Last Saturday I picked out and purchased my wedding dress at Brides Against Breast Cancer. Brides Against Breast Cancer is a non-profit organization that sells discounted wedding dresses to benefit the Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation. I was able to not only find my wedding dress there, but I found a veil and tiara to match. I found out about the event in an article in The Washington Times which went on to explain “Brides Against Breast Cancer gowns typically sell for $400 to $800, a fraction of the retail price. Some gowns are worth as much as $8,000 … Many brides are looking for a deal, as well as a way to help someone. “ Finding my wedding dress is truly the icing on my wedding cake. Oh yeah cake … I still have a lot more planning to do!
This is just half of the dresses they brought to the event at The Westin Hotel in Arlington, VA.
This is my Mom getting my dress, veil and tiara! The man in the back is putting my dress in the protective cover! NO peeking!
I got my wedding dress and we helped Brides Against Breast Cancer! ( From Left to Right: Me, my Mom and Dad)
Every 4th of July Kristina and I venture to Ocean City, Maryland, to hang out with friends and spend time on the beach. It has been a tradition dating back at least 5 years. This year we did lots of different things.
In the morning bike riders are welcome on the boardwalk so Kristina and I rented some bikes and took a stroll from 28th street to the beginning of the boardwalk and back. It took us just under an hour.
Every year we hang out and play with some family friends on the beach. I was in the middle of digging a really deep hole with the youngest one, Gracie.
Kristina and I tried our hand at boogie boarding though it was hit or miss. Taking this picture sure was easy though.
One night we watched the cops tow away a car whose alarm was going off every 5 minutes all night long. The owner eventually came out after it was hooked up to the tow truck. The tow truck took a half-an-hour to turn around in the small street. The car owner didn’t look to happy but we were all cheering from the balcony.
All you can eat crab feast at the Crab Bag. I ordered a steak and was finished before anyone got their first plate of crabs.
Group picture of the gang after gorging crabs.
Before heading out to the fireworks we had to take a patriotic picture on the porch of Katie Emery’s beach house. From left to right (Katie Emery, Ben Miller, Pammy Smith, Kristina Naude, Russell Heimlich)
One of my favorite parts of the trip was lounging around on the grass waiting for darkness to fall so the fireworks could begin.
This was one of the few years in recent memories that the weather cooperated for the fireworks. They were mesmorizing as they exploded in the sky especially the grand finale.
We certainly had a great getaway filled with friends and fun. I can’t wait for what is in store for next year.
After much searching and scrutinizing of portfolios, Kristina and I have chosen JPG Photography to photograph our wedding. Since photography is a hobby of mine it was a natural fit for me to take the lead in the hunt for the perfect photographer. Browsing online portfolios can be hit or miss but JPG Photography’s portfolio stood out from the crowd. Their photos are well composed and interesting. The amount of polish and colors that pop really resonated with my own photography values.
Speaking with Joe, the owner of JPG, on the phone sealed the deal as he was very easy to talk with. His fly-on-the-wall documentary style and vision aligned with our idea for the perfect photographer. Apparently we aren’t the only ones who see the excellence that Joe can bring to an event.
Below are some of our favorite shots from JPG’s Blog:
P.S. We tried to get this guy but his schedule was a bit tight.
Ever since our engagement, or for about a year now, I have been on the internet searching and seeking wedding related ideas for our big day. During this process I have come across some very interesting finds that I felt were share-worthy.
A Brief Guide About Bridesmaids
For example, “A Brief Guide About Bridesmaids”is a super-cute animated video created by the Vancouver Film School. The video does a wonderful job at describing the duties and experiences of a typical bridesmaids and also describing the origins of bridesmaids in different cultures. “A Brief Guide About Bridesmaids” video is sponsored by The Dessy Group, an online store for bridesmaid clothing and bridal dresses.
Being Erica
The second video I have to share is from a bridesmaids point of view and how she feels about the planning and dress shopping process. The women in it is from the Canadian show Being Erica, and as a way to advertise the show they created a prequel where she video blogs. Most of her entries are hilarious but this one in particular is funny because I hope my bridesmaids never feel like this.
Even though it is a Canadian Show, Russell was able to download episodes for me. Or you can catch the show on SoapNet in the United States.
I hope you enjoyed these fun online videos about bridesmaids!
Next week will be the beginning of May, that means we will be a year away from our wedding date! I am so excited to get the ball rolling on vendors getting booked and plans figured out. With Russell and I being engaged a year now and us having our wedding date and venue secured since January we have had a lot of time pass by in regards to planning I hope within the next couple of months to have the major vendors researched, contacted and booked. With all this planning ahead of me a bride will absolutely need her bridesmaids by her side.
My bridesmaids have known before I got engaged that they would be in my wedding, duh! they are my best friends and I hang out with them all the time. These wonderful & beautiful girls have become my closest friends ever since being my roommates in college.
Even though they know they are in the wedding, I have waited until now to “ask” them to be my bridesmaids. If you are getting married and have read any wedding magazines or browsed theknot.com, brides are now formally asking their friends “will you be my bridesmaid?” and giving little gifts to commemorate the occasion. I think this is a great idea! There is a lot of commitment on the bridesmaid part: from planning and going to pre-wedding functions, paying for a dress, as well as being a big supporter to the bride. I also love the idea of presenting them with a token of appreciation before all the madness takes over as it gets closer to my wedding day.
I have been waiting until May to have a get-together type luncheon with all of the girls so I can formally kick off the process. I tried to think of a cute restaurant to have this Bridesmaid Luncheon and I came up with Mrs. K’s Tollhouse Resturant in Silver Spring, MD. I am hoping the weather is good because they have a beautiful garden in back to take pictures. Then after the luncheon we are all going to go over to the Strathmore Music Center to show them the venue. All of the girls have not seen Strathmore and showing them where the ceremony will take place, cocktail hour and the reception area is vital in order for them to picture the day. This will also help when I will need to plan and pick decor and get their opinion if it will go or look good in the venue.
The Luncheon is planned for Saturday May 2nd, 2009! I am super excited that all of them can make it. If you know me I love to craft and do hands on projects so this was a great excuse to make my own invitations (pictured below). I found these “Petal” cards in the clearance section of Paper Source in Georgetown. The cards were a plain pink inside so I added everything from the ribbon, pink and green paper, paper flowers and gems from past craft projects. I think they turned out amazing and Russell and I are thinking of incorporating a “Petal” packaging for our wedding invitations. This is how they turned out:
I am going to write another blog post discussing how the day went and to reveal some of my surprises! Shhh I can’t say now because I don’t want my bridesmaids to find out until our luncheon on May 2nd! Stay tuned.
