Timeless Tea Length

I'm obsessed with tea length wedding dresses.  I think they are timeless, classic, simple, chic, stylish, comfortable, retro... the list goes on and on.  The day I went to try on wedding dresses, I was convinced I was going to leave with a tea length dress.  So was everyone else.  My bestie even texted me the pic below and said, "This is how I picture you on your wedding day."

My vision of myself on my wedding day was very similar to that picture except I would be on the beach instead of frolicking in a random field.  But alas, I ended up with a Grecian-style gown that I could not have loved more.

If you're a bride-to-be and you have yet to try on dresses, I guarantee the vision you have of the "perfect dress" will change once you're in the dressing room.  Chances are, you'll end up like me and get a dress that is entirely different from what you thought you wanted.  But as long as you love it, who cares?

I only hope that one day I get to plan a wedding for a bride in a tea length dress because A.) I'll instantly know we have similar style and B.) I can live vicariously through her.  It's still my favorite silhouette because it is flattering on just about every body type.  And with so many designers, from J.Crew to Monique Lhullier, understanding the fabulousness of the tea length dress, you have your choice from daytime casual to black tie elegant to 1950s screen siren. 

There is also a tea length wedding dress out there for just about any budget.  When I did my own online search for a timeless tea length, I found dresses ranging from $225 - $4,000. 

I hope I've inspired you to at least consider this non-traditional type of dress.  And if you need a little bit of extra motivation, just think of the shoe possiblities!

Here is a little pic gallery of some of my all-time favorite tea length dresses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Order of designers:  Matthew Christopher, Dolly Couture, Monique Lhullier, Tobi Hannah, David Alexander, David's Bridal, Matthew Christopher

 

Hump Day Humor

Here's a great e-card that pretty much sums up the way most bride-to-be's will feel at some point during the wedding planning process.

I know for me, I was cool, calm and collected until about 3 weeks before our big day.  People complimented me on how "together" I was.  I should've known. 

This is what the last weeks leading up to my DIY backyard wedding looked like for me -- First came the full-blown insomnia, followed by loss of appetite, then the minor panic attacks kicked in and it was all topped off with random bouts of crying.  Brian, my poor then-fiancé (and thankfully now-husband) treated me like I was a delicate toddler prone to temper tantrums.  I sort of was.

3 days before my wedding, my Facebook status read:
"Is there really any difference between a crack head and a girl who is 3 days out from her wedding?"

That's right... Bat. Shit. Crazy.

But I promise you, stressed-tired-frazzled-frantic-anxious-freaked-out-bride-to-be...
Totally. Worth. It.

For the Couple Who Loves to Spoon

Confession - I'm addicted to Pinterest.  Like seriously addicted.  But here's another confession - I haven't even attempted about 99% of my pins.  Especially the ones on my "Craft-tastic" board.  While I consider myself a crafty person, I also consider myself a busy person and the last time I checked - busy people don't have time for arts and crafts.

Not the case with this adorable DIY gift I recently made for a bride-to-be.  I wanted to give her a silly little gift at her bachelorette party, especially since I can't make it to her destination wedding.  She and her fiancé just purchased a beautiful new home and I was racking my brain trying to come up with a gift that would be suitable for a housewarming/happy-bachelorette-party.  Pinterest to the rescue! 

I went to The Dollar Tree for most of my supplies; the others I had left-over from my wedding:

• Large silver spoon
• Small silver spoon
• 8" x 10" frame
• Burlap
• Twine
• Sharpie marker
• Pencil
• Hot glue gun/glue sticks

Ready to get my craft on.





1. I removed the glass from the frame and set it aside.  I ended up using it as a straight edge when I did my lettering. 
2. I cut the burlap to fit the frame.
3. I tied the spoons together with a piece of thin twine.
4. I hot glued the spoons to the burlap at the top of the frame (I used the frame horizontally).
5. I wrote out "Spooning since 2007" in pencil first on the burlap. 
6. I traced over the writing with black Sharpie.
7. I messed up on the word "since."
8. I cut another piece of burlap and re-wrote "since" and glued it over top of the messed up "since."  I actually really liked the 3D result.
9. I inserted the burlap into the frame.
10. I hot glued a piece of twine tied into a little bow at the bottom of the frame for a finishing touch.

Total cost: $4 (not including the stuff I already had)
Total time: 20 minutes
The look on my friend's face when she opened this unique gift: PRICELESS.