Did That Just Happen?

I am picky. I love to make things harder than they have to be. I guess this is because the more research I put into something, the more assured I am that I'll end up with the best option. So, it normally takes me forever to do things like book a hotel or pick out a restaurant in a major city. With my wedding shoes, this was not so.

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You're probably saying, "But Miss Cowboy Boot, you have six months until your wedding? Why the rush?"

Well, I have my one and only dress fitting in June. Saks will block out three days for me while I'm home in Los Angeles to get my dress in shape and then send it on to their Denver store where I'll pick it up before the wedding. To get the length right, I had to nail down my shoes before the fitting.

The selection in Santa Fe is, well, limited and expensive. So, I turned my search to online. Our fellow bees posted so many drool-worthy shoes but most of their finds were on clearance racks at DSW. I waited for the clock to strike 10 here when the Christian Louboutin sale on Gilt Groupe happened but, alas, I wasn't impressed with it. So, I thought I'd check out eBay. Not expecting to find something on my first go-round.

I present to you my $50(!) Kate Spades. Wish I could tell you the style name or somethin'!

They are light pink/blush-colored with gold threaded through them.

I don't love how tan they look here, but my are they comfy.

This is how I customized my search:

I started out by typing "shoes" into the search. Then narrowed it down by selecting "Women's Shoes" in the left column. I checked my size and Heels/Pumps directly under that, too. Then, as I scrolled down, the column on the left had a pull-down menu where you can select all of the designers you like. I started checking boxes: Via Spiga, Stuart Weitzman, J. Crew, Chloe. It worked!

Did you get a deep discount on designer shoes? If so, spill your secrets!

The Final Bridesmaid Dress Dilemma

Well, hive, I've narrowed it down to three choices for my lovely ladies. You see, I just don't have a vision of what I want them all to look like which is making it really hard for me to pick out a dress. What I do know is that I want the girls to feel like themselves, to want to wear the dress again (I know!), and to get it in a color that suits everyone. You've seen the J. Crew and Watters trial. Then you saw the custom dress maker that I heart. Now I present to you my three delectable options.

But, first, let me share some color inspiration with you (peach, dusty rose, pink, and gold). 

(Thanks Martha)

(Thanks Again Martha)

(My Aren't You Generous, Martha!)

Option Numero Uno (silk taffeta; around $200):

J. Crew Lorelei Dress

J. Crew Sangle Dress

One of these styles in J. Crew's Barely Peach which hits stores in August. I ordered in both dress styles in other colors just to try on the dress itself. I'll let you know what they look like. I also got an itty bitty swatch of Barely Peach and love it. 

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Option Numero Dos (chiffon; $200 each):

Sarah Seven Flock Dress

Sarah Seven Flock Dress

Hive, I really need you to use your imagination here. Think solid color (no birds) and knee-length. This is where I'm having trouble with color, although Sarah would send me fabric samples before making the dresses. These dresses might be these colors:

The color of the curtains which is basically Barely Peach

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Something brighter like this amaryllis

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Option Numero Tres (variety; name your price):

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Or do I take inspiration from the discerning Ms. Apple Cider who had a good enough eye to catch this trend? Let the bridesmaids pick out their own dresses with set rules: in a certain color range, knee-length, particular fabric, etc. In the past, when this was done, I've seen bridesmaids stress over it and buy a dress last-minute. I've heard they like to be given more structure than this. But, I love the way it looks in the end.

So, hive, help me out! Vote for option 1, 2, or 3 below. 

Custom Dresses? Hmmm...

I got frustrated. Yes. Occasionally, I felt like I wanted to say screw it and choose a bridesmaid dress that I was just okay with. But didn't love. I sifted through tons of "real weddings" on theknot.com, I looked all over Nordstrom, and anywhere else I thought might have a suitable dress. That's right. At this point, I really just wanted something suitable.

Etsyweddings.blogspot.com threw me a bone. And her name was Sarah Seven.

The Tulip Dress

Her work is feminine and flattering. It's romantic yet stylish.

The Raspberry Perfection Dress

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Powdered Sugar Dress

This would be an adorable short wedding dress.

With All My Love Dress

Fabulous long wedding dress.

Head to Sarah Seven's blog, Beaus and Arrows, to see more of her work.

And, stay tuned to see the next chapter of the bridesmaid dress...

Did you consider custom dresses?

Just Can't Figure It Out

My knot.com checklist has been hounding me for the past two months. "Decide on the bridesmaid dress," it says to me, staring me in the face. And I have. Then I haven't. Then I have again. Nope, not the one. Then...This is how the cycle's been over the past few months. My ever-obliging bridesmaids must be getting sick of my, "This dress is cute, right?" e-mails. 

At first, I thought I could be really simple about it. Choose a fabric (silk chiffon) and a color (espresso) from J. Crew. Let the girls choose their style. I sent the girls to their respective J. Crews to gauge their sizes. And, I ordered a few of the dresses in to try on myself. 

The Silk Chiffon Juliet in Espresso

The Solid Silk Chiffon Whitney Long in Espresso

The Printed Silk Chiffon Whitney Short Dress in Sweet Cantaloupe

While I liked the fit of these dresses, they just didn't do it for me. The espresso dresses were, well, fine. I wanted to love the printed Whitney but it was practically neon in the shade which made me nix it. 

Then I saw this dress on Watters.com. 

Watters Style 4431

My two maids-of-honor went to try it on for me in LA and, again, it was just fine. At the time, my color scheme was still yellow and brown and the yellow was kind of bland.

