All my Dessy dress styles

Can you believe this is the same dress in every picture? As you can see, I’ve really gotten a lot of wear of my white Dessy twist dress over the last month! It’s been a godsend for the vow renewals, as we have to try and make the ceremony look different each time.

The dress comes in a handy, durable clear plastic bag, so I’ve literally chucked it in there after each renewal and pulled it out when I’ve needed it, no ironing required.

Now, that I’ve got it sussed, here are my tips on getting the most out of the Dessy twist dress for your destination wedding or your bridesmaid’s dresses (don’t forget it comes in 12 colours).

1. Good underwear foundation

I’ve been wearing a pair of nude spanx underneath and a white bandeau bra where possible. Some of the styles might need a slightly different bra or foundation garment, but you feel a bit more secure with something underneath. I found this out by accident with a few wardrobe malfunctions, especially on cold days!

2. Take your time to experiment

The dress is easy to throw on and it will look great, but it’s worth taking some time to tie it well, and to adjust the ruching so it looks good for photos. I don’t think I’ve exhausted the possibilities yet!

3. Tie it firmly!

As you wrap the dress around yourself, you can pull it quite firmly without worrying about overstretching the material. Get someone to help you at the back and then secure the ends firmly. I once tied it too loosely and it started unravelling, but haven’t had a problem since.

4. Have fun!

It’s an incredibly fun dress, so play around and see what original styles you can create for yourself. I’m thinking of visiting a craft shop to get some accessories, for example gold rope to make a Grecian inspired look, or brooches to decorate the front of the dress. The possibilities literally are endless!

Buy your own Dessy Dress at the Get Married Shop!

Follow the Dessy Group on Twitter because they are doing a series of promotions, such as giveaways for followers of the dress.

By Proud father

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Tabula Tua is one of my very favorite places for beautiful things, and they’ve just added some stunning new pieces from one of my very favorite collections, Match Pewter. And right now, when you make a Match Pewter purchase from Tabula Tua (online or in-store), you can receive a Tabula Tua gift card for up to $250! Here are some of the gorgeous new Match Pewter pieces available at Tabula Tua:

{left to right: Jigger and Cocktail Shaker, Glass Pitcher with Lid, Antique Flat Server, Acorn Spoon}

{Luisa dinnerware}

Love what you see? Want to earn that gift card? Here are the details:

Spend $250-$499 on Match Pewter, receive a $50 Tabula Tua Gift Card.
Spend $500-$999 on Match Pewter, receive a $100 Tabula Tua Gift Card.
Spend $1,000-$1999 on Match Pewter, receive a $200 Tabula Tua Gift Card.
Spend $2,000 or more on Match Pewter, receive  a $250 Tabula Tua Gift Card.

If you’re not sure where to register, but you know you’d like to outfit your new home with heirloom-worthy tableware, furniture and accessories, then you really need look no further than Tabula Tua’s online wedding registry. And with easy online ordering, your friends and family will appreciate it, too! Of course, you could always stop by their beautiful store in Chicago if you’re lucky enough to be nearby…

By Proud father

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Ladiezzzz…

Well, I said I was going to update you on book club locations for our bookclub meetup this Saturday, 9/11, but Emily really went above and beyond. Please click the above image (twice!) to see it nice and big, and see exactly where your local meetup is being held. We’re still waiting on locations and times for Atlanta, Australia, Cleveland, Lexington, London, LA, Portland, and Madison. If those are your locations, go check Facebook for more information. In fact, if you have any questions at all go to Facebook for more information and find your cities meet-up thread.

Now! Some people have requested that I come up with a list of bookclub questions to kick off discussion and break the ice. My brain is totally tapped out, but any of you that have read or are reading The Commitment and have suggested questions, throw them out in the comment area. Just questions though, no discussion! No fair to start that all early-like. (Seriously, I’m totally going to take down early discussion, and that would be lame, so don’t make me do it.) If we get a good batch of questions, I’ll throw out suggestions on Saturday morning.

As for the rest of you, get reading!

