Ah Shoes.

I love me some shoes, and considering I'm only 5'2" heels are pretty necessary. And good lord there are some gorgeous shoes out there. I've decided that if I'm going to splurge on one pair of shoes in my life it will be the pair I wear to become a Mrs.

I would love to saunter down the aisle in a any of these babies.

Nina Electra

Christian Louboutin

Badgley Mischka

Nina Electra

Kate Spade

Badgley Mischka

rsvp

Unfortunately I won't be wearing any of these lovelies, but I'll be sure to fill you in on my ongoing hunt for the perfect wedding shoe!

E(Pic) Clothing

Our engagement pictures are scheduled for this Saturday and I have been stressed out about what to wear. Several months ago I fell in love with some shoes.

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The Vivienne Westwood Melissa Lady Dragon Heart shoes, I don't know if I've ever seen such lovely rubber. Since I don't think my wedding dress will match these babies I decided that they would be perfect for engagement pictures. Always one for a deal I scoured ebay for a pair of these and finally (after a couple of months) I came upon a brand new pair for $69.95 (they're originally $150) and immediately bought them.

I really, really love these shoes but now I'm struggling with what to wear with them.

I bought the Who Wants to be a Frillionaire dress from modcloth which I thought would match the shoes well but it's a little shinier than I thought.

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This is what Jus will be wearing:

So, I'm coming to you for some help. What dress should I wear for the modern part of our engagement shoot?

(Commence awkward front yard photo shoot)

Who Wants to be a Frillionaire dress

Black & White one shouldered dress

Red Valentine's Day dress

Coral Bubble dress

Or do I buy this gorgeous Zac Posen for Target dress that also comes in red.

Which would you wear?

E(Pic) Inspiration

When we met with our photographer to talk about how we could afford photography Jus & I went with a plan. We had a couple of things we were willing to barter with: my parents restaurant could cater an open house for Imagination Photography; we could trade food for photography; or Janie & John could have full control over our engagement pictures. When I mentioned this last one to Janie she got very excited, she's joining WPPI and in preparation of the 2011 WPPI Convention she is anxious to get some photos that are award worthy.

I mentioned that we could do a vintage inspired shoot and Janie got excited. Janie had seen this vintage inspired engaged shoot and was excited by the idea of doing a vintage styled shoot.

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One thing to know about me is that I never do anything half way. It's a costume party? I'll be the one winning the prize. A bridal shower? I make mini wedding cakes.

As soon as we had decided that part of our engagement shoot would be styled in a 1940s fashion I jumped online and sent Janie an email full of vintage inspiration.

Here's some of the inspiration I included (Green Wedding Shoes and Ruffled are awesome sources for vintage inspiration).

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We still want to have some modern engagement pictures but we'll be shooting the majority of them in a 1940s style.

Would you be willing to have an nontraditional engagement shoot?

On Second Thought

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Part 5

Jus, this is the last time I'll ask, but this time I mean it...Don't go any further, you'll regret it.

When we left off I had ordered a beautiful wedding dress, I went to bed smiling, but I woke up with butterflies in my stomach. A combination of only trying on 15 dresses + only going to 3 stores left me feeling that I had missed out on the experience. I just couldn't say for certain that the Mori Lee dress was really mine.

I called Greta's and asked them to postpone ordering the Mori Lee dress until I could come back and try it on again.

A week later I traipsed back to the bridal store with a true entourage. My mom, sister, dad, two aunts, two little cousins, and BFF/BM Beth tagged along to see me try the Mori Lee again.

When we got to the store I looked around for other dresses that I might like, and while my consultant wasn't expecting me to try on any dresses other than the Mori Lee she was very patient and gave me all the time and help I needed.

I really liked the Victorian details of the first dress.

The dress had gorgeous detailing and the jacket was divine.

We all agreed that it looked like something out of "Titanic" and this dress was one of my dad's favorite.

Everyone agreed that this dress was just a little too plain.

I loved the shape of this dress, the folds of the top with the sweetheart neckline was beautiful.

But again, the pickups/rouching was just a little too much.

I was getting ready to try on the Mori Lee gown again when my consultant brought in a Sophia Tolli dress. She knew that I wasn't crazy about super lacy or a lot of beading but she also thought Sophia Tolli's Ariel might be unique enough for me.

As she was helping me put the dress on my consultant mentioned that the Sophia Tolli was a little less than twice what the Mori Lee dress was. My parents and I hadn't talked about an exact budget but I knew we were still in a good range.

I slipped on the Ariel, stepped in front of the mirror, and immediately started crying. My BFF/BM Beth started crying and everyone gasped.

It was a mermaid cut with SO MANY beautiful details. I was blown away with how thoughtfully designed this dress is. With so many dresses before I felt that the top didn't go with the bottom or that the designer's goal was to throw lots of "pretty" ideas together that didn't necessarily make a gorgeous dress. This dress is satin with a tulle overlay with pearl beading.

Everything about this dress is so delicate, it is elegant, classic, vintage and slightly sexy, I felt like a true bride.

