Unveling the DIY Veil!

Before trying on wedding dresses I really wasn't sure what kind of veil I wanted. I knew I wanted it fairly long so I could get some fabulous pictures, but didn't have many other specifications besides that. My bridal consultant tried several different types on me during my appointment, but none of them were exactly what I wanted (not to mention they were WAY overpriced!):

When my mom, BM S and I went to David's Bridal the second time, my consultant tried some cathedral length veils that were closer to what I wanted:

I thought the cathedral length was just a little too long since it was longer than my train. I decided I wanted one close to chapel length and my mom and I decided to make it. We'd been putting it off for months, but we finally got it done last week while I was home for spring break and it turned out perfectly!

I've seen several tutorials, but my mom and I didn't really follow one. My mom is super talented and used to sew a lot, so she made it seem so easy! Basically, I just held the tulle up close to where it'll be positioned on my head and we measured and cut it just past my feet. My mom then took the end that will be in my hair and loosely stitched across it. Afterward, she pulled the stitch tight and knotted the thread. At this point, it looked like this:

We found a pack of hair combs in the bridal section of Hobby Lobby and they were 50% off! *If anyone needs one, I've got 5 extra!*

After sewing it to the comb it looked like this:

I love it! I really wanted it simple, but it wouldn't be too hard (although a little tedious) to add embellishment to the sides of it. I love that I got exactly what I wanted, that my mom made my veil, and that it cost less than $5! You can't beat that! And now I'll get pictures like these:

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Kansas is notorious for being windy, so it will actually come in handy for once! Aren't those pictures gorgeous?!

If you're thinking of making your own veil, I'd highly recommend it! If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I can't guaruntee I'll be able to answer them, but my mom probably can! :) I'm trying to get her to open her own etsy shop - She's so talented! 

Did you know what kind of veil you wanted? Where did you end up buying it? Has anyone else made their own??

More Shoes

No, I haven't changed my mind about my shoes. I'm talking about my bridesmaids' shoes. If you remember, they were all on board with finding pink shoes since they're wearing mismatched dresses. I've been looking for heels in a bright pink shade, without too high of a heel, and for a reasonable price. I haven't been very successful thus far, so I thought I'd turn to you guys since you're all pros at finding cute shoes! I know December isn't the best time to be looking, but you never know!

So far, this is the only pair I've found that I really like (as do 3 of my lovely ladies):

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The only problems are the heel height (4") and not all of the sizes are available online, although we could visit the stores in the area and probably find the sizes we need. The color and price are great, though!

I think these would be cute with some sort of embellishment:

The color swatch looks more pink and less purple:

 

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I think they're cute, the heel is 3 1/2" rather than 4, and they'd only be $25 if we ordered them together. (They have a special right now if you buy 2 or more, they're $25 instead of $29). They have a broader range of sizes, too.

I happened to find these while browsing on endless.com:

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Still a 3 1/2" heel and only $25 (including shipping!), but there aren't as many sizes available.

These are the most expensive of the options I've found, but they have a lower heel, and I think they're adorable:

 

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I'm going to ask my ladies what they think of the above options, but if you happen to stumble across any hot pink reasonably priced heels (that aren't made for strippers - who knew they made so many pink stripper heels?!), please send them my way!

Did your bridesmaids wear matching shoes? If so, was it difficult finding/choosing what they wore?

Bouts or No Bouts?

Before planning my own wedding, I thought everyone used boutonnieres (I hate spelling that word - I'll be copying/pasting for the rest of the post!) for their groomsmen. I never really liked them, though. What guy really enjoys wearing a flower? And they always end up smashed by the end of the night. In high school, my mom and I (uh, I'm not sure how much I helped..) always made David's boutonnieres - There was no way we were going to pay close to $20 - probably more than that now! - for something we could make for less than $2. They always turned out well, too:

 

*I apologize for the awkward half-boob shots - Didn't we coordinate well, though?*

So, I'm sure, that between my mom and I, we could easily DIY the boutonnieres (since we're DIYing all the flowers). I just don't think I want boutonnieres, though. I asked David what his thoughts were, and he said he'd be totally fine with just having pocket squares. Fine by me! I made the pocket sqaures for my sister's wedding in May - They were super easy, and turned out well:

*Gotta love the awkward sneaky shots from wedding guests while the photographer is trying to organize the formal bridal party pictures*

All DIY pocket squares require are fabric and pinking shears. I found some pinking shears on the Hobby Lobby website for $10, but any fabric or craft store would carry them.

I'll probably use a pink damask print fabric similar to this one, because I think it'll coordinate well with their pink vests:

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I used 12x12 inch squares for the pocket squares I made, but I read that they're usually anywhere between 10 and 18 inches. I'm not sure what type of fabric is 'best' to use, but I'm just going to look for something wit a silky finish.

David hasn't picked out what his groomsmen will be wearing yet, so they may come with pocket squares. I might still be stubborn and insist on making them, though. I'm only a bride once, right? I think the damask print would look better than a plain one in the same color as the vest. Or maybe I'm just overly obsessed with damask. :)

Do you like the look of pocket squares in place of a boutonniere? Have you ever made your own?