*Drumroll please...*

Image via I Can Haz Cheeseburger / Text added by yours truly

I love organization and if my closet space allowed it, I would hang everything. (In order of length and color within length, of course.) Unfortunately, this particular closet doesn't allow me my fair share of hanging space, so instead I've had to *shudder* fold some of my stuff. I'll come clean - not having to fold things is the main priority in hanging clothes. It's much more difficult to color coordinate when things are folded... sigh.

Anyway, when it came time to think about a hanger for one of the most significant pieces of clothing I'll ever wear, it was obvious I was going to get something special. (Okay, so wire hangers have been done a lot, but that doesn't make it any less special to me!) 

There were so many options...

Image (and hanger) via Etsy seller Designsathome

The thought process here was that I've always said I'll only get married once; therefore, I would only be a bride once. Shouldn't I get the bride hanger to enjoy the title for the day?

Image (and hanger) via Etsy seller HandcraftedAffairs

For this hanger, I loved that it included the date, a heart, and a special flower detail at the top. What made me decide this wasn't the one was that my dress has some intricate details, so I didn't want to take away from the dress too much by having a ton going on with the hanger.

Image (and hanger) via Etsy Seller CustomWeddingHangers

Again with the hearts - I love them! What changed my mind about this one was that it would be the full date. I'm not a huge fan of odd numbers, so having that 3 at the end made me a little less likely to choose something with our date on it.

At the end of the search, I think it was pretty obvious to myself (and anyone who knows me well, ;)) which hanger I would go with. The classic Mrs. HisLastName. I'm ecstatic to change my name, so it didn't come as too much of a shock that I would choose the last name hanger. 

Yes! My hanger, custom made by Amber at MyAmberColouredWorld. I was very back and forth on if I should capitalize the letters or not but eventually decided not to, and finally placed my order. A few weeks later, my hanger was on the way, and now it's displayed in our bedroom just waiting for the big day. ;)

Did you get a custom hanger for your dress?

The Start of the Somethings...

Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. A tradition I simply can't let go of! I must participate in this time honored tradition, and get an item to fill each of these categories. I know I'm going out of order, but I'm starting today with something new...

And that something new is wedding day accessories! Sparkly things? My favorite! Okay, okay - I'll calm down with the exclamation points, because I think you get my drift here. ;) I love sparkle, and that's what we're talking about today.

Since I'm not revealing my dress, and only gave away a little detail about my veil, I thought it may be more difficult to talk about accessories. But then I realized - everyone that I've spoken to (yes, including my lovely fiancé) knows that I don't want a plain dress. Be it beading, sparkles, flowers, or ruffles, there is going to be detail in my dress. So picture in your mind a dress with details (I wish I could be more specific!) and then look at these beautiful accessories...

* Let me preface this by saying, I do have more than just one hole in my ears; however, for the big day, I just plan to put studs in all of them except the bottom holes.

First up: these beauties by Etsy seller ElegantChicJewel. They were the first thing that caught my eye, and I've had them favorited for quite some time. Something about them just screams bridal to me! I think it's because I normally don't wear very dramatic earrings, so I'm leaning that way towards the big day.

Next up, from another (but equally wonderful!) Etsy seller, AllureByU, are these gorgeous earrings. In contrast to the first pair, these stand out, but aren't quite as big, which makes me think that they may also not be as heavy. Definitely something to consider since I'll be wearing them all day long!

Now these pretties, from Etsy seller (are you sensing a pattern here?...) DesignByKara. These ones seem to be the perfect middle ground between pair one and pair two. They have a little extra bling compared to my second choice, but will still be lighter than my first choice. And best of all? They're only $49 for the set! 

So here's my something new - I think regardless of which pair I choose, they'll look perfectly understated since I'm wearing my hair down... but regardless of how they'll look, I do (unfortunately) have to choose between the three pairs. 

If you were me, which ones would you choose? (Based on the super vague details I gave you about my dress and veil, of course!)

Wedding Day Makeup

Under 200 days to go... WHAT!? This is beyond crazy to me - especially since Halloween, Thanksgiving, my and my FMIL's birthday (which is the same day, fun fact!), Christmas, and NYE all fall into the next few months. I feel like once the holiday season gets going, we'll be putting some of the wedding tasks on the back burner, so I better get in gear now!

While I've already secured my hair stylist (my lovely aunt, who you will be hearing about along with my hair inspiration!), I have yet to secure makeup for myself and the girls. My fear with the makeup is that I book a makeup artist, and then have my trial, and it isn't exactly what I want. Now, of course this is the point behind a trial, but booking a vendor without seeing their work actually on my face makes me nervous.

Oh and also... I can't do makeup. At all.

The lovely makeup that you see in my engagement photos was done by one of my very favorite people in the whole entire world, Jenna.

All that magic? Not me at all. I applied my foundation. That's it. Jenna did everything else, and thank goodness, because quite frankly when I attempt to do my own eye makeup, I look like a two year old playing in mommy's bathroom. (And that's a nicer version of how I usually describe my makeup skills.)

And it's not for lack of trying! I own the Naked palate, I own brushes. I just have no idea what to do with them. So my every day look is Bare Minerals foundation, concealer where I need it, and heavy heavy heavy mascara. I have anywhere between 8-11 bottles in my makeup bag. I LOVE IT!

So what do you get when you combine my idol (and yes, I'm being serious!) and lots of eyelashes? My wedding makeup inspiration!

Image via VijatMohindra / Photo by Vijat Mohindra

So what I'm looking for is basically - airbrushed foundation, brown/bronze eye makeup, and lots and lots of lashes! I have a few candidates in mind, but like I said, it's hard to decide without actually having the makeup trial.

Brides and brides-to-be: did you make your decision on who to book before you did your trial or after?