THE Look

This weekend I will be going for my first dress fitting, so I thought I would take a moment and put together my look for you.

(source, source, source, source, source, the rest are personal photos)

I have yet to purchase my shoes, but I am pretty sure this is the look that I will be going for - fun, pink and silvery. I usually wear sparkles on my nail polish, so I think it will be a great pair with pink. My small centerpieces will be a guide for my bouquet, and the colors will be vibrant. What do you think of this look? Any suggestions?

Have you put your look together? Hows it coming?

Being a Bridesmaid: The Dress

I have mentioned before that I will be taking on many wedding roles this spring, summer and fall. In July, I will be a bridesmaid for my friend's wedding in Tel Aviv, Israel. She has sent out a picture of the color dress she would like us to wear, and left the rest up to us. So I begin my hunt for the bridesmaid dress!

Personal photo from Friend Y

She would like us to match the color of the bridesmaids' dresses in this photo, but has no other requirements, just to keep in mind that this is for a wedding during the summer in Israel (think hot hot hot!).

So, of course I started first with my good friend, the interwebs.

First up, JCrew

Next, Carol Hannah's Wedding Shop at Etsy. I LOVE this dress, and she will make it in many colors, long or short
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Annlumred at Etsy - I'm not sure yet if she will do this in custom colors and lengths but I love this dress (source)

And then there is Amsale...

I love both of these dresses as well

I think you can probably tell by now what I looking for - strapless(ish) silk chiffon - flowy, lovely, and blue!

Any suggestions for me as I begin my search?

Where did you find your bridesmaid dresses? Did you know what type of dress you were looking for, or were you open to anything?

Deciding on the Dress: Accessories

My third visit to Kleinfeld's was great not only because I fell in love with my dress again and had the opportunity to meet with the designer, but as because I found my veil and headpiece! Henry Roth helped me pick them out, and it was a great experience. Here are a couple of clips that I tried on:

We had a tough time getting them to stay in my hair so I either had to stand very still for the picture or someone had to hold it in for the moment. You can see the detailing on the dress a little bit better here.

Similar to the first one

What I originally had planned on getting but it didn't feel right with my dress on

So what did I choose? Henry (yeah, we're bff) convinced me to get a hairpiece that made a bit more of a statement since my jewelry is a bit understated, and I will only be wearing my veil for the cocktail hour and ceremony. This is a hairpiece I hope to share with family in the future, and I just love it!

The final look! (This is one where I had to stand very still so everything stayed on which is why I look a little tense).

You can also see the veil that I decided on in this photo. It comes down to my lower back, and is embellished with rhinestones that mimic the detailing on my dress. The veil is very important part of a Jewish wedding, as Mr. Heb will brought to me so that he can veil me before the ceremony (to avoid confusion!) This is part of the bedeken ceremony.

Did you have any help finding your headpiece? How did you choose what to wear?

Deciding on the Dress: Part 3

After I chose and purchased my dress, I put it on the backburner and checked it off my list. However, after several months of watching Say Yes to the Dress, I fell victim to one of the oldest bridal diseases in the book - the dreaded "dress uncertainty." I saw beautiful gown after beautiful gown, and the months passed since I had seen and worn my own dress. Did I really love it? Was it really the right one? Should I have tried more, different styles, different stores? I checked the Kleinfeld's website, and to my excitement, I saw that my designer, Henry Roth, was going to be doing a trunk show while I would be in New York visiting family. My mom made an appointment and I got very nervous. What if I didn't love it? It was an awful lot of money to not love something, right?

So with my mom and two close friends in tow, we headed out.

I put the dress on, and, well, see for yourself (all pictures were taken by Mama Hermit Crab):

Oh yeah, I love this dress, it's totally the right one.

Oh, and here's a better view of the detailing on the back (and preview of my veil, actually). Isn't it delish, what was I thinking?

And a little perk, here I am with Henry Roth himself!

