Flower Girl, Junior Bridesmaid, and the guys need to look good too!

Now that the bridesmaid's dresses are picked (minus whatever Amy decides for her maid of honor dress), that makes picking everyone else's outfit A LOT easier.  You know what colors to base you decisions on, as well as the fabrics.

FLOWER GIRL: McLain Youngwood
McLain is an 8-year-old that's really tall.  Being we are going to have a junior bridesmaid not much older than her, we wanted something that would make her more juvenile.

Dress: David's Bridal H1227 in Ivory - tea length ball gown with straps.  She will be the only one with her legs showing, but the body of the dress will emphasize her young age.
Sash: David's Bridal S1158 in Lapis (shown) - the beadwork will add a nice touch and the sash will add color to her ivory dress.

Junior Bridesmaid: Kristan Misenheimer

Dustin's cousin has wanted to be in her favorite cousin's wedding from the second she was born, so we have to include her.  Being 10 years old, we felt she was a little old to be a flower girl, so we thought she could have a special role as a junior bridesmaid.

Dress: David's Bridal JB1335 in Lapis.  This is where we had to really focus on matching the bridesmaids.  Their dress is chiffon and floor length, so hers will be too.

Groomsmen: Ethan King, David King, Jon Churchill, Keith Marwitz & Kris Bence

This was Dustin's territory.  When it became his turn, he was so INDECISIVE!!!  However, I think he is pleased with what he decided on.

Tux: Men's Warehouse's Black Calvin Klein Two Button Suit with non-pleated pants.  The shirts are ivory point color.  The vest and matching euro tie is in a Bella Luna style in the color Lapis.  Cufflinks are black and silver, and the shoes are a round black toe.

Groom: Dustin King :D

We wanted him to be similar, but have something different to make him stand out.  He went back and forth with many ideas, and finally decided on having an ivory vest.

Tux: Men's Warehouse's Black Calvin Klein Two Button Suit with non-pleated pants.  The shirts are ivory point color.  The vest and matching euro tie is in a Bella Luna style in the color Ivory.  Cufflinks are black and silver, and the shoes are a round black toe.

So that's pretty much it for now!  Time to work on choosing accessories!

Picking a Bridesmaid Dress

Today was a big day - one that I have been waiting for.  Today I FINALLY decided on a dress for my lovely bridesmaids, junior bridesmaid, and flower girl.

Let me tell you, it's a HUGE relief.

Elise tried on several dresses that she had picked out from an earlier visit, and we added a couple that Dustin and I wanted to see her in.  She looked gorgeous in all of them, but we ended up choosing one that we both really like.

The dress on the left was the runner-up.  It looked nice and formal on her.  However, we were worried the sash would draw attention to the stomach area.  The one in the middle was Elise's favorite, and I had to make sure I saw it on her in person.  It was pretty, but not one of my favorites.  The third dress made Elise feel uncomfortable, but I still think she looked really pretty.

AND THE WINNER!

This dress is very re-wearable.  It will flatter all of my bridesmaids.  It will be in a lapis color (purple) and I'm really excited and happy!

Creating our Wedding Registry!

One fun aspect of getting married is getting presents! (Bad... I know, but it's true!)  And in order to get what you would like for your future married life, you need to register somewhere saying what you'd like to have.

Dustin and I decided that we wanted to register at two places - this way, we could have a place with more expensive gifts and an affordable place.  Doing that gives your guests options.  If they can't afford something expensive, they can get you something else.

We chose to register at Belk and Target.  Belk has this beautiful china pattern that we want, so that made choosing that simple.  Also, there is a Belk in my hometown making it easy for local guests.  And Target is a place that our college friends like to go to.

Unlike our parents, Dustin and I didn't get to use the registry gun at the store.  We did look at most things we wanted, but we created our registry from the comfort of his living room.  Registries are created online now.  You can add, remove and monitor items on your list daily.  It's great!

It's funny how easy this process was, and how Dustin allowed me to get most of what I wanted.  He got to a point where he didn't really care what we get.  Makes life simple!

Save-the-Dates

Save-the-dates seem to be almost required today for weddings.  It is a newer tradition (Dustin's mom had no idea what they are, and my mom kind of understood), but the idea of sending them out is very exciting.  It gives people a head up that this certain day will be your wedding so they won't plan something that day.

TYPES OF SAVE-THE-DATES: There are several different types of save-the dates.  There are formal ones that look like mini-invitations, as well as fun ones that include pictures.  

Dustin and I loved our engagement pictures and we wanted to do a simple photo card from Walmart.  I used them for graduation announcements before and I have friends who used them for their weddings.  Also doing them this way helped cut down on the cost.  They turned out great!

WHO TO SEND THEM TO: Before we got them printed, we had to figure who to send them to.  You don't have to send them to everyone on your list, however once you send it, it is required you send them an invitation to the wedding.  

First we sent them to everyone involved in our wedding - wedding party, immediate family and vendors who are family friends.  Then we sent them to our extended families - I had one person on this list, and Dustin had like a million!  Next we mailed some to family friends who deserve to have one. Finally, we mailed them to our friends who are really out of town.

We did leave out some friends, however the point of save-the-dates are to let your out of town guests have time to prepare their travel arrangements.  That's why experts say to send them out about 6 months ahead of time.  People understand.  

It's so exciting to start spreading the news about our wedding and to have people tell you they are planning on attending!  The wedding is really coming along, and it's great!