Bay Area ladies, I’ll see you on Saturday. Just pass me a brownie and a cocktail please. A big cocktail.

Meg

By Proud father

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I’m not gonna say much in today’s post.  Honestly, I have had some major stressful things happening at work lately.  I don’t want to go into all of it but it means I haven’t been able to spend much time on the net browsing through all of your lovely blogs I follow.  Don’t dismay – I am totally still here!  Those of you who have noticed I haven’t been commenting much lately, please know that I will be back over there to more thoroughly digest archived posts and catch up as soon as things are resolved here in the office

Thankfully, I schedule most of my posts months in advance so I have still been going regularly over here.  And I can honestly say that the wedding recaps will finally be ending this month!  Five months after the wedding, I will be wrapping it up with a few more pics and videos to share with all of you as I finalize my memories of our big day.  Thanks for hangin’ in there with me.

Today, I wanted to share this cool little recap video that our videographer included in our wedding video (note that the song is not the song used in our wedding video, I had to change it due to YouTube copyrights).  It is a recap of the cocktail hour but I love it because it shows a few of the little details of our event, specifically the reception tables.  So after the video, I’ll share a bunch of photos as well:

Click here for link to video

One of the two door hangers that my sister made for our day:

Our Flip Flop basket covered in red silk fabric holding 72 pairs of multi-colored flip flops:

Reserved seat signs designed by Serendipity Design

Red chinese take out Favor Boxes containing little red or turquoise key chains with a 5 ‘ tape measure inside:

Place cards were tucked into the napkins with each guest’s name sticking out at the top.  The card was not a menu card but rather a list of activities and favors that we had available for the guests:

Cake table:  Our cake was made by a family friend and if you remember, Mr Fix It tried to recreate the stand from a professional picture we found.  It didn’t turn out the way we envisioned it but it was amazingly good!

Our Gift Card box was the one thing I did NOT want to sell but Mr Fix It said we didn’t have room for it in the house   So I took it to a wedding swap meet where other girls fought over it

A photo of my friend’s guitar which he played during his solo at our ceremony

I loved this simple poster board of our room layout which made it easy for guests to locate their tables when they picked up their escort cards.

Cocktail tables (without the pen holder and votives that were also on them):

I absolutely adored the way that my coordinators tied the linen around the high standing cocktail tables!  I had shown them a picture of what I wanted and they recreated it perfectly!!!

These Parasols were part of my gift to my BM’s…loved them in a few photos.

5 page Fan Programs designed by Serendipity Design

Gobo light

Kleenex tissue packs:  A last minute ceremony favor idea that I quickly threw together on the cheap:

Personalized water bottle labels that I designed and placed over bottles for our wedding party (unfortunately the photographer did not get a better shot of just how adorable these were…they had a custom ingredient chart on the back, too):

Our Unity Cross:

Each younger child (and some younger teens) place settings had a personalized menu under their napkin which had a word search, maze and even a scavenger hunt for the reception:

They also had a circus favor box full of goodies with a little thank you message label on it:

The label reads:  A basket full of treats and fun, especially for the younger one.  Color, draw or play a game…just have some fun, so glad you came!

I won a free print via blog giveaway months before the wedding and had this engagement photo printed on a canvas which we displayed on an easel next to our gift table:

Some of the many little signs that we place around the event for the guests’ convenience:

Photobooth table signs and baskets:

Our super cool and unique toasting flutes which I can’t wait to use on future anniversaries!

Share Time:  What was your most favorite detail, DIY item or decor item from your big day?

Unless otherwise noted, all photos by Robert Mullins Photography

By Proud father

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by DQ Studios

By Proud father

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I’m not gonna say much in today’s post.  Honestly, I have had some major stressful things happening at work lately.  I don’t want to go into all of it but it means I haven’t been able to spend much time on the net browsing through all of your lovely blogs I follow.  Don’t dismay – I am totally still here!  Those of you who have noticed I haven’t been commenting much lately, please know that I will be back over there to more thoroughly digest archived posts and catch up as soon as things are resolved here in the office

Thankfully, I schedule most of my posts months in advance so I have still been going regularly over here.  And I can honestly say that the wedding recaps will finally be ending this month!  Five months after the wedding, I will be wrapping it up with a few more pics and videos to share with all of you as I finalize my memories of our big day.  Thanks for hangin’ in there with me.

