I've Found the Perfect Wedding Dress!

Ahh... love is in the air. Birds are chirping sweet love songs and soon wedding bells will be going off in the distance.

But not for me. Nope. Not this time anyway.

It is summer however - the season of weddings, or so it seems. Between work, church, old friends and new, it seems like everywhere I turn I am hearing about someone's wedding. The biggest hubub is usually about the dress.

Some people -- the uber practical people, or men -- will say, "Meh. Don't worry too much about the dress. You'll never wear it again, so who cares?" While the rest of us understand that a Bride wants to feel special on her big day. She will have pictures in this dress. She will be looking at these pictures [possibly] the rest of her life. She wants to feel like she looks good.

I've never seen the show "Say Yes to the Dress" (TLC), but my friend Tina said it's awesome. She said it's all about finding that perfect dress that "fits"; and not only a physical "fit", but one that fits your personality and style. Something you feel looks good with your shape and size. Something that makes you feel somehow magical.

This made me think. Did I like my wedding dress that much when I got married? Yes, I have to say I did. I knew I did not want an A-line Princess cut dress. Y'know -- the fitted bodice which then flares out really big and poufy starting at the waist. Even when I was 115 lbs at age 19, I was a little "wide" in the hip area. I felt that poufing out right at the hip would only accentuate that. So, I wanted something slim and flared only slightly, starting at the knee. I also wanted long sleeves because I did not have time to work on my "farmer" tan. So, I found a pattern for a long-sleeved slimming dress that flared past the waist. Really -- I did like my first dress. The veil is a little "Dynasty" though- haha, which now makes me completely laugh. But hey - it was early 90's. So, now to embarrass myself, I will share a quick snapshot of me in my first wedding dress, circa 1993.

A close-up of the material would reveal the satin embossed flowers, which I also loved.

Anyway -- with this entire talk of weddings, one of my friends said to me, "Well, you've been married before. If you ever get married again - you don't need a fancy wedding or a fancy dress. 2nd marriages should be casual." Oh REALLY? That must be some sort of surreptitious 2nd marriage code I've never heard of. But it did make me think... what sort of wedding dress would I want? What says "me"?

I am still not a fan of the A-line Princess Cut. And I hate my arms -- I have "lunch lady arms" (not cute!). In looking at a few dresses online, here are some I've liked.

I gotta admit -- I am sorta liking the shorter length. To me it sort of says "sassy".

I really like the "flare" of this one which is also short. I think it is feminine and flattering. Of course, I'd have sleeves - or maybe a jacket of some sort. Which brings me to...

Who says the Mother of the Bride is the only one that gets to wear a Wedding "Suit" Formal? I sort of like the "buttoned" up look. Definitely more "me" than the princess ball gown.
I like this one a lot too. I think it's the sleeves. I know that most people don't think "sleeves" when they think Wedding Dress. But I like it. It's playful yet sophisticated. If I ever go for a slightly casual wedding, or a fall or winter wedding, I think this is the dress I'd want.

This next one, well I think it's sort of got a retro feel to it. I love the elegant beading too. There's a lot of it, but to me it feels more timeless instead of gaudy.

I think if I were going to do a long dress, an empire waist might be pretty.

Aside from the sleeves, this one has a similar shape of the one I wore before. I still like this a lot...

But -- then I saw THIS (below) -- the MOTHER of all wedding dresses. (Well, for me at least.) I love the fact that it is "buttoned up" and sophisticated. True, it is more of an A-line. But it isn't your typical princess bodice AND, the flare doesn't start AT the hips; it starts just below. I love how it has a full skirt, and yet it isn't "poufy" at the hips. I won't ever be paying the $6000 price tag for this EXACT dress. But -- if I ever do get married again, and if I do decide to get a formal wedding dress, I think I would like something much like this. I don't know why, but I just feel it says "me".

What about you? What sort of Wedding Dress would you say "yes" to?

Collection: Houses in the Av's

There is a neighborhood of Salt Lake City, referred to as "The Avenues", or "The Av's" for short. It was one of Salt Lake's first neighborhoods. Way back when, it was **THE** affluent area of Salt Lake, as it climbs the mountain. Unfortunately, some homes have not been kept up or have taken a bit of a beating as many college students from the "U" rent rooms there. A few years ago they started a revitalization project in the Av's and a lot of the homes are being renovated. Homes there still sell for quite a bit, regardless of their condition.

But it isn't just the gamut from dilapidated to luxury that piques my interest. I like that there is great diversity in styles. When Utah territory was settled in the late 1800's, many of it's settlers came from the East Coast or Midwest. But there were also many who took boats from several European countries, landed on Ellis Island in New York and THEN still made the Trek out West! I love seeing the cultures carried through the diverse architectural designs.

I get to drive the Av's often since one of the major area hospitals is up there, and it's where I go to do get testing done. I like driving different streets each time and will see anything from French Tudor, Victorian, A-Frames, Craftsmen Bungalows, and Large Contemporary newer homes too. I've even seen a few that look like haunted houses straight from Transylvania! lol!

Here is just a sampling of what you might find up in the Av's.

Many of the homes up in the Av's also have a view of our state's capital building, on the other side of City Creek Canyon. Funny, it looks like it is RIGHT.THERE. But you have to drive all the way down the Av's over a few blocks around the "basin" known as City Creek Park, and then back up the hill to Capitol Hill. Still, a great view though.
Do you have any eclectic neighborhoods like this where you live?