But I was hesitant to say yes, I didn't want to jump the gun again, and with the price increase I wanted to spend time and talk to my parents about it.

We left the store with intentions to come back and when we went back a week later I knew that the Ariel would be my dress.

One of the deciding factors was that the Mori Lee gown would be shortened from the bottom which would mean I would loose some of the beautiful swirly fabric.

There's a plastic stool hidden under the dress

The delicate, lacy trim of the Sophia Tolli gown meant that it would have to be ordered hollow to hem so it would be the perfect length for my short body.

I left Greta's knowing that I would be happy walking down the aisle in this dress, but also knowing that having such a delicate dress would influence the entire wedding.

Did you have a tough time finding your dream dress?

Cause the Bride Can't be Naked: Going Shopping Again

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Step away from the computer, Jus.

When we left off I was feeling rather discouraged. I knew that it was only my first shopping trip and that it would most likely take me several trips to find the dress of my dreams but I couldn't help but wonder if I would ever be able to find a delectable dress to wear down the aisle.

We headed home to drop of my FMIL and decided to stop by one more store. Greta's in known to be the best bridal store in our area. We were an hour away and it was two hours before they closed, we knew we'd be cutting it close but thought we could at least look around before the shop closed.

We hopped in the car and took off (going the speed limit, of course), we arrived without an appointment an hour before the shop closed (bad bride, I know). We arrived at Greta's we were greeted by the owner, she asked to see my inspiration and set us up with an attendant.

She pulled several dresses for me (which we neglected to take pictures of) and then I tried on a Mori Lee Blu dress.

I loved the mix of vintage and modern that this dress incorporates.

Even though I had originally said no beading I loved how the beading on this dress accented my waist and bust.

The sweetheart neckline and lace up back added some sexiness to the dress without being quite as blatant as the previous dress I had tried on. My favorite part of this dress is the swirl of the fabric. I love that the fabric starts at my waist and swirls all the way down my body and onto the train.

I couldn't bear to take this dress off. I felt so incredibly glamorous and loved every moment I wore it.

We ended up staying at Greta's three hours after they closed, Greta herself stayed to help ensure that my questions were answered. In the end my mom looked at me and asked if this was the one, I said yes, we put half down and left with big smiles. We went out to dinner and I couldn't believe that I had found my wedding dress on my first day of shopping.

Did you find your dress on your first day of shopping?

Just Thought You Might Like to Know

I'm holding a giveaway on Adventures in Love and Happiness for this beautiful hair piece.

I think this would be a gorgeous addition to a bridal look so be sure to hop on over and sign up!

Cause the Bride Can't be Naked: Going Shopping

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As my sister and I looked through the racks of dresses at our first bridal store I started to become a little disappointed. Most of the dresses were not what I was looking for but we gave it our all and started pulling some dresses.

Jus, I am warning you, LEAVE NOW!!!!

The first dress I tried on was Maggie Sottero's Fiorella

I really liked this dress, partially because it was the first wedding dress I put on and partially because it came in oyster. I loved the depth that the darker color added.

Fiorella has a beautiful beaded strap but all of the rouching and pickups were confusing me. I knew I didn't want either but I still kinda liked this dress.

The second dress I tried on is from Maggie Sottero's Destinations collection. My sister LOVED this dress and even though I didn't think it was appropriate for an October wedding I tried it on.

Perhaps if we had gone with our "other wedding" this would've been my dress, but it was too breezy for a fall wedding.

I tried the next dress on because it was different, it was light pink and had more pickups than a county fair.

Clearly, I didn't take this dress too seriously.

Before we left this store I tried on the first Maggie once more. I think part of my feelings for this dress had to do with the fact that it was the first wedding dress I ever tried on. I felt a little magical and a little bridal. I loved the color but couldn't help but feel that the pickups were a little odd, and there was a gathered part that hit me in an awkward spot.

I'm sure this dress looks lovely on someone that is taller, but as a 5'2" bride it looked like I was pooping out fabric.

We went to lunch, regrouped, and got ready to go to our second bridal shop. My sister's best friend had just gotten her dress from this shop and so we had high expectations, but as soon as we walked in my hopes dropped. Every dress looked the same, the attendant barely noticed us (even though I had an appointment!) and there was a dress that looked like this but in white.

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Needless to say, I was ready to leave, but as we looked through the dresses once more we found a dress that had the ruffly layers I was looking for.

This dress is a Private Collection and is obviously too small but I loved the fit. I liked that it was a little sexy, a little vintage, a little girly, and a little modern. Everyone agreed that Jus would love the way my booty looked (he's a total butt man).

I've gotta admit, my butt looks SEXY in this dress, but do you really want that much sexy in your wedding dress? A normal dress, yes; a prom dress, yes; a wedding dress, some sex is ok, but does your groom's grandma really need to see this much of your booty?

We headed home a little discouraged, the two shops we stopped by had little to offer, and I had to wonder, would I ever find the right dress?

Were you discouraged after your first dress shopping trip?