Today, I wanted to share this cool little recap video that our videographer included in our wedding video (note that the song is not the song used in our wedding video, I had to change it due to YouTube copyrights).  It is a recap of the cocktail hour but I love it because it shows a few of the little details of our event, specifically the reception tables.  So after the video, I’ll share a bunch of photos as well:

Click here for link to video

One of the two door hangers that my sister made for our day:

Our Flip Flop basket covered in red silk fabric holding 72 pairs of multi-colored flip flops:

Reserved seat signs designed by Serendipity Design

Red chinese take out Favor Boxes containing little red or turquoise key chains with a 5 ‘ tape measure inside:

Place cards were tucked into the napkins with each guest’s name sticking out at the top.  The card was not a menu card but rather a list of activities and favors that we had available for the guests:

Cake table:  Our cake was made by a family friend and if you remember, Mr Fix It tried to recreate the stand from a professional picture we found.  It didn’t turn out the way we envisioned it but it was amazingly good!

Our Gift Card box was the one thing I did NOT want to sell but Mr Fix It said we didn’t have room for it in the house   So I took it to a wedding swap meet where other girls fought over it

A photo of my friend’s guitar which he played during his solo at our ceremony

I loved this simple poster board of our room layout which made it easy for guests to locate their tables when they picked up their escort cards.

Cocktail tables (without the pen holder and votives that were also on them):

I absolutely adored the way that my coordinators tied the linen around the high standing cocktail tables!  I had shown them a picture of what I wanted and they recreated it perfectly!!!

These Parasols were part of my gift to my BM’s…loved them in a few photos.

5 page Fan Programs designed by Serendipity Design

Gobo light

Kleenex tissue packs:  A last minute ceremony favor idea that I quickly threw together on the cheap:

Personalized water bottle labels that I designed and placed over bottles for our wedding party (unfortunately the photographer did not get a better shot of just how adorable these were…they had a custom ingredient chart on the back, too):

Our Unity Cross:

Each younger child (and some younger teens) place settings had a personalized menu under their napkin which had a word search, maze and even a scavenger hunt for the reception:

They also had a circus favor box full of goodies with a little thank you message label on it:

The label reads:  A basket full of treats and fun, especially for the younger one.  Color, draw or play a game…just have some fun, so glad you came!

I won a free print via blog giveaway months before the wedding and had this engagement photo printed on a canvas which we displayed on an easel next to our gift table:

Some of the many little signs that we place around the event for the guests’ convenience:

Photobooth table signs and baskets:

Our super cool and unique toasting flutes which I can’t wait to use on future anniversaries!

Share Time:  What was your most favorite detail, DIY item or decor item from your big day?

Unless otherwise noted, all photos by Robert Mullins Photography

By Proud father

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By Proud father

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I’m not gonna say much in today’s post.  Honestly, I have had some major stressful things happening at work lately.  I don’t want to go into all of it but it means I haven’t been able to spend much time on the net browsing through all of your lovely blogs I follow.  Don’t dismay – I am totally still here!  Those of you who have noticed I haven’t been commenting much lately, please know that I will be back over there to more thoroughly digest archived posts and catch up as soon as things are resolved here in the office

Thankfully, I schedule most of my posts months in advance so I have still been going regularly over here.  And I can honestly say that the wedding recaps will finally be ending this month!  Five months after the wedding, I will be wrapping it up with a few more pics and videos to share with all of you as I finalize my memories of our big day.  Thanks for hangin’ in there with me.

