Dressing the Schwedding Party

So, I have my dress. It's gorg. That detail is out of the way. Now it's time to deal with the rest of the wedding crew. What's on my mind, you ask? Well, here we go.

The bridesmaids will be in an elegant, chic, and simple dress in navy blue:

Would you believe I found it on target.com? Did you even know Target (pronounced Tar-jay) made bridesmaids dresses? I was having so much trouble finding something simple, navy blue, with straps, and affordable. On a whim I checked out target.com and voila! I find this gem. The ladies all seemed happy with it, so it's been ordered and will hopefully be a hit down the aisle on July 16th! And here's a secret: you can see me wearing it in the pictures from the engagement party post. I bought the dress for myself to try it out and wore it to the engagement party. So, obviously that means it can TOTALLY be worn again... I know, I'm such a nice bride!

The girls will all hopefully be wearing these cute flowers in their hair (to mimic the white flower that'll be in mine):

I'm also thinking that a shoe with some glitter would look amazing on the girls and be so flirtatious/fun for the big day. What do you think of these?

I love the first pair because they're so sexy and shiny. And the second pair is great too... they'd be comfy AND sparkly. Stylish AND practical. I have another secret: I own the second pair of shoes and I feel like a princess every time I slip them on. They're amazing! Basically, I'm open to any glittery shoe that the ladies find... and the shine on the shoes will compliment the shine of my bling ring. Just sayin'...

You're probably wondering about the boys now. John and I have chatted and we're leaning towards gray suits. We know it's not as dressy as black tuxes, but gray suits just look more vintagey and more stylish (in my opinion) in general. So, as John and I were sitting down to enjoy our delish Panera lunch yesterday, I have this vision of the wedding party. As you already know, the ladies will be in navy blue. I'm thinking, boys in their gray suits with navy blue ties (to matchy match the ladies). I should admit now that I've always thought the groom should have something different about his wedding suit that makes him stand out from the rest of the men in the party (as the bride definitely stands out from her bridesmaids). Then it hits me... have him wear a green tie instead of the blue. This way, we're incorporating the forgotten green into the bridal party's attire for the day and it's on my favorite person :) But it doesn't just stop right there... then I think, wait a second... I'll have my shoes dyed green to match his green tie! The bride and groom will match in their own special way, just as the bridesmaids and groomsmen will match. AMAZING. Here are some pictures I found that help the inspiration:

 

 

Except that's not my shoe. I bought these beauties last week (to wear to my first fitting this weekend!!): 

 

Now I just need to have them dyed. Let's hope they're comfy shoes, as I didn't get to try them on and they're not returnable. They'll be arriving in the mail hopefully by tomorrow. 

And to tie it all together, how fun would it be for the groomsmen and my handsome groom to be wearing these saucy socks:

Ahhh! I'm so in love with all these ideas. I'm so thankful that they came to me over Panera lunch yesterday. It took me a few minutes to convince John that it was going to be a delicious combo of greens, blues, gray suits, and sparkly shoes, but I think he's on board now. 

So the wedding-day attire is basically decided. Now I just have to figure out jewelry for the ladies and myself, flowers (probably just green and white), make-up, and the hundreds of other details that play into the big day. Any suggestions for jewelry, flowers, etc. are more than welcome!

The Schwedding Party

We've chosen a wedding party! We will have 5 ladies and 5 guys to help us celebrate our big day. I've written up a little background info on each of the bridesmaids and a reeeeally little intro to each of our groomsmen. If you notice, we actually have two Best Men.  I like to joke and say that we have a Best Man (Eric Schweitzer) and a Great Man (Mike Corte), but both are technically Co-Best Men. John just couldn't choose between the two (and I can't blame him... they're both awesome). So, without further adieu...

Lauren Ferrara Maid of Honor

Lauren and I have known each other since the day she was born. Though we didn't always have the most loving of relationships in our younger years (i.e. bottle-stealing, gum-stealing, shouting matches, etc.), we have grown to share a beautiful bond that only sisters (15 months apart) could share. I couldn't have asked for a better sister or better person to share my big day with. Even though she probably doesn't realize it, she has taught me patience, unconditional love, and compassion. She currently lives in Coventry, RI and is a wonderful mother to my favorite little niece, Lindsey Marie. 

