enJOY it

an archived personal and craft blog from Elise Blaha Cripe.

IMG_2805 IMG_2809 IMG_2810 Yesterday was a quick but long day. I was up for 22 hours from the early flight from Maryland to the run around downtown Sacramento to visiting Kristen to staying up to talk to the parents. I feel a bit like a sleepy turtle right now, but yesterday I was on an adrenaline rush. And we got some things figured. Not signed and sealed, but figured.

First things first. I am wearing a wedding dress. Eeek! We had no plans to look at dresses yesterday, but in our downtown wanderings we decided to stop in at a fancy dress shop. I tried on 6 or 7 dresses. Starting with ones that had a deep v-neck – which has been my style of choice for a long time. Then, I tried on some strapless dresses. I was impressed, they fit well and looked good. But every dress had something I would want to change. I don't want a train. Or beads. Or lace. Or sashes. Or fabric that is unnecessary and is just there.

I don't have much to say about the dress shop except that they had good lighting + great service. They had beautiful dresses, just not anything that screamed "Elise!" And I am a big believer that the right dress can and will talk to you.

My ordered J. Crew dress was at my parents house waiting for me to try on. It is one of the NON-puffy ones on their website and it arrived in a pretty small box. You would think it was a t-shirt. After all the pomp and circumstance at the dress place, my mom was sure this would just be a failed experiment. But I put it on, and fell in love.

I looked like a grown-up. A grown-up bride. And more importantly, I looked like me wearing a wedding dress. Not a wedding dress with Elise inside. It fit well (if you are ordering – I would recommend going one size smaller than your bust, waist and hip measurements say you should order.). I am going to trade it in for a petite because I undoubtedly would trip over myself in the extra inches of fabric, but otherwise, it was just lovely. I was thrilled. And never mind the extra bonus that it was 25 – 7% of the cost of the dresses at the bridal shop. (Side note, the dress I am wearing in the photo is NOT the j.crew dress.)

We are still going to look at one more shop this Friday, mostly because trying on fluffy dresses is fun, but another dress would have to really do something fabulous (like get up and dance by itself) to impress me at this point.

Second thing. We sneaked into the church and it is just perfect. My parents were like, "Is this a long enough aisle?" Some girls dream about the puffy dress, I dream about the long aisle.

Third thing. We visited a hotel that got vetoed. I don't want a cookie cutter wedding. A reception at this place would be pretty but also look nearly identical to the other 10,000 weddings in the US that Saturday.

Fourth thing. We quickly walked around a restaurant that I will be visiting more in depth with Paul and crew this Saturday. It has an outside patio that seats 250. It was like a magic garden and I adore it. I think that is the place.

Fifth thing. Wow, did you make it? Happy Thursday.

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21 responses to “zoooom.”

  1. mary elizabeth Avatar

    ah, weddings are so much fun (and work, of course.) i cannot wait to see all the lovely things you will pick…the dress, your reception, down to all the splendid details!

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  2. the craftivist Avatar

    yay! i loved trying on dresses, even if they weren’t the ones i ended up with. and i’m completely sure that the right dress will tell you it’s the right one, so if the J Crew dress did that, stick with it for sure!

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  3. Mandi Avatar

    Okay, first of all, the church is dreamy! And second of all, yay for knowing your dress is “the one!” And lastly, good for you for not settling on a reception place! Seriously, I was adamant about that too. We ended up having ours at the estate of the Hoovers (of the vacuum company) and I wouldn’t change it even if I had a million dollars to spend. 🙂

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  4. Edith Avatar

    Yay for dresses. I almost want to get married again so that I can try on more dresses. Or I’m going to start making wedding dresses. One or the other. And yay for dresses that are you, only better 🙂

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  5. Krys72599 Avatar

    Hip, hip, hooray! I love wedding details! More please!
    Trust me (and all the other women who agree!) when I say, “Yes, you will know ‘your’ dress!” Like you said, it was you, wearing a wedding dress. The last thing you want is a dress that hides you. You’re the star of the day, the dress is an accessory!
    We had such a great time planning our wedding, unlike our nephew who said it was the worst time of his life, his engagement was, with all the planning and decisions and arguments (they’re divorced now, btw). Hubby and I just looked around and decided. Simple. Easy. No trauma. No arguments. It can be done!
    Look at it this way, the choice for a dress or a venue should be as easy for the two of you as choosing each other!
    Enjoy the planning!!!

