Together at Last: Becoming a Bride {two}

Once I got situated and comfortable in my dress it was time to add all the extra fun stuff. (Seriously though, who knew you could actually be comfortable in a boned-in bodice, corset laced, strapless wedding gown?)

First up was something a little sparkly for my dress. I decided to put my Nana’s brooch on the bow of my dress. My something blue also added a touch of color to the gown. 

After we took care of my something blue it was on to the garter (bow-chika-bow-wow!). 

There’s a great story behind getting this garter. I’m on a military forum and one day a girl posted that she got a free garter by a woman who makes them for military brides-to-be. I immediately emailed this woman and gave her the information for my wedding (colors, wedding date, etc.), not really expecting to hear back from her. She ended up writing me back the same day and said she would love to make my garter—for free. I was blown away by her generosity and even more thrilled when the garter arrived just a few days later. It was absolutely perfect. It came in an adorable matching satchel and she even provided a toss-away garter for the garter toss. The ivory she used was soft, and the colors were perfect. If you are a military bride and are interested in contacting her, please email me and I’ll get you guys in touch. 

Once the garter was in its place I slipped my newly pedicured toes into my shoes.

Once my heels were on and I knew I wouldn’t trip over my dress, I walked over to take a look at everything. When I looked in the mirror I had to take a deep breath. This was a moment that would only happen once in my life and I wanted to make sure I was really there, experiencing everything. 

With almost everything in place, it was time for another emotional part of the day. I asked my mom to help me put on the veil (which also doubled as my something old). 

I’m including both pictures, because I just love my mom’s expression in the first photo. She looks so elegant and composed, even though I know she was extremely emotional that day. And the second picture, well I just love seeing her smile. I can only imagine that she was thinking back to the day when she was wearing her wedding gown—now my veil.

Once my mom initially got the veil in my hair, my bridesmaid Jenna took over and literally safety pinned the veil to my hair. I have extremely thick hair, so safety pinning it was really the only way to make it stay!

At some point I put on my jewelry, but I don’t remember when and I don’t have photos of actually putting it on. The only photo have is this one in black and white. 

If you could see it in color you’d see a soft, light pink pearl necklace with matching earrings. I found them four months before the wedding at an arts and crafts festival in Red River, New Mexico. They were exactly what I was looking for and I knew they were my wedding-day jewelry the moment I saw them. I love how delicate they are and how it pulled together the subtle pink I had throughout the wedding. 

Another favorite from the day 🙂

And with that, I was officially a bride. There was just one more aspect I needed to complete my look, because every bride needs a bouquet, right? While I waited for my bouquet to arrive I did what any giddy bride would do: I posed for pictures! 

Next up: Becoming a Bride {three}