Today, I wanted to share this cool little recap video that our videographer included in our wedding video (note that the song is not the song used in our wedding video, I had to change it due to YouTube copyrights).  It is a recap of the cocktail hour but I love it because it shows a few of the little details of our event, specifically the reception tables.  So after the video, I’ll share a bunch of photos as well:

Click here for link to video

One of the two door hangers that my sister made for our day:

Our Flip Flop basket covered in red silk fabric holding 72 pairs of multi-colored flip flops:

Reserved seat signs designed by Serendipity Design

Red chinese take out Favor Boxes containing little red or turquoise key chains with a 5 ‘ tape measure inside:

Place cards were tucked into the napkins with each guest’s name sticking out at the top.  The card was not a menu card but rather a list of activities and favors that we had available for the guests:

Cake table:  Our cake was made by a family friend and if you remember, Mr Fix It tried to recreate the stand from a professional picture we found.  It didn’t turn out the way we envisioned it but it was amazingly good!

Our Gift Card box was the one thing I did NOT want to sell but Mr Fix It said we didn’t have room for it in the house   So I took it to a wedding swap meet where other girls fought over it

A photo of my friend’s guitar which he played during his solo at our ceremony

I loved this simple poster board of our room layout which made it easy for guests to locate their tables when they picked up their escort cards.

Cocktail tables (without the pen holder and votives that were also on them):

I absolutely adored the way that my coordinators tied the linen around the high standing cocktail tables!  I had shown them a picture of what I wanted and they recreated it perfectly!!!

These Parasols were part of my gift to my BM’s…loved them in a few photos.

5 page Fan Programs designed by Serendipity Design

Gobo light

Kleenex tissue packs:  A last minute ceremony favor idea that I quickly threw together on the cheap:

Personalized water bottle labels that I designed and placed over bottles for our wedding party (unfortunately the photographer did not get a better shot of just how adorable these were…they had a custom ingredient chart on the back, too):

Our Unity Cross:

Each younger child (and some younger teens) place settings had a personalized menu under their napkin which had a word search, maze and even a scavenger hunt for the reception:

They also had a circus favor box full of goodies with a little thank you message label on it:

The label reads:  A basket full of treats and fun, especially for the younger one.  Color, draw or play a game…just have some fun, so glad you came!

I won a free print via blog giveaway months before the wedding and had this engagement photo printed on a canvas which we displayed on an easel next to our gift table:

Some of the many little signs that we place around the event for the guests’ convenience:

Photobooth table signs and baskets:

Our super cool and unique toasting flutes which I can’t wait to use on future anniversaries!

Share Time:  What was your most favorite detail, DIY item or decor item from your big day?

Unless otherwise noted, all photos by Robert Mullins Photography

By Proud father

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Happy long weekend everyone! Are you already out of the office on your way to the beach? My honey and I are headed to the wine country tomorrow to take engagement photos, which makes me super excited but also a little nervous. Any good tips for staying relaxed in front of the camera? I have every faith in our photographer, though, so hopefully I’ll have some fun pics to share with you when they come back from the photo lab. This weekend also happens to be Snippet & Ink’s 3rd birthday! Which, as far as I’m concerned, is a perfect excuse to pick up a chocolate chip marble cake and wear a party hat.

{photo via Mint}

In case you’re still hanging out in front of your computer, here are some lovely links before you head out for some end-of-summer fun.

The grosgrain ribbon key chain I’ve had for a million years is finally falling apart. I think I’ve found its replacement.

Love this simple and sweet wedding.

Fabulously funky rings, via Unruly Things.

Mmmmm… blueberry pie….

Purely paper flower shop.

I want to have ice cream with ban.do!

Cuddling chairs.

These stamps of disapproval are hilarious.

Shoe or sculpture?

Don’t you want to know what Essence of A Versailles Afternoon smells like? Or maybe Extract of Topiary?

Shannon Carney’s stunning jewelry feels so right for summer, via Clover + Bee

Little bird prints, via Mint.

Fab hand-drawn packaging, via Faye + Co.

All you need is love, love is all you need.

Happy birthday Oh Joy!

