HaselBride

The Secret Is Out

From our wedding recaps, some of you might have noticed my dirty little secret: I had nine bridesmaids. When we first got engaged, I thought six sounded like a good number, but after doing the math (two sisters–Nick's and mine + two "baby" cousins + one sorority sister + oldest friend + bff since middle school + bff since high school + bff since spring break 03) the number ended up being nine.

Yes, nine. I avoided mentioning it here on the blog because, well, people judge and most of the time in real life the response was "NINE! NINE!? Geesh, that's a lot." Honestly I was sick of hearing about how that might be a few too many. Who decides these rules? Looking back I wish I'd have stood up for myself a bit more. If there is one thing I do not regret it is asking those nine amazing women to stand up with me while I spoke my vows to Nick. Was it a little hectic gathering up nine women and eight men? Well, yes, but it was worth every minute! I'm the kind of person who makes only a few good friends in her life, but hangs onto them for life, so it was fitting to have all of them participate in our big day. I still speak at least monthly to my best friend since the third grade.

Luckily, Nick's group of guy friends from Purdue/ROTC is huge and really close so he didn't have trouble rounding up guys to be on his side (although we ended up a few short a due to deployment and/or relocation). Since we weren't including any of the Air Force traditions (sword arch, etc.) it made sense to have them all be groomsmen and not leave any of the guys out. The groomsmen doubled as ushers on the day of.

The point of this post is to say: have as big or as small of a wedding party as you want. Your wedding is a reflection of you and your partner, so if having a huge group of friends surrounding is your couple style go for it. If you are more of the intimate type, having one person for each might work.

How many bridesmaids or groomsmen (or bridesmen/groomswomen) did or do you have?

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Oh, hi, yes, I am back! Trying to post every day in November so I will actually finish up our wedding recaps before our first anniversary. The clock is ticking!

{Help!} Possible bridesmaids gift and accessory

I'm wedding planning away today. {If you're one of my bridesmaids, please skip this post! That means you, Cat! I think you're the only one who might be reading.} If not, click continue to read more.

Unusual Wedding Inspiration

My love affair with one of my constant inspirations in fashion and style began humbly enough. I caught a few of the edited episodes when the show became syndicated one summer. I started renting the seasons on dvd because I was in an art class that required late nights and watching tv shows helped me plow through the night and get projects done. What tv show do I speak of? You might have guessed it: Sex and the City.

Sex and the City was my gateway drug into out-of-the-box fashion. I bought my first pointy-toed shoes and rocked them with cropped pants to a party at a fraternity in college because Carrie did. During a late night, ebay search I bought a purse that looks like a magazine because not only was it FABULOUS, but Carrie had toted an identical one. Plus the show only strengthened my long-distance admiration for New York City {I've never been}.

Now I know you think I'm crazy, but Sex and the City will also serve as a slight inspiration for some of the details at our wedding. I won't be getting married in the city; it is a pretty small town, but I'm hoping to bring some of my favorite stylish elements of the show into our celebration. This is the first of a few posts featuring details inspired by my favorite show.

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One of the most talked about trends started by Carrie and company was the oversized flower pin trend featured in season three. I know, I know, we've all seen this done a thousand times over and over, but I still love it.

When I first started looking at bridesmaids dresses, I stumbled upon these gorgeous silk dresses from Melissa Sweet with a great floral accent ala Sex and the City. I quickly learned that Melissa Sweet bridesmaids dresses are a bit out of our price range  {I'm hoping for something $150 or less}. I think I've found a way to include a rosette or poof without breaking the bank.

I found my answer in the February 2008 issue of domino. Pinned to a less, expensive dress, these poofs {as I so fondly refer to them} from Tinsel Trading  would add a little something extra to a simple, elegant black dress. On the top row, the first two are velvet mixed with silk {perfect for a winter wedding} and the other four are made from vintage metallic fabrics. All of them are available for purchase here.

I'm not sure if all of my bridesmaids will want to rock this look, but two of them are huge Sex and the City fans, so I'm sure they will be on board.

Have you found any wedding inspiration in your favorite tv shows?

SATC images © HBO and TBS. Bridesmaid dress images © Melissa Sweet. Rosette/poof images © Tinsel Trading. Layouts © HaselBride.

More Celebrity Inspiration

I seem to find wedding inspiration just about everywhere lately, including the gossip/pop culture website PopSugar. Kate Bosworth in this chic, gorgeous bridesmaid dress has me leaning toward black again.

I promise I haven't forgotten about you dear readers; the future-mother-in-law is visiting this coming weekend and I am on a cleaning and decorating rampage. She's an interior design, so the pressure is even worse!

Image © PopSugar.

Black is Back

I would love to find bridesmaids' dresses in the fabulous gray color featured on my inspiration board. However, as a person who can be found in a black t-shirt 75% of the time, I would also love to have my bridesmaids decked out in black. {I believe} a black dress is one of the only type of bridesmaid's dress that will be worn again with some frequency. Who doesn't love a little black dress? For a winter wedding, the Super 120s suiting dress from J.Crew just might be ticket. I have always pined for a piece of the J.Crew suiting collection and this three-quarter sleeve number is fantastic.

Photo from J.Crew.