Wedding Update #4 | How I Said Yes To The Dress!
Riki Dalal Wedding Gown

Has it really been four months since I updated you guys on my latest wedding planning checklist?

The last three months have been a busy whirlwind of big decisions, long hours and allllll the emotions. I know I’ve shared some real-time wedding updates over on Instagram, but there’s a lot more that’s been accomplished recently that I really want to share with y’all!

To stay organized I’ve been using the WeddingWire Wedding Checklist tool to keep track of everything that’s been completed and all of our upcoming to-dos! What’s great about this tool is I can access it anywhere digitally– phone, laptop, etc! You can also personalize your checklist and remove/add tasks depending on the needs of your big day.

So the latest is in bold… 

WEDDING PLANNING CHECKLIST

✓ Found my dress
✓ Picked out & ordered bridesmaid’s dresses + shoes
✓ Booked day-of glam team + did my hair & makeup trial
✓ Scheduled my bachelorette party (Isle of Palms + Charleston in July!)
✓ Began planning my bridal shower with my Aunt Jen
✓ Picked out our tabletop rentals + chairs for reception
✓ Sent out save the dates (you see them here)
✓ Created our wedding registry (here are some of the items we registered for)
✓ Shot our engagement photos
✓ Asked all my favorite gals to be my bridesmaids 🙂 (see how I did it here!)
✓ Confirmed florist + met to go over initial ideas
✓ Met with our caterer for a Q&A + did a tasting
✓ Worked on our wedding moodboard with our planner
✓ Did a venue visit + walk through with planner to map out flow of the day
✓ Created our wedding website on WeddingWire
✓ Got over my fear of trying on wedding dresses
✓ Booked room blocks at local hotels
✓ Confirmed caterer
✓ Confirmed band
✓ Confirmed videographer
✓ Confirmed photographer
✓ Found our wedding planner
✓ Created a budget spreadsheet
✓ Confirmed the date (October 2019!!!)
✓ Decided on a venue

Riki Dalal Olivia Wedding Gown

^^ Wearing the Riki Dalal ‘Olivia’ gown at Zen d’amour boutique in Paris 

I SAID YES TO THE DRESS

As you all saw on Instagram last month I FINALLY FOUND MY DRESS. Ahhhh! Around February I really was starting to worry that I wouldn’t be able to find something that I absolutely loved. At that point I’d tried on a lot of dresses that I liked and thought were pretty, but had yet to pull on anything that just felt right and perfect for me.

Long story short, I said yes to the dress in Paris! Huh? Homegirl went to Paris just to go wedding dress shopping? Nope I promisssse that’s not what happened. Like most engaged gals, right after Nick popped the question I immediately went into research mode scouring the WeddingWire dress database for possible options. I was a little overwhelmed at first because I had no clue just how many different bridal brands existed, but using WeddingWire’s search tools made it easy to see what gowns were available in my price range, desired length, necklace, color and silhouette.

There was one bridal brand in particular that really caught my eye. The only issue was they were primarily based in Europe and the Middle East and didn’t have a presence at any bridal boutiques in New York or really anywhere on the east coast. I was bummed, but I moved on and focused on brands that were available to me here.

This all happened over the summer and I’d honestly completely forgotten about this particular bridal brand until three weeks before our trip to Morocco and Paris. It hit me like a brick: I BET THEY HAVE A STORE IN PARIS. I reached out and sure enough there was one boutique in Paris that carried their gowns! I immediately set up an appointment and crossed my fingers I’d be able to find my dream dress.

I’ve heard so many people say that even if you have your heart set on a particular style of gown that there’s a very good chance you’ll end up choosing something completely different. That was not the case for me. I knew exactly what I wanted. I actually went into my appointment pretty much knowing the specific dress I was going to say “yes” to. This opinion had of course only been formed based on pictures (risky) but I just had such a good feeling about it.

I tried on five dresses at my appointment but saved the one I had in mind for very last. I actually really loved two other gowns (you can see me in both of them above) but the moment I slipped on that last gown I immediately knew it was the one. I finally had that feeling of wow, this is the dress I was meant to get married in!!! Ugh I’m SO excited for you guys to see it 🙂

BHLDN Bridesmaid DressesPICKED OUT BRIDESMAID DRESSES

So not only did I say yes to my own gown recently, I picked out my bridesmaids’ dresses and shoes too! WeddingWire has a search engine just for bridesmaids gowns where you can peruse options filtering by price, color, length, neckline, fabric and sleeve. You can also search just by brand too!

I want my bridesmaids looks to be a surprise, so I don’t want to reveal the exact BHLDN dress they’ll be wearing until my big day, but I will give you a few hints! It’s floor length and the prettiest shade of deep burgundy. Everyone is going to be wearing the same style and this pair of suede block heel sandals.

I haven’t figured out the rest of their accessories yet, but I’m thinking I’ll get everyone a pair of earrings and then maybe a cashmere wrap to wear over the shoulders if the weather gets chilly.

I have so much more to share with you gals, but I thought finding my dress deserved its own post 🙂 In my next update I’ll be talking about my hair and makeup test, plus bachelorette and bridal shower planning! Nick and I still have lots to do on the wedding front in terms of decor, florals, cake tasting, etc. but I’m feeling so good about all we’ve accomplished so far. Just six more months to go!

- Katie

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