Wedding Wednesday: My Dress

I am not going to lie, I haven't been this excited about sharing a blog post in a long time.  Today will also sort of be my September Outfit of the Month because what better thing could I have possibly worn that month?!  Yes, sorry, it's a little late, but I had to wait for the good photos, of course :) Here's the story: last October, I went shopping with my mom and 3 of my bridesmaids.  Truth be told, my mom and I had gone shopping the previous week at a couple of little shops, just to see what I liked and I only learned one thing: NO LACE.  Originally I thought I wanted a full lace dress with NO sparkle.  When you go to prom looking like this, you want to get as far away from any of that as possible.  Well, my little 5 foot tall frame tried on full lace gowns, and I looked like a walking table cloth: legit.  Alright, flash forward back to my real dress shopping day.  I tried to pick out dresses for myself and tried on about 10: too much bling, too much cleavage, TOO MUCH POOF.  At about #10, I gave up, and started texting my mom from inside the changing room, asking her to find another place and make an appointment.  I WAS GETTING MY DRESS TODAY, DAMMIT.  I tried on one more, and it was: okay?  [INSERT 30 ROCK JOKE HERE: "That's exactly how you look!   Moving on...]  I walked out, almost ready to buy this dress that wasn't perfect, when my mom suggested that I try on this dress that the store owner had selected a good half hour ago and placed on a hanger outside the fitting room.  It looked fine on the rack, nothing fantastic, but I still agreed.  Well, they laced it up, I walked out, and my mom and I both started crying.  Seriously.  We had one of those moments: that was it.  The dress I chose was Courtney by Maggie Sottero.  I loved the lightweight chiffon, the little bit of embellishment with the Swarovski crystal belt, and the asymmetrical design.  That day, I also selected a veil and hair comb that both coordinated with the beading on my dress.  I was good to go!  Now, flash forward 11 months and a few alterations later to September 20th... 

The extras of the day:

Something old (the blue handkerchief that belonged to my Nona)...

The rose amethyst bangle was also my wedding present from Mike.

Something new from my dad...

Something borrowed from Mike's mom jewelry collection...

Something blue, a new Pandora bead, to go on the bracelet his mom bought me, from Mike...

And it was time to get dressed!

There was one downside to the dress.  The white backing behind the corset (can be seen in the second photo) slid up all day.  My poor MOH and sister-in-law, Laura, spent a good amount of time up my dress, moving it back down.  We're a close family...

 For every downside, there's an upside, right?  I could even swing a golf club in this one! Score!

All the Details:

Dress: Courtney by Maggie Sottero

Dress, Veil, and Hair Comb purchased from: East West Bridal Shoes: Evelixa in Grape Rings: Tacori Bridesmaid Dresses: Long Strapless Chiffon Dress in Oasis Flower Girl Dress: Tea Length Organza Dress in White with Satin Sash in Oasis Photographer: Carrie Draghi Photography Hair and Makeup Artists: Blushing Brides Flowers: Frugal Flower Nails: Mamas 'N Divas Nail Lounge Mike's Tux: Calvin Klein from Men's Wearhouse with vest and tie in Regency (as pictured) All photos © Carrie Draghi Photography