THE Dress and Invitations as Well!!

[Emeraldfan]

So after my other thread on dresses, I decided to go and look one last time. Well, I finally found THE ONE.. and, I mean the only one I will be wearing for the wedding. It''s from Oscar de la Renta''s Spring 2008 collection and it was on the cover of a bridal magazine not that long ago. The consultant brought it out and I was laughing at it cause I thought there was no way it would look good on me. I tried it on just for kicks and the moment I put it on I knew it was exactly what I was looking for all along!!! Anyway, I have to give up the Reem Acra "Beautiful" that I loved and was going to wear at the reception (as I can''t afford both), but I feel like I can really wear this new dress to the church and the reception and I love it.

Also, they are going to order extra fabric and flowers and add a train to it (and it doesnt actually have that weird bow thing in the back):

http://www.brides.com/fashion/dresses/gallery/wedding_dresses/runway/detail/144414?f=Wedding+Gown+Designer%3aOscar+de+la+Renta&offset=33&page=4


Also, do you guys think these peony invites go well with the dress? I think I may order these.

http://weddings.theknot.com/odb/themes/realweddings/DetailView.aspx?id=24051&


YEAH!!! I think with just 5 months to go found the theme to my wedding.

 

[Angel7]

Wow it''s beautiful! Congrats on finding your dream dress!
Sorry, I couldn''t view your invites, it prompted me to log in....

congrats again!

 

[sunnygirl]

Wow..that dress is gorgeous!!! I love it!! I can''t wait to see pics of you in it. And I also like those peony invites. Perfect!

 

[Independent Gal]

I''m a huge Oscar de la Renta fan and that''s a gorgeous and very memorable dress. lucky you! Enjoy every minute of it.

 

[karasue91]

Your dress is gorgeous, I love the pouf on the back. The first dress I fell in love with was an Amsale that had a tilted bow on the back, and this reminds me of that bow just because the loop went like halfway up my back.

I like the invites too, but it doesn''t way where they are from, but I have seen a lot of similar ones on websites so I wouldn''t think it would be difficult to replicate.

Congrats on the dress!!! What a great feeling eh?

 

[ringplease]

beautiful dress. i love the idea of incorporating the peonies into the theme.

 

[fatafelice]

Wow. My dream dress was a de la Renta, and I love all his designs, but I hadn''t seen that one before. Absolutely gorgeous! I can''t wait to see pics of it on a real person.

And those invites are beautiful as well. Great choices!

 

[Emeraldfan]

Thanks Angel, sunnygirl, independent gal, karasue, ringplease, and fatafelice!!! I will definitely post pictures of me in it when it comes in.

I am really excited cause it just shouts Spring, garden party wedding. It is so comfortable to wear, which was exactly what I was looking for. I didn't really want a satin cathedral type gown (i.e. dresses like Priscilla of Boston, Kenneth Pool, etc.) for our Napa wedding but up until this dress it was hard finding alternatives. The dress looks much better in real life than in those pictures. The skirt is much less busy and the hand detailing of the flowers is exquisite.

fatafelice - Which Oscar was your dream dress? I never even knew he did wedding gowns until a few weeks ago - and boy after buying this dress my fiance wishes I had never found out.

As to the invites and using pink as my new color scheme, should I go with bridesmaids dresses in pink like the peony invitations, a spring green, or a lilac/medium purple color?? I was going to order the purple before I found my dress but now I think pink may go better with the wedding dress. If I went with purple then I would probably go with slightly different flower/vine invites. Now I am so confused, sometimes I wish I could have two weddings (but I would never want to go through all this planning again).

 

[fatafelice]

This was the dress I lusted after, but I never even found somewhere to try it on, because I read somewhere what his range was and didn''t think I would be able to spend that much. Now, after all the money I spent on my dress, and all the money I spent every time I went into the city for fittings (which generally included mani/pedi, lunch, shopping, and dinner

), I probably could have gotten this dress after all. Who knows, it probably would have looked terrible on me, since I am definitely not built like this model, but sometimes I do wonder...

 

[karasue91]

I think I would choose the pink or green, because they occur naturally in a garden so often. How many bridesmaids do you have? If you have several, I love the look of the bridesmaids wearing different shades of the same color.