I cannot explain how happy I am that I went back. The agonizing was for nothing. Meeting the designer of my dress was so exciting, and he could not have been more helpful. He spent over an hour with me, swooning about how I looked in his dress, helping me find a headpiece and veil (that's in the next post!), and helping me figure out how to make the creative changes that I am planning for the dress (but that is all to come in the future, so you'll have to stay tuned for that!). I would say this: if you're having an anxiety over your dress, go back and try it on. If you loved it once, you're sure to love it again! And for goodness sake, once you buy your dress, stop looking at others! ;)

Did you have any anxiety over your dress after you bought it? Did you go back for a second look? Any exciting stories of meeting your designer - share!

Deciding on the Dress: The Kleinfeld's Experience

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I didn't really know where to start looking for a dress. The internet is a great resource, and I got my hands on every magazine I could, but I had no idea how to begin trying on dresses and finding the right one.

My mom, with the best of intentions, made an appointment for us to go check out Kleinfeld in Manhattan. You can read about how I prepared for my first appointment here. In addition, I started watching Say Yes to the Dress in anticipation. Unfortunately, I'm not sure that helped. I was not looking forward to my first appointment because I thought of myself as a little more low-key than many of the brides that they feature.

When I arrived, they set me up with a sales associated named Erika (I liked her right away :)). She was the perfect fit for me. She had no desire to be on the show, just to help me find the right dress. She was attentive, and extremely helpful as I tried on dress after dress.

When we went back the second time, Erika was our consultant again. I was nervous because we had such a big group, but once again, she assuaged my fears, and helped me ultimately find my dress. If you want a giant selection, you can conveniently get to New York City, and you are not on a tight budget (or you are, but you just would like to see a bazillion dresses), Kleinfeld's is a great place to start.

A note about finding the dress: I love my dress, and I am very much looking forward to wearing it, but I did not seem to have that moment like many brides (at least on TV) have. This dress was the right one for me, and I like my family would have been brought to tears no matter which dress I tried on first, because it was the reality of seeing me in a wedding dress! Similarly to Miss Buttons, I was not overwhelmed with emotion, but I do love my dress.

A last word on shopping for your dress. You need be comfortable when you are shoppoing. If you are not a good fit with the salon or with the sales associate, you will not have a good experience. I consider myself lucky to have had such a great experience, but you have to do what feels right for YOU!

And just for giggles, because it will be a while before you see her again, my dress!

I think I might have been caught in the veil here...
(personal photo)

Deciding on the Dress, Part 2

If by any chance you are Mr. Hermit Crab and you are reading this point, you must close the window and walk away. Gone? Whew, ooootay.

Are you ready for the big reveal? I think I've kept you in suspense long enough.

So, I searched online, printed out pictures, visited Kleinfeld's with my mom, and found my dress, but I did not buy it. Catch up on Part 1 here.

Here's a hint: the dress I fell in love with just so happened to be one of the pictures that I brought with me (and showed you) and also happened to be the first dress I tried on. I tried on several after it, but none of them felt just right like the first one.

However, my mom wanted me to mull it over, and we also knew that there were several other women that would love to be included in the dress search. That is why, several months later, I headed back to Kleinfeld's with no fewer than 11 people in tow. Don't believe me? Check it out:

My Aunt Bobbe, FMIL Hermit Crab, FSIL Hermit Crab, Cousin F, Friend B, my little sister and my step-mom pictured here. Mama Hermit Crab is taking the picture, Friend A had to leave early, and I was in the dressing room at this point.

I tried on my dress along with several others to guage everyone's reactions, and to make sure that it was still the right dress for me. Lo and behold, it stood out. There were tears, hugs, laughing - it was just right.

Without further ado, my dress!

Oh, love! Recognize it from my first dress post? In case you are wondering, it is Henry Roth: Casey and I looooove it!

And now, some glamour shots with my lovely ladies:

FSIL Hermit Crab, Cousin F and Friend B



All my moms! Mama Hermit Crab, FMIL Hermit Crab and step-mom Hermit Crab!


And of course, the best for last! My little sister who could not take her eyes off the veil, got to pose with the headpiece!

(All photos in this post are personal photos)

I'm really happy that we got to go back with everyone, it was a great experience. However, this is not the last you will hear about my dress and Kleinfeld's, but for that, you'll have to wait! Coming up next, my review of Kleinfeld's and my dress decision experience.

