Got it in my inbox: my dress will arrive on Wednesday, February 4. Whew, that's one thing off my plate. Everyone seems to want to know: what dress did I pick? Well, I'm not letting that cat out of the bag until I know whether it fits. So, stay tuned. I will tell you that it's not white and it's not that hideous green goth number in yesterday's post.
Several people have asked me what my partner will be wearing. Well, that seems to be the million-dollar question these days. I think she has a rough idea in her mind, but nothing has really turned up quite yet. She's threatening to wear shorts and an Old Navy t-shirt, which is NOT OKAY (just so you know, honey). Maybe some of my readers will help her with suggestions? I'm hoping that her well-dressed sister Kelly will take her to the mall this weekend and help her out. We've talked about having something custom made, but I think you have to actually have an idea of what you want before you show up at the tailor. Maybe I'm wrong about that; I've never actually had anything custom made before. So, we'll see ...
1.30.2009
1.29.2009
the dress
EEK – I ordered my dress today. I should have started this blog two months ago, so you could have journeyed with me through the hell that is bridal gown shopping. But, lucky reader, you have caught me on the upswing, wedding attire already decided. I think that’s better for both of us.
Volumes have been written about this moxie-building rite of passage for the modern bride. The options are literally endless – so much so, in fact, that entire periodicals are published several times each year to showcase the latest and greatest in bridal fashions. On top of these new and noteworthy styles, there are also thousands (millions, even?) of other styles that have been created over the years. You can get a white gown in pretty much any style you can imagine. And, some you probably couldn’t:
WHAT was she thinking?
I guess the point of all of this is to day that the choices are endless. But ours is a non-traditional sort of gig, so I’m not even limited by the expectation that I’ll be wearing white. I toyed with it for a while simply because it was a good place to start. Truthfully, it’s difficult to shop for a gown when you have unlimited choices. Just anyone who’s ever worked for me, I’m a bottom line sort of gal. I only want three choices for any decision; more than that and I lose interest or get overwhelmed by the tiny differences between them. So, shopping for a dress with virtually no limitations is really just too much for me.
I started my search on the internet, and was surprised to find that there really aren’t too many resources out there for plus-size brides. I’m not a small gal, so finding a style that I liked that came in my size was actually pretty difficult. Sure, there’s always Bride-Mart (that’s David’s Bridal to you), but the thought of stripping down in front of some sleazy used-car-salesman sales associate just put me to shivers.
So, I stripped down in the comfort of my own home and had my measurements taken, then decided to shop online. For you rookies out there, the measuring step is REALLY IMPORTANT. A dirty little secret in the wedding fashion industry is that these gowns run small, sometimes by up to two sizes. So, on your special day, you end up feeling like a fat cow. Nice. My dress should arrive in 7-10 business days, so I’ll let you know how it fits. I’m planning on some alterations, but the measurement chart said it would be roughly my size.
In my search, I found some great resources for plus-size brides:
I’ll post some additional resources later re: undergarments and other odds and ends.
Volumes have been written about this moxie-building rite of passage for the modern bride. The options are literally endless – so much so, in fact, that entire periodicals are published several times each year to showcase the latest and greatest in bridal fashions. On top of these new and noteworthy styles, there are also thousands (millions, even?) of other styles that have been created over the years. You can get a white gown in pretty much any style you can imagine. And, some you probably couldn’t:
WHAT was she thinking?I guess the point of all of this is to day that the choices are endless. But ours is a non-traditional sort of gig, so I’m not even limited by the expectation that I’ll be wearing white. I toyed with it for a while simply because it was a good place to start. Truthfully, it’s difficult to shop for a gown when you have unlimited choices. Just anyone who’s ever worked for me, I’m a bottom line sort of gal. I only want three choices for any decision; more than that and I lose interest or get overwhelmed by the tiny differences between them. So, shopping for a dress with virtually no limitations is really just too much for me.
I started my search on the internet, and was surprised to find that there really aren’t too many resources out there for plus-size brides. I’m not a small gal, so finding a style that I liked that came in my size was actually pretty difficult. Sure, there’s always Bride-Mart (that’s David’s Bridal to you), but the thought of stripping down in front of some sleazy used-car-salesman sales associate just put me to shivers.
