Fashion Rules!

Ok, my co-workers are tired of me beating this dead horse, but I was raised to follow traditional, Southern fashion rules and I cannot stand it when people do not! I know they're old-fashioned, but my Momma (or grandmother for that matter) raised me to NEVER break these rules and now I'm stuck with them forever.

First of all, seersucker.

No. No seersucker before Easter. I'm sorry - I love seersucker as much as the next Southern girl, but Spring or not, you don't wear it before Easter.

As a matter of fact, Easter is the green light to begin incorporating lots of Spring/Summer staples into your wardrobe! Including, but not limited to:

• Hats (think big floppy hats for Easter and horse races)
• White shoes
• Open Toed Shoes

And you may also stop wearing hose after Easter. Yes, I wear panty hose every week to work and church from October 1 until Easter. No one wants to see my lilly white legs during those months, anyways. All Easter approved fashion additions must all be put away by Labor Day. And all of this talk about Easter reminds me - you are never to wear pants to church (if you're a young lady) and sleeveless tops are never acceptable - much less anything strapless. (Except wedding attire of course.)

Now, this next one is probably one of my biggest pet peeves. I travel Florida frequently for work, and I'm worried that Floridians just never got the memo on - WHITE BOTTOMS. White pants, shorts, or skirts should not be worn before Memorial Day and must - MUST - be put away after Labor Day. This one drives me up the wall - I just don't understand. I know white pants have been trendy recently, but it's no excuse.

Linen is another fabric that is only acceptable between Memorial and Labor Days. Plus, it's such a light fabric you don't really want to be sporting it in the dead of Winter anyways.

All of that being said, I am a firm believer that Lilly is a year round fashion staple - there's nothing wrong with channeling warmer weather during those long Winter months :)

Does your family have any fashion rules you follow? Have you heard of these rules before?

Manic Monday

So, this weekend was crazy busy, but productive!

We went to Richmond to shop for bridesmaid dresses - and all my maids were in attendance! It was so much fun. We had several appointments all day, but ended up settling on a Love Lane dress at Bella Bridesmaid!

(Photo Source)

We also caught dinner at ToastRVA. If you live in the Richmond area I highly recommend it! The food was amazing, the drinks were out of this work - it was the best time. Here is my entire bridal party, plus my Mom and her best friend - I called them my two Moms all weekend:

Logan is in the field for the next 12 days but when he comes back, he should be ALL done with IBOLC! Hip, hip, horray! We are currently trying to think through the move and what our next steps will be - but it's all so confusing with everything up in the air. But I know, I know - I better get used to it with the military!

This week will be crazy long with lots to do for work AND school, but I gotta soldier through it. I'm going to squeeze in two early morning workouts on Wednesday and Thursday since those are class nights and will weigh in for the first time in TOO long on Saturday.

Today's menu has looked like this:

• 1 cup Bolthouse Smoothie for breakfast (4 W.W. Points+)
• 1 cup Green Tea
• Salad with cucumber, bell pepper, spinach, cheddar cheese, and 1/8 c. Ranch Dressing (3 W.W. Points +) for lunch
• Fruit Salad - 1/2 cup apple, 1/2 cup strawberry, 1/2 cup grapes - mid-afternoon snack
• 1 cup carrots - mid-afternoon snack
• Club salads for dinner - spinach, grilled chicken, cheddar cheese, ready-to-serve bacon, a hard boiled egg, cucumber, and bell pepper (~10 W.W. Points+?)

No soda, no sweets, no junk food! My wedding dress will be here entirely too soon!

I hope everyone has a great Monday!

156 Days 'til Wedding Day!

My Wednesday got out of control, but I was inspired by all the wedding posts on my reading list (like Fried Green Pickles and Champagne & Mason Jars) that I wanted to do a quick update for myself. (Also, this secretly helps to keep me on task and wrap my head around things I need to do.)

1. Now that my tax return is here, I need to pay off and pick up our wedding bands. They're both very simple - Logan's is brushed white gold and mine is a plain white gold band that's the same width as my engagement ring. (I didn't really want a band with stones in it.) I do want to get Logan's engraved, but am still debating on what to put. Did any of you engrave a special message on the inside?
2. I think I've picked out necklaces for my bridesmaids, but I need to see which dress we pick this weekend before I purchase them. Luckily, they're from Stella & Dot, and my sister is hosting a party on the 23rd, so I can help her out while ordering! 
3. We've begun the ordering process for our invitations. The designer is working on the proof now, we'll get her our final list by April 3, and that'll give her time to get them printed, let me address them, and drop them in the mail by early May for their 3 month in advance arrival time :) Perfection.
4. I need to find stamps! I want personalized stamps badly - any advice on where to order them? I don't want to put a photo of Logan and I on it - just keep it in theme with the wedding.

Logan dropped a bomb on me yesterday though. Apparently the cadre let them know that not everyone will go straight from IBOLC to Ranger School right away. Since there are so many of them, some may have to wait for a second wave. And they don't know when that second wave would even be. Awesome, right?

That means that this is now the game plan: If he goes in the first wave, we'll still aim for an August wedding. If he doesn't go in the first wave, we contemplate bumping the wedding way up. Other than springing it on our guests last minute and missing out on bridal showers, the only real hang up would be bridesmaid dresses. My dress should be in soon, the venue will be accommodating with date changes, and entertainment hasn't even been booked yet.

And the dentist wonders why I grind my teeth at night? I only have a little bit on my mind...

So, please keep your fingers crossed that things work out OK. I don't do well with changes on the fly, so this is truly a test of my patience and how long I can refrain from morphing into Bridezilla!

Wedding!

So, my motivation to wedding plan ebbs and flows. The uncertainty of the date - or if the wedding will take place at all - gets me down sometimes. I know we'll have a nice ceremony despite what happens with the Army, but it would be my dream to have my loved ones there with me. I get so sad to think that it would have to be just immediate family.

But, I've decided to plan along as if everything will take place in August, and will hope for the best. I began working backwards from the wedding date to make sure things are done in a timely manner. To try and spread out costs, I'm aiming to buy one item for my bridesmaids gifts per month. Last month, in a Marley Lilly flash sale, I got them each a monogrammed tote:

Usually $19.99, I got them each for $13.99 each - all navy blue with coral monograms (the wedding colors.)

I'm a preppy fanatic, but my maids all have different tastes. I don't want to get them things just for the sake of them having it, and I definitely don't want to spend my money on something they won't want/use, so I'm trying to personalize their bags as much as possible.

I do, however, want to get them the jewelry they'll wear with their dresses. We're shopping for dresses this weekend, but I'd love to see them in something like this:

I think the navy would look great with gold jewelry, and I'm playing around with the following options for accessories:

This simple, understated initial necklace

This Solitary Tiny Disk Charm necklace

Or this Gold Fill Curved Bar necklace


Any good recommendations or other things to add? They're all just so different!