Did you find your dress right away? Did you bring a gaggle with you to try it on, or just one or two other people?

Dressing the Family

You saw in my last post our amazing family that will be standing up with us under the chuppah. Being that we are not considering them a formal bridal party, I decided not to choose dresses. Plus, all the women are so different, I couldn't possibly imagine finding a dress, or even a color that would work for all of our sisters!

However, I LOVE the look of many Indian weddings - all the beautifully colored saris, and oh! all the color! Have I mentioned yet that I love color, and a lot of it?

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I gave my family (well, the women really) these guidelines: "Please no black, white, or beige, and I would love if everyone chose a jewel tone. Other than that, long or short, sleeves or strapless, that is up to you! (Although please keep in mind that you will need to cover your shoulders for the ceremony)."

I thought that I was being so nice and laid back - choose a dress you love, in a color you love and feel comfortable, gorgeous and like yourself. Well, wouldn't you know it - I think, at least in the beginning, they would have rather that I just choose a dress for them! I had no idea that they would find choosing a dress so stressful.

There was some concern about how it would look all together, so I hopped over to the David's Bridal website and used their "Dress Your Wedding" application to see for myself. This is a great tool - although none of our outfits are actually going to be from David's Bridal, this gave me the opportunity to see how we would look all together. There were not enough spaces for everyone, so I just put Mr. Hermit Crab, myself and the women. The mens' looks are going to be much more simple (and I will talk about that soon), so I figured we could revisit them another time.

Here you go:

From left: Mama Hermit Crab, FMIL Hermit Crab, FSIL Hermit Crab, Older Sister Hermit Crab, Miss Hermit Crab, Mr. Hermit Crab, Little Sister Hermit Crab and Step-mom Hermit Crab (click to enlarge, if you wish).

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The dresses I chose are based loosely on the colors and styles that I think they might choose, but since none of them will be getting their dresses from David's Bridal, this is just an estimate. (And DB has a dress that is eerily similar to my own, so this is actually pretty accurate to what I'll be wearing). I'll tell you something - I LOVE how it looks! If we are half as colorful, I'm sure it is going to look wonderful. What do you think? Do you like how this looks? I'll keep you posted as everyone chooses their outfits and sends me pictures!

I am excited to see what everyone winds up with; I think everyone is going to look amazing in vivid colors and styles that suit their own personalities!

Have you used any tools that have helped you envision the look for the people in your wedding? Did you have any naysayers at first? How did you decide what everyone will wear?

Deciding on the Dress, Part 1

(Beware: Wedding gown overload up ahead!)

Very early on in our engagement, like many others before me, I started (compulsively) looking at pictures of dresses online. On a weekly coffee date with a friend, we decided to pop over to the bridal salon across the street. On a whim, I tried on my very first wedding gown. I was not expecting to like it, and to be honest, I didn't love it on the hanger, but when I put it on, we both had chills! I knew the dress wasn't exactly what I was looking for, but it is a wonderful dress! The gown was Maggie Sottero Ireland:

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Now that I had tried on a dress, I knew that this was the style that I wanted. My mom made an appointment for us at Kleinfeld's in Manhattan, and I spent weeks pouring over the vast archives on the their website nearly daily, picking out pictures and printing them out to bring with me. I arrived at Kleinfeld's with the following six pictures, the wrong bra and a bag full of nerves!

(Find these dresses and more at Kleinfeld's website!)

It would seem that I had a pretty clear style that I was looking for, right? Armed with these pictures, my wonderful sales associate brought out what seemed like a hundred dresses, some that matched my pictures, and some that were totally different. In one afternoon, I tried on about eight or ten gowns, and I found my dress. However, we didn't buy it that afternoon.

Did I go with what I thought I would get, or did I surprise us all by going with something totally different? You'll have to stay tuned to find out what dress I got, and the shenanigans that surrounded that second visit! Also, if you're thinking about going to Kleinfeld's for your dress, my review of my experience there is coming up as well.