So, I stripped down in the comfort of my own home and had my measurements taken, then decided to shop online. For you rookies out there, the measuring step is REALLY IMPORTANT. A dirty little secret in the wedding fashion industry is that these gowns run small, sometimes by up to two sizes. So, on your special day, you end up feeling like a fat cow. Nice. My dress should arrive in 7-10 business days, so I’ll let you know how it fits. I’m planning on some alterations, but the measurement chart said it would be roughly my size.
In my search, I found some great resources for plus-size brides:
- I found my dress at Sydney’s Closet
- Igigi
- House of Brides
- and, of course, David’s Bridal plus collection
I’ll post some additional resources later re: undergarments and other odds and ends.
1.28.2009
114 days and counting
This is the story of two little girls getting hitched ... and I mean, to each other. Lesbian and gay weddings are hardly news these days: though many Americans are conflicted on the idea of gay marriage, same-sex couples are flocking to the chapel (or synagogue, or non-denominational house of worship, or Vegas drive-thru, or handfasting ceremony, or ...) in record numbers. Legal or not, we're ready to proclaim our committment to one another.
Despite middle America's queasiness, Hollywood and wedding vendors are on board. There are literally hundreds of websites out there to assist us with this quest, and everybody wants our money. And why not? Our demographic is an attractive one: we're highly educated, dual-income households with few dependents and loads of disposable income. Vendors that have historically catered to straight couples have found that they can cash in on the gay dollar without much extra effort. In a bad economy, we're the wedding industry's white whale.
-- but more on that later --
As I start this blog I wanted to introduce us by saying that, after more than six years together, my partner and I have decided to board the wedding train. We currently live in Maryland (both transplants from colder states that usually vote Democratic), but we've selected a lovely little town in Virginia to host our wedding festivities. Culpeper is a beautiful, Civil War era town with a charming main street brimming with luscious shops and gourmet restaurants. It's also home to one of Jen's four sisters, with whose family we spend a lot of time. So it wasn't much of a leap to choose their beautiful home as our wedding location.
Although we embrace Northern Virigina as part of the DC metropolitan area, most of us liberals find the rest of Virginia ... well, sort of .... scary. It's kind of like the back of your coat closet: there are things in there you haven't worn in 10 years, and you keep thinking of throwing out. Having spent most of my adult life in urban areas, planning our wedding in the country has opened my eyes to bigotry and homophobia that I had forgotten existed. This blog is partly a reflection on that, and partly just a chronicle of the zaniness involved in planning any other American wedding.
Oh, and PS: In the spirit of full disclosure, I feel that I should mention that I am an event planner by trade. Yes, I spend my days babysitting egomaniacs and b-list celebrities, and I'm really pretty good at it. But planning AN event and planning YOUR event are two different things. So, let's see how this goes.
Despite middle America's queasiness, Hollywood and wedding vendors are on board. There are literally hundreds of websites out there to assist us with this quest, and everybody wants our money. And why not? Our demographic is an attractive one: we're highly educated, dual-income households with few dependents and loads of disposable income. Vendors that have historically catered to straight couples have found that they can cash in on the gay dollar without much extra effort. In a bad economy, we're the wedding industry's white whale.
-- but more on that later --
As I start this blog I wanted to introduce us by saying that, after more than six years together, my partner and I have decided to board the wedding train. We currently live in Maryland (both transplants from colder states that usually vote Democratic), but we've selected a lovely little town in Virginia to host our wedding festivities. Culpeper is a beautiful, Civil War era town with a charming main street brimming with luscious shops and gourmet restaurants. It's also home to one of Jen's four sisters, with whose family we spend a lot of time. So it wasn't much of a leap to choose their beautiful home as our wedding location.
Although we embrace Northern Virigina as part of the DC metropolitan area, most of us liberals find the rest of Virginia ... well, sort of .... scary. It's kind of like the back of your coat closet: there are things in there you haven't worn in 10 years, and you keep thinking of throwing out. Having spent most of my adult life in urban areas, planning our wedding in the country has opened my eyes to bigotry and homophobia that I had forgotten existed. This blog is partly a reflection on that, and partly just a chronicle of the zaniness involved in planning any other American wedding.
Oh, and PS: In the spirit of full disclosure, I feel that I should mention that I am an event planner by trade. Yes, I spend my days babysitting egomaniacs and b-list celebrities, and I'm really pretty good at it. But planning AN event and planning YOUR event are two different things. So, let's see how this goes.
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