"Shoes. Ohmigawd, shoes."

The search for the "perfect" orange ballet flat has proved to be rather unsuccessful. Why must the only pair I like be $420.00 from Prada???  *curses!* 


As if our wedding didn't scream "Low budg'!" enough already, I popped into Payless Shoe Source today....and popped back out with two pairs of ballet flats, either of which have a good shot of being worn on our wedding day (which is just 81 days away, b-t-dubs).

While my heart has been set on finding a fun pair of orange shoes (preferably flats 'cuz heels suck--they hurt, they're pricey, and they're no fun to dance in), I opted to go ahead and buy the following pairs of shoes. Just in case I never find my dream footwear, I've now got these two options in my own closet. I couldn't pass up the ol' "Buy 1, Get the Second 1/2 Off" deal at Payless had goin' on---two pairs of cute shoes for under $20.00 is a steal! And if I *do* happen to find fantastic orange slip-ons, well, then I've got two more pairs of shoes to wear this summer. :o)

Shoe #1
Brand: American Eagle
Yellow stripes with faux-suede flower

I would be a-okay with wearing these flats during the wedding reception because they are yellow, unique, comfy, and stay on my feets when walking and dancing. Yes, I tested this while in the store; the sales lady was amused. I'd like to maybe add an antique orange button in the center of the flower, but otherwise these shoes are pretty great! Simple, yet feminine, and totally works with our wedding vibe.
(Note: The ant may be kinda-cute in this here photo, but I HATE that he and all his buddies have made their way into our house to escape the heat outside. Rogue ants can be found aimlessly roaming about in nearly every room of our house and it's starting to gross me out. Not only are these ants humongous, but I'm not fully convinced that they don't bite...)

Shoe #2
Brand: Predictions
"White Eden"

There is *no way* I would wear these just the way they are. I bought these shoes as a back-up option / art project! If I can't find a pair of fun orange ballet flats, then by golly I'm gonna make 'em myself. I'll have to investigate what's best to transform "Blinding-and-Boring White" into "Citrus Fruit." Dye? Fabric paint? Spray paint? Maybe I should just B'dazzle 'em, eh?? (hehehe..kidding.) If turning them the proper shade of orange is a success, however, I do intend to add some type of embellishment on the top, like a flower or a buckle, or maybe some rick-rack ribbon. I like the idea of wearing custom-made wedding shoes, and I'll be stoked if I can create orange ballet flats that are cooler / more "fashionista" than the ones from Prada....but we'll see how fruitful this creative endeavor is. ;o)

Yippee!

Dress Success (revisited)!


Adam and I went over to his parent's house tonight for a Memorial Day Weekend cook-out. *Delicious!* But after stuffin' my belly with some tasty grub and a few "adult beverages," I started to have frightful mental images of not fitting into my dress. 


So what do I do? Why, I skibbled upstairs to the Fraser's guest room to try on my dress and make sure the thing fit! I had to know. I had to put my mind at ease. 


And whattaya know?! My dress slipped on without any struggle at all, and looked better than I remembered! I stood in front of the mirror, admiring the cleanliness and simpleness of it, happy once again with the choice I made back in November. I don't appear to have lost any significant weight, but I haven't gained any either, so I'm pretty pleased...and just a little more than excited about my pre-summer tan (thank you, Florida!). 


The bride-to-be I saw in the mirror tonight brought a giant smile to my face---this dress makes me feel and look happy, beautiful and comfortable... and it just doesn't get any better than that, does it?? Now that I have total peace of mind, I have no qualms about puttin' my dress on in front of all my moms and bridesmaids at my fitting next month...and I can't WAIT to wear it on our wedding day. My dress is very "me" and while wearing it I feel like the lovely, healthy, modern bride that I am. 


(I like that I can say that with confidence. No, I take that back. I LOVE that I can say that with confidence! I am a lovely, healthy, modern bride---woo!)  :o)

The nose ring shall stay!

Ashley (obviously):

I have a nose ring.

I have had said nose ring since 2004. It was one of the many piercings I got during my college days in Santa Cruz, California, and perhaps one that I was most excited about getting for the following reasons:

a. Source of initial inspiration: Joan Osborne. You know, the chick who debuted with the single titled "One Of Us" circa 1995, posing the question, "What if God was one of us? Just a slob like one of us?" It was brilliant. I loved her voice, dug the melody, and thoroughly enjoyed the sound of the gnarly guitar riff. I  received her cassette tape (yeah, cassette tape...wow, I wonder where it is??) as a gift from my mom and I was thrilled, but it was seeing Joan Osborne's music video on VH1 that helped formulate my opinion of what a cool, laid-back, hippie-chic,California girl looks like...and what I wouldn't mind looking like "when I grew up." At the tender (and impressionable) age of 11, Joan Osborne quickly became my female icon of cool---not only was she a groovy singer-songwriter, but she had a most powerful "look" that I interpreted as a sexy feminist making a statement without being over-the-top. I was awestruck by her curly blonde tendrils and that shiny silver hoop decorating her nostril. She paired these things with a relaxed wardrobe, light make-up, and a perfect smile....but it was always the image of the nose ring that stuck with me. I thought it to be both unique and beautiful, and I knew that I was just "crazy" enough to pierce a hole in my face one day.

