BHLDN

If you haven't heard of BHLDN, (pronounced "beholden") Anthropologie's new bridal line, you must go fall in love with it! I am smitten with Anthropologie, and even though I'm married, I still enjoy looking at sweet and fun ideas for dresses, accessories, and such. Here are a few of my favorites:
If you're the traditional type, this dress is the ticket! Elegant simplicity and subtle detail to let your gorgeous face take the spotlight!

Dresses with sleeves are either doomed to be tacky, or destined to soar with style and finesse. This one falls into the latter category. And check out the flowers and scalloped hem. It seems fresh and nostalgic at once.


This was my personal favorite. I love the tea length and appliques. And a diagonally shirred bodice never looked bad on anyone.


Oh yes. Cover-ups that don't say "oops, I have to be modest." No, rather more of "Grandmother's treasured heirloom."

And you know my thing for footwear. Oh love! Bright peridot heels for the bride, wedding party, or any girl who just wants her feet to feel fab.

And lastly, a demure, blushy pair. I love these because they remind me of my own wedding. And the dressmaker bow is so prim and cute. Irresistible.
So, what are you waiting for? Go see the rest.

And So We Get Married....

Well, here are a handful of pictures from our wedding in October. We had about four cameras on the job, so we ultimately will end up with 1000's. The photographer got married; what can you expect?

I like this one so much. I don't really know why, I just think it looks cool.

When I arrived at the church, I ran around doing this, that, and the other. I've always enjoyed being a gofer for other weddings, so that instinct kicked in automatically. Once my maids were dressed though, I had to stop and say "Hey, this is actually my wedding! I need to get myself ready!"

Here is my sweet flower girl, Adeline Soderburg, who is also now my niece.


Ridge's younger brother Remington was the best man.

Ridge's friend, Josh, from CA. He is also a photographer, and, even though I haven't gotten to see him much, in my experience he is great fun.

Ridge's brother River, who is six months older than I am, and does love so to rub it in.

Here is my own brother, Christian. I think this is a fantastic picture of a fantastic guy. I love him! :-)
Somehow we missed getting a portrait of Roshua! If I find one, I'll stick it in here. He's also a wonderful B.I.L.

Here is the Christina Wu that I bought. As happens with many brides, I had a distinct idea of what I wanted, and ended up finding something very different. I loved the simplicity and clean lines, and though I didn't think I could do a big train, it was perfect.

Waiting for our "reveal." (which, by the way, I am very glad that we did. It was so helpful to see and talk to each other beforehand. The ceremony was much less stressful that way.)
(self-explanatory)

The guys had a fun time goofing off while we all got ready.

Finally, it was time to put on my veil, which I had fun sewing.

Megan was my Maid of Honor. We have been best friends since we were eight and nine, and she has had a real impact on my life. She also was so helpful with the wedding. Believe it or not, she sewed all the bridesmaids' beautiful dresses. Amazing.

My cousin, Rachel, who moved here three years ago, and I am so glad she did!! We have so much fun together now.

Anna Takahashi was introduced to me through Megan. She is a really sweet friend, and was so gracious to come all the way from San Diego to be my bridesmaid.

Ridge's sister Raijoice. She has been a great friend, and though it's only recently been official, I feel like we've been sisters for a long time.

Raydeemie is also Ridge's sister, and she is such fun! We always have something to laugh about together.


We were/are so happy!

Now, that's a big family!!

Tyler Rasmussen (videographer) let us pose by his cute, cute, CUTE VW.


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So now, 6 1/2 weeks later, we are settled into our daily routines, and enjoying marriage very much. We have so much fun together making up parodies and silly faces, discussing doctrine and morals, drinking coffee and running errands. Having each other in every aspect of our lives has been such a wonderful learning experience, and as fabulous as being "in love" is, being committed to love makes it so much more beautiful.

“Love means the body, the soul, the life, the entire being. We feel love as we feel the warmth of our blood, we breathe love as we breathe air, we hold it in ourselves as we hold our thoughts. Nothing more exists for us. Love is not a word, it is a wordless state indicated by four letters.”
- Guy de Maupassant

Well, it's one week until the wedding, and I probably won't be posting any more as things get faster & crazier. Don't worry, I'll come back, and I'll still come by to see if you all are behaving yourselves. So, for a little pre-hiatus eye candy, I thought I'd share something special I found. Even though I have my dress, it's still fun to look around at all the lovely ones available. I recently found this boutique that has gorgeous vintage wedding dresses. (as well as prom, jackets, and other goodies) Here were some of the (in my opinion) highlights:
Get your dose of Jackie O. with this little white number. Perfect for a laid-back tea and cookies reception in a garden.

I'm not good at pulling off a big collar, but I think this one is just so pretty. It makes me think of old-fashioned ladies posing for a portrait.

Whimsy and tailoring in one piece is no longer a contradiction. It's fun and care-free, yet snappy and smart as well.

This one really took my breath away. It's obviously not modern, but I cannot say that it looks old. Just pure, sweeping, classic beauty.

Okay, so it looks a little like a christening gown. Or a maternity dress. Or a nightie. It's still adorable, and for those brave enough to try a gathered empire waistline, I say God bless 'em!

To be quite honest, I don't think I could ramain sober and reverent in a dress that says "play!" as much as this one.

Fit for woodland fairy nuptuals, the ragged hem is faciful without looking like a costume.


I hope you enjoyed seeing my little gallery. If you really like them, go to their site. And, if you are ever in the market, most of these dresses are realistically sized, and reasonably priced.

*gasp*

For a long time I've read those stories about gals and their wedding dresses, and how, when they find "The One," they cry and shriek and jump around and......yeah, basically a huge emotional overreaction. I knew I wouldn't get that way. (I figured that I'm...you know, sensible) I'd tried on a pile of dresses in Missoula, and hadn't found "The One," so I was resigning myself to the prospect of sewing my own.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a perfectly decent seamstress, but having my wedding gown done in 9 weeks was daunting. So this morning, when Mom suggested I give Mimi's Bridal another try, I was somewhat reluctant. I hadn't had good luck there before, so why would I now?

The proprieter helped me in and out of a couple lovely ones, none of which were like "WOW! Super Amazing!" Then, she introduced the next one as being designed by Christina Wu.

Oh.

It's.

PERFECT!

It fits like a dream, and with the exception of hemming, it needs minimal alteration.

No, I didn't scream, but since it took my breath away, I know it's The One.
I would describe it here a little, but I happen to know that my fiance has a habit of dropping by my blog now and again. Suffice it to say, it is simple, elegant, and now it's my own. :-)