By Hook or By Crook

It's time to create my wedding day look! No intentions to accomplish this   'by any means necessary,' though I always enjoy a good rhyme...

 I've chosen the dress, which shall remain unposted here. Mr.PS reads my blog and prefers to be surprised on our wedding day. We'll honor his choice for another three months. And like my shoes, I said yes to the dress...twice. Are you sensing a theme here? [Ed. note: I probably should have considered 'indecisive bride' as my screen name - LOL!]

via

The challenge is that time is quickly ticking down to W-Day and it's imperative to make decisions that I can stick with. Instead of over-thinking each task and forcing a choice in my quest for these:

via

...it's more important to take a deep breath and really feel that the choice is a reflection of me. I rarely approach everyday decisions with my heart, which may be why I find wedding planning so maddening. I'm learning that it can serve as a means to self-growth if I choose to accept the challenge.  om.

via

Whoa. Now I'm on a journey not only to find my inner voice, but to listen to it, too?! I didn't know I signed up for this when I said yes to the proposal and the ring...who knew decisions like flowers and shoes and makeup and hair could be so deeply affecting?

With this in mind, let's get to it, shall we? First stop is hair. I'm planning to wear it down and have narrowed 75 photo inspirations down to three distinct styles. 

We'll start with the loose, wavy locks of Beyonce. Very sexy, I'm wondering how much hairspray will be necessary to keep the curl fresh all day. Sounds like mission impossible.

via

Next up, the stylish curls of Anne Hathaway. This look has potential: it's polished and more finished than my everyday hair. And it may stand the test of time. Bookmarked!

via

And finally, who didn't love the sleek look of Sandra Bullock at the 2010 Academy Awards. Absolutely gorgeous in it's sophisticated simplicity.

via

So now, dear readers, I turn over the choice to you. I've already decided and would love to hear which celeb you think has the most wedding-worthy hairstyle for my big day.  Comment below and I'll post my big reveal tomorrow!

Aller guten Dinge sind drei.

No, I don't speak German. However, I was happy to discover the origin of the idea that "all good things come in threes." Things like:

via

via

{personal photo}

Three little kittens, the Three Stooges, and ...huh?! Let me explain.

I've spent the greater part of two days in bed trying to kick this cold to the curb. I've had zero reserve energy for TV watching, message board posting, or surfing the web. Don't get me wrong, sleeping is my favorite hobby, but this was getting ridiculous!

There was only one thing that could get me out of bed today, and I totally forgot about it until Mr.PS came home. He greeted me with a bedside kiss and told me a box came in the mail. Bolting upright, I jumped out of bed to break into my newest wedding treasure.

Those of you who have accepted the challenge of finding your wedding shoes will likely agree -- this is no easy task. Those of you who haven't are probably wondering "What's the big deal? No one will see your shoes under your dress anyway." Let me attempt to persuade you with something fellow fanatics affectionately refer to as shoe porn. Not only are they lovely, they make for a great photo op!

via

 via

via

You'll soon come to learn that I have fully exercised my right to change my mind with all things wedding related, and shoes were no exception. My first pair were charcoal gray Badgley Mischka 'Frank'. I fell in love with the color to match Mr. PS's wedding suit, and the fabric rosette complemented my wedding gown sash.

via

Unfortunately, these shoes were sheer torture when it came to wearing them for my hour-long dress fittings. Though sad to admit it, my pretties had to be replaced. Good fortune struck when I came across the Miss America 'Zuma' at DSW. Double score - they were tall enough to wear with my dress and were on clearance for $30. Mr. PS thought my feet looked sexy in them - added bonus!

via

I thought the search was over, but it was not to be so. Remember this?

via

Well, I hope you will agree that these shoes are 'the ones'. They have received Mr. PS's stamp of approval of sexy feet and are a nod to my online screen name. And even better, they are comfortable! Without further ado, I'd like to introduce the pink sequined peep toe from Ann Taylor.

{personal photo}

Well, whaddya think? Have you experienced the phenomenon of threes in your own wedding experience? Post a comment below and show me some love!

From the Brink of a Bridal Breakdown

I’ve been feeling guilty for my “one and done” blog left unattended for several weeks. Only now looking back, can I see that creating it was #3 on the countdown to a complete wedding meltdown.

[For the record: #2 was becoming a 2-dress bride and #1 was invitation detail overload…stories for another post.]

Thankfully, my future husband (FH) and some good friends broke me out of the wedding funk with a quick weekend trip to Las Vegas!

* personal photo *

Aside from the fleeting wedding thought of eloping with an Elvis officiant, the sparkly lights, slot machine jingle and overeating was just what the doctor ordered to break the brewing bridezilla within. Yes, literally – one of our friends is a doctor J  It also helps that my FH has “lucky bones” and seems to get these trips to pay for themselves.  He loves craps and poker and although he never plays slots, lookee here:

Blazing 7’s for real!

* personal photo *

Proof I was cured: when I came home and set off to set up our registry, the consultant asked when our date was, and I had to stop and think…

Yay! Meltdown averted, I’m back!

Have you ever been close to the edge of a bridal breakdown? What did you do to de-stress?