Since I started this blog last summer, I haven’t gone a whole week without posting — until now. Fortunately, I had a very good reason for an absence: my sister, Chelsea, got married!
You’ve seen the run-up to the wedding for several months: First, the hunt for the wedding dress in March; then the New Orleans bachelorette party in August and the bridal shower last month.
I’ve got a couple recaps planned to share the wedding weekend in Atlanta. Here, you’ll get the scoop on the rehearsal. Because the itinerary was jam-packed, I knew I’d be going straight from the church to a fancy steakhouse dinner and then a reception at the Four Seasons. All told, I spent last Friday in formalwear for more than 12 hours. (And this was the day BEFORE the actual wedding.)
I opted for one of my favorite wedding outfits — a floral Tracy Reese cocktail dress covered in beads and 3D appliqués. I’ve worn this dress to numerous weddings (most memorably at the Yale Club and the Brooklyn Botanical Garden), and it’s always a crowd-pleaser.
I first found this dress in 2011, and I literally stalked it until it appeared on the sales rack at Lord & Taylor. It had been incredibly expensive, so once it went on 60% sale, I split the price across four different gift cards and voila. I plan on wearing it until I disintegrates.
I had considered wearing more sedate black sandals with this dress, but I wanted to poke a little fun at the bridesmaid tradition of wearing “shoes-dyed-to-match.” These turquoise sandals were so perfectly colored for the floral dress, I couldn’t resist going full Easter basket matchy-matchy. I found these at a thrift shop in Hialeah, Florida for just $15.
My sister’s dress was sapphire, a nice nod to the navy dresses all the bridesmaids would be wearing during the ceremony. Her entire color palette was filled with autumnal, jewel tones. The blue dress was actually a whispered hint about her wedding attire, too — her outfit for the rehearsal had a similar fabrication and construction. (You’ll see later this week!)
One of the joys of seeing my sister get married was watching her full-fledged aesthetic come to life. While my wedding was more casual and hipster-y (for lack of a better phrase), Chelsea’s vision was more gilded and steeped in tradition. It felt like I was living vicariously, and I got to experience having another wedding myself.
First Presbyterian Church was the backdrop for the ceremony, and the sanctuary’s stained glass and starry ceiling were both ripe for inspiration.
Later this week, I’ll be sharing more from the wedding preparations, the ceremony and the post-wedding brunch. All my love to the newlyweds, fresh from their honeymoon in Aruba.