Another Dress Search: Mission Sissy Hawk

Or How the J. Crew Warehouse Sales Rock My World. (But more on that in a minute...)

While vacationing in NorCal, one of the highlights of my trip was helping my little sister, Sissy Hawk, find the perfect bridesmaids dress. Even though she's only eleven years old, she's been one of my biggest cheerleaders. She jumped into the process wholeheartedly and has even dedicated hours to Say Yes to the Dress and David Tutera in support of my big day. So seeing her joy and letting her be the princess and the center of attention was incredibly fun.

You may remember a while back when I revealed that I had chosen to go with the J. Crew chiffon collection. Although they technically do not make junior bridesmaids dresses, they do offer petites in many of the styles, and they ended up looking great on Sissy Hawk.

Here were her top contenders:

#1 Juliet

 

#2 Arabelle

#3 Lucienne

I had Momma Hawk hold off on ordering since I knew there was going to be a J. Crew Warehouse sale in Richmond right after my vacation. I must admit that I spent hours and made several trips, but I did come out successful overall. On my second trip (made during my lunch break) I came across several boxes that were relatively untouched. (In fact, the clothes were cold, indicating to me that they were fresh off the truck.) There (still folded!) was the Juliet dress in a size zero! It was heaven. I also found my sister a pair of adorable and age appropriate shoes. Total price paid? $30.

Now I'm not going to tell to you it's that easy. I have been back two additional times and have been less successful, but if I had gone with another color (say black, gray [graphite], or dark berry [spiced wine]) I would be in the money. (If your bridesmaids dresses are one of these colors and you live in the Richmond area, R-U-N to the warehouse sale and save yourself some money!)

For any RVA ladies out there who haven't visited yet, the sale is going on until the 22nd, open 10 am - 8 pm in the old Border's book store on Broad Street. (If you want more info, let me know!)

Anyone else have a moment when the stars aligned and you felt the bridal gods smile upon you? What's your greatest find?

All photos personal

The Chairs of Every Girl's Dreams

(Or maybe just mine.)

Do enough blog stalking of SMP (along with every other bridal blog out there!), and you'll be hard-pressed not to find a least a dozen inspirational photos featuring chiavari chairs (aka ballroom chairs).

Image via Deanie Michelle Events via The Knot

Image via Style Me Pretty, Photo by Tana Photography

Simple yet just enough detail and daintyness, chiavari are pretty much the "it chair" of the wedding world. (Hello, even Jackie-O used them when she wed JFK! And y'all know she is the epitome of class.)

Image Via Vibianla

Unfortunately for many brides, myself included, these beauties come with a hefty price tag. With some companies charging upwards of $9-11/chair, I thought having chiavari chairs at our wedding reception was just a pipe dream. (But I thought... why not just do a little research...Just in case. Famous last words, right?)

I had remembered reading Mrs. Cloud's post about using chiavari chairs in the Richmond area, so I started with her vendor, Magic Special Events. They were very helpful and friendly, but at $7.75 a pop plus cushions AND mileage to Williamsburg? I knew they were out of budget.

So I searched the Hampton Roads area. Acclaimed rentals offered them, but they too were out of our range. From there I visited Distinctive Event Rental's site and was incredibly impressed with their selection. They even offered a range of colored seat cushions, but again at about $7.50 a piece, I couldn't justify the rental. I started to get frustrated with the lack of rental options, so I figured who knows the area better than my caterer? She works with these people all the time! I sent her an email immediately. She let me know that Distinctive and Williamsburg Event Rentals both offered them, but she actually had a stock of gold ones herself offered at a discounted rate of $5/chair. (Thank you, Lord!)

I called up Mr. Hawk for approval and actually waited a couple days to ask again. He responded, "I thought you took care of that forever ago!" I guess it was a go! I went ahead and reserved the chairs. I couldn't be more in love (with a chair, that is.)

Did you fall in love with chiavari as well?