More Dresses, and Photography...
Spent the weekend in Raleigh doing more dress shopping. I found another dress that I absolutely adore (can't go into to much details, obviously, b/c J reads this--hush hush to those I sent a link to). Of course, it's couture. *rubs forehead*. It is stunning though.
Dresses
My mom and sister came up for the day/night. My sis missed out on dress shopping a couple of weeks back, so she was super geeked about it. We had a full day. My fabulous future sister-in-law came with us as well, and besides being the warm, wonderful person that she is, she also worked at a bridal salon at one point and was a valuable resource in that aspect.
10:00am SIL and I grabbed a biscuit at McDonalds
10:30am Mom and Sis arrive (3 hr trip)
11:15am First stop, Bridal Boutique . Found 3 dresses I really liked here, none I absolutely had to have. Nice shop, pretty good selection.
1:00pm Next stop, Traditions, where they carry exclusively couture. We had the place to ourselves, and the employees were pleasantly unstuffy and very helpful. Found my dream dress, as well as another beautiful option. You can certainly tell these dresses are couture-- the fabrics are luxurious, each dress can be customized (down to the lace pattern, or ribbon, or colors). Not a lot of bedazzling going on here--couture dresses don't need a lot of fuss to be fantastic. Didn't want to leave.
2:30pm Rushed lunch at Nantucket Cafe, because we had a 50-minute drive to Fuquay-Varina for the last dress shop of the day. Have to mention this place though, because I had such a delicious chicken salad sandwich and tomato basil soup.
4:00pm Last appointment of the day, at Enchanting Moments. Was expecting so much from this store, but very disappointed. Didn't even find one dress I really liked, and even the Helen Morley gowns didn't impress me. I thought the store was a bit antiquated. Again, had great customer service and attention from the employee, but I wasn't feeling the store.
A great time was had by all. I tell ya, there is no experience quite like trying on wedding gowns. The anticipation exiting the dressing room, the oohs and ahhs, standing in front of a three-way mirror in gorgeous gowns...truly a princess experience.
Photographer
J and I found what will likely be (we have one more appt left!) our photographers. A husband and wife team. I'll post a link to their site once we officially book them, but they were the best of everything we've seen thus far--totally dig their artistry and their philosophy. A great mix of old-school and new school--for instance, they still use a dark room and will develop our final b/w for our album themselves. That is like a lost art in the days of digital wedding photography. They shoot both film (for their black and whites, the best saturation) AND digital (for their color). Jay is old school in that he still believes film gives a richer, truer image and isn't as flat as digital.
They have top of the line equipment, and use a variety of cameras and lenses. They see the fun in shooting. They have, as Jay says, an artist's mind set but are technologically savvy (the guy is a confessed gadget guru). Plus, we really jived with their personalities--warm and relaxed. Yet they have everything together on the business end. Love them.
Next steps: Final photographer appt next Sunday. Calling around to see if I can get my couture gown at a discount (bridal salons selling samples?!). Working on guest list.
Dresses
My mom and sister came up for the day/night. My sis missed out on dress shopping a couple of weeks back, so she was super geeked about it. We had a full day. My fabulous future sister-in-law came with us as well, and besides being the warm, wonderful person that she is, she also worked at a bridal salon at one point and was a valuable resource in that aspect.
10:00am SIL and I grabbed a biscuit at McDonalds
10:30am Mom and Sis arrive (3 hr trip)
11:15am First stop, Bridal Boutique . Found 3 dresses I really liked here, none I absolutely had to have. Nice shop, pretty good selection.
1:00pm Next stop, Traditions, where they carry exclusively couture. We had the place to ourselves, and the employees were pleasantly unstuffy and very helpful. Found my dream dress, as well as another beautiful option. You can certainly tell these dresses are couture-- the fabrics are luxurious, each dress can be customized (down to the lace pattern, or ribbon, or colors). Not a lot of bedazzling going on here--couture dresses don't need a lot of fuss to be fantastic. Didn't want to leave.
2:30pm Rushed lunch at Nantucket Cafe, because we had a 50-minute drive to Fuquay-Varina for the last dress shop of the day. Have to mention this place though, because I had such a delicious chicken salad sandwich and tomato basil soup.
4:00pm Last appointment of the day, at Enchanting Moments. Was expecting so much from this store, but very disappointed. Didn't even find one dress I really liked, and even the Helen Morley gowns didn't impress me. I thought the store was a bit antiquated. Again, had great customer service and attention from the employee, but I wasn't feeling the store.
A great time was had by all. I tell ya, there is no experience quite like trying on wedding gowns. The anticipation exiting the dressing room, the oohs and ahhs, standing in front of a three-way mirror in gorgeous gowns...truly a princess experience.
Photographer
J and I found what will likely be (we have one more appt left!) our photographers. A husband and wife team. I'll post a link to their site once we officially book them, but they were the best of everything we've seen thus far--totally dig their artistry and their philosophy. A great mix of old-school and new school--for instance, they still use a dark room and will develop our final b/w for our album themselves. That is like a lost art in the days of digital wedding photography. They shoot both film (for their black and whites, the best saturation) AND digital (for their color). Jay is old school in that he still believes film gives a richer, truer image and isn't as flat as digital.
They have top of the line equipment, and use a variety of cameras and lenses. They see the fun in shooting. They have, as Jay says, an artist's mind set but are technologically savvy (the guy is a confessed gadget guru). Plus, we really jived with their personalities--warm and relaxed. Yet they have everything together on the business end. Love them.
Next steps: Final photographer appt next Sunday. Calling around to see if I can get my couture gown at a discount (bridal salons selling samples?!). Working on guest list.
posted by Emily at 10:54 AM
3 Comments:
Em, I love love love following along with your plans on this blog. The dress you loved is gorgeous!!! You are going to be a knockout in anything though. Glad lots of things are falling into place!
WAIT. i only got to the word raleigh and had to stop reading-- you were in raleigh and didn't see ME?!?!?! egads....
xox,
g
Sounds like things are going well! It's so important to have a photographer you feel comfortable with!
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