Kathleen Schweitzer Bridesmaid

Kathleen is probably John's favorite sister and will definitely be one rockin' bridesmaid on the day of our wedding. She has been so friendly and fun since the day we first met (for stir-fry at Crazy Bowls) and has recently become someone I go to often to share wedding planning details. She currently lives in St. Louis and is studying at St. Louis University as an undergrad in communication sciences and disorders. Can't wait to call her sister!

Kate Arsenault Bridesmaid

Kate and I met at a training in 2006 for our summer jobs at Camp Westwood YMCA. We were both camp counselors to kiddos (ages 7-10) and instantly bonded over the craziness of our job. Although I only worked at Westwood for one summer, our relationship continued to strengthen after the job ended. We would hang out in coffee shops, go on shopping sprees, drive around RI, and talk about life, love, and all the in betweens. Although we live over a thousand miles apart, we still share a strong bond, especially in our chosen professions: she's an English teacher in RI while I'm a math teacher in TX. Kate's been a loyal friend since day one and I know I'll be able to rely on her during all this wedding planning stuff!

Emily Gagne Bridesmaid

Emily and I met at URI back in 2005. I was in a sorority, Phi Sigma Sigma, and she was thinking of pledging. The first time we really bonded was at an ugly sweater party (see picture) and were basically inseparable after that. We would spend hours with each other, listening to the Wicked soundtrack, sewing quilts, and just being silly. After Emily's sophomore year, she decided to move back to Maine to enter nursing school, but we continued to stay close. I was honored to be bridesmaid in her wedding about a year a go and now she'll return the favor by being a beautiful bridesmaid at our wedding in July! 

Justine Capraro Bridesmaid

Justine and I go waaay back, to the 7th grade in fact. I remember the day we met so clearly: I walked into English class and the only seats left were at an empty group in the back of the room. Justine left her group to join me in the back and we've been friends ever since. Back in our younger years, we spent endless hours on the phone and hanging out. We would watch movies together, talk about any- and everything, and even take trips to CT (or maybe just one, scary, sleepless trip). As we grew older, our busy schedules took us separate ways, but we continued to stay in touch (through snail-mail, phone calls, facebook, etc), and over two years ago, I was asked to be a bridesmaid in her wedding. It was so wonderful to be a part of her special day and I can't wait to have her be a part of ours! 

Eric Schweitzer Best Man

Eric is John's little brother. John loves his little brother like, well, a brother. They enjoy video gaming together, mainly of the zombie-killing variety. Eric also looks really good in orange (... and John told me to say that). 

Mike Corte Best Man

John and Mike have known each other since freshman year of undergrad at St. Louis University. They've been besties ever since. As far as I can tell, John looks up to Mike as much as Mike looks up to John. It's really a beautiful thing. Whenever John speaks of Mike Corte, he always speaks in hyperbole (i.e. "Mike Corte once killed a grizzly bear in an arm-wrestling match") and ends with, "Mike Corte, Great Man."

Reuss Anderson Groomsman

Reuss and John also go way back. They've known each other since freshmen year as well. They met in the halls of Marguerite Hall on the SLU campus, becoming good friends instantly. Reuss was studying aviation science, and John, computer science. Recently, John took a trip to Florida to hang out with Reuss for a International Fall Festival at Epcot in Disney. Rental of a bright yellow Corvette and drinks around the "world" ensued. 

Jay Sherfy Groomsman

Jay Sherfy is also a Great Man, according to John and others. John met Jay in Marguerite Hall as well. You could say he was a pseudo-floormate. They've known and enjoyed each other's presence for many years now. This is a picture of them after almost being mauled by a bear. Luckily, they blubbered like little girls and the bear had mercy on them. 

John Derus Groomsman

John and John were neighbors during John's senior year and quickly became good friends. John D. once threw a bag of trash onto John S.'s balcony and it smelled bad. John S. retaliated by doing the same. John S. doesn't actually know why it happened, but it was funny at the time. Their friendship was sealed in an "animated discussion" on the relative merits of Van Halen during different time periods. Also, this picture has no relevance to their relationship, but it's nice... no?