My Wedding Day Ensemble

I plan to have lots more wedding goodness to share with you next week, including more photos of the day and some of the DIY projects I cooked up, but in the meantime, here is a peek at my bridal ensemble!

Where else to start but with the dress, of course! I received many sweet compliments about it after my last post so here's the scoop. Some of you may remember my initial dress hunt where I found three dresses that I liked, but didn't love. There were a few things I knew I wanted – something different, a vintage feel, not too fancy and not too big, lots of tiered ruffles and an inexpensive price tag. Not too much to ask, right?! I believe it was a great act of fate that I eventually stumbled upon the dress I wore, which I truly believe was made just for me.

It is the Rebecca dress by Jessica McClintock and was a very friendly $400. I first saw the dress in it's original colors of ivory and black, which I thought was pretty and unique. Then I discovered that it also came in pink and black, which almost sold it for me. But in the end, I opted for classic ivory on ivory (which is so unlike me!). Turns out they made a slightly modified version of the dress when I went to buy it, which had a beige lace corset and came with a pink sash - sold!

I decided the pink sash wasn't right and that a splash of bronzy champagne was the added vintagy touch I needed. I picked up the sash from Jessica McClintock also (the color was Gold) for $29.

I knew I needed an accent of some sort and I immediately turned to the talented JoAnn of refashioned to create a custom brooch for me. After searching and sending me pics of all the old buttons she had, I picked my fave and she whipped up this beautiful piece in the size and color I requested. It was perfect, wouldn't you agree?

On a side note, the new sash I purchased ended up being way too long and I needed to shorten it, so I'll have a little tutorial for you next week on how I did it and one way to finish the ends to prevent fraying.

When it came to my hair, I really had no idea what I was going to do with it, but decided that a half up do would suit the casual look I wanted best. I created a few different hair pieces (you know I'm all about options!), but in the end, the simplest one I made won out.

I deconstructed a small silk rose and then reconstructed it to be a little flatter, in the shape I wanted, and used a little rhinestone studded bead as the center. I was really pleased with the look of it.

For my jewelry, I mentioned earlier this week that I had just a bit of a hard time deciding! After creating four bracelets and four pairs of earrings, I ended up adjusting my colors a bit and whipped up this one the night before the wedding!

The bronze pearls pulled out the color in my sash perfectly and the pink accents were just the right amount of color for me.

You can also see some pics of my wedding ring here.

The earrings I decided on, however, were actually the first pair I made!

I originally envisioned myself wearing something longer, and never really thought of a post style earring, but in the end I was thrilled with the look and feel of them.

Im a shoe maniac. I don't even know if maniac can describe it, but someday maybe Ill show you just how many pairs I own. But I guess my frugality is my most dominant characteristic because oddly enough, when it came to shoes, I was just going to wear some I had in my closet. With such a tight budget, I just couldn't bear the cost of spending so much on something else I would only wear once.

But when I went on a hunt for shoes to wear in my cousin's upcoming wedding, I changed my mind and knew I needed pink. The shoes are Abby by Benjamin Walk Touch-Ups, died Primavera Rose, and those darling accents, well those were custom made just for me by the sweet and talented Chelsea of Oh My Deer. There isn't much to see in her shop as she is usually busy with custom orders but you can check out her sold section and her blog to see all the amazing things she creates!

Almost done! What ensemble is complete without the perfect clutch? This was actually the first piece of my wedding attire that I picked up, almost a year ago now! I had no idea what else I would be wearing, but knew this is what I would be carrying.

Made by the fabulous Rowena of Red Ruby Rose, my clutch featured a waterlily on one side and lily of the valley on the inside. With a pink silk interior, could it have been any more Lillyella? I think not!

So that covers it! Or should I say covers me. The only thing I didn't share was my undies, and if they had been ruffly, cute and handmade, I probably would have. Stop back next week for more pics from the big day and lots of crafty DIY wedding goodness!