... it's just like visiting my grandmother..complete with kisses on my cheeks (only with a thick italian accent that is sometimes hard to understand)..anyway..the point is..she rocks...and i'll show you why..

when i first picked out my dress, i wasn't exactly crazy about the little belt. it was cute, but i wanted something else..this became less a priority over time and it did look good with my fh's suit:

but my little italian seamstress said no way was she going to let me walk down the aisle with that ugly thing..so she made me this:

eek! isn't that so much better?! i pick it up next week!

moral of the story...trust a good seamstress.

{bay area brides} sample sale

amy kuschel and bella bridesmaids team up to bring you lovely ladies up to 50% off and an additional 10% off if you make a donation to a cause of your choice: support marriage equality or the breast cancer fund.

visit this site for more information.

{ideas} hey you..your slip is showing

..and i love it! how cute are these little pretties:



if you haven't yet discovered ysis, then go, now. and bring a towel for the drool. oh..and if you're a daily candy subscriber, then you already know about the 30% off especially for dc members.

{the dress} has found it's match..

so in the beginning of the summer, we popped into banana republic to try on tan colored suits for my future hubby. and of course, we found the perfect one...(isn't banana republic great for guys by the way?) it was perfect and he was oh so handsome in it as he did a little twirl in the mirror for me. the price tag was a little much for us at the time and we vowed to keep an eye out for an end of summer sale..and guess what? it's the end of summer and there is a sale. he bought it...and 3 pants for his groomsmen. we saved so much money! am very pleased with the bargaining and good taste skills my main squeeze has...i hope it rubs off on our future darling children...in the meantime...check it out:

{the dress} it's time i told you...

from the moment i said "yes" i had just about every detail already planned out in my one track mind... except for the dress. every time i would look at dresses online or think about it...i would get completely stressed out...i had an idea of what i wanted...tea length...vera wang. i know..i know. like i could ever afford vera wang...but a girl could dream, right? my budget was about $1000 max. which still seems like a heck of a lot for a dress that i will only wear once.

i avoided going to the stores for a while. i dreaded the idea of trying on gowns all by myself. my family, friends, and mom are 2000 miles away... until... my future hubby found a sample sale store that was having an additional sale. i certainly was not opposed to buying a sample sale dress...and who knows...maybe i would find a vera wang in my budget... so i woke up early...and got to the store early, early enough that they weren't even open for another 30 minutes.. i stood in the window...drooling at the lovely gowns... (glamour closet, san francisco)
i saw one that fit the idea of what i was looking for...simple, tea length, ivory...and the doors opened... i was overwhelmed immediately, and i think it showed. a sweet young lady guided me through the process of trying on dresses...she gave me a bag of clips and i was told to put a clip on the dresses i wanted to try on. she would carry them back for me and help me into each dress until i found the one i wanted. i clipped the tea length dress first.
i couldn't believe my eyes. it was the one. i turned in the mirror...and the girls oohed and ahhed. even the other girls trying on dresses stopped and stared. i had found my dress. returning to the dressing room to take it off...i had a look at the label. a vera wang luxe! i couldn't believe it! the dress retailed for over $7000! although i went a little over budget, i was still getting such a great deal...and i think i can get my money spent and more if i decide to sell it after the wedding. i carried the dress home with me that day and it's hanging neatly in my closet, where i can take it out and stare at it whenever i want. and you know what? i haven't looked at another dress since. no buyers remorse here. i LOVE it.