So at long last I have an update. I did try on quite a few- and ended up with 3 finalists. I anguish over most decisions, this one included. The original one, I tried on again and didn't love it as much and also realized that while I could wear a strapless bra if I were perhaps a guest, as mother of the bride who wants to dance and go crazy, that was not an option. I spent m time at the stores, and also ordered quite a few (at the end, I was ordering dresses in 2 sizes because you never know. ( I don't know how the picture will show up but I got this dress in navy and I love it. It is understated but has some bling, is long but not sweeping the floor, very flattering on and-------has a short sleeve bolero jacket for coverage but looks good without It as well. I actually took it to a tailor today to tweak it. It covers me fine, but she will raise the straps a tad and also ensure that the bra straps are totally covered. I am very excited and cannot wait to wear it. and----it's comfy!!! Now for shoes. I know I want strappy, and am looking for super comfy but of course pretty. I think a wedge could work since it is a garden wedding......... but yay I have a dress!! Here is a link that might be useful: prettiness

oK..I THOUGHT THINGS WERE GETTING BEETER, AND I WAS STARTING TO FEEL BETTER BUT THEN...WHAM. 2 DAYS AGO, MY HUSBAND TO BE (HE'S A LOCAL TRUCK DRIVER), WAS HELD AT GUNPOINT AND ROBBED, AT A REST AREA, IN BROAD DAYLIGHT. THE MAN WAS WEARING A SKI MASK, AND TOOK OFF RUNNING AFTERWARDS. MY HTBE CHASED HIM. THE GUY RAN TOWARDS THE BATHROOMS THEN DISAPPEARED. A NEARBY MAN ASKED WHAT WAS WRONG AND WHEN HE TOLD HIM, CALLED 911, OR SO HE THOUGHT. THE PERSON ON THE OTHER END OF THE PHONE WAS NOT A POLICE OFFICER. SO NOW, WE ARE OUT OF $1269.00 HE HAD DRAWN MONEY OUT OF THE BANK AND WAS GOING TO PAY OFF THE VENDORS FOR THE WEDDING,SO WE WOULD HAVE THAT OVER WITH. (A FEW EXCEPTIONS, SUCH AS PHOTOGRAPHER, ETC). THE STATE POLICE SAID THAT THEY WOULD DO AN INVESTIGATION BUT IT WAS UNLIKELY THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO SOLVE THE CASE. THEY BELIEVE IT WAS AN INSIDE JOB BUT CANNOT PROVE IT. HE WAITED FOR ABOUT 1/2 HOUR BUT THE POLICE NEVER SHOWED, SO HE LEFT. THE SUPPOSED POLICE OFFICER ON THE OTHER END OF THE PHONE TOLD HIM THAT IF HE COULDN'T IDENTIFY ANYONE THERE WASN'T MUCH THEY COULD DO, SO THAT'S WHY HE LEFT. HE REALIZES NOW THAT HE SHOULD HAVE CALLED 911 HIMSELF BUT AT THE TIME THOUGHT AN INNOCENT BYSTANDER WAS HELPING OUT BY ACTUALLY CALLING THE POLICE. HE'S NEVER HAD ANY ALTERCATIONS BEFORE INVOLVING THE POLICE SO HE DIDN'T KNOW THAT THE POLICE WOULD RESPOND TO A CALL REGARDLESS. PLEASE, EVERYONE, BE CAREFUL AT REST AREAS AND TRUCK STOPS. AS FOR THE WEDDING, I DON'T KNOW HOW WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO PAY FOR EVERYTHING NOW, PERHAPS WE WON'T EVEN BE ABLE TO HAVE A WEDDING. BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, HE'S ALIVE. PLEASE, PLEASE, BE VERY CAREFUL. AND PLEASE BE VERY ATTENTATIVE WHEN YOU'RE AT A REST AREA. IF YOU SEE SOMETHING THAT JUST DOESN'T LOOK RIGHT, DON'T HESITATE TO CALL FOR HELP. IT JUST MAY NOT BE YOUR IMAGINATION. IT'S ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY.

Hey girls, I've been busy working enough overtime so that I can take a WHOLE MONTH (WooHoo!!!) off from work (1 week before and 3 weeks after...) so I'm sorry I missed this post earlier! We're trying to get everything ready at home. Gotta clean the carpets, get the guest rooms ready, clean out the fridge, etc... Wedding wise, DF and brother are working on the "privacy screen" (to make our wall taller so people can't stare at the ceremony from the street! We don't have fences, we have ~4 ft tall concrete block walls... so we are building a lattice scren that will be decorated/painted white) as well as the arches (2 for the walkway from front to back yard and 1 for the ceremony). I'm sewing the table runners, ceremony runner, and flags for the decorations (It's windy here most of the time and my fabric has this iridecense that is beautiful when it flaps in the wind, so I decided to make flags for the screen wall!) as well as maybe some curtains for the house (we don't really have any... I'll see how much time I have!) My mom is making the boutineers and mother's corsages with silk flowers that we bought when I was in TX last month (they look real!)... Still going to have fresh flowers (hot pink/orange roses) for my and MOH's bouquets as well as the centerpieces and buffet tables... She is also making kissing balls with silk roses to hang from our trees as well as one for the flower girl. That's it for this week - we sent out the newsletters on Monday and our RSVP date is next Monday (05/24). So far we've only gotten 4 back!! Oh, and we're worried because our mailbox (it's a community box) was broken into on Monday, so we don't know if anything was stolen!! The post office is supposed to be fixing/rekeying the box today!! (Scary!!) Anyway, at this point, I am just trying to get through all of these hours at work so that I can get focused! That, and waiting for everyone/everything to show up from TX (half of my stuff is there!! LOL!!) Oh, and we are going next Friday to get the license - CA doesn't require any blood tests or waiting periods... have 90 days, but we put it off (*shame on us* LOL!!) It's getting close!! Have fun these next 3 weeks!! :-) -DuckyHead

I think pants is a very chic thing to wear. I would recommend wearing a nice white pants suit - it keeps it still "bridal". I have seen many white tuxedo style suits for women - I have even seen photos of famous brides who wore white suits when they got married. Most designers make a white suit. When are you getting married? Fashion is released about one season ahead, so many places are starting to get in their fall items now. You may want to go to a discount store that sells last season's items. Places where I have seen white suits: Nordstrom, Saks, Bloomingdales, Macys, Neiman Marcus, Ann Taylor, etc. If you wanted to go all out I know that Armani and a lot of the high-end designer labels make white suits. A satin is most formal or a fabric that is most like a tux - a wool or wool/silk blend. They even have suits with some bead work. I've noticed to keep it really dressy and formal the brides keep the suit real elegant by not wearing anything heavy under the jacket (the famous brides wear nothing under the jacket) like a light cami. Wear minimal jewelry (like a nice pair of earrings and ring only)), some strappy evening sandals, carry a small elegant nosegay, and wear your hair in a modern style. I think this is a great look for a day or evening wedding - but it is a bit more formal. You could make it more casual by wearing a white suit in a different fabric - like linen.