moose creek? - finally a maybe!

how is it possible a town with a population of 1600, located an hour away from ottawa has TWO wedding dress shops? and on top of this, they actual have the vintage dress i've been searching for!!!

sadly, the dress was not in the shop, but i could see it online and am able to order it if it's really the one i want. more on this later....

but first, back to moose creek: as mentioned above, there are two dress shops. juliannah's and alliance, probably within about a 3 minute drive of each other. these shops have come recommended by a few people, which surprised me... how can this small town no one has heard of have such great selection?

i have to admit, i was pleasantly surprised by both shops, and could still not recommend one over the other. but, brides to be in eastern ontario should definitely head to moose creek!  both shops offered the best service i've experienced yet - i guess i really am a small town girl at heart. both locations seemed very eager to please, excited by my "non-traditional" request challenge and not thrown off by my cheap budget. it was such a relief. finally somewhere that actually gets what i'm looking for and could actually offer options. luckily moose creek also has a sweet little greasy spoon diner to satisfy carol and my breakfast needs. dress shopping makes me hungry!

and now the moment most of have been waiting for.... YES, i think i found my dress... though as mentioned above they didn't actually have it in the shop for me to try. after trying on a few different options, we moved to online searches so the sales person could help narrow down what i wanted. that's when i saw it... apparently it's part of the "destination" line of one of the companies juliannah's carries. attempts were made to bring in a sample for me to try but to my surprise the two samples had been rented out by Today's Bride in Toronto for a photo shoot! guess i'm not as original as i thought!!!

but, they can still order it for me.... so now it's decision time. i would have really preferred to try it on, but i've tried on tons... similar ones even so i have a basic idea of how it should fit. and, it really is exactly what i've been searching for. clean lines, vintage feel, and in my price range!   once i've made the final decision, if it's a yes, i'll be heading back to the small town of moose creek to get measured...

so, i guess this is a "maybe" to the dress for now...  i know many would caution against ordering without trying... but, hey - i'm a risk taker. and of course i'd still be getting alterations.  and really, is there a risk investing in a dress featured in Today's Bride...?

picture time: no make up, no jewellery, no smiling... huh?

i just realized my passport expires next month... obviously this needs to be renewed well before december!

this means a trip to our local passport photo place this weekend... last time we went i got a lecture that i was lucky i wasn't wearing more make up, or they wouldn't be able to do them.. and i had to take my earrings out.  for those of you that know me, i wear so little make up it's almost laughable. how that was almost too much, i have no idea. i think i was wearing mascara...

regardless, here are some photo guidelines...

what? so, basically you want a picture that looks nothing like me? i'm usually in makeup, smiling and wearing earrings!

also unacceptable

but, in order to comply with the regulations, i'll drag my un-makeuped, un-jewelled, un-happy face to the passport photo place to have un-attractive photos of myself taken.  dave also needs to renew... could these be considered our "engagement photos"? great....

i realize the need for security, and that some things can make the photo unclear, but - i wonder if i should also enter the actual passport office with this same crusty demeanour... i suspect they'd prefer the done up, jewelled, happy me instead.

seriously though, as if i will look anything like my passport photo while entering jamaica. who isn't smiling when entering that country?

dress distress

everyone seems interested in wedding dress talk... have i bought yet, what style, white, off-white, cream...? i'm sorry to report, i am further from actually purchasing than ever

i thought dress shopping would be fun... a few times out with friends, try on a few dresses, have lunch and be on our merry way. was i ever wrong... no wonder there are whole tv shows devoted to girls finding their dress - it's actually a really difficult task!

there really are, oh so many different options available, it's crazy:

 

and yet... i still haven't actually purchased anything. i've now visited three different shops (thank you thank you carol for joining me on these excursions!). in all honesty, i have found a few dresses i like. sadly, they are just too pricey for me. damn this amazing ability of mine to find the nicest, most expensive item in the shop! 

but, i've found the more i look and talk about dresses, the more confused i become. they've all kind of blurred into one fancy white dress. 

it's unbelievable how easy it is to find a dress i like online, but to actually track one down in a shop - seems impossible. i think i've maybe set the bar too high with my online searches. in fact just a simple search for dress types, i found this: 

 i think all of these are cute - and yet haven't seen anything like any of these while out shopping!

i'm currently on a dress shopping hiatus. i need a break! realizing deadlines are an actual thing, i'll get back on it soon... but for now i'm happy to watch other people agonize over the decision - thank you tlc.