Since the bridesmaid lookbook, two of the three bridesmaids have found their dresses.  I was honestly really afraid this would go badly.  Maybe they wouldn’t like the color options, or they’d insist on matching dresses, or my style experts (the bridesmaids) would say this was a terrible idea.  Unfounded worries, all of them.

Maid of Honor K. bought an Adrianna Papell cocktail dress.

It’s gorgeous in person, with a little bit of jacquard texture in the fabric and champagne pearls around the neckline.  K. is the kind of girl who would look great in a paper bag, but a great dress never hurts.

Bridesmaid C. just decided on hers, from an Etsy seller.  It’s champagne dupioni with a silver dupioni art deco bow at the waist.  C. is my rock ‘n’ roll bridesmaid - although I am not a tattoo person myself (between the permanence and needles there’s no way), I really love hers.  She also has a phenomenal rack.  (C. is now dying a thousand deaths, reading this.)  The square neckline will show off both nicely.

Our third bridesmaid is M., DJ’s brother’s wife.  She’s a teacher, and now is not the right time of year to go swanning around dress shopping.  She is a sweetheart and would shop now if it were important to me at all - but I like low-stress, we still have more than five months to go, and I think this is going amazingly well.  Whew.

Are your bridesmaids choosing their own dresses?  How did you go about making the decision?

In contemplating bridesmaid dresses, I’d always had my heart at least half set on champagne dresses. I toyed with the idea of going with a stunning shade of blue, but ultimately loved the sweet sophistication of champagne dresses. My mother initially protested, fearful that it would in someway “detract” from a bride in white/ivory, but swaying her to my side was a rather simple process. After all, it’s pretty hard to deny how chic and classy champagne satin is without even trying. Being a July wedding in Upstate NY, the weather is bound to be insanely hot and with NY summers comes a relentless humidity that is outright miserable at times. Needless to say, I never even considered a full length dress and knew immediately that my fabulous ladies would be fashioned in a knee-length frock of some kind. And with those thoughts in mind, we went shopping.

This dress was an early contender and I’m fairly certain it’s by Forever Yours. The navy and light blue colors here, as modeled by lovely Bridesmaid S, were among the shades of blue I was considering instead of the champagne and I really loved them together. Somewhere on a scrap of paper that was lost months ago, we smuggled the style number down and filed it away as a strong possibility.

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Deciding on a color palette has been a bit tricky for me. This is due in large part to the fact that I am a self-professed lover of design and all things beautiful. I’m captivated by the latest trends, but at the same time I am passionate about things with a classic, slightly vintage flavor with an updated twist. For me it has made it extremely difficult to fall in love with a color palette and stick with it, as evidenced by the dozens of inspiration boards I have made in recent months. I’ve posted several inspiration boards as my planning has evolved, which you can see on my blog here, here, here and here.

Ultimately I was inspired by this photo of what I consider to be the most beautiful bath towels I’ve ever seen, which I found months ago via This is Glamorous.  Don’t you just want to curl up in one of those towels after a hot bath on a cold winter night? I know I do! At first I was planning to translate the photo quite literally and incorporate lots of navy and French blue, gray, taupe and ivory. As the months have progressed, I’ve opted to stray from a regimented palette of Pantone-specific hues, and have instead gravitated toward a palette of brilliant shimmering neutrals with occasional smudges of various blue shades to keep things interesting, but ultimately chic, sophisticated and timeless.

{Beautiful towels by Balineum}

My latest inspiration board reflects that sentiment and my goal to achieve what I am dubbing a soft color mood as opposed to a striking color palette. I want things to read as beautiful, serene and soft and to allow the colors of our various waterfront venues to shine through without competition. My amazing dress, which I shared with you last week, is the cornerstone of this inspiration board. Overall I’m going for something elegant, romantic and effortlessly timeless and for me rejecting a too-rigid color palette was the way to achieve this…and hopefully it works out as intended!

Dress by Casablanca, Blue champagne via The Knot, Bridesmaids photo by Lisa Lefkowitz
Sparklers photo by Karen Wise Photography, Invitation by Bella Figura, Shoe photo by Marie Labbancz
Hair piece by Grace Art and Antiques on Etsy, Suit photo via The Great Coat and Tie Experiment, Bouquet photo by April Smith Photography

As a teaser of things to come, you can catch a glimpse here of my plan for champagne bridesmaid dresses, all white flowers, and dapper men in charcoal gray suits, about all of which I promise to share so much more in the coming weeks. As you may have read yesterday, I’ll now be posting twice a week starting next week and in doing so can share even more wedding goodness. I’m thrilled at the opportunity to share even more of our wedding plans! On Monday I plan to share with you the Save the Date project that I lost much sleep over, but which turned out amazing in the end. In the meantime,  has anyone else found inspiration in an unexpected place? I certainly never dreamed bath towels would inspire our color palette!

Katie has a bit of a color dilemma:

I’m trying to figure out the theme or focus the color scheme of the wedding. When I think of my wedding, the words I use to describe it are: elegant, laid back, vintage, and romance. I’ve had to make some color decisions and style decisions that were not my number one choice. I just don’t know if it will all be cohesive - girls in navy, boys in tan, me in ivory, w/ pale pinks and yellows.

Katie, everything that you’ve sent pairs very well together!  I think the key is in *how* you incorporate the blues.  Blue is such a strong color so you really only need pops of it in your event.

All images sent by Katie except for blue champagne (the Knot), tan suit (Sarasota Tuxedo), and invitation (Birchcraft)

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I don’t know where all the inspiration board craziness is coming from because it’s usually very difficult for me to create a board. But I suppose I just have the bug and I’ll roll with it.

I’m not a brown fan, so I set out to find something that incorporated browns but was also a palette that I personally would use.  I think I succeeded with this champagne and chocolate combo.  Incorporating a bit of gold and the slightest hint of olive green into the mix sealed the deal!

Top row: Artfool, Weddingbee, Artfool
Middle row: Weddingbee, With This Ring blog, knottie djrs
Bottom row: Sarah Kaye, Desire to Inspire, Ceci New York

I think the key element in making this color combination work is the lighting - loads of lanterns, candles, and a darker feel make this work and not feel forced or overdone.  I love the idea of this color scheme in a winery or an old chateau.

E.