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  6. Kate Avatar

    Wow you had a long and busy day! My wedding dress was the first I had tried on (I tried several separates before that) and I fell in love. Didn’t try any more and it didn’t need altering at all!
    Your church looks lovely – how very exciting!!!

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  7. Katy Avatar

    Sure did make it … love all your wedding talk, so fun that you are sharing it with us all. It sounds like you got some things kinds sorted and isn’t it fun when you things turn up good, when not necessarily expected?
    🙂

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  8. Jojo Avatar

    ooh…what restaurant?? 🙂
    dress sounds georgous…go with your gut and the dress that talks to you, i firmly believe that your dress should talk to you as well :).
    hope you’re having fun in Sacto and enjoying the warm weather. see you guys in a few weeks!

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  9. april Avatar
    april

    Your dress will TOTALLY speak to you. When I looked up and realized that I was teary eyed, my mom was teary eyed, and every woman standing around watching was teary eyed, I knew we’d found the right dress! Have fun looking—that’s the 2nd best part! 😉

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  10. Heather Avatar

    Um. Near tears!! I just stalked the website trying to figure out which dress is yours. I (out loud at my desk) went “OHH! It’s THAT one!… oh, no, maybe it’s THAT one! Oh man, she’ll look great in all of them.”
    a. my co-workers think I’m insane
    b. I’m obsessed with weddings and can’t help it… I so badly want to be a wedding planner.
    c. you’re going to be the most beautiful bride ever. I can’t wait to see pics of your unique wedding! And of course… of you in your perfect dress (which I’m sure, when the right size will actually get up and dance on it’s own)
    d. get excited! (as if you weren’t already)

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  11. Kara Avatar

    Okay, man, I like that church. I get the long aisle thing. One of my preferences too for someday. That and that I want Claire de Lune to play as I walk down the aisle…
    Can’t wait to see the dress! Eeek.

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  12. Trish Avatar
    Trish

    The Church is beautiful! I am so excited for you and thank you for letting me be a part of it through your blog.

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  13. goshery Avatar

    A little bit off topic, but knowing your love for orange and gray I thought you might want to check out this fabric by Cicada Studio. I love it! http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=15722897

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  14. indigorchid Avatar

    Oh, I’m so happy to see how you are going about this! I am very impressed with how it seemes like you’re able to stay on track and recognize the things that are right for you, while at the same time not getting freaked out about the “should”‘s that often happen in planning events. Yey for personal and low-key, even in planning!
    Good for you, go Elise! Yey!

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  15. Panamomma Avatar

    Wow Elise. Fun to go through this with you. I still remember parts of my wedding planning from so many years ago. The dress was big for me. I started at the wrong end of the spectrum and couldn’t go back. However, that being said, had J Crew been selling wedding dresses 16 years ago… it would have been perfect. Get some rest so you can enjoy the remainder of the weekend.

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  16. amy lapi Avatar

    i hope this doesn’t go too fast! you look beautiful already. i’m so happy for you.

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  17. breanne Avatar

    i am loving following through with your plans, elise. so excited for you. you are going to make the most beautiful bride. can’t wait to see pictures of you in THE dress on YOUR day. (agh, it makes me tear up. the post-pregnancy hormones are just as bad as the pregnancy ones LOL)

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  18. Jennifer Avatar

    I spy a Carolina Herrera dress among all those wedding gowns….you must have been in a fancy store! The church is beautiful. Can’t wait to see the reception site!

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  19. Welcome Youngs Avatar

    i find thid funny…for the simple fact that i got engaged in mar. and im getting married aug 2…how do you ask??? a small wedding and a miracle! but as far as the dress…i was freaking out last night, b/c the dress of my dreams costs 9000 dollars!!!! and i havent found a dress otherwise speak to me like that…well i went to an alterations place today and a lady said she can make it for me!!!!!!! in my budget!!!!! im sooooooooo excited….

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  20. lauren Avatar

    i love following along on your journey so far, e!!
    thanks for keeping us posted!! 🙂
    *

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  21. Kate Perkins Avatar

    Just found your blog and love it! I went with the J.Crew Erica dress for the EXACT same reasons you listed above. Go with your heart and what makes you feel amazing!

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