I''m not a huge fan of the style shown here, but here is an example of 4 bridesmaids wearing different shades of green.http://www.jennyyoo.com/jyc_wedding/jyc_wedding-08.html

And this store has some awesome dresses, the homepage has BM dresses in shades of pink
http://threaddesign.com/

more shades of pink:
http://www.threaddesign.com/press/press.php?pid=22&id=69

 

[fatafelice]

Here''s a yummy close-up...

I think before you choose the invite and BM colors, spend some time figuring out the overall feel and style you want for the wedding. Check out the inspiration boards on these blogs:

http://snippetandink.blogspot.com/
http://www.stylemepretty.com/

There are so many gorgeous ideas out there, and you have such an amazing dress as a starting point! I do think pink would be a nice way to go, or maybe peach?

 

[Emeraldfan]

fatafelice - that dress is gorgeous!! I saw it at the salon and really liked it as well (I originally wanted straps or some type of sleeve and the bodice is beautiful). I didn''t try it on though as the skirt was more a full ballgown type and those do not look good on me. My dress is way more than the other two dresses combined I was originally going to get, so my fiance has limited me to no mani''s or pedi''s or hundred dollar random junk sprees at Target. He wanted me to be happy and get what I want, but I don''t think he ever contemplated Oscar.

 

[surfgirl]

Oh I adore that gown! How lovely. I cant wait to see it on you...I love nearly all Oscar de la Renta''s wedding gowns. He just has a knack of either making a gown that is totally classic and elegant, or very pretty and feminine, yet still elegant. Love it!

 

[fatafelice]

For people like me who like to be lazy, here is EF''s dress:

 

[fatafelice]

And here are the invites:

EF: Where did you go? Did you happen to see how much my dream dress was? Maybe if I actually knew how crazy expensive it was, I could let it go...

 

[Emeraldfan]

karasue & fatafelice - those sights are great. Thanks guys for being so helpful. I really like the Thread dresses, I had never heard of them before and the pinks look like really nice shades. I am going to take a look at the style me pretty and snippet websites and see if there is a theme I can use for the whole wedding before I order the peony invites.

fatafelice - you are awesome for posting those pictures. I can never get them to size right, so I've just stopped trying. Thanks so much!! As I didn't try on that dress I can't say for sure, but I think it was around 11k. His gowns were pretty much the most expensive one out of the whole lot she brought out though, so I wouldn't be suprised if it was even more than that.

 

[fatafelice]

Yeah...*sigh*...that''s what I thought.

I really think using an inspiration board is the way to go. It will help keep you on track when you start seeing dozens of other ideas/dresses/colors. I am working on making one for myself right now, so that I can focus a little better.

 

[mintve]

your dress is GORGEOUS!!!

 

[Dutchgirlll]

WOW

What a gorgeous dress!!! Oh I love Reem Acra!!

(just wondering if you''d care to mention the price range of this dress, as I''m so curious

)

Love the invites too, would definitely go for the pink BM dresses. For a garden wedding I think pink stands out the most. Love the idea of different shades of pink as well!

 

[Sabine]

My first thought when I saw your dress was...OH, if only I was getting married in the spring...it''s just perfect! Congrats! And I really like the idea of pinks and greens for the accent colors.

 

[portia]

Wow!! Love your dress!

 

[Fancy605]

Note to self: learn to read entire post before clicking on all the links b/c someone probably already posted the photos.

Emerald, that dress is AH-Mazing! I love it!
I like the invitations as well, and I completely agree with those who said pink and green would make good accent colors. It''s exactly what I pictured when I saw the dress.

 

[Emeraldfan]

fatafelice - the Color Me Pretty website is awesome. It's given me so much inspiration. I am definitely thinking greens and creams now and probably the pinks as well. However, I was inspired by the blue sash on your dream Oscar and really do like this ice blue/green/cream color pallette
http://www.stylemepretty.com/2008/01/a-rustic-elegan.html. How would this look, or is pink still the way to go?

Mintve & portia - thanks so much for the compliment on the dress! I think I made the right decision, and just in the neck of time as they are having to do a rush order as it is.

Dutchgirlll - I hate to actually write down the cost of the dress as I still can't believe I am spending that much money on a single dress for one day. I did get a generous gift from my father to help with the cost but still..... SO Deep Breath, here goes .... the dress is approx. 11k plus the rush fee plus another fee for buying extra tulle and flowers to make the train longer (note to self - next time I am planning a wedding, make sure to start dress shopping at least 9 months in advance

). I will get to use it again though as my fiance's parents are having a party for us in his hometown this summer and I will probably wear it there. Also, I was thinking maybe I could make it into a tea-length dress after the wedding and wear it again (although I'm not sure if I want to do that and "ruin" this beautiful dress).

