Wedding Dress Take 2

So most of you probably saw my wedding dress conundrum over at the Teen Fiction Cafe last week. I'd found an absolutely adorable Betsey Johnson dress but it was really super mega short. So I contemplated tights or a slip or a seamstress. I got some dissenting opinions that though the dress was cute, it wasn't really special enough or something to be a wedding dress. I mulled all of this over. I stressed. I regretted asking for so many opinions. I came to the conclusion that I would look for slip, but also still keep my eye open.

Tuesday my BFF Katie and I went on a shopping mission, mostly for slips, but with our eyes peeled for dresses. The first store we went to was Macy's (which as a Chicagoan, I usually boycott Macy's because dammit, they bought out Marshall Fields, a Chicago institution, and changed the name and grr this is Chicago, not New York, stop making us feel second class, but um, I had a gift card...) We were pointed to the junior's dress department (because I still don't shop in Women's. I turn 30 in July, but still...). The very first dress we spotted, both of our jaws dropped. We looked at each other and muttered something like "Dude, I think that could be it..."

We grabbed it along with about 7 other dresses (the Macy's dress department had some pretty great stuff!) and I tried everything on. Ultimately I decided on the one that we first spotted. It may not be quite as "me" as the Betsey Johnson, but it's still pretty damn "me." And it's a good compromise, it's a short dress (cause I really don't think I look good in long and formal), but not too short. It's not traditional, but yet it kinda is. Well, I'll just shut up and show it to you (excuse the lack of make-up and crazy hair, I was just trying this on for my mom):

And my favorite part about it, the back. I just love how the ribbon that goes around my neck comes down and laces up in the back (someone will tie a better bow on the big day):
The white part is lacey too though you can't really see it, but it is. The one modification I might make is to get a slip with some tulle because I love dresses that have tulle sticking out from the bottom. the white is off-white so it might hard to match, but my mom actually suggested black tulle.

My mom also comforted me about the Betsey Johnson dress, telling me that that is the kind of dress I'm going to want to wear again and again and my wedding dress should be a one-time only occasion thing. I did find a great slip to go under the Betsey Johnson (though it' a lacey slip so it would be way too revealing for the wedding still). It's going to be the bachelorette party dress and the honeymoon dress and lots of other occasions... Of course the funny thing is that it cost more than the wedding dress, which is Jessica McClintock (thanks Melissa Walker for the suggestion).

So yeah, this is the dress. I'm 95% sure. The only thing that would change my mind is if I stumble upon a totally gorgeous vintage thing in the next few months. But you can still feel free to weigh in with your thoughts. Especially let me know what you think about the tulle. Also I'm happy to look at links for cute black shoes (they have to be vegan though! no leather for this bride!). Oh, and I have no idea what to do with my hair, other than I'm definitely keeping some blue in it (hello, that covers something blue!). I'm pondering pigtails since that is my personal favorite choice for my hair lately, but is that a no-no? Should I leave it down and straighten it? (that's my other look) Or should I try to grow it out so I can wear it up?

Also, I was totally anti-Save the Date cards (umm, isn't that what email is for in these modern times, why waste the printing and postage $) until I saw these record player scratch-off cards that Leslie Hamer of UnlessSomeoneLikeYou.com did. Um record players and they are scratch-off!!! That is just too rad to pass up. You may remember Leslie from Women Who Rock Wednesday in December. Since I love to support my fellow female artist, of course I'm having her do my wedding invites. She does some great custom stuff like recently she did these Day of the Dead themed invites which I am totally drooling over. Any ideas of themes that Scott and I should suggest to her for our invites? We both like music of course. I like pirates, but am not sure that is wedding appropriate. He loves cars, so I was thinking some sort of 50s car/pin up sort of thing. But I don't know, other ideas? Oh or traditional tattoo art, maybe. We both really really love tattoos. In fact we have an engagement tattoo idea.... If we can afford it after this whole wedding thing!