Non-Sucky Ties

Apparently, shopping for ties is a bit like shopping for a wedding dress in so much as most of them are entirely unappealing. Aside from the uglyness factor I needed 6 matching ties on a budget. Not an easy feat. We settled on cream colored dress shirts and brown pants for the boys. They'll wear whatever shoes they please and no jackets. To unify them we wanted a really cool tie.

I was set on something with a pattern from the beginning. I was leaning towards a paisley print at first, but really the goal was something fun and "Mike", but in appropriate colors. During my research (and after many fruitless & exhausting trips to stores) I stumbled on an Etsy store that did screen printing on ties. I was aquiver at the possibility, but Mike was dismissive and I soon forgot all about it.

Until I logged into Etsy looking for something else and a tie that happened to be on the featured items of the homepage caught my eye in a big way. Mike was instantly receptive and color discussions began. The tie is by Cyberopotix Tie Lab. The design is called Apollo Cockpit

I contacted the seller right away. Bethany was quick to respond and very informative. Since we need 5 silk ties and one bow tie (which only comes in microfiber) in a possible color combo of fabric and ink we couldn't find a picture of it in the gallery we ordered swatches. It was about $8 for two swatch cards one with silks and one with microfiber and they applied inks directly to the fabric at our request as well. Because they cut up actual ties (awesomeness) it took a few days to get those. It was a good call because we could see the color against his shirt and in sun and natural light too.

We ordered 5 silk neckties in emerald with antique brass ink and 1 bow tie, for Isaac. We even received a wedding discount on our order. They were ordered on Friday afternoon. I received an email Friday night telling me they'd ship in the morning. They arrived today! They are beautiful.

Mike and I agree the colors are great! There's something so elegant about a silk tie.

The "Boutique Experience"

It started out great. The first time I went in to pick bridesmaids dresses I was in the wheelchair with a toddler. No nasty looks at all. They even carried the wheelchair up the front steps since the building wasn't accessible. Perhaps that should have been a red flag. Maybe I should have boycotted on principle. Neither I nor my bridesmaids had big budgets, but I wanted to check it out.

They had the Jim Hjelm dress I's been mooning over at a reasonable price for a designer dress. I poured over the color book for a long time. They had black which way back then was what I thought I wanted, but they also had some greens. It was hard to decide based on teeny scraps of fabric in a book. Especially since dupioni silk changes color based on movement and light. They couldn't show me any dresses they were in the fabric and color I liked. They were very patient and friendly. Then again that was before they knew I wasn't buying a wedding dress from them.

Once I conferred with the girls about the design and budget I got really excited. They were all in. We scheduled a fitting for when my sister was down. It was a mistake to take everyone together or at least to hang out just outside the dressing room. Everyone was sad afterward. At the time I couldn't understand it.

It all became clear four months later when the dresses came in. They were across the board enormous. Like falling off, two sizes too big! It was ridiculous. I called the boutique who calmly clarified that bridesmaids dress are not made custom like wedding gowns. They have a chart from the designer they match the measurements to and if even one measurement is a 3/4" bigger they go up a size. So, what is the advantage of the boutique verses buying off the rack?

She went on to inform me that two weeks before the wedding the girls were welcome to come in and get alternations. She told me not to worry that they would only cost $20 dollars. So, we all relaxed a little. I was still kicking myself over choosing this place, but at least there was hope. In the meantime I requested a swatch of material for the florist 3 separate times and never received it. They sent a letter to my house informing the dresses were in so it wasn't an address issue.

Fast forward to this week. It is now two weeks before my wedding. My maid of honor went in for alterations. She was charged $75!! Apparently, it was $20 to take it in, $20 to fix the straps...and so on. WHAT?!? I was deliberately mislead. I can not believe they gave my girls enormous dress and than charged them just shy of $80 bucks to fix it.

