Suited Up

It was slightly harder at first to figure out what G and his groomsmen were going to be wearing, since tuxedos and suits can all be so similar at first glance.  All we know was that we did not want the boys to be in rentals -- they tend to look cheap and a bit ill-fitted, in my opinion.  I cringe every time I pass by Tuxedo Royale or Freeman Formals.

We also sifted through suits at Burberry (his fave, btw), Prada, Neiman Marcus & Barney's (in all of SoCal and Vegas pretty much lol)...but nothing really jumped out for what their price tags were.

And then finally...I found pictures of two amazing suits online:  1) the groomsen's suit, which I couldn't find any designer details on.  And 2) G's tux -- a sexy Prada tuxedo featured in a GQ mag awhile back.  Needless to say, it wasn't available anymore.

So our only solution was to go bespoke :)  for those of you who don't know what "bespoke" means -- very simply, it is a custom-made suit designed and fitted to your exact specifications and measurements.  Different from a made-to-measure (M2M suits are custom-tailored to your measurements, but the design and patterns are generic).

Yes, you'll obviously be paying more than you would be paying for a rental piece, but it's worth it in the long run.  You'll have amazing suits you can keep and wear again, and that will fit you like a glove.   Not to mention a suit that's unique :)  The boys were able to pick out everything from basics like fabrics and buttons, to more refined details like the inside lining and stitching.  Ooh la la.

We finally picked up the suits yesterday, and I can't tell you how excited I am to see them all dapper-ed up!  One really cute touch they had added on was custom embroidery on the inside pocket:

Yes...he chose the moniker G-Money to be forever emblazoned on his wedding tuxedo lol geeze.... 

Khang & Doan chose a more sensible option -- just their first and last names

Bespoke tailoring courtesy of G's homeboy and owner of  www.jagandcompany.com

THE Dress

The single most important dress you'll ever wear:  Your wedding gown.

I was fortunate enough that I didn't really have to try on three hundred gowns before I found mine -- it appeared to me in a magazine and it was literally love at first sight.  My heart stopped, my pulse raced, and I'm pretty sure I heard bells ringing.  Tried it on and BAM.  I knew instantly.

I imagined there would be tears of joy and that I would be completely overwhelmed (a la Say Yes to the Dress).  But no.  I was just super excited and couldn't imagine myself in anything else for the big day.  Then again, I'm not usually a hyper-sensitive, emotional girl to begin with.

No, I'm not going to reveal my dress before the big day :)  BUT I will share with you two absolute STUNNERS from the S/S 2012 runways that I WOULD have bought, had I been getting married later this year:

Zac Posen - S/S 2012

AHHHHH I DIE!  I'm not usually a fan of mermaid-ish type wedding gowns but this one is stunning!  You have modern, edgy, sexy lines throughout the top, and a gorgeous, romantic, amazingly textured bottom.  In love with the juxtaposition of it all.  Oh, how I wish this dress was out last year!

Monique Lhuillier - S/S 2012

Now this gown is amazeville!  It's very similar to my own wedding dress, except this one has that killer thigh-high slit (I'm a sucker for thigh-high slits)!  Again, you see a pattern in the dresses i tend to be drawn to -- stream-lined top, textured, romantic, flowy skirt ;)


If any of you are Winter 2012 / 2013 brides and have budget to spare -- DO try on these gowns, so that I can live vicariously through you.

My biggest piece of advice for choosing THE gown?

• Don't bring a huge entourage of people to your appointments.  This will only confuse you, since everyone has a very particular and personal idea of what a beautiful dress is.  You don't want their opinions to reflect what you really want to look like on your day.  Remember -- it's about YOU and what you feel amazing in.  I tried on dresses on my own (yes...you heard right), or usually with just one other person.

That being said...enjoy the process, and buy the dress that makes you feel like a queen :)

xoxo

TT

In Exactly 8 Weeks...

...I will officially be a Mrs.!!  Aint that crazy?

So as promised, I'm going to try my best to blog about the insanity that will be my life during this last stretch of wedding planning (this is as close to a reality show / 2 hour wedding special as I'll ever get -- which, btw, I think I totally deserve.  I'm way more interesting than Kim K.  Yes, she has the sex tape scandal, and yes, she has more shoes, but.....  Wait.  what were we talking about again?)

Focus, Tara.  Focus.

Anyway, I know many of yall are getting married soon, or are just planning your imaginary future wedding (it's cool.  I'm not judging.  I just hope the Mayan's weren't right, for your sake),  and had tonnes of questions for me about this whole process.  I can't guarantee I have the answers to everything, but hopefully my posts will give you a lil nudge in the right direction.  Hell...if this blog doesn't do a thing to help you plan, it will at the very least, give you some pretty/cute/shiny things to ogle.  So don't be a stranger! :)


Here's to the next 2 months.  8 Weeks.  56 days.  1344 hours.  Sh*t just got real.