And then one last thing before everyone takes off – we have a winner in the Williams-Sonoma $150 giveaway! Congratulations to Annette Greason who said: “I am MADLY in love with their Multicolor Ceramic 7-Piece Mixing Bowl Set and have been since the day I we first made eye contact back in April -despite the fact that I could never justify the 159.95 price tag. If I won the gift card I could pay only 9.95 for the whole set!” Annette, email me to claim your prize.

See you on Tuesday, everyone!

By Proud father

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I’m not gonna say much in today’s post.  Honestly, I have had some major stressful things happening at work lately.  I don’t want to go into all of it but it means I haven’t been able to spend much time on the net browsing through all of your lovely blogs I follow.  Don’t dismay – I am totally still here!  Those of you who have noticed I haven’t been commenting much lately, please know that I will be back over there to more thoroughly digest archived posts and catch up as soon as things are resolved here in the office

Thankfully, I schedule most of my posts months in advance so I have still been going regularly over here.  And I can honestly say that the wedding recaps will finally be ending this month!  Five months after the wedding, I will be wrapping it up with a few more pics and videos to share with all of you as I finalize my memories of our big day.  Thanks for hangin’ in there with me.

Today, I wanted to share this cool little recap video that our videographer included in our wedding video (note that the song is not the song used in our wedding video, I had to change it due to YouTube copyrights).  It is a recap of the cocktail hour but I love it because it shows a few of the little details of our event, specifically the reception tables.  So after the video, I’ll share a bunch of photos as well:

Click here for link to video

One of the two door hangers that my sister made for our day:

Our Flip Flop basket covered in red silk fabric holding 72 pairs of multi-colored flip flops:

Reserved seat signs designed by Serendipity Design

Red chinese take out Favor Boxes containing little red or turquoise key chains with a 5 ‘ tape measure inside:

Place cards were tucked into the napkins with each guest’s name sticking out at the top.  The card was not a menu card but rather a list of activities and favors that we had available for the guests:

Cake table:  Our cake was made by a family friend and if you remember, Mr Fix It tried to recreate the stand from a professional picture we found.  It didn’t turn out the way we envisioned it but it was amazingly good!

Our Gift Card box was the one thing I did NOT want to sell but Mr Fix It said we didn’t have room for it in the house   So I took it to a wedding swap meet where other girls fought over it

A photo of my friend’s guitar which he played during his solo at our ceremony

I loved this simple poster board of our room layout which made it easy for guests to locate their tables when they picked up their escort cards.

Cocktail tables (without the pen holder and votives that were also on them):

I absolutely adored the way that my coordinators tied the linen around the high standing cocktail tables!  I had shown them a picture of what I wanted and they recreated it perfectly!!!

These Parasols were part of my gift to my BM’s…loved them in a few photos.

5 page Fan Programs designed by Serendipity Design

Gobo light

Kleenex tissue packs:  A last minute ceremony favor idea that I quickly threw together on the cheap:

Personalized water bottle labels that I designed and placed over bottles for our wedding party (unfortunately the photographer did not get a better shot of just how adorable these were…they had a custom ingredient chart on the back, too):

Our Unity Cross:

Each younger child (and some younger teens) place settings had a personalized menu under their napkin which had a word search, maze and even a scavenger hunt for the reception:

They also had a circus favor box full of goodies with a little thank you message label on it:

The label reads:  A basket full of treats and fun, especially for the younger one.  Color, draw or play a game…just have some fun, so glad you came!

I won a free print via blog giveaway months before the wedding and had this engagement photo printed on a canvas which we displayed on an easel next to our gift table:

Some of the many little signs that we place around the event for the guests’ convenience:

Photobooth table signs and baskets:

Our super cool and unique toasting flutes which I can’t wait to use on future anniversaries!

Share Time:  What was your most favorite detail, DIY item or decor item from your big day?

Unless otherwise noted, all photos by Robert Mullins Photography

By Proud father

Related posts:

1. Wed Recap: All the pretty details! – father of the groom wedding speech news I’m not gonna say much in today’s post.  Honestly,...
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