Sabine - As soon as I put it on it screamed Spring to me as well and made me so happy to have my wedding in May. Before I found this dress I was lamenting that we didn't have a fall wedding so I could use the reds, purples and browns I wanted. Now, its all spring pastels and beautiful soft colors and I think I love it just as much, if not more.

Fancy - Thanks! I am leaning towards the peony invites if I go pink but the Color Me Pretty website had this letterpress company http://www.blackpearlpress.com/celebrations/celebrations.html which also has some nice pink leafy invites as well. So many decisions, so little time left to plan.

 

[Dutchgirlll]

Wow Emeraldfan! Thanks for sharing! Well, I was just curious as I looked at some of RA''s designs and totally love them, but never tried one on. The bridal salon I went to just never showed them to me, now I know why haha

my budget was 4k, got half from my parents as well, so glad that they helped out!
And if this is your dress, don''t be embarrassed about how much you spent! It''s your choice and it is GORGEOUS

, really I would like to trade you mine for it haha

Same thing that I would never tell the world outside what I spent on my ering & bands. Here in my country lot of people only spend 1k on wedding bands, as giving an ering is not tradition here. And I just wanted a Tif & co (thus why it took him 4 years to propose

lol)

Great dress and good to know that you can wear that beauty twice!!! And at the end, if the huge amount still bothers you, you can always decide to sell it or remake it into a nice evening gown or something.

I gonna drool over you pics one more time now...

 

[Emeraldfan]

Dutchgirl - I looked at your Vera Wang on your thread and its gorgeous! Congrats on the upcoming wedding and getting married in Bali is going to be amazing. My dress on this thread is a Oscar de la Renta. Before I found this one I was going to be getting the Reem Acra "Beautiful" for the reception and another more traditional dress for the wedding. With the price of this Oscar though, it''s definitely my one and only dress and I think it suits both wedding and reception venues so I am really happy with it. I am a little shocked by the price but after feeling so blah about so many other dresses I tried on and never feeling it was the one, I feel that the price is worth it for me. I''m not embarrassed by the price, more blessed that I can afford it and grateful that I have such a wonderful fiance. However, I still wouldn''t ever disclose to any of my family/friends the cost of the dress regardless of the price as I just want them to think I look beautiful and they love it hopefully just as much as me.

 

[gingerBcookie]

beautiful! and i love the peony invites as well. everything seems to be falling into place...how exciting!

 

[fatafelice]

Date: 1/6/2008 5:36:27 PM
Author: Emeraldfan

fatafelice - the Color Me Pretty website is awesome. It''s given me so much inspiration. I am definitely thinking greens and creams now and probably the pinks as well. However, I was inspired by the blue sash on your dream Oscar and really do like this ice blue/green/cream color pallette
http://www.stylemepretty.com/2008/01/a-rustic-elegan.html. How would this look, or is pink still the way to go?

Well, I am a BIG fan of rustic elegance, and I think that color combo looks really sophisticated, which suits your dress to a "T". What is your venue like, and what is your date (sorry I don''t know this, I just haven''t been around much lately!)?

And Black Pearl Press had such gorgeous designs! Swoon. Want to spend hours looking at more letterpress invites? Try this blog:

http://www.iloveletterpress.com/?page_id=8

 

[lovelylulu]

hi!

I haven''t read this entire thread, but

1) your dress is gorgeous

and

2) are those invites DIY? I ask because I have that exact peony stamp. I ordered it back when I was getting married and stamped my thank you cards from my shower. I can try to dig up the purchase information for you if you''d like.

 

[Emeraldfan]

lovelylulu - That would be amazing if you could dig up the peony stamp information!! The peony invites are letterpress from a company in Canada but we were going to try and find something we could do ourselves for the menu card and ceremony booklet. The peony stamp would be perfect!!!

 

[Emeraldfan]

fatafelice - my wedding is at a cute little church in napa valley with reception to follow at a beautiful resort that is very clean lined and modern yet surrounded by trees and nature. The appetizers are going to be out on the lawn overlooking a small lake and then the reception is in a wine cave. Here is the picture of the place. Do you think the pale blue/green/white would go well or should I go with the pink?


Darn - I can't get the picture to load. I will try again.