b. Nose piercings were welcome and celebrated in Santa Cruz. That should have come as no surprise really, since the place is a liberal breeding grounds for wanna-be, semi, and true-blue-crunchy-granola hippies....as well as non-hippies who just enjoy arts'y ways of expressing themselves. Piercings of all sorts proved to be part of the norm, and having come from a part of San Diego that was so conservative and "white bread," I was pleasantly surprised to find that this fun aesthetic / body decoration was relatively common. Getting a nose piercing as a 20-something college student in Santa Cruz was LESS than unique, I'll admit, but I was amped about it anyway...and even MORE psyched that it was quick and painless!

c. Getting a nose piercing was a "happy middle-ground" type of piercing. It definitely had more "umph!" than a basic ear piercing (which I ended up having a total of 14 of by the time I was a junior in college), but it wasn't as distracting and "cutting edge" as a lip, tongue, or eyebrow piercing. Nevertheless, I knew having a piercing ANYWHERE on my face was risky because "having a piece of tin in my face" would upset my mother...... and it did....for a short while....but I don't regret coming home that Thanksgiving with a nose stud. A simple diamond stud is rather tame, and I think my mom did finally realize that when she stopped to think about all the other things I COULD have been doing up at college, but wasn't. :o)

SO! Here I am, six years later, still with a nose ring and still very happy with it....and, oh yeah, engaged to be married in just four months now. Like every other bride-to-be, I've been flipping through countless bridal magazines, searching for inspirational images; brides who I feel like I can identify with in terms of personal style, wedding aesthetic, and so on; guidance and helpful tips for things that I am NO pro in. But, Ive said it before and I'll say it again: most of the bridal magazines out there on the stands are absolute CRAP. Instead of serving as realistic inspiration, they make you feel a) poor  b) class'less  c) wrong  d) angry  e) all of the above. It has been so frustrating to come across featured weddings and brides that spent thousands upon thousands of dollars on their designer dress, coiffed hair, hoity-toity country club venue, etc. and claim to be "DIY" or "Budget Brides." *HA!* I scoff in their general direction. Even better is when I see how much a bride has spent and I find her whole aesthetic to be completely offensive---hideous dress, bad hair, pompous and pretentious vibes, and unoriginal everything. Not my cup of tea. And yet, while I consider myself to be unique and "above" the trite bride'isms of this century, I can't quite dub myself an "Offbeat Bride." The one obvious facet that does make me "offbeat," however, is my nose piercing.

That's something ya don't see much of--if at all--in the bridal magazines: brides with nose rings. Well, unless they Indian....
[SIDENOTE: I recently learned that it is custom for Indian Hindu women to wear a nose ring, usually in the left nostril, due to the association it has with the female reproductive organs. Interesting, eh? My nose ring happens to be in my left nostril as well......so we better have good luck when it comes to makin' babies!]

Aaaaaaaanywho, back to my being semi-offbeat and the lack of representation of nose-pierced brides: After months (okay, years) of flipping through bridal magazines to evaluate each bride's "look" and learn what is typically acceptable and unacceptable, I only recently came upon the realization that most brides we see are very conservative in their jewelry choices (again, Indian brides being the exception, bless their gorgeous, beaded-and-bright-colored hearts). The typical bride is expected to wear jewelry, but keep it tame...because heaven forbid you wear something other than your grandmother's silver cross necklace and tiny pearl earring studs???

Jewelry is SUCH an issue. Realizing this has caused me to actually stop and think about whether or not I ought to follow suit and be a conservatively-jeweled bride....if my taste for colorful jewelry and my desire to keep my nose ring in is detrimental....and it was the stopping to think about it that actually kind of angered me! Who am I, the girl voted "Most Original" in both Jr. High and High School, to question whether or not my nose ring is acceptable for our wedding?! The nose ring shall stay, period. I adore my nose ring; I feel comfortable and happy with it and it is "me."  Do I really care what the wedding "experts" think? Do I care what our friends and family are going to think when they see me with the gown, the veil, and *GASP!* the small diamond stud in my left nostril? Do I really think that keeping my nose ring in is going to ruin the pictures, or the ceremony, or the reception?

The answer is, obviously, NO.