if the shoe fits {bridal shoes}

I consider myself to be cheap'n chic. That being said, I love fashion that looks fabulous and does not cost an arm and a leg. Yes, my wedding day is going to be amazing, but that doesn't mean I need a $1,700 pair of shoes to feel fabulous. Yes, you read that number correctly. Some of you girls out there feel just fine spending that kind of mulah on a pair of pumps... but I, ladies, do not. Even if I had that kind of money to spend, I would not spend it on shoes... I'd spend it on a videographer. But, to each their own. This post is dedicated to the ladies who want to look and feel fabulous with breaking the bank. Who cares what the label says on the close-up your photographer is going to get of your shoes. (Gasp!) she is not wearing designer shoes on her wedding day?! Well, I might.... and if I do you best believe I'll get them at Loehmann's or The Rack ;-)

Here are some shoes I found inspiring. By the way, the sparkly one on the right by Enzo is only $159!

and who says they have to be white?

I know there are a lot of you out there that may disagree with me on the subject of shoes. I have many girlfriends who are passionate about their Christian Louboutin's and Manolo Blahnik's thanks to Carrie Bradshaw. But tell me ladies, how much is TOO much to spend on shoes?? Oh, and what color are you going for? Traditional white, or something more daring? Please share!

Affordable Shades of Grey {bridesmaids dresses}

Now that I have hired a wedding coordinator I feel like a lot of things are falling into place. For example, we finally hired a photographer!!! What a relief! The next step in that area is locking down a cinematographer and an officiant (expect a post on that soon). In a couple of weeks we are interviewing 2 officiants, a DJ, then visiting a florist...and that's all in one day!  Now that a lot of the big aspects of my planning are almost complete it's time to revisit the bridesmaids dress hunt. You may have read my original post about bridesmaids dresses. Since then, one thing is for sure now: I want grey dresses for my maids. What's not for sure is the style... long, short, mixed styles, etc.

Last night I was watching the movie "Bridesmaids" and I had to laugh when one of the women suggested they choose a dress that was $800. That amount is ridiculous, which many would agree. However, I also think anything north of $250 is absurd. When I first started casually looking at dresses for my girls I discovered that finding something affordable would be a challenge.

My best friend Shana is getting married this June and found fabulous bridesmaids dresses at http://www.dessy.com/ They have every style imaginable and tons of colors to choose from, and they are AFFORDABLE!!! The one piece of advice she gave me was make sure you see the color in person and have one of your girls try on the style you like. This seems like a no-brainer, but can you imagine just ordering online then finding out later that the cut and color you chose was unflattering in person? What I also like about Dessy is that they will tell you the nearest store to you where you can see the dresses in person. Awesome!

Here are just some of the styles I like from the Dessy Group that are affordable (less than $250).

Any other suggestions for affordable bridesmaids dresses?  Please share your ideas and websites!

You Can Wear It Again, I Swear {Bridesmaids Dresses}

I have not even started looking at bridesmaids dresses with my maids. That time will come soon enough. In the meantime I have been searching for inspiration. I don't have a image in my mind of what I want them to look like, as I did my own gown, however I have been drawn to images like these:

Photo Credit: H&M, JCrew,  StyleMePretty

Yellow Dresses Photo Credit: Stephanie Williams

Grey Dresses Photo Credit: Jill Thomas, Navy Dresses Photo Credit: BestArticles

One thing is for sure; I want my bridesmaids to look awesome! I have beautiful friends, and I want them (all 8 of them!) to feel confident and comfortable standing by my side on my big day. The one challenge I see in my future is finding affordable dresses for my girls. Any advice on where to shop?

If you haven't seen "27 Dresses" with Katherine Heigl, then rent it. They make a big joke about how brides always promise their maids that they'll love the dress she picked out and that they'll 'totally wear it again.' Well, most of the time this is a joke; most ladies never wear the dress again after dropping $150 or more. The only time I ever reused a bridesmaid dress was with the chocolate brown Vera Wang dress I wore at my dear friend, Katie's wedding. I removed the straps, had a rhinestone broach sewn on the front and rocked it again to a black tie wedding 2 years later, and I got TONS of compliments on it! Hahahaha.... if they only knew ;-)

Have you ever reused a bridesmaids dress? Please, do tell!