Photography and BM dresses...can you tell that's what has been on my mind?!?

And this one is about Photography. 

So, a few weeks back i posted some pictures from some photographers that i'm considering. I now have some updates and additions to that post. Zoeiac Images is not available for our date and Arden hasn't gotten back to me (it's okay, i only sent one email...i'm not devastated or

 anything) but i found another photographer that i'm really loving. It's W. Scott Chester Photography from Atlanta, GA. They really seem to have a perfect balance of artistic, detail and [somewhat] traditional photos. I love the color balance and - one of my favorite aspects - the pictures have great lighting, used in interesting ways. Another awesome thing about them is that when i asked to see a full wedding gallery they gave me links to 5 different weddings! Now, on a side note...Let me just say that I've learned to ask for this very important piece of information from photographers because when you're looking through someone's portfolio it doesn't necessarily give you the best depiction of their work. The portfolio, of course, is their creme de la'creme of photos and not always their "typical" work. So it's always best to ask if you can see a full wedding they've shot - this way it REALLY gives you an idea of the kind of photographer they are. What shots they choose, the different angles they take, how they use the lighting in their photos, the different ways they edit and process the images, and their breadth of coverage. Well, W. Scott Chester Photography was obviously confident enough in their work to show me not just 1 full wedding gallery (as many photographers that i've spoken with have), but they showed me 5 different wedding galleries! And i have to say that i was VERY impressed and i can certainly understand (and agree) with their confidence! 

So, without further ado...here's a few pictures for your viewing pleasure...

all images are owned and copyrighted by W. Scott Chester Photography

Pretty great right? So you're probably wondering why i'm writing about this instead of immediately hiring them....well, their fees are at the very top of my price bracket....then with the addition of their travel fees it pushes it over the edge. So boo-hoo once again! I'm hoping maybe something could possibly (in a fairytale land) come through with it...but i'm trying not to get my hopes up too much. 

Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions? Negotiating Tips?!? :)

Okay, For Serious.

silly title....but i'm totally feeling THAT silly (and ridiculous) at this point. i mean how many bridesmaid dress posts have i made?!? ugh. let's pretend like we're not keeping count.... :)

so the last post i made about BM dresses i was thinking 3 different dresses x 2 dresses of each version. well, since then i made a trip to Nashville for a friend's bachelorette party (great time btw...i love you guys!!) and went into the BCBG store, and let me tell you...the sequins on that dress did not come across as well in person as they did in the pic...kinda a prom flashback if you know what i mean!  plus the coordination between that might be kinda chaotic...not to mention that most of those were on sale so coordinating sizes would be quite difficult as well.

so, with all of that said...i'm back to thinking one color - and one style i guess...as long as it's really stylish! I've looked through all the typical bridesmaid sites where i could do the same color/same fabric but different style thing and i just feel like all of those are too "bridesmaid" looking. know what i mean?!? the only exception would be JCREW, which has great dresses but NOT in my color. their "Plum" should be called Magenta! i mean come on! 

which brings us to this....the NEW (and hopefully LAST) selection of bridesmaid dresses. Please (please, please) vote for you favorite!!

A)

Nicole Miller - Nordstrom

B)

Anthropologie - Tickled Plum Dress

* on a side note - i'd do a different belt or sash with this one or at least tie it differently b/c i think the way it is here is a bit too bulky. *

C)

Nicole Miller - Nordstrom

D)

Laundry By Design - Saks Fifth Avenue

And voting begins now! Choose A, B, C, or D

Surprise, Surprise!!

So the other day I came home from work just like any other day. I started watering the flowers in the back and front yards - we planted a window box over the Labor Day weekend like I've been wanting to do forever. Well, while I was watering the plants a car pulls up and out steps Jan (my mother-in-law to be!). She has two bags and tells me that she has a surprise for me. Well guess what she has in those bags? 

....These!!!

How awesome is that?!? I don't think these are the cathedral bottles that I had talked about, but they are very similar! Jan has a booth in a flea market in Leeds and that place is filled with cool vintage glassware - she came upon these while she was there the other day. 

Anyway...I just wanted to share that with everyone. I was so excited it totally made my day! :) And also...how lucky am I to have such a thoughtful future mother-in-law?!?  yep, I guess you could consider me one lucky [indecisive] gal!! ;)

Inspiration Board - Aubergine Purple/Dove Gray/Light Teal

This board was based off of the 3 bridesmaid dresses from the last post:

What do you guys think? Which inspiration board (palette, bascially) is your favorite? (See "Older Posts" for previous boards)

Alternative Bridesmaid Dresses

This post is mostly just going to be pictures so let's get right to it...

Saks Fifth Avenue - BCBG

Nordstrom - Ann Klein

Yoox - Tocca

Saks Fifth Avenue

Bloomingdales - BCBG

Saks Fifth Avenue - Chloe

...and the best thing? These are all under $230. I'm actually liking the gray, pale aqua, aubergine/plum color combos in these all together. What do you guys think? Favorites?? Additional Suggestions??