Stay tuned to hear about my current bridesmaid dress dilemma...

Did you go through a few dresses before you got the bridesmaid dress right?

The Dress that Almost Foiled My Plan

Occasionally, I break out the stack of wedding magazines I've obtained over the last year (can't believe we've been engaged that long!) and sift through them to see if any articles are relevant to where I am now in the planning process. It's amazing how certain articles become of interest at certain points throughout the planning process (i.e. dress pictures vs. invitation wording). Note to self: don't throw any magazines away--even if you think you've ripped out all the "relevant" articles and pictures.

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Last night, I was flipping through a Brides from a few months ago when I came across an ad for a dress. It made me stumble in my tracks. Had I selected the right dress? Oh my, I need to try this on now. Could I forfeit the $500 deposit I'd already paid on my dress and bolt for another? And when was I going to get to a dress shop that carried this dress? The closest store was six hours away. Yes, hive, I got a wee bit frantic. 

Here is Ms. Priscilla of Boston B4306:

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I'm not one for jackets over the dress, but without the jacket, this dress is stunning. (Okay, I even like this jacket a teaspoon amount). Watch the moment in the video when the model takes off the jacket. It's actually really similar to my dress, but I can't help but trip and fall over the beading and embellishments on the chest that my dress lacks. 

So, I did what any sane, logical bride-to-be would do: I contemplated giving up my $500 deposit even if this dress was the same price as mine. I swooned. I swooned again. I picked up the phone to call Priscilla of Boston in Denver. I just had to know. How much was this beauty?

Then, quiet rained down. All was calm. This dress was $750 more than the one I've got waiting for me at Saks. I already let my budget get out of control on the dress front. There was no way I was going to dish out $4350 for a dress. Even if Priscilla of Boston can make the gown from scratch to fit. Your. Exact. Measurements. No alterations needed.

Okay, I'm going to go cry myself to sleep now. 

Did a dress interrupt your smooth-sailing wedding plans?

Beer. Beer. Beer.

Mr. Cowboy Boot and I have an appointment with Devil's Thumb Ranch to suss out our catering contract over Memorial Day weekend. It's got my wheels spinning. While I should be thinking about our BBQ menu and whether we want braised collared greens or bison rustic chili, I've only got my mind on one thing. Beer. No, this is not Mr. CB writing in place of Miss Cowboy Boot. 

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I love beer. That's right. After a long hike, while paddling down a river, around a campfire, or at the end of a ski day, there's nothing better than an ice cold brew. This favoritism over other, more girly beverages could be a result of the fact that I live in a mountain town. Everyone here drinks beer. But I'm also a bit of a beer snob--I can't reach for the cheapest case in the grocery store fridge. In fact, I'm drinking a Santa Fe Brewing Company Nut Brown Ale right now. When I'm not, I reach for an New Belgium's Fat Tire or Organic Mothership Wit. 

So why am I going on and on about beer? Because it's been one of our favorite details of our wedding. As one of our beverage options, we can pick from six kegs of local beers. Since we're doing a BBQ dinner we figure that beer will be a big hit. And, Mr. CB and I wish we could call ourselves locavores which makes this so appealing to us. Throughout the past few months, we've been scouring liquor stores to find the six beers on the menu so we can taste them and see which we like. If we like all six, we might just do quarter kegs of each kind of beer.

Now for the beer list:

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Wild Creek Brewery's Three Pin Jack Pale Ale made in Winter Park, Colorado, just nine miles down the road from our venue. They also serve beers called: Breakaway Blonde, Gear Jammer Amber, Wee Heavy Lassie, and Plain Jane.

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Easy Street Wheat Beer (one of my faves) is brewed by Odell Brewing Company out of Fort Collins, Colorado, which is about two hours from our venue. 

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Coors and Coors Light have to be on the list. They're the one recognizable brewery but, they're brewed just sixty-six miles from our venue in Golden, Colorado. 

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We also have another beer by Odell Brewing Company called 90 Shilling. It's Odell's flagship beer and it's basically a traditional Scottish ale, unlike Easy Street which is an unfiltered wheat beer.

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If you didn't catch the name yet it's Wooly Booger. Ha. Every time I say this to people, they have to bring up the beer Moose Drool from Big Sky Brewing. Not brewed as far as Montana, though, Wooly Booger (try saying that six times fast) is created by Grand Lake Brewing Company which is only twenty-seven miles from Devil's Thumb. 

What did you have the most fun trying out before your wedding?

Centerpiece Envy

My signature adorns the line at the bottom of the florist's contract, but only for a few select items. Plum Sage will be doing my bouquet, the moms/aunts/grandmothers' corsages, the guys' boutonnieres, a wristlet for our junior bridesmaid, and helping my bridesmaids put together their five bouquets. That's it. For now. 

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I haven't decided, yet, if I want to DIY my centerpieces or if I just want to throw responsibility into the wind and hand the entire project over to Plum Sage. In both cases, I'll be supplying a selection of vintage glass vessels for vases. I have quite a few but plan to spend the summer collecting the rest of them. And if I can't fill out the collection, the florist has my back. 

I haven't seen a centerpiece using mason jars and vintage cans that feels full enough for me. I thought about using a lantern in the middle to keep things from looking sparse. Miss Labrador blogged about a lantern that I thought might fit into my decor and is affordable (thanks Ms. Lab!). There were a few other options on the Jamali Garden website that also struck my fancy. 

Until I figure it out, here are a few images that also strike my fancy. 

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Any suggestions on how I can fill out our centerpieces?