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Wedding Wednesday: My Dress and Accessories


I think it's about time I share all about my wedding dress and accessories! I'll start with the obvious, my dress! I mentioned in my bridal portraits post that it is by Eddy K bought at Elizabella's Bridal Boutique in Greensboro. It was actually the only store I went to! I only tried on 6 or 7 dresses before I decided this was it. I thought I wanted something on the simpler side with a full skirt, but I tried to have an open mind. I tried on a few form fitting styles, a super full ballgown, and some heavily embellished styles. But I ended up with just about exactly what I had pictured! Although I did think I wanted a higher neckline, this style had a mesh insert in a lower cut, that we filled with fabric from when it was hemmed. I really loved the pleated detail in the a-line skirt. I thought it was just enough volume without being too much.

One of my favorite parts of the dress was the buttons going all the way down the back. I also loved how the silk gave a bit of shine to the whole dress. The only embellishment on the dress was this belt (also from Elizabella's) which was sewn on in alterations, done by BB's Alterations in Greensboro. They've altered all of my high school dance dresses, and many pairs of pants. So I of course trusted them with my wedding dress!

My cathedral length pearl detailed veil was also from Elizabella's. I loved how it looked walking down the aisle and in the photos after.

On to the accessories, my mom had this handkerchief embroidered with my new monogram. I'm not sure where she got it from, but it was definitely put to good use! You can sort of see in this photo I wore my favorite pearl ring on my right hand. It was a gift for my 25th birthday and I wear it almost every day!

My shoes were from Bella Belle and my earrings are Loren Hope! Although the shoes are available in a higher height (and flats!), I went with a low heel and were comfortable for most of the day. I ended up wearing them almost 12 hours, and just had a little discomfort near the balls of my feet toward the end of the night. I plan on trying to re-wear them (probably the earrings too) on our anniversaries!

This rosary was both my something borrowed and blue! It has been in my family for years, and I carried it in the pocket of my dress (yeah, it had them!).

This gold crucifix belonged to my grandmother, and it was wrapped around my bouquet as my something old. My mom and I also thought it was a small way in how she could be part of the big day.


Thanks for reading!

Lilly Pulitzer Sunshine Sale Picks


Did you have any luck shopping the Lilly Pulitzer Sunshine Sale yesterday? I was so surprised to have gotten through the virtual line within just a few minutes! I ended up with 2 solid colored dresses I think I will get a lot of wear out of, the Allegra and the Novella (in green)! There is still 1 more day to shop and new items will be added. Here are my picks from what was left yesterday:







Happy shopping!

Lilly Pulitzer Sunshine Sale Tips


The Lilly Pulitzer Sunshine Sale (previously After Party...and for the OG's, Endless Summer Sale) is going live online tomorrow! I unfortunately was not able to go to one of the in-store options today as it was not available in Atlanta. But I'm excited to check it out in the morning! Their special occasion dresses have been on rotation for weddings lately, and I have quite a few within the next year. So I'm only really going to be on the lookout for those. However, due to my work schedule, I may not get much of a chance to jump in at the beginning of the sale. But here are my forever favorite styles that I typically look for in each sale: 
 
Pearl romper (these are a more recent favorite, I now have 3 of the romper styles)
 
 
 
 
 
 
Weekender leggings (now also available in bike shorts!)

 
And as always, here are my shopping tips if this is your first big sale:
The Sale FAQ page from Lilly answers most of your typical questions you may have about the sale. But here are a few things I would add to it:

1. Create an account if you do not have one already, and make sure you are signed in the night before. It is also good to have your shipping addresses and payment information saved, to save time while all of your favorite items are going so quickly! If you shop on multiple devices (which I recommend), make sure you are signed in on each one, including the mobile app.

2. Know your sizes, all items are final sale! Plus they are all past season items. It is very unlikely that any current items/prints will be included in the sale.

3. There are always disclaimers to expect delays for shipping and processing. But from my experience (with the exception of maybe one sale), I usually have my items within a week or so.

4. You will be placed in a virtual line to enter the sale. It used to be a good practice to place multiple orders to keep things from getting pulled out of your cart, because the shipping is always free. However, this is no longer a good idea. Because you will be placed back in line after your first order has been submitted. And I have learned that using multiple devices is really helpful for the line. It also makes the line seem much longer than it really is, if most people in line are on 2 or more devices. But, I have always found that one device gets far ahead of the others. The website sometimes crashes due to the traffic, but it what it is!

5. Over the years, I have noticed the best deals are on casual dresses, small accessories, skirts, and tops. And if you are looking for any special occasion dresses, this is the best time to buy!


Happy shopping!

Estate Sale Shopping Tips

The console table was found at an estate sale for $70

Estate sale shopping has become a favorite activity for TJ and I over the last year or so. It is an affordable and sustainable way to decorate, as well as a way to get some inspiration from some beautiful homes. Most sales run Friday-Sunday, usually with discounts on Saturdays and Sundays. Some of the best deals can be found on Sundays, as most houses offer 50-75% off by then. However, some houses also tend to be very picked over by the last day. Since we are in pretty good practice with it now, I thought we would share some of our top tips for estate sale shopping.

The 2 green Wedgwood pieces were found at a sale for about $10 each


Start on estatesales.net
TJ and I had stumbled on our first few estate sales from signs on the road. But I heard about estatesales.net from a TikTok and it changed the game. Simply enter your zip code or city and the site brings up a list of all of the sales going on with addresses, hours, and photos of what is included. It also lists online only sales and auctions. When we lived in Charlotte, there were usually about 4-5 sales going on per weekend (although I would think that might have been affected by the pandemic). But in the Atlanta metro, there are more like 20-30! So we usually narrow down to about 5-7 after looking through all of the photos. The photos aren't everything, you don't always know what you're going to find. But it is helpful to keep an eye out for what you are looking to buy. We both look for furniture, but TJ usually looks for musical instruments or more historical pieces like glass insulators. While I look for blue and white pottery, silk scarves, bags, jewelry/watches, and fabric. 

Our kitchen table was found at a sale for $100

Map out where you want to go
We sort the list by distance and map out all of the addresses. It's also important to note the hours, most start between 10-12 on Saturdays and end between 4-6. So this might affect the order you would go in, depending on what time you get started.

Wear comfy shoes and bring snacks
At least if you go to as many sales as we try to in the same stretch, I recommend some sneakers. I usually also keep some snacks in my bag and a bottle of water in the car.

Bring a tape measure and dimensions
If you are looking for a specific piece of furniture, bring a tape measure with you and have dimensions in mind of what you need. I have a note in my phone for sizes that would work for tables, art, etc.

Brass polishing, the brass ginger jar and the mother of pearl box were both found for $10 each

Keep logistics in mind
Estate sale companies do not deliver or arrange for any large pieces to be taken to your home. We actually have walked away from a few pieces because we both drive sedans. But there are options! Home Depot and U-Haul both have vehicles available to rent. And people are usually very helpful in bringing furniture out of the house. But another option (we were told about a sale) is an app called Dolly. It is basically Uber for small moves or furniture delivery. You can book someone with a vehicle, or just some extra muscle. We got my dresser from a sale in our neighborhood, so we had someone from Dolly come help TJ walk it down the street. But that was definitely a unique situation!

I found these blue and white pieces at the very first sale we ever went to, for about $20 total

Oh, and follow the rules! Just be courteous: follow the parking signs, don't open any doors that aren't part of the sale, and wear a mask if they are requested. Happy shopping!

Thanks for reading!

Wedding Wednesday: Decor


I'm so excited to share all about our wedding decor! As I mentioned in one of my Instagram posts, my mom put together the dream team of vendors who executed everything perfectly! I absolutely loved how everything turned out. I don't think it's a surprise to anyone that I wanted lots of blue and white! All photos in this post are by Liz Grogan Photography.


Our reception was at Starmount Forest Country Club in Greensboro, which was conveniently about 5 minutes from both the church and one of the hotels we had reserved.


Our table settings were placed on this gold framed mirror my mom found at an antique store, and the wax seals were from Amazon. Since we had 24 tables, we ended up listing everyone's names in alphabetical order instead of a card for each table.


We rented the gold chairs, chargers, flatware, and linens from Party Reflections.


The blue and white pieces were provided by our florist, Randy McManus Floral Design. We had planned on rounding some of them up ourselves and renting the rest. But we were pleasantly surprised to learn he had over 60 pieces available!

 

The menu and escort cards were made by our coordinator, Carly Marie Events from templates found on Etsy.


TJ and I made the table numbers with a Cricut vinyl cutter and some frames we found on Amazon.

 

I loved the greenery used on our sweetheart table, the fireplace, and decorating the chandeliers.

 

Our favors were these mini bottles of La Marca prosecco placed at each setting.

  

I thought this vase added so much to our gifts and guestbook table!


We didn't get a photo of the front of our guestbook, but we bought it on Etsy, and the candle votives were from Amazon.


Our cake was made by Sweet Meg's Bakery and everyone loved it! I've always heard lots of wedding cake doesn't end up being eaten, but that was not the case for us! We had a different flavor for each tier: chocolate ganache, strawberry, and lemon. We saved the top layer which was another chocolate ganache.


We celebrated our wedding Mass at the church I grew up in, Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in Greensboro. I went to the school there for elementary and middle school, and have now received all of my sacraments there as well!


There were some rules that limited the amount of decor allowed. But just look at it, not much is needed! We just had pew markers and some floral arrangements up on the altar.

  

This is the first of likely many posts recapping our wedding. Please let me know if there anything else you would like to see!


Thanks for reading!