I would NEVER use them again for anything. What a racket! I'm furious. Why didn't they ever send my swatch? Why didn't they educate me on the process? Why didn't they have the girls try on the dresses when they picked them up like they told me they would over the phone? Why weren't they honest about the alteration fees?

Do not use C.C.'s Boutique at 770 4th Avenue North St. Petersburg, FL 33701. They are not wheelchair accessible. They are not informative or as it turns out honest. I plain to review them everywhere that allows a review and to inform them as much. I really thought paying for a designer gown would entitle the girls to royal treatment. I feel dirty after the experience.

Upon further research it seems many girls have had similar issues. Dresses that are too big, but especially grossly misquote alterations prices. If you're interested go to google reviews after the first two their terrible. At Best Tampa Bay Weddings scroll down on the first page to Morgan's review on 10/7/11. I wish I'd read it first. She ends with " I do not want to waste another minute of my time in that factory of a "bridal boutique."The moral of the story is customer service here. This was not my best experience. I wish it could have been better, but unfortunately it was not. I do not recommend this store to anyone looking to get married, and bridesmaids, don't expect the red carpet to be rolled out. You might as well take a number at the door upon entering just like you do at the DMV. They are looking to roll you in and out as quickly as possible." I think she summed it up well!

Bride Meets Gown

When there was a knock on the door I was sure it was Christmas decorations I ordered. Wrong. It was my dress! I can't believe it got here so fast.

It came in a huge white box. Mike cut it open and pushed aside the tissue paper. I don't think I breathed after that until the long white garment bag came out of the box. The long white zip came down in slow motion. There is was. It's real, it's mine. Holy cow, I'm a bride.

I instantly loved the fabric. The champagne color is so much prettier in person. The ivory fabric on the skirt shines through the champagne fabric. It's a really lovely affect. The bodice has an era of 50's glamor about it. The rhinestone belt is exactly the right color green. I really love how simple and beautiful it is. I'm so glad I didn't settle.

She even included a framed sketch of the dress in the box. What a treasure. As my friend pointed out, I have the only dress like this in the whole world. It makes me feel like a movie star. It was such a pleasant experience from start to end I'm so glad I found Pantora by Andrea on Etsy. She did beautiful work. She stayed in contact through out the process giving me her email with Etsy messages weren't getting to her. She finished exactly when she said she would and I received my dress within 48hrs of completion.

It was a fantastic experience, really I'm racked my brain for any criticism and I can't think of one. It was well worth the wait. Excuse me I have a dress to try on.

Invitations Have Arrived!

They came today!! So exciting. We started the process August 28th if you count the research-y phase and September 19th if you start from design. We completed the design on October 3rd and ten days later we had them. We choose an Etsy store called WoodChickStudios. We started with a design she already had called curly willow:

Six proofs and a lot of messages back and forth later we had this:

Do you love it? It's pretty much exactly what I had in my head which is a small miracle given how inarticulate I was about "my vision" at times. Shirlene was very patient with me. She was always very quick to make changes and answer any questions during the design process. I don't think I ever waited more than 12hrs for anything. Usually, I receive a proof in the morning. I think it over during the day and reply in the evening. I'd receive her response in the morning or early afternoon. I'm so happy with the final product. They're so whimsical and girly.

I even love the presentation and the little personal note she included.

They were very reasonably priced for wooden invitations and came with our choice of ivory or brown envelopes. She also offered envelope printing for an extra fee, but we skipped that. I also liked that I could order them in any amount. A lot vendors required you ordered in groups of 25 or even 100.

I'm so excited to begin the process of getting these invitations out. As promised, expect a post about invitation wording soon. Next step is to give one to Mike's mom who will make our custom map. It'll be something like this, but better. It'll look more theme appropriate, but still have a scene of fun. She's an artist and she made maps for my future sister-in-law and cousin-in-law. I'm super excited for my turn to get one. I think we may print our map on parchment paper, but I'm not sure yet. After those (our only "insert") are done we'll be addressing and decorating the envelopes. After the holidays